ATB 2013-2014 Issue 2

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Specialpoints ofinterest:

6th Grade

French Cur-riculum 6th Grade

Clean Ups Join Around

the Block! Castle Learn-

ing New Years

Day Computer

Technology:Hawk Sup-

plies Rick Riordan Engage NY The History

of Christmas How to Pre-

vent Bullying Intramurals Fun Winter

Crafts Maze Snow Swabs Glittery Win-

dow Clings Around the

Block Northside

BlodgettHonor Roll

WinterSnacks

Winter Won-derland WordSearch

6th GradeHumanitiesProject

8th GradeWinter Con-cert

Chorus Changes to

ELA andMath Cur-riculum

ChristmasAround theWorld

StudentsShould Re-ceive Lap-tops

Spirit Week What is

NorthsideBlodgett

The Inde-pendentReadingContest

Around theBlock Staff

Around the BlockVolume 16, Issue 2

January 2014

Engage NY By: MackensieEngage NY is great website with many purposes for teachers, parents, and students. By go-

ing to this site you can learn many new things about what you will be learning this year. When you

get on the site many options pop up. You can look at common core curriculum and assessments,parent and family resources, and if you go to the search you can look at your lessons for language aand math.

What information can you find under each resource that pops up?

Common Core Curriculum and Assessments: If you click on this, then a common core menu andlatest updates will appear. The common core menu has many helpful and informational tabs to clickon. Some of the tabs that pop up are common core learning standards, common core implementationresources, and common core 3-8 Ela and math tests and regents exams. By clicking on commoncore learning standards a lot of information comes up. Files come up with rubrics for English Lan-guage Arts and Math. The English language art standards have 3 different types of rubrics for sup-porting research, text exemplars, and samples of students writing. Each rubric is different based on

grade level. However, the math standards have one rubric for each grade. By observing these youcan get a better understanding of where you should be with your education. Another tab on the com-mon menu is grade 3-8 Ela and math New York state tests. By accessing this tab you can take prac-tice New York state tests for any grade in ELA or Math. This can be beneficial when the New Yorkstate tests come in April. This can help you be better prepared for either the ELA or Math tests. Onemore option that pops up are the new common core regents exams. By going to either language ormath tabs you will see the purpose of the regents exams this year. For example, the purpose of themath regents is to measure the academic growth for Algebra I, Geometry I, and Algebra II. How-ever, the purpose of the language regents is to measure students reading and writing skills.

Parent and Family Resources: By allowing your family to access this site and look around you canhelp them understand the expectations for your learning standards. They will learn about the expec-

tations for reading, writing, speaking and listening, language, and math. Not only will they learn thatthey will also learn about the changes with new Common Core Standards. They can understand thisby watching a series of videos based on the subject.

Search: If you go up to the top of the screen you will find the search bar. You can search anythingthat you are questioning. If you are having a hard time getting to Engage NY Google will work justas well. The best things about going to this site are that you can search your math or language mod-ules for help. This is really good because for example, lets say, you found out you lost your lan-guage worksheet and you need to do it for homework. You can go to the Engage NY site and go upto the search bar. All you need to do is say whatever grade you are in, the subject, and what moduleand what lesson you are on. An example, of how to put this is to; type in 8th grade language a mod-ule 1 lesson 8. When you type this in the screen will pop up with pdf files for the different modules

that are in that unit. By clicking on the right module you will find worksheets and other material thatwill help you in learning. You can print out and practice with an of these resources.

In conclusion, Engage NY is a very helpful site for your education. By going to this site you

and your family can learn many things. You can learn about common core curriculum and assess-

ments, resources for your family to look at, and your language a and math module. Understanding

your common core curriculum and assessments can allow you to be better prepared for units you

will be learning. Having your family get an understanding of the learning standards can help push

you to be the best you could be. Finally, searching your modules can help you if you missed a day at

school or lost a lesson worksheet. So, for more information go to www.engageny.com.

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Around the BlockPage 2

6th

Grade French CurriculumBy: Laurel and Otto

Northside Blodgett has two languages that students can choose from. That languageis what the student will learn for two years. This article will explain to all the readers whatthe French curriculum is.

Otto Sutton and I interviewed Mr. Wright, one of the French teachers. We asked him four questions.

Monsieur Wright

What can French students expect from this marking periods curriculum?

This marking period we will finish the Family Unit, and we will start the School Unit after that.

How will students benefit from this unit?

The Family Unit will help with the basics of French. And the School Unit will help with more of the verbsand some more French.

Are you having fun teaching this unit?

Always.

Are your students having fun in French class?

I believe they are. They seem to be.

6th graders now know how Mr. Wright feels about being a French teacher and what will be in theFrench units. Otto and I then interviewed Madame Moyer the next day. We asked the same questions.

Madame Moyer

What can French students expect from this marking periods curriculum?

French students in grade 6 are learning how to speak, read and write about their families, friends and school.

How will students benefit from this unit?

They will gain a lot of vocabulary they can use right away!

Are you having fun teaching this unit?

I LOVE the family/describing people unit.Are your students having a fun time learning this Language?

My students seem to love French, we have an awesome class!

Madame Moyer also seems to enjoy teaching students French. For those who do take French, I hope

you enjoy learning French from these wonderful teachers! I hope this also helped French students around the

school take a sneak peek into what they will be learning this unit.

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Volume1, Issue1 Page 3

6th

Grade Clean Ups

Are you interested in doing something good for your planet? Are you ever bored during recess with nothingfun to do? Do you want to get your hands a little dirty? Ok that one probably ruined it for most of you.Mostly because you will get your hands a little dirty if you do this! Do not worry though! We wash our handsafterwards! What I am talking about is the 6th grade recess cleanup! If you read one of my articles in the lastedition you would know that a few students from the 6th grade Orange Team had cleaned up the recess area!We accomplished many things! So are you interested in cleaning up? All 6th graders have a chance to do iteach month. From now on each month, one day the Orange side will clean up the recess area, then a differentday the Black side will clean up the recess area. I (Laurel) will be leading the Orange side days, and Lizziewill be leading the Black side days. It not only helps the Earth, but it helps human beings in two ways. One,by helping the Earth, we get to live in a much cleaner environment. And two, it gives us a safer environmentfor recess. There have been a lot of plastic bags in the recess area during December, now that well be getting

snow and wet weather, those plastic bags and papers will stick to one spot on the pavement, then the meltedsnow will make them slippery, giving a greater chance of students to fall and hurt themselves. Thank youvery much for joining the Recess Cleanup if you have chosen to do so, its very much appreciated. If we startnow, the next generation will get to experience a better, cleaner world. Its never too late to join! But themore people the better!

By: Laurel

Join Around the Block!

Around the Block is the club that writes the school newspa-per. This club is perfect for people who like to write! Here, we writeabout courses, events, or activities that have happened or are going

to happen soon. Some of the articles that we have written are:

Northside Blodgetts Transition By IrfaanJOKES! By Lizzie, Aarthi, and VanessaDia de los Muetos By AnnaHalloween Fun at Northside Blodgett! By Laurel

Thanksgiving Word Search andNorthside Blodgett Maze By GavinHalloween By ClaireSixth Grade Band By LizzieSixth Grade Humanities By Emily

And more!

You can join us at any time of the year! If you would like to join, please talk to Mrs. Howe (Room218) and take an Around the Block schedule in front of her room. Hope to see you here!

By: Ethan

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Castle Learning

By: Irfaan

Castle Learning is a website that provides learning opportunities for students in a wide range of sub-jects. Currently, Castle Learning is used in the 8th grade Biology/Science. It is a great way for students to re-view, study, and complete assignments. This online program proves itself to be useful for students and teachersas it provides instant feedback. As a student who has used this, I find this resource very useful.

How can you access Castle Learning?

You can access Castle Learning through this web address:

https://www.castlelearning.com/corp/. An account is necessary for the use of Castle Learning. This school pro-vides free access to Castle Learning for 8 th Grade Biology/Science classes. Once one is given an account with

a username and a password, Castle Learning is up for use.

What does Castle Learning have to offer?

Castle Learning is a resource that provides a series of questions that go along with your current curricu-lum. All of the questions are multiple choice and once an answer is submitted, instant feedback is given, tellingif the answer is correct or not, and then providing an explanation of the answer. The concept of instant feed-back is really helpful for students who have chosen an incorrect answer and do not understand why. CastleLearning provides an extensive list of questions in a variety of subjects in all age groups. Subjects that are in-volved in Castle Learning include mathematics, social studies, science, English, and foreign languages.

Why is Castle Learning useful?

