december 2014 first boosterthon fun run a...

Masthead By Rachel W.

December 2014 Vol. 20 Issue 1

Stone Mill Gazette December 2014

First Boosterthon Fun Run a Success Students Learn About Fitness and Character, While Raising Funds

By Ryan B.

Every day you come to school in the

morning and leave in the afternoon. This is a

very common routine. However, something that

is not routine is to think about the floor you sit

on, the blacktop you play on, or the Promethe-

an boards you learn from. If the floors, tiles

and blacktop could speak, they would tell you a

cool story. We wrote this article to save you the

research time and to give you something to think about. So, come

one, come all, join us as we tell you the amazing history of our

school – Stone Mill Elementary!

It was 1986. This place we call our "school" used to be a dead

end - literally. Stonebridge View Drive was just a grass road.

Houses were popping up exactly where you see our beautiful, well

-knit Stonebridge community today. As the community grew, the

people decided that an elementary school was needed and so con-

struction on a new elementary school began in 1987. It opened

its doors in 1988. At the time, it wasn't called Stone Mill. It was

called Muddy Branch Elementary but the community protested,

“We are NOT Muddy Branch.” After 6 months, a name change

was approved by the county and Muddy Branch Elementary be-

came Stone Mill Elementary – a combination of “Stone” from

Stonebridge and “Mill” from Dufief Mill.

The first principal of the original Muddy Branch Elementary,

Mr. Lee Kingery, became the first principal of our school when

the name was changed to Stone Mill Elementary. One of the orig-

inal employees was Mrs. Harps, an ESOL teacher, who still

works in our school! Ms. Winckler, our current P.E. teacher,

joined one year after the school opened. After Mr. Kingery left,

Mrs. Sherri Kelty became Stone Mill’s second principal. She

served as principal for 4 years. After Mrs. Kelty, Mr. Walt Tozier

was principal for seven years, and in 1999, who else but Ms. Kim-

berly Williams became the fourth principal of the school! Can you

believe Stone Mill is now 27 years old?

If we climbed into a time machine and traveled

back in time to when the school first opened, what

kind of technology would we see back then? Actu-

ally, not that much. The school had a different

curriculum, there were 5- 6 teachers in each

grade, and they used the chalkboard more often

than we do now. Stone Mill had no Pre-K. Instead,

they had students in Kindergarten through 6th

grade. They had typewriters, but no cell phones and no comput-

ers. Pre-K was later added and 6th grade was moved to middle

school. Did you know that the Montgomery County Public

Schools department was planning to remove the entire 2nd and 3rd

grade wing and load it onto a truck when Stone Mill got smaller?

Luckily they never did.

Here are some other really cool

things to know about Stone Mill: in 2010

a time capsule was opened and another

one put in place to be opened after 25

years. The mosaic artwork, displayed on

the wall to the left of the main entrance

was made with pressed leaves from the

original dead end site. Also in that art-

work, there is a sky on top that was origi-

nally meant to be the Muddy Branch

stream. So, the next time you are in school and you step on a tile,

listen to it – it might say, “And that is how it all happened.”

Stone Mill Elementary School

14323 Stonebridge View Drive North Potomac, MD 20878

Stone Mill ES Full of History By Shrutha V. and Amanda W.

This year the PTA decided to bring in a new

fundraiser. That something new was the amaz-

ing Boosterthon Fun Run. The fun run was

held on Monday, November 10th. During the

week leading up to the fun run students got

pledges from family, friends, and neighbors.

Stone Mill students received pledges from 38

states and 16 countries! The Boosterthon representatives, Andy

Bar and T-Rex Tess, were at school every day and talked to each

class about fitness, leadership and character values. Andy Bar and

T-Rex Tess were full of energy. At the end of the pledging period,

the school finally held the big event… the Boosterthon Fun Run.

On that day students ran through a big inflatable tunnel as their

class was announced. Family and friends watched as students ran

around the speedway with

the goal of completing 30-35

laps. The event was a lot of

fun and it raised over

$18,000 for the PTA to use

towards new stage curtains,

stained glass windows, and a

number of PTA sponsored

programs.

Today’s Lesson

History of Stone Mill

Top: Students line up to participate in the fun run.

