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Around the Block

Aroun

dtheB

lock

Volume 16 ,

Issue 1

This building that we know as Northside Blodgett Middle Schooltoday has been here a long time. As this school has been part of the Corn-

ing-Painted Post School district for many years, it has been a place wherestudents go to learn and develop their skills in a variety of subjects. In theschool year of 2014-2015, the new middle school and the new high school are going to be ready for students togo. That means this school and the other middle school, CFA, will no longer be schools within Corning-PaintedPost School District. This also goes for the high schools, East High and West High. This big change may have

an effect on us as our school and the Corning Painted Post School district go through a huge transformation.

For all middle school students, this transition may be similar to the transition that all 5th graders cur-rently experience, the transition from elementary school to middle school. If we look back to when we were inthis position, we had many questions in our minds. Some of these questions that we might have included werewhere to go and how to organize ourselves. It may be that some of these questions may come across our

thoughts again as we change schools.

Why is this a big deal? The new middle school and high school will start a new era in the Corning-

Painted Post School district. One of the major differences that the next school year will bring is that there will beone building for a middle school and a high school. Those in 6th grade and 7th grade will continue their remain-ing years in middle school next year, just a different location. For 8th graders, they will go to the new highschool. When this transition occurs, there will be a wider sense of unity as there is one single school. This isgood in that there will be more students together. It will enforce the idea of cooperation as more students willmeet each other and will have the opportunity to cooperate in class assignments and projects. From only havinga single school; it will reduce the stress of maintaining two separate schools. With one school, there is norivalry between schools. It may seem out of place when it comes to sport teams as this school and CFA havebeen strong rivals, but we have to acknowledge that we are going to be one school, just with a larger amount ofstudents. Certain features such as the cafeteria will be larger and technology relating to smart boards and com-puters will be used more often. This enforces unity and allows us as students to work together with more stu-

dents in the building.

Though the location and the appearance of the news schools may vary, there will be similarities be-

tween Northside Blodgett and the new school. The curriculum that is taught now will continue in the newschool. The typical structure of class periods will remain the same (maybe not so.)

The student council was informed by Mr. Pronti to think about the new middle school. He stated him-self that there will be changes to the new middle school. Some of the new changes that Mr. Pronti mentionedincluded a new schedule and different locker set-up. He asked the student council to brainstorm a list of ques-tions for the new middle school. This information was presented to homerooms and surveys were given to eachstudent. This survey had an extensive list of topics for students to express questions. There was also a sectionfor any other topics students wanted to learn about. Using the survey, members of student council that are inter-ested are going to be acting in scenarios that will explain answers to the questions from students in the form ofvideos. These videos will contain some information about the question with fun or humor elements imple-mented. These videos are yet to be presented but they will soon be as the school year goes on. These videos willbe very useful for the 5 th graders that are going to become the first 6th graders of the new middle school and thecurrent 6th and 7th graders. The student council also plans to have more events and activities planned for this

special year.

As we all know, this school year is the last year of Northside Blodgett and the Corning Free Academy. Nextyear, there will be a combined middle school and a combined high school. As students, we have to accept theidea that there will be numerous changes from now. Not only will it affect students at Northside Blodgett, it willalso affect the current 5th grade students who will be the first students to go through all three years of the newmiddle school. As next year will have more students, there will be a broader sense of cooperation and unity. Asthe year goes on, more information will be revealed and some of the information currently mentioned may notapply later in the year. The combined schools are going to take place next year, so let us make this school yearthe best. We can do this by working hard and making this school year memorable. More information will berevealed in the next issue!

Northside Blodgetts TransitionBy: Irfaan

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EdmodoBy: Mackensie

Edmodo is an online program that the 8 th grade biology studentshave been using. Edmodo is a website used worldwide to help students learn and allowsteachers to track students progress. It was founded in 2008 by Nic Borg and Jeff O Harawhen they realized that teachers and students needed a way to connect schoolwork withmodern technology. Using Edmodo is a perfect way to engage, connect, personalize, andmeasure your education.

Anyone is able to get an Edmodo account that connects to their teachers. Edmodo isvery easy to use and it is free. We use Edmodo in biology to answer the questions ourteacher posts, take notes, and read articles. When our teachers post questions we click onthe turn in button and type the response in the text below. Before we officially turn in theassignment we are allowed to rate the assignment based on what we thought of it. Some ofthe choices are really good, good, interesting, bored, confused, and need help. After weturn in the assignment normally a few days later they are graded so we can log on andcheck our grade. In Mrs. Newmans class, she will write a comment to either help you un-derstand something better or to say that you understood the concept well. Recently, wehad to sign our parents up for an account. Our parents will use the account to check ourgrades, to see homework, or read about any upcoming news the biology teachers post forthem.

Edmodo can be logged on using any device. You can use a computer or downloadthe free app from the iTunes store to your iPod or iPad and any apple device. It can also

be accessed by downloading it on any android device. The purpose of this is so you caneasily log on and use Edmodo. Edmodo can also connect to Google drive. Google drive isa safe place to store photos, videos, documents, and any other files. However, if you dontuse Google drive you can still keep files in folders on your own Edmodo account. Ed-modo also has a backpack act to keep links in. Having links stored can allow you to putwebsites where research is to help you in any homework or projects.

In conclusion, Edmodo is a new online site that allows you to interact with your

teachers. For example, your teacher can post homework assignments, videos, and website

links and Edmodo allows you to respond with an answer. This is an easy way to engage,

connect, personalize, and measure your education and connect it with modern age tech-

nology.

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Page 3 AR OU ND T HE B LOC K

Have you ever wondered how other countries celebrate Halloween, other than going door to door say-ing trick or treat . Well here is your answer. I am going to tell you how five other coun-

tries ,England , China, Belgium, Korea, and Austria celebrate Halloween .EnglandAt one time, in England kids would make punkies out of beetroots. Later that day they would havefun carving designs they liked and then that night they would run through the streets with theirpunkies knocking on peoples doors asking for money while singing the punkie night song. Theyalso would have big bonfires and throw rocks, vegetables, and nuts in their huge fire to scare the spir-its away. These were like the spirits coming and talking to them. If the pebbles they threw in were notthere in the morning then it was believed that they would not live another full year. Recently in Eng-land they have started dressing up and going door to door trick or treating like we do in America.Most adults (especially the elders) are confused when people come and ask for candy, because theyare normally not prepared. That is how England celebrates Halloween.

BelgiumIn Belgium they have some interesting traditions. One is that if a black cat follows you into yourhome it is very unlucky. It is especially unlucky if it follows you on a ship. It is a custom on Hallow-een night to light a candle in honor of the relatives who have passed away. That is what I learnedabout Belgium.

KoreaWhile learning about Korea I learned that they celebrate a festival that is celebrated similar to how wecelebrate Halloween. It is called Chusok. During Chusok they thank their relatives for their fruitsof their labors. To do that they visit their relatives tombs and make offerings of fruit and rice. The oddthing about Chusok is they celebrate it in the middle of august. These are some of the ways that

people celebrate Halloween in Korea.Austria

In Austria they leave bread and water with a lighted lamp out before going to bed. They do this be-cause it is believed that such items will welcome the spirits back to earth. That is how the people inAustria celebrate Halloween.That is how people celebrate Halloween around the world and all of the ways are very different. Thatis what I learned while studying England, Belgium, Korea, and Austria. Hope you have a great Hal-loween!

If you would like to learn more you can go to this website:

If you would like to learn more you can go to this website HTTP://WWW.NOVAREINNA.COM/FESTIVE/WORLD.HTML

References, Halloween around the world, HTTP://WWW.NOVAREINNA.COM/

FESTIVE/WORLD.HTML , September 24

By: Vanessa

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Advantage is an after-school program that provides homework help, fun activities, and some time to hang outwith your friends after school. As a member myself, I can get some info about what happens there. The pro-gram takes place in the cafeteria. First, you sign in and get a snack. Then, you sit at a table and chat withyour friends during snack time. When it is homework time, you do your homework. You have to rememberto be considerate of others that are doing homework around you. If you are done with your homework, you

can sit with your friends and chat quietly or play a board game. Activity time starts at 4:00. (approximately;sometimes it will start a little later or sooner than scheduled) During activity time, you can do arts and crafts,play outside, and on Fridays, there is cooking club. In cooking club, you make a treat that the grown-upschoose. Once your activity is done, you can talk to your friends or play a board game while you wait for yourparents to come and pick you up. On Fridays, when your mom or dad comes to pick you up, you and your

parents, can have the snack from cooking club before you leave.

