PDF River Kids' Chronicles

[Pages:4]River Kids'

Chronicles

Volume I, Issue I

October 22, 2009

Written by students for students & faculty at Guardino Elementary School

Prevent H1N1 flu by

taking precautions

by Hannah Dombach Guardino student journalist

All over the United States people are concerned about getting the H1N1 flu, even at Guardino Elementary School.

Lorraine Ward, Guardino school nurse, said the illness came from Mexico when travelers to Mexico City last year carried the flu to other places.

Three students at Guardino have had H1N1 since last school year, but they are all healthy now, Ward said.

H1N1 is a viral infection that hits suddenly. The illness makes you tired, and people may get feverish, headaches, dry cough, sore throat, runny nose and sore muscles that can last two or more weeks.

Ward said people can die from H1N1 flu, but there are things you can do to prevent it. Some of those things are:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or sneeze into your sleeve.

Wash your hands often with soap and warm water.

Courtesy photo

Washing your hands is the best way to prevent the spread

of germs.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or

mouth. Germs spread this way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick

people. Stay at least six feet away from some-

one who is coughing or sneezing.

Ward added that if you are sick, it is better to stay home from school instead of risking everyone else getting sick.

More information about the flu is available at and .

Student musicians

learn to play

recorders

by Dawson Hays Guardino student journalist

All fourth-graders and new fifthgraders at Guardino are learning to play the recorder.

According to Tammy Beerman, school music teacher, the recorder is easy to learn to play if you remember the right notes.

The recorder first came from England and is more than 900 years old. Beerman said she teaches students to play the recorder because it gets them ready for the middle school: if they don't like to sing, they can still participate in band.

Most people learn to play the recorder in fourth and fifth grade because it's a beginning instrument. The recorder is played by blowing gently and covering the correct holes.

Beerman said the best way to clean the recorder is to wash it with soapy dish water, and it should be cleaned once a week.

Guardino's fourth-grade students started playing the first week in October and they will be playing until the end of fifth grade.

Teachers fill, change positions at Guardino school

New librarian Long-time kindergarten teacher moves to

encourages

3rd grade for 2009-2010 school year

reading

by MIchaela Huchzermeier Guardino student journalist

by Arianna Ferguson Guardino student journalist

For the first time in 37 years, Guardino Elementary School has a new librarian.

Kelly Harrington took the job of our other librarian, Kathleen Marceau, who retired at the end of the 2008-09 school year.

Harrington said former superintendent Dr. John Slattery asked her to take the job; she used to work at the middle school and high school in the Thousand Islands Central school district.

Responsibilities of her job include reading books, teaching how to research and different types of literature. She also tries to show students they can enjoy reading.

Harrington said she sees at least 200 students each day, either with a class or alone.

So she is busy, but she has a little help keeping track of all those books! Mary Paul and Beth Fulmer, teachers' aides, help her.

Harrington, who started working here in June, said she is very pleased to be here!

This year, Guardino Elementary School welcomed a new third-grade teacher, although she isn't new to the building.

After 10 years of teaching kindergarten, Sue Donato is now teaching older students.

Not surprisingly, Donato has been very busy, just as busy as the kindergarteners she teaches. Donato said she was ready for the change because she taught preschool and kindergarten for so many years; she added that she hopes to teach third grade for at least 10 years.

Everything is looking up, Donato said. She is having a great year so far, trying to keep everything how it should be.

With 18 students in her class, Donato's theme this year is soccer. Some of her students' "goals" are being better at reading and writing.

In Donato's free time, when her students are at specials, she makes her lesson plans.

The new third-grade teacher is in LuAnn Maloney's old room, Room 212. Maloney was teaching third grade and is now an AIS math teacher, which is another story.

Photo by Michaela Huchzermeier

Sue Donato now teaches third-graders instead of kindergarten. The teacher said she's having a great year so far.

Page 2

Features

Coffee: A popular drink everywhere

by Cortney Evans-Eppolito Guardino student journalist

C

aramel, raspberry, toffee, chocolate-- no matter what the flavor, coffee is a popular drink in the United States, and people in Clayton are drinking a

lot of coffee, too.

According to Melissa Ringer-Hardy,

owner of local coffee shop Bella's, retail sales

in the summer are 600 to 900 cups of coffee per

day, which equals about 4,200 and 6,300 cups

of coffee per week.

