Vol.
21 – Issue 4
We are making tomorrow!
December,
2007
Calendar of Events
Dec. 24th – Jan.
2nd – Winter Recess
Jan. 3rd – Return
to School
Jan. 10th - School
Board Work Session – District Office @ 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 17th –
School Board Mtg. – District Office @
7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18th – DVES
Family Fun Night @ 7p.m.
Jan. 21st –
Martin Luther King Day Recess - No School
IMPORTANT:
if Your Child is Absent
Parents:
Please call your children's absence in to the school nurse at
296-1828.
Terrific Tuesday
Jan.
8th – Pajama Day
Jan. 15th – Wacky
Hair
Jan. 22nd –
Inside Out
Jan. 29th – Sport
Day
Fun
Fridays
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.
Have
Fun Every Friday
By
Kevin S – 6C
Have fun every Friday with a big brother or big sister!
We do lots of stuff and it’s really fun.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters started at our school three weeks ago.
There are people who come from the high school and middle school to
help you with your problems and to have fun with someone they wouldn’t know.
You are handed out a form and when you hand the form in you are called
to the office a couple of days later. You
have a conversation about Big Brothers/Big Sisters with an adult who comes
from the high school to ask questions and find out what you like to do.
Then your big brother or big sister is chosen randomly.
Big Brothers/Big Sisters started two weeks later, on a Friday.
We meet after school until 5 or 6 p.m.
You can do whatever you want with your friends and your big brother or
sister. We have done drawings,
board games and entered a contest about helping sick people.
The contest is about a bowling tee shirt design.
Whoever wins gets a tee shirt for themselves and helps get money for
sick people in hospitals. The design has to be about bowling. I did the Hollywood sign in bowling pins with a big sun,
mountains and scenery behind it.
I have a big sister named D.J. and we have lots of fun and we
hope you do at Big Brothers/Sisters, too.
Famous
Author Birthdays
By
Austin A – 6G
Calling all DVES students!!! Please be generous and help us celebrate
December authors’ birthdays. The authors’ names are Jan Brett, 12/1, Eve
Bunting, 12/19, Avi, which is Mrs. Cole’s favorite author, 12/23, and Mercer
Mayer, 12/30.
If
you did not check out a book by one of these authors in December, it’s never
too late to enjoy them. Why not check one or more out for the holidays?
Please
students--celebrate good times with a famous authors’ book.
Have fun!
It’s
Beginning to Look Like Christmas
Grace C - 6M
You all know that on Monday, November 26th I went to the beautiful Lincoln
Center for the tree lighting. My mom, my brother, my cousin and I had VIP
tickets. We had the perfect view. We
could look down and see everyone crowding around the tree and looking at the
ornaments my mom painted.
Before the tree lighting started, we went upstairs and they offered us hot
cocoa and cookies. We had candles as the centerpiece of our table like we were
at a five star restaurant. When the tree started airing we ran to the balcony,
even though we were 50 feet high up and if we look down you’ll get a little
scared but I didn’t all I did was look at the Tree. The hosts were Sam
Champion and Sade Baderinwa. At the tree lighting Mickey and Minnie were there
to help us light the tree! We saw sneak preview of Hansel and Gretel the Opera
and the Nutcracker. We had tons of fun and a lot of holiday spirit!!! Can’t
wait till next year!
Morgan’s Marvelous Birthday
By Morgan T
- 6M
Hi.
My name is Morgan and I want to tell you a little about my birthday. My
birthday is on December 26th (the day after Christmas). If you
think that having a birthday the day before or after Christmas is bad and that
you don’t get gifts, it’s not as bad as you think.
In my family, we don’t have a party until the summer because if we have it
in the winter there is nothing to do but sit inside and be bored.
I
like having my birthday on the day after Christmas because it is fun to get
presents two days in a row. I think my special birth date is actually pretty
marvelous!
Martin
Luther King, Jr.
