The wHOOse News
2018 Summer Edition
James Monroe's First Color Run
The first annual Color Run at James Monroe took place Saturday, June 2nd. Present students, former students, parents, and staff of James Monroe were invited. The turnout was over 200 people!
Each participant received ten colored wristbands and a pair of glasses. The wristbands were for each lap you did. Every lap you would move one band to your other hand. Our goal was to do ten laps for everyone, but depending if you were walking, jogging, or running most people got different lap counts.
Also, the Color Run was sponsored by Satori Karate Academy, The New York Life, and another karate academy. Satori gave out lots of water, the PTO gave out snacks, and The New York life and the other Karate Academy were both there for sign ups, and they gave out bags.
After All, the Color Run was really fun. I got to hang out with my friends and get color on me! Even though I won’t be able to go, I hope the school has many more of these color runs for future students of James Monroe, this is because I hope they can enjoy them like I did!
Kindness for Christopher
Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Drews decided to have an assembly about the Kindness for Christopher Campaign. On May 1st, Mr. and Mrs. D’Amico visited our school to talk about Kindness and to inspire us. Their son, Christopher, was so kind to everyone he met. One day, he was on a boat and had a tragic accident. He passed away, but his parents wanted to make an organization for Christopher. They wanted to spread kindness and keep the memory of Christopher alive.
It all started from the fire station. A little girl put a kindness rock in front of the station. Than, one of the firefighters saw this and wanted to keep this going. Kindness Rocks started spreading Christopher’s message of kindness all around the world from NJ all through Europe and to the Great Wall of China.
They also started random acts of kindness, which can be very powerful. Mr. D’Amico told us that one time, they were at a grocery store and a lady was struggling to pay for her groceries. So, Mr. D’Amico paid for the lady’s groceries.
Mr. and Mrs. D’Amico inspired us to do random acts of kindness. Both of them also wanted us to make kindness rocks and kindness cards to show a powerful act of kindness. Let’s all support the Kindness for Christopher campaign today!
-Sabrina Moral
Penny Wars
This isn’t any war, this is a Penny War. That’s right! Those useless brown coins in your pocket that will forever stay there have been put to use. This event is probably the highlight of everyone’s year.
I mean you are helping your grade win an ice cream party, donating, AND getting rid of all that pesky loose change. All in ONE!
I must admit this is actually fun yet, competitive. Dropping pennies and bills in your bins will add points, while dropping silver coins in other bins will deduct their points.
The Penny War is run by our very own, Mrs. Hook the Secretary! In fact, we donated an eyebrow-raising amount of $602! All of that was donated to C.A.R.E. This just goes to show how much a school can do with a little friendly competition.
The Penny Wars will probably be a favorite event for many years to come. This event can really be fun, have a good cause, motivate people, and bring us all together.
-Annalise Dantes
5th Grade Field Trip to Philadelphia
Philadelphia! Ever since I entered James Monroe in first grade, I’ve been looking forward to the final Philadelphia trip in 5th grade...and it was actually here! I’m sure that every fifth grader was as excited as I was, for this was the one of the big moments that you look forward to as a first grader. Independence Hall, Constitution Center, The American Revolution Museum, and the Liberty Bell (I thought)...here we come! On our ride to beloved Philadelphia, we watched Wonder all the way there, but didn’t quite finish the movie. You may be wondering, “How are you watching a movie on a school bus?”. We weren’t on a school bus...we had a coach bus!
First stop: The American Revolution Museum! The American Revolution was when Britain colonized new land (now known as the US), and the colonists in the new land revolted against Britain. The Revolutionary War was when America fought for its freedom & independence from England. We saw the tent George Washington basically lived in during the entire Revolutionary War! It was old and in bad shape, which is why we couldn’t use flash on our cameras. We learned about the whole American Revolution...from the Stamp Act (when Britain forced the colonists to pay a tax for everything they bought)...all the way to the Constitution (The government plan for the brand new country, AMERICA)!! My group hopped on an old privateer* boat, and we heard the story of a famous Patriotic privateer (I can’t recall the name), and sat on a boat that they actually used!!!!!
