explorers’ the compass · syam r. “mrs. spring thinks about our feelings a lot!” said dawson...

EXPLORERS’COMPASS

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Thursday, June 16, 2011 Vol. 2, no. 3newTon-lee elemenTary school newspaper

A2 FuturaA3 FieldTripA4 ChangesinNLESA5 TaxDayA6 RetiringoftheFlagA8 OurSchoolA10 AfterSchoolHappeningsA13 SpiritA14 SOLA15 HotTopicsA15 Cartoon

naVigaTion

Newton-Lee’sFlaghasbeenretired.SeemoreofthestoryonpageA6.

changes in Fifth gradeBy: Meghana B.

“Mrs. Haberlin is funny and nice!” said Syam R. “Mrs. Spring thinks about our feelings a lot!” said Dawson D. Fifth grade faced many changes towards the end of the year. One of them was the changes of two teachers: Mrs. Babb and Mrs. Rutter. Mrs. Babb had to leave to have her baby and the long-term substitute for class is Mrs. Spring. The teacher next door, Mrs. Rutter, had to leave, and her substitute is Mrs. Haberlin.

Mrs. Babb suddenly left school on Wednesday, March 16th. She had her baby on the 17th of March (St. Patrick’s Day!) between 1:15 and 1:20 P.M. and named him Nathan. All the students miss her a lot! “I was sad, depressed….but happy for her and I miss her enthusiasm.” said Dawson D. Many students say that the transition between the two teachers

wasn’t that hard. “I was anxious to know the substitute, so I wasn’t so stressed. But I am going to miss Mrs. Babb, the way she helps…and her shoes!!!” says Rachel H. Andrew P. said that he was just scared that the substitute may be mean, and he was going to miss Mrs. Babb helping him in writing. On the other hand, Dawson D. said that the transition wasn’t even hard, because he lived his own life and the only thing different was the teacher.

Mrs. Spring arrived while the students were at music. “I was very excited for the opportunity,” said Mrs. Spring, “The transition wasn’t hard, and I think we all adjusted quickly.”

When Mrs. Rutter left, Matthew S. said that he didn’t know what was happening. “We didn’t know what to feel…thought it

» See Recycle, pg. 2

recyclingBy: Julia K.

The bell rings loudly on Friday as kids walk through the hallway down to the door near the cafeteria. They slip on plastic gloves, grab a giant trashcan, and race towards their routes. They pick up the paper and plastic outside the classroom doors. They finish their route, and rush back to the starting door. They run out towards the big recycling bins. Then, they dump the other recycling in the big bins, before hurrying inside to wash their hands. They walk as fast as they can without running to get to their classroom before they’re too late. These people are part of Newton-Lee’s recycling team!

What is the Recycling Committee? It’s a complicated system where certain students are chosen to collect the school’s recycling. There are 4 teams, each containing fifth and fourth graders. Each group needs to go to their route which they are assigned to and they are supposed to collect the

» See Changes pg. 4

a2 The Explorers’ Compass | June 16, 2011 June 16, 2011 | The Explorers’ Compass a3

NOTE:

TheExplorers’CompassisthepublicationofthePTONewspaperClubofNewton-LeeElementarySchoolinAshburn,Virginia.Thenewspaperservesasavehicleforstudentexpressionandisanopenforumofissuesofinteresttotheschoolcommunity.Articlesreflecttheopinionoftheauthor,butdonotnecessarilyrepresenttheopinionofthestaff,administration,orschoolboardofLoudounCounty.AllgraphicsandphotographsarethepropertyofNewton-LeeElementarySchoolandarenottobereproducedordistributedwithoutwrittenconsent.

The explorers’ compass sTaFF

NoorA.YasmineA.RohitB.TaylorB.AndrewC.SarahC.RobD.TonyD.MeredithF.MiaG.CarolineH.KareemH.RushilJ.AlexK.RamK.

SaishaK.InayaM.StevenM.JordanP.KaylaS.SupriyeS.CollinT.EshaT.ErinU.GabbyV.SwethaV.JoshW.KatieW.HuntleighZ.

EditorsRachelR.MeghanaB.MeghaY.

