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
7
March, 2008
We are making tomorrow!
Calendar
of Events
March 31st – PSSA
Testing begins
April
1st – DVES Volunteer Reception @ 7 p.m.
April 10th
- School Board Work Session – District Office @ 7:30 p.m.
April 11th – Last
Day of PSSA Testing DVES 5&6 Grade Reading
Sleepover
April 15th – DVES
Family Fun Art Night @
6 p.m./DVES Book Fair @ 7 p.m.
April 17th – School
Board Mtg. – Ding-Del Middle School Auditorium @ 7:30 p.m.
April 18th – DVES
Art Show/Book Fair 6-8 pm
April 29th – DVES/SES
Band Concert 7 pm @ DVHS
May 1st
- DVES/SES Orchestra Concert 7 pm @
DVHS
May 11- DVE-News/TV Mother’s
Day Breakfast
May 17 – SCAMP/DVE-News/TV
Yard Sale
IMPORTANT:
if Your Child is Absent
Parents: Please call
your children's absence in to the school nurse at 296-1828.
On
Fun Fridays, wear “Red Shirts” to show your support of our troops.
Teachers, don’t forget to keep track of your class wearing red shirts
on Fridays. A treat will be
provided to the top three classrooms.
Next
Year’s Teacher
Just
a reminder: Parent requests for
next year’s teacher must be sent (in
writing) to Mrs. Cole by April 30th.
The names of TWO teachers must be listed, and your written request MUST
be received by April 30th.
Earth
Day
By Alexis R – 6C
As
we all know, Earth Day is coming up!! It is on April 22. Mrs. Kudrich, a second
grade teacher in our school, came up with a project that you or your family
could do.
You
could write a poem about keeping our world clean and green.
Poems will be published into the monthly Smile-O Gram, and they could
also be read on DVE-TV. You
could take a photograph of something of beauty or a problem (like pollution) in
the tri-state area, and write a caption explaining the picture. The pictures
will be displayed on our own DVES Earth Day Bulletin Board!!
Hurry
up! Get started today.
Happy Earth Day, everyone.
Book
Fair
If you
do not have anything to do on the 15th of April, why not come to the
DVES Book Fair! It will be from 6
to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria. There
will be a lot more to see and buy than just books.
You will be able to choose from bookmarks, pens, pencils, and posters, to
name just some of the fun items you can buy.
We hope
to see you at the Book Fair. Happy
Reading!
Calling
All Kid Reporters
By Harina P – 6G
Do
you dream of being a reporter or an editor?
Are you a good writer who loves the news? If you do, your dream is about
to become true because of a contest. The contest is called the TFK Kid Reporter
Talent Search.
Time
For Kids is looking for 12 students from around the nation to be members of the
TFK Kids Reporter Team for the 2008-2009 school year. Next year’s team will
continue the tradition of reporting local and regional news stories for TIME FOR
KIDS magazine and TIME FOR KIDS online.
The
way to enter is very simple, as you may be able to see.
All you need to do is read to proceed. Write
a report about an interesting or unique event you may cover in your school or
community. The story should include a headline plus quotes from people you’ve
interviewed.
If
you would like to sign up for this contest, you can come on down to the DVE/TV
room and get a form or see Mrs. Kurdish. You must be 13 years of age or younger
on September 1, 2008.
Hurry!
Entries must be postmarked by June 20,
2008. The contest begins at 12:01 a.m. on April 4th and ends 11:59 p.m.
on June 20, 2008.
One
more thing—good luck!
National
Secretaries Week
In April of this year, the 56th anniversary of Administrative Professionals Week will take place. This annual event was originally started in 1952 and was called "National Secretaries Week”. It was created to recognize and thank secretaries for all they do in so many working locations and to try to draw more people into secretarial and administrative careers.
Did
you know that in the United States there are 3.9 million secretaries and
administrative assistants and 8.9 million people working in various
administrative support roles? Millions more are working in this field around the
world.
We
would like to take a little time to say thank you to the world’s best
secretaries. They work right here
at DVES.
Harina
P - 6G
Everyone
in our school says this when they see these people:
“Hi, Mrs. Sirico, Mrs. Aldelfio, and Mrs. Sweeney.”
“Who
are they,” you may ask? They are our school’s secretaries.
Well,
guess what? Following are their
amazing stories.
Mrs.
Sweeney
By
Sabrina W - 6R
Mrs.
Karen Sweeny has been a secretary at Delaware Valley Elementary School for 15
years. The first time she started
working as a secretary was in 1992. The
person who encouraged Mrs. Sweeney the most for her career was her mother.
Mrs.
Sweeney enjoys doing secretarial work, such as typing, answering phones, filing,
and computer work. As a secretary
she takes care of records, sets up meetings for guidance and special education
staff, and various other jobs for the office.
She also likes the students and the people she works with.
Mrs.
Sweeney’s children went to our school. They
are now either in college or have graduated college and are living on their own.
After
work, Mrs. Sweeney goes home and cooks, walks, reads and enjoys spending time
with her husband.
Mrs.
Sweeney likes to celebrate Secretary Day by having a nice lunch with the other
secretaries.
Happy
Secretary’s Day Mrs. Sweeney. Thanks
for all you do for us.
Mrs. Sirico
Harina P -
6G
Do you ever go to the principal’s office? Well, if so did at any time a
very young lady say, “Hi”? Well,
guess who she is? She is Mrs. Sirico! She loves being a secretary. She’s been
a secretary for 10 years at DVES and before that she was s a secretary for five
years before having her children. She pretty much
knew she wanted to become a secretary when she was still in high school.