Castle Learning is a useful resource that can benefit the learning of students. One notable feature of thisprogram is that the questions that are provided are field-tested and have been questions that have resemble pre-vious regents exams. Also, Castle Learning is partnered with Method Prep, noted for its test prep software forSAT/ACT. This helps 8th graders going into high school get a head start for this important assessment. Tohelp the user, the format of the questions is worded in a way that provides the real experience of what to ex-pect on a real exam. Another crucial feature that Castle Learning provides is instant feedback. When an incor-rect choice is made, it does not try to discourage someone, but instead gives an explanation to the correct an-swer and makes it a positive learning experience. One does not have to wait until the next day to know theirgrade on an assignment. Many students tend to feel nervous about asking a question so therefore they may notalways learn from what they did wrong. Castle Learning makes this experience more positive instead of statingan answer is wrong without any explanation. Certain features like these make Castle Learning interactive andhelpful.

From knowing what Castle Learning is about, you may want to consider using it soon. Though manystudents first used Castle Learning in 8th Grade Bio/Science, it is never too late to start, the earlier the better!Maybe you have an older sibling that has used Castle Learning and you can try it on their account. For moreinformation, visit the website at https://www.castlelearning.com/corp/.

To combine 21st-century technology with proven educational principles, allowing teachers and administra-

tors to empower every student to reach his or her full academic potential.-Castle Learnings Mission

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New Years DayBy: Elora

New Years is one of my personal favorite holidays. Right afterChristmas and right before we get back to school. Most people think that it is just a day tocelebrate the New Year by staying up late and watching the ball drop in NYC. Well you arewrong, it is way more in depth than that, it is just scratching the surface.

The earliest form of New Years came in 2,000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. So you can thankthe Mesopotamians for our New Years celebration even though their New Years was cele-

brated in mid-March, and not on the first of January. The Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Per-sians began their new year with the fall equinox, and the Greeks celebrated it on the wintersolstice. Read more: A History of the New Year | Infoplease.com http://

www.infoplease.com/spot/newyearhistory.html#ixzz2kYe4gfQu. The early Roman calendaroriginally started on March first too as well. The only differences with the Roman calendarand our calendar is that their calendar has 10 months and ours has twelve. Our calendar be-gins on January first and theirs starts on March first.

The first time that New Years started on January 1st was in 153 B.C. in Rome. Themonth of January did not even exist until around 700 B.C. when the second king of Rome de-clared that January and February would be added to the calendar. Then the New Year movedfrom March to January the month that the two newly elected Roman consuls, who where thehighest officials of the Roman Empire. But the new date for New Years was not closelywatched and even now people celebrate it on March 1st.

The 46 B.C. Julius Caesar introduced a new solar-based calendar that was much betterthan the old Roman calendar, because it was lunar instead of solar. He said that the Julian cal-endar would start on January 1st and that would be the New Year. Then January 1 stbegan to

be observed as the start of the New Year.

In 1582 the Gregorian calendar was rewritten so that January 1st was the new NewYears date. The Catholic countries soon adopted the Gregorian calendar and it was graduallyadopted among the Protestant countries. The British did not adopt the reformed Gregoriancalendar until 1752. Until then, the British and their American colonies celebrated the NewYear on March first.

I hope that this has gotten you a better view on the New Years celebration and helpedyou understand that New Years was not the same holiday that we celebrate today.

Information from Borgna Brunner, information:

please,http://www.infoplease.com/spot/newyearhistory.html, 2007, November 18 2013.

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Computer Technology: Hawk Supplies

The second unit of Computer Technology is Hawk Supplies. Hawk Supplies is full of math and typing. There arethe same Design Cycle stages as News that Matters, but Hawk Supplies is different. Hawk Supplies is not about makingnewsletters and finding pictures, or making designs.

Hawk Supplies is full of math and is basically a virtual school store. There are many different things that youmust do in Hawk Supplies. You must use the same five Design Cycle stages, Investigate, Design, Plan, Create andEvaluate.

In the Investigate Stage there are seven things you must do. There is a design cycle checklist in which you de-scribe the Design Cycle stages and you create a Design Specification and a Design Brief. Then there are two articles thatyou can either read yourself or listen to on a recording. The fourth thing you need to do is select your virtual schoolstores location. You list five different locations, after that you find three negatives, and three positives about that loca-tion. Once you are done with that, you highlight the location you want your store to be in. The sixth thing is a supplyspreadsheet. You select 40 different products, sorting them into four categories of ten. Once you have done that, youhighlight 25 different products that you want in your school store. The seventh and last thing you need to do is list your25 selected products and decide how many of that product you want to buy (the inventory). Once you are done with thatyou open up step five of the Investigate Stage and you copy and paste Products Requirements onto the Products Require-

ments section if the requirements apply to the product. Then finally you must describe the product in a way that will getpeople to want to buy the product. Once you have done that you move onto the Design Stage.

This time in the Design Stage, there are five steps you must complete. It shows up as five but three of them aredesigns, yet two steps are not visible. The first step is to complete an entrance ticket (to show you can do the mathsteps required to be successful in calculating profit for each product you have selected). After you complete that, youmust calculate the sale price for each of your 25 products. After you complete that step, you must choose one out of 3catalog designs. You choose the one you like the best. Once you choose the catalog you like the most, you fill the cata-log in with your 25 products. Once you have finished filling in your catalog you have to type an essay about why youchose that catalog design. After that you have completed the Design Stage and are ready to continue on to the PlanStage.

The Plan Stage has only two different steps! You can whizz right through it! The first step of the Plan Stage issimple; you will decide on four different advertisements, typing a paragraph explaining how you will advertise that cer-

tain way. Once you have done that, you continue on to the second and final step. The next step is even simpler than thefirst one! All you must do is list your needed equipment, the times youre open, who will help you, where you will keepyour store when its closed, what you will do for customer service, what you will do for returns, what will happen whena customer complains, what you will do for advertising, what you will do with the money and finally, what you will dofor when you lose or something damages your merchandise (frequency of completing inventory checks). On to the Cre-ate Stage!

The Create Stage is simple and fun! You use your plan that you created in the Plan Stage. You will create youradvertisements according to your plan. You will make however many advertisements you said in your plan, for example,two a week, two a month, one a week, one a month and so on. Once you have finished your advertisements for the Cre-ate Stage, you are done and ready to move on to the Evaluate Stage!

The Evaluate Stage may be hard or easy, it depends on if you can think you are perfect or not, because this stage

is all about what you can do better on. Also, you must fill out a form that asks, What was difficult and what was suc-cessful? and How can you improve your performance (how do I know when I am successful?). After that you need toevaluate the Design Cycle, what it was like during the project. Once you have finished that, there are no more stages togo to.

You have finished the project once you complete the design stage! Then you will get a final grade. Since this is

the last and second unit of Computer Technology you would not be doing Computer Technology again until seventh

grade. I hope this helped people who have not entered Hawk Supplies or even Computer Technology. This is not as thor-

ough as the actual class so it does not have all of the details. Mrs. Howe, our wonderful Computer Technology teacher,

will teach you all you need to know, and is willing to help people who are in need of it. She is good at getting to every-

one that needs help! By: Laurel

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Rick RiordanBy: Emily

In sixth grade language A we have been reading a book called The Lightning ThiefbyRick Riordan (Ryer- dan) He is a bestselling author that started his career off with a bedtime story.

Rick Riordan was born in San Antonio Texas on June 5, 1964. All through his childhood he lovedreading especially about Greek mythology. His favorite book as a kid was Lord of the Rings, which he likedso much that he read it around ten times. When he got into middle school he started to get interested in fan-tasy and science fiction. Eventually he liked mysteries in college.

Ricks family was not very big but that did not mean that there was not a lot of talent. When he wasgrowing up he was an only child who had very creative parents. His mom was an artist and a musician, andhis dad was a ceramicist (which is someone who makes things out of clay.) Rick says that this was wheresome of his inspiration came from.

Rick started to write in middle school and decided to hand in a story to be published but that didntwork out so well, and decided to hand in two new stories which were then published in a UTSA literary

magazine. Later he attended Alamo Heights High School where he really got into writing. He won thirdplace in a UIL writing competition, and worked as an editor for the school newspaper. While writing for theschool newspaper he got in trouble for making a secret newspaper that made fun of the schools losing foot-ball team. Rick Riordan later states that the football team later egged my car. Rick entered North TexasState College because he wanted to be a guitar player, and that college had one of the best music programs.When he realized he was not going to be the next lead guitar player on the radio he switched to the Univer-sity of Texas in Austin. He later graduated with a double major in history and English. He then did his stu-dent teaching for the San Antonio Independent School District.

When Rick was in college he worked at a summer camp and that is where he got the idea forCamp Half-Blood. He then worked at a middle school full-time in New Braunfels, Texas. Rick moved to SanFrancisco with his wife and started to teach at Presidio Hill School and soon after had his two sons Haley and

Patrick. Later he moved back to San Antonio where he taught at Saint Marys Hall for a little over half a dec-ade. After fifteen long years of teaching, Rick was awarded the Master Teacher Award. He then stoppedteaching altogether and decided to start writing full time.