Our 3rd stop: Independence Hall! We had to go through a large security area to make it to the place where our founding fathers once sat to write our Constitution. We began the remarkable tour by listening to the tour guide (he really knew the American Revolution well...he memorized the whole thing) in the left wing. We next strolled over to where (I believe…) the Judicial Branch Office is. This is where trials were held during that time. Next, we walked over to the area where the CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION was held!!!!!!!!! Everyone stood where our founding fathers wrote our Constitution!!!! I’m at loss of words to describe how I felt being in the exact same place where America became America.
Like I said earlier, I thought we’d see the Liberty Bell, but I was completely wrong. We just went straight to the Constitution Center for lunch (oh well...there’s always next time, I guess). I had an Italian Hoagie, with Salami, Provolone, and Ham, and carrots with ranch. That little yummy meal made up for missing the Liberty Bell.
Our Constitution Center experience started of with the whole 5th grade sitting down in a neat arena. All of a sudden, bright lights shot up from center stage, and a man appeared out of nowhere. He talked about how we won our independence from England, to the Articles of Confederation, to the Constitution. He talked about the Bill of Rights, and the rest of the amendments, and how it all has to do with us today. There were screens, pictures, and lights everywhere. It was truly a marvelous sight & experience.
We then exited the wonderful arena, to come to an enormous area even more incredible that the arena!. There was a part were we saw a collection of toys that were played with back to the colonial and revolutionary times. There was a Hamilton: The Musical trivia area. Chris Morello, another boy (I forgot who), and me beat the opposing team in the game, and it was a whole lot of fun. There was even a part where we could step into a booth, read about 2 random American presidents (For me, it was Lyndon B. Johnson v.s Richard Nixon), and see who we’d vote for! There was also a limited time full Hamilton exhibit downstairs, but we couldn’t make it, since the buses were there to pick us up.
The trip finished up strong with me buying an american eagle (stuffed animal) keychain, and a patriotic ball for my baby sister. Thank you, American Revolutionary Museum! Thanks you, Constitution Center! And thank you, Independence Hall! I truly hope for every other student in the past, present, and future to enjoy the Philadelphia experience as I did, if not enjoy it even more.
First Grade Dinosaur Show
Do you remember when you were in first grade? Well, all of you have. Here at James Monroe, we do something called the first grade dinosaur adventure, where you learn all about dinosaurs. At the end, first graders get to dig out rocks!
The first graders learn all about dinosaur fossils. First, they get to see a real meteorite. Sixteen first graders (eight girls, eight boys) try to lift the very heavy meteorite the size of a very large lunchbox, or a drawstring backpack. It looks small, but it is very heavy! Only two boys could lift it. They then guess how many of those small things made up the huge meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs. There were 35,000 of those little things that made up the huge meteorite, six miles across!
The first graders also learn that when a big meteorite falls, glass called tektites fall down to earth. The children get to touch a real tektite! After that, they see a large fossilised dinosaur egg found in a nest, with 23 other eggs in China. We don’t know if that egg has a baby dinosaur in it or not, because it takes thousands of dollars to x-ray it. The egg belonged to a duck-billed dinosaur. They also get to touch the egg. They see many more fossils (some of them just copies), get to build a model of a dinosaur fossil, and then they get to have a hands-on activity.
The children get to dig out rocks! They dig it out with the back of a paintbrush, and then dust it off with the other side. After the first graders dig some rocks out, they put the rocks into a plastic bag and get to take it home. The first graders really enjoyed it, and I hope that you enjoyed it when you were in first grade.
-Gabrielle Dharmawan
Camping with Math and Literacy
Camping at James Monroe was a thirring adventure. One of the things I didn’t know you could do was use math to make marshmallows, construct bracelets with reading, and turn heads with board games. What a wonderful night to experience as a camper. Camp night was full of fun. It was wasn’t like sitting in one place and doing worksheets, you would have put your hands to work without a pencil.
It was hosted by our wonderful math interventionist, Mrs. Blair and fabulous reading specialist, Mrs. Steinhart. They put in a great deal of effort to host such a fun and educational night. There was also some marvelous teachers who took time out of their night to help keep the night running smoothly. It was an alternating math and literature night meaning it switched between math and literature. When you first got their you met Mrs. BLair and some other teachers who gave tickets for the big raffle.The were also the estimation jars were you had to estimate an number and see if your answer was correct.The estimation jars were separated by grade level but you could have done them all. Inside the first one there were rainbow trout which were actually colored goldfish.Then there was adorable teddy grahams that were supposed to be scary grizzly bears. There was also little fish bait which were gummy worms. Lastly,There was firewood made up of pretzel sticks. The,n at the end of the hall there were 2 rooms separated by grade 2th and 3rd and 4th and 5th.