She started working at DVES in 1997.
What Mrs. Sirico likes about being a
secretary is being able to help many different people and children in our
school. Things she does as a secretary are—many things.
She does the budget for the school, the bills, answers telephones and helps
parents and students with whatever they need. Who encouraged her to become her
to become a secretary was, no one really. “I always enjoyed doing many tasks
and liked the business classes I took in high school,” she said.
Mrs. Sirico does not currently have any
children in DVES. Her son and daughter have both graduated from DV and are in
college. She loves visiting her two children at school and spending time with
her dog Jasmine when she is not at work.
What would Mrs. Sirico love to do most
to celebrate Secretary Month? Working
with the staff at DVES and knowing that they really appreciate all that you do,
is her favorite way to celebrate this holiday. She also would like to tell us
that she loves working at DVES because everyone is so friendly.
That was our wonderful secretary, Mrs. Sirico.
Mrs.
Adelfio has been a secretary for DVES for three years, and a total of seven
years for Delaware Valley School District.
Before she moved to Milford she worked for other companies as a
secretary, too.
What
she likes most about her job is interacting with the students. As a secretary
she does student management. She loves working with people and using her
computer skills. She has always wanted to work with the public.
Mrs.
Adelfio’s daughter Sarah goes to our school. She is in Mrs. Mang’s sixth
grade class. Her son Matthew is a
freshman at DVHS.
When
she is not in school, Mrs. Adelfio takes care of her children.
What
Mrs. Adelfio likes most about National Secretary Day is that Mrs. Cole does
something special for the entire secretarial staff. She also just enjoys working here at DVES on that day.
Happy
Secretary Month to all of our secretaries, and thanks for working so hard at our
school!
Sixth
Grade Dance
By
Sierra D – 6M
Attention
all sixth graders! Did you know that we are having two dances this year?
We’re going to have
awesome “Spring Fling” and “Sizzling Summer” dances.
Girls are to wear dresses and skirts.
Boys are to wear nice pants with a dress shirt, no tee shirts or jeans.
There will be more information in the flier which will be handed out before the
dances.
Hope
you are excited and HAVE FUN!
Jeanine
K - 6G
Mrs.
Bennett is one of my favorite teachers! I could cry! Want to know why? She is
retiring! Mrs. Bennett was the nicest gym teacher I have ever had. I will miss
her so much. She’s been teaching for a long time and I respect that, but she
was my gym teacher! Now let me tell you some things about her.
She
is a good gym teacher. I do not like to be over-worked (especially in the
winter) because I like to be strong and crazy during the games.
Mrs.
Bennett is so creative. In my years
at DVES, she has made over ten new games just for us, such as mystery dodge
ball.
I also
like how she helps you and cares about your health. She is sweet and much better
at keeping you in the game. She asks some kids who might be injured, “How are
you doing?” or “How’s your head?”
I’ll
miss Mrs. Bennett and all of her wonderfully made games.
Good-bye,
Mrs. Bennett. We all will miss you!L
The
PSSA’s
By
Sabrina W – 6R
As we
all know, the PSSA’S came last week. That means that all we had to do was come
in, eat snacks, get comfortable and take the tests. Then we got to have some
breaks once everyone is through.
We all hope everyone did their best!
By Kierstin N - 6C
Sheriff Phil has been teaching
D.A.R.E since 1990. He was inspired
by Mario Buda to teach D.A.R.E.
Sheriff Phil talks about
curriculum which covers many topics, such as peer pressure, making wise
decisions, bully-prevention, and important drug topics including tobacco,
marijuana, and alcohol abuse.
Sheriff Phil thinks that the
most important thing he can teach kids is to make healthy, wise decisions and to
avoid negative peer pressure. He wants them to learn as many facts as possible
about drug abuse.
The growing number of fifth grade classes (600 5th
grade students will receive D.A.R.E this year in East Stroudsburg and Delaware
Valley School Districts) is the hardest part about D.A.R.E for Sheriff Phil.
Here’s what Sheriff Phil had
to say about returning to our school for D.A.R.E. this month.
“I am very excited to return
back to your school. You have a great group of teachers to work with. They are
very supportive of D.A.R.E and Sheriff Phil,” he said.
Welcome back to DVES, Sheriff Phil.
We’re glad you’re back.
April
By Sarah A
– 6M
April’s
so much fun
It’s
coming by the ton
We
get those April showers
Then
we get May flowers
First
comes April Fools Day
And
you don’t get that in May
This
month is really cool
If you ask me, this month rules!
April
Fool’s Day
This
month, on the first day, was April Fool’s Day.
Did you pull pranks on your friends?
I hope you made this year your best April Fool’s Day ever.
I hope you pulled the funniest and best pranks on your friends.
It could have been something funny that you liked to do to your friends.
Here are some facts about April Fool’s Day and how it all began.
April
Fool’s Day was sometimes called All Fool’s Day. There really wasn’t a record of a first location for April
Fool’s Day. Some believe it just
evolved at the same time in several cultures.
The celebration actually involves the first day of spring.
The closest year found for the beginning of this tradition was in France
in the year 1582. The celebration
started on March 25th and ended on the 1st of April.
As time passed, everyone just kept on celebrating the tradition of April
Fool’s Day on the 1st of April.
Scotland actually celebrates April Fool’s Day for two days.
