…where learning takes flight!
January 8, 2015
Announcements
Friday, Jan. 15th—Institute Day (No School)
Monday, Jan. 18th—MLK Jr. Day (No School)
District 95 will be hosting two fun and informative allfamily 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
Growth Mindset Quote
Where there is the desire,
there is the ability.
~ Hispanic Proverb
Literacy
Reading— We are reviewing the different text
structures authors of non-fiction use:
chronological, comparison, cause and effect,
description, and problem and solution. Students
are learning to identify these structures and
explain how organizing the information in a
particular way aids their understanding.
Writing— Students spent the beginning portion of
the week writing a descriptive paragraph about
their new year’s resolutions. Now we are
beginning to plan our stories for the annual Young
Author’s competition. We are learning the
elements of a fiction story as well as how to
develop an interesting and engaging plot.
Science
Our first life science unit starts with the study of
habitats. Students have been introduced to
deserts, grasslands, and forests (coniferous,
deciduous, and rainforests) so far. We are learning
that different plants and animals are adapted to
live in different environments. All the living things
in an environment make up a community.
Math
We wrapped up our geometry unit this week and
began learning a strategy for multiplying by 8—
the “double, double, double” strategy. Students
should now be able to quickly recall multiplication
facts with 2, 4, 5, 8, and 10 as a factor. Next week
we will learn how to multiply by 0 and 1.
Please encourage your child to practice their math
facts on Xtra Math or by using their flash cards
(each student should have a set in their green
folders) at home each night if they have a few
minutes to spare. The students are making
excellent progress!