Bottom: Ms. Williams and Mrs. Budman are all smiles as they watch students run around the “speedway.”

Photos courtesy of Melanie Binder.

A photograph of the courtyard from 1994.


Chanukah, also known as “Hanukah” or the “Festival of Lights,” is a Jewish holiday celebrated in either late November or Decem-ber. The holiday consists of many customs and symbols denoting this special period. For example, during the eight-day festival, one light on the menorah (nine-branched candelabra) is lit per night. It is also a tradition during this time to eat fried or cheesy food such as potato latkes, jelly doughnuts and cheese blintzes—to celebrate the miracle of oil. Another Chanukah tradition and popular festival symbol is to play with a toy dreidel, a four-sided spinning top. With the holiday season quickly approaching; let’s take a look at how Jewish people around the world celebrate Chanukah in many different ways.

In Alsace, a region of France, double decker Chanukah menorahs with space for 16 lights are common. In some Jerusalem neighborhoods, there are spaces cut into the sides of buildings so people can display their menorahs to be

seen from the outside. In Yemenite and some other North African Jewish communities, the seventh night of Chanukah is set aside as a women’s holiday. In Santa Marta, Columbia, instead of eating fried potato latkes, they eat patacones or fried plantains. The Ethiopian-Jewish, and parts of the Indian-Jewish, communities do not celebrate Chanukah. These communities split off from

the larger Jewish community in ancient time before Chanukah was established as a holiday. The rich culinary traditions of the Moroccan-Jewish community did not include potato latkes or jelly doughnuts. Instead, they favor

the citrusy flavors of the Sfenj doughnut, which was made with the juice and zest of an orange. German Jews used to have great bonfires after Chanukah with the leftover wicks and oil. During Chanukah, following the Shabbat, Jews in a Southern French town would go from house to house, opening and tasting new

flasks of wine. Shabbat happens on Saturdays and is the time when Jews celebrate their belief in God’s creation of the world in six days.

In Israel, the fifth night of Chanukah has been called "The Black Fifth Night," after a disastrous night during World War I. As such, gift-giving is not encouraged on this night.

The Hebrew letters (nun, gimel, hey, and shin) on the dreidel are today associated with the acronym for the Hebrew words: A Great Miracle Happened There.

As you can see, there are many ways people celebrate Chanukah around the world. How do you celebrate your favorite holiday?

Behind the Scenes with Ms. Cowan

By Madelyn L., Ella W., Sophia F.,

Drew B. and Peyton B.

The Newspaper Club wishes everyone

a very Happy Holiday Season!

See you in 2015!

Thank you to the Stone Mill

PTA for sponsoring the

newspaper club!

Chanukah around the World By Maddy O.

Have you met the new teacher in fourth grade, also

known as Ms. Kelly Cowan? She has blond hair, blue eyes and

is beautiful. Her hometown is Marlton, New Jersey – that is

where she was born. Her birthday is March 16th.

In December, Ms. Cowan will marry Chris Kelly there-

fore after Winter Break her students will have to call her “Mrs.

Kelly” because her name will then be “Mrs. Kelly Kelly”!! Isn’t

that a cool name? We think so!

Ms. Cowan has three siblings: two brothers, John who is 30

and Chris who is 27, and she has a stepsister who is 7 years

old. The person who influenced her the most in her life is her

mom. Her hero is her fiancé, Chris, because they are getting

married.

Ms. Cowan’s hobbies are yoga, going to the dog park

with her dog and…wedding planning! Her ideal day would be

to first go shopping, and then straight to a football game or a

Carrie Underwood concert.

Her favorite color is pink. For her favorite meal, she

likes Chicken Parmigiana (or Chicken “Parm”) and spaghetti.

Also, she likes the restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. If she

could choose a type of candy to buy, it would be strawberry or

cherry Twizzlers.

Ms. Cowan’s favorite season is fall because of football

and cooler weather; and the holiday she likes most is Christ-

mas. Her favorite book is The Secret Garden by F. H. Burnett.

The movie she enjoyed the most is The Patriot, and Scandal is

the TV show she likes the best. Her favorite sports team is the

Denver Broncos because she is a huge fan of

Peyton Manning, the team’s quarterback. He is

the person that she would most like to meet

because he is her favorite football player. She

loves the Broncos so much that she even named

her dog “Bronco”, a yellow Labrador, after the team!