Club AdvisorsMrs.ReinerMrs.FornatoraMrs.Mugford

Ms.Reiner

Staff Writers

Field TripsFuturaBy: Megha y. and Rushil J.

A school bus pulls up to Belmont Station Elementary School. But, there aren’t Belmont Station students riding it. There are actually Futura students riding in the bus. Futura is a program for kids who enjoy an academic challenge. Students who go to Futura leave Newton-Lee at 8:50 and go to Belmont Station on Friday mornings. Only 4th and 5th graders go to Futura. The two teachers are Mr. Zierk and Mrs. Lynch.

Once the Futura kids enter the school, they go to Mr. Zierk’s room to unpack. The second Futura teacher, Mrs. Lynch, takes several students down to her room for Independent Learning Centers (ILCs). ILCs are activities that the students do. Examples

of ILCs in Mrs. Lynch’s room are Reading, Art Exploration, Electricity, and Game Strategist. Examples of ILCs in Mr. Zeirk’s room are Mammals, World War 2, and Frank Loyd Wright.

The studends also study a new composer every week. Every Friday, The Futura students listen to music by famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven. While the students are listening to the music, they complete a warm up called CPS. Most of the time, it is Sudoku, a word puzzle. Then there is WWW, which is when they find the meaning of two new words and write it in their composition books.

The students became members of ‘clans’ during their unit on Empires. The clans are the Medes, Persians, Hitites, Babylonians, and Phoenicians. The clans all live in Mesopotamia. They truly lived hundreds of years ago. But in Futura, they act like they are actually living a long time ago. Every person in the clan has a job like artisan, general, scribe, priest, and ruler. The general’s job is to decide where to move on a big map. The map has pictures of ziggurats (temples) that show where the cities are. There are also pictures of resources like corn, camels, and iron.

After Empires, there is recess. After recess, it’s time for dismissal. Then the Futura students return to Newton-Lee.

plastic and paper. These routes change every once in a while.

What do you do in recycling other than collect stuff? It sounds pretty boring, right? WRONG!! You don’t just collect stuff, you collect recycling and help the Earth! There is a huge difference! You have to be ready to carry “100 ton loads” as Colleen Choi, recycling member, said. To be on the recycling team, you have to use teamwork. If you don’t, everything will fall apart. Last year, a team member had to drag a paper-filled bag. It exploded and made a huge mess. If they used teamwork,

they could have been able to carry it, and keep it from exploding. Here is a list of the current recycling team: Megha R., Colleen C., Aidan D., Stephen D., Brendan H., Julia K., Rosemary L., Taylor Z., Gabby V.. Divya S., Olivia C., Jack L., Alex C., Sam R., Amritesh Vo. Meghana B., Meredith F., Dawson D., Madison R., Eric M., Gabi K., Caroline S., Malley M., and Nicole B., Dominic F., Rohan P., and Kerrigan Walsh. All these people helped Newton-Lee get the Energy Star award two times in a row!

Pretty long list, right? Well, we need all the help we can get when it comes to recycling. REDUCE REUSE, RECYCLE!

3rd grade field trip

By: andRew C.

On Monday, April eleventh, the 3rd graders were excited to go take a field trip to Mt. Vernon. The weather was hot and sunny oustide. The 3rd graders had lots of fun when they watched “A Bug’s Life” on the bus ride. When they got there, they saw another movie about the Revolutionary War. After they watched the movie, they passed by some outhouses. They took a tour of what is said to be the original building and some other houses. While on the tour, they were taught quick facts about Mt. Vernon. Then, they went in George Washington’s house. It was very decorative inside and there was a tour guide in the house. The tour guide told the group facts about the historical house. There were many bedrooms in the spacious house. When they were done, they went on the bus to eat their lunch. While they ate on the bus, they watched “Beauty and the Beast”. Third grade had a fun time and they were rewarded with extra recess. This was a fun day they will never forget.

FaVoriTe spoT

Ms. Bateman and Mrs. Casten’s classes were asked what their favorite place at Mount Vernon was. These are the results. Mt. Vernon house 15

Garden 11

Back Porch 15

The Out Buildings 5

Other 4

4th grade Field TripsToRy and PhoTos By: Tony d

Road Trip! The fourth grade students took a trip to Richmond on March 7. All three buses left at about 6:00 am. The trip was about two and a half hours. After watching a movie, the busses arrived at the delegates’ chamber in Richmond, Virginia.

