Smile-O Gram
Delaware Valley Elementary School
244 Route 6 & 209
Milford, Pennsylvania 18337
(570) 296-1822
http://dvasdweb.dvasd.k12.pa.us/magicplace
Our School is a Magic Place!
Vol. 20 – Issue 5 January, 2008
We are making tomorrow!
Calendar of Events
Feb.
7th - School Board Work Session – District Office @ 7:30
p.m.
Feb.
8th – DVES Sweetheart Dance @ 7 p.m.
Feb. 14th –
Parent Conferences-Half Day for
Students
Feb. 15th –
Half Day for Students and Faculty
Feb. 18th –
President’s Day Recess – No School
Feb. 21st –
School Board Mtg. – District Office @
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 29th –
Seuss on the Loose Day
Mar.
6th – DVES Kindergarten Registration
Mar. 11th –
DVES PTA meeting @ 7 p.m.
IMPORTANT: if Your Child is Absent
Parents: Please call your children's absence in to
the school nurse at 296-1828.
Terrific Tuesday
Feb. 5th –
Dress Up Day (wear nice clothes, such as
dresses and ties)
Feb. 12th –
Pink and Red Day
Feb. 19th –
Patriotic Day
Feb. 26th –
College Sweatshirt Day
On Fun Fridays, wear red shirts to show your support of our troops. Teachers, don’t forget to keep track of how many in your class are wearing red shirts on Fridays. A treat will be provided to the top three classrooms.
Nurse’s News
Attention,
parents of kindergarten and third grade students! If your child is in kindergarten,
he/she needs to have completed physical and dental forms.
If he/she is in third grade a completed dental form is needed.
If you have any questions, you can call the nurse at extension 1828.
Thank you!
Family
Fun Night
By
Billy I - 6G
Attention all girls!
On February 8th, Family Fun Night will be our school’s
annual Sweetheart Dance. It will
take place at 7:00 p.m. The
Sweetheart Dance will take place in the gym and refreshments will be in the
cafeteria.
The
awesome volunteers who will be in charge of the Sweetheart Dance are Mrs.
Acoveno, Mrs. Porter and Mrs. Oxley. Girls
can bring any special person in their family. Come on out girls, and bring your
sweetheart.
There
will be great music, tasty treats and snacks and, as a keepsake of the
Sweetheart Dance, you can have your picture taken for only $2.00
I
hope all of the girls have fun at the Sweetheart Dance.
Lip-Sync with Miss Golden
By
Stefani W & Sierra B - 6G
Something
that everyone has been waiting for all year long has just arrived. The Lip-Sync!
We’ve got everything you need to know. We interviewed Miss Golden for facts
about the lip-sync.
Miss
Golden was inspired to start the lip sync in our school because she wanted to
give kids who didn’t sing or play an instrument a chance to perform for extra
credit. She thinks children also
really enjoy seeing their friends perform and those who are in it love having a
chance to feel like a rock star. Usually about 150-200 students try out for the
lip-sync. Any music and songs that
do not use bad language or talk about nasty subjects are appropriate to be
considered, but Miss Golden is only able to choose about 15-20 acts.
That is about the amount that fills a one-hour show. “Groups are chosen
who are well prepared, interesting to watch, and choose an interesting song,”
said Miss Golden.
This
year’s lip sync will be held on Friday, February 15.
We know it will be great!
For
an idea of how it feels to be a contestant, following is an interview with Drake
and Elena Eshleman who have been in many Lip Syncs.
Lip-Sync Family
By Stefani W & Sierra B – 6G
The
Eshleman Family is big into musicals, singing and dancing, so it is only natural
that Drake, Elena and Dionna Eshleman would be inspired to try out for the Lip
Sync. Dionna started the tradition
when she was in fourth grade. Drake
did a second Lip Sync with her when she was in fifth grade.
Elena, who is a sixth grader in Mrs. Gray’s class this year, did it for
five years. Drake, who is now a
fourth grader in Miss Casey’s class, has been doing it for six years.
Elena
said it usually takes a couple of weeks to learn the steps and words to a song.
She thinks the hardest part of learning the steps is just remembering
them.
“Whenever
we rehearse, we’re always changing the steps,” said Elena.
Elena
and Drake like doing the Lip Sync together even though they are always arguing
over the steps with each other.
“I
think it helps us learn to work together,” said Elena.
The
Eshlemans like to show everyone their artistic talents by being in the Lip Sync.
They think it is a great opportunity.
They’re not sure if they will be chosen for this year’s Lip Sync, but
if they are they will play a scheming brother and sister from a famous Broadway
Show.
Reflections
Winners Advance
Here
you have it, the scoop on this year’s PTA Reflections Contest.
The following three students from DVES have won at the Council level and
are now moving on to the Regional level.
The
theme was “I can make a difference by …”
Taylor
Moglia (1M) won in the Visual Arts Pre-K-2 Division. Her entry is … “By Growing Things”.
Sydney
Culver (3T) won in the Visual Arts 3-5 Division. Her entry is … “By Planting a Tree”.
Natalie
Rosen (6C) won in the Literature 6-8 Division. Her entry is “By Becoming a Teacher”.