The school she attended was Towson University in Bal-

timore. When Ms. Cowan was in

school, she played softball and

tennis and also participated in

cheer and swimming. The instru-

ments Ms. Cowan played were

the flute and the piano.

She decided that she

wanted to be a teacher when she

was in fourth grade because not

only was her teacher, Mr. Casa-

nova, fun and enthusiastic but

she always loved playing “school”

when she was a little girl. Since

she graduated from college, she

has taught one year of 6th grade, two years of 5th grade and this

year at Stone Mill is her first year teaching 4th grade. The sub-

ject she likes the most is math.

The happiest moments in her life so far are when her

fiancé proposed to her and when her stepsister was born. On

the other hand, when her grandma died was the saddest mo-

ment of her life. One thing that Ms. Cowan cannot stand to

hear is people whistling – it is her biggest pet peeve!

The best vacation that Ms. Cowan has ever had was in

Bethany Beach, Delaware. The place she would most like to

visit is Antigua, which is an island in the Caribbean. Well,

guess what? Her wish will be granted because she is visiting

Antigua for her honeymoon!

Three wonderful adjectives that Ms. Cowan would use

to describe herself are: punctual, trustworthy and honest. She

would like to be remembered as a happy, loving and honest

person because she has a big family and lots of friends and she

wants them to be proud of her.

And that concludes our “Behind the Scenes” interview

with the lovely Ms. Cowan!

Photo courtesy of Joanne Misovec.


Winter Word Jumble By Ethan F.

1. nwso ____ ____ ____ ____

2. wtrine ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

3. mnonswa ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

4. ltoocchae oht ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

5. eeifzrgn ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

6. feswlaokn ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

7. leovsg ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

8. brDeecme ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

9. lilcyh ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

10. cerealfpi ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

Mrs. Strade…Do You Know Her? By Anusha I. and Saanvi V.

Do you want to read a fascinating biography? It is about a 4th grade teacher who has taught every grade

from 1st through 6th? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Mrs. Patricia Strade was born on September 12th in Tacoma Park, Maryland. She has a husband and two

sons named Gavin and Ryan. The people who have influenced her the most and are her heroes are her par-

ents because they are kind to others. The schools that Mrs. Strade attended were Meadow Hall Elementary

School, Broom Junior High (Middle School), Rockville High School, Shepherd University, and University of

Virginia (UVA). Of course, her career choice was being a teacher.

Mrs. Strade has taught at Stone Mill for 26 years! Before that, she taught at Cold Spring Elementary

School in Potomac, Maryland for two years. Mrs. Strade has also taught at schools in Virginia, one in Char-

lottesville where she taught 2nd and 3rd grades, and the other in Winchester, where she taught for two years.

If she had to describe herself in three words, Mrs.Strade would say: optimistic, creative, and loving. Of

the most recent books that Mrs. Strade has read her favorite book is Wonder by R.J. Palacio. The Giver is one

of her favorite movies. Her favorite colors are green and purple. Her favorite food is pizza. Her preferred hobby is reading books such as

history, historical fiction, or biographies. She also enjoys scrapbooking, painting furniture, and spending time with her

family in her free time. Her favorite teacher growing up was a teacher named Mrs. Goff. Mrs. Strade liked Mrs. Goff

because she was creative and fun. She would spend her perfect day by going to the beach with her family. The place

that Mrs. Strade would like to visit the most is Ireland because that is where her ancestors came from.

Mrs. Strade is always happy except for when someone she knows passes away or when someone is being mean.

When you think about Mrs. Strade, think of the word “kind” because that is what she is: a kind person!

Mrs. Carmi Now Teaching First Grade

By Hoda H.

Mrs. Susan Carmi

is a great first grade

teacher. Hey, if you

don’t believe me, ask

her students! Before

Mrs. Carmi became a

first grade teacher she

was a Preschool Edu-

cation Program

(PEP) teacher. Before

that, she taught sec-

ond grade, reading initia-

tive and Spanish. She

credits her mom for her love of teaching be-

cause watching her mom teach influenced

her to become a teacher herself!