The fourth grade learned all about the American Indians who live/lived in Virginia. They did a craft and saw a lot of clothes and tools that the Virginia Indians used.

When they went to the capital, all of fourth grade went into the delegate chamber and met Mr. Greason, the delegate for Ashburn. Mr. Greason spoke about the chamber, where everyone sits, and what he does in the delegate chamber. Every fourth grade student got to vote and press the button. Daniel S. said he had a lot of fun on the Richmond field trip. The fourth grade learned all about Virginia’s government and history at the capital. The Fourth grade returned about 5:00 pm. Mrs. Lebel said, “It was great.”

Newton-Leefourthgradersroleplayingbillpassing.

mr. greason talkedtothestudentsabouthisexperiencesasourdelegate.

happy Retirement to Ms. Males and Ms. o’Byrne!

Thanks for all of your work!

recycle


Changes at nles

awww, where’s the Treats?By: KaTie w.

Brick paversBy: Kayla s.

Tax dayBy: Caroline h.

was a joke!” said Joshua W. Syam R. said, “I was extremely sad, but the transition wasn’t hard!” Mrs. Haberlin became the long term substitute for Mrs. Rutter on February 20th. “I was sad that Mrs. Rutter left, but happy the school chose me. I love teaching the class, even though the transition was hard and I had to make sure they were learning right where they left off,” said Mrs. Haberlin.

Changing teachers was a challenge that fifth grade faced. Everyone misses Mrs. Babb and Mrs. Rutter, but the students like Mrs. Spring and Mrs. Haberlin and are having a great time with them!!!

changes

“NLE rocks!” That’s what Owen, from Mrs. Richard’s class, had written on a brick dedicated to him and his family.

The Memorial Garden is part of Newton-Lee’s landscaping project. If you turned in a blue form for bricks, you can have a brick dedicated to you and your family in the Memorial Garden. The brick can have anything you want to include written on it. A lot of kids that turned it in said that it was very exciting to have their own brick with their names on it in the Memorial Garden. The bricks are very special to all of the students here at Newton-Lee.

Mrs. Mohkiber has gotten about 140 brick order forms, but was hoping for 200. She had hoped to give all the teachers a brick with their names on it. So far, she said that this project is her favorite out of all the projects she has done in the past. She can’t wait until it’s finished! Mrs. Mohkiber is also going to help with the planting and other work in the Memorial Garden.

All of the bricks will become a path inside the Memorial Garden which is near the bus loop. In honor of what

our school is named after, Memorial Garden is truly dedicated to Mr. Newton and Mr. Lee, but the brick pavers would be for the students. The new bridge that has been donated by the current fifth graders will also be part of the new Memorial Garden in front of our school. The Memorial Garden is decorated with red, white, and blue flowers at the front. There will also be many more colorful flowers, trees, and two benches placed to sit on. The brick path will go from one garden to the bridge, and then it will go from the bridge to the other garden.

Most kids have no idea that they have a brick devoted to them. Their parents bring the forms to the school and drop them off there. Parents say they want their kids to be very surprised when they see their bricks. It is going to be very interesting and exciting when the garden is finished.

You should look forward to having a brick in the Memorial Garden with your name on it! Students and teachers cannot wait to see the beautiful brick path! Did you see what has been done so far in the memorial garden?

Last year, the Loudon County Board of Education decided to change the rules about allowing treats in schools. Some kids are eating foods that cause other students to suffer allergic reactions. All schools in Virginia participate in this rule because First Lady, Mrs. Obama believes that all kids should stay active and eat healthy. Mrs. Winters thinks this rule is good but there are difficulties

with it too. She wants the students to have fun. She also wants students with allergies to be safe.

Many schools had times when students got seriously sick due to allergic reactions. An example happened just last year, a student at Newton-Lee had to go to the hospital because a mother brought in iced tea. Little did she know that iced tea contains wheat. So, the

lesson learned is that everyone must check the food label before bringing food to school.

It’s good for the school to be concerned about allergies, so students can learn in a healthy climate. Now, children with allergies can feel safer and not excluded.