It first started with the math portion of the night. When you entered Math Camp, there were a ton of board games to play with your parents or friends.Then you would move to station to station. There were card games, board games like I mentioned before and was an activity where you were given a few sheets of paper that had three dimensional objects you could construct. I only made it to the third object before we switched to Literacy Camp. During Literacy Camp, everyone’s camping spirit fired up. Mrs. Westcott read to us Scaredy Squirrel Goes Camping.
It fit perfectly with the theme. It was about how Scaredy the Squirrel planned to get to the camp site without provoking danger. In the end he decided that TV was better anyway. We made reading bracelets to help us mark down which part of the story we were in.. You had to choose from many packets with the instructions to make the bracelets.Then we got to get a tasteful bag of trail mix.
Yum! After we finished devouring the trail mix, Math and Literacy Camp came to an end. Once you exited the the rooms you went out the front door. But before you did that you get a ziploc bag of gram crackers to eat at home.Finally it came to an end. So disappointing.Wistfully very few people joined. So next everyone’s hoping that there will be crowd of people enjoying Math and Literacy night.
-Sahana Ram
James Monroe Presents: The Spring Concert
Next, chorus performed the songs "Peace Train," "Dona Nobis Pacem," "We Will Sing the World Whole Again," "What A Wonderful World," and a beautiful Beatles Medley. Many of the songs showcased the amazing talents that we call the students of James Monroe. Some of these students has solo performances and they all blew the audience away. The concert was short but very powerful and was full of energy. The Spring Concert was amazing and I’d love to experience it again and again.
2nd Grade Field Trip to the Edison Memorial Tower
Do you know what Thomas Edison achieved during his lifetime? Well if you don’t, ask the second graders. They know everything about Edison because they went to the Edison Memorial Tower as their second grade field trip and did a project on Edison! Their field trip occured on May 8th, 2018. The kids were amazed to learn about his life and were honored to do a project on him. Thomas Edison was brilliant, curious and incredibly talented!
While they were on their trip, they walked on the grounds in which Thomas Edison's first laboratory stood. They got a chance to see all of the amazing inventions that Thomas Edison created. They even got a chance to see one of his original phonographs and got to listen to the music that played on it! The students listened to a wonderful story about Edison's life and how eager and creative he really was! They already knew a lot of background information about him since they had to do a project on him.
Then, they had the opportunity to be inventors! They participated in creating magnets, separating copper and iron particles, and created batteries! The tour ended as they got to take a walk through the Edison Memorial Tower and see the light shining inside of the museum. All the kids could wish for was to make the trip a little longer. After hearing an amazing story about Edison, the kids wanted to meet him.
The kids learned that if you switched lights off in one room during Edison's time period, the lights in the whole house would turn off. They were surprised to know that Edison helped invent magnets. During their trip, they saw the phonograph, a model of Thomas Edison’s house, his laboratory, and some of his inventions. Thomas Edison had more than a 1,000 patents for his inventions. The kids had the opportunity to use a telegraph and spell their names with Morse Code!
In conclusion, the kids loved learning about Edison and were proud to be in his laboratory. They couldn't believe most of the things that they heard and saw. Edison was a man of curiosity and intelligence and learning about him is a great experience. After coming back from the trip, the kids wanted to go back and learn more about him. Some of them even decided to go back to the Memorial tower with their parents. They all thought that it was a great experience.
-Gauri Kshettry
3rd Grade Field Trip to See "Clementine"
This year the 3rd graders went to see a play called "Clementine." This play was based on the book called Clementine by Sara Pennypacker. This play is based on a girl named Clementine who always is in mischief. But, she has a good intention to solve problems. For example, one day Clementine “fixes” her friend’s hair my cutting it all off. And basically she was having a DISASTROUS week! Watch the play or read the book to find out what happens to Clementine.