What
you do on April Fool’s Day is that you pull a prank on someone and after the
prank they usually end the prank by yellin, “April Fool’s”!
Last but not least, April Fool’s Day is a “for-fun-only”
celebration. This celebration is
not a national holiday, so that means no one gets off of work or school on this
day. It is just a fun little
holiday of jokes, pranks, and laughs.
I hope
you had a very happy April Fool’s Day!
Get Up and Go
Hey,
people, it’s time to get up and go. The
warm weather is coming and it’s time to get up and go outside.
Here are some tips so you can stay fit and buff and stuff.
Try running and take a lot of water if you plan on going far so you keep
hydrated. If you like, you can take
music with you so you can be relaxed while you run but keep the Ipod or CD
player on a low level so you can hear what is going on around you.
Running or walking is an important thing to do so try and do it at least
two times a week. You can also ride
a bike if you don’t like to run or walk. To stay safe here are some tips to
make sure your bike is right. Check your tires to see if they need air.
Check to see that your bike seat is secure and that your brakes are
working properly and then you are set. Hopping
up and down on your bed is not a way to get active and could be dangerous.
So get out and play. Hope you have fun!!!
Kindergarten
Day
Alex-Marie M - 6C
Guess
what? April 21st is
National Kindergarten Day! On this
day we celebrate the birthday of Friedrich Froebel, the man who started
kindergarten. He started the first kindergarten in Germany in 1837. The children learned through song and play (which was unheard
of in earlier schools) and had daily lessons in drawing, design, and other
artistic activities. Learning took
place through active doing and close contacts with the natural world.
Many of the kindergartens actually had real gardens attached to the
schools that the children tended to.
Kindergarten
was sternly resisted by the Prussian state, which outlawed it in 1851. The leaders believed that kindergarten classes promoted
independent ideas that were dangerous to their strict position on leading the
people in their country. Froebel
died a year after kindergarten was outlawed, in 1852—some say of a broken
heart. Unfortunately, he did not
live to see its return.
This
is the story of kindergarten and how it all began.
Autism
Awareness
By
Laura F – 6C
Autism Awareness Month is here.
What? You don’t know what
Autism Awareness Month is? Well,
that’s why I’m writing this article to inform everyone about this important
date.
Autism is a spectrum disorder usually
found when children are young. Autism effects the functioning of the brain.
Autism Awareness Month is a time for asking for awareness as well as people to
donate money to the organization to help find a cure for autism.
If you would like to find out more
about Autism or where you can send donations, just log on to this link: https://secure2.convio.net/asa/site/Donation2?idb=1790697619&df_id=1360&1360.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr012=396cea8fp3.app26a
Every
penny donated is one step closer to finding a cure for autism.
K.A.D.
CLUB
In case you don’t know what KAD stands for, it doesn’t have to do
anything with sports. K.A.D. stands for Kids Against Drugs.
This is a brand new club that was started at Delaware Valley Elementary
School this past October. I am one
of about a dozen fifth and sixth graders who are in it.
The purpose of the club is to teach kids (and others) not to do drugs
ANYWHERE AT ANY POINT IN TIME.
Besides creating drug-free skits, we use other hidden messages including
not bullying and setting a good example by doing the right things yourself.
We write our own skits, make our own props and then practice and film
them.
We are trying to gain a $5,000 grant for our school with our commercials.
Our skits are airing on public television and in our school. We use funny
looking puppets for our commercials. We are also sending out stories and photos
to local newspapers, like this one.
Will you please join our
club in helping to spread this important message?
The Book Worm
Alex
H – 6G
This
month’s bookworm book is Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor.
The book level is 5.7 and it is worth 10.0 points on Accelerated Reader.
This
book is about a black family living in Mississippi during the depression. The
family’s names are Cassie Logan, Stacey Logan, Papa Logan, Big Ma, Little Man,
Christopher John, and Mama Logan. They are faced with the prejudice of a family
called The Smith’s whose son’s name is Jeremy.
Jeremy, unlike the rest of his family, respects the Logan Family for who
they are and does not judge them by their color.
He is one of the few “white” people who understand that “black”
people are human, just like the rest of them.
I
would tell you more about the story but it would spoil the book for you, so you
will just have to read the book to find out what happens.
Staff
Members of the Month
Mr.
Brocious
Mr.
Allen Brocious has been working for a while; in fact 23 years! Also, almost
unbelievably, the only grade he has ever taught is fourth grade! Almost
unbelievable, eh?
What
inspired him to become a teacher is his belief that with a good education, many
doors open to you. He loves to learn new things and finds teaching things
to others to be so exciting.
Mr.
Brocious says fourth graders are terrific students. “They can do many things
independently and like challenges,” he said.
Mr.
Brocious went to Geneva College, which is near Pittsburgh, PA. He earned his
Master’s Degree at Wilkes University. He has been working at DVES since the
day they closed the old Milford School and the old Matamoras School.
Mr. Brocious wouldn’t want any other job. He says the people he works
with are very professional, and when he needs help or advice on being a better
teacher he can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t try to help or show concern to
him.
His
favorite thing to teach is math because it’s fun and there are so many games
that can be used to reinforce skills. A fun thing his class is doing right now
is limericks, which are five-lined, silly rhymes.
Well, guess what? So is my class, Mr. Brocious!
Would
you ever have wondered why Mr. Brocious wasn’t an art teacher, since he is so
great at art? Well, listen to this!