300 100

2575

Cha-ching. Better pay your taxes. How would you feel if you got taxed for silly things like wearing jeans or watching a movie? Well, that’s exactly what Newton-Lee fourth grade students went through on Tax Day.

“The students were taxed for things like wearing jeans, reading or getting books from the school, water bottles, textiles, and even jewelry and glasses,” said Mrs. LeBel. She also said, “The students felt how the colonists felt when they got taxed with no representation.” Many students were very angry and frustrated when they were being taxed. Several students went

to “jail” when they ran out of money or decided to revolt.

What did they use for taxes you ask? Well some students used chips while others used Skittles. Yes, Skittles. The students even got to eat them at the end of the day. Mrs. Reiner’s students were able to use their chips at the end of the day to buy food or objects from a “Olde Time Shoppe”.

There are still taxes in the real world, but unlike the colonies and Britain we do have representation in our government. Better save up your money or even your Skittles for the future.

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2575

milk FlavorsTony P and TayloR B.

500 students ordered milk and the following are the results are the number of milk orderd.

1% milk

chocloate milk

skim milk

strawberry milk

nles collectred suplliesforthemilitary..PhotobyJosh


our grand old Flag retires By: Rushil J. and KaReeM h.

The most popular gameBy: RohiT.B

Twap! Bunk! Swish! Bam! Thonk! Do you know what to play for recess? There is football, kickball, basketball, and many other games. Newton-Lee had many popular activities participated in during recess!

Most kids like outdoor games, such as football or soccer. Lately, kids are starting to play basketball a lot. Kickball and Tag are also very fun games. You can also play hopscotch or just draw with a piece of chalk. Kids who like to stay indoors can also have fun by making crafts. You could make mustaches or goatees, glasses or hats, and millions of other things. You

can also spend recess by having fun on the computer. The computer has fun activities like Pixie, Type to Learn, and others. You could also build blocks and participate in many indoor board games. You could build the Washington Monument, or the White House with the blocks. You could even draw dragons or knights, kings or queens, or even your own face. You could draw anything you like.

Recess at Newton-Lee is very fun and open-ended. Well, now you know what you can play for your next recess, and the next, and the next, and the next, and the next, and the next…

The Third grade performanceBy: saRah C. and hunTleigh Z.

Hola! Have you traveled around the USA?

If not, there was a great offer. The Third Grade Performance! Third grade started their performance by representing New England and ended in Hawaii. Third grade had their performance on the Great American Road Trip, which is this year’s theme. Mrs. Nachlas said that the music teachers and specialists did so much amazing work and put forth a lot of hard work. Grace G. , from third grade, said that the performance was fun and cool.

The third grade performance included a lot of different American landmarks and songs. It starts with going to Boston. Next, third grade sang “New York, New York”, “Alabama Gal” with its farm dance. Later, “Sweet Potatoes” and “Mango Walk” combined in a round form representing Louisiana. The calm and cool “Carolina in the Morning” was. Then, the dance with the star formation followed; the “Yellow Rose of Texas” was sung next. Then, third grade sang “Route 66”. Have you heard of it? There is also “California,

Here I Come” including Hollywood and where it makes its movies. Let’s do the “Hukilau” representing Hawaii, the 50th state. Then, “Something To Sing About “and “ Now On the Road Again” was performed. After that experience, you won’t have to go across the United States anymore thanks to third grade!!!

Crackle, Crackle! Everyone is standing around a fire pit with their hands over their hearts. They are absolutely still. No one is talking. What is happening? Newton-Lee’s Cub Scouts, Pack 1445, is retiring the school flag. It is worn out and torn, so it is being retired respectfully. All levels of Cub Scouts of the pack participate in this special ceremony.

First, the Tiger Den brings the current flag down and takes it to the cutting table. Then, the fourth grade Webelos cut the flag according to established guidelines. The United States Flag must be cut into four parts. It must first be cut in half lengthwise, then in half widthwise. The Virginia flag is also brought over. It is cut into thirds.

