Seth Paine Chronicle
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Fifth Grade Preps for Taft Trip
By: McKenna Kalesz and Grace Lightfoot
On April 17, the fifth graders
will go on a three-day Taft Field
Trip where they will learn about
survival and wilderness skills in
Oregon, IL. They will also learn
how
to
use
compasses
(orienteering) and learn to go
birding to track down certain
types of birds.
“I’m very excited for Taft this
year,” said fifth grader Julia Zarow. Although they don’t pack
for Taft until three days before
the trip, they still have a lot to
prepare such as deciding what
they will bring. Some must-haves
are: the Taft book, a small water
bottle, sunglasses, a watch, and
tissue. The Taft book helps the
students learn about each subject and reflect on the trip like a
journal.
There are no electronics al-
lowed in Taft because Taft is an
outdoor experience. The weather
on the trip is supposed to be about
Girls on the
Run for Health
and Fun
50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The fifth graders have been
preparing for Taft for many months.
They did a fundraiser to get money
for the trip. They also spent a day
learning to use compasses and
measure distances by counting
their footsteps.
It started when Mrs. Malin came
in to some of the classrooms at
Seth Paine to talk about Girls on
the Run. Seth Paine does not have
the only Girls on the Run group.
There are many other groups
across the United States and Canada.
Girls on the Run is about more
than games, it helps them understand who they are.
By: Julia Zarow and Olivia Hodge
According to Mrs. Mirock, Mrs.
Johnson deserves this award because she is a hard-worker, always
helps people, is patient and kind, is
willing to do anything for anybody,
is a great observer, and always has
a positive attitude.
Mrs. Johnson also recently
earned the District 95 Teachers
Make a Difference Award. She was
nominated by one of her students’
parents. Recognized by the superintendent, Dr. Egan, she received a
check that could be used toward
school supplies.
Mrs. Johnson cares about each
and every one of her students. One
of her first grade students, Zoe
Thill, says that, “Mrs. Johnson is a
very nice teacher. She is very hardworking and helps us with anything
Inside this issue:
Fifth Grade Concert 2
Kindergarten Field
Trip
2
Young Authors
2
SP Fun Fair
3
Student of the Month 3
Continued on Page 2
Mrs. Johnson Receives High Honors
Colleen Johnson is a wonderful
first grade teacher who won the
District 95 Teacher of the Month
Award in February. Mrs. Johnson
said in her classroom, “I was extremely surprised and honored. I
couldn’t believe it.” She thought
that a lot of other teachers deserved this award.
Mrs. Johnson has been teaching for almost 19 years in several
different states. Not only has she
taught first grade, but kindergarten, second, and third grade, too.
Mrs. Johnson loves to interact
with her students. She stated, “I
love to talk with my children and
read to them.”
Mrs. Johnson
teaches her students many useful
subjects that will help them develop academically and socially.
April 2013
By: Emily Buchta and
Alina Malin
In February, Mrs. Felix and Mrs.
Malin started an after-school program called Girls on the Run. Girls
on the Run gives girls a chance to
exercise and play games to help
stay healthy.
Fifth graders learn to use
compasses.
Volume 1, Issue 1
Pictured above: Mrs. Johnson
we need.”
Almost in tears, Mrs. Johnson
said, “Every day I spend with them is
a gift. All of my students are wonderful.”
Spring Break Trips
3
St. Patrick’s Day
3
Students React to
Test-Taking
4
Page 2
Fifth Grade Performs America’s Past
By: Bryan Slaughter and Zach Richards
Girls on the
Run
graders prepare. The theme
was American history, starting
at the American Revolution and
ending at the Civil War.
Continued from Page 1
The program had more than
singing. There was acting and
instruments, including: bells,
xylophones,
metallophones,
glockenspiels, and triangles.
Susan Brown, a mother of one
of the performers, said, “I loved
the instruments! I’m very
proud of the performers.”
“Girls on the Run is fun and
you get to meet other girls and
make new friends,’’ said Reagan
Petrow, a fourth grader from
Mrs. Mathisen’s class.
“After all the games and exercise we’re all ready for the 5K
race in June,” said Sammie Kopp,
who is also is a fourth grader.