These
entries, as well as entries of those with whom they initially won at Council
Level, are posted on the news section of Our Magic Place.
The address for Our Magic Place is listed on the front heading of this
Smile-O Gram.
Seuss on the Loose Day
By Scott K – 6R
I
had the chance to ask Mrs. Flansburg questions about how our school prepares for
Seuss on the Loose Day. She
said that the Reading Department prepares for Seuss on the Loose Day by looking
first at what they did last year, making any appropriate changes, and then
brainstorming for any new ideas that they could add to it.
Mrs.
Flansburg feels that this day is important because we as a school need to
nurture the student’s love of reading. She
said after a fun day it may encourage students to read more or read different
types of books.
Mrs.
Flansburg’s favorite book is Hooray for Diffendoofer Day.
It talks about studying for the ’’Big Test” and how nervous the
kids were. All they really needed
to do was “think”!
Mrs.
Flansburg really hopes this year will be even better than ever.
She said that during the last two years of this special day we have had
two-hour delays, and that’s not good for the event.
Mrs.
Flansburg plans on doing hands-on activities with the first graders.
She said they seem to love fishing for rhymes, playing tic-tac-toe with
nonsense words and being part of the life-sized Seuss Land game.
One
of Mrs. Flansburg’s favorite things about this day is seeing everyone dress up
with red and white hats, Cat in the Hat t-shirts, and even wacky hair.
Her wish would be that everyone would enjoy the day and really have fun
with it.
“That’s
what Dr. Seuss would have wanted,” she said.
Thank
you, Mrs. Flansburg, for telling us about Seuss on the Loose Day.
We hope that there will not be a two-hour delay to shorten this fun day.
Test Time
By Michael B – 6R
PSSA
Month is coming and the teachers are helping us prepare for the test. I
would like to give you some helpful tips to prepare for the test, too.
Study
for at least 30 minutes a day at home. You should also read for the same amount
of time. Get a good night’s sleep the night before the test.
Don’t forget to eat a good breakfast, and no sweets or treats.
I
hope that all my tips will be helpful for you as you get ready for the test.
Good luck on your test.
Odyssey of the Mind
By Austin A – 6G
Did
you ever think about joining Odyssey of the Mind? If you do want to, I’m going
to tell you that you have to be smart and creative. Now, why do you have to be
smart? The reason you have to be smart is because you have to be ready to go to
the first round, then states and then worlds.
You have to be able to work as a team and as an individual and always be
thinking of creative ways to make a great skit.
Our
school has two great Division Two teams this year.
One
team is called Vehicle Team “Road Rally”. There are seven people on it. They
are Kendall Baird, Scott Brown, Soo G, Zach H, Jeana R, Wyatt S and Grant L. The
coaches are Gail Sebring and Karena Myers.
This team has to create a vehicle that will complete four different
sport-related tasks.
The
other team is called Technical Team “Dino Stories”.
There are also seven people on this team.
They are Jacob B, Laura F, Steven G, Cole A, Allison W, Ashley G, and
Angelo M. The coaches are Andrea
Benson, Kathy Fuchylo and Jeff Benson. This
team has to create a skit which creates a new theory about global warming and
how the dinosaurs became extinct.
Those
are the DVES OM teams for this year. We
wish both teams lots of luck, and we know they will do a great job!
Big Brothers/Sisters
By Michael B – 6R
Big
Brother/Big Sister has changed me. I
was home schooled and had never been to a real school before.
I did not know what to do. Then
I came to a great school and it is called DVES.
The kids are great and the teachers are nice and fun.
Then
I started a program called Big Brother/Big Sister.
I have a friend named Juan. He
is new in the school, too. We
helped each other on the first day of school.
He does not speak English. He
is cool.
On
the first day of school, my teacher Mrs. Roa said there was a new kid in the
class. I started to cry.
But then a boy in my class, Scott, took me to the bathroom so I could get
a break. When I got back to the
classroom, I sat down. Then we went
to the gym. We played B Ball a.k.a.
basketball.
Weeks
later, Friday came and we went to our first meeting of Big Brother/Big Sisters.
Juan and I did not know what to do.
Then they gave us our sisters. My
sister’s name is Sam. She is
nice.
When
Christmas break came, it was cancelled. I
was not the happiest kid that day, so my mom and I went to buy my big sister a
gift. When she got it, she said she
loved it. Sam is nice and caring
and likes to have fun. Juan likes her, too.
I’m
really glad to be in Big Brothers/Big Sisters at DVES.
Sixth Grade Art Project
You saw them last year and now you’re
going to see them again. It’s the sixth grade art project! In art, all the
sixth graders are making humongous poster board projects.
These
projects take about two months to complete. When we first started the projects
we had to draw a grid. Then we had to draw a cartoon character of our own
choice. When we had our cartoon character picked out we had to pick out a
background color and then paint the colors and then we will be done.
Watch
for these exciting projects to be displayed soon.
They’re lots of fun to make!
Sixth Grade (and Art
class) Rocks!
By Kendall B – 6R
Sixth
grade can be hard, but also fun! In
our sixth grade art class, we were assigned to draw our own private parks.