Mrs. Carmi thinks that it is fun to teach

different grade levels and she enjoys the

change every few years. She said that teach-

ing first grade is not a whole lot easier than

teaching second grade, just

different. So far, she loves

teaching first grade! In her

free time, Mrs. Carmi enjoys

going on walks, reading and

drinking Dr. Pepper!

All About Mrs. Cowart By Savannah R. and Sophia S.

There is someone in the school that you may not have met before. She is caring, hardworking, and

nice. Her name is Mrs. Cowart and she is Stone Mill’s fabulous speech teacher. Mrs. Cowart is 34 years old

and grew up in Maryland. She would like to be remembered as someone who always put her family first.

Mrs. Cowart was influenced the most by her parents because they taught her how to work hard.

Her favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz and her favorite book is The Giving Tree.

Mrs. Cowart loves a TV show called Homeland. Her favorite hobby is photography. She

has two sons and a pet cockapoo (puppy). She was the happiest when her two sons were

born. Mrs. Cowart’s ideal day would be to sleep in, go to the movies, and then go out to a

nice dinner. Hope you get to meet her sometime!

Photo courtesy of

Joanne Misovec.


Solution on Page 8


The Dream of Winter By Shrutha V.

Thoughts of winter bring joy to the heart,

Baking a yummy treat like a raspberry tart,

With a cup of hot cocoa, reading a book,

All day it takes, all day it took,

On a quiet evening, the sound of snow falls,

From trees, interrupted by the hoot of owl calls,

You sure are in a cozy, winter fantasy.

The evergreen trees with sugary snow all around,

In a meadow where smiling snowmen could be found,

The sound of crunching powdery white snow,

And silvery beautiful flakes to show,

With icy streams that make a wonderful painting,

Of course, air as crisp as an apple peel,

Endless joys that I’m starting to feel.

Returning home under a starry sky,

Bitter frosty big moon sky,

Or a colorful dreamy sunset sky.

I snuggle quietly in bed,

And I look through the foggy window,

Smile a little smile to myself,

Drift off to sleep, and have another dream of winter.

GETTING TO KNOW MS. COSTELLO By Rachel W. and Claire C.

When Mrs. Spinella became a reading initiative teacher at the end of the last school year, the school needed

to hire a new second grade teacher. That’s when Ms.Costello came to the rescue! Do you want to learn about

Ms.Costello and her awesome life? Then if you do, read on!

Ms. Costello was born on April 25th, right in the middle of spring. She has loving parents; an older sister,

Kelly; a younger sister, Mackenzie; and a fiancé named Pat. She went to a college called Virginia Tech. She

decided to go into teaching because she loves working with children. She has been teaching for six years, and

this is her seventh! The most recent school she taught at was London Town Elementary School. Ms. Costello's

favorite subject is math because she thinks math is both challenging and fun. She loves Stone Mill because it

feels like "one big family.” Ms. Costello encourages class participation by telling students that thinking mat-

ters and you can learn from others. She says that in order to be a great teacher, you have to be caring and nev-

er give up. Ms. Costello thinks her parents influenced her the most since they set a good ex-

ample for her.

Her favorite author is Kevin Henkes because he wrote her favorite book, Chrysanthemum. Her favorite movie is

Toy Story because her sisters watched it with her when she was little. Ms.Costello's favorite holiday is St. Patrick's Day

because she is Irish. Her favorite food is cheesy pizza with some pepperoni on top. Her favorite color is blue since it's the

color of the ocean and the sky. Ms. Costello has two dogs named Clancey and Murphy. (They are VERY adorable!) She

goes on Instagram most of the time on her iPad. The best day of her life was May 30, 2014, because that's when she got

engaged to her fiancé, Pat. She would like to be remembered as caring, funny, and positive.

Now you have learned a lot about Mrs. Costello. Be sure to say "hi" and wave to her the next time you see her in the hallway!

Indian Flag Drawing By Vanshika G., Jeanne K., and

Julieanne C.

Buying a Christmas Tree By Kristina C.

Can you find a mouse, a snowman, an elf hat, a snowflake, two hats, three smiley faces, one hand, one carpet, seven logs, the word “winter,” one circle, a rose, two windows, a heart, one gingerbread man, three gifts, and one carrot?

