1/14/16
Dear Parents,
This week students earned their “RESPONSIBILITY!” and voted to have a “Lip
Sync Party”. They took turns lip syncing songs to the class. It was a fun time had by all –
way to go team Lyons!
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR THE WEEK:

KINDERGARTEN PICTURES NEEDED - It’s that time of year again that PTO needs to gather
Kindergarten pictures of our 5th grade students. These are the pictures that will accompany their
current 5th grade picture in the yearbook. Please put your child’s name on the back of the picture.
You will get the pictures back.

The Parent Feed + Project B3 – District 95 will be hosting two fun and informative all-family
events in February! The Parent Feed + Project B3 is a 90-minute digital responsibility
awareness event that parents and students can attend together.
Parents will experience The Parent Feed seminar given by social media professional Matt
Batt. They will get the latest, most up-to-date information on what this “digital generation”
is doing online. They will be given information on popular Apps and how kids are using them
as well as steps they can take to keep their children’s digital lives under control with an
emphasis on safety, future impact and cyberbullying.
Students will spend time with local high school student leaders participating in Project B3:
Be Safe. Be Smart. Be Kind. They will be lead through fun activities and take part in
discussions on what they can do to be digitally responsible individuals, taking an active role
in avoiding and combatting risky behavior and cyberbullying. The student program (Project
B3) is particularly geared toward students in grades 2-8.
We will hold two sessions available to all District 95 families:
 February 3rd, at Lake Zurich Middle School North, 7-8:30 pm
 February 18th, at Lake Zurich Middle School South, 7-8:30 pm
 Benefiting Joanie’s Closet:
A fun-filled and memorable evening awaits you and your special little someone on Friday,
February 5th, 6-8:30pm! Mark your calendar now. Don’t miss this popular family event
which includes dinner, dancing, professional photos, raffle baskets and more. The event
will be held at May Whitney Elementary School. Ticket ordering details will be available by
mid-December.
 After School Book Club – 4th and 5th graders will read and discuss Titanic: Voices from the
Disaster on January 25th.
 Honk Jr. – Seth Paine will be attending “Honk Jr.”
IMPORTANT DATES:
January 15
January 18
January 21
January 25
January 28
Institute Day – NO student attendance
Martin Luther King Day – NO school
Young Author’s Stories DUE
After School Book Club – Titanic: Voices from the Disaster
School Board Meeting
READ ON TO SEE WHAT WE ACCOMPLISHED THIS PAST WEEK:
Math- Students completed the Module 4 assessment this week with flying colors! Students learned and
practiced some new games to help them become more familiar with decimal place value. They took the
Module 5 pretest and we’ll begin learning more about decimals next week.
Literacy
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Reading- This week we read Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech, “What is Your Life’s Blueprint?”.
I’m hoping students shared their close reading notes and the speech with you. To start, we
learned some background information about the Civil Rights Era – segregation, bus boycotts, Jim
Crow Laws, the Civil Rights Movement, and MLK, Jr. Students took notes, had wonderful
conversations, and learned a lot about this important time in our history!
Writing – Students have been continuing to work on their Young Author’s Story. Students are
able to choose from narrative, informational or poetry as their genre. The stories are due to me
January 21.
Words Their Way – We have reassessed students and they worked in new groups this week and
took their assessments on Friday. We did not have WTW this week or next due to the short
weeks.
Literature Circles – This week we continued reading a novel entitled, Earthquake Terror in order
to learn the jobs within literature circles. I’m explaining my expectations for each job, so
students will be successful when they work together in small groups. Earthquake Terror is a
quick read for students and a really suspenseful book they’re really enjoying!
Social Studies – This week we discussed the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, the Three-Fifths
Compromise and the Great Compromise. We also learned more about the three branches of
government and the Constitution! We used various modes of learning
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, concerns or compliments.
Suzanne Lyons
5th Grade Teacher
Seth Paine Elementary
847-540-4782
http://www.lz95.org/classes/mrslyonssfifthgradewebsite_slyons/