Meet the 5th Grade Team:

Mr. Manning

Dustin Manning is beyond delighted to be teaching 5th grade at WISH! Mr. Manning earned his BA degree, MA degree, and teaching credentials from the University of San Francisco.  He decided to become a teacher because he loves to help students grow and develop to become their best selves.  His favorite subject to teach is reading because he once struggled with reading in school and now he loves to read. In his free time, he enjoys any adventure involving the outdoors, playing games with friends like Dungeons and Dragons, and spending time with animals.  He thinks WISH is the best place to work because of their dedication to meeting the needs of each and every student through inclusivity, family partnerships, and teamwork!

Ms. Hill

Elisabeth Hill is elated to be teaching fifth grade at WISH! Ms. Hill earned her BA degree from San Diego State University and her teaching credential and MA degree from Loyola Marymount University. She decided to become a teacher because she has a lifelong love of learning and has a passion to inspire others.  Her favorite subject to teach is math because she likes to solve real world problems. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cooking, and exercising. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the amazing community, support, and students!

Ms. Dossa

Tina Dossa is beyond excited to be joining WISH as a 5th grade teacher!  She earned her BA degree from Loyola Marymount University and her Masters degree and teaching credential from University of Southern California. Ms. Dossa’s first experience teaching was in dance. She has always had a love for working with children and found herself continually inspired by student’s innate creativity and innovation.  It was through her passion for teaching dance that she found her way into education. Her favorite subject to teach is writing. She loves helping students find the joy in expressing themselves through writing and appreciating good story telling. In her free time, Ms. Dossa loves to cook, do yoga and spend time with her family and friends. Ms. Dossa thinks WISH is the best place to work because it's filled with inspired teachers and staff whose priority is to provide an engaging and valuable education to all students. 

Ms. O'Loughlin

Haley O’Loughlin is ecstatic to be co-teaching 4th and 5th grade at WISH! Ms. O’Loughlin earned her BA at CSU Chico, and is currently working on her masters at LMU. She decided to become a teacher to be able to give students the excitement to learn she received from her teachers. Her favorite subject to teach is writing because she loves seeing students personalities shine through. In her free time she loves to draw, watch movies, and play Ultimate Frisbee. She thinks WISH is the best place to work because of the amazing staff and students! 

Learn more about the 5th grade program:
The fifth grade program incorporates the constructivist learning theory into everyday instruction, engaging students in hands on, project-based learning. Curriculum is differentiated to meet each child's learning needs. Scholars participate in cooperative and collaborative learning activities designed to develop their social and academic skills. In addition, technology, art, music, and PE are important, integral components of the fifth grade curriculum.

The language arts curriculum provides students an opportunity to solidify literacy skills. This includes:  fluency, comprehension, critical thinking, predicting, drawing conclusions, inference, and constructing genuine responses to literature. Fifth graders engage in multiple novel studies to help develop a deep level of comprehension. The writing program is integrated throughout all subjects and students practice the writing process through a variety of genres, such as, narratives, expository, and persuasive essays. Along with the writing process, vocabulary, spelling, and grammar are taught in context in order to be more meaningful to the students.

In math, fifth grade students begin to delve into complex mathematical concepts that utilize their higher level thinking skills. Students begin to learn and master adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing whole numbers, decimals and fractions. Students also begin learning algebraic expressions, volume, and graphing. Project-Based learning, manipulatives and computer-based programs are utilized to help students grasp concepts.

In social studies, fifth graders learn about United States history. Students cover the following topics: early explorers, the settlement of colonists, the American Revolution, the development of the United States, and the Civil War. Students also learn about the 50 states through state report projects.   

In science, fifth graders study mixtures and solutions, water, planets and living systems. Scholars utilize the scientific method through hands-on science experiments and record their hypothesis, data, and conclusions in a science notebook.

Technology instruction is an important part of our curriculum. Multi-media presentations, including iMovie, digital citizenship, blended learning opportunities, programming, and building an iPad application are all part of the Planet Bravo technology curriculum.