Christmas Hidden Picture By Sophia L. and Sophia S.


Solution on Page 8


Winter Snowflakes By Katherine S.

Covered all in snow

Snowflakes here they go

Passing all in white

Looking very bright

Jumping everywhere

Floating in the air

Keeping cold and blue

Dancing the way through

Stone Mill Girls Participate in “Girls on the Run” By Nivitha P.

“Girls on the Run” is a program for girls that promotes positive self-esteem, exercise and fitness. Many

schools in Montgomery County participate in the program, including Stone Mill. This program teaches

girls to think positive, set goals, and get exercise. The Stone Mill Girls on the Run program met on the

blacktop on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 7:45 AM for 10 weeks. Each session was structured in the

same way. First the group had a lesson about a topic such as gossip, friendship, bullying, helping the com-

munity, and positive self-talk. Then the group played a game to go with the lesson. Once the lessons and

games were done, the group warmed up and began running! On the first day, the group just ran around

the school playground. Then they started running through the neighborhood. After a while the girls ran

all the way to the pool and back!

After ten weeks of practice, the participants were ready to run a 5K! (3.1 miles) On Sunday, November

16th, the day of the run, the Stone Mill participants met in the parking lot at Montgomery Mall. The at-

mosphere was festive and music was playing. There was also a DJ who got everyone excited to run.

Finally, it was time to run. Thousands of girls and their buddies participated. They ran around stores and over a bridge. Throughout

the race, people cheered and encouraged the participants to keep going.

As part of the Girls on the Run program, each school group picks a community service project to support. The Stone Mill group select-

ed McPaw, an animal shelter that helps abandoned dogs and cats. On the Tuesday after the race a volunteer from the shelter came and

talked to the girls about what their organization does. The Stone Mill Girls on the Run group collected over $200 in pet food and toy do-

nations.

On the final day of Girls on the Run, the girls had a breakfast party. There was a lot of food and drinks. Participants received awards,

certificates and medals..

I was happy to be a part of Girls on the Run this fall. Overall it was a fun experience and I hope I can do it again. If you are a girl

in third, fourth or fifth grade, you can be a part of this experience too because it is offered again in the spring. We would also like to

thank ALL the coaches for this great experience, especially Mrs. Robyn Judelsohn who ran the Stone Mill Girls on the Run program.

Photos courtesy of Feben and Abeselom Girma.

OPINION: Stop and Think for a Moment By Feben G.

Please Stop! In my opinion, there should be a stop sign where Stonebridge Drive and Travilah Road meet.

Some Stone Mill students really want to walk or bike to school, but cannot because there is no stop sign.

Cars speed and don’t stop for any pedestrians on Travilah road, which is dangerous. At the moment, if pedestri-

ans want to cross Travilah road, they will be violating the law because it’s illegal to jaywalk. To jaywalk is to

cross the road where there is no crosswalk or stop sign. Walking is good and healthy for your body. It is also good

for the environment, because there would be less cars letting out gases that pollute the air. I asked two fourth-

grade students, Josephine and Katherine at Stone Mill and they said that they would walk or bike if it was safer. I would also

walk or bike if it was safer because I live so close to Stone Mill, but I am forced to be driven to school every day.

Therefore, having a stop sign where Travilah Road and Stonebridge Drive meet helps the environment, helps students

get more active and healthy and would make it safe and legal to walk or bike to school.

WINTER WORD SEARCH By Saurav K.

Solution on Page 8


Snowy Fun Facts By Anika S.

Don’t you love it when it snows and you have a day off?

Well, I do! Snow never falls in countries near the equator be-

cause it is too hot but it falls in other places around the world,

especially in the north where temperatures get cold enough for

snowflakes to develop. Did you know that the coldest tempera-

ture ever recorded is 135.8 degrees Fahrenheit below zero? It

happened in eastern Antarctica in 2010.

Have you ever noticed that sometimes snow appears in

colors like blue, pink, red and green? These colors occur when

snow mixes with dust particles in the air, or on the ground. For

example, algae can grow on snow making it appear more red,

orange or green. Dirt can make snow appear gray or black. Do

you already know all of this? Well, if you do but want to know

more, then you’re in luck because here comes more!

