Livesay's Owl Post
January 23, 2026
1/26-1/30 - Wish Week! š«
1/27-1/29 - Parent Teacher Conferences
2/12 - Parties With a Purpose (see below)
2/13- No School - Teacher Work Day
2/16- No School - Presidents' Day
2/18- Family Paint Night, 5:30 - 7pm
3/7 - Sweetheart Dance
Wish Week kicks off Monday, January 26th, and we are so excited to be part of something truly special! If you ordered a Wish Week shirt for your student, it will be coming home todayākeep an eye out!
Our Vista feeder area has proudly been the #1 Make-A-Wish fundraiser in the nation for the past 10 years, raising nearly $2 million to help grant life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. What an incredible legacy of kindness, generosity, and heart!
Wish Week is especially meaningful to me personally. Our family has experienced the magic of Make-A-Wish firsthand, and Iāve seen just how powerful a wish can beānot just for the child receiving it, but for their entire family. Itās truly life-giving, and Iām so proud to share that message with our students.
Throughout the week, students can participate in themed dress-up days and fun school-wide events as we come together to spread hope and joy. Here's the line-up for Spirit Week next week:
Monday: Wear last year's (or a previous year's) Be A Good Person shirt
Tuesday: Colorado Pride Day! Wear your Colorado SWAG!
Wednesday: Camping Day! Dress like a camper!
Thursday: PJ Day
Friday: Wear this year's Be A Good Person Shirt!! (or wear green)
š Click here to see the full Wish Week schedule, including Vista events and participating restaurant nights.
Thank you for supporting such an amazing cause and helping continue this incredible tradition of giving!
Winter Conferences are coming up next week, and there are still a few spots available! Conferences are optional, but they are a great opportunity to connect and talk about your childās progress.
During conferences, we will discuss:
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EPRs
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i-Ready Diagnostic results
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Writing progress
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Other academic or social-emotional updates as needed
If none of the remaining time slots work for your schedule, please feel free to contact me and we can try to find an alternative time.
š Sign up here: LINK
I look forward to connecting with you!
Each year, Heritage Elementary goes the extra mile for Valentine's Day by encouraging students to spread kindness through a special service project. As a fifth-grade team, we aim to teach our students the importance of giving back and showing love to our community.
This year, we are focusing on supporting Children's Hospital. Many of us, including myself, have personal connections to the hospital. During my sonās many stays, there were moments when he was given a stuffed animal. That small gesture brought him comfort and eased some of his fears during a difficult time.
To help bring comfort to other children in similar situations, we are asking each fifth grader to bring in a NEW STUFFED ANIMAL to donate to Children's Hospital. Last year, our fifth graders collected over 70 stuffed animals, and weāre hoping to surpass that number this year!
Here are the details:
- What to Bring: A NEW stuffed animal of any size (please ensure itās clean and unused--this is for safety reasons for hospitalized children).
- Where to Bring It: Your child can bring their donation to school and drop it off in our classroom.
- When: Donations will be collected until February 12th.
Thank you for helping us teach our students the power of kindness and making a difference in the lives of children who need it most.
Reading
In reading, students will be learning about Ruby Bridges through The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles. This powerful true story helps students understand how one childās courage helped bring about important change in our country.
As we read, students will:
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Explore authorās perspective and how the author helps readers understand events and feelings
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Analyze photographs and captions to learn how images add meaning to a text
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Identify cause and effect relationships between actions and outcomes
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Discuss the essential question: What can people do to bring about a positive change?
Through discussion and reflection, students will think about how bravery, fairness, and standing up for what is right can make a differenceāboth in history and in their own lives.
Math
In math, students are learning how to multiply fractions. We are focusing on understanding what the multiplication means, not just how to follow steps.
Students will:
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Multiply a fraction by a whole number
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Multiply two fractions
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Use models and visual representations to explain their thinking
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Learn when answers get larger or smaller and why
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Practice explaining their work using numbers, pictures, and words
Our goal is for students to recognize real-world situations where multiplying fractions makes sense and to build confidence with this new skill.
Helpful How-To Videos (Math with Mr. J):
Writing
In writing, students are working on a fan fiction narrative based on the Flash Flood story prompt. Students were given the beginning of the story and are responsible for writing a believable and engaging ending while staying true to the original characters, setting, and events.
During this unit, students are learning how to:
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Stay true to the original story (canon) while adding their own ideas
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Write multiple attempts that characters make to solve the problem
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Build suspense using descriptive details, pacing, and cliffhangers
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Develop a clear resolution that brings the story to a meaningful close
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Revise and edit their writing to improve clarity, organization, and detail
Students are encouraged to think like authorsāmaking purposeful choices to keep readers engaged while showing how characters respond to a dangerous and fast-changing situation. This unit supports strong narrative writing skills, creativity, and thoughtful revision.
Social Studies/Science
We are wrapping up our Age of Exploration unit, and students are about to put their learning into action through an Explorer Simulation!
Next week, students will be transported back in time as they become explorers setting sail for the New World. They will be:
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Assigned to explorer crews
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Granted royal charters by the crown
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Cast lots for jobs aboard their ships
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Brave the high seas, unpredictable weather, and difficult choices
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Journey in hopes of successfully reaching the New World
Throughout the simulation, students will journal each dayās adventures, writing in first person as if they were truly living the experience. These journal entries will reflect the challenges, risks, and decisions explorers faced and will connect directly to the historical concepts weāve studied.
This immersive experience brings history to life and helps students better understand the courage, motivations, and consequences of exploration in an engaging and memorable way.
But the biggest question remainsā¦
Will their crew survive the journey? Will they make it safely to the New Worldāor will the sea have other plans?