The second step in the flag retirement process is to carefully burn it. After the fourth grade Webelos cut the flags, they brought the sections to a small fire pit. There, the fifth grade Webelos, with the help of Mr. Fornatora, who is an Eagle Scout too, put the pieces into the flames. While the flag is burning, the National Anthem plays while the Scouts salute. The fifth grade Webelos, carry the retired flags’ ashes, now boxed, to the newly planted memory garden

The members of Wolf Den and Bear Den hoist two new flags as “Taps” is played. The new U.S. flag was presented to Newton-Lee by Delegate Tag Greason. This flag is special because it has flown over the Capital Building before. Finally, Principal Winters made some remarks.

The ceremony of the flag retirement was a big event for Loudoun County. Dr. Michael Martin, the Director of Elementary Education, and two newspaper reporters, from The Loudoun Times Mirror and Leesburg Today saw the event.

This was a very memorable event for Newton-Lee Elementary and Loudoun County. As Mrs. Nichols said, “This has been a very honorable moment for Newton-Lee, and will never ever be forgotten.”


do you Know our school?

1) about how many murals are there in n.l.e.?

A) 2 muralsB) 12 muralsC) 9 muralsD) 4 murals

2) how many pavers (bricks) are in the new memorial garden?

A) 110 paversB) 80 paversC) 115 paversD) 20 pavers

3) how many classes go the library a day?

A) 6 classesB) 2 classesC) 8 classesD) 32 classes

4) about how many bingo nights are there in a year?

A) 7 bingo nightsB) 2 bingo nightsC) 12 bingo nightsD) 1 bingo night

5) about how many paper rolls does n.l.e. go through a week?

A) 8 rollsB) 6 rollsC) 1 roll D) 17 rolls

6) how much garbage does n.l.e. go through a week?

A) 10 dumpsters fullB) 5 dumpsters fullC) 4 dumpsters fullD) 1 dumpster full

7) about how many classes at n.l.e go to art a day?

A) 6B) 10C) 5D) 12

answers: 1-d, 2-F,3-G,4-H,5-B,6-C,7-A,8-E

a B c d

e F g h

answers: 1-B, 2-A,3-C,4-B,5-A,6-C,7-C

68

5

2

3

7

14

CoMPiled By: RaChel R., Josh w., and sweTha v.


after school happenings cooking clubBy: nooR a.

What’s the best part of cooking club? To Rachel Z, the best part is licking. This is what cooking club is about.

Cooking Club is a club where you cook delicious deserts. Mr. Falso & Mrs. Jones teach Cooking Club. Mr. Falso & Mrs. Jones said that they have made Oreo Balls, Hot Chocolate, granola, and other foods. Cooking Club meets after school on Tuesdays. They make the food in Mrs. Jones’ classroom. If you walk by, you might smell a delicious aroma coming from the classroom. Nicole B. said, “I attended Cooking Club because I want to learn how to cook.”

Have you ever thought about Cooking Club giving food to the lunch ladies so that they can sell all those delicious deserts made by kids in Cooking Club? Well, Mr. Cadwell said, “It would be a very interesting idea. I think that it would be a great economical thing for students to do. It would be a great business.” So, if you see something that doesn’t look like a regular lunchtime dessert in the future, you know it came from the kids in cooking club.

If you want to learn how to make deserts in cooking club and you are a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader, grab the opportunity to join cooking club now.

stacking cups Faster Than the speed of sound

By: RaM K.

After school, the people in sports stacking stack faster than they ever did. This is afterschool Advanced Sports Stacking club.

What is cup stacking? Cup stacking is basically a race to see who can stack a pattern of cups the fastest. The world record for the cycle in cup stacking is 5.93 seconds made by Steven P. The point of cup stacking is it’s a game of speed. The official name for cup stacking is sports stacking.

Bob Fox is the founder of sports stacks. Sports stacks originated in the early 1980’s in Southern California. Bob Fox used to be a teacher in Colorado. He traveled around the United States of America showing P.E. teachers sports stacking.

Some benefits of sports stacking are there are over 70 based fitness activities to do with the cup stacks. It helps people’s eye-hand coordination. It also helps people concentrate more. It raises people’s self-esteem. It will motivate you to work much harder in P.E. Sports stacking can also help in reading and math skills too.