Since it is my sister, Ashleys first year going to Advantage too, I asked her some questions about what shethought of it.Me: What is your favorite part about Advantage?Ashley: The fun activities I can do here.

Me: What do you dislike about Advantage?Ashley: Nothing, except that I dont like most of the snacks here.Me: (my sister is a very picky eater)Me: What are the activities that you can do here?Ashley: Arts and crafts, cooking club, and outdoor play.Me: What is your favorite activity?Ashley: Not sure.Me: What do you like about Advantage? Ashley: That they help you with your homework.Me: Thank you for your time.Ashley: You are welcome. I enjoyed it very much.

I also interviewed one of the leaders. Her name is Autumn.

I asked her some questions about Advantage.

Me: What do you have to do here?Autumn: I have to come up with activities and crafts for the kids, keep track of the

kids and their behavior. Me: What is your favorite part about watching the kids?Autumn: Doing the crafts and cooking club.Me: What is your least favorite part about watching the kids?Autumn: Helping the kids with their math homework.Me: What is the hardest part about watching the kids?Autumn: When they dont behave.Me: What is the easiest part about watching the kids?Autumn: Watching them behave.Me: Thank you for your time.Autumn: I appreciate you interviewing me.

As you can see, Advantage is a great after-school program. I am not sure if it is too late to sign up, so youwill have to see Mr. Kimble about that. I know Advantage is a great after-school program, but do you believeme? I hope you do! By: Megan

Advantage After-school Program

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Student council is a big thing at Northside Blodgett, and even though you might not be in student council it is important

that you know about what it is.

In student council we have two representatives from each home room, one representative and one alternate. Thisit because, if your representative is sick or can not make it to a meeting. It would be important that another person couldwrite down notes and present them to the class. As another part of student council there is the secretary, treasurer, vice-president, and the president. This year as you all may know the secretary is Seth. The treasurer is Riley. The vice presi-

dent is Trevor and last but not least the president is Connie. The secretarys job is to record minutes at the meetings andbe your go to student if none of your sixth grade homeroom representatives could make it to the meeting and if you havequestions for student council. As treasurer you will keep track of money and be your go to student if none of the seventhgrade representatives could make it to a meeting and if you have any questions for student council. The vice president isthe understudy for the president and helps to run the meetings and is your go to student if you have questions for studentcouncil and if none of your representatives could make it to the meetings. The president is the one who runs the wholeshebang (meetings), she also is the 8th grade go to person if you have any questions or concerns for student council. The

president will also be the person that will be your go to student if your representatives could not attend a meeting.

The regular homeroom representatives are equally important. Here are the homeroom representatives of 2013.

6th

grade

Mrs. Walsh: Otto and OliviaMrs. Cole: Brenna and TaliaMrs. Reif: Elora and Arianna

Mrs. Whittenhall : Seika and MattMrs. Wilson: Seth and Lyndsay

Mr. Schoonover: Austin and MadelineMrs. Krol: Jaden and Mikko

Ms. Licursi: Jonathan, Jayla and Joey

7th gradeMr. Hunkele: Anna, Lindsey and Grace

Mrs. Hurd: Taras and TaliaMrs. Miller: Jacob and Taylor

Mrs. DeMonstoy: Ashley and StephonMr. Rossington: Sydney and Hunter

Mr. Clowe: Bionca and KaylaMr. Schilke: Logan and Nick

Mrs. Moran: Riley and Aaliyah

8th grade

Mr. Scudder: Irfaan and TessaMrs. Niki Keefer: Jonathan

Mr. Bryson Keefer: Katherine and OliviaMiss Stewart: Connie and Britton

Mrs. BD: Lindsey and MitchellMrs. Parker: Austin and Jacob

Mr. Holmes: Divya and JenniferMrs. Zelko: Ashley, Emily and Trevor

All of these people have been chosen by their homerooms to represent them in student council. I hope that you will con-sider being in student Council next year. I hope that this paper will help you to better understand the importance of your

representatives.

Student Council By: Elora

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BREAKING NEWS!! Well, this may be something you have heard about be-fore. This column is about. RECYCLING and conserving the earth! You may be thinking,BORING!!! Maybe so, but this is important! And almost anything BUT boring! (You maystill think this is going to be boring. But its important so stay awake please!) Say you need

to write an essay about the making of the Greek city Athens. You get out a piece of paper andstart to write. You start to write about Athena sprouting an olive tree in rocks. You decide thatyou skipped too much information and you want to restart. Instead of erasing the mistake youthrow the piece of paper away. That may seem harmless and you may think it wont do any-thing. But you just happen to be wrong. Paper is made with trees as you may know, so whenyou throw away a piece of plain paper with barely anything on it, you waste paper and trees.

Next time the earth would greatly appreciate it if you erased the mistake. Or at least recyclethe paper instead. Trees are important. They help us live, along with other plants. You may bewondering, Why would lumps of wood and leaves be important to our survival on earth?

Well, I can answer that! Like most plants, trees breathe Co2 or carbon dioxide. We breathe inoxygen. Trees and most plants exhale oxygen. All of us humans exhale Co2. So we are im-

portant to their survival as well. Trees and plants are living things; humans harm them whenwe release too much Co2 into the atmosphere. You may be thinking, But you just said that

plants and trees breathe in Co2! Yes, but trees and plants cannot breathe in all the Co2 in theatmosphere. And animals are like us, they cant breathe Co2, they breathe oxygen! So whathappens when all this Co2 is released into the atmosphere? Global Warming, sounds scaryright? Not if you arent in love with the earth (translation: echofreak). Global warming is do-ing something horrible. Its melting the icecaps. The polar bears are endangered because of usas humans! We release too much Co2! The creatures of the Arctic can live without Co2. We

dont need to give them any more than we have! The less factories there are, the less Co2 re-leased into the atmosphere. We give the trees and plants enough Co2 just exhaling. We dontneed to give them even more than we have too!

Many farmers and other people cut down trees. Thats called deforestation. Cuttingdown trees for more land, or room for other things! For example, farmers are most likely tocut down trees to create land for crops, livestock, and barns. Yes, they grow food but thattakes time and care, and if something goes wrong it may make a problem of not being able togrow food on that land anymore. So that would cause the farmer to have to cut down moretrees. Then he/she just wasted trees! Then sometimes construction workers clear forests for

roads in unpopulated areas. It may help with gas but, sometimes the roads become abandonedand useless. Therefore the company just wasted trees or an entire forest. That companyshould have chosen a more populated area, unlike the area they just chose. Also some compa-nies cut down trees illegally. Before you cut down a group of trees you MUST get permissionfrom the government. Also deforestation harms the animals that lived in that forest. Many ofthose forest creatures would live in trees. Trees are very important for shelter, food, water,and protection! Only 30% of the world is forest because of this tragic event. Groups of treesthe sizes of Panama are being cut down every year. Continued on next page...

Environment & Recycling

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On to recycling again, student council should propose a plan to get more recyclingbins. I suggest you explain this idea to your student council class representatives. If NorthsideBlodgett had a special fundraiser we could possibly come up with enough money to buy morerecycling bins. Or we could have the art classes make recycling bins. Maybe we could make

or buy bins made out of recycled items! We could put recycling bins in every classroom! Thenput recycling bins in the hallways. We could put bins in corners, by water fountains, and nearall the trash cans we have. We also need papers on the bins telling what to throw away andwhat to recycle. So nobody has an excuse to throw away a recyclable item! And if there areany papers that should be recycled but are put in the garbage bin, then janitors should carrygloves around with them so that they can take the stuff out of the trash cans and recycled themwhile keeping their hands clean. I also believe Mr. Kimble should recommend every teacher tomake sure students place the items in the correct bin.

So, next time you have that assignment and youre about to throw away that flop pa-

per, change your mind and put in it your brand new RECYLING BIN!!! Remember these

words, REDUSE! REUSE! RECYCLE!!