“I’ve
been asked that question many times,” he answered. “Art is only enjoyable
when you get an idea and you can create something just as you want. Art class
has a lot of guidelines and rules. If I was an art teacher I’d spend too much
time creating and the students never learn the history of art or the many
different styles!”
Mr.
Brocious had a few things left to say like, such as he enjoys the school paper.
“It is rewarding to see the young people at our school producing such a
quality publication,” he said. Mr.
Brocious said he enjoys the newspaper because it gives students a chance to be
heard and it shows how much our students are learning!
Wow!
Isn’t Mr. Brocious awesome? Well, come back next time another exciting story
for Staff Member of the Month! Might I mention that next month’s featured
teacher will be Mrs. Gonzalez?
Mrs.
Mance
Alex H - 6G
Mrs.
Donna Mance chose to become an Instructional Assistant when her children were
old enough to go to school. She
decided to become an I.A. so she could help other children and also to be closer
to her children. She has been
an I.A. for 18 years. The grades that she has helped include all grades, but she
most enjoys working with fourth, fifth, and sixth grades.
These are her favorites.
What
Mrs. Mance does in her job at DVES is reinforce material in all subjects.
She enjoys helping with math the most.
Mrs.
Mance said the most rewarding part of being an I.A. is the satisfaction she gets
when she sees a student understand what she’s working on with them.
The hardest part is running out of time when she is helping a student. She goes from room to room, so it is hard to stop when
she’s in the middle of helping them.
When
Mrs. Mance is not in school, she likes to paint and teach others to paint.
She is a One Stroke certified instructor.
Thanks
for the interview, Mrs. Mance. Thanks for all you do to help us.
Birthday Corner
April Birthdays
By
Harina P – 6G
It’s me again!!! Who, you may ask? Well, I’ll tell you, I am the
journalist who writes about the birthdays of the wonderful kids at DVES!
Happy April Birthday to Amanda B, Dana H, Liam D, Stephen F, Sophie R,
Jacob M,, William B, David B, Gavin S, Luke S, Jessica S, George S, Kendall B,
Anastasia K, Jasmine R, Ramon H, Ashlyn W, Shannon D, Brianna K, Alex R, Jacob
C, Farhana J, Heather S, Joseph G, Robert C, Maeve D, Austin L, Chad F, Kevin O,
Baylee R, Shawn J, Heidi W,
Michaela M, Cassie V, Annmarie G, Arielle D, Katya A, James K, Alicia R, Griffin
S, Dakota B, Mikayla F, Connor K, Ambur B, Skye E, Kyla F, Ronald S, Thomas B,
Brandon S, Alex G and, last but not the least, Emily M.
Happy Birthday to all of you!!!J
Bully Busters
Violent and Physical Bullying
Ashley G
Violence
is a humungous problem in America. Children are now more violent than adults
most of the time. Bullies can use any object and use it as a weapon. Violent
ways that are considered physical violence are as follows:
Hitting or punching
Smacking
Pushing
Bullies
can hit, scratch, and do many other things to hurt a kid. Some things you can do
to help stop this abuse if it happens to you are to tell the nearest person or
wait and tell a family member or guardian.
That’s
the Bully Busters’ column. See you next time on Bully Busters.
Author of the Month
Beverly
Cleary
Alex-Marie
M - 6C
It’s
April. Spring is here. That means
flowers, rain and… Beverly Cleary? Yes, Beverly Cleary is April’s Author of
the Month. She
was born Beverly Bunn in McMinnville, Oregon, and, until she was old enough to
attend school, lived on a farm in Yamhill, a town so small it had no library.
Her mother arranged with the State Library to have books sent to Yamhill
and acted as librarian in a lodge room upstairs over a bank.
Beverly learned to love books there.
She spent much of her childhood either with books or on her way to and
from the public library.
Before
long, Beverly’s school librarian was suggesting that she should write for kids
when she grew up. The idea appealed
to her, and she decided that someday she would write the books she longed to
read but was unable to find on the library shelves.
In
1934, Beverly left home to attend college in California.
She juggled studies of Chaucer and French grammar with the many chores
that came with life in a student cooperative house.
But, she always found time to eat a bacon and tomato sandwich with a
quiet young man named Clarence Cleary.
”The
bells of the Campanile, and even the smell of catsup, lifted my spirits when I
returned to Cal. Red roses from
Clarence delivered by a florist, the wildest extravagance, lifted them even
more.” -- My Own Two Feet, Beverly
Cleary
It
was the children who built scooters out of apple boxes and roller skates that
truly inspired Beverly the most. They asked, "Where are the books about
kids like us?" The young librarian responded with her first book, about a
boy named Henry who had a dog named Spareribs-later changed to Ribsy.
It
was writing for children, but written for story-telling.
“So
in my imagination I stood once more before the Yakima’s story-hour crowd as I
typed the first sentence: Henry Huggins' was in the third grade,” remembers
Cleary.
She
had a career as the Children's Librarian in Yakima, Washington, until she
married Clarence Cleary and moved to California. The Clearys are the parents of twins, now grown.
As
you know, Beverly Cleary’s books are awesome!
Why not check one (or two, or three, or …) out today and start reading?
Health
Help
Anemia
Anemia
is a common disease that is caused by a low supply of Iron in your body. When
people lose blood, they also lose iron. Children ages 1-5 that have more than 25
pounds of goat, cow, and soymilk are at more risk of becoming anemic.
So are babies who were formula fed when they were young.
You
don’t need to be alarmed if you get this disease. You can get pills or other
things that your doctor will prescribe to help.