The after school cup stacking club is about 1 hour every Friday for 6 weeks. The cup stacking tournament is not going to be held. The reason the tournament is not going to be held because there are too many students to play in the tournament, and it takes too much work to set up the tournament. Instead we’re going to have a club competition on March 18th or the last day of the club. There will be 3-3-3, 3-6-3, cycle, etc.

Everybody likes sports stacking, even Mrs. Nichols who said, “It’s very exciting!” Will you break the world record for the cycle?

Record Holdersactivity runner up Time

3-3-3 rushil J. 3.63

3-6-3 Kendall N. 4.55

cycle Kendall N. 12.83

don’t Fall downBy: MeRediTh F.

Did you know Legos are a type of art? Mr. Sprengel now conducts a club that teaches kids the art of Legos. Every Monday (1st and 2nd graders) and every Tuesday (3rd graders and up), Lego club occurs. Mr. Sprengel said, “I wanted to start Lego club because a lot of people enjoy playing with Legos. It’s a club I have never offered before, and it can be both a toy and an art.”

Mr. Sprengel’s art room is bustling with students every day, but it is especially busy on Lego club days. “I knew this club was going to be this popular,” said Mr. Sprengel. Some kids in his club built some very cool things. Dawson D. built an island resort, Christopher C. built a Star Wars Droid, Joey D. built a 5ft. tower, and Sydney B. built a person walking out of Best Buy. All of the students in his club have different opinions about Lego club. Dawson D. says it is very creative. All of the students think Lego club is the best club ever.

Lego club is a very popular club. According to Mr. Sprengel,” Lego club is all about creativity and having fun.” Lego club is right for you if you love to show your creativity.

Knitting and Backyard games

By: alex K.

Wow! Newton-Lee had two new clubs available. Knitting for Beginners with Mrs. Corson, and Backyard Games with Mr. K. It sounds so fun.

Students think Best Backyard Games is the best because it has Bocce, Kan jam, net tennis, horse shoes, Frisbee golf, and last but not least, tag games.

Mr. K is on the move. In the Best Backyard Games, students do not play normal games that most people think of. Instead they play unique games that most have not heard of before.

Students think Knitting for Beginners is awesome for other kids because it is fun to learn how to knit. Mrs. Corson teaches how to make book marks out of yarn. Her knitting for beginners is learning fast.

In Knitting for Beginners, they make cool things out of yarn. They are the best. Mrs. Corson is using yarn from sheep. Students can try it at their houses.

Stackingclubstudentssharpentheirskils.PhotobyRamK.

The PTO sponsors After

School Programs that vary

from sports to cooking and

knitting. Students can sign up

on the NLES Website. This

page is an overview of some of

the new clubs that have begun

this year.

StudentssamplethesweetsucessoftheirCookingClubsession.PhotobyNoorA.

Congrats 5th grade! we will miss you. good luck in Middle

school.

-newton lee staff


a unique class

saisha K.

Imagine you don’t have any friends because you are different, you are different because you don’t understand what to do. In NLE there is a different type of class. It is an Autistic class. Autistic children are similar to you or me, they just react differently.

Instead of learning the same things as everyone else, each child works on a different thing. One may be learning how to spell, and the other may be learning how to cut. These kids need special objects like swings in the classroom. The children in this class may make some strange noises like ‘ooey,ooey.’ These children may cry so they might need something to calm them down. The children in this class need closed places where they can work because they might get up and run around.

These kids are like us. They like to play and go to school. They work hard , but their minds are different. They cannot speak. We should not make fun of them. It is not that they are so different. They still could get embarrassed if you laugh at them. They were just unique just like you and me.

BasketballBy: Megha y.

3, 2, 1 the buzzer goes off! Cheers erupt from one side of the stands. NLE fans run onto the court to congratulate their teachers and staff. The final score was 46-41 in Newton-Lee’s favor. At the basketball game, the cheerleaders, students, and staff showed their spirit.

This basketball game was on Saturday, March 26th, 2011. For the first two periods, Newton-Lee was behind. But, that didn’t last long! After the cheerleaders pumped up their spirit, NLE was winning! With a final dribble, and swish, the buzzer went off, and NLE had won the game! Every kid and teacher was excited when they heard the news.