We could include anything we liked, maybe even a water slide or a
roller-coaster. It didn’t matter,
as long as it was appropriate!
When
you are in sixth grade at our school, you have your own sketch book.
Any assigned projects go in this sketch book, which becomes a keepsake to
take home at the end of the year—when we also move ahead to middle school.
In
sixth grade art class, you could get any assigment! I love art, so they are all fun to me. Sixth grade rocks!
Sheriff Phil’s
D.A.R.E.
By Kierstin N – 6P
Everyone
knows Sheriff Phil, but did you know that Sheriff Phil has been teaching D.A.R.E
since 1990? Chief Deputy Mario Buda is the person who inspired Sheriff Phil to
teach D.A.R.E.
Sheriff
Phil talks about a set curriculum in D.A.R.E.
It covers topics such as peer pressure, making wise decisions, bullying
prevention, and drug topics such as tobacco, marijuana, and alcohol abuse.
Sheriff
Phil thinks that the most important thing that kids should get out of D.A.R.E.
is to learn to make healthy, wise decisions, how to stand up to negative peer
pressure and facts about drug abuse.
The
hardest thing about teaching D.A.R.E. is the growing number of fifth grade
classes. Sheriff Phil said that 600 fifth grade students will receive D.A.R.E.
this year in East Stroudsburg and Delaware Valley School Districts.
D.A.R.E.
was started in 1983 by the Los Angeles California School District and Los
Angeles Police Department.
D.A.R.E.
starts in mid-March for D.V.E.S. fifth graders. Sheriff Phil said he is very
excited to return back to our school.
“You
have great teachers to work with. They are very supportive of D.A.R.E.” said
Sheriff Phil.
Thanks
for the interview, Sheriff Phil. See you in March.
By
Carlton A – 6G
Our
class, Mr. Gray’s class, worked together to create board games that reviewed
the elements of a novel that we read in class, The Westing Game.
The board games could follow any design we chose, but the design had to
relate to the book we read. Each
game had to include questions about the novel, and detailed instructions on how
to play. We had the opportunity to play and evaluate each other’s
games and our own games.
It’s
Electric!
By
Andrew N – 6C
My name is Andrew Neidig and I am a member of DVE-TV.
I had the opportunity to interview two students from Delaware Valley High
School. They are Dan Budd and Joe
Modera. They are studying to be
electricians and they are among the crew that has been coming to help install
new outlets and repair the television receptacles in the DVE-TV studio.
They are helping to make the room more efficient.
They are students of Dr. Clair Kenny, Vo-Tech’s electrical teacher at
the high school.
All of the high school students said they like
learning about how to become electricians.
Besides Dan and Joe, other members of the electrical
crew are Danny Fay, Jesse Schaffer, Bob Phelps, John Proffit and Dr. Clair
Kenny.
Thanks so much to the students and Dr. Kenny for
coming to help our DVE-TV room work better.
You did a great job!
Kids Against Drugs Club
Alex-Marie
M – 6C
Kids Against Drugs Club, otherwise known as K.A.D., is exactly
what its name says. We’re a group of 5th and 6th grade kids that uses puppets
and skits to make commercials about “Setting a Good Example”.
Different categories that fall under “Setting a Good Example” are
things like, don’t do drugs, don’t steal, and treat others like you want
them to treat you.
We use the puppets to act out everyday situations where a kid needs to
make a decision and then show what he/she should do.
We can’t wait to see all of our hard work and important messages on
television soon.
My
Valentine Birthday
Every
February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between
loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.
Why we celebrate Valentines Day and its patron saint is not actually
known for sure. We do know that February has been the month of romance for a
very long time. It is always on February 14th, my birthday.
I
think I am very lucky to be born on Valentines Day.
Now
I am going to tell you a short poem.
You
don't have to prove how strong you are,
for me to respect you.
You don't have to show how brave you are,
for me to admire you.
You really don't have to be successful,
for me to be proud of you.
You don't have to be perfect, for me
to love and adore you.
You need only to be yourself.
And that's simply enough.
Love,
Your
Secret Admirer
Chinese New Year
By
Sabrina W - 6R
Chinese
New Year begins on February 7. Mrs.
Coniglio, (A.K.A. the art teacher) told me that every grade level does a
different art project for the Chinese New Year.
The Chinese New Year’s celebration lasts up to fifteen days. The New
Year calendar has names for each of the twelve years, each after an animal.
This year is the Year of the Rat. It
will end on the 25th of January in 2009.
I would like to tell you a little bit
about the Chinese New Year’s traditions.
The Chinese New Year is about old traditions and beliefs of the Chinese
people. They believe that as they
enter the New Year, that the past year should drop into a peaceful silence.
They believe that the New Year brings the spirit of new life and new
hopes. Some activities that they do
is to clean their house from top to bottom, buy new clothes, pay off their
bills, paint their doors and windowpanes, and get new haircuts.
Married couples give their kids or relatives of younger generations red
envelopes with lucky money inside, instead of gifts.
They can use their money to buy holiday treats.