Some
symptoms of this disease include being tired often and feeling very weak. To
learn more about anemia you can go to Nutrition
for Everyone: Iron Deficiency | DNPAO | CDC.
Creature Feature
My House of Pets!
By
Jeanine K - 6G
Hey!
I have something special for you today. I have a zoo as a house! Seriously, I
do! I have two horses, one dog, three cats, and five fish! Talk about a busy
place! Plus, I have a lot of deer and bear that like my house, so they’re a
part of my collection, too. Just wild!
My
horses are darlings. I can ride, sort of. My
cats—ugh! You should see my arms! My horses’ names are Pumpkin and Sport. I
have two quarter-horses. I’m
going to tell you how responsible you must be to own a horse or a pet!
First
of all, horses need lots of exercise. You should either ride or lead them around
for at least a half hour. Then comes their feeding. They need a lot of feed!
You never want to under feed a horse because they are fragile and the proteins,
well let’s just say they need them just as much as you! Horses are very
intelligent! Trust me my horse taught ME to ride! I started walking with him
about two years ago, and I’m already just about ready to start jumping.
First I have to get a younger horse, since my horse is 20.
So, for anyone who might think a horse is dull and stupid, don’t! They
give you much more fun and challenge than you think. Their trusting eyes are all
you need when you’ve had a bad day, or if you’re stressed about something.
All
these facts on horses are a lot, don’t you think? Well, guess what? These are
only a couple of facts compared to what you need to know!
Other facts you need to be aware of are that if a horse is bad or bucks,
don’t yell. Talk in a soothing
voice to calm it down. There is nothing more deadly than an irritated horse! So,
next time you see a horse, don’t scream,
“Mommy! Mommy! Look at that horse!”
Instead of screaming, say, “Oh, mommy, look at the pretty horse.”
I’m not saying everyone does that, but I’ve seen a lot of little kids do it.
I just want to tell you, yelling will startle a horse and it will not trust you
for a while. You must groom a horse every day and care for and love it in order
for it to love you back.
I
told you just a few BASICS, not the whole game! Think of that. One sweet gentle
creature can be the most intelligent thing ever! Just remember, horses like
their space, too, so you can’t be with them 24/7.
I was
glad I could tell you about these wonderful creatures! See you soon!
Pet of the Month
Snake
Well,
when you first are getting a snake you should get the cage. The type of cage you
should get is a large fish tank. You also want to make sure that it cannot
escape from the cage. (It should be 100% escape proof.) You should use a good
estimate of ¾ square foot of floor space for each foot of snake.
When
you are going to buy your snake, you want to make sure that your snake is not
sick. You want to make sure that there is no infection on the snakes’ scales.
You should check your snake all over to make sure your snake is not sick. You
want to make sure that you pick the snake that you want. When you bring your
snake home, make sure that their house is ready for them. You should also make
sure that the snake’s home is 100% escape proof.
You
should make sure that your snakes’ tank is heated for them.
The temperature should be in the range of 80 degrees and 88 degrees. You
should keep a broad-spectrum light on for 12 hours a day. You also want to make
sure you put the light on because snakes like to live in warm climate. Your
snake will live peacefully.
You
can get the food that you need at a pet store. Most snakes like to eat mice or
rats. A full-grown snake only eats once a week. A younger snake will be fed more
often. Your snake needs water
daily.
You
should put on a pair of gloves when handling your pet snake because snakes
sometimes carry a dangerous bacteria and/or Salmonella.
When you are cleaning your snake’s cage you should take the snake out
carefully. Your snake’s cage could also carry lots of bacteria. You should
call the pet store that you got the snake from and ask how to clean the cage if
you are not sure.
That
is how you take of your snake. If you want to know what next month’s pet is
you should read the Pet of the Month. This is Rachel Tomik with
the Pet of the Month saying BYE BYE until next month.
Healthy Foods of the Month
Welcome
back to my column about all the good foods that you can eat, even if you’re on
a diet. This month’s awesome food is tomatoes. A few facts about tomatoes are
as follow:
• They first grew as
wild-cherry sized berries.
• The tomatoes are as
definition, fruit, but it has been proven that they are, in fact, vegetables.
• Tomato in Italian means
“love apple”
Now
that we’re done with that, let’s get to some ideas for recipes.
Tomato Salad, tomato pie,
spinach-stuffed tomatoes, tomato dip, tomato/peanut soup, tomato gravy, tomato
pudding, and tuna-tomato bites are just a few food dishes you can make.
I know some might sound gross, but before you say, “EWW,” try it.
You may like it. You may be like the guy in Green Eggs and Ham.
If you
are interested, just look up these recipes on the Internet.
In my opinion, tomato salad is pretty good, with a little dressing, of
course.
Tune
in next month for the fantastical, fantabulous, MANGO!
“K”ooking
with Kendall”
Easy Baked Potato
Hey, everybody! Craving for potatoes? I have a delicious recipe that’s
easy as 1, 2, 3! It’s a baked
potato, but it’s an easy, non-dangerous way to make that potato sizzle. Here
are some instructions:
Rinse one potato in cold, clean water
Dry your potato
Put it on a microwaveable plate
Place your clean potato in a microwave
Put a cover on it
Set your microwave to four minutes, but if you like it dark, set it to 5 or 6
minutes
Carefully, take the plate out of the microwave, but if you have some trouble,
get a grown-up
for help
Wait a few minutes for it to cool
Slap some butter or sour cream on it and enjoy your potatolicious snack!!!!!