Since Rick had taught Greek mythology every year he taught, he thought that it would be great towrite a book about it. He then started to write mystery novels for grownups. His books were successes and hethen turned to the genre, childrens fiction, when he started telling Haley, his son, bedtime stories about godsand mythology. Haley was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia and the only thing that interested him inschool was Greek mythology. He then started to ask Rick to tell him bedtime stories so Rick started tellinghim about Percy and how he had to find Zeus lightning bolt.

After Rick was done with the story that lasted three nights he got a request from Haley to turnit into a book. Rick found time to write the first book The Lightning Thiefand made sure to give Percy thecertain conditions that his son had. The Lightning Thief was a complete success.

Today he lives with his wife, two sons, dog, and three cats. Rick enjoys writing books forchildren as well as adults. Even though Rick writes for two different audiences he still believes that adultsand children both want to read a fast paced, action packed book with characters that you form an emotionalbond with, like Percy.

Citations

"Biography."Rick Riordan. Web. 19 Nov 2013.

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Mrs. Morans Math Class

Geometry Project

By: Anna

A week before Christmas break, the seventh grade math teachers introduced a geometry pro-

ject that we would be doing. First they told us that we must buy a 5x7 frame from any place

we could think of. Personally, I found it the easiest to get mine from the dollar store because it

just as good as any other frame and its a lot cheaper! It was gold with a bronze tint to it. After

everyone got their frames in, Mrs. Moran gave us a sheet to put the rough draft of our design

on. Since it is supposed to be a geometry project, we had to include in our drawings line seg-

ments, parallel lines, corresponding angles, supplementary angles and all that jazz. When we

finished our rough drafts, Mrs. Moran doubled checked eve-

rything and then that was when the real fun started! We took

the glass part out of the frame, cleaned it with glass cleaner

and placed the glass part over the rough draft so we could

trace the lines we made onto the glass with a black Sharpie

marker. We then had to wait for the lines to dry to prevent

from smudging when we color the shapes. We used coloredSharpies to color the shapes in. For mine, I used warm colors

such as red, yellow and orange for the outside shapes and for the middle of the glass I used

cool colors such as blue, purple and green. After we colored the shapes in, we cut a 5x7 paper

and put in the back of the glass so that it would have nice back round. Finally, we put the glass

and paper in the frame and put the back of the frame on and marveled at our masterpieces!

They turned out amazing and everyone was very happy with how their project turned out. For

the future seventh graders out there, I hope you get the chance to make one of these. Not only

are they fun to make but they also give you some great practice with geometry. I hope you allhave a great rest of the school year, Tigers!

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Ah, Christmas! The most wonderful time of the year! Christmas is filled with tons of sweet treats, snow,

decorations, and especially presents. Christmas is a well-known holiday normally celebrated every year onDecember 25th.

Mesopotamian Influence

Some of our modern Christmas traditions date back 2,000 years ago to the birth of Christ, but many otherChristmas traditions actually date back to over 4,000 years ago to early Mesopotamia, like the twelve daysof Christmas, Yule log, giving out gifts, carols, holiday feasts, and bright fire light. Christmas traditionswere celebrated at the beginning of each new year to honor their chief god, Marduk. When winter arrived,the Mesopotamians believed that Marduk would fight a battle with the monsters of chaos. To help Marduk,the Mesopotamians would hold a festival. This festival was called Zagmuk, meaning the New Years festivalthat was held for 12 days. At the end of the festival, the Mesopotamian king would go to the temple of Mar-duk and would die in order to assist Marduk with his battles. Many of the times, the Mesopotamians woulduse what is called a mock king to keep their real king. This was a criminal who was dressed and treatedlike the king. The mock king was slain, and the real king would be spared.

Persian, Babylonian, and Scandinavian Influence

Persians and Babylonians also celebrated festivals, which they called sacaea. Part of this festival includedthe switching of places in the community. The slaves of Persia and Babylon would switch places with theirhigher power (rulers), and they would be forced to obey the false rulers every command.

Meanwhile in Scandinavia, the Sun would vanish for long periods of time in the winter. There would bescouts on peaks of mountains waiting around thirty-five days for the Sun to reappear. Once the Sun reap-peared, there were celebrations and many festivals and there would be a huge feast eaten near a fire. Thesecelebrations were much like Mesopotamian celebrations.

Greek Influence

The Greeks had celebrations of their own, similar to Mesopotamian celebrations. The Greeks also created

something we still use today. That would be the slang X-mas. Around the 16th

century, the early Europe-ans began calling Christmas X-mas, using the first initial in Christs name. You may be wondering whythere is an X in X-mas. Well, this is because, in Greek, Christ is called Xristos, hence the slang, X-mas wascreated.

Many other forms of Christmas celebrations began later in time, like the Christmas tree, which began

somewhere around the early 1800s. Make sure that, if a time machine is finally created sometime soon, that

you go back in time to thank the Mesopotamians for a ton of Christmas traditions that we still use today (if

they understand what you are saying).

The History of ChristmasWritten by: Jadon

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How to Prevent BullyingBy: Emily

Bullying is a serious matter that happens worldwide. You may not know thatthere is a fine line between true bullying, and actions that are close to bullying. But both of these situations arestill are very hurtful and they could make you feel like your life is ruined forever.

The big question is what is bullying? Bullying is an aggressive behavior that is unwanted and is goingto be repeated over time. It usually consists of making threats, gossiping /spreading rumors, excluding peopleintentionally and hurting someone physically or verbally on purpose.

There are many types of bullying, one is verbal. Verbal bullying includes teasing, threatening, meancomments and taunting. There is also social bullying which includes leaving people out of a group, spreadingunwanted rumors, telling people not to be friends with someone else, and embarrassing people on purpose inpublic. Physical bullying is also a form of bullying it includes rude gestures, stealing and/or breaking some-

ones things, spitting on someone or something, tripping, pushing, shoving, punching etc.The actions that may seem like bullying and are actually not are when someone says something that is

a one-time deal and will not happen again it most likely was on accident. I am sure once in your life you havelet something slip that you did not mean to and you felt bad about it and you werent going to do it again. Bul-lying also isnt disagreements or arguments. If you get into a fight with someone and you are disagreeing witheach other all of the time, it does not mean it is bullying unless it gets physical or if someone starts doingthings that are in one of the categories above.

If bullying does occur then you should tell an adult right away. It doesnt matter what adult you tell, forexample you could tell Mr. Pronti or Mrs. Scudder or one of your teachers, or even your parents, but dontwait because the longer you wait the worse the situation will get. The teachers are there to stop the bullying

and they dont encourage it.Also you are being a bully if you witness bullying and you watch it happen but dont say anything.

This is being a bystander, and the people who see the bullying happen, and egg the bully on and/or dont tellany one about the bully, than they didnt stop the bullying and it is most likely going to continue. If you tell ateacher or an adult than you can possibly get the adult to the scene in time to stop the incident.

Together we can stop bullying by reporting bullies and speaking up for the ones getting bullied.A symbol of all the people that are trying to do this, is the banner hanging outside of the library.Everyone whosigned their name took an oath to try and stop bullying. So next time you see bullying or someone is bullyingyou,you should report it to an adult and we may be able to stop bullying all together .

Citations:

"What is bullying." stopbullying.gov.Web. 11 Dec 2013. .

"What is a bully." For Kids. Web. 11 Dec 2013. .

"What is bullying." National Centre Against Bullying. The Alannah and Madeline Foundation. Web.

12 Dec 2013. .

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IntramuralsBy: Michael

Do you want to have a lot of fun before school starts? If you do, Intramu-rals will be a great thing for you; you get to play any sport you want till half way and then you play a gamecalled Bombardment. Intramurals is really fun.

Intramurals happen every week for every grade. 8th grade is on Tuesday, 7th grade on Wednesday,and 6th grade on Thursday. It starts at 6:55 and ends at 7:50, kids really like it and Mrs. Wilsoncroft said Itis a great way to start the day. It also helps stimulate your brain to get ready for all of your classes. Somevery popular games in Intramurals are knock out, basketball, football, and volleyball. At the half way markof Intramural's you play a game called Bombardment, basically you have to get everybody out or knockdown the two basketballs. Getting people back in is pretty simple all you have to do is make a basket. Theentrances for Intramurals are the old 8th grade band entrance so you do not get mud on the floor so the janitordoes not get busy cleaning up after students to much. If it is past 7:30 you have to use the main entrance.Another reason for the old 8th grade band entrance is the teachers do not want kids to go to their lockers andnot wander into classrooms and disturbing teachers. Also Intramurals is a great way to start the day.

Intramurals is really enjoyable and a lot of kids enjoy it. Also Mrs. Wilsoncroft has a couple of prettyserious rules while you have fun. One rule is if you take a ball out you have to put it away, that rule is therebecause in the past kids have tripped on the equipment have brock injured themselves. The last rule is HAVEFUN! These rules are serious but you can still have a lot of fun while you exercise. A lot of kids would rec-ommend Intramurals to every single kid in this school.