One day the girls from Girls on
the Run plan to go out and help
the community.
“Girls on the run is nice because you get to exercise and
feel good about staying healthy,”
said Elizabeth Nicholson from
Ms. Pender’s class.
(From left to right) Josh Keller,
Anthony Libman, and Essix
Moser play instruments during
the music program.
Seth Paine School fifth graders performed a music program, The American Dream, on
March 20th. About 250 people
attended and there were about
90 performers.
The music teacher of Seth
Paine, Mrs. Saflarski, put a lot
of her time in to help the fifth
learned in class. She is also Mrs.
Felix’s mother.
According to Mrs. Saflarski,
this was a great performance
and experience for the fifth
graders. She encouraged all
students to “keep on singing
and playing!”
Third grader Sarah Richards
and second grader Andrew
Brown attended the concert
and said that they enjoyed the
acting.
Mrs. Wagner was the music
teacher before Mrs. Saflarski.
Mrs. Wagner started the annual music program years ago to
show off what the students
Connor O'Malley and
Parul Pari act out a song.
Mmmmm is for Maple Syrup
SP Young Authors Nominees
By: Pryce Janke and Noah Short
By: Tyler Gregoire
On March 13th the kindergarteners of Seth Paine went on a
field trip to learn how to make
maple syrup. The field trip was
held at Ryerson Woods in Deerfield, Illinois. Kindergarteners,
parents, and teachers went on
the field trip.
Six-year-old Kadence Monaghan said her favorite part of the
field trip was when she got to drill
the trees for sap. She also said
that they saw a one-eyed owl.
Six-year-old Mason Burmeister
said that his favorite part was
when he got to climb on the logs.
Mason said he enjoyed the trip
and it was very fun. Five-year-old
Grace O’Gara said that her favorite part was tasting the hot maple
syrup immediately after it was
finished cooking.
Ms. Brawley said that it was a
cold and snowy field trip, but if
there wasn’t any snow, they
wouldn’t have been able to see
animal tracks in the woods. Kin-
dergarteners go on this field trip
every year. Ms. Brawley said
that first through fifth graders
might remember the field trip,
so the older ones can tell their
younger siblings about their
field trip.
The day after the field trip the
kindergarteners put the maple
syrup they made at Ryerson
Woods on pancakes during
snack time. According to the
kindergarteners and teachers, it
was a very fun and very tasty
experience!
Kindergarteners use a drill
to remove sap from a tree.
A wave of excitement rippled
through a normal school day,
when the authors of multiple
essays were divided and selected for an event that would
occur on April 30. Young Author’s is a time of creativity, for
children to enjoy their ability to
criticize and shape words into
their image.
Each first through fifth grade
class at Seth Paine nominated
one student’s story for the
district competition. Eight stories were selected at the district level, but none of the winners were from Seth Paine.
Nominee Andrew Orals said,
“I think it’s an honor to be
nominated. It’s fun to do something amazing at such a young
age.” Orals’ story is about himself being an apprentice of
Henry Ford and someone stealing Ford’s car from him by tricking him. Only he could save the
car!
Tyler Gregoire earned a nomination for his quirky story about
a traveling badger who decides
to rest in a large forest. Being
one of the few fictional stories
entered in Young Authors,
Gregoire’s Badger Comes To The
Forest And Has A Lecture Of
Physics is an interesting addition
in the Winnie the Pooh history.
Another story called The
Mountain by Elizabeth Chialdikas is about a group of scientists
who disappeared in a mysterious mountain and some people
who try to solve a mystery.
There are twists and turns and
times of peril as the heroes in
this story try to outwit their
opponent.
All LZ95 nominees will be
honored on April 30th at 6:15pm
at Lake Zurich High School. The
eight district winners will travel
to Normal, IL on May 18th to
celebrate with other Young Authors winners across the state.
Fun Fair Offers Family Fun
Page 3
By: Spencer Steeves and Vince Petropoulos
The annual Seth Paine Fun
Fair was held on March 9th.
The Fun Fair this year had
many games like Plinko, Ring
Toss, and a basketball
shooting game. This year
there were two new games
called Angry Birds launch and
bumper car. “I won every
game. I thought they were
pretty easy,” said fifth grader
Will Greene. “With all the
tickets I got a ton of prizes.”