By Cindi D - 6R
Martin
Luther King Day is January 21, 2008.
I
think that we all appreciate Martin Luther King, Jr. for putting an end to
segregation so that all people would one day live in peace. We are not
perfect, but he made it lot better. I also have a strong, but the same,
opinion about being judged on your race. It should never happen.
Martin
Luther King, Jr. is a very courageous man and also a leader.
We honor and respect him to this day.
I thank him, and also the people who fought for what they believe in.
Thank
you very much.
Snow
By Cindi D -
6R
This
is the best time of the year. Can you guess what season it is? Sorry, you got
it wrong. Wait, did you say winter? Then you are correct.
This
is the time of year that we not only celebrate Christmas, but we also get the
chance to play a lot of games in the snow. Some of the games, for example, are
snowball fights, making snowmen, and my favorite is something I made up.
It is called “when a parent comes out snowball them”. I warn you
now, I have no control over if your mom will ground you or not. Remember I
warned you.
Have
a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
Reporting from Disney
By Sierra B
& Ashley G – 6G
We interviewed someone that works
on the Disney Cruise Ship. She
was our waitress. Her name is Kim
Borelo. Kim traveled from
Neerpelt, Belgium just to work on the Disney Wonder as a waitress.
She worked on the ship for one year
so far. She enjoyed working with
people of many different cultures. She had to have two years of experience,
plus an interview and training every day to be accepted.
Once she leaves the Disney Cruise Line, Kim wants to back to Belgium
and live with her family, which she misses so dearly.
She plans to work on the ship for at least four more years. She still
gets seasick during storms, even though she has been through them many times.
She says that nothing really out of the ordinary happens. She can also
speak many languages. She speaks Dutch, French, English, Belgium, and German.
She said that working on a boat with kids and families is one of the
best jobs she thinks anyone can have. Though she does not have any kids, she
hopes to have some of her own. She loves the cruise ship, as do we, but if she
had kids she said she would never be able to work so far away and spend such a
long time away from her family.
Kim
was a very nice lady and we had a great time with her. That’s our interview
with Kim! We hope you enjoyed it.
The Book Worm
The Great Gilly Hopkins
By Alex H- 6G
I know we haven’t had this column for a while, but here it is now and the
book for this month is The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Peterson.
This
book is about a girl who has been in an orphanage since she was four. She
hates being brought to different houses.
When she was younger, she was so happy with her new house. When the family was going to move to Florida, they brought
her back to the orphanage.
If
you want to know more about this excellent book….you’ll just have to check
it out from our awesome DVES library. Have
fun! See you next month for more
reviews in The Book Worm.
Welcome Mat
December Students
Gianna P – 6R
Hello
again! This month I interviewed a couple of kids whose rooms are down the
second grade hallway. I first started with Mrs. Mason class and went around
the hall.
Izabelle
B lived in Shohola, Pennsylvania. She went to Shohola Elementary School, but
only for one year. She has Mrs. Barnes for her teacher this year. She said,
“She is smart, kind and sweet.” What
she likes here at our school so far is, “I like my teacher and I also like
that we are having a storybook parade!” When her parents told her that they
had to move she was very excited. When she is not in school doing great at
math she likes to swim, cheerlead, and go to dance class and tumbling.
Yukari
B lived in Queens, New York. She
also went to Dingman-Delaware Primary School for one year. When she heard she
had to move she said she was a baby. She has Mrs. Barnes as her teacher this
year. She said, “I like my
teacher, especially when we do math.” So
far, what she likes the most about her new home is her big yard and her new
dog. When she is not in school she likes to play and color in her room.
Anthony
P lived in Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania.
He went to Dingman-Delaware Primary School. When his parents told him
that they were going to move he felt sad. He has Mrs. Connolly as his teacher
this year. He said, “I like
everything about her”. He loves this school. When he is not in school he
likes to play with his new friends at the park.