Did you know that the largest snowflake recorded meas-

ured 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick? It was found in Fort

Keogh in Montana in 1887. Also, the highest amount of snow

fallen in 24 hours happened in Silver Lake, Colorado with 76

inches of snow in December 1913! That is 6 feet 4 inches tall –

taller than the average adult!!!

In Antarctica, Eskimos have 100 words for snow! Skiers

also have a few unusual words for snow, such as “pow pow” for

light powdered snow, “champagne” for very low moisture snow

and “mashed potatoes” for dense heavy snow. Next time you

make a snowman out of heavy snow, you should say it’s made

of mashed potatoes!

Did you know that the Wapusk Trail is the largest snow

road? It’s constructed with ice and snow every January in Can-

ada and is 467 miles long! The benefit of the Trail is that it is a

dedicated road used to transport goods to other places during

the winter without having to use regular roads.

And for the grand

finale….will 10 inches of

snow melt down to 10

inches of water? Experi-

ment and see– ten inch-

es of snow will actually

melt down to only 1 inch

of water. Surprising,

huh? As you can tell,

snow really amazes me!

Our Remarkable Planets By Visha J.

Mercury - quite dusty and vast

It rotates the sun extremely fast

The closest planet to the sun

No one knows if it is fun

Venus - rocky, humongous and hot

Like an extremely huge boiling pot

Has poisonous gas to trap the heat

So hot it can cook tons of meat

Earth - such a wonderful treasure

To live on it is such a pleasure

Mostly water of a color deep blue

Only it can sustain life - that is true

Mars - the very tiny one

Weighs much more than a ton

Home to martians extremely deep

Dead as night as they sleep

Jupiter - so very huge and dry

Nice and big like a pumpkin pie

Exceptionally gray and striped all over

Amazing like the cape of Grover

Saturn - surrounded by a rocky and icy ring

It’s also the flattest planet – that’s another thing!

The last planet the naked eye can see

With hurricane-like storms, too strong for you and me

Uranus - very icy and cold

Remarkably, super bold

Filled with a superb, bright green

It makes such a beautiful scene

Neptune- pretty and blue

No one has a single clue

It rotates so very slow

Not at all like a waterfall’s flow

Pluto - the farthest planet from the sun

The mystery is: should it be one?

Has a coat of shiny grey

So dull, I don’t think you would want to stay

Facts About the Ebola Virus By Rachel W. and Claire C.

A dangerous and deadly disease has been

making news all over the world! Guess what it

is? Ebola! Don’t be afraid. This article will tell

you all about this disease and how to prevent

it.

Ebola started in Africa and got its name

from the Ebola River, which is near the village where Ebola was first

discovered. Ebola is a rare disease and is spread only through the blood

and bodily fluids of an infected person. The Ebola virus is not transmit-

ted through the air like a cold virus. The most affected countries are

Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in West Africa. If you come into con-

tact with someone who has Ebola, there are some ways to protect your-

self. You should wash your hands frequently, avoid contact with the

blood and bodily fluids of the infected person, seek medical care if you

have a fever up to 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and avoid touching the

body of someone infected with Ebola (alive or dead).

Ebola is caused by the RNA virus and there is no vaccine to prevent

nor is there a cure. Scientists are still working on a cure for this dis-

ease. Ebola is not a high risk in the USA.

Now you see that you don't have to worry about getting Ebola.

Even if you did, you now know to seek medical attention right

away.

Halloween Word Search By Ellie R.

Solution on Page 8


O’s Make Playoffs Again By Mason B. and Ryan K.

The Baltimore Orioles made the Major League Baseball (MLB) playoffs for back-to-back years. A key reason for the success of the Orioles is the sensational duo Chris Da-vis and Adam Jones. These superstars had an outstanding amount of home runs this sea-son with a total of 55 – that’s one of the best!

To get in the MLB playoffs they defeated the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox. These are three of the nation’s finest teams!

The Orioles infield is in the top 5 out of 30 teams which may seem really small but it is really challenging. Third baseman Manny Machado won the “Golden Glove” which is an award giv-en for best fielder in each position.

