Lyon Parent Newsletter-December

December 3, 2015

In This Issue

Principal's Post

Lyon Families,

We are excited to offer you a monthly newsletter with celebrations, upcoming events, and curriculum updates for Lyon Elementary.

Principal's Post

Updates from Mrs. Mitchell

Lyon wants your feedback!

I'd like to personally invite you to complete the parent survey at the below link regarding our communication efforts.

The input you provide will help us make adjustments and decisions that will impact your child's educational experience within Lyon. Thank you in advance for your time!

The survey closes THIS FRIDAY, December 4.

Please CLICK HERE to take the survey.

Building School Improvement Plan

(BSIP)

Lyon teachers and st uden ts h ave been working hard to meet our building goals in literacy and math. We co llected data in early November and have some huge celebrations!

Literacy:

100% of all Kindergarten students met proficiency on all writing common assessments.
Kindergarten, 4th, and 5th grades had less than 5% in the below basic category, with grades K and 4th with 0% in the below basic category.

Numeracy:

Four out of six grade levels had 80% or higher proficiency rates on all math common assessments.
Four out of the six grade levels had less than 5% of students in the below basic category

Again, our goal is 95% will be proficient in each of these content areas with less than 1% in below basic. This is our end of the year expectation and as you can see we are making huge gains!

Library:

Students have been preparing for the upcoming research unit that begins in January. Lyon was able to purchase 15 Chromebooks with profits from past book fairs. We will utilize these within our research units. What an exciting time in the library!

Music:

Fifth grade students are playing 6/8 meter rhythm patterns and will be composing melodies that step, skip and repeat on the ebeam.
3rd and 4th are both playing melodic rhythm patterns on xylophones.
2nd graders are learning how to listen for specific instruments in different styles of music.
First graders are learning about the use of bells in England and how that transfers into songs and music.
Kindergarten is learning to sing in call and response style.

P.E.:

Students will focus on staying fit for the month of December. We will discuss how to stay healthy in the holiday months and exercise to work off that Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie.

Computer Lab:

Our entire school is joining in on The Hour of Code during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 7-13). Why computer science? Every 21st-century student should have the opportunity to take part in creating technology that's changing our world. The basics help nurture creativity and problem-solving skills, and prepare students for any future career.

I encourage you to ask your child about the coding activity they participated in during computer lab next week. You can visit the following website for more information: http://hourofcode.com/us.

Art:

First grade artists read 'Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae. They used value and texture to create a background for their own dancing giraffe. But first- we had to practice our dance moves. (Shh! Don't tell Coach Brown we did PE in the art room!)

Counselor Connection

Students in grades K-2 will continue counseling lessons on feelings with a focus on being caring and compassionate.

Students in grades 3-5 will continue career exploration lessons during classroom counseling time.

Thank you for continuing to make attendance a priority and we will continue to notify you if your child's attendance falls below 90%. There are lots of fun things planned for December and we don't want your kiddo to miss out by being absent!

A Note from Nurse Lisa

Kindergarten and 1st grade students are encouraged to keep a spare set of clothes for those occasional accidents, spills etc. If your student has a set of clothes at school, please make sure to switch the supply out to winter wear.

As seasonal illness starts to escalate, the benefit of medication on file increases. Asthma and other respiratory illnesses may require medication be kept at school for use.

Medication Reminder: Per school policy, A parent/ guardian must bring in any medication a student will need while at school. The medication will need to be in its original container, delivered to the school nurse by parent/guardian and consent paperwork signed. All controlled medications must be counted by the parent/guardian and the school nurse. Students are NOT allowed to carry medication on their person or in any personal belongings unless the medication is a life-saving medication such as an inhaler or EpiPen. Please see the school nurse if you have an emergency medication so that you may receive the proper paperwork and permission to carry.

A note from the PTO president

Congratulations to the K-2nd grade teachers for winning the PTO Chili Cook-Off. Thanks to all of the families that came out and enjoyed chili and bingo. Also, thank you to all of the teachers and volunteers who helped make this event a success!

The next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, January 26th at 6 pm in the Lyon Elementary Library. All are welcome to attend.

Literacy Connection

How to Support Your Reader at Home

Don't say, "Sound it out!" Many words cannot be sounded out and therefore this is not a strategy taught to students at school. Please refrain from asking your child to do this when they come to a word they do not know. Instead, prompt your child with one of the following strategies when they come to a tricky word:

1. Look at the first letter(s) of the word. Say the first sound(s).

2. You read ___ . Does that make sense?

3. Look at the picture to help you read the word.

4. Go back to the beginning of that sentence and read it

again.

5. Do you see a part of the word (ex: -ay, or, be, etc.) that

you already know?

6. Search across the word. Make the sounds you know.

Adapted from: Molly J. Reed

Important Dates

Date	Event
December 8th	HS Jazz band performance at 1:30
December 15th	Papa John's Night
December 23-January 4	Winter Break

ticle

What action, if any, do you want your members to take? Add a "Find out more" link to additional information that you may have hosted on your website

Lyon is committed to building a community of learners who are productive, responsible and compassionate. Please let us know if we can assist your child in any way.

Sincerely,

Casey Mitchell Jeanette Brown

Lyon Elementary Principal Lyon Assistant Principal