The 3rd graders had lots of fun watching Clementine’s life and her trying to make up her mistakes. In this play there were a lot of good messages about mistakes and a good life. The 3rd graders learned a lot from this play about to make mistakes and try really hard next time not to. Clementine was a funny and friendly play for the 3rd graders. I hope that you guys will see the play too.
Poems
Summertime
The sun is blazing hot.
I can’t believe it looks like a big dot!
The birds chirping and flying in the air.
Kids are saying “I DON’T HAVE A CARE!”
The ice cream truck coming by.
Bees are flying in the sky.
Clouds are coming to you.
Have a great summer and stay true!
-Aditi Kommawar
4th of July
On this beautiful 4th of July,
I see a blue sky.
I see a guy on the street with 2 stripes, red and white.
I see a flag in the sky,
Flying so high.
-Ian Rivas
It's the End of the Year
Smiles and frowns,
Up and downs, throughout the times,
The memories will last for a lifetime,
We helped each other fly,
We laughed and cried,
Never will we forget,
Our duets for projects,
Happy to know we will come back again,
But unhappy to know we will be apart for months,
But we will all talk again!
-Faith Horan
In Summer
Summertime is here!
I’m letting out a great cheer!
Sunshine and flip flops!
Ice Cream and tank tops!
My skin drinks up the sun rays,
I turn golden tan.
I never noticed,
When the red sunburn began.
Summertime is here,
Let's all let out a cheer.
-Shilpa Shiva
Goodbye , School! Hello, Summer!
September feels like yesterday,
June seemed like a distant star!
Yet, June is here!
On this journey here,
We learned a lot, grown a lot,
And made many friends!
School is now over,
Summer has just began!
Now, we have to say goodbye,
We have to leave our great teachers,
And look at the long journey to the next star.
-Zashaan Shaik
Independence Day
The date of our independence, the day of our pride We celebrate our country and our freedom. Thankful for our peaceful home, we gleam with happiness. Crackers boom. Light zoom in the dark sky. Family, friends, food, and fun! We remember the mighty hearts of brave men. We do a lot to celebrate this holiday, Fourth of July! We salute our Motherland!
Book and Movie Reviews
Mr. Popper's Penguins
Painting, penguins, kids and a mother and a father. You heard it, this book is a book you can never get over. Mr. Popper's Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater is about a normal family that includes Mr.Popper, Mrs. Popper, and two kids, Jane and Bill. This story all starts in a city that is called Stillwater. Mr. Popper is known as a brilliant painter in the town of Stillwater. But Mr.Popper is just not a painter, he also has a very big passion in studying Antarctica. Everyday he comes back from work and just reads about Antarctica almost everyday and dreams about having a pet penguin. As days go by, one day came a box and in that box was a...penguin! So, when this random penguin came, things really changed. The penguin’s name was Captain Cook, but one thing they didn’t expect is that the penguin was getting really sick and needed a friend. Hours later, another penguin showed up and her name was Greta. But, from having two penguins they didn’t expect that there were going to be babies too. Suddenly, there were a lot of penguins in the house and money was still a huge problem. There was one solution to this money problem. The solution was to start a penguin show/act to raise more money. What is Mr. Popper going to do do with a ton of penguins and still having to raise a family and continue his act? Read the book to find out.
In my opinion this book is everything a book needs to have to be a successful read. This book has comedy, drama, action, and so much more! This book is also a really kid friendly one but, in my opinion, I think any aged person will love it. It has a lot of surprising and shocking things that happen throughout the story. If you are looking for a book that you won’t be able to put down, I suggest you read this.
-Review by Ishika Bhalla
Jumanji
“Jumanji” is an exciting movie. It is about few kids who get detention. They find a video game and and when they look at it they actually go into the game. They have to finish a task in order to get out. This means finishing the game in which they might die. Will they make it out alive? Watch to find out!
In my opinion, it is a great movie. I rate it 4 and a half stars. It has adventure, action, and a little bit of mystery. It is also very funny. So, if you like all of the above, I suggest you watch “Jumanji.”
-Anagha Raut
Fish in a Tree
Ally, the main character of Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, has been smart enough to fool a lot of smart people. Every time she lands in a new school, she is able to hide her inability to read by creating clever yet disruptive distractions. She afraid to ask for help; after all, how can you cure dumb? However, her newest teacher Mr. Daniels sees the bright, creative kid underneath the trouble maker. With his help, Ally learns not to be so hard on herself and that dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of. As her confidence grows, Ally feels free to be herself and the world starts opening up with possibilities. She discovers that there’s a lot more to her—and to everyone—than a label, and that great minds don’t always think alike.