The Orioles are one of the best baseball teams. Who do you think will beat them in the playoffs? Could it be Kansas City? Yes, Kansas City did in fact beat them. Looking forward to seeing them play again in 2015.

First Round Loss for Nationals By Logan J.

This has been a very sad post-season for the Washington Nationals baseball team. Let me tell you about it: the Nats clinched the post-season very early, and then soon after that the Nats clinched the best record in the National League (that means the Nats play the wild card team).

The Nats played the San Francisco Giants. The Giants won the first two games so that meant the Nats had to win three straight games. The Nats won one, and then tragically lost. I know many people were hoping the Nationals would win a World Series title, including me.

There were some good achievements during the regular sea-

son. For example, Jordan Zimmerman threw a no hitter. But still, the Nats were not able to win during the playoffs. I don’t think pitching was the problem, though it could have been better. The

Nats best pitcher in the post season was Doug Fister. He pitched 7 scoreless innings in the third game for the 4-1 victory. I think hitting was an

issue for the Nats. Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon hit exceptionally well, but none of the other good hitters, such

as Dennard Span, hit well. Now you know how the Nats tragically lost in the post season.

FAREWELL 2 THE CAPTAIN By Samantha G.

One of the greatest baseball players in Major League Baseball history just finished his career. Derek Jeter started his New York Yankees career in 1995 and stayed with the Yankees until his retirement in September of 2014. He played shortstop for ALL 20 seasons!

In his last game at Yankee Stadium, in the 9th inning, the Yankees were winning 5-2 against the Ori-oles but ended up giving up the lead to the Orioles with a 5-5 score. In the bottom of the 9th, however, the Yankees leadoff hitter reached second base. Guess what happened next? In Derek Jeter’s final Yankee

Stadium at-bat he hit a single to the right field and his teammate scored!!! Derek Jeter made the winning hit and the Yankees won 6-5!

All the current Yankees ran out of the dugout to congratulate Derek. Former teammates Mariano Rivera, Andy Pet-titte, Jorge Posada and Tino Martinez along with his former manager, Joe Torre, were there to celebrate. He couldn’t have ended his last game at Yankee Stadium any better! We will all miss Derek Jeter, a true baseball legend. See you in the Hall of Fame.

A Homerun for “Million Dollar Arm” By Ryan K. and Mason B.

Million Dollar Arm is a Disney movie

based on a true story. It is about two

cricket players from India who are dis-

covered there by an American pro sports

agent who comes up with a brilliant

idea. He takes them with him to Ameri-

ca to play baseball and they end up be-

coming the newest baseball stars!

The main characters are sports agent

J.B. Bernstein and cricket-turned-

baseball players, Dinesh and Rinku.

While in America, Dinesh and Rinku

find that their favorite food is cheesy,

delicious pizza. We love pizza too!

We give Million Dollar Arm five out of five gold stars. The ac-

tors were very believable. The main idea of the movie was to

“never give up” which is really important for kids to learn. Also,

it was about baseball, which is one of our favorite sports.

Who came up with this story? Screenwriter Tom McCarthy.

We watch a lot of sports-related movies, and can recommend

other good ones such as Sandlot and Rookie of the Year. You can

rent them from Netflix, iTunes and Amazon.com.

In conclusion, we loved Million Dollar Arm. You should watch

it too!

P Y Q G J H A S T C F E S M R Y Z I D P

L H O X K E T D E W R A T V R E R Q N F

S I Y J B U C K A O M K M A J P C Q C S

D K R S D R P O C F U K R K J J L E H B

E S I E I E C O H I S B R Y W X Q Q S O

T S N R S C T R E R I U Q K J D L T I S

N T M L U Y A K R L C Q S I C J N G L P

S H M D B Q H L S T A G U I B B V Y G K

P T X M S T I G E N E P Y M N A U U N D

V L T V L C U B T D F M A Z M X J P E Y

H T A M B R L F Y X U G K M D L V L W N

U C D U A Q B M X J C C X D K X U A J I

T V D P K V Q B G R F B A N M N I I Y T

Y N Q D S V B B W Y G I U T C D Z Z T W

D O Y P E X T S I J B N I H I L I F O L

E C N E I C S G Z B X M I Y N O W U Q U

E V X A R B H C A R W J J D C F N R T M

T I G N D X U O D T O Z Y R A H D N X Z

W R I T I N G Y N Y R Z V Q O E P Z I B

G N M V Q S C O B W M A E I B M R V M G

ART BUS

ENGLISH LIBRARY

LUNCH MATH

MUSIC PHYSICAL EDUCATION

READING RECESS

SCIENCE STUDENTS

TEACHERS WRITING

SCHOOL DAYS By Eknoor K.

