Good afternoon! We had another fantastic week in the “Lyons’ Den!” Don’t forget that students are off on Monday, January 27 as this is a teacher work day. Next week is Kindness Week at Glen Allen! Please refer to the picture to the left as we celebrate this both at school and at home. This is one of my favorite events that Mrs. Sitter organizes for our school. It gives us a chance to consciously focus on the kind actions we do every day, and to recognize others for being the wonderful people they are.
The GAES Science Fair was a resounding success on Thursday! Anna Berit shared the surprising results of her experiment with electricity usage. Be sure to ask your child about this.
I am so pleased with the great effort the students put forth on the Reading Benchmark this week. Thank you for helping your child feel so prepared for these. Please continue to review all notes and PortaPortal links (https://guest.portaportal.com/gaes5thgrade) for the Math benchmark next week so that they can feel confident before test day! Also be sure that your child gets a good night’s rest, eats a nutritious breakfast, and arrives at school on time on testing days as we will begin right at 8:00.
Middle School here we come! The parent window opened on January 21st to enter your child’s electives for next year. Please refer to the packet from Hungary Creek for details on how to access this site as well as the elective details. These decisions can promote some exciting conversations at home!
We are gearing up for the 5th Grade Chorus performance, “Gotta Be Jazz,” in February. 
Mr. Mills has supplied the music for students to practice at home: Gotta Be Jazz. Enjoy!
I am still looking for one lucky person to serve as our male chaperone for the YMCA field trip on Friday, February 7 from 11:15 – 1:15. Please drop me an email if you are able to fill this position.
1/27: Student Holiday
1/30 & 31: Math Benchmark
1/31: Greek and Latin Roots #1 Vocab Quizzes
1/31: 6th Grade course selection window CLOSES
2/6 Parent Teacher Conferences
2/7 Lyons, Johnson, & Dawe PE field trip to the YMCA
2/18 5th Grade PTA performance 6:30
2/25 Jump Rope for Heart
2/26 Spring Pictures
CLASSROOM UPDATES:
Math: We will spend Tuesday and Wednesday reviewing and reinforcing math concepts from earlier this year. The Math Benchmark will be Thursday and Friday mornings.
Science: Next week we are refreshing ourselves on the terms used to describe parts of an experiment. We are going to do a fun, hands-on STEM project as well. At the end of the week, we will talk about using dichotomous keys with a Wacky Alien People example. Looking ahead, we will be moving into our unit on matter!
Reading: This coming week, we will discuss the difference between fact and opinion and how both can be used in text. We will also look at the types of media messages and their 
attributes.
We are also launching into our Greek and Latin roots vocabulary unit! The homework pages are more involved but we will preview each page in class so students are clear on how to complete the assignment. Our quizzes will be on Friday.
Social Studies: We are moving to our next region of the US, the Northeast! Make sure your child is reviewing their flashcards at home so they really nail the states and capitals. We have a grade-level competition at the end of the year!
PE – Students are progressing through the aquatic safety unit. Please make sure your 
child is keeping up with the homework so their booklet is complete before the test day in early February.