TRAILBLAZER
March 2015
Book Reviews By:Macy Sluder
Harry Potter Series- J.K. Rowling-4.5 out of 5 stars- Reading Levels: All 5-6+
This is an amazing and very well known seven book series. This book series is about a boy named Harry Potter who finds out that he is a wizard. He goes to school to learn magic and meets two people he will soon become very good friends with, Ron and Hermione. They all have to work together to defeat their enemy, Voledemort.
Rangers Apprentice Series-John Flanagan-4out of 5 stars- Reading Levels: All 6+
This book series is about a man named Will who lived in Midevil times and becomes a Ranger. He is trained by and went on missions for his teacher Halt. Throughout most of the story he is accompanied by his friend Horace and Alyss. In every book Will and his friend overcome difficult obstacles and sometimes meet companions along the way.
Dear Dumb Diary Seires-4 out of 5 stars-Reading Level: All 5-6+
These books are all about a girl named Jamie who is in middle school and trying to make it out alive. She and her friend both despise of a girl named Angeline who actually becomes Jamie's cousin. Eventually, Jamie and Angeline become friends and everything works out. At least most things end up okay...
Snow Days with Mrs Buchanan by Nives Myers
As you all may remember, we had a number of snow days during the past month. Everyone had so much fun staying home and hanging out in the snow! I personally enjoyed playing in the snow with my friends and family. I recently interviewed our principle, Ms. Buchanan, to get her thoughts on the snow days.
Like most students, Ms. Buchanan was very excited about having some fun in the snow. She and her family went outside and made cool stuff, such as snowcream! On the other hand, she also said that she missed the students and was concerned about the missed schoolwork. She wants every student to make the most of their education and knows that the time spent between teachers and students is very valuable.
I asked Ms. Buchanan how the special winter challenges she issued (Snowman Challenge and Ice Day Challenge) encouraged learning and teamwork for the kids while they were out of school. She responded by saying that the goal for the Snowman Challenge was for kids to work together and cooperate to build the best snowman that they could, while the goal for the Ice Day Challenge was for students to determine their ambitions and possibly think about how to achieve them. Lots of students participated in the events and appeared to really enjoy them. The challenges showed that it is easy to work together and learn when you are outside of school and I think they were a great idea.
I enjoyed interviewing Ms. Buchanan and getting to know her. I completely agree with her that a teacher’s time with their students is very valuable but I have to admit that I would rather learn by playing in the snow. I hope everyone else enjoyed the snow days as much as I did and I hope we get just as much (if not more) snow next year!
Book Fair by Kaitie Wayne
How to deal with bullies by: Mary Einhorn
Physical Bullying:
1. Don't hurt them back. This will only make problems worse.
2. Get to a trusted adult as soon as you can and let them know what has happened.
3. If you know about someone who is getting hurt or will be hurt, tell someone immediately.
4. If you are being hurt, call for help as loud as you can. Someone will hear you and make sure you are OK.
Emotional Bullying:
1. I know you hear this a lot, but ignore them. They might get the gist that you don't care.
2. Kill them with kindness. Not actually kill them, but just be really nice to them and maybe they'll understand that you don't want them to continue.
3. Tell a teacher. Remember, this is NOT tattling. You are not trying to get them in trouble by doing this. The teacher or adult will want you to be safe.
Cyber Bullying:
1. If you are online in a chat group and someone is bullying you, log on to a different group or log off completely.
2. Don't let them trick you into telling them any personal info, like your name, age, or address.
3. Remember, they don't know you. Their words don't matter and it's not important.
Please use these tips to help keep you safe in the real world and on the internet! I hope they help you to stand up to the bullies in your life.
7th Grade Liberty Try Outs! By: Shy-Ann Davis
The info about the chess team
Hello! I am Joseph Han and I am going to discuss what is going at the chess team. I am on the chess team and chess is a great game so I decided to interview Mrs. Large.
Me: How did the MCLL challenge go Mrs. Large?
Mrs. Large: On April 1, Madison City Chess League sponsored a community challenge. Students ages 6-10 years old challenged adults to a chess match. Mill Creek had several students participate in this event. Sahithi Mynampally, age 6, challenged Dr. Fowler Superintendent Madison City Schools to a match. Sahithi won the match.
Me:How much money did you get from the campaign?
Mrs.Large: The school system has a set stipend that club/team sponsors receive during the contract year.
Me:How do you feel about the program?
Mrs.Large:Prior to sponsoring the MCES Chess Team, I was not aware of the rapid growth of chess in this area. It is amazing to see the interest and participation from students here at MCES. The team has a total of 25 students participating and actively involved. I have learned many things about chess and the procedure for tournaments. Parents have been very supportive and willing to help this program grow at our school.
Me:Can you list some of the people who took the part of the MCCL?
Mrs.Large :Mill Creek participants in the MCCL challenge were: Sahithi M., Rishi S., and Pranav S.
Me:When is the next chess tournament and what is the name of it?
Mrs.Large :MCES Chess Team is closing out the year. Later in April, Om Badhe will be participating in the National Chess Tournament .
Other information:
-first year for MCES Chess Team (grades 4-6)
-played in many local tournaments
-Team placed third in three of those tournaments: Queen’s Quest, Bishop Bash and Rookie Rally
-North Alabama Open: we participated as Madison City schools; many members placed and received awards (Pranav S., Cameron B., Om B.)
-Om B. won 5th place individual trophy for Elementary Division in the State Tournament
MCES Chess Team Coach is Mr. Chris Moore. Mr. Moore owns Grounded Coffee and volunteers his time to teach the team strategies and lessons on a weekly basis.
That is for today! Have a great week!