To
say Happy New Year in Chinese it would sound like this, “Kun Hei Fat Choy”
or say “Kung Hall Sun Hei” which means having a great fortune.
Happy Chinese New Year to you!
Bo-Bo and Bunker
Alex M – 6C
You’re
probably wondering who Bo-Bo and Bunker are.
Well… my friend went on a trip near where Eastern-Spotted Newts live.
When she got back, she had two newts with her. She told me if my parents
allowed me to, that I could have one. Well, of course, they said, “No.”
Well,
then we got an idea. If I couldn’t keep it at my house, it could still be
mine, but just live at her house. Well, of course, my parents then
said……………………”YES!!!”
I named my newt Bo-Bo.
My friend’s is Bunker. They
have completely different personalities. Bo-Bo is very lazy and was skinny, but
now he’s rather fat. Bunker’s nickname is Evil Kaneivel because he once
flung himself off a branch into the water dish. He was a little chubby, but is
now pretty thin.
We recently figured out a
quick way to tell the two newts apart (the other method took a while). Bo-Bo has
five spots on his back and many small spots on his tummy. Bunker has 11 red
spots on his back and not as many big spots on his underside.
We hope to finish the
scrapbook we started. They are the best pets in the world, and I hope I can one
day have another newt!
Welcome Mat
My Last Column
Gianna P - 6R
Hello!
This month will be my last Welcome Mat that I am going to write, because
I am going to pass this column along to another writer.
First,
I interviewed Crystal Guest. She lived in Port Jervis and went to A.S.K for a
couple years. Now she has Mrs. Mason as her first grade teacher. She thinks Mrs.
Mason does fun work. She likes that
she gives math tests because she likes math. She was glad that she moved because
she got to pick out her room, and her new yard is big.
What she likes here so far is her backyard because there are apple trees.
What she does when she is not in school is homework and then she plays with her
friends. She likes to collect shiny rocks and ride her bike. Her new friends are
Christian C, Julianna A, Olivia B and Chad F.
Next,
I interviewed Racheal Leann H. Rachel
lived in Montague New Jersey. She went to Montague Elementary for two years. She
has Mrs. Thiele for her second grade teacher and she likes everything about her.
What she likes here so far is that the library is very big. What she likes to do
when she is not in school is go to summer camp, bowling and softball. When she
heard she had to move she felt sad, but she thinks her new friends are very kind
and nice.
That’s
it for my Welcome Mat column. I
hope you have enjoyed it. I have
enjoyed telling you about the new students in our school
Cindi’s
Science Projects
Fizzy
By Cynthia D -
6R
This week’s science project is one that will blow you
away. You will need some help from an adult. So let’s get this started, shall
we?
1.
You will need a bottle, a balloon, vinegar, baking powder, and a space
which is away from every thing. (maybe outside)
2.
First, put about a cup of vinegar into the bottle.
3.
Then I suggest that you put the baking powder in the balloon.
4.
Next, place the balloon on the nozzle of the soda bottle.
5.
Lift the top of the balloon to let out the baking powder.
This is the time you might want to step back. Inside the bottle, your creation should be fizzing. As this is happening, the balloon should blowing up.
Pretty
cool right!
6th
Grade Corner
A
lot of you want to know how to see your friends during school without getting
into trouble. Follow these directions and you’ll find out how! It is hard to
be separated from your friends in sixth grade.
Trust me, I know. But I have some hints to help you have time to chat at
okay times.
In
the hall, while you are on your way to your classroom, you probably will see all
your friends and as you go by. Talk
to them quickly.
Ask
your best friend for their phone number and call them every night so you’ll
already know what’s going on. The only bad thing is sometimes your mom
doesn’t let you get the phone, so show your mom that you can accomplish what
you need to do and still get to use the phone. If that doesn’t work out, and
if your friend sits next to you and wants to tell you something, don’t
respond. Your teacher might not
like it. Instead, as soon as you
get free time just ask them what they wanted to tell you.
So this was my advice to you. If
that doesn’t work out the way you and I planned, don’t be afraid to come and
ask me! I’m always listening!
Bully Busters
Big Bullies
By
Ashley G - 6G
Bully Busters is back. Yes,
this is the one and only article that shows you how to put bullies to a low.
This time it is for people who have a bully that looks like they are so tall
they can eat you. To stop the really big bully, here are some helpful hints to
keep you safe and without worry of a big bully.
Tell someone of the big bully
that is trying to hurt you. Someone can and will help if you tell them.
Try not to show that you’re
afraid. If they know you are afraid of them, it will just make them feel
stronger.
Never forget that bullies are
probably mean because they don’t have friends, so try to be nice to them.
Remember,
physical violence is never an option, so try these positive tips instead.
Remember this and you can be bully free.
By
Kevin S – 6C
1. If you stretch a slinky out all the way it reaches 87 feet!
2. The ears of a cricket
are on its front legs!
3. Sound travels 4 times faster in water than in
4. The moon is one million
times drier than the
5. Every
year in the U.S., 625 people are
6. The
highest temperature on Earth was 136°
in Libya.
7. The
lowest temperature on Earth was
8. The
longest recorded flight of a chicken is seven minutes.