I would really recommend Intramural's because I truly enjoy it and I know you will enjoy it too. If

you like to play sports Intramural's is a great thing for you, that is why I would recommend it.

By: Elora

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Fun Winter CraftsBy: Elora

Do you love to do Crafts? Do you think it is fun to get a little messy and make something cute, cuddly, or win-ter themed? If you answered yes to either of these questions then this article is for you. Below you will find allsorts of fun crafts that are themed on the cold but fun winter wonderland.

Sparkling ice Crystals

What you will need:

12 inch white pipe cleaners Clear sunburst beads

Needle and fishing line White pom poms

The Steps:

1. Cut 6 pipe cleaners in half to get 12 pipe cleaners2. Hold 11 pieces together and lightly wrap the 12thpipe cleaner around the middle of the bundle. Twist

the ends to secure the 11 pipe cleaners in place.

3. Spread the pipe cleaner pieces into a starburst shape and thread about five beads onto each pipe cleaneras shown in the picture.4. Using the needle thread the pom-poms on the fishing line, then tie the snow flake to one end of the line.

This craft was from http://spoonful.com/crafts/sparkling-ice-crystals

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Answer:

MazeBy: Gavin

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Snow Swabs By: Elora

What you will need:

18 cotton swabs Cardboard and plastic wrap Tacky glue Glitter Monofilament line

How to make it:

1. To create one, first create a work surface by covering a large piece of card board with plastic wrap2. For each snowflake, arrange 18 cotton swabs as shown.3. Squeeze a small amount of tacky glue where the ends of the swabs meet.4. Sprinkle glitter and let the snowflakes dry overnight.5. Carefully peel each flake from the plastic6. Collect and return the excess glitter to its container. Hand up your snowflake with a monofilament line.

Craft is from http://spoonful.com/crafts/snow-swabsby Chrissie Rouse

Glittery window ClingsBy: Elora

What you will need:

Paper and Pencil Cookie sheet Waxed paper Dimensional fabric sheet Fabric Paint

How you make it :

1. Draw a snow flake template

2. Lay the template face up on the cookie sheet and cover it with waxed paper3. Using a thin line of the fabric paint trace the snowflake design on the waxed paper as shown, making sureall of the paint lines connect. Let the window cling dry overnight, and then carefully peel it from the waxedpaper.

Well that is all we have time for today. Ill keep you posted on some cool crafts. Until next time keep warmand have some hot chocolate.

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Around the BlockBy: Elora

Do you like to write and talk about school events and research articles that

are happening in school or relate to school? Well then Around the Block is just right for you.Around the Block is our school newspaper and it is so much fun and it gets you better at typ-ing, social activity, and making new friends. We have four issues for one year and the first is-sue has already come. You can write about almost anything, but it has to be appropriate andnot insulting to any teachers or students.

Do you like Around the Block some people ask, wellhere are the results:

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 said I love it, coming after a hard day at school and just sitting down and writing.

That to me is fun!

What do you like about Around the Block?Irfaan said that I really enjoy the idea of just expressing my thoughts on certain topics with-

out 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! Working with the computer is like working on a typewriter and the Com-

puter 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 newsletters!

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

Why does Mrs. Howe run Around the Block?Actually it was already a newspaper club and since I was a computer technology teacher itwas thought that I could keep it running, students would be able to produce quality lookingarticles that were created through the use of technology.

So I think that after you have heard some of the students answers to my questions I wouldlike to think that you would want to join Around the Block!

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NORTHSIDE BLODGETT HONOR ROLL

Marking Period 1

GRADE 6

HONOR IN EXCELLENCE

Clara Allen, Erin Austin, Darien Beall, Nicolas Burdick, Kiely Caulfield, Agastya Chaturvedi,Talia Christiansen, Emily Curreri, Riley Davis, Seika Dingel, Elora Ferrie, Elon Friends,Jadon Geathers, Artem Goncharov, Elizabeth Green, Sarah Hill, Elizabeth Hogrefe, Seth

Hogue, Alex Hoover, Jerry Hou, Ninog Jouanno, Ethan Kang, Vanessa Kelly, Robert Kester-son, Erik Kopf, Joseph Kowalski, Aarthi Krishnakumar, Abigail Landolf, Todd Lu, Claire Ma-

son, Hannah Mealy, Chase Merrill, Morgan Miller, Jonathan Morse, Abdoulaye Ndiaye,Mikko Neukirch, Joseph Ott, Lorren Perry, Matthew Reif, Sadie Sharkey, Laurel Shaut, Sio-

bhan Stone , Otto Sutton, Olivia Tanneberger, Alyssa Tenny, Ericka VanAlstine, Isaac VanEt-ten, Kade Wakefield, Olivia Youngman

HIGH HONOR

Grant Barnes, Adam Brewer, Madeline Burns, Marissa Carlineo, Megan Colman, GavinCorey, Hayley Cornish, Becca Cramer, Morgan Cutler, Chloe Drehmer, Edward Gigliotti,

Charles Hale, Collin Hauptman, Zachary Heckart, Michael Hennessy II, Saege Holleran, Kur-tis Hooey, Nicole Johnson, Willow Jones, Marlea Krause, Dallas Lamagro, Jasmine Langdon,Lexis Maurer, Connor McIntosh, Taylor Mitchell, Brenna Remchuk, Jacob Riker, Craig Rus-sell, Caleb Savona, Adelle Silvers, Paige Sinn, Dalton Smith, Roy Springer-Kessler, MichaelStansfield, Margaret Stiker, Mianna Stratton, Kobe Terwilliger, Emily VanDelinder, Carley

VanZile, Cyrus Walker, Jacob Whittier, Silas Wieland

HONOR

Isabella Aiken, Jonathan Arnedo, Emily Brarens, Austin Callahan, Alissah Carmack, SladenCobb, Jakob Cole, Lyndsay Crane, William Edwards, Faith Good, Kaiyia Heard, Alexander

Hevey, Faith Kollhoff, Natasha Matusick, Montana Nichols, Juliann Preston, Jayonna Reeves,Arianna Sardo, Makenzie Tarby, Madison Tholen, Alexander Timmerman, Aidan Vichinsky,

Warren Wheeler, Kayla Wood

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Marking Period 1

GRADE 7

HONOR IN EXCELLENCE

Lauren Beall, Taylor Bennett, Lindsey Butler, Danielle Cohen, Talia Cole, Sydney Crouch,Michael Daigler, Zoe Dessoye, Alexis Durkin, Jacob Freeland, Sara Frutos, Ariana Gleason,

Taras Goral, Ashley Halm, Brooke Jackson, Hodrin Kamnang, Anna McKane, KatherineMcKane, Logan McNaney, Brittney Millhollen, Isabelle Murch, Logan Olmstead,

Riley Olmstead, Rachel Plumley, Nikitha Reddy, Lucas Rossington, Grace Scouten, Anna

Smith, Damon Smith, Gabriella Stalter, Mercedes Sullivan, Alexis Swan, Nicholas Sweet,Sean Tovey, Erin Tucker, Westley Williams, Ted Xie, Camden Zaidel, Adam Zingler

HIGH HONOR

Lauren Ball, Trinity Ball, Emma Brown, Logan Bunch, Jeanette Butler, Brooke Calkins,

Trevor Carmack, Kaylee Castellana, Alexander Clark, Bionca Conklin, Kaitlyn Crandall,Samuel Dickerman, Sydney Eighmey, Kayla Farley, Amanda Flick, Stephon Folk, Alexander

Ford, Makenna Gadsden-Cornell, Jordan Haggard, Jaden Harris, Dillon Herritt, BrendynHogue, Kelly Hoyt, Izeiah Jones, Rebakah Knarr, Kayla Kollhoff, David Litreal, Bailey

MacAuley, Vasu Maisuria, Mariposa Maxim, Hannah McConnell, Emily McIntosh, Chris-tina Mizzoni, Austin Parrish, Logan Remchuk, Cheyenne Ribble, Madison Rigby, Amaya

Robinson, Paige Serdula, Courtney Smith, Kate Smith, Emma Stanton, Nicholas Theurich,Skylar Treadwell, Jessica Turner, Aaron VanHouten, Noah Walker, Keone Wallace, Sydney

White, Kaitlyn Wilson, Alexis Wright

HONOR

Meghan Bodkins, David Brockway, Storm Bunevitch, Hzyll Vhnn Calunsag, Shane Gipson,Alexandrya Hamilton, Jacob Hofstetter, Kelly Jones, Gabriel Kio, Kenneth Kittleson,

Cameron Laughlin, Gabrielle McLean, Mercedes Morse, Alex Simmers, Jacqueline Smith,Alexander Taylor, Brandon VanGorden, Emma Webster, Alisa Willis, Aaliyah Wraight

