FIFTH GRADE

FRIDAY, 7 November 2025

Spooky Season has gone the way of the ghosts that haunted it. Mid fall makes way for some daylight saved (whether we wanted it to be so or not) and some air gone chillier. We celebrate, we laugh, we lament holidays gone, we cheer on the approaching Fall Break, and perhaps we even ponder the effects of super moons on the liquid within our physical forms. Maybe not the last one. But who knows? Who am I judge your consideration, if any, of the potential metaphysical effects celestial bodies have on our earthly ones? Star shine and star signs and all that. In any case, please consider the following!

Important Dates and Reminders:

NO SCHOOL Veteran's Day -- Tuesday, 11 November
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day -- Friday, 14 November
- Permission form HERE
Candy Drive until -- Monday, 17 November
- Collect candy donations for 1st Grade
Non-Perishable Food Drive Collection & Community Service Day – Tuesday, 18 November
- Classes who collect and donate the most non-perishable food items will earn themselves extra recess!
Pali Camp -- 19 - 21 November

Language arts + Social studies

This week ELA: Read through chapter 11 of Fablehaven; fantasy writing.

Chapter 10 was a wild night worthy of its reading in proximity to Halloween. We encountered that feeling of watching a character make decisions that we're screaming at them not to do. Oh well. 'Tis a sign of a well-written character when a reader, while acknowledging the soundness of the character's internal logic, experiences such a visceral reaction to their choices. Why'd you have to open that window, Seth?!

Speaking of writing, what excellent storytellers we have in our midst! They made great progress on their fantasy stories this week. A handful of students completed their first draft and demonstrated the receptivity to feedback necessary to being a great writer.

Next week ELA: Complete chapters 9 - 12 Fablehaven; continue fantasy story writing; grammar (appositives, commas).

math + Science

This week Math: Decimal addition.

In science, we are beginning work on our service learning project this year: ocean conservancy via Heal the Bay Aquarium. This week we created posters to hang up around school advocating for the conservation of our oceans. We discussed how much of our trash ultimately ends up in the sea and how even those of us who don't live right on the coast can effect positive change on that environment. More lessons and activities to follow concerning service learning and the topic of ocean conservancy.

Next week Math: Decimal subtraction.

4 PILLARS OF WELLBEING

Our Community Pillar this week involved the difference between sympathy and empathy and how best to exhibit empathy. The students were (unsurprisingly) astute in delineating the difference and overlap between the two concepts. Moreover, they generated a great list ideas of how to be empathetic to their classmates and their TCS community as a whole.

STUDENT LIFE

Fall sports have concluded. Way to go, everyone who played! Amazing efforts, amazing wins, amazing teammates!

Also, some dancing, some drawing, some lying down and taking a moment with each other!

Halloween

Please enjoy this giant Halloween photo collection!