9. It’s
impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
10. The leg bones of a bat are so thin that no
bat can walk.
That’s it for this
month’s Did you Know? See
you next month with more fascinating facts!
Health
HelpJ
Asthma
Many
people in this world struggle with asthma.
Along with me, many, of my friends and people I know have it. It’s not
just us though, over 20 million Americans struggle with asthma, some cases worse
than others. The word ‘asthma’
comes from the Greek meaning, with no oxygen. Many people who have asthma get
frequent short or no breath out of nowhere. Some causes of asthma are:
Þ
Other people in your family have
it
Þ
Smoking cigarettes or cigars
Þ
Some heart medications may cause
it
If
you have asthma, some symptoms are wheezing and shortness of breath. Some people
believe that drinking coffee may lower your wheezing if you have asthma.
Unfortunately there is no medicine that can make you stop having asthma, but
there is medicine that can help you control it.
That’s
Health Help for this month. See you next time.
Cool
Crafts
Super Slippers
Cindi D
- 6R
It slides; it glides. It’s super slippers! I am going to teach you how
to get the best out of your old flip-flops. Okay, let’s get to work.
1)
First, you will need some new or old slippers, some of that fuzzy yarn, a pair of
scissors, and any decorations, such as maybe stickers.
2)
Take your slippers and set them on a table.
3)
Take your yarn; find the end of the yarn. Grab the yarn in your hand and
pull it until it reaches your shoulder. Keep doing it until you think it is
thick enough.
4)
Push one of the ends of the yarn into the hole at the back, and then do
the other sides.
5)
Next, push both ends of the yarn into the front hole.
There
you go—a fun and easy project that you can do with your friends or by
yourself. See you next time, on Cool Crafts!
Super Challenging
Stunts
Super Snowboarding
By Kierstin N – 6C
Snowboarding
is fun and dangerous.
It
is dangerous because of the possibility of hurting yourself.
It is harder than it looks. Snowboarding
on rails and ramps is especially very dangerous, so be careful.
When you are snowboarding, you should also wear a helmet.
Snowboarding
is fun, too. When you snowboard you can hang out with your friends and land new
tricks.
That
is all for this month’s Super Challenging Stunts. Join me next month
for Super Skateboarding.
Stuff on Sports
Cheerleading
By
Sierra B – 6G
For
this month, the sport I am doing is cheerleading. I interviewed Stefani W, who is in PAYAL Cheerleading.
Stefani
has been a cheerleader for one year. Her
friends do cheers at recess and she joins in then, too.
“That’s
how I first started to want to do it,” said Stefani.
Stefani
enjoys cheerleading. She said it is
a thrill, but it can be dangerous and have lots of drama involved, too.
To
be a cheerleader, you have to wear your uniform for the game.
For practice you have to wear something comfy and that you can move
around in.
Stefani
said she is still learning some of the moves for cheerleader, and she is getting
better at doing a cartwheel. She
said you have to learn a lot of cheers. Cheerleaders from the high school came and taught the team
cheers and helped them make new ones.
Stefani
is on PAYAL Patriots. They cheer
for about eight games each season. Her
team was the champion, and it was almost a tie against the Eagles.
Stefani
said if you would like to join cheerleading, you can ask Mrs. Sebring.
“Don’t
be like me and wait until 6th grade to join, when I really wanted to join in 2nd
grade,” advised Stefani.
That’s
it for this month’s Stuff on Sports. See you next month.
K”ooking with Kendall
Yummy Brownies!
By Kendall B – 6R
There
it is, the fresh smell of yummy brownies! They
taste as good as they smell. They look as good as they smell and taste, and they
are as easy as a piece of cake. “Made of what?” you may ask. Brownie mix and
help is the answer.
Ingredients
to make brownies are listed here. You need
brownie mix, two2\ eggs, ¼ cup of water, ½ cup of vegetable oil, extra items are—an adult or a
supervisor, a pan which can be metal, glass, or a dark or nonstick pan,
shortening or cooking spray, an oven glove, a toothpick and, for added taste,
sprinkles and chocolate chips.
Instructions
are very simple. You may see that
all you need is some help to proceed!! First, with an adult’s help, preheat
your oven to 325degrees Fahrenheit. Grease
the bottom of your pan with shortening or cooking spray. Stir brownie mix, eggs,
water and oil in a large bowl until well blended. It will take about 50 strokes.
After that, spread the mix into the greased pan.
If you want to, you can add chocolate chips and sprinkles in the mix
after you have spread the mix into the pan. You can also add cinnamon, fudge, or
any type of item you want, but after you add in the extra stuff immediately bake
according to the following times. For
a metal or glass pan, bake 27-30 minutes. For
a dark or non-stick pan, bake 42-45 minutes.
Brownies
are done when a toothpick inserted one inch from the edge of pan comes out
clean.
Taylor’s Treats
Tasty
Valentine Cookies
By
Taylor B - 6R
Welcome
back to Taylor’s Treats! As you
may or may not know, February 14th is Valentine’s Day!! Now why
spend all your time making plain old Valentines when you can make tasty cookies
instead? The first thing you need to do is get your ingredients.