Stay tuned for my next “K”ooking
with Kendall”.
Cindi’s Crafts
Beautiful Birds
Cindi
D - 6R
I know that I do some wacky crafts, but this has got to be the most
elegant of all. Today we are going to make a spring bird. The reason I say
spring bird is because you, yes you, get to choose what color and the way you
want to design your bird. Let’s begin…
1.
First, we have to gather materials. You will need two foam balls (one the
size of your fist and the other the size of a half dollar), a small scan of
fuzzy yarn, craft glue, google eyes, orange velvet paper, and finally two
feathers (any color).
2.
Cut a piece fuzzy yarn about two feet long.
3.
Take the bigger of the two balls and put a ring of glue around the
bottom. Then wrap the yarn around
it.
4.
Keep gluing and wrapping until you have covered both foam balls.
5.
Next, add google eyes (big or small).
6.
Stick the feather in each side of the bottom ball.
7.
Next, glue the head to the bottom.
8.
Take the velvet paper and cut out a diamond.
Fold the diamond in half and glue it to the face.
Whew!
We’re done! That was a mouth
full. There you go…you’ve got your own beautiful bird to put on display or
use as a toy or a gift.
See
you next time! BYE!!!
By
Stefani W - 6G
As
always, we will start with the kids’ songs, so let’s just get to it. The
kids’ songs, in order from fifth to first, are: “Who said” by Hannah
Montana, “Keep it moving” song is by Keke Palmer, “Start all over” by
Miley Cyrus, “My Cinderella” by Romeo, and the top song is “When you look
me in the eyes” by The Jonas Brothers.
Let’s
go to the 4th, 5th, and 6th grader songs. They are, in order from fifth to
first, “Teardrops on my guitar” by Taylor Swift, “Apologize” by
Timbaland featuring One Republic, “Do you believe in magic” by Aly & AJ,
“S.O.S.” by The Jonas Brothers, and “Love Song” by Sara Barielles.
Enjoy
these songs, but we’re going on to the movies.
The
top movies for kids are Winnie the Pooh, Springtime with Roo, and Here comes
Peter Cotton Tale.
For
the big kids, the movie is Dan in Real Life.
Note: Songs were picked by
Stefani Wharton and Rachel Tomik, who were helped by radiodisney.com.
Movies
were picked from movies recently watched by Stefani and Rachel.
By
Harina P - 6G
Ready
for some more fun and exciting games?
Well,
this month’s game is Silent Ball. It is the game you sometimes play with Mrs.
Bennett and Mr. Thompson. What you do is that everyone sits on the top of his or
her desk, and a Nerf ball is thrown. The way you get out is if you touch the
ball and don’t catch it. If you
throw the ball too badly, if you talk, or if the ball touches you and drops to
the floor are other ways that you get out.
Hope
you have fun!!!
“Sports”
Football
By Kierstin N
- 6C
Football
is a very simple, yet complicated sport. The simple things about football
are that all you have to do is run, throw, and tackle people. The hard parts
about football are all the rules you have to remember, such as not to grab
people’s helmets.
That is a little about the game of
football.
Dodgeball
Dodgeball is also a simple but
complicated game. The easy part about dodgeball is that all you have to do is
get people out. One hard part about
dodgeball is that if you hit some one in the head you are out. Another is that
if you step over the line you are also out, and the hit does not count.
That is the game of dodgeball. Join me
next month for some more sports news, including soccer.
Stuff on Sports
Wrestling
By
Sierra B – 6G
I’m back with other sport for this
month! This month I’m doing the sport wrestling. Also, I’m interviewing
Tyler DeMatteo. Here are the questions and answers of the interview.
How long have you been doing wrestling?
“I have been doing wrestling for about three weeks now.” Do you enjoy
wrestling, and if so, why? “Yes, I do because it’s something I wanted to do
for a long time.” Do you have to
wear any certain kind of clothing? “The
clothing that we have to wear is a t-shirt, shorts, and wrestling shoes.” Do you have teams for wrestling, and if so what team are you
on? “Well we aren’t really on a team; it’s just to show us what will go on
if we join for a school.” Do you have to stretch before you begin? “ Yes, we
do and a lot of it.” How many
weeks does wrestling run for? “It
runs for five weeks and then there is another session that runs for five
weeks.” Who is allowed to join? “Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders are
allowed to join. “ About how many people are in it? “I would say between
20-25.” What days do you meet?
“Sometimes they are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and other times they might be
on Thursdays.” Is there anything
else you would like to add? “I think that’s about it.
No, there is nothing for me to add.”
That’s
it for Stuff on Sports!!! Read next month to find out what sport and who we are
interviewing next time!!!!JJJJ
Roller Rink
By Sierra D – 6M
Hey
everyone, it’s Sierra. I’m
going to tell all of you something awesome. The roller rink near the Home Depot
is open again. The roller rink is an awesome place to skate. Trust me, I’ve
been there every weekend so far. It has a food court, a video game spot, and a
huge place to skate. One of the cool things about the roller rink is that you
can have parties there, too. The price to get in at night is $7.50, and the
daytime cost is $6.50. So, check this awesome place out and have some fun.
There is music you can rock to while you skate. Just remember not miss to
out on the fun, and come down to the roller rink.
I hope to see you there.
Facts
about the Jonas Brothers
By Stefani W – 6G & Ashley
Have you heard about the platinum selling record artists The Jonas Brothers?