Fish in a Tree is good book to read because, it shows it is not right to judge a book by it’s cover. It is also a heartwarming story of Ally learning that she is not dumb but special. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read an inspiring story.
-Review by Aagrimaa Mehra
Peter Rabbit
The movie “Peter Rabbit” is about a boy named Peter Rabbit and his three sisters (Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-Tail). They always spend their days in Mr. McGregor’s garden. Sadly, one day Mr. McGregor dies. Then, one of Mr. McGregor’s relatives moves into his house. The new owner of Mr. McGregor’s house plans a scheme to get rid of the rabbits. Find out what happens next by watching the movie.
In my opinion, I think this a great movie. It is a hilarious comedy. You can watch this movie with friends and family. In this movie, you can learn a lot about working together. This is one of my favorite movies. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
-Review by Archana Maryada
Kid-Friendly Recipes
Sweet and Salty Crackers
Cooking spray 35 to 40 saltine crackers 2 sticks 1 cup butter 1 cup light brown sugar Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 1 large or 2 small jelly-roll pans with aluminum foil, spray with nonstick spray and arrange the saltines salt-side down in a single layer. Then, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and boil until it turns a caramel color, a few minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. After that, Put the jelly-roll pan into the oven and bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly, watching carefully. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Lastly, Store in an airtight container. Know you can share eat, and have fun eating your yummy and tasty chocolate crackers. Enjoy! -Sumayya Shaik *Adult supervision is required.
Bakery Fruit Tart
Have you ever wondered how to make a Fruit Tart? Well this is an easy kid-friendly recipe on how to do so. You will need adult supervision.
Ingredients:
2 unbaked 9-inch pie crusts
¾ cups water
½ lime which is juiced
¼ cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (5.1 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 (16 ounce) can apricot halves, drained
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Place each pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish, and line pastry with a double layer of aluminum foil and a layer of pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the preheated oven until edges of crusts are golden, about 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the foil and weights and bake until the crusts have set, about 5 minutes more. Remove from oven; set aside to cool.
Bring 3/4 cup water, lime juice, sugar, and the reserved liquid from the mandarin oranges to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl; stir into the saucepan.
Continue simmering until syrup has thickened. Remove from heat; set aside.
Whisk the milk, half-and-half, and vanilla extract into the vanilla pudding mix in a large bowl. Allow the pudding to thicken for 5 minutes before spreading evenly into the baked pie crusts.
Arrange the strawberries, kiwis, apricots, and mandarin orange segments decoratively on the pudding. Drizzle the prepared glaze thoroughly over each pie.
Chill in refrigerator before serving.
Serve this yummy treat!
-Risha Bhardwaj
*Adult supervision required.
Filipino Egg Roll (Lumpia)
Ingredients:
1 pound of Ground Pork
1 medium sized carrot finely minced
1 medium sized onion finely minced
3 cloves of garlic finely minced
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of flour
3 eggs
Egg Roll Wrapper 50 pcs. count (found in Asian stores)
Vegetable Oil (for frying)
Directions:
Mix all ingredients except vegetable oil finely. Seperate the Egg Roll Wrapper individually. Get ½ table spoon of the mixture of meat mixture. Place it on the Egg Roll Wrapper and roll. Moisten the edge of the Egg Roll Wrapper with water to seal. Finish the whole mixture. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Fry the Egg Roll until golden brown. Serve with sweet chili sauce for dipping.
-Ethan Agabao
*Adult supervision required.
Vanilla Milkshake
Ingredients:
¾ of a glass of milk
1 tbsp. vanilla essence
1 tbsp. sugar
1 scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional)
Whipped Cream (optional)
1 marchino or fresh cherry (optional)
Directions:
This delicious summertime treat has 3-4 simple steps.
1. Add all the ingredients to a blender, except the cherry and/or the whipped cream.
2. Blend for about 1 minute and pour it into a glass.
3. If adding cherry and/or whipped cream proceed in doing so.
4. Enjoy!!!
-Anish Modi
*Adult supervision required.