Don’t forget, you will need a grown-up to help you make your treats.
Here
are the ingredients:
·
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
·
2 cups white sugar
·
4 eggs
·
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
·
5 cups all-purpose flour
·
2 teaspoons baking powder
·
1 teaspoon salt
·
pink frosting
·
heart-shaped candies
In
a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until it is smooth. Beat in
the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover it with
aluminum foil and chill the dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
Once
you have preheated oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), roll out dough on
floured surface until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
For
holiday fun, cut into shapes with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, and then place
cookies one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
One
of the last things you do is, bake those babies for 6 to 8 minutes in a
preheated oven.
Remove
from oven and let cookies cool for 5 to 8 minutes.
If you want, you can add pink frosting for a little extra taste and color
for Valentines Day and also put one or more heart shaped candies on each cookie.
To
show them all off, you’ll have to have a giant party and have everybody eat
and marvel at them all night long!!
See
you next month, and remember you can always find something great to eat and
enjoy, if you read Taylor’s Treats!
Creature Feature
Have
you ever thought about groundhogs? How they live and how they eat? Well, I’ve
got some cool, fast facts about groundhogs!
Groundhogs
are shy mammals that hibernate. They’re herbivores; which means they are
animals that eat plants only.
The
groundhog is also called a woodchuck. It gorges itself with fruits and leaves
for winter. After the first frost, it retreats to its underground burrow for the
winter.
I’ll
give you younger ones a hint about getting “six more weeks of winter”. If
the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.
If it doesn’t, spring is right around the corner! In the spring, mother
groundhogs have a litter of newborn groundhogs!
If
you didn’t know, groundhogs can swim and climb! Surprised? It’s true! They
also live in patches of meadows in thick woods.
That’s
all the time I have for today, but remember to read next month’s Creature
Feature, which will feature the love bird (the dove).
End of the
Day Games
Harina P - 6G
Are you bored at the end of
the day, just waiting there for your ride or club to be called? Well, for this
month I have a fun game you. The game is called Hangman. How do you play it?
This is how. There is a board person who will decide the word or phrase that
will be played for. That person also will be listing the letters and drawing the
hangman. There also must be children that will be guessing the letters for the
phrase or word. You just guess the letters that you think are in a word with the
amount of lines on the board. Each
time you guess wrong, another part of the hangman is placed on the board.
If the man or woman is hung entirely without you guessing the word, than
the board person wins and you have to guess a new word.
That is this month’s game
suggestion for you. Hope you have fun!!!
Pet
of the Month
This is Rachel with the Pet of the
Month. This month’s pet of the month is the MONKEY!!! For people who like
monkeys and would like to know how take care of a monkey, they should read what
I have to say. Now I will tell you about purchasing a monkey.
There
are a lot of legal issues of purchasing a monkey. You have to check with your
state, county, and city. You should find veterinarians that with primate
knowledge that will help you take care of a monkey.
If
you want to buy a monkey, you have to make sure that it is very healthy. For
their housing, keep in mind that monkeys are agile. That means that they are
very flexible and they are able to sometimes escape from their cages. They also
have nimble fingers. This means that they can move their fingers really quickly.
Monkeys
can get out of their cages really well, so you should get a cage at least six
feet tall. The cage should be made out of a strong material. You should also
clean the cage daily.
When
you are done making the cage, you should make a little pond. The reason why you
should put in a little pond is because monkeys love to splash around.
You
know how on the cartoons monkeys only eat bananas?
Well, monkeys actually eat a variety of fruits, cooked and raw
vegetables, seeds, nuts, wheat bread, and boiled eggs. You can also feed your
monkey some insects like crickets, grasshoppers and mealworms.
I
would like to tell you how much a monkey coasts. A monkey is over a thousand
dollars. I think if you really want a monkey you should do what it said in my
paragraphs.
That
is how to take care of a monkey. Read next month’s Pet of the Month to
see what I will write about next.
Stefani's Super
Songs & Movies
Thanksgiving Music
& Top movie!
By Stefani W - 6G
Are
you ready for Super Marvelous Songs and Movies? Well, wait no longer
because the time has come. That’s right! It’s time to count down from Number
5 to Number 1. We’ll start with the kids’ countdown. Number 5 for the kids
is a song you all know and love, “What Time is it?” from High School Musical
2. Song Number 4 was created by Billy Rae Cyrus and is called “Get Ready, Get
Set, Don’t Go.” Song Number 3 is by the Jonas Brothers, “S.O.S.” We are
so close to song Number 1. O.K.,
let’s get on with this. Song number 2 is by Miley Cyrus, “G.N.O” (Girls
Night Out). O.K. Song Number 1 is… (drum roll please…)…The Jonas
Brothers’ “Hold on.” Enjoy listening to the top kid songs!
It’s
time for the bigger kids’ songs (4th to 6th grade).
Song Number 5 is Daughtry “Over You”.
Song Number 4 is Alicia Keys’ “No one”.
Song Number 3 is Daughtry “Home”. Song Number 2 is Cobie Caliat’s
“Bubbly”. Song Number 1, which was voted on by many people, is Soulja
Boy’s “Crank That”. Enjoy listening to these songs.