Here are a few facts about Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas. Their full names are
Nicholas Jerry, Joseph Adam, and Paul Kevin Jonas II. Nick’s birthday is on
September 16, 1992. He was born in
Dallas, Texas. Joe was born on August 15, 1989 in Casa Grande, Arizona.
Kevin’s birthday is November 5, 1987. He
was born in Teaneck, New Jersey.
Kevin’s star sign is Scorpio.
Nick’s is Virgo, and Joe’s is Leo. Joe’s favorite ice cream is chocolate
marshmallow, Kevin’s is Rocky Road, and Nick’s is cotton candy. Their
favorite foods are sushi, steak, and a chicken cutlet sandwich with mayonnaise.
Their favorite sports are wiffle ball, baseball, and pole vaulting. Joe’s
height is 5‘10”. Kevin’s is
5’9”, and Nick’s is 5’6”.
Nick plays the drums, keyboard, piano,
guitar, bass, and does vocals. Joe plays the piano, guitar, tambourine, and does
vocals. Kevin plays the guitar and does vocals.
Their hobbies include movie-making,
songwriting, collecting baseball cards, baseball, tennis, golf, playing guitar,
bowling, jogging, and working out. Nick’s Chinese horoscope is the Monkey.
Joe’s’ is the snake. Kevin’s is the rabbit.
These siblings are all equally famous.
We were lucky enough to meet them and they are awesome and cool!
For more info on the Jonas Brothers, go
to the most awesome website ever at http://www.jonasbrothersfan.com/.
If you
want to go to see a great movie this month, then this one is for you. It is
rated PG and it is a great family movie. It comes out in theaters near you on
April 4th. The top movie to watch
in April is going to be “Nim’s Island”. The reason for this to be number
one is because the author, Wendy Orr, was only nine years old when she wrote the
story. The stars in this film are Jodie Foster, Abigail Breslin and Gerard
Butler. The story is about a
magical place called Nim’s Island that is ruled by a young girl’s
imagination. Her adventures on this
island are about her favorite character who is a great adventurer named Alex
Rover.
The
author of these books, Alexandra, really leads a reclusive life in the big city
and is not a great adventurer as her books talk about.
Fate
brings Nim and the author, Alexanadra, together when Nim’s father goes missing
from their island. Together, they
must get courage from this wonderful, fictional hero Alex and find the strength
to triumph over Nim’s Island.
So
make a trip to the theater to find out what happens to Nim’s father and
Nim’s adventure with Alexandra.
Aspiring
April
By
Taylor B – 6G
Praise
the spells and bless the charms,
I found April in my arms.
April golden, April cloudy,
Gracious, cruel, tender, rowdy;
April is as soft as silk
Sit
outside and drink your milk
Ever
changing, ever true,
I love April, I love you!
Congratulations
to this month’s Authors of the Month!
They are: Allison W (5P), Alex M (2T), Connor M (2T), Harrison M (2T), Tara V
(2T), Kevin O (4C), Rachel H (2T), Ryan W (2T), Christopher G (3K), Katelyn C
(3K), Brianne S (5C), Amanda B (4C), Marielle C (6M), Skyler D (5C), Brianne S
(5C), Samantha M (4C), Steven G (5F), Andrew K (5P), Jacinda D (5P), Randy E
(3F) and Kaylee S (3F).
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.
Classroom
Contributions
Smile-O
Gram reporters have included their stories in the beginning pages of the
newsletter.
As
always, we put articles from other grades in this section, called “Classroom
Contributions”.
All
articles will have the grade level listed next to the author’s name.
We are proud of all the work the children publish and we hope you enjoy
it!
Remember, children in kindergarten through second grade use
“inventive” spelling for their writing to enhance their creativity.
By third grade, children’s work will reflect a correct copy.
Odyssey
of the Mind
By
Allison W – 5P
Hi.
My name is Allison Wall and I was in the OM regional competition.
Before we competed in the OM regionals, we had to build props and make a
skit. We performed in front of a
lot of judges. After or before the
competition you do a spontaneous. Spontaneous
is where the judges ask you a question and then you have to answer with creative
humorous responses.
We had
two teams from the Delaware Valley Elementary School that went to regionals.
We had the Dinostories Team, and our coaches were Mrs. Benson and Mrs.
Fuchylo. The other team is called the Road Rally Team, and their coach
is Mrs. Sebring. They won first
place in regionals and now they are headed for states.
I really hope they make it to worlds.
All the teams did really great!
I
just want to give a big thank you to all the coaches who put their hard work
into helping us. I hope everyone
next year who is involved with OM has as much fun as we did this year. OM
is a lot of hard work but it really pays off.
Good luck, Road Rally Team!
Alistair
in Outer Space
By
Ryan W – 2T
Alistair
was a sensible boy. He washed his hands before he read books.
But one day when he was returning his library books something strange
happened. He was picked up by the
Goots. Alistair said his books were
overdue, but the Goots pretended not to hear him.
The first planet they went on was a planet called Trollabob.
The Goots said they took the wrong turn.
When Alistair went to read his books again, he went in the wrong door.
The next thing you know, Alistair was in Outer Space.
Then he was showing the Trollabobs his library card.
The Trollabobs wanted to take him home, but Alistair explained that he
already was at Trollabob. So the
Trollabobs gave him back to the Goots. The Goots said they would take Alistair
back to Earth. When Alistair went
home he landed in Antarctica. Oh
no!
