Stallion Star Gazette
February 2017
Poetry
Rain by Lory
Pouring down, suddenly
Wet on the outside,
Wet on the inside
But on the inside, silently.
Out of the sadness and gloom,
A rainbow appears
Melts away our tears
And makes happiness bloomShells by Tanvee
Shells are so amazing,
cool and hard and curving.
They are found near the shore,
finding shells is not a bore.
Shells can give you information,
sometimes they come in formation.
Sometimes shells contain creatures,
I wonder if some creatures are preachers.
Some people collect these treasures,
Finding one will bring you pleasures.
If you press a shell to your ear,
you’ll have something interesting to hear.
Shells can be found in a store,
If you get some, you’ll always want more.
To find a shell, it’ll take hard work,
You might have to be a stork!!
Brain Teaser
by Lory
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.
Cooking with the Chef
Cooking Safety Tips by Snigdha
If you love cooking, you should read this story.You may think cooking doesn’t require any rules, but it does. Such as too much heat and sharp knives.
Chopping food-When you’re chopping food you have to always try to keep your hands away from the knife. Even though you chop food, you can keep your hand away from the sharp part of the knife.
The oven -If your baking cookies or anything like that, you heat the oven, but don’t go near it until the times up. Certain problems can happen if you get burned such as wounds and big brown spots on your arm.
Stoves-Stoves are not as dangerous as other creatures in cooking. Although,there may be some effects that may be very severe or not that severe. If you leave the stove on without the pan on it there may be a very severe fire or a normal fire.
What happens if you don’t wash your hands after touching bacteria in food? Well, if you don’t wash your hands people can DIE! Bacteria can stick on your hands. After you cook, if you don’t wash your hand the bacteria would stick and if you eat with that hand that would not be good.
Recipe for Lasagna by Daphne
Sssss. You hear your mother frying something in a pan. You inhale and smell your favorite dish - lasagna . Have you ever wondered how to make this dish? You can stop wondering now and know.
Information
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 hr
Total time: 1 hr 20 min
Serves: 8 people
Ingredients
*Be sure to have adult supervision before beginning cooking*
-26 oz jar of pasta sauce (2 ¾ cups)
-1 pound ground beef (cooked,drained)
-¼ cup water
-6 lasagna noodles (uncooked)
-2 cups ricotta cheese
-1 cup shredded parmesan
Supplies
-Oven
-12x8 baking pan
Steps
*Make sure to get permission from an adult before beginning*
First, you must pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Then, combine sauce, meat, and water. Now, spread 1 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of the 12x8 baking dish. Top this with half each of the uncooked lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, and the rest of the sauce mixture. Repeat this, then top with shredded parmesan. Cover this tightly with foil. After, bake for 1 hour, and finally, let sit from 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
*Works well with ground sausage
*Having a layer of mozzarella in the middle is also good
*Good sides include garlic bread and salads
Easy Hearty Lasagna (KraftRecipes.com)
Native Wildflowers and Gardening
by Daphne
Short-lived Beauty
A common wildflower in Texas, the bluebonnet, is quite commonly found in fields and parks in mid-Spring/late Spring. It is a pretty blue flower (see right) that rarely can be found after late June/early July. Gardening with bluebonnets is not a year-round experience because these pretty, blue flowers are annuals. This flower would not be something everyone would enjoy gardening with, because some prefer plants called perennials that come up yearly, such as bulbs. Some would say that perennials are better for gardening because you have less work to do, but some would disagree saying annuals such as the beauty, the bluebonnet, are more fun because you can enjoy planting and re-planting these seasonal flowers.
Did you know that the bluebonnet was taken as state flower of Texas in 1901? This beautiful annual and many others were chosen to represent their state. Wouldn’t you agree it most certainly fits our proud home?
Gardening With Representatives
Along with the bluebonnet, the Oregon grape, the bitter root, the yellow hibiscus, and the saguaro cactus flower are all representatives of their state. The bitter root (state flower of Montana), unlike the bluebonnet, is a tiny perennial flower that has a large, tart-flavored root that the Native American Indians would eat. This plant comes up on its own yearly, and continues to blossom and show its pretty rose-colored petals for months. The Oregon grape begins to bloom in the summer, and its grapes become ripe in Fall. This plant’s name is somewhat incorrect, because it is nothing like a grape vine and grows small berries. The yellow hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii. It thrives in warmer conditions, and is a perennial. There are many amazing state flowers besides these, perennials and annuals both. Many are hard to garden with and you must always get permission from an adult before buying or planting these important flowers.
Related Topics
- state trees
- gardening
Sources Cited
Kid’s Infobits & Britannica Imagequest
Fiction: Pokemon Adventures
by Lory
“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! Fletchling, get off! I’m up already!!!” I cried as the firebird nearly pecked my eye out! Geez, that hurt! I thought as I wandered downstairs. “Honey, get dressed, or you’ll be late to visit Professor Oak!!!!!” Of course! How could I forget! I’d pondered over what pokemon I wanted, and I had chosen a light, bubbly frog.
Oh.My.Gosh.Must.Calm.Down. My heart skipped a beat.I was there... at Professor Oak’s lab to get my first pokemon ever! I opened the big door that led inside. Professor Oak greeted me. I silently walked up to the pokemon. Fennekin? No. Chespin? No.
Suddenly, I saw Froakie. His beady little eyes, his froggy face. Right then and there, I knew we were meant to be.I want to do a battle, and a showcase, and………………. of course, first we had to get a good night’s sleep.Froakie and I would be great together, I just knew it.
