WEEK OF JANUARY 3

Too Good For Drugs
We will be starting the "Too Good for Drugs" (T.G.F.D.) program which is sponsored by the DuPage County Sheriff's department. Officer Millie Stejskal will visit our classroom weekly to discuss issues such as making good choices, peer pressure, and substance abuse. Students will earn a participation grade for Science/Health by completing assignments on time and demonstrating appropriate behavior. More detailed information will be sent home after our first session on Wednesday, January 5.


Subject Update:

• English - The students will learn about pronouns. Pronouns are words that can be used in place of common or proper nouns in sentences.
• Science - After Winter Break, we will begin a physical science unit, "Properties of Matter."
• Social Studies - Tension started to build between the colonists and the British government when King George III made the Proclamation of 1763. As we head into Chapter 8 in January, we will hear how this tension got worse when King George III decided to tax the colonists to help pay off debt created by the French and Indian War.
• Mrs. Strong's Spelling Class - We will work with Lesson 14 words starting Monday, January 3. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words. A final test will be given Thursday, January 6. (No Spelling/Reading groups on Friday.)
• Mrs. Strong's Reading Class - When we come back from break, we will be learning more about the structure of a story through story mapping.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students will continue in Chapter 10 after Winter Break. We will quickly review about perimeter and area of polygons, then learn how to find the circumference and area of circles.

Mark Your Calendar:

Dec. 18 - Jan. 2 - Winter Break!

Jan. 5 - T.G.F.D. (Session 1)

WEEK OF DECEMBER 13

Holiday Service Project Reminder
Don't forget about our Holiday Service Drive organized by our Project Challenge students. We are looking for donations such as new toys, new games, toiletries, and food for the needy families in the Darien area. All donations are due on Monday, December 13. Thank you for opening up your hearts to help make the holidays a happy one for those who are less fortunate!


Subject Update:

• English - The students should be preparing for the Unit 2 Nouns Test scheduled for Tuesday, December 14. Then we will put the finishing touches on our expository writing pieces.
• Science - We will complete an activity to apply some of the ideas we have learned about adaptations and human interactions with ecosystems.
• Social Studies - The students will review about the Spanish, French, and English fighting for control of the land in North America. The Chapter 7 Test is scheduled for Wednesday, December 15.
• Mrs. Strong's Spelling Class - We will not have a spelling lesson next week.
• Mrs. Strong's Reading Class - Students will draw conclusions while finishing up our work with "A Boy Called Slow." We will also practice summarizing and predicting with skill pages and fictional reading material.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students will begin Chapter 10 about perimeter, area, and circumference.

Mark Your Calendar:

Dec. 13 - Holiday Service Project Donations Due!

Dec. 13 - All School Concert (9:30 a.m.)

Dec. 13 - Cadet Band/Choir Concert (7 p.m. at LV)

Dec. 16 - 5th Grade Bowling (9-11 a.m.)

Dec. 18 - Jan. 2 - Winter Break!

WEEK OF DECEMBER 6

Junior Achievement Has Come to an End
During session 4 and 5, Mr. Blocker discussed many more business concepts. He also shared many examples of well-known entrepreneurs, such as Milton Hershey and George Ferris, who used the resources readily available to them to create something new and amazing. The students learned a wealth of information, and we thank Mr. Blocker for his time and dedication to bring this great program to our classroom!

Paper Recycling Fundraiser Reminder
Just a reminder that we can now raise money for our district by recycling paper! Please collect any paper you are going to throw away or recycle (no cardboard) and either send it to school with your child or drop it off at the green and yellow "Paper Retriever" bin in the Lakeview parking lot.

Holiday Service Project Reminder
The students of Project Challenge are participating in a Lion's Club Holiday Drive. Please donate new toys, new games, toiletries, and non-perishable food for the needy families in the Darien area. If you wish to participate, you will need to bring the donations in by December 13.


Subject Update:

• English - The students will apply spelling rules to form plural nouns correctly. They will also recognize the difference between singular and plural possessive nouns and learn how to write them correctly in possessive phrases.
• Science - We will do a fun, hands-on activity called "Deadly Links" to review the ideas from Lesson 3. Then students will prepare for the Chapter 6 Test on Thursday, December 9!
• Social Studies - The students will learn about Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet exploring the Mississippi River. This led to new French colonies in North America. We will also begin reading about the French and Indian War as the British, French, and Native Americans fought for control of a large part of North America.
• Mrs. Strong's Spelling Class - We will work with Lesson 13 words starting Monday. The students will be assigned homework during the week to practice their words. A final test will be given Friday.
• Mrs. Strong's Reading Class - This week, all fifth graders will review the skill of drawing conclusions. They will also be introduced to the skill of author's purpose. Students will learn how to read a text and decide if it was written to persuade, inform, or entertain. They will use the acronym PIE to help them remember these three important terms.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students will learn about tesselations and identify shapes that can tesselate on a plane. Then students should be ready for the Chapter 7 Test on Thursday, December 9!

Mark Your Calendar:

Dec. 13 - Holiday Service Project Donations Due!

Dec. 13 - All School Concert (9:30 a.m.)

Dec. 13 - Cadet Band/Choir Concert (7 p.m. at LV)

Dec. 16 - 5th Grade Bowling (9-11 a.m.)

Dec. 18 - Jan. 2 - Winter Break!