Now
it is time for the movies! Top movies for the little kids are VeggiTales
Movie and The Water Horse. For the big kids, the movies are The
Simpson’s Movie and The Golden Compass.
Note:
Stefani W, Sierra B and Rachel T chose these songs and movies.
Ask
and Answer
We can’t wait to get this new article started. We are looking forward to reading your questions and answering them. Bye, for now. Look for answers to your questions next month.
Staff Members of the Month
Mrs. Sauschuck
By Alex H - 6G
Mrs.
Virginia Sauschuck is our January Staff Member of the Month.
I think Mrs. Virginia Sauschuck is one of the nicest people in our
school, and I’m very glad that I had a chance to interview her.
Mrs.
Sauschuck was inspired to become involved in teaching by her high school
teachers. She works as an Instructional Assistant at the Delaware Valley
Elementary School. Mrs. Sauschuck has worked at DV for 27 years. She thinks she
is near retirement, but she is not exactly sure when she will retire.
Mrs.
Sauschuck said she is lucky to have been able to work with teachers in grades
K-5. As an instructional assistant,
she does not actually “teach” but instead reinforces and helps kids and
teachers with what they need help with.
What she likes most about being an instructional assistant is working
with children in all different grades.
In
college, Mrs. Sauschuck was studying to be a health and physical education
teacher. When she was in high
school and in college, she was on the synchronized swimming team, called The
Dolphins. If she had completed her
teaching degree, she would have taught swimming and health.
When
she is not teaching, Mrs. Sauschuck likes to spend time with her grandchildren,
read, do crossword puzzles, and create things through wood-burning.
Thanks for the interview,
Mrs. Sauschuck. Congratulations on
being our Staff Member of the Month.
Mr. Clementoni
By Sarah A – 6M
I
interviewed Mr. Bart Clementoni and I would like to share some things that I
found out about him with you.
Mr.
Clementoni wanted to become a teacher because he worked with elementary kids
while he was in high school and enjoyed it.
Mr. Clementoni has been teaching for eight years.
The grades he teaches are kindergarten through fifth grade.
The subjects he teaches are Life Skills Support.
His favorite subject to teach to his students is reading.
To
Mr. Clementoni, the best part about being a teacher is having the kids learn a
difficult concept. The hardest part
is that he teaches many different grade levels.
When
he is not teaching his students, Mr. Clementoni loves to read, play golf, and
coach basketball.
Mr.
Clementoni is a very nice person inside and outside of school.
We’re glad he’s teaching at DVES.
Thanks
for letting me interview you, Mr. Clementoni.
Ms. Atchison’s
Parents Inspired Her
By Sarah A – 6M
If
you have enthusiasm, dedication and love learning you must be in Ms. Gail
Atchison’s class. I found out
some interesting information about our fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Atchison.
Mrs. Atchison said that the greatest influence of her wanting to become a
teacher comes from her parents. Both
her mother and father have always held education very highly. One of her
favorite memories is of her father reading James Fennimore Cooper’s Pathfinder
to her brothers, sisters and herself while they sat by the fireplace.
His enthusiasm for the story made it come alive.
Ms.
Atchison has been teaching for two years. Both
of the years have been teaching the fourth grade.
She teaches all of the subjects. Her
favorite subject to teach is science. She
finds the hardest part about being a teacher is helping students not to give up
when they are learning something new. The
best part for Ms. Atchison is when the student’s dedication pays off and she
sees how excited they are when they have accomplished their goals.
I
thank Mrs. Atchison for letting me interview her and for her sharing her story
about the joys of teaching with us.
PTA
Reporter’s Corner
Mrs. Sirico – Treasurer
Alex H - 6G
Mrs.
Sirico joined in the PTA in 1993. She
joined so that she could be involved with her child’s school and be helpful at
the school.
This
year, Mrs. Sirico’s position in the PTA is Treasurer.
In
Mrs. Sirico’s opinion, the most important part about having a PTA is to
connect parents with the school their children go to. She thinks the best part
is all the good things they do for our school. She also thinks the most
enjoyable thing about being in the PTA is helping others.
When
Mrs. Sirico is not working as a secretary in our school or on PTA work, she
likes to visit her children in college and spend time with her dog, Jasmine.
Thanks,
Mrs. Sirico, for all you do for our school.
We really appreciate it.
Artists of the Month
Congratulations
to this month’s Artists of the Month!
They
are: Krista V (5P) The Birds, Cassidy
N (5P) Jaws, Vince M (5P) Psychedelic,
Lily B (3F) Freddy,
Your Tour Guide, Derek F (3F) The Clown, Jacob B (3F) Double
Clown, Brianna K (4B) Streets
with Red and Blue Cars, Sabrina C (4A) Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Josiah D (6M) G.I.R.,
Chris Z (6M) Elmo, Danielle R (6M) Eeyore.
As
always, unless requested otherwise by the parent/guardian, you can see their
work on our school’s website, Magic Place. The address for Magic Place is
printed on the front page heading of this month’s Smile-O Gram.
Congratulations to this
month’s Authors of the Month!