Solution on Page 8

STONE MILL NEWSPAPER CLUB

Fourth Graders:

Mason B. • Drew B. • Peyton B. • Kristina C. • Claire C. •

Grace C. • Sophia F. • Amir G. • Feben G. • Samantha G.•

Adam H. • Anusha I. • Vishal J. • Zaina K.• Saurav K. • Ryan

K. • Adam L. • Madelyn L. • Nathan L. • Sophia L. • Samuel

M. • Maddy O. • Savannah R. • Ellie R.• Vanessa R. • Sophie

S. • Sophia S. • Sophia S. • Anika S. • Katherine S. • Irene T.

• Hailey T. • Saanvi V. • Alexei V. • Rachel W. • Ella W. •

Maxim Z.

Fifth Graders:

Alexis A. • Ryan B. • Julieanne C. • Casey C. • Trevor C. •

Alexandra D. • Ethan F. • Vanshika G. • Iris G. • Hoda H. •

Logan J. • Eknoor K. • Jeanne K. • Kathleen L. • Jordan N. •

Nivitha P. • Varun S. • Shrutha V. • Amanda W.

Advisors:

Nicole Bernard • Joanne Misovec • Jill Needleman

ANSWER KEY


Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies By Kathleen L.

Have you ever wondered how to make chocolate chip cookies? Well here's a recipe just for you!

All you need are these simple ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ cup granulated white sugar

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups (295 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Optional - 1 cup walnuts or almonds, finely chopped

Directions for Making Them:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, beat butter until soft and fluffy. Add the white and brown sugar to the butter and mix until creamy. Add in eggs, one at a time, making sure to mix well after each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Scape down sides as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradual-ly add the dry ingredients into the batter, mixing together after each addition. Add in the chocolate chips (and nuts if using) about halfway through mixing. If the dough is too soft, cover the dough and refrigerate until firm (around 30 minutes to 2 hours).

Use an ice-cream scooper or 2 spoons to place dough onto the baking sheet. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough (35 grams) onto the prepared sheets. Bake for about 10-14 minutes de-pending on the heat of your oven or until golden brown around the edges. Cool down on a wire rack.

And there you have your delicious chocolate chip cookies!

This recipe makes around 4 dozen, 3-inch round cookies. Enjoy!

Winter Word Jumble Answers

1. snow

2. winter

3. snowman

4. hot chocolate

5. freezing

6. snowflake

7.gloves

8. December

9. chilly

10. fireplace

GOOD reviews for

such a bad day

By Logan J. and Jordan N.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very

Bad Day is the movie adaptation of the beloved children’s

book of the same name. The movie improves on the book,

therefore turning an okay book into a pretty good movie.

This movie is about Alexander (age 11) who wishes

his family would know what it feels like to have a very bad

day. He wishes this because he is cursed with bad luck

most of the time and the rest of his family is very lucky.

Alexander’s mom writes a book and when it gets published

accidentally the letter “j” in jump is replaced with a “d” for

dump which makes for some funny reading of her book.

You will have to see the movie to find out why this is so

funny.

Another funny part is when the family is at a Japa-

nese restaurant where they

cook at the table. Alexan-

der’s dad’s sleeve catches on

fire and he dunks it in the

fish tank to put it out. We

think this movie appeals to

people of all ages and we

give it a 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

HELP WANTED

Are you a Stone Mill parent that would love to volunteer to help with newspaper club? Do you have Microsoft Publisher experience? We are looking for a parent who can help layout each issue of the paper (3 times per year—only two more left for this school year).

For more information, please email Joanne Misovec at [email protected].

Other masthead entries for this issue:

Top: By Grace C. and Irene T.

Bottom: By Vanshika G., Jeanne K., &

Julieanne C.

School Days Winter Word Search

december 2014 first boosterthon fun run a...

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