In the spring and fall, when there are

fewer tourists in the area, the coffee shop sells

less coffee than in the summer, but 70 to 100

cups per day are still being sold during those

seasons.

"People are very particular about their

coffee," Ringer-Hardy said. She said there are

flavored coffees such as caramel cream, hazel-

nut, butterscotch, toffee, chocolate raspberry

cream, pumpkin spice and more.

Often, customers add such items as

sugar, honey, Sweet & Low, Splenda, half and

half, milk, Creamora, and soy.

One person who enjoys her daily coffee

is 4th-grade teacher Laura Lamon. She loves

Courtesy photo

Coffee is a hot beverage made from coffee beans. Coffee

drinkers are young and old. In one local coffee shop

alone, more than 6,000 cups are sold per week in the

summer months.

coffee and said she doesn't think it has much more caffeine than soda. She is careful about how much she drinks, though.

"If I drink too much coffee during the

day, it keeps me awake at night," said Lamon, who likes Starbucks, Seattle's Best, and her to wake up in the morning.

Another coffee-drinker is Julie Robbins, 1st grade teacher here.

"It's my favorite thing to drink, but too much is not good for you," said Robbins, who drinks the kind of coffee with less caffeine and adds only cream.

Drinking coffee can be a social event. People get together in coffee shops, meet for an evening coffee and dessert, and more. Robbins said she drinks coffee with her husband, and her parents and sister come over to her house to drink coffee.

Lamon said her husband doesn't drink coffee, but her parents, sister and brothers do. Lamon even grinds her own beans each morning and then brews her coffee.

Both teachers said when they are running late and don't have time to drink coffee at home, they stop to buy coffee on their way to work.

No matter what kind of coffee they like to drink, Lamon and Robbins will be sure-- like other coffee-drinkers in the country-- to find whatever kind of coffee they want.

A Day in the Life ... of a Bus Driver

by Emma Paxton Guardino student journalist

Getting up before the sun comes up is nothing new for bus drivers.

Thousand Islands Central School District bus driver Jim Judson wakes up every day at 4:45 a.m. to go to a job he likes.

Judson has driven school buses for Thousand Islands Central School District for nearly 10 years.

He takes Bus 124 on the morning run and returns to the bus garage at 9 a.m., but his day is not over yet because all students still need a ride home.

After that run, Judson

checks seats for stuff kids leave on the bus. He does this after every run and cleans the bus twice a day.

When his workday is done, Judson said he goes home and works around the house. Judson goes to bed at 8:30 p.m. for an early morning start.

Judson said he has taken a lot of safety training to drive the bus. So he knows what to do in an emergency. "It's a lot of fun driving the bus," he added.

Kids are in good hands with our bus drivers. Without these people, two-thirds of the kids in our school would have to find a ride to and from school every day.

Kylemore Abbey, Ireland.

Photo by Karin Martinez

Principal, teacher enjoy

summer trips to Ireland

by Calie Fulmer Guardino student journalist

Ireland was a popular place this summer: a principal and a student teacher went to the island for two different reasons.

Principal Joyce Clark, Guardino Elementary, traveled to Westport Aug. 2 through Aug. 12. Karin Martinez, student teacher in Mrs. Lamon's classroom, went to Galway July 1 through 25. Both ladies took an airplane that took

eight hours to get there. Clark said she went to a

wedding in Ireland for a family member. She also did a lot of shopping, she added.

Martinez stayed in Galway because she was studying at National University of Galway. She met a lot of other teachers as she studied all about education in Ireland and Irish culture.

Both ladies said they want to go back to Ireland sometime.

This newspaper was written solely by Mrs. Lamon's 4th-grade student journalists

during a newspaper unit. Staff members: Hannah Dombach, Cortney Evans-Eppolito, Alexis Fefee, Arianna Ferguson, Kellen

Flanders, Calie Fulmer, A.J. Gustafson, Dawson Hays, Noah Hicks, Michaela Huchzermeier, Nick Lindsey, Emily Morett, Brianna Moses, Jade Partridge, Emma Paxton, Nicholas Sawyer, Hailee Thomas, and Matthew Vaillancourt. Section leaders, voted by the students: News--Michaela Huchzermeier; Features--Cortney Evans-Eppolito; Leisure & Sports-- Dawson Hays; Science & Technology-- Noah Hicks. Editor: Mrs. Karin Martinez, Student Teacher. Special thanks to Mrs. Laura Lamon, for all of her support.