This year there was plenty
of food and drinks, and many
were new like the snow
cones. The snow cones had a
three flavors: cherry, raspberry, and sour apple.
The Fun Fair had a lot of
raffles. Some of the grand
prizes were pizza parties,
bowling day for kindergartners, Rummikub with Mrs.
Mirock, a game party, free
music lessons from the orchestra teacher, lunch with
Ms. Troyer, and dinner and
dessert with Mr. Shapiro.
There was also nail and face
painting. “I got my nails painted with my two daughters,
Rachel and Brittney,” said
fourth grade teacher, Mrs.
Snyder. “We won lots of prizes and had lots of fun.”
There were many prizes at
the Fun Fair. Some of the
prizes were candy, Silly Bands,
disk
shooters,
Frisbees,
stuffed animals, Ping-Pong
paddles,
balls,
grabbers,
snakes, lava lamps, and hockey
sticks.
“I had fun playing
games. They were very fun,”
said ten-year-old Ryan Murphy.
“I then bought a Ping-Pong
paddle.”
Many people were needed
to work at the prize room. “I
estimate over 250 people came
to the prize room,” said Christy,
the main worker in the prize
room. “I had lots of fun giving
out prizes.”
“I estimate about 500 people
came including my kids Aaron,
Adam, and Ethan,” said Mr.
Shapiro. About $2,500 was
raised at the Fun Fair. The
money will go toward school
assemblies and technology.
Student of the Month
By: Ryan Murphy and Bennett Haidu
Pictured above: Ryan
Paull
The March student of the
month was Ryan Paull. He is in
second grade in Mrs. York’s
class. Teachers look for students that follow the District 95
mission to select the Student of
the Month.
Mrs. York is thrilled to have
Ryan in her class. “Ryan Paull
contributes and is very respectful. He also knows how to
have fun,” said Mrs. York.
Mrs. York said that “Ryan
was special” when he came in
her class. He “always knows
what to do and is very observant.”
Ryan says he feels really good
about being student of the
month. Being Student of the
Month was one of Ryan’s goals
and he tried his best. His family
was thrilled when they found
out he was student of the
month. Ryan Paull’s favorite
special is art. His favorite class
subject is math.
SP Students, Staff Seek Sunny Destinations
By: Evan Sarsha and Amaan Sameer
Spring break came and
went again, and some Seth
Paine students and teachers
had some interesting ways to
spend their time.
Fifth grade teacher, Mrs.
Lyons, went on a trip where
she drove to Florida. She
went on a 12-hour drive with
her husband and her children.
In Florida, she went on a woodland adventure where she saw
an endangered animal. She said
she had a great time.
Fifth and second graders
Shane and Evan Wenzel traveled to Vancouver, Canada for
their spring break. They stayed
at their grandparents’ house.
One night they ate at a very
old-fashioned restaurant. They
went to an indoor-outdoor
themed place where they
watched movies, ran around,
and had fun. In Vancouver they
saw many sports cars and big
houses. It was 60 degrees in
Vancouver, which for that far
up north is very warm.
Continued on Page 4
Top: Ellie and Katie Choi try
the cake walk. Bottom: Students enjoy games and a bounce
house in the gym.
St. Patrick’s Day
History, Symbols,
and Traditions
By: Josh Keller and Nathan
Wenzel
Saint Patrick’s Day originated in
Ireland in the early seventeenth
century. St. Patrick’s Day is on
March 17th. The symbol of Saint
Patrick’s Day is the shamrock. In
Chicago they put green dye in the
Chicago River to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Some people wear all
green for the whole day.
According to Wikipedia, Leprechauns are types of fairies that are
common in Irish folklore. Fifth
grade teacher Ms. Lyons said a
leprechaun visited her house and
left notes saying where to find his
gold. Her three sons Connor, Riley,
and Brody searched for the gold
and found Rolos in golden wrappers. Her boys also got golden
necklaces.
First grade teacher Mrs. O’Brien
said that in her class leprechauns
left green footprints and a treasure
hunt for her students.