They are: Michaela M (2K),
Alexa L (5F), Madison C (5F), Ashley V (4C), Arion W (4C), Samantha M (4C),
Scott K (6R), Devin S (6R), Cassidy N (5P), Krista V (5P), Olivia W (5P),
Allison W (5P), Alexandra F (4G), Maecy C (3F), Randall E (3F), David G (2T),
Rachael H (2T), Chloe G (2T), Jonathan L (2T), Lauren S (2T), Mike D (2T),
Jacquelyne F (2T) and Abhay B (2T).
As
always, unless requested otherwise by the parent/guardian, you can see their
work on our school’s website, Magic Place. The address for Magic Place is
printed on the front page heading of this month’s Smile-O Gram.
We would like to thank the DVES
staff, volunteers and contributors for a wonderful holiday gathering.
On behalf of the families who attended and received gifts, thank you for
your time and effort. Thank you.
Recess in the Snow
By Michaela M – 2K
I
love to play in the snow on the playground because it is fun to play with your
friends and to go down the slides when there’s snow on the bottom of the
slides. Not all of the kids can go
in the snow, only the kids that have snowsuits and boots can.
Where
the playing fields are, there is ice and we have fun sliding on it.
Recess
is always fun, but I like it best in the winter.
I Am Special
By Abhay B – 2T
Like
a snowflake, I am special because I have different fingerprints.
I have four family members. Their
names are Ajay, Shalleny, Chathen and Abhay.
I Am Special
Jacquelyne F – 2T
Like
a snowflake, I am special because I am a big sister to my newborn baby brother,
Junior, and my sister Vicky. I love
them so much. I love JR and my
family because they are nice to me.
I Am Special
By Mike D – 2T
Like
a snowflake, I am special because I have my pets to protect me and who I love.
I am special because of God and my good life.
I Am Special
By Lauren S – 2T
Like
a snowflake, I am special because I have a little brother named Alec.
My dad has a Dairy Queen ice cream store.
I also have a friend named Chicken Lady.
I Am Special
By Jonathan L – 2T
Like a snowflake, I am
special because I have different fingerprints than you.
I am also special because I have a very nice sister.
I am probably the only second grader who knows that Frankenstein was the
doctor, not the monster.
I Am Special
By Chloe G – 2T
Like a snowflake, I am
special because I am different from all people. I help people. I
am special because I have good friends. I am smart and I take my time in school.
I like to be myself.
One
snowy day I went out to make as snowman. First
I made the bottom. It was huge. I rolled and rolled. Then
I made the middle. It fit
perfectly. Then I made a head.
It was just the right size. After
that I put carrots for the nose and eyes. Then
I put two pieces of celery for the mouth. I put an Italy hat on it.
I stood there to admire it for a long time. It was just perfect.
The Mouse and the
Chipmunk
By David G – 2T
It was cold in the winter and there was two mice.
They lived in a mouse hole. The
mouse named Cheese wanted to go outside but Cheese could not go outside.
His mom said the storm will blow you away.
Cheese went up to the attic and grabbed a rope.
Then he threw it out the window. He
slid down it. His mom was right. The storm did blow him away!!!
He landed on a pile of wood and there was a door.
He went inside. There was chipmunk.
The chipmunk said hi, I’m Chip! Who
are you? I’m Cheese.
Where is your family? Oh, I
don’t have one said Chip. Maybe
you could live with me. Really?
Sure. Let’s go, said Chip.
The
storm was windy but somehow a Reindeer could walk through the storm!
I have an idea said Chip! Chip
came out of his house pulling a log with two seats and string.
Maybe the reindeer could pull us. They
asked. He said okay.
Cheese and Chip were catching snowflakes with their tongues!
They were at Cheese’s house. His
mom was kind of mad. Why did you
leave this house? I wanted to play,
said Cheese, and I met a friend with no family.
Can I stay here, Chip asked? Okay
said Cheese’s mom. And they lived
happily ever after!
Happy New Year
By Randall E – 3F
Hi.
I am Randall Evers. I’m
here to say “Happy New Year”. I
have suggestions for how to celebrate the first day of the year.
Maybe you can ask your relatives to come over for a great New Year’s
Eve dinner. Watch a channel where
it counts down to the new year. Happy
New Year!
By
Maecy C – 3F
Golosh
always went with his family for New Year’s dinner. They went on New Year’s
Eve. His family always had a gift
exchange. Golosh went to his
mom’s house to pick whom he would buy
a gift for. He picked up a card and
looked at it. His card said, “You
have picked Cousin Jane.” Cousin
Jane was not his favorite relative but he got her a present anyway.
He got her tickets to see a movie. He
remembered he had to get tickets to see the ball drop.
He went to the ticket booth and handed the man money for the tickets. He went home and found a box to put the present in.
The next day, he went to the party.
When it was over, he went to see the ball drop.
He loved it. He loved it so
much that he bought tickets to see it the next year.
This was the first time he did something right.
Yum! Yum! Yum!
My dad and I make a gingerbread house for my class every year. We start off by carving a piece of foam and decorating some paper. We also put a message on the paper. This year we put, “Whose class is the best in the world?