By: Laurel

Environment & Recycling

Study Hall Tips

Study hall has time for you to get homework done during the period and it gives timefor you to go to the library.

Helpful tips:

1. Keep trying and do not give up.2. Stay in from lunch and recess for extra help needed.3. Stay in seat and do not wander around.4. Do not play on the computer until your work is done.

By: Shane

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6th Grade Library Skills October Update:

Library and Informational Skills students were very busy during the

month of October! The following topics were covered in class:

Library Scavenger Hunt

First Amendment/Freedom to Read Act

Book Banning

Censorship

Copyright/Plagiarism/Fair Use

Edgar Allan Poe

The students did a great job on their scavenger hunts!

Upcoming Topics for November:

October/ November

2013

Northside Blodgett Library

2 0 1 3

We hope to cover the following in the month of November:

Easybib.com

Citations

Works Cited

Strong Passwords

Remember to check out the 6th grade curriculum calendar on our weebly!

www.northsideblodgettlibrary.weebly.com

Please contact me with any questions or concerns

Dcornell @cppmail.com

New Books!

Below by Meg

McKinlay

Almost Home

by Joan Bauer

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HOMEWORK POLICYMany students who miss instructional lessons in class are unprepared to successfully complete theassignments wit hout some instruc tion from the teacher first. We feel that the needs of the childrenare best served if they return to school healthy and receive some help / instruction from their teachersbefore diving into new material. Students will have an adequate oppor tunity to make up their work.For example: if he/she is absent for 1 day, they will be given an extra day to make up the work. If theyare absent for 2 days they will be given an extra 2 days to make up the work etc. If additional time isneeded the student should discuss this with his/her teacher.

If you decide that you still want homework collected, the homework policy is that your child must be out ofschool for two or more consecutive days. After the second day you must contact Mrs. Dennison (by phone orby email at TDennison@cppmail.com) before 10:30 in the morning and you need to be able to pick up thework that same day between 2:45 - 3:30. We will not send the work home with another student. Please donot request homework if you are unable to pick it up that day. When you pick up the work you are welcome to

go into your childs locker to get any books or supplies that may be needed.

GUIDANCE OFFICE STAFF

Mark Pronti Guidance Counselor

Jean Scudder Guidance Counselor

Meghan Dickens Social Worker

Who is my childs Guidance Counselor?

Mrs. Jean Scudder is the Guidance Counselor for the Orange side. TheOrange side includes homerooms: 115, 124, 126, 128, 130, 223, 225,227, 229, 215, 216 and 217. She is also the Guidance Counselor forhomerooms: 108, 207 and 209. She is available by phone or by email atJScudder@cppmail.com

Mr. Mark Pronti is the Guidance Counselor for the Black side. The Blackside includes homerooms: 36, 123, 125, 127, 129, 224, 226, 228, 230,201, 202 and 205. He is also the Guidance Counselor for homerooms:

24, 118, 119 and 316. He is available by phone or by email atMPronti@cppmail.com

Guidance

News

Fall 2013

SCHOOL SUCCESS

Be well-rested!

Be prepared! Have all books and supplies that are needed for each class.

Be here! School attendance is important.

Ask questions! Your teachers want you to succeed. Dont be afraid to ask questions or talk to your teach-

ers after class. Let them know as soon as you have any troubles.

Is a Social Worker available at school?

Mrs. Meghan Dickens is the Social Worker at Northside Blodgett. She is available to provide

individual, group and crisis counseling, support to parents, and referrals to community agencies whennecessary. She works collaboratively with community agencies and families to meet

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Ionic! Doric! Corinthian! Wouldnt you want to find out more of what these crazy words mean?

Or what makes cows tip over? And who the people that could not make up their mind on a governmentwere? In 6th grade humanities we are learning all about Ancient Greece. Part of what is included in

this unit is learning about the architecture, geography and government.

The architecture of Ancient Greece is breathtaking and detailed. Their buildings havecolumns that are thought to be long round poles, but in reality they are round discs held together withlong rods of wood. These columns are very large and if you ever come close to one you can see thecuts in them that separate the discs. This seems so incredible to think that from that long ago we stilluse the same structure today. Mrs. Reif believes that today we have many things that were inventedand created by the Greeks. There are three different columns, Ionic, Doric and Corinthian. The ioniccolumns are the columns that are shaped somewhat like an uppercase T. At the base they look just like

any kind of column but as you go up you will see that at the top the column curves out to make the topof the T. These ones are one of the most detailed columns in my opinion. To me the Doric columns arethe least detailed out of the three. They have the same base as the ionic but at the top they just connectto the building. The Corinthian columns are the most detailed and the prettiest. They look just like therest at their base, but at the top there are leaves and other very detailed engravings. These are trulyamazing pieces of art, and if you are interested in seeing one up close, go out in front of Northside

Blodgett, and discover what kind of column we have here at our school.

The geography of ancient Greece is marvelous too. We learned that there were so manymountains that it was tough for the Greeks to grow food. They couldnt grow a field of corn becausethey had no fields. They only could grow what the land let them grow. In some areas they could grow

wheat, barley, olives, and grapes. They also couldnt raise cows because they were top heavy and theycouldnt climb up the steep mountains, or else they would tip over and hurt themselves. The Greekscould only keep goats and sheep because they were well balanced and could easily climb up moun-tains and large, steep hills. They also used the goats for milk and cheese. A fun fact is that Mrs. Reifsgrandma lived off of goat milk instead of cow milk. The Greeks were also good fisherman since they

lived by water.

The Greeks government was always changing, they first started out with the monarchy

that meant that there was a king that ruled over everyone. He became king by inheriting it from his dad

or an older male relative. If there is no son or nephew to give the crown to, then families would go to

war to find who would be the next king. The king would have helpers or advisors called aristocrats.They would give the king suggestions, but the king didnt have to listen to them. You would have to

listen to the king no matter what, even if he said that you had to go to jail, just because he didnt like

you. I am glad I didnt live back then. This lasted from 2000 B.C.E. to 800 B.C.E. An activity you

could do would be to have one person be the king and a few other people be the peasants. Then have a

prince. Have the king pick a song and play it at any volume. Have the king tell the rest of the people

what to do which can be anything. Then have the king die and the prince take over the thrown.

Continued on next page..

6th Grade HumanitiesBy: Emily

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The next form of government was the oligarchy, which meant that three wealthy people had all of the power. These people were called oligarchs, and they lived in comfortable amount of space while the poor people lived on the streets and worked allday. The oligarchs would pass laws that would make them richer and the peasantpoorer. This was making a lot of the peasants mad and they felt that they should puan end to it, so the army and the poor joined forces and overthrew the oligarchs.

agree with the peasants, it wouldnt of been fair if they kept the government like that. Oligarchy lasted

from 800 B.C.E. to 650 B.C.E. An activity you could do for fun would be to have a few people be theoligarchs. Have them decide together, what song to play and what the other people in the room shoulddo. The oligarchs should have a lot of money and they can make the peasants (other people in theroom) give them the rest of their money. The next government would be tyranny. This involved onlyone person who became ruler by force. When someone else wanted to be the new ruler they would goaround to all of the people and try to persuade them that they were the best person for the job and thathey would do whatever the people told him to do. When that person got enough people that supportedhim he would then overthrow the current ruler and become in power. After a while when more andmore people started to like him he would then start to make foolish rules and ignore the people becausethe power was going to his head. Eventually the people in Athens decided that they didnt want tyr-

anny anymore so they decided to overthrow the tyrant. If I lived back then I wouldnt be sure if I couldtrust anyone to be the new ruler. The tyranny lasted from 650 B.C.E to 500 B.C.E. They then went todemocracy. Everyone had power and that meant that there was an assembly and any free man couldtalk there and vote on a new law or propose to go to war. Also free men ran day to day businesses. Noall of the Greeks liked the idea of democracy because persuading speakers tricked the people to voteunwisely .Also usually after a law was passed it would be changed within just a few weeks. If I livedback then wouldnt want to vote just to play it safe in case someone told me to vote unwisely withoume knowing. An activity you could try would to have everyone in the room vote on a song and howloud you wanted to play it. The Greeks didnt like this either so they eventually went back to earlierforms of government which were tyranny and oligarchy. Mrs. Reif believes the interactive activityhelps you learn because it gets you up and out of your seat, it helps you remember things and it is

fun. I agree one- hundred percent with Mrs. Reif.