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Marking Period 1

GRADE 8

HONOR IN EXCELLENCE

Emily Austin, Lindsay Bagley, Monica Fadul, Mackensie Galusha, Connie Hou, Colin Hurl-burt, Samuel Kelly, Irfaan Khan, William Kopf, Divya Krishnakumar, Conner Lin, Roger Liu,

Katherine Mertus, Julia Meteer, Tessa Neukirch, Trevor Prutsman, Erin Shaut, AnthonySmaldone, Jacob Tober, Karigan Wright

HIGH HONOR

Jordan Allen, Nicholas Allen, Julia Ballance, Kellan Beall, Shiloh Boris, Natalee Bostwick,Ryan Burns, Danielle Butler, Mikayla Callahan, Cian Collins, Ashley Colman, Britton Cook,

Giovanni DelGrosso, Chelsea Dignen, Ken Dingel, Evan Doherty, Kayla Dundas, ChristopherDurkin, Michael Frankie, Cairo Gaona, Dominique Gunn, Hunter Haley, Kezia Hatch, Domi-

nic Hauptman, Trevor Henneman, Jennifer Hill, Jonathan Hodge, Emryn Hogue,SamuelHong, Kaori Irie, Olivia Johnson, Ivan Jubilee, Dylon Kizis, Gina Landry, Greta Lorey, Logan

Maurer, Sage Mayer, Taylor Mayhew, Asha McManus, Matthew Messecar, Bailey Nellis,Katherine Ott, Fuller Perry, Tanner Saunders, Jocelyn Sawyer, Deven Serdula, Alec Gabriel

Sharkey, Isabella Sherwood, Brienna Shimkanin, Jacob Smith, Pranav Tandon, Devon Tubbs,Emily Walters, Ryan Ward, Brenna Wilson

HONOR

Zachary Bingaman, Justin Black, Mitchell Bliss, Kristine Brown, Jacob Bruner, SabrinaCordero, Jacob Dann, Istvan De Angelis, Michael Gardiner, Alyssa Hallock, Austin Kniffin,

Scott Magruder, Sydney Meeker, Gabrielle Moshier, Jahra Paquette, Joseph Rogers, KeeganSmith, Laura StempinNina Thomas, Nolan Williams

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Winter SnacksBy: Elora

WARNNIG: THIS ARTICLE MIGHT MAKE YOU DROOL GO CRAZY TIL YOU MAKE IT ALL OF THE RECIPES THEY ALSO

HAVE SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDING: Mmm, FUN AND YUMMY ALL THE TIME SO DONT FRET!!!!

Mm the smell of hot chocolate and cookies are filling the room with fun. If these treats dont have your mouth drooling then I dont knowwhat will.

Hot Chocolate

What you will need:

6 cups of whole milkChocolate Sauce

Whipped Cream4 ounces chocolate shavings or smaller pieces

How to make it:

Heat the milk until it simmers and whisk in chocolatePour into individual cups and serve with whipped cream.Serve with chocolate shavings on top.This recipe was found on http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/hot-chocolate-recipe/index.html By: Alex

Guarnaschelli

Chocolate Covered Snow Peaks

What you will need

4 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon cream of tartar1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups dark chocolate chipsSpecial equipment: piping bag, medium size round tip

How it is made:Pre-heat oven to 225o F and cover two baking sheets with parchment paperIn a bowl blend egg whites on medium until they become foamyAdd tartar and turn up speed to medium until fluffy.

Add sugar gradually, while whisking, so it incorporates in to the whites slowly without col-lapsing them.Once all the sugar has been added add vanilla and increase the speed on high until meringueis firm or glossy (5 to 7 minutes).Place meringue into piping bag with medium tipPipe tear sized meringues by the peak and place in oven(bake for an hour)Melt chocolate in microwave on medium for 30 secondsDip the base in chocolate and let them dry and set over night.

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The Neelys Butter CookiesBy: Elora

What you will need

3 cups all-purpose flour teaspoon fine salt3 sticks (14 ounces) unsalted butter at room temperature1 cups of confectioners sugar2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

How to Make

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.Beat with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle and attachment on medium until fluffy and light.Add sugar and vanilla and mix until combined.Reduce speed and slowly add in the flour and salt mixture.Mix this on low speed until together and smooth.Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap.Cut dough into quarters then wrap each in a piece of plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.Remove dough from fridge and let it soften slightly.Using a rolling pin dusted with flour to roll out one of the dough quarters (roll till of inch thick-ness).Cut cookies to the desired shapePut the cookies into a baking sheet about 1 inches apart.Repeat with the remaining dough.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. baking sheets should be 9-by -13-inch baking sheets lined with parch-ment paper.Bake the cookies until they are light around the edges about 8-12 minutes.Cool briefly on cookies sheets then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

For more winter recipes like this one goes to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/patrick-and-gina-neely/the-neelys-butter-cookies-recipe/index.html . This recipe was made by the Neelys

Winter Fables By: Elora and ClaireWinter is almost over and the cold is still nipping at your nose. So come and enjoy these

wonderful fables, they are sure to make you laugh, have chills, and smile. So read on and discoverthese winter fables.

The first fable is the ant and the grasshopper, a story about a grasshopper that was too lazy to get foodearly and waited till the last second to collect food. The ant was well prepared and collected food early andwas fine in the winter. But grasshopper on the other hand was starving, because it did not collect any food. Sothe grasshopper asked the ant to share food with him. The ant said yes, but only if the grasshopper would learnhis lesson and collect his own food for the next winter.

The next fable is about winter itself. Winter is the mother of Bigby Wolf and his brothers. Winter was acaring and good mother and Bigby respects her very much, but he was unhappy when his father Mr. North leftWinter, because she loved and devoted to him even to the moment of Winters death. Winters memory liveson through her daughter Snow and Bigbys daughter, named Winter after Bigbys mother.

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Winter Wonderland Word Search

By: Faith

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6th Grade Humanities ProjectBy: Emily

The 6th graders have been studying Ancient Rome and the sixth gradeteachers decided that instead of taking a test we had to make a poster andpresent it to our class for something different to do. This counted as a testgrade, so if we get a bad score it would count as 60% of our overall grade.

We first had to do research on Ancient Rome. We had read for about2-3 weeks on the Romans and what their life was all about. This counted asour research. We then had to pick a partner. The teachers made it clear that we should not pickour friends because we would probably end up talking and not getting much work done. Afterwe had picked our partners the teachers told us what we needed to do for our project.

We would need to include four sections or panels. One of the panels would need to talkabout Ancient Romes geography, another about their government, another about their legaciesand lastly one of our choice. This could be on anything that we learned about the Romans, liketheir architecture or about certain rulers.

My partner and I decided that we were going to do what the poor Romans life was likeand what the wealthy Romans life was like. Next we decided that we should not just go aheadand write on the poster without knowing what exactly we wanted to put on it, so we wrote outour plans. My partner made one and I made one as well. We then merged our ideas togetherand wrote lightly on our poster to make our layout.

We then started to write our script. When I say script I mean, what we were going to

write on our poster. This was not very hard for us since we already had lots of notes from ourreading so we just combined them and put them in our own words.

We decided that we liked how our layout looked so we went over it with sharpie to makeit look darker. We then printed out our pictures that had to relate to the topic we were talkingabout for our sections, and laid them on our poster where we wanted them. We wrote our fourfacts and captions from our script onto our poster with pencil just in case we made mistakes(which we did). After we had our words in the places we wanted them to be, we made sure thatour pictures were the spots we wanted them to be as well. We then went over them withsharpie so it would be easier to see. After this we glued on the pictures and we were almostdone.

We then made one last check over everything. We signed our names and started to thinkabout how we were going to present our poster. We decided on doing them by sections I woulddo government and wealthy vs. poor and my partner would do geography and legacies.

It was then time to present, after my partner and I had presented we watched the

other groups go and they all did a great job with their posters and presenting. Overall everyone

worked very hard and it was a fun project to do instead of sitting down and taking a test.

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8th Grade Band Winter ConcertBy: Mackensie

On December 19th, before winter break the 8th grade band and cho-

rus had their winter concert. This concert was very special because it wasthe last ever winter concert that will happen in Northside Blodgett. At 7:00 pm the concertstarted with the band doing their five different musical compositions. Before we played Mrs.Harpster talked about how proud of the band she is and how she cant wait until everyonehears the songs we have to play. Then afterwards we played our first song Joyance. Followedby applauses, came the next song a piece called Rythmos. As you can probably tell by the ti-tle this piece, that it was full of different rhythms played by each section, which combinedinto a fun song to hear and play. Then, the band played a slow and beautiful piece called Get-tysburg. Gettysburg is a song from the motion picture movie called Gettysburg. One of myfavorite pieces played was Wizards in Winter. Wizards in Winter was a fast, fun, and enter-taining piece to play. If you were at the concert you might have recognized this piece becauseit is performed and written by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The final piece played by theband was called Adventum. because Adventum was a medley of the Christmas songs, OCome, O Come Emmanuel and the Ukrainian Bell Carol. It started with O Come, O ComeEmmanuel a slow, beautiful song then transitioned to Ukrainian Bell Carol which is a louderand faster song. The band did an amazing job performing their pieces and Mrs. Harpster didan amazing job conducting, it was a great concert.