In the Pokemon Universe, a trainer
that encounters a wild Pokemon is able to capture that Pokemon by throwing a
specially designed tool, called a poke ball at it. If the Pokemon is unable to
escape the poke ball, it is under the new ownership of the trainer. It will obey
whatever commands its new master issues to it. Trainers can send out any of
their Pokemon to wage battle against other Pokemon.
When a Pokemon beats another Pokemon, it gains experience and may level
up.
I started my hobby at six years old. I collect Pokemon cards. I have about 45.
Akitas
By
Katelyn C – 3K
For
National Hobby Month, I am going to talk about my dog. Her name is Kiki.
I will be telling you a little about her and how I take care of her.
Also, I will tell you a little about the Akita breeds.
My
dog’s name is Kiki Casella Lazaric. Kiki is an Akita. She is two years old.
Her birthday was January 13, 2008. Kiki
weighs about 83 lbs. She is a big dog. Now I will tell you how I take care of
her.
In the morning when I wake up I have to
put my dog outside on the chain so she can do her business. While she is
outside, I help my mom by putting food and water in her bowls. Kiki also gets
special treats when she does good things.
Kiki gets a bath once a month. I help
my mom give her a bath. Before she takes a bath, we brush her coat [which is her
hair]. She has a lot of hair. We
brush her weekly, also.
After
the bath is done, we dry her coat with towels. Once she is dried off we brush
her teeth and clean her ears. After that, my Grandpa {Jack} takes her outside so
she can go to the bathroom and shake herself off.
Kiki
loves to play with my brother Joseph and me. We love throwing the ball with her.
She also loves to play with her squeaky toys. This is how I help her keep in
shape, so she doesn’t get fat.
The Akita is a Japanese dog. In Japan,
Akitas are called “National Treasures.” Akitas that live in a home are a
symbol of good health and good luck. The first Akita didn’t come to the United
States until after World War 2, with the American Army.
These are some facts about Akitas.
Size? They get big in size and weigh upwards from 75-120 lbs. Akitas have a
large, full curly tail. Akitas are very good swimmers. They have webbed feet.
They have two coats, which is called a double coat. The Akita sheds its coat
twice a year. That’s a lot of hair!J
The Akitas are red, white, and streaked, which is multi-colored.
Akitas have great hunting skills. They
are good watchdogs. They are quiet dogs. But when something is around that is
not suppose to be, they will tell you. Akitas like to make a mess when drinking
water. They are excellent friends.
As far as behavior, Akitas are brave
and smart and need a lot of human contact. They need a lot of attention. They
are very protective of their family. They prefer not to have other dogs or
animals around, but if raised with other animal that’s okay. Akitas can be
mean and can hurt you if you hurt them, like if you kick or tease them.
The Akita should be brushed weekly to
remove dead hair. Akitas will live from 10-12 years with good care and proper
foods. They eat all natural
meat-based food with high protein, especially fish. Dry food should be soaked so
they don’t get overweight. If the
dog gets fat, it is not healthy. Akitas
suffer from stomach problems and hypo-thyroid diseases which affect 70% of the
Akita breed. So, if you have an
Akita please take good care of it. Remember, when getting a puppy you need to
know the facts first because not all dogs are easy dogs.
Some dogs need a lot of care, like Akitas.
Alex
M - 2T
Once upon a time there was a leprechaun named Clover. He was very nice. He wanted to find some gold, so he went off into the forest and looked for it. Then he said it isn’t in the forest so he went on. He went to a field and looked in some bushes. It was not there so he went on. He came to a rainbow. He slid down the rainbow and there was a pot of gold and he shared it with his friends.
Leprechaun
Story
By Connor M – 2T
Once
there was a leprechaun named Joe. He was at the end of a rainbow with an empty
pot of gold. He was sad that he had
no gold, for leprechauns need gold. One day he saw another rainbow and started
to follow it. He went miles to get to get to the end of the rainbow. He got to
the end of the rainbow. There was another leprechaun. This leprechaun said I
know you have something for my pot of gold. Will you trade the leprechaun said?
Joe said my pot is empty. The other leprechaun said, you did not say what you
wanted it full of. I’ll give you a pot full of ham. Joe didn’t care because
he liked ham!
The
Confused Leprechaun
By Harrison M - 2T
The
night before St. Patrick’s Day a little bad leprechaun stole a pot of gold.
The leprechaun felt badly but he said too bad.
Then he hid it for his brothers and sisters because that little
leprechaun thought it was Easter. On St. Patrick’s Day he told his brothers
and sisters that he hid a pot of gold. They all told him it was St. Patrick’s
Day and not Easter. Then he decided to give the pot of gold back.
One
Pot of Gold for 20 Leprechauns
By Tara V– 2T
One
rainy day a leprechaun saw a rainbow. He followed the rainbow and he found a pot
of gold. When he found the pot of
gold he said ”this pot of gold is all for me.” One day another leprechaun
came and saw the pot of gold. Its name was Ice and Ice was the best leprechaun
of all.
Ice
wanted to be fair so he counted the pieces. There were 20.
He said,”One for all the leprechauns.” But shamrock yelled and
screamed, ”No one can get any gold. It
is all mine.” Ice the nice leprechaun backed up. She was
scared. Then Ice the nice took
out her magic wand and said ”that gold
is to be in 20 pots of gold.”
Then greedy shamrock felt guilty. He said ”If I have my pot of gold I am
happy.” Now Shamrock was not called Greedy shamrock. He was just called
Shamrock. The end!
My
Trip to North Carolina