Welcome
to our school, new students. We’re
glad you’re here!
Hey,
everyone, watch for more news about new students in next month’s Welcome
Mat.
Guess What!!!
By Grace F - 6C
Have you been
down the fourth grade wing lately? Well,
I have and I can tell you that Mr. Brocious’s fourth grade class has raised
640 quarters to buy a goat for a Third World Country.
Now, you might ask, “How will a goat help a Third World Country?” I
asked Mr. Brocious to find out the answer to this question.
Mr.
Brocious told me that a goat will benefit these countries in many ways, like
making cheese out of the goats’ milk. Mr.
Brocious said that it could be a money-making machine because they could sell
the goat for medicine if one of the family members is sick.
If the goat produces babies, they could sell those babies.
This is just a few ways a goat could make money.
I think this is a great program that can help others in need.
Great job to Mr. Brocious and the students in his class!
My Winter Facts
By Michael B – 6R
Winter is a big deal, but sometimes it can be bad for your health. Many people
have gotten the flu and many more may get it so that’s why you should dress
warm and eat healthy.
Here
are some facts about keeping your self warm.
Wear a winter coat (not a sweatshirt) and make sure that it’s a good
one and wear boots so your feet don’t get wet. You should always wear a hat
and gloves.
I’ve
added some more good facts for grown-ups.
Make sure you have your car ready for the winter.
You should check your windshield wipers and tires, and make sure your
lights and brakes are in good working order.
Make sure you check your car’s fluids, the belts, oil, spark plugs
and the battery. It is always
best to keep your gas tank at least half full.
I
hope my winter facts are helpful and that they help you stay warm and healthy.
Winter
By Jenny W – 6M
The
air gets cold and the trees turn white, so bundle up nice and tight. The
ground gets icy so don’t run because if you do, you will surely flip.
When
you are finished playing in the snow, to the fireplace is where you should go.
Drink a nice cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream; this is every child’s
dream.
Winter
is fun from morning till night; seeing the snowfall is a beautiful sight. This
season is enjoyed by young and old, even though it gets very, very cold.
Family
Fun Night
By
Billy I - 6G
Calling all Mothers and Sons! It
is that time again for Family Fun Night.
This January fun event will be held on January 18th.
It is the night the family fun happens for mothers and sons.
This Family Fun Night is the Mother/Son Sports Night.
This event will be run by Mrs. Cavallaro.
Family Fun Night will have stations set up in different areas of the
school.
All
mothers and sons come out and have some fun!
Mrs. Mang’s Class
By Sarah A –
6M
Mrs. Mang’s class has been mummifying chickens to go along
with a chapter in Social Studies. They are learning about mummies, and Mrs.
Mang thought it would be a great idea to mummify chickens to make it a more
fun and interesting experience. This
will help us understand what it is like to mummify something like the ancient
Egyptians did long ago. It is a
really fun experience.
Mrs.
Mang does this every year, and she said every year all of the children have a
blast doing this.
“I
hope everyone this year likes it, too,” she said.
Good
luck and have fun learning about mummification in Mrs. Mang’s class!
Taylor’s Treats
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
By Taylor B - 6R
Hi
everybody! Taylor is here to tell
you what the treat of the month is for December.
The treat this month is chocolate covered pretzels.
Not only are they delicious, but they are also easy to make!
All
need to do is get chocolate (bars or chips), two pots, a fork, a cookie sheet,
and pretzels. Put water in a pot
and boil it. Once this is done,
hold the smaller pot, with the chocolate inside, inside the bigger pot.
This melts the chocolate so that it is creamy.
Take
the pretzel and put it on the fork. Then dip the pretzel into the chocolate a
few times. After that, put it on
the cookie sheet to cool off. You
can do this to as many pretzels as you want, but remember to always have adult
supervision to help you.
The
very last thing you need to do is enjoy the delicious treats you just made!