ChorusHot, hot ooooo we got it (right shoulder bop, roll, and drop). This wasa song all 6th, 7th and 8th grade chorus students sang from the Polar Express,with choreographed moves by Mrs. Bryson for their winter concerts.

The 6th graders for their concert sang The Bells Of Christmas Medley,Beautiful December, Hot Chocolate and Chantez Alleluia. The Bells of Christmas Medley isa medley of songs including some of Carol of the Bells (ding-ding-a-ding), I Heard The BellsOn Christmas Day, Gloria, and a variation of Jingle Bells. Beautiful December is about how

beautiful the month of December is, the snow falling and how quiet it is. Hot Chocolate is in

the Polar Express when the waiters come out with cups of Hot Chocolate and the engineer issinging. Chantez Alleluia is French for sing alleluia. Parts of the song say chantez une nou-velle chanson which means sing a new song, une chanson which means a song, vousmeans you, joyeux means happy, chantez which you could probably tell means sing,alleluia is alleluia, une nouvelle chanson une chanson joyeux chantez vous une chanson amouthful to say, means a new song a merry song you sing a song, and chantez chantez vousmeans sing you sing.

By: Claire

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Changes to ELA and Math Curriculum

By: IrfaanAt Northside Blodgett, the curriculum for Language A and Mathematics has been

changed to meet the Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS). As you may have noticed, the

curriculum has been organized differently such as the use of modules and lessons to conveycontent. Unlike the previous years, this new curriculum has taken a new step that allows stu-dents to work towards becoming college ready. With differences and changes in the new cur-

riculum, it has drastically changed our views on certain topics in mathematics and certain elements in litera-ture. Again, these changes were made to fit the Common Core Learning Standards. From last year; NewYork State tests have been considerably different from previous state tests. Its difficulty has increased due tothe Common Core Learning Standards. This has now taken effect in our curriculum in Mathematics andLanguage A.

How do the Common Core Learning Standards have an effect?

Common Core Learning Standards set a basis for the state tests and now our new curriculum. If youdo not know, the Common Core Learning Standards are standards that are internationally-benchmarked andare evidenced-based. They are a set of expectations that all students should learn and be able to follow.These expectations are to aid students paths into college and career readiness. Many schools in New Yorkincluding Northside Blodgett are implementing these standards into their teachings. There are twelve instruc-tional shifts, or changes required by the Common Core. These shifts take place in curriculum materials andclassroom instruction. ELA/Literacy and Mathematics each have six shifts that help students prepare for thestate tests. The state tests revolve around these shifts. The shifts for ELA/Literacy include a balance of infor-mational and literary texts, solely text-based questions, test intricacy correlating to grade level, substantialevidence from the text, and the testing of vocabulary directly and indirectly. Shifts in Mathematics includefocus, coherence, fluency, deep understanding, application, and dual intensity. These shifts in ELA andMathematics increase the overall difficulty of the state tests and push the standards higher. Since the Com-mon Core Learning Standards are changing, the NYS tests and our curriculum are changing.

What are some differences in terms of the curriculum in Language A?

From the CCLS, there are numerous differences that take place. With Language A, organization has

changed. The new curriculum is divided into modules, units, and lessons. Modules are intended to last a

marking period. This year, modules in Language A generally go with a novel to read. All the curriculum for

each module revolves around the novel meaning that most of the lessons will involve learning a concept by

reading through the novel and analyzing it critically. Along with the novel, there are separate informational

texts that connect with the novel whether it is an article that describes real events that the novel may take

place in. These complementary resources are used to help us students to form a strong base with background

information that may be used in later lessons and assignments. Throughout the module, there are mid-unit

assessments and end-of-unit assessments. Each unit contains a number of lessons that are intended to preparefor these assessments and especially the end-of- module assessment. The end-of-module assessments are

usually reflections of what students learned in the form of an essay. As an 8th grade student, I have noticed

particular differences in Language A class. Aside from organization, I have realized that certain lessons con-

tain concepts and ideas that we may have worked with before in previous years are now in a different format.

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The use of Quickwrites have been used near the beginning of the module which are basi-cally paragraph responses. In eighth grade, we have been taught an acronym, APES. This APESmethod helps us remember to answer in a complete sentence, provide three examples, explaineach example, and to summarize when writing Quickwrites. It is a different way to look at writinga paragraph response instead of the usual beginning, middle, and end format. I have also noticed

that the use of evidence is stressed clearly and repeatedly in the assignments. Taking evidencefrom the novel and the informational texts has been a majority of the assignments. As I havelearned, evidence has been used to prove many ideas such as character, plot, symbolism, and especiallythemes. The use of evidence has been strongly integrated in this year's curriculum, while previous years didnot enforce the use of evidence as much. With evidence, analysis of particular words or sentences have beendevoted for a single lesson. This was not present in any of the curriculum for previous years. Looking into thedeep roots of the text and the ability to interpret critically has increased our spectrum in ELA. Changes likethese describe possible ways that may improve students' ability to be successful in class and the NYS tests thatapproaching us this spring.

What are some differences in terms of the curriculum for Math?

Similarly to Language A, many changes have been made in the curriculum for Math. A major differ-ence from this year compared to previous years is that there is no textbook. Instead, there are modules that aredivided into lessons with mid-module and end-of-module assessments. As an 8th grade student who takes hon-ors classes, I currently take Algebra Common Core instead of Integrated Algebra which the 8th grade studentswho were in honors last year took. One major difference is that the curriculum at times is more abstract. Sincethe curriculum this year revolves around real-life situations instead of step-by-step processes, there is moreinterpretation. With more interpretation, there can be more than one correct answer as long as the response canbe justified using logical reasoning and calculations. This interpretation gives us students a purpose to learncertain ideas and concepts because it allows us to reflect on what we have learned and how to apply thatknowledge to a real situation. As mentioned, justifying and explaining one's answer has been stressed morethis year. It is one thing to get a correct answer, but how you get an answer and how that response applies tothe problem has been a focus throughout the lessons. Most questions do not have a straightforward answer or asingle step answer as a result of more interpretation and justification. The way we go through the lessons issimilar to an extended word problem that is broken down and more thorough. In previous years, studentswould learn a topic by looking at a clear step-by-step explanation in a textbook and then do exercises of a topiclike adding fractions that may involve occasional word problems. In these current lessons, there are instanceswhere there are no direct explanations and students must respond to questions that will lead to the steps of aprocess to such as finding a standard deviation for a set of statistical data without telling any mathematical for-mula. With each module, the majority of the lessons focus on one idea. In 8th grade honors, the first moduleconsists of concepts related to equations and the second module consists of concepts related to statistics. Asthese changes occur, we realize that these changes have been made to make students including myself becomemore successful and help us prepare for NYS tests and exams in the spring.

What does this mean for us?The Common Core Learning Standards have influenced our new curriculum, resulting all these

changes and differences to our learning. As a school, students should not lose focus and concentration due to achange in their learning. Instead, we should work even harder and try to make the best of our learning by put-ting in our greatest effort. With this mindset, we should be able to be able to become successful students as weprepare for the NYS state tests and for our futures.

For more information, visit http://www.engageny.org/ to learn more about CCLS and ELA/Mathematics curriculum.

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Christmas Around The WorldBy: Aarthi

From America to China, every culture has a different way of celebrating Christmas.Around the world Christmas is celebrated n many different ways, but the true meaning

of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.Canada: In Canada, Christmas is one of the main holidays. On Christmas Eve in Canada,families dine on a traditional roast turkey with a side of Garlic sauce. And for dessert: Christ-mas pudding, Brandy Sauce, Mince Pies, and a mixture of chopped dry fruit. In Quebec, peo-

ple display detailed Crches or nativity scenes in their homes. Families are served Tourtiere orPork Pie. In Nova Scotia during the twelve days of Christmas, Masked Mummers visit localneighborhood for candy and sweet treats, ringing bells and making noise. The host (personwho opens the door) tries to guess who is behind the mask, and if they guess right the Mum-mer removes their masks and stops making noise. If the child behind the mask was a good

child in the past year they receive candy from the host.China: In China, children decorate Christmas trees with flowers, chains and lanterns made of

paper. They hang Muslin stockings in hopes that the Christmas Old Man will fill them withtreats and goodies. Chinese Christmas trees are called the tree of light. Santa Clause is called Dun Che Lao Ren

Russia: In Russia, the celebration of Christmas is actually the celebration of winter, but someChristmas traditions are still being followed. In a Russian Christmas, prayers are recited and

people sometimes fast until January 6th which is Three Kings day. Some fast for 39 DAYS! OnChristmas when the first evening star appears in the sky, a twelve course meal begins consist-

ing of: fish, beef soup, cabbage stuffed with millet, cooked dry fruit and other delightfuldishes.