In conclusion, the Greeks gave us the idea to use columns in our architecture. They were crea-

tive of how they lived on the land that they did, since, there were so many mountains. Lastly, they

wanted to know what was best for their civilizations with all of the different governments that they

tried. Altogether, I believe the Greeks were very intelligent, creative, crafty and resourceful.

Around the Block Newsletter Staff

First Line Editor: Divya Advisor: Mrs. Howe

Front Page Article: 8th Grader Irfaan

Article Submissions: Irfaan, Mackensie, Vanessa, Megan, Elora, Laurel, Shane, Mrs.Cornell, Mrs. Dennison, Emily, Aarthi, Naporshyaa, Anna, Ethan, Lizzie, Gavin, Jadon and

Michael

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New SchoolBy Aarthi

This is our last year at Northside Blodgett so lets make

it our best year

read the streaming message board located in the caf. Next

year students from NSB and CFA will be combining in the new middle school Corning Painted Post Middle school.Eighth graders from NSB and CFA will also be combining in the new high school, Corning Painted Post High school (in

the old building of East high). Lets hope for a great last year at Northside Blodgett.I surveyed seven people about their thoughts about the new school. I wanted to know what people thought about

the school change. I also wanted to learn about the new school. I knew that several responses would be diverse. Below

are the responses I received.

Question 1 is How do you feel about the new school? I am sort of excited but we are switching schools toomuch. It makes it so we have to not only get to know children from different schools but the new school also. Laurelsresponse wasnt the only response that wasnt enthusiastic about the new school; Jadon said, I would like to stay in this

school Id rather not combine. Others also had similar replies.

Question 2 is What do you think will be different? Definitely size because the new school is meantto be a high school and is supposed to be bigger, different and more students of different personalities because CFA is

joining also different teachers, said Claire. Emily replied, The things that will be different are the size of the school,

more students, and most likely more rules. 5/7 people surveyed shared the same opinion as Claire and Emily.

Question 3 is What do you think will stay the same? According to Mrs.Howe I think the students,families and students friendships with one another will stay the same.. Teachers personalities, what they teach, how

they will teach it will also remain the same. I think the overall vision of the Corning Painted Post School district will

stay the same. On the other hand Laurel thought, It wont be too different, just size maybe curriculum and classes.Jadon shared the same opinion as Laurel The only thing that will stay the same is going to school on Monday- Fri-

day 5/6 surveyed people had the same opinion.

Question 4 is Are you looking forward to changing schools? Several surveyed people feel nervousbecause, Changing schools is like starting 6th grade all over again! says Emily. Nicole said, Yes, I think it will be afun experience. The majority of the people say that the new school will be bigger and much harder to navigate; therewill also be more ways to lose your path. I on the other hand agree with Emily because you have to learn to navigate the

new school you enter, you have to learn short cuts and easy ways to get to your class, with the new school change youhave to learn the short cuts and school all over again which is what you are supposed to do in 6th grade.

Question 5 is What do you think the new school will be like? Mrs. Howe says, It will be the state ofthe art, everything new students need to perform at their educational best will be provided. Students could go swimming

at the new swimming pool. Many new experiences to be excited about Claire had the same approach but a differentpoint of view, BIG, and a total different layout Nicole says, Bigger with a lot of more students. The majority of

students agreed with Nicole.

Question 6 is Do you think this is a better change, why or why not? Mrs. Howe is all over the new schoolchange she says that, Anytime we can give more to students wed be crazy not to, anytime we can have students sittingin a state of the art facility and state of the art environment they feel the energy and power of that environment and in

turn preform at high levels. Emily had an entirely different approach to this question, Yes and no, I say this because

this way we will find more friends, but it will also be harder to find our way around school since it is going to beHUGE!!!I also feel that it will be crowded even though there is going to be more room in the school. Jadon also had adifferent approach to this question he said, I think this is a better change for the school budget, but I think the sixthgrader group should get to know each other more before they get ANOTHER group of students. Sarah replied Yes I

am excited because both Northside Blodgett and CFA are old schools.

This question was an exclusive question just for Mrs. Howe How do you feel the new school will affect your

class? New technology? The ideas are endless!

In conclusion, I found that the surveyed people had diverse thoughts and responses towards my questions. Most

students were looking forward to the change. Hopefully the new school will be fun and easy to access. I enjoyed learn-

ing about the new school and what people thought about it. Above all this experience writing this article was fun!

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Computer Technology

Mrs. Howe is the best teacher of all because she is nice in class and helps kidswhen they are stuck. She teaches students many things like how to research onthe computer for articles. Mr. Howe teaches the design cycle that includes in-

vestigates. She informs us that news letters are a great way to convey information to others. Iwill make Mrs. Howe happy with all the work. I will complete in her class. For example, oneof my topics is looking up information on the country Spain. I know that I need to find at least3 websites to read so I can write at my newsletter.

By: Shane

So, you believe that volunteering cant be fun? Well take a look here andlet me show you that it indeed can be fun no matter what you believe. Imnot talking about volunteering for things you dont like, Im talking about

volunteering for things that are fun for you and that spark your interest.

The YMCA is a perfect place for you to find fun, entertaining volunteer work, they have thisamazing program called The Leaders Club. Its for kids 10-18, its also a place for you to go andmake friends while making a difference in the community. And it doesnt matter if you are or arent amember of the YMCA ,because you can still get in just tell them that you are a part of LeadersClub. The program is from 6pm to 7pm every Tuesday at the YMCA. I know from experience that itis fun and you make the greatest memories too. We volunteer for all sorts of fun events like commu-

nity races, like the Wine Glass Marathon, to Public Family events at the YMCA or even volunteeringat the Tanglewood Nature Center.

When you volunteer it should be for fun and to help the community. The YMCA is a goodplace to look for thing to volunteer for. You could volunteer in Child Watch, which in my opinion ismuch more fun than working in the fitness center. Dont get me wrong, if you like to clean or youdont want a lot of work then the fitness center is definitely the place for you to volunteer. If you likelittle kids and can multitask then you should definitely volunteer in Child Watch. When you volunteerin Child Watch your job is to play and watch the kids that can involve play with one kid while watch-ing another or just keeping the older kids busy while the other volunteers or staff play with the littler

ones. Working in the fitness center can involve picking up and putting workout equipment in the cor-rect place, making sure people are using the equipment correctly, and cleaning the equipment as well.

Now that you have heard my reasoning that volunteering is fun, I hope that some of you comeand join me at the YMCA leaders club to volunteer and make a difference in our community. Evenwe kids can make a difference in our community.

By: Naporshyaa

Volunteering is Fun!!!!

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Recycling By: Laurel

Recycling. Its something important that not very many peopleunderstand. Most kids learn about recycling in kindergarten but thesubject isnt repeated too much in the grades ahead. So, all this recy-

cling information goes to retire in the back of the mind, believing thatits not useful anymore. Recycling is important no matter how much you learn about it. Eventhough the recycling information is relaxing in the back of your mind that doesnt mean itcant be roused, brought to school, and taught. This article will bring that information back and

bring its senses as sharp as a tigers claws. Read on to learn about the importance of recyclingand the meaning of this subject.

Recycling (r -s kl ng)

The collection and often reprocessing of discarded materials for reuse. Recycled materi-als include those used in manufacturing processes and those used in consumer products.