Continued on Page 4
Page 4
Spring Break
Continued from Page 3
Since it was warm, they went to the
beach. They also learned a lot about
animals.
Another person who traveled to
another country for spring break
was Mr. Herlocker, but he went in
the opposite direction. Mr. Herlocker went to Huatulco, Mexico at
Secrets Resort. There was a desert,
a pool, a beach, and he relaxed. He
traveled with his family. Mr. Herlocker went on a Jet ski, went snorkeling, and saw all sorts of sea animals such as sea turtles, jellyfish,
and dolphins. He also saw many
geckos and lizards. He enjoyed his
trip.
Our music teacher, Ms. Saflarski,
went to Hawaii with the Palatine
Choir and Chorus. She helped as a
chaperone. Everywhere they went
they sang - even at restaurants! She
stayed at Holiday Inn with her sister
and mother. She also went to the
beach a lot. She took a hike on Diamond Head Crater. Most of the
time the weather was 75 to 80 degrees.
Mrs. Lindquist went to Florida
and stayed at her summer house
with her niece and nephew. Every
day she went to the pool and ocean
and relaxed. The weather there was
75 to 80 degrees. Her flight back
home was canceled due to how
many people there were. Overall,
she loved her trip.
Fifth grader Evan Sarsha flew to
Las Vegas, Nevada. He stayed at the
Holiday Inn condo. It was 70 to 80
degrees. He went to a New York
themed hotel and saw many things.
He also went to a Paris themed
hotel. He saw a comedy magic show
where the magician ate a gerbil
and pulled a gerbil out of his fly!
Then in the same week he drove to
Los Angeles, California. He stayed
with his uncle and aunt and cousin
in their house. They ate at a surfing
themed restaurant called Dukes on
the Shore. He drove to an amusement park called Magic Mountain
and went on many roller coasters.
He had a wonderful time.
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
Continued from Page 3
Others celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in nontraditional
ways. Fifth grader Mason
Weider went to his sister’s
race. He said, “Saint Patrick’s
Day was awesome!” YMCA
counselor Janine said, “It was
the best. I went to Italy!”
They both said they found
gold.
SP Students Sound-Off About Tests
By: Rohan Rajagopalan and Jimmy Kedge
In February, third, fourth, and
fifth graders took the Illinois
Standard Achievement Tests,
better known as the ISATs. The
ISATs have been the only main
test in Illinois, but in 2016, that
will change.
The new test is called the
Common Core Standards Test.
Almost the whole United States
will use it. According to the
Common Core State Standards
website, Forty-five states, the
District of Columbia, four territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity will
teach the Common Core Stand-
ards and give students this
test.
The US government
says, “The Common Core
State Standards focuses on
core conceptual understanding and procedures starting at
early grades and thereby enabling teachers to take time
needed to teach core concepts and provide students to
master the concept.”
What do Seth Paine students think about test-taking?
Students were polled to find
out what they thought about
taking tests and how they
prepared for the ISATs. Ac-
cording to those surveyed, half
of third graders like to take the
ISATs and half don’t, but
fourth graders don’t like to
take them. Like them or not,
everyone surveyed agreed that
tests are important.
Students were asked to
share their tips for successful
test-taking. All the students
surveyed said a pencil was
needed to take the test, and
few said a ruler was helpful.
Others suggested getting a
good night sleep and eating a
good breakfast to prepare for
the test.
The tables below show third and fourth grade students’ opinions about the ISATs and test-taking.
Third Grade
Name
Do you know about
the ISATs?
Do you look forward to
the ISATs?
What tools do you use?
Audrey
Yes
No
Ruler, paper, pencil
Matthew
Yes
Yes
Pencil
Julia
Yes
Yes
Pencil
David
Yes
No
Pencil, ruler
Fourth Grade
Name
Do you like to
take the ISATs?
Do you like to
take tests?
What tools do you use and
how do you prepare?
Do you think tests are
important?
Nicole
No
Sort of
Pencil, eat breakfast
Yes
Dillon
Yes
No
Pencil, sleep
Yes
Marissa
Half and half
No
Ruler, pencil
Yes
Sara
Not really
Sometimes
Ruler, pencil, sleep
Yes