Great Britain: On the night of Christmas Eve, children hang up their stockings at the ends oftheir beds or near the chimney so when Father Christmas comes he will leave the something.On Christmas morning families open their presents and prepare for a big feast. The meal be-gins with a toast followed by the popping of crackers. A plum pudding is served with treasuresinside, the first person to find their treasure gets good luck in the coming year. After the meal,families sit down for a Christmas speech from the British Monarch.

America: Santa Claus was born in the US in the 1860's He was named this because he had a

white beard and a belly, so he was named Santa Claus as this was the Dutch word for St Nicho-las, Sintaklaas. Although the Dutch had bought him with them in the 17th century, he did notbecome an important person at Christmas until the Novelist Washington Irving put him in anovel that he wrote in 1809. This first Santa Claus was still known as St. Nicholas, he didsmoke a pipe, and fly around in a wagon without any reindeer, but he did not have his red suitor live at the North Pole, he did however bring presents to children every year.

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Continued..

The traditions of Christmas around the world are diverse. They arecelebrated with one true meaning. It was my pleasure to learn and studydifferent customs for this article. In 1863, he was given the name SantaClaus and bore the red suit, pipe, and his reindeer and sleigh.

In Hawaii this practice is still in use as under the sunny skies, Santa Claus arrives byboat and Christmas dinner is eaten outdoors. In Alaska, a star on a pole is taken from door todoor, followed by Herod's Men, who try to capture the star. Colonial doorways are often deco-rated with pineapple, a symbol of hospitality. In Alaska, boys and girls with lanterns on polescarry a large figure of a star from door to door. They sing carols and are invited in for supper.In Washington D.C., a huge, spectacular tree with Christmas ornaments is lit ceremoniouslywhen the President presses a button and turns on the tree's lights. In Boston, carol-singing fes-

tivities are famous. Hand bells accompany the singers. In New Orleans, a huge ox is paradedaround the streets decorated with holly and with ribbons tied to its horns. In Arizona, the Mexi-can ritual called Las Posadas is kept up. This is a ritual procession and play representing thesearch of Mary and Joseph for a room at the inn. Families play the parts and visit each other'shouses enacting and re-enacting the drama and, at the same time, having a look at each fam-ily's crib. In California, Santa Claus sweeps in on a surfboard. In America the traditionalChristmas dinner is roast turkey with vegetables and sauces. For dessert it is rich, fruity Christ-mas pudding with brandy sauce. Mince pies, pastry cases filled with a mixture of choppeddried fruit. The majority of Americans celebrate Christmas with the exchange of gifts and

greetings and with family visits. For many, the day begins on Christmas Eve with the MidnightMass. At Christmas it snows in many states, so dinner is usually eaten indoors. Dinner usuallyis roast turkey, goose, duck or ham served with cranberry sauce, then plum pudding or pump-kin pie followed by nuts and fruit. American homes are decorated with holly, mistletoe and

branches of trees, most have a Christmas tree hung with electric lights, tinsel, baubles, andstrings of popcorn and candy canes. In Colorado, an enormous star is placed on the mountain,it can be seen for many kilometers around, while in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a star is lit inearly December. Polish Americans on Christmas Eve spread hay on their kitchen floor and un-der the tablecloth to remind them of a stable and a manger. When they make up the table fordinner two extra places are set up for Mary and the Christ Child in case they should knock at

the door to ask for shelter. In Philadelphia, a procession called Mummers parade runs for awhole day with bands, dancers and people in fancy dress. There are two homes for Santa Clausin the United States, one is in Torrington, Connecticut, where Santa and his helpers give out

presents. The other home is in Wilmington, New York, where a village for Santa and his rein-deer is located. In parts of New Mexico, people place lighted candles in paper bags filled withsand on streets and rooftops to light the way for the Christ Child.

The traditions of Christmas...

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Students Should Receive LaptopsBy: Gavin

We should get laptops because we can use a calculator and school will not need to buy them. Wewill not have to go the library for tests. NWEA tests, teachers would not have to setup all the computers for students.Also, during study hall we would not have to bother with the only three computers in the room rule. I think we can do

that still, but substitutes might not know of the rule. We could have more than three and students would not get angry.But, warning, there must be rules at all times.

What do you think of getting a laptop? Here are some students thoughts:

I think its a good idea. If students get laptops during free time we could do school projects, etc. By Makenzie

I think its a good idea for students to have laptops so we can do research and do projects. By Seth

I think its a great idea!! We should totally do it!!! By Dalton Smith

I think it sounds good because we dont have to go everywhere to go on the computers. By Kobe

I think laptops would be good for us students because we wouldnt always have to go to the computer lab. They aregood, but only if they are needed for educational purposes. By Otto

I think it is a great idea, every student should have one. By Dylan

Here are some students questions:

Q: What is this for? By Makenizie

A: This is mostly used for school.

Q: Will there still be Computer Technology? By Kobe

A: We hope so. This supports our learning of programs and how to use the equipment. Without this class howwould we know how to make folders and organize our work, use Flash drives, research for

projects.the list is endless!Q: Will we get to use them at school and home? by Dalton

A: Yes.

Most students rated a 4 out of 4 star rating.

Here are some teachers questions.

Q: How would we control the sites students are going on? (By Mrs. Krol)

A: Well we would put controls so nobody could get on bad sites.

Q: What happens if it is lost or stolen? (By Mrs. Krol)

A: Good question, well I think we could put some kind of tracking device on it. It would be also be password

protected by students.Here are some teachers comments on this:

I think that would be awesome! By Mrs. Wilson

Good idea as long as students take care of them.

I think laptops would be a great idea! Students could learn to have responsibility and be able to do more technol-ogy. By Mrs. Reif

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Spirit Week By: EthanSpirit week is a week where students dress up according to different

day, chosen by the student council. Below are the days that the student councildid chose for Spirit Week:

Monday, November 18, 2013 Sports DayWear your favorite sports jersey.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 Pattern Day

Wear any kind of patterned clothes.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013 Color Wars

Wear clothes according to your grades chosen color.6th Grade: Blue7th Grade: Pink

8th

Grade: PurpleThursday, November 21, 2013 Twin Day

Dress up like someones twin.

Friday, November 22, 2013 Spirit Wear

Wear your school colors. (Orange, and Black)

The students enjoyed seeing other people dressing up, and it was a fun week!

(Based on 6th graders votes in the Around the Block club.)

Thanks to: Emily, Laurel, Aarthi, Shane, Megan, Gavin, Elora, Otto, Claire , Jadon , Vanessa , Lizzie , and Collin

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WhatisNorthside Blodgett?By: ElizabethIts a good question, and it depends on whether youre looking at it from the before or after

point of view. It also depends on who you ask.

For most current sixth graders, having the idea of changing classes in three minutes, using a combi-nation lock, and trying to remember where you sit in as many as nine different classes falling on then-fifth-

grade ears sounded positively foreboding. For others, the idea of middle school was like the idea of a Snick-ers on Halloweennothing unusual unless youre allergic to peanuts. But afterwards? A lot was resolved.Yay Northside!

Laurel: Before: I wasnt very excited about changing classes, changing for gym, or my locker, which I did-nt have to do in elementary school. After: Middle school is actually a lot of fun, and getting to my differ-ent classes isnt as hard as I thought it would be. Doing my locker combination is actually quite easy, andchanging for gym isnt as bad as I thought it would be. I just mostly didnt want to do it.

Michael: Before: I was worried about getting bullied. I was worried about not getting to class on time andnot knowing locker combination. After: Now my lock seems really easy because I memorized my combi-nation.

Emily: Before: I was scared of not being able to find my way around the school, and not knowing how toopen my locker. After: I realized that the school isnt as big as I thought it was, and my locker is easier toopen than I thought!

Otto: Before: I was a little nervous about switching classes and locker combinations and that. After:Now, after being at Northside for four months, it seems much easier to move from class to class and openthe lockers, and its really fun here. We have some really good teachers.

Aarthi: Before: I had an OK perspective of middle school because of my sister, whos in eighth grade, but Ididnt have a very broad view. I wasnt fond of the idea of switching classes. After: Im used to every-thing now! Its easier than I thought.

Ethan: Before: I was scared about how many people were at the school. Also, getting to classes on timewas a worry. After: School is awesome!

Vannessa: Before: I wasnt really that nervous. I was only nervous about being late to classes. After: Irealize that it wasnt a big worry, and I have plenty of time. I really like my teachers.