Nonfiction--Animals
Hyenas by Madhav
Hyenas are grassland mammals. Their weight can range up to is 120- 190 pounds (86-55 kilograms).Their front legs are longer than their back legs.They can be spotted,striped,or brown. Spotted and brown hyenas live in Africa and Asia. Other hyenas live in mountains.They are scavengers or they kill antelopes and zebras. Hyenas can live for 20 years.When spotted hyenas are born,they have a full set of teeth. Hyenas are like a big-eared wild dogs.
Their average size is 3-4 feet.They can make a loud giggling sound and cackling bark sound that sounds like a human laughing.The hyenas feed on the animals that other animals kill and they eat the remains of them. Their jaws,neck,and chest are super strong.
Source: www.pebblego.com January 17, 2017
Underwater Animals by Tanvee
Splash! Squeak! You look up at the warm, sandy beach dotted with palm trees, swaying in the wind against the light blue sky. You shield your eyes from the bright, fiery ball of warmth and light, and then look down at the cool, clear, turquoise blue water. Dolphins jump before you and majestic sea turtles glide through the ocean as manatees lazily graze on bits of sea grass. Marine life is important and the creatures of these exotic places are unique and special. So….. Let’s get to learning!!
Dolphins
Dolphins are mammals, which means that they have lungs NOT gills. They come up to the surface to breath every 2 minutes or so. Dolphins are related to porpoises, and they look very much alike. But, dolphins have longer snouts. There are over 35 species of dolphins. There are 2 types of dolphins- river dolphins and true dolphins. True dolphins live in salt water; one example is the bottlenose dolphin. River dolphins live in South America and Asia and prefer fresh water- like their name suggests. Dolphins live in groups called schools.They are playful and intelligent creatures. They use sounds to communicate and echolocation to move around. Dolphins heights can range from 7-10 feet long. But, some dolphins can reach up to 13 feet long.
Jellyfish
Jellyfish are marine animals that have a soft body and no bones. They have tentacles that sting animals AND sometimes divers that are passing by. There are about 200 species of jellyfish. They mostly swim at or near the surface of the ocean. Most jellyfishes bodies are shaped like bells or umbrellas. Some jellyfish can grow up to 6 feet across. Some jellyfish are too small to see. Jellyfish can be white, pink, blue, maroon, brown, or even transparent! There are tiny tentacles that line the edge of the body and 4 or more long tentacles that hang down around the body too. You don’t have to be scared of all jellyfish if you are. Only certain jellyfish are harmful to humans like the Australian Sea Wasp. One sting from this jellyfish and you’ll be dead in a couple of minutes.
Sea Turtles
Sea turtles are like other turtles except that they live underwater(in the ocean). There are 7 types of sea turtles- leatherback, flatback, green, loggerhead, hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, and Olive Ridley. Sea turtles hatch from eggs buried on the beach and then they travel into the water. They live under the water until they give birth to baby sea turtles. They go back to the beach where they were born to give birth even if they were all the way across the ocean. Sea turtles mostly eat algae and sea grass. They also eat crabs, shrimp, and fish. One of their favorite foods though, is the jellyfish. Sea turtles called Leatherbacks prefer jellyfish most out of the 7 types. There once were millions of sea turtles. But, the numbers have declined ever since because of boats. People also hunt sea turtles for their meat and eggs. The green turtle is already endangered. If we all work together, we might be able to save them!
Manatee
A Manatee is a large marine animal also known as a sea cow. They have gray skin, a rounded tail, and its flippers are shaped like paddles. There are several kinds of manatees. The West Indian manatee lives along the coasts and in rivers from the southeastern United States to Brazil. It also lives on islands in the Caribbean Sea. It can reach about 13 feet long and weigh up to 3,500 pounds. The Amazonian manatee lives in the Amazon and Orinoco river systems of South America. The African manatee lives in the rivers and coastal waters of western Africa . Manatees are mammals which means that have lungs. A manatee eats sea grasses and water plants. A manatee can eat over 100 pounds in one day!! Manatees are endangered because people are polluting their ocean homes. Governments have passed laws to protect manatees.
Sources of information:
http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/353315
http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/353416
http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/353061
http://school.eb.com/levels/elementary/article/390154
http://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home#article/ar830588
http://www.worldbookonline.com/kids/home#article/ar831066
Interesting Science Facts
by Madhav
Cells are the smallest living thing. They make every thing living. They are sometimes called the building blocks of life. It is in every living organism. It is in us,animals,and plants. They're in pretty much every living thing.
by Snigdha
There may be many science facts around the world but I’m just going to list a few of them down below.
Our atmosphere-The atmosphere is the layer of gas that surrounds Earth. It is often called air. Other planets, and some of their larger moons, also have atmospheres.The atmosphere contains several different gases. The gases include gravity in them and on top of them. They contain helium and hydrogen. It also has ¾ of nitrogen and ⅕ oxygen.
Snow- Snow is a type of precipitation. I learned that it always forms ice crystals whenever there is any kind of precipitation starting. Crystals melt and turn into rain and they turn into snow.
Allergies-There are disorders of the immune system. The immune system is the system in the body that protects against disease. There are many types of allergens. Some are in the air. Allergies could get so bad that you started getting irritated.
Answer to Brain Teaser
Patsy Sommer Elementary School
Email: Christine_Margocs@roundrockisd.org
Website: sommer.roundrockisd.org
Location: 16200 Avery Ranch Boulevard, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: 512.704.0600