The recycled material is often degraded somewhat by use or processing and therefore

must be converted to another purpose. For example, the processing of recycled newspa-

per and other paper wastes usually shortens their fibers, and the material cannot be used

to make high-grade paper. Instead, it can be reprocessed to make cardboard or insula-

tion. Recycling helps reduce pollution, prolong the usefulness of landfills, and conservenatural resources. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/recycling. That is the meaning ofrecycling I selected this from an online dictionary. The definition of recycling in my ownwords would be: Recycling helps the environment by reusing objects to prevent more items

being put into landfills. Recycling is basically preventing too much trash put into landfills.You may say that old tape dispensers are trash right? Well you would not believe how muchyou can do with one of those things! For example, I collect a lot of yarn, so what I do insteadof making it into balls, one time I wrapped my yarn around the wheel inside the dispenser andmade it so that I could pull the yarn of the wheel like the tape that was previously in it. I mademuch more. You dont even absolutely have to recycle cardboard or recyclable items. You may

be thinking, But you just said that recycling is very important and that you shouldnt throwaway recyclable stuff! well, I did just say that, but I am not talking about throwing recyclableitems away. What I am saying is you can make stuff out of recyclable items. You may be

thinking again, Then why cant you make stuff out of trash? Well, do you really want tomake something out of a banana peel? Trash is stuff that you cant reuse again. For example, Imade a small floatable boat out of duct tape, cardboard and popped bubble wrap. I cant reallydo that with an apple core, messy napkins and a banana peel! So you can make things out ofrecyclable items, but thats easier than using garbage. Trash and recyclables are different. Youdont want to get them messed up. The following is a list of recyclable items and not recycla-

ble items.

Recyclables

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Choices ProgramBy: Mackensie

On October 30th 50 girls in the 8th grade were given anamazing opportunity to go to Corning Incorporated and learnabout jobs. A few weeks ago 50 girls lined up at the guidance

counselors office waiting to see if they were able to go toCorning. The first 50 girls were handed a packet to fill out. Onthe packet there were a lot of choices for us to pick for where we wanted to go throughout theday. For example, there were opportunities to go to the Corning Museum of Glass and learnabout making glass and culinary programs.

Choices is put together by some of the workers at Corning. When we arrived we wentand lined up to find our folder. Our folder had the contacts for the people that put together hada tour guide job description with fake resumes, a paper on completing job applications, a con-tact list for the people who made the program, and many other informational papers. After we

received our folders we went into an auditorium and sat down while they put on a video. Thevideo was about how you can be anything you want as long as you try hard enough. Then, theprogram director, Monica Mashewske, came up and talked about the video and reminded us

why we were there.

Afterwards, we did career planning with Kim Cobb-Cain and Laura De Angelis. Theyshowed up a website called www.careerzone.ny.gov. On this website you would take a quiz

put putting in three interest area choices. Those interest area choices are realistic, investigate,artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. If you put in realistic it means you like jobsthat require athletic or mechanical ability, and working with things, machines, tools, plants, or

animals. Investigate means you are interested in jobs with people who like to observe, learn,study, analyze, evaluate, or solve problems. Another choice is artistic, if you choose artistic itmeans that you like jobs with artistic abilities and like to work in unstructured creative situa-tions. One more choice was social, being social means you like to work with people to help,cure, or provide information with skilled words. Then, there is enterprising. Enterprisingmeans you like to persuade people or lead in order to reach organized goals. Finally there isconventional, this is that you are interested in jobs with office work, data, or numbers. Afteryou pick which three you are a list of jobs you might like will pop up. You can then hit what-ever seems like you might want to do and check it out. The website has things like basic skillsyou will need to have, a list of annual wages, local job opportunities, an informational video,

and so many other things.

Then, we listened to a guest speaker. The guest speakers name is Snowflake Ki-covic. She told us about her life and job experiences. She encouraged us to volunteer at placesthat have what we are thinking about being. This way we can see if we really like what wewant to do. But like Snowflake said, You wont know unless you try. After Snowflake wasdone we took a quick snack break. There was water, chocolate chip muffins, and fruit avail-

able during the ten minute break. Continued on the next page.

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After our brief snack we went back into the auditorium and sat backdown. Then we did pretend interviews for a tour guide position that isopen at the Corning Museum of Glass. However, before we started theinterviews we came up with a list of how you should walk into an in-

terview. You should look nice with appropriate clothing, act enthusias-tic about the job, have a neatly written or typed resume, and have good manners. After we es-tablished this list we began interviewing. First we interviewed Lindsay. She was supposed to

be the good example she did everything we had said on the list. Then, we interviewed Judywho did the bad examples. Judy came in athletic, non-matching clothes, and came in singingwith headphones in her ears, she answered her phone in the middle of the interview, and hadvery bad manners.

Next, we boarded buses based on our schedules. I went to the Rockwell Museum for aprogram based on art. When we arrived we talked about the different art jobs available like in-

terior design, graphic design, art teachers, and many others. Afterward, we went and walkedthrough the galleries. Based on a piece of artwork we saw we had to create a project for theRockwells next family project day. When the project was done we received a Corning bag fullof free stuff. The people that went to the Rockwell received a sketchbook, sketching pencils, a

pencil sharpener, eraser, and a sharpie. However, the Rockwell wasnt the only other programthey offered. Some people went to IT, finance, culinary, and law. Those are not the onlychoices though. Where you went decided what you would receive in the corning bag. When wewere done at the site we boarded our buses and headed over to the Radisson Hotel for lunch.

When we arrived at the Radisson we choose a table and waited for the waiters to say we

could go up to the buffet. The buffet had a salad, penne noodles, different sauces, and cheddarbroccoli soup. While we were eating they presented a video with the pictures from the day. Af-ter the video we all received a slice of cake and a choices drawstring bag. Then one by onethey called schools back to their buses so we could return to school. After we got back toschool we wrote thank you notes to all of the wonderful volunteers that made this happen.

In conclusion, Choices was a great program for many 8th grade girls to go to. Their were

about fifty 8th grade girls that went on this trip. We all learned many new things. For example,

we learned how to present yourself in an interview and that we can really do anything we put

our mind to. Some of us may have learned what we want to be when we grow up or some

might know have some idea. So, thank you to everyone who made Choices possible. It was agreat program that Im sure will help many other girls in the future.

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Dia de los Muertos

By: Anna

In recognition of the Spanish holiday Dia de Los Muer-tos, each 7th grade Spanish class is taking a field trip to the

Rockwell Museum to learn about the festivities of Dia de

Los Muertos and why people celebrate it. They will also get the opportunity to make their very

own piece of art and have it displayed to the public. When my class went, we got to make

memory boxes. Memory boxes are like little graves that you get to decorate in memory of

someone that you have lost in your life. I decided to make mine in memory of my 4 year old

goldfish, Sir Swims- A-Lot. We also learned many of the traditions Hispanic people practice

during this two day long holiday. The people that celebrate Dia de Los Muertos make altarswhere they decorate it with ofrendas or offerings to give to the deceased person they are honor-

ing. The whole purpose behind Dia de los Muertos is to celebrate and honor a deceased family

member, when their soul comes back to earth to take the offerings and check in on their family.

The offerings are usually made up of different things the deceased person enjoyed when they

were alive. For example, if the family made an altar for a child, it would most likely be deco-

rated with toys or candies. For a family that was making an altar for an adult, they would most

likely be decorated with various wines or different foods that they liked. The altars also have a

picture of the deceased person while they still were alive. There is even a flower for the holi-

day, too! This flower is called a zenpasuchitl, a type of marigold. Zenpasuchitls are used to cre-

ate the path for the soul to follow that leads to the altar so that they can have their offerings.

People who celebrate this spend most of October getting everything ready for this big holiday.

Some people spend a months worth of money just to get all the supplies! Unlike Americans,

they make fun of the dead and are not intimidated or afraid of death. Dia de los Muertos is

celebrated from November 1st through November 2nd. After the Dia de los Muertos is over, the

family members are allowed to eat the offerings they put on the altar. It is improper to eat the

offerings while Dia de los Muertos is still going on. There is an old legend that if you eat one

of the offerings during Dia de los Muertos, then the spirit will come into your bedroom at night

and pull your toes. That is quite interesting if you ask me. Anyways, make sure to visit the

Rockwell Mueseum on Sunday, November 3rd to learn more about Dia de los Muertos and you

can also make a craft! Have fun!

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Watson HomesteadBy Ethan

On 9/20/2013, the whole sixth grade went for an annual field trip tothe retreat called Watson Homestead. The whole sixth grade stayed

there for about 5 hours just to make new friends and have fun.