What did the teachers think about the basketball game? Ms. Clark and Ms. Edwards thought there was no pressure. “It was just a game,” said Ms. Edwards. All three of them thought that there was good teamwork. Ms. Clark said,” The teachers worked very well together,”

Students were at the basketball game too. The stands were full of cheering fans. There were student cheerleaders who made the half time show a lot of fun for everyone. Was it hard to learn everything for the cheerleading show? Alice K, a cheerleader, said “No, because the moves were kind of easy,” .The students and staff represented the school by wearing school colors and making a lot of noise. Hunter P. had Newton-Lee pom poms at the game.

After the half time show, they had people buy tickets for one dollar each, write their names on them, and then they stuck it in a big jar. Mrs. Mokhiber helped with the drawing. The winners got a signed basketball. The basketball was signed by the administration that participated in the NLE basketball game. Only 6 basketballs were given away and only 6 families were lucky.

Newton-Lee played an awesome game. All of the students, cheerleaders, and staff worked hard. Most of all, everybody had fun. So, next year, instead of sitting at home all day, you should go to the NLE basketball game, and have some fun. Who knows, maybe you will win an item they give away next year.

pajama BingoBy: eRin u. and esha

“Bingo, Bingo!” a student screamed across the gym. He had won Pajama Bingo.On Friday, February 11, at seven o’clock there was Pajama Bingo. Newton-Lee

students bought tickets to raise money for the Newton-Lee PTO. 372 bingo tickets were sold and 375 people attended. Pajama Bingo was sold out. The fifth grade bought the most tickets out of all the grades.

Some students enjoyed Pajama Bingo because, if you got bingo, you got a prize of your choice. Some prizes include Moon Dough, glow sticks, Barbie dolls, glitter glue, and Squinkies.

“Pajama Bingo is fun because you get to go with your friends, win prizes, and eat junk food,” said Megan U.

She was correct. There was a bake sale so students and their families could buy treats. These treats were provided by PTO parents. They made or bought treats to sell at the bake sale. They had other things too, like, soda, chips, and popcorn.

Not only did students participate in bingo, teachers participated too. Some teachers include Miss Dawson, Miss Burnui, Mr. Sprengel, Miss Winters, Mr. Cadwell, and Miss Nichols. Parents also participated. They came to bingo with their children and purchased bingo tickets. Some teachers have participated in bingo every time like Mr. Cadwell. “I’ve participated in bingo 12 times,” said Mr. Cadwell.

Luckily, Newton-Lee raised enough money for the school. Pajama Bingo was a very successful event. Many students are looking forward to the next Pajama Bingo. Make sure you buy your tickets next year.

Fourthgradestudent’sinnovativesciencefairproject.

Veggiepowerdonebyastudent.

science FairPhoTo By MRs. ReineR

we have spirit. how about you?

FirstGradecelebratesCrazyHairDay.FifthgradestudentscelebratingMixN’MatchDay.

mrs. diemar’s caneBy: TayloR B.

Clunk, clunk! Did you hear that? Well, if you did, then you know it’s the sound of Mrs. Diemar’s cane. She had a couple different opinions of the cane. Some are favorable, but most are not.

“As my class knows, I’m not happy to have a cane. However I don’t have an option at this time because it’s supporting to my knees. I have it because of two weak knees, and the doctor told me, ‘Without the cane you could fall down!”

When Mrs. Diemar was asked if she had a funny story about the cane, she didn’t. But she did say, “it constantly keeps

falling down.” She can’t wait to be free from using the cane; however her doctor wants to operate on her right knee first. After the operation, she hopefully won’t have to use the cane anymore. When this happens, Mrs. Diemar said she would, “feel very free and extremely happy.”And

Students in Mrs. Diemar’s class have been concerned about her as well. “I feel kind of bad,” John

H. said. Kailey M. agreed, “I feel very awful because she can’t walk, and she looks like she’s hurting.”


hot TopicsHave fun finding these words that were used in our newspaper.

did you hear That?By: gaBBy v

mascot Background

By: suPRiya s.

In Art class, have you ever been distracted by Newton-Lee’s out of this world mascot? Our mascot is the Explorer, a green, blue, and silver spaceship. It was founded in 2005 prior to the school opening. There was input from the staff and students in elementary schools that make up NLE. The Compass Rose is also part of the mascot.