Page 3

Guardino faculty welcome babies!

Not pictured

Adopted by Dan & Jill Folsom

February 2009 It's a girl!

Mischa Grace Viktoria Approximately 5 lbs. Born in Russia Sept. 17, 2007

Born to Kelly and Adam Harrington

March 1, 2009 It's a girl!

Grace Elizabeth 6 lbs., 6 oz.

19 inches long

Born to Jen and Roland Charlton

March 5, 2001 It's a girl!

Leah Elizabeth 7 lbs., 11 oz. 21 inches long

Born to Molly & Peter Beattie

Feb. 14, 2009 It's a boy!

Luca Michael Beattie 7 lbs., 1 oz.

Born to Erin and Jason McCullouch

Sept. 14, 2009 It's twins--a boy and a girl!

Elle and Hudson

(Information gathered by Brianna Moses Guardino student journalist)

Leisure & Sports

JV Lady Vikings score strong season

by Kellen Flanders Guardino student journalist

Photo courtesy of Ringer Gallery website

Artist Michael Ringer is in the main show room of St. Lawrence Gallery just north of

Alexandria Bay, NY. The gallery is open year-round.

River inspires local artist

The Junior Varsity Lady Vikings have had a very successful season so far this year.

They've proven that with 8 wins, 3 ties, and only one loss. According to Coach Bob McKain, who has coached soccer for 20 years, the other teams in the league are Sandy Creek, Beaver River, and South Lewis. Part of the team's success is its strong defense. Only 10 goals have been let in this season, said Dana Flanders, age 15, goalie. Flanders added that it's very different playing goalie than playing on the field. Her favorite thing about playing goalie is that she gets to play a lot, she said. McKain said he encourages children of all ages to play soccer.

P.E. teacher encourages

physical fitness for kids

by Emily Morett Guardino student journalist

C

layton is making a name for itself as a place to find all kinds of art, and

one local artist is making

his contribution.

Mike Ringer is a local

gallery owner and artist who says

beautiful nature and landscape

inspires him.

Ringer, who grew up in

Buffalo, says he loves the river and

most of his paintings feature the

Saint Lawrence River. He works

with different mediums, such as

oil, acrylic, watercolor, bronze, and

oil pastel. He also creates etchings

and prints. Paintings and bronze

sculptures are his most popular

pieces.

As a child, Ringer said he

didn't make much art because he

was usually building with blocks.

However, his favorite special in

school was art.

When he was 13, in 8th

grade, he really started getting into

art. He had always dreamed of be-

ing an artist, but never believed it would happen. He ended up study ing fine art in college.

Ringer attended Rochester Institute of Technology, University of Buffalo and State University of New York at Potsdam.

Ringer's first painting as a professional artist was an inside of a country store. It's called an interior. He still has it to this day.

Ringer now shares his art with many people; he owns two galleries, one in Clayton and one in Alexandria Bay. At Ringers Gallery in Alex Bay, all of the art is handmade; in Clayton some of things are not handmade. His family helps him run the galleries.

Ringer spends almost every day at the Alex Bay shop where he is working on a bronze sculpture and a painting.

"I am always working ona piece of art," he said. The most popular paintings are those of the river, he added.

The artist says he feels very fortunate to have a job that he enjoys.

by Matthew Vaillancourt Guardino student journalist

Physical education teacher Shane Countryman says that being active is important because it keeps kids at all ages healthy.

Countryman has been a physical education teacher for five years and has taught in three places: North Carolina, Cape Vincent and here.

Countryman said he wanted to be a P.E. teacher because it was always his favorite class in school. He first was a soccer coach but was able to become a P.E. teacher at Guardino when someone retired.

This year, he said, students in grades kindergarten through 2nd grade can look forward to movement forms and kids in grades 3-5 can look forward to a lot of sports units.

Students in grades 3-5 can also look forward to Presidential Fitness assessments, he added. Presidential fitness is a test used to see how fit students are. It tests flexibility, strength, and endurance.

"Being active helps us stay

us stay focused," said Countryman, "and keeps student healthy."

So how do you stay healthy? Well, Countryman said you must eat healthy, get sleep, and be active.

Countryman said the best part of his job is interacting with teachers and students. It is his favorite part because he likes seeing kids improve.

Page 4

Science &

Technology

Pellet project takes flight

Courtesy photo

Special education teacher Sara Hoselton (left) meets Eric

Carle in Massachusetts this past summer.