About Watson Homestead

The Watson Homestead Conference and Retreat Center was idea created by Thomas WatsonSr., CEO and chairman of IBM. His desire was that it would function as a place of recreation andretreat for all religious, social services, educational, and charitable societies. That was over 50 yearsago. Since then, Watson Homestead has opened its doors to thousands of organizations, as well as

served the needs of regional civic groups.

What Happened During the Field Trip

The whole trip there was to socialize and meet new friends. The trip to Watson Homesteadwas a short 15 minute bus ride. When we arrived, all the 6 th grade students were assigned to differ-

ent groups, led by the 6th grade homeroom teachers. Each group played different get to know eachother games during those 30 minutes, depending on the teachers. Later, everybody left with their

team for a nature scavenger hunt in the woods. They needed to find:

Something FuzzyTwo kinds of seedsTwo pieces of man-made litterSomething StraightSomething RoundSomething RoughTwo different types of leaves

Something that makes noiseA chewed leafA beautiful rockSomething you think is beautifulA PineconeSomething GreenA stick

Something you think is a treasure

The reward for finding the items was a piece of candy that the teachers brought.

After all the teams completed the scavenger hunt, everyone had a bit of free time. Many stu-dents loved this time period because they got to chat and play with their old/new friends. Studentsenjoyed playing games such as Frisbee, and other mini-games. Lunchtime was next. Everyonehad a great time and hung out with other 6th graders as they ate their lunch. Afterwards, each studentcould choose an activity that they wanted to play, including ladder ball, football, hiking, Mini-Golf,volleyball, and other fun activities. During this time, it was very hot. Everyone was sweating by thetime they finished the activity. Free time came after that. As I said earlier, many students and teach-ers liked this time period. Later, we went back on the bus. By the time we got back to school, school

was almost over. continued on next page...

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In conclusion, the field trip was a success. Many 6th graders enjoyed the field trip and met a lot of new friends. They also got to

have some exercise while playing sports/outdoor activities. The Watson Homestead field trip was great!

Thoughts from students: (Alphabetical Order)

Agastya: I definitely enjoyed it. The free time, scavenger hunt, outdoor lunch we left too soon.Favorite Activities: Some time, after lunch, a large group of kids kick-started a kickball game. That was, by far, the

most enjoyable part of the trip.

Rating:

Aarthi: I think it was fun! The weather was soooo hot and muggy though.Favorite Activity: My favorite activity was mini-golf! It was awesome. We were throwing leaves like confetti, racing

and bonding well.

Rating:Claire: I loved it. It was so much fun playing with friends that arent on my side. Plus the activities were awesome and fun!

Favorite Activities: The scavenger hunt was AWESOME! And the Mini-Golf was cute. I really loved all the activi-ties.

Rating:Elora: I liked it a lot because I got to hang out with my friends on the Black Side.

Favorite Activity: The Scavenger Hunt

Rating:Faith: I loved it. I thought it was really fun. I had a lot of fun.

Favorite Activity: Kick-ball

Rating:Gavin: It was okay.

Favorite Activity was hiking.

Rating:Jadon: It was okay, it wasnt that fun.

Favorite Activity: Probably mini-golf only.

Rating:Laurel: I believe it was not the best day to have a trip there. We shouldve been able to go inside for a bit. And I believe we

shouldve been able to have a bit more freedom.Favorite activity: Lunch and free time.

Rating:Nicole: It was a good idea, but honestly, there wasnt really much to do and it wasnt all it was said to be

Favorite Activity: Mini golf

Rating:Robert: I really liked it! The walk to the maze was my favorite. I like the walk!

Favorite Activity: Maze (Walk)

Rating:Sarah: The field trip was a great way to make new friends, hang out with old ones, and just have fun.

Favorite Activity: My favorite activity was free time because I could do stuff with my friends that I wanted to do.

Rating:Shane: It was the best field trip ever.

Favorite Activity: Mini-Golf

Rating:Vanessa: I thought it was very fun but wish we could have done more than 1 activity.

Favorite Activities: Going on the nature walk after the long day of running around I had fun taking a break and goingon the walk.

Rating:

continued on next page...

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Thoughts from teachers:

Mrs. Whittenhall (Black Side): (from past experience) This trip was a great opportunity for students and teachers to get betteracquainted! Hopefully students made a new friend that day.

Scavenger Hunt and free time.

Rating:Ms. Licursi (Black Side): I think its a great opportunity for students to meet kids from other elementary schools. I like getting to

know the 6th graders as kids, not just as students.Favorite Activity: Nature Walk. It was relaxing. Mrs. Reif found cool stuff for us to look at.

Rating:Mr. Schoonover (Black Side): I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to get our 6th graders all together for a day of relationship

building and fun activities.Favorite Activity: I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt.

Rating:Mrs. Cole (Black Side): Watson Homestead is always a fun day. It is a great opportunity for students to make new friends.

Favorite Activity: My favorite activity was the name game.

Rating:Mrs. Reif (Orange Side): It was great! Beautiful weather, polite students, fun activities!

Favorite Activity: I liked the Nature Walk with the students and Mrs. Licursi.

Rating:

Mrs. Walsh (Orange Side) : I think it is a positive experience for the students and teachers. A wonderful bonding experience.Favorite Activities: Basketball or get to know activities.

Rating:Mrs. Wilson (Orange Side): Watson Homestead is a fun trip where students and staff get to know each other.

Favorite Activity: Kickball

Rating:

Work Cited:

"About Us." Watson Homestead and Retreat Center. Watson Homestead. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. .

"Watson Homestead." Watson Homestead Conference and Retreat Center. Watson Homestead. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. .

Johnnies Math Page:By: Megan Colman

Johnnies Math Page is a great website with fun games that teaches kids math. The games are grouped

into 8 categories: Number, Geometry, Multiplication, Fractions, Statistics, and Fun. Some of the games willtake you to other websites, so be careful. There are games for little kids, such as Banana Count, Penguin

Sums, and Subtraction Race. There are games for kids our age, such as Fraction of Chance, Card Flip, and

Outcome Probability. The websites games turns math into games for kids! So search, Johnnies Math Page

on your computer for some math fun! Go try it!

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Halloween Fun at Northside Blodgett!

By: Laurel

On October 31, 2013, Northside Blodgett enjoyed Halloween withthe teachers! The teachers got into some wacky costumes; many studentsenjoyed this, and loved looking at these extraordinary costumes! The staffwearing costumes grouped up at the stairs and took some photos. With oc-casional photo-bombers, the teachers made some poses that fit the cos-tumes and we got some pictures. Here are some costume favorites.

I think I liked Mrs. Krols. Venessa said. Great job Mrs. Krol!

I liked Mrs. Krols the best. Emily said. Emily agreed with Venessa.

I think I liked Mrs. Wilsons best. Said Claire. Nice job on the frog legs Mrs. Wilson!I think I have to go with Mrs. Reif. Said Ethan. WHY DIDNT YOU MAKE IT RAIN MRS.REIF?

Well I think I like Mrs. Krols Said s Shane. Mrs. Krol rocked Halloween this year!

Hmm, I think, I have to say Mrs. Reifs. Ive watched the X-Men! Michael said. Mrs. Reifhow dare you make it rain?

Mr. Pronti! He had a big brown afro, with a disco costume. And whenever he walked into aroom he smiled and made peace signs! Aarthi said. Maybe Mr. Pronti built a time ma-

chine..Umm. My favorite was. Mrs. Reifs. says Jaden. Another vote for Mrs. Reif!

Mrs. Krol. She went full out on the army suit! Gavin said. Mrs. Krol is getting a lot ofvotes.. There were many amazing costumes on October 31st! Lets tally up the votes now!See what the best costume there was on Halloween!

Looks like Mrs. Krols costume was the best costume on Halloween at Northside! Congratula-

tions Mrs. Krol! For me I personally liked Mr. Prontis costume a lot!

Well there you have it folks! The best costume of the last Halloween at Northside

Blodgett finalized with the votes saying Mrs. Krols costume was victorious!

Ms. Krol Ms. Reif Ms. Wilson Mr. Pronti

4 3 1 2

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8th

Grade Humanities Immigrations ProjectBy: Mackensie

Recently in Mrs. Keefers 8th grade Humanities class we have finished

our immigrants project. The purpose of this project is to learn about immi-grants and their countries. There were many different countries to learn about.

