If your child is not practicing at home, they WILL NOT keep up in class. Make sure to ask them what they are working on and to hear them play for you.
5th graders are working on proper holding positions. They are plucking the D and A strings, and will begin changing notes on those strings very soon. The bow will begin in October, once they can demonstrate good holding position while playing some simple tunes.
6th graders already have concert songs, and they will get one more soon. They should practice note reading at home and can also go to Musictheory.net for more practice.
Concerts will be in December. See the school calendar for dates. they will be scheduled by October. Thank you!