Teacher meets famous

writer, illustrator

by Hailee Thomas Guardino student journalist

Guardino's special education teacher met her favorite children's book author this summer in Amherst, Mass.

Sara Hoselton traveled to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for the famous writer and illustrator's 80th birthday celebration at the museum in August.

Hoselton was very excited about meeting Carle, he said. She added that one thing she learned during the event was that Carle did not start writing until his late 40's. That was the year he wrote The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Carle, born in Syracuse, has written and illustrated many best-selling children's books but may be most famous for The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The book has sold more than 12 million copies and has been translated into 30 languages. The book was first sold in 1969.

Hoselton said she would love to see Carle again but isn't sure she'll have a chance.

Carle has also written such books as Pancakes, Pancakes; The Grouchy Ladybug; and The Mixed-up Chameleon, to name a few.

Anyone can visit the Eric Carle Museum. For more information, see the museum's website at .

Guardino students

learn all about

technology from teacher

by Alexis Fefee Guardino student journalist

Technology teacher Erin Mayne is preparing students for their future by showing them how to operate computers and computer software.

Mayne, who has been a technology teacher for 11 years, says the first thing she has to do before a class comes in to see her is to make sure all computers are working right.

Why is it important for kids to go to tech?

"It's important that kids go to tech because the skills they learn help them get future jobs. (Going to class) also improves their knowledge of technology, because it's been a big part of our lives," she said.

The teacher said her favorite part about technology is seeing young children use the computer very well and students being interested about how technology and computers work.

Mayne said she was a teacher and then went back to college to get certified as a technology specialist. Students in her class work on keyboarding, desktop publishing, reports, and research.

by A.J. Gustafson Guardino student journalist

Dissecting owl pellets is a highlight of science in 4th grade.

According to Lisa Diabo, 4th grade science teacher here, her class and Mrs. Lamon's began that project this week.

"An owl pellet is what the owl can't digest and is made of fur and bones," Diabo said. "By looking in an owl pellet you can tell what the owl ate."

It takes up to 20 hours for an owl to make an owl pellet, she added.

If the owl eats more than one mouse, it

Why do leaves change color?

by Noah Hicks Guardino student journalist

The time is here when leaves change to beautiful colors, yellow, red and purplish.

Have you ever wanted to know how they change?

According to Lisa Diabo, 4th grade science teacher, trees change color in the fall because of the amount of chlorophyll in the leaves.

"Trees make chlorophyll, and it's so strong that it gives the leaves their green color," Diabo said. In spring and summer, the chlorophyll absorbs sunlight and uses it to make food.

Leaves change color by the weather. As it turns to fall, the nutrients move out of the leaves and into the branches or tree to prepare for winter.

In fall, the chlorophyll that gives the leaves its green color goes away allowing other colors to be seen. Some change to brown when they fall off, but most stay yellow, orange, or red.

Every year, we look forward to the leaves showing their beautiful colors to us and the world.

Puzzle found by Nicholas Sawyer

makes one pellet. However, the owl can't eat again until the pellet comes out through digestion.

It doesn't hurt the owl when it makes an owl pellet.

It is very important for all students to make sure they wear gloves during dissection of owl pellets, or to wash their hands thoroughly after dissecting owl pellets, because they can get sick.

Owl pellets are found in forests or under nests of the owl. Students may find such things as skulls in an owl pellet. Fourth-graders finished this unit this week.

Policy: No cell phones

by Jade Partridge Guardino student journalist

Cell phones are not allowed in the Thousand Islands School District and there is a policy that states this.

According to Guardino Elementary principal, Joyce Clark, it is written in our code of conduct that cell phones are not allowed in school. If you want to see for yourself, just look on pages 7 and 8 of the code of conduct book. It clearly says there is no authorized use of cell phones in school.

Clark said if she sees someone playing with a cell phone, she will take it away and call parents of the students. Parents will have to come pick up the phone.

"I don't think kids should play with them in school because it is disruptive and there is plenty of time after 3 o'clock," said Clark.

However, she added, it has never been a problem in Guardino because parents and students are respectful of the rule.

Clark said she can't think of a time where a student would be allowed to use cell phones in school but said, "Who knows what the future will hold? Technology is changing every day."

"Our focus here at Guardino is to make sure every student is doing their very best and I think we have a lot of technology to support 21st-century learning."

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