The Power of
Peppermint
By Scott K –
6R
Would you like to guess what interesting fact I learned about in health
class? Mrs. Bennett told us that peppermint [candy] can give your brain a
boost. So before you take a test, eat a peppermint.
Do not bite or chew on it so it will break.
Let it dissolve in your mouth so you get the taste, and be careful not
to inhale it or you might choke!
Who
would have thought that a small candy is packed with brain power?
Pet of the Month!!
The Bunny
By Rachel T - 6G
This is Rachel with the Pet of the Month. This month the rabbit is the
Pet of the Month!! This is how to take care of a bunny. I think that kids who
would like to buy a bunny you should read what I have to say. Now I will tell
you how to take care a bunny.
First, you have to buy a cage. You
can buy a cage at a local pet store. You can also buy the bunny food when you
are in the pet store. All of the rabbits like to eat rabbit pellets. It would
be easier to buy them at the same time. You can buy this type of water
supplier. It is J – feeder.
Next, you should buy toys for the
bunnies. (Bunnies need their entertainment too.) You can give them toys that
make noise when they pick it up. Their teeth will be growing in so that it is
why you should get them toys.
When you buy all of the other things,
this is when you buy your bunny. When you go to buy your bunny make sure that
it is healthy. This is how to tell if is healthy or not; check it from its
cute little nose to its cute little tail. This will also help you to see if
the bunny is hurt is not.
Bunnies are lots of fun and make
great pets, but as with any pet you have to ready, willing and able to take
care of it and most of all give it lots of love.
See
you next month for the January Pet of the Month column.
Super Marvelous Songs & Movies
Stefani’s
December Picks
By Stefani W - 6G
Hey,
I’m back with the newest and coolest movies and songs. The top five songs
for kids, from kindergarten to fourth grades are the following.
I’ll
start from #5, which is … Emily Osment’s (Lily from Hannah Montana).
I don’t think about it. Song # 4 is … Troy Bolton’s (from High
School Musical). Bet on it! Song
#3 is … Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel’s (also from High School
Musical). Fabulous! We’re
getting closer to # 1. Song #2 is … Miley Cyrus (from Hannah Montana).
G.N.O. (a.k.a. Girls’
Night Out.) And now for song #1
… drum roll please… The Jonas Brothers’ S.O.S.!!!!!
Hope
you have fun listening to the top 5 kid songs.
Now
it’s time to count down the bigger kids songs.
For grades five and up I recommend these songs. Starting at #5, the
song is … Aly and Aj’s, The Break-up Song. Song # 4 is …Sean
Kingston’s Beautiful Girls. Song #3 is Keke Palmer’s, Keep it Movin’.
Song #2 is Daughtry’s Home. Song #1 is Colbie Caillat’s Bubbly.
It’s
time for the movies. The top movie for kids from kindergarten through fourth
grades is Merry Christmas Charlie Brown. The movie for fifth graders
and up is The Nightmare Before Christmas.
That’s
it for this Smile-O Gram. Hope to see you next issue!
Super
Challenging Stunts
Super
Biking
By Kierstin N 6-C
Biking is fun and dangerous. The fun parts about biking are you get to
land new tricks, hang out with your friends and have fun! The danger of biking
is the possibility of hurting yourself. Biking on ramps, rails and flat ground
can be very dangerous, so when you are biking you should be wearing equipment,
such as a helmet and pads.
Have
fun trying to land new tricks, such as 180, 360, tail whip, bar spin, and many
more.
That’s
all for Super Challenging Stunts for this month.
Join me next month for Super Snowboarding.
Staff
Members of the Month
Mr. Crump’s Magical Math!
By Alex H – 6G
This
month’s Staff Member of the Month is Mr. Steve Crump. Everyone says that Mr.
Crump is awesome, and he is!
Mr.
Crump was inspired to be a math teacher by his seventh grade math teacher.
