Stepping into September

kwallace@wcdsedu.com

• September 5, 2025

We hope to see you this coming week for Parent Night on September 11th! We ask parents to arrive at 6:30pm  and can come directly to the 5th grade classroom. We will review a few concepts pertaining to the 5th grade year, have an opportunity for questions, and then will meet as a WCDS parent group in the gym at 7:00. The event should be no more than an hour and is for parents only. Look for an email from Mrs. Wallace early in the week with a handout and details for the year. This will give you a chance to look over some basic information so you can come with questions should you have any. I am looking forward to getting to meet you all in person! 

The Bank is Open! The fifth grade utilizes a class economy system for our class rewards. What does this mean? Each fifth-grade student has a job for the month. They rotate all year and are to be completed daily. Students get paid $5 a day if their job is done completely,  but also have to pay rent on their desk and chair each month. All of the children have been given access to an “online bank” where they keep track of their total cash and can buy rewards for the classroom, such as a free dress day or a no homework pass. Teachers hand out cash dollars as rewards that students keep in their wallets, and at times, can issue fines for poor behavior or leadership. Every Friday, students “go to the bank” where they count out their cash, deposit it, and sign for their money. Our Bank Boss then reconciles the accounts. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know! 

This week, our student teacher, Miss Lexie Reid from Bethany College, joined our classroom for the first time! The students were excited to meet her and played Get to Know You Bingo to help her get to know everyone as well. We are excited to be a part of her teaching journey and are excited for the year ahead. She will be with us on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays the first half of the year, and her experience as a math minor will bring even more support to our tiered math groups. Welcome aboard, Miss Reid! 

Weekly Recap: 

This week, students completed their first round of Aimsweb testing. As returning families, I imagine you are familiar with this process and that it is computer-based and done three times a year. Our first round is used as baseline testing to see what our students’ strengths and weaknesses are and what gaps may have occurred over the summer. We will send the final results home at the end of the year, but if you are interested in seeing the fall results, please just let me know. 

Language Arts: 

• Students continued reading chapters of Out of My Mind 
• Began drafting our memoirs and worked on editing techniques 
• Had our monthly visit from the Ohio County Public Library – a wonderful opportunity presented by the Library staff to help instill a love of reading in Ohio County schools 

Math: 

• Decimals continue to be the topic of conversation (a completely new concept to fifth grade), so noticing them and discussing them in the real world is the most helpful thing parents can do at home 
• Learned to compare and order decimal numbers 
• Looking ahead – if your child has struggled with fluency facts (addition, multiplication, etc) and you worked on these skills at home, now is the time to pick the practice back up! If you ever want flash cards or tools for home help, don’t hesitate to ask!

Water Science:

• Learned about the different groups of macroinvertebrates and completed guided notes on various species
• We got into the creek for the first time this week and student were able to begin catching various creatures and worked to identify them against their picture key

This week in specials, our students had some exciting experiences across the board! In music, they reviewed how to read notes on the staff and then practiced playing Country Roads on the xylophones. In drama, students worked on facial expressions and performance skills, building confidence and getting more comfortable in front of each other as we count down to the holiday show just three months away! Meanwhile, in Spanish, Madame MacAteer has been guiding students through the study of root languages and ancient cultures, helping them make connections between history, language, and the world around them.