Jadon: Before: I was afraid that I could not find my way around the school or open my locker. The lockersseemed like a big deal. After: Now, the lockers dont seem like a big deal. In fact, the lockers are ex-tremely easy to open.

Elora: Before: I didnt think I would make it to any of my classes and have to ask all of my teachers for latepasses, and I was scared I would miss the bus, or oversleep. I was practicallyfreaking out on the first day ofschool! After: I feel that everything has totally changed! I dont need late passes, I never miss the bus, andeverything is great.

Claire: Before: I was afraid that I would never be able to get around fast enough to get to my classes, that Iwould get lost, because the school is so big, and I would never be able to get my locker combination. After:Forget that, I can always get my locker combo and plus the school isnt really that big. My classes are all ingenerally the same area so I can zip from class to class.

Author: Before: I was going crazy about pretty much everything. Every ideachanging for gym, using a

lock and locker, not having every idea mapped out and planned for every aspect of the day like elementary

school, middle school itselfsounded positively petrifying. After: Northside may be old, and yeah, crum-

bling, but its a school with a lot of character. I used to be glad that I was going for only one year before the

new school, but Im going to miss it. I hope the new middle school is just as cool as Northside Blodgett.

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The Independent Reading ContestBy: Otto

The Independent Reading Contest is available to all sixth grade

students, but only sixth grade students. This is a great way for students to testtheir reading abilities, but to also have fun while doing it.

The contest takes place over a 5 month period. The objective of the contest is for stu-dents to read 5 books in those 5 months. But each book must fall into one of the five categories,or else your entry will not be valid. The first book has to be in your lexile range, which you re-ceive from your NWEA test. To find books in your lexile range, you can go to www.lexile.com.The next book needs to either be an award winner, a bestseller, or a book recommended fromfriends, relatives, or staff members. The next book will need to be a biography. To explain abiography, it is a book about someones life, other than the author, or else it would be an auto-biography. Your last two books need to be of the genre of historical fiction, which is a fictionbook that has some fact in it, and the last book is any book of your choice, as long as it is a mid-

dle school book. To note: The books do not have to be read in the order as stated above. Theycan be read in any order you want. The prizes are gift cards from Barnes and Noble, varying inmoney according to place. They will be awarded after the contest has completed.

So if youre interested in participating in this contest, talk to your Language A teacher to

get more information. And remember, to read those books.

Around the Block Newsletter Staff

First Line Editor: Divya and Aarthi

Advisor: Mrs. Howe

Front Page Article: 8th Grader Mackensie

Article Submissions:

Irfaan, Mackensie, Vanessa, Megan, Elora, Laurel, Shane, Mrs. Dennison, Emily, Aarthi,Anna, Ethan, Lizzie, Gavin, Jadon, Michael, Otto, Claire, Faith and Gavin

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Around the BlockPage 32 SAINT BALDRICKSBy: Lizzie, Claire and Vanessa

Youd think having a bald head in March would be cold, right? Even though its reasonablelogic, over a hundred Corning-and-surrounding-area residents rise to the challenge of shavingtheir heads to support cancer research through Saint Baldricks. Around Saint Patricks dayevery year, after asking for donations from friends and neighbors, volunteer hairstylists shavethe shavees heads to show support for cancer patients going through chemotherapy. Last

year, two of the groups that shaved their heads were the Corning Hurricanes hockey team and the Bald Buddies, a groupof older boys ready to support their neighbors going through tough times. And even though youd think your headwould be cold, shavees dont seem to think its bad at all. Otto Sutton, a previous participating member, said, I thinkits a good cause and its really fun to participate in. Isnt your head chilly? Your head does get cold, because of thefact that it is in March and because youre so used to having hair and then you dont have hair. Its weird, but its reallynot bad. It just feels different. Well, would you do it again? I asked. I would do it again because its a great cause andits something fun to do. So shaving your head is fun! Maybe you should add it to your bucket list. Remember to sup-

port Otto this year in the Radisson lobby near Saint Patricks Day 2014!More people that can say that theyve supported cancer research: McKenna Hill and Tommy Hogrefe (along

with Otto) both were shavees of the 2013 St. Baldricks. Its amazing what people do for their community, for the world.Not many girls have the guts to shave every hair off their scalp. Its truly amazing. McKenna really knows the meaningof how others have need more than us, which reminds me of a quote: Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard

battle. Recently we interviewed both of these heroes about their experiences; here is what they said.McKenna Hill:ATB: How did you hear about St. Baldricks?McKenna: At a girl scout meeting the troop leader told us about it.ATB: Were you nervous when they were shaving your head?MH: A little. Nervous and happy.ATB: Would you do it again?MH: Yes, and I am.ATB: How does St. Baldricks work?MH: Raise money by people donating to you online or in person. The money goes to the cancer society, which re-searches cures for children with cancer. You make a goal and if you reach your goal. Theyll shave your head: if yourhair is long enough they give it to Locks of Love. You raise money by having people donate to you, money will go to

the cancer society to research cures for children.ATB: Why did you do St. Baldricks? Was it for someone in particular?Im worried about my uncle; he has lung cancer and both of Dads parents died from cancer.Tom Hogrefe:ATB: How did you hear about St. Baldricks?Tom: I had seen other people participate in the past, as well as seen posters around my school.ATB: Were you nervous when they were shaving your head?TH: A little bit the first time, yes.ATB: Would you do it again?TH: Ive already done it twice and I plan on doing it again this year.ATB: Why did you do it, was it for someone in particular?TH: I didnt do it for anyone in particular, I just wanted to help kids with pediatric cancer.

Also, good luck to our 2014 ambassadors, Alan S., Hayden F., Lauren B., Harlem C., and Grace C.Ive known several people that participate in this cause my brother, for example. This March will be his thirdyear. Several of my classmates, and my brothers classmates whom I naturally know pretty much by default, have par-taken in this, too. I feel really proud to be able to know and go to school with these people.

Everyone remember to support (and donate to) our soon-to-be-bald neighbors this March. By coming togetherand sparing whatever we have for people in greater need than us, we can change the world and hopefully the outcome ofthe lives of cancer patients. On behalf of the Saint Baldricks Foundation and everyone who has been a shavee thankyou!IN MEMORY OF:Alan S., Rosemary B., Coleman G., Talia Joy C.* And everyone one else among the much-too-large number whose life was claimed by cancer.

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Magic Kids of ChristmasBy: Vanessa and Claire

92.7 97.7 Merry Christmas Magic FM. Now with the Simmons Rockwell Kids ofChristmas, here is Northside Blodgett Middle School with Hot Chocolate. Yep thats us about to be played on

the radio for the Kids of Christmas contest on the radio station 92.7 97.7 Magic FM.Vanessa Kelly interviewed Mrs. Bryson about the Magic Kids of Christmas.

What is Kids of Christmas? Mrs. Bryson said, Kids of Christmas is a contest area school choirshosted by the radio station Magic 92.7 97.7 FM. The radio station plays a different schools choir performanceevery hour. The community can go online to vote for their favorite. The winning chorus gets the title 2014Magic Kids of Christmas and t-shirts.

What song did you choose for Kids of Christmas? She said, Hot Chocolate from the Polar Ex-press.

Why did you pick this song? She answered; This song is high energy and fun to perform. It has be-come a new holiday classic. I thought the community and the students would enjoy it!

Why did you decide to combine the grades 6, 7, and 8 for Kids of Christmas? She said, This wasthe final year for Northside to submit entries before the combine. I thought it would be great to unite theNorthside students and community around one performance.

Now for the big reveal on who won the Magic Kids of Christmas.Northside Blodgett Middle School! Con-gratulations to all the participating students. Hope you enjoyed this article on The Kids Of Christmas.

History of Groundhog Day and GroundhogsBy Anna

Groundhog Day is my favorite time of the year because that usually means spring is nearing! The na-

tional mascot for Groundhog Day is none other than Punxsutawney Phil. Groundhog Day was first

celebrated on February 2nd, 1887 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. This is how Punxsutawney Phil got

his name. Groundhog Day is celebrated all throughout the United States. When Punxsutawney Phil

comes out of his whole and sees his shadow, he has predicted 6 more weeks of winter and if he does

not, then there will be an early spring. A groundhog can also be referred to as a woodchuck and they

belong to a group of animals called marmots or large ground squirrels. Groundhogs can live up to 6

years. Most however live up to 2 or 3 years. They inhabit most parts of eastern North America with an

exception of some living in the western part. Because humans believe that groundhogs are capable of

predicting the weather, you and I can conclude that they are very wise creatures. They are indeed!

Have you ever witnessed an animal predict the weather and be 90 out of 100% accurate? The only

animal capable of doing that is the groundhog! Plus theyre SO cute! Groundhogs are amazing crea-

tures! I hope good Ol Punxsutawney brings us good news this year. Ill still root for him even if he

doesnt bring good news. Remember though, humans are still not sure if it is just a coincidence or

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