Mr. Crump has been a teacher for 34 years and doesn’t know when he is
going to stop. He has taught five
different grades; they are sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and eleventh. His favorite subject is math and that is the only subject he
has taught.
Mr.
Crump says the best part of being a math teacher is watching a student’s
knowledge grow.
“When
I see that they understand something new is the best thing,” said Mr. Crump.
He
said the hardest part is seeing a student “just give up”.
The
last thing he would want us to know is that sixth grade is THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!
Mrs. Bennett’s the
Best!!!
By Alex H – 6G
This
month’s Staff Member of the Month is Mrs. Jennifer Bennett.
I can tell you that Mrs. Bennett is a really nice teacher and she is
really fun to be around.
What
inspired Mrs. Bennett to become a teacher was that she had many teachers she
liked and admired when she was in school that this made her want to be just
like them. Mrs. Bennett has been a teacher for 35 years and she loves her job.
She is not sure how long she will continue.
Mrs. Bennett has taught kindergarten
through sixth grade, and she also coached high school students many years ago.
She has taught health and physical education. Her favorite thing to teach
students is the games.
“I
especially like it when we can go outside to play them,” said Mrs. Bennett.
“I like the skills of sports and seeing students get better.”
The
best thing about being a teacher, in Mrs. Bennett’s opinion, is the teachers
and the students that she is around. The hardest part is when students are not
nice and say harsh words to each other without thinking. She thinks sometimes people do not think before they speak,
and words can really hurt other people.
She
also finds it hard when students are lazy and don’t want to play.
“They
forget that our body is like a machine and it needs to work every day,” she
said.
When
Mrs. Bennett is not teaching she likes to take long walks with friends or
crochet. Mrs. Bennett likes to visit her family. Her children and parents live
in Valley Forge area. She loves to go see her grandson, Chase.
Thanks
for being our December Staff Member of the Month, Mrs. Bennett.
©Kendall
Cares About Animals©
©Playful Pandas©
By Kendall B – 6R
They’re black, white and constantly
eat bamboo. That’s right! They’re pandas!
However, they are endangered! Most
people love them, but others don’t.
In the zoo, you might see a panda moving slowly towards bamboo.
That’s because bamboo is their favorite food.
Even if each panda looks happy, as a type of animal overall they are
not. As I said, pandas are
endangered. See if you can do to
help them.
See
you next month!
“K”ooking with Kendall”
Some More S’mores!
By Kendall B – 6R
Watching
the snowfall, drinking nice hot cocoa, yes, this is a wonderful time of the
year. What better than having a
classic snack…S’mores! Here
is how you make them:
Get
graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate.
Roast
the marshmallows over a fire.
Put
the roasted marshmallows and a piece of chocolate in between two pieces of
graham crackers. Then eat it.
I
hope you enjoy your marshmallowy treat!
Nurse’s News
I would like to take this time to thank everyone who volunteered for
this year’s PTA Holiday Shop. Thanks
to all of you, this year’s shop was a very successful one.
You are all special people.
I
would like to thank Ms. Golden’s Ensemble and Mrs. Sweeney’s Chorus and
Strings for the wonderful Christmas songs.
Thank
you to the custodians for all of their help during the day.
DVE-TV
did a great a job wrapping all of the gifts for the children.
Mrs. Sebring as usual had a great lunch served up with Santa; and a
very special thank you to Santa Clause.
Happy
Holidays! Mrs. Polanis
Artists
of the Month
Congratulations to this month’s Artists of the Month!
They
are: 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.
Authors of the Month
Congratulations to this
month’s Authors of the Month!
They
are: Anthony P (2C), Juliette P
(2C), Lila S (2C), Ally S (2C), Rhett P (3K), Devin M (3K), Claudia C (3K), Anthony
G (3K), Erin M (3K), Kaylee S (3F), Randy E (3F), Haley H (4A), and Mrs. Thompson’s Third Grade.
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.