Some choices were the UK, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, China, Rus-

sia, and France. We spent all last week in the library researching for our PowerPoint. The

PowerPoint needed to include the language in the country you chose along with government,

religion, push and pull factors. Push factors are things that push people out of a country and

pull factors are the things that pull them to their country. We also needed 2 iconic symbols for

the country. Symbols could be things like flags or emblems. After we found out about all of

that we had to find notable individuals for the following categories: Military, Scientists, Edu-cation, Medical, Artists, and Athletes. For each of these categories we had to find two people

for each based on what they contributed to their field. Then we had to include common food

from that country along with pictures. For extra credit we could make and bring in a food

from our country. The final slide was optional, you could have things like interesting facts

and the money used in that country. In conclusion, we have just completed a immigration

project in Humanities that really helped us learn about different cultures and immigrants.

Miss Walsh is my Math teacher. Math has tape diagrams, -, +, x, and=. Math also has long equations. Ratios are long problems and some-times they are short. The short ratios are like 3:9. I like Math most of

all at Northside. Now we are doing values and long ratios. Also, a ra-tio in Math class is done as a sponge activity. We are also doing verylong homework that I do not like because it is hard. Now in Mathclass we are working on unit rates, and rate units. I really do not likehomework so I stay to see Mrs. Walsh at lunch and she helps me. We already did a

test.

By: Shane

6th Grade Math Orange Team

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Northside Blodgett Maze

By: Gavin

Finish

Start

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Sixth Grade Band

by Lizzie

Doyou like waffles? More importantly, though, is it annoy-ing to hear the song at the sixth grade winter concert because

you will!

The sixth grade band is off to a good start. And also, if youve heard DoYou Like Waffles? in the halls more than normal, its because itll be featured inthe sixth graders concert! If youve ever heard of Parry Gripp, then youve proba-bly heard of the viral YouTube compositions Boogie Boogie Hedgehog, BabyMonkey (Riding Backwards on a Pig), and Do You Like Waffles? Smash themtogether, and you get the amazing YouTube suite being played by the sixth grad-

ers.

I like it, said oboe player Elora when asked her thoughts about band.When asked what she thought about the music, she added, I LOVE the music! Itis just so amazing! This is an opinion shared by many. Vanessa said, Its defi-nitely different from elementary school! Aarthi: I think that the first clarinet partthat I have is fun, but its challenging, because its mostly an octave higher than

normal But the song selection is awesome!

From the beginning of the school year to a few weeks after, song choices

were slowly revealed to the band members. The final verdictOde to Joy, HaveYourself a Merry Little Christmas, Can Santa Can-Can?, and Hedgehog, Monkey,and Waffles!, the YouTube suite by Parry Gripp including the viral online music

stated before.

Then theres Ode to Joy, from Symphony No. 9, possibly one of the most fa-mous music pieces ever. Everybodys heard that classic melody before, a bit likeCan Santa Can-Can?, which is the Can-Can with some Christmassy elements.

Definitely cheerful!

And, of course, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. I think that Im go-ing to have a few band members play measures one through twenty eight by them-selves, Mr. Ellison announced to the band. Impressive considering that thesong is forty measures long! Auditions have not yet been held, but I think its go-ing to be a difficult decision for Mr. Ellison because the entire band seems to be

shaping up very well, in my opinion. Keep up the good work!

Happy holidays to everyone and see you at the winter concert!

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RECIPES!

By: Lizzie, Aarthi, and Vanessa

Fall Hot Cocoa:

Make a mug of hot cocoa. Before letting it cool, stir in one spoonful of canned pumpkin and a dash of cin-namon. Add plenty of whipped cream and mini marshmallows, and enjoy!Source: American Girl MagazineHot Cocoa Cubes:

Ingredients9 oz. milk chocolate (not chips)7 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (not chips)1/2 c (1.5 oz) loosely packed cocoa1 c (4.5 oz) loosely packed powdered sugar1/8 tsp saltMini Marshmallows

In a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, powdered sugar, and salt. Set aside

Chop chocolate into small pieces (no larger than about 3/4inch long) and combine in a glass bowl that

is completely dry. Microwave in 30 second bursts on 50% power, stirring between each burst, ensur-ing that your spatula is also completely dry. Once chocolate is about 2/3 melted (there are still somechunks in the melted chocolate), stir until remaining chunks melt. This prevents the chocolate fromgetting too hot.

Pour melted chocolate into the mixing bowl containing the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Mix-ture will be very thick, similar to brownie batter. Spoon mixture into a piping bag (no coupler or tipis needed) or into a sandwich bag with the corner sliced off. Pipe the chocolate into an ice cube tray.

Once all chocolate has been piped, pound the tray lightly on the counter to eliminate air bubbles and toflatten the tops of the cubes if they are uneven. Working one cube at a time, insert a stick and placefour mini marshmallows onto the top of the cube. Once all cubes are complete, set aside until cubesare completely dry. You can also place them in the fridge if you are in a hurry.

Once all cubes are dry, remove carefully from the ice tray. Wrap prettily and store in the cupboard.To Use:

Heat up 1 cup milk (approximately 1 ounce of chocolate should be used for each cup of milk, so adjustbased on the weight of your cube) and stir in. Cube will take several minutes to dissolve completely.

Source: 30 Pounds of Apples Blog

Caramel Apples:

6 apples2 tablespoons milk1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped

Remove the stem from each apple and press a craft stick into the top. Butter a baking sheet.Place caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave 2 minutes, stirring once. Allow to

cool briefly.Roll each apple quickly in caramel sauce until well coated. Place on prepared sheet to set.

Source: Allrecipes.com

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JOKES!

By: Lizzie, Aarthi, and Vanessa

Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?

No, they eat their fingers separately.

Why couldnt the turkey eat dessert?

It was already stuffed.

What do you get when you combine Dracula and a snowman?

Frostbite.

How did Vikings send secret messages?

By Norse code.

Why are the early days of history called the Dark Ages?

Because there were so many knights.

What sound did the turkeys cell phone make?

Wing wing!

What did the potatoes dance to at Halloween?

The Monster Mashed.

What did the lost little monster ask the big monster?

Are you my mummy?

Why did the Pilgrims eat turkey on Thanksgiving?

Because the moose was too big to fit in the oven.

Why did the Pilgrims pants keep falling down?

Because they wore their belt buckles on their hats.

If the Pilgrims were alive today, what would they be most famous for?

Their age.

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CRAFTS! Flowers!

1. Measure the width of the duct tape. Straighten out the wire, and cut 10 pieces of wire t h a t

are 1/2 inch longer than the duct tape's width.2. Measure and cut off a 12 inch long strip of the duct tape and place it sticky side up on a flat

work surface.3. Making sure each piece of wire is as straight as possible, place a piece of wire about 3/4

inch from the end of the duct tape. The wire should just touch the edge of the duct tape andstick out about 1/2 inch over the other. Then place the rest of the wire pieces about 1 1/2inches apart down the rest of the length of the duct tape.

4. Cut another 12 inch piece of duct tape and place it, sticky side down, on top of the firstpiece of tape, being sure to match up the edges as close as possible.

5. Measuring about 3/4 inch from each side of the first piece of wire, cut the tape so that eachwire has 3/4 inch of tape on either side of it. (It will look like a square duct tape lollipop.)These will be your petals.

6. With your scissors, trim the duct tape squares into the shape of the petals you want. You canmake them long and skinny, heart shaped, or rose petal shaped. Make sure, however, thatthe thickest end of your petal is on the end where the wire sticks out.

7. Make a stem or two by cutting off strips of wire a little longer than the petals. You can leavethem straight, or curl the ends around a pen or pencil.

8. If you want to make leaves for your flower, make them now using the same steps as above,but using green duct tape. Do not make as many leaves as petals and make sure you cut the

leaves in a different shape than the petals.9. Gather all of the petals together, making sure that the bottom of the petals are evenly lined

up. Place the stem in the middle of the petals.10.Using the floral wire, begin wrapping the bundle near the bottom of the petals. Wrap

tightly, overlapping the wire a little closest to the petals to make it look authentic. Continuewrapping the bundle until you get to the end and cut off the floral wire.

11.Using the floral tape, begin wrapping the tape around the floral wire, overlapping the tapeslightly to make sure all the wire is covered.

12.Add one or two leaves, either staggered or directly opposite each other, starting about 3/4inch down from the petals and add as many as you like, taping each one to the main bundlewith floral tape.

13.Begin carefully spreading the petals out, bending them slightly and arrange them in the wayyou want them. Arrange the appearance of the leaves the same way. Each flower can beused alone or make a number of them, the same or different, and use as a bouquet.

http://crafts.creativebug.com/make-duct-tape-flower-1330.html

By: Lizzie, Aarthi, and Vanessa

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Oooh went the wind and out goes the lights. It is Halloween time already! Butwhere did it all begin? Do you want to know? Read on forthe untold truth of Halloween night

Halloween was not always about getting delicious candy. Halloween is one of the

worlds oldest holidays. It originated from the Celtic holiday Samhain about 2,000 years ago.The Celtics lived hundreds of years ago in Wales, Ireland, England, northern France, and Scot-land. They kept sheep and cattle. Samhain was a day to honor the dead, and was marked bythe final harvest of the year or the end of summer. This was usually around the end of October.October 31 was also the Celtic New Year. Instead of honoring the New Year, the New Fortune,they believed a New Year should be about reflecting on all the deaths and honoring them.

The name for the holiday, Halloween even has its own history. The name Halloweenoriginated in a Catholic Church. The word we use now, Halloween, comes from All HallowsEvening, or their (the Celtics) slang, All Hallows Eve. Hallow means holy person in Old Eng-

lish, and All Hallows Day is another way of saying All Saints Day. Later it was shortened toHalloween and then, to what it is now, Halloween.

Halloween was not always the same. Scottish and Irish immigrants brought differenttypes of Halloween traditions to North America in the 1800s. The Celtics first way of trick ortreating was to give out treats to the spirits, (because they honored them on Halloween) thatroamed the streets, so they would not harm the next years crop. We now trick or treat in theUnited States by giving out candy to the kids that go around the streets dressed up in fun cos-tumes. We dress up for Halloween by wearing costumes that are of fairytale characters for ex-ample; Cinderella, or maybe creepy costumes; like a ghost, or be a made up character such as

a vampire. The Celtics way of dressing up was to wear masks so that the spirits (ghosts andghouls) that they believed that roamed the streets about the countryside would not recognizethem as humans. One old custom the Celts used to do was to light bonfires, and in honor of the

dead, sacrifice vegetables, fruits, and animals.

Fun Facts about Halloween:

The weight of the worlds largest pumpkin is 1,502 pounds from Paletine, Illinois!Most people think pumpkins are a vegetable, but it is really squash fruit, and cousins with

melons, cucumbers, and gherkins!Pumpkins contain 90% water!

If you fill a pumpkin with milk and bake. Guess what youll get? Youll get pump-kin pudding!!

Most of the time pumpkins are orange, but they also are blue, dark green, red, light green,orange-yellow, and white!

The amount of costume rental stores throughout the United States in 2006 was 2,077!In 2012 each American ate about 24.5 pounds of candy! That is a lot of candy!Chocolate producers shipped $13.9 billion worth of sweets!26% of homes have full-size candy bars included in their Halloween fun!

Halloween By: Cla ire

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6th Grade ScienceBy: Michael

Seasons, and Moon Phases, and also about Galileo Galilei. Dont you want to learnmore on these things? If you want to learn about how these things happen you are

getting started to become a scientist. Isnt that fun or what? Science is so much funyou get to learn about how things happen in the world, and what their purpose is.

Seasons are wonderful. The four seasons are: winter, spring, fall, and summer; they are all so muchfun. Seasons occur in numerous ways in science. One way the seasons occur is by the tilt of the Earth on itsaxis. Summer occurs when one of the four hemispheres is tilting toward the sun. Winter occurs by the North-ern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Eastern Hemisphere, and the Western Hemisphere is tilting away fromthe sun. Axis- the path and length of time one object takes to travel around another object. Here is a fun factfor you: the Earths axis always points to the North Star, isnt that cool or what! Here is another reason for theseasons. When the Earth revolves around the sun every three months the seasons change. So in ancient timesastronomers figured out 12 months equals one year. There are 2 solstice which are the longest and the shortest

day of the year. In the Southern Hemisphere the longest day of the year is December 21

st

or the 22

nd

, but thelongest day of the year in the northern Hemisphere is June 21st or June 22nd. That is because when it is summerin North America, it is winter in South America, seasons are different in the different hemispheres. The shortestday of the year in South America is June 21st or the 22nd; the shortest day in North America is December 21st orthe 22nd. There are also equinoxes that are part of how seasons occur. There is the fall equinox and the springequinox. The spring equinox occurs around March 21st and its purpose is telling you when the first day ofspring occurs. Its scientific name is the Vernal Equinox. There is another equinox, the fall equinox and itspurpose is telling you when the first day of fall occurs. This happens around September 21st, its scientific name

is Autumnal Equinox. Seasons occur in many ways that are all important for us to know.

The moon is like another home but it is so far away. The moon phases are really cool, and how theyoccur. There are also many different moon phases, they are the new moon, the waxing crescent moon, the first

quarter moon, the waxing gibbous moon, the full moon, the waning moon, the third quarter moon, and the wan-ing crescent moon. The moon phases occur when the moon revolves around the sun, and the sun shines on themoon illuminating the shape of the moon phase. Many people think the moon phases are caused by the shadowof the Earth falling on the moon, but that is false. An astronomer named Galileo Galilei invented a telescope20 times as strong his first one. He discovered craters on the moon, stars in the Milky Way, and also the fourbiggest satellites on Jupiter. And later on he discovered the phases of Mars. He is a really great astronomer andhe is really famous for his telescope that discovered many amazing things that were brand new to all of thepeople in the 1500s. And now getting back ot the moon phases. The moon Apollo mission one was a reallygreat thing, it happened in the 1900s. The moon takes 29.5 days to orbit around the sun, so the phases occuronce in the moons orbit. There are many moon myths that go with the phases of the moon. One is about aboy, and his friend the jaguar, accidently killed him when his father went to go look for the killer and he got

dirtier he would wash off his face. When he washed his face, he created a phase of the moon.Science is basically in everything and it is so much fun. And it is also so much fun to learn about. Eve-

rything has a history in science and it seems long but it is not. I hope you learned a lot about Galileo Galilei,

the moon phases, and the seasons.

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Around the BlockBy: Elora

Do you like to write and talk about stuff that is happening in school? Well thenAround the Block is just right for you. Around the block is our school newspaper andit is so much fun. It also gets you better at typing, social activity, and making new friends. We

have 4 issues for one year and the first issue has already come. You can write about almostanything, but it has to be appropriate and not dissing any teachers or kids.

Do you like Around the Block? Some people ask. Wellhere are the questions:

Do you like Around the Block? Irfaan said Yes, I do like Around the Block as a fun and innovative extracurricular activity

after school here at Northside Blodgett Middle School. Laurel said Yes , I do

Claire said Yes, I do Lizzie claimed, Certainly!! Its like, the best after-school program EVER! Vanessa says I love it coming after a hard day at school and just sitting down and writ-

ing

What do you like about Around the Block?

Irfaan said that I really enjoy the idea of just expressing my thoughts on certain topicswithout the stress of being graded and instead having a relaxed experience.

Laurel said I like around the block because I had really thought about becoming a journal-ist once I grow up! And once I enter the computer turns into a type writer and the Computer

Technology room becomes a newsroom! I love to type and the newspaper gives me achance to show what I type to everyone who reads the around the block newspaper!

Lizzie said, I love Around the Block because I love to write, and Ive always dreamed ofhaving my writings published and it happens at the end of every marking period! Its adream come true!

Claire said I love to type and I will love to have something I wrote in a newspaper Vanessa coming after a hard day at school and just sitting down and writing

Why does Mrs. Howe do Around the Block? Actually it was already a newspaper club, and a teacher wanted to give it up. So I picked it

up and since I was a computer technology teacher it was thought that I could keep it run-ning because I was already a computer technology teacher.

I think that after you have heard just some of the staffs answers to my questions, youwould want to join Around the Block.