The students in elementary schools that make up NLE (Seldens Landing and Ashburn Elementary) got to vote for the mascot that went with our motto “On a voyage to success”. “The motto means ‘to help students learn and be successful in and out of school’. And it takes time so it’s like a journey,” said Mr. Cadwell, our vice principal.

Mrs. Boyd, our former principal, and Mr. Cadwell had to decide what logo to represent the mascot. “Ms. O’Byrne, the librarian helped too. She had a catalog of ideas,” said Ms. Males, the computer lab teacher. Ms. Males helped design the logo in a drawing program on the computer.

The compass means your voyage in school could go in new directions. The spaceship means traveling for new destinations. Mrs. Boyd, Mr. Cadwell, Ms. O’Byrne, and Ms. Males picked the spaceship because it goes longer and further rather than a rocket ship that just goes straight up.

race to the governor’s

house By: Colin T.

Do you know what the Governor’s Race is? Governor’s Race is a set of 9 tests. It helps you review the social studies you learn all year for the Sol’s. If you get an A on your test, you get 20 minutes of extra recess. If you get a B on your test, you get 10 minutes of extra recess. If you get a C, D, F, you get no extra recess. If you get a D or F, you have to retake your test. Only fourth graders take these tests. There is also a poster in the 4th grade hall that keeps track of what class is in what place. Horses with the beginning letter of the teacher being represented and a 4 are on the poster. The 4th grade students take the tests in May. So, they renew the information in their mind before the SOLs. Mrs. Diemar won this year by an inch.

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this summer!

Toot toot. Fourth grades just got their recorders. So they are playing like crazy on the days they have music. So if you’re a fifth grader, you are probably listening carefully. You know a lot more about recorders than fourth graders do. So maybe you should go into fourth grade classrooms and teach them a little about recorders. Don’t worry third, second, and first graders you will get there someday.

When you do you will be happy you waited. Because you will think that when you’re in second, and first grade you would not get a thing single their talking about. In third they are preparing you for recorders in fourth grade. But sometimes when you play recorders it is hard. Otherwise it is really fun.

They have something to go with recorders. Can you guess what that is? Well if you said neck strap you are right. There are neck straps in all different colors. Blue, green, yellow, gold and lots more. You just hook them to your recorder and put them around your neck. They do that because they don’t want your recorder on the ground getting all these germs on it. They want you healthy so you can play good on your recorder. Plus they want you to go to school to know new songs.

By learning to play the recorder you can learn how to play new instruments. Guess what the cool thing is about recorders. That they are only $4.00 and the neck strap is$1.00. When you’re in fourth and fifth grade you should go home and practice the songs you learned. It is so much fun to play recorders so I hope when you get in fourth and fifth grade you have so much fun playing recorders.

a16 The Explorers’ Compass | June 16, 2011

always an explorer: True explorersBy Tony d. and RohiT B.

another sol?By: Meghana B.

“Sssh! Be quiet class. People are testing!” All students have heard their teacher saying this sometime in March. They must be wondering, “Why is it that fifth grade hallway so silent when it is usually exploding with chatter?” Fifth grade had their writing SOL on Monday, March 7th and on Wednesday, March 9th.

The writing SOL is a special test given in fifth grade to make sure students know their grammar and can write efficiently.

“Well, I am not exactly looking forward to it, but I know it can be fun (which he said sarcastically)!” Mark G. said.

There are two parts to this SOL. Part one, which was on March 7th, had multiple choice questions on grammar and the ability to edit and revise

accurately. On March 9th, students took part two, which includes the writing prompt. For part two, fifth graders are expected to brainstorm, write a rough draft, edit and revise, finish a final draft, and finally proofread once more. All of this is supposed to be completed in one day.

Timothy S., a fifth grader who took the test, said, “I think it will take very long and for me, it is going to take forever!”

There are many ways to prepare for the SOLs and lots of people have different opinions and suggestions on it. Mrs. Babb, a fifth grade teacher, said that it would help for fifth and rising fifth graders to start paying attention to grammar lessons and try to improve their writing skills. She also said that it is necessary to capture the reader’s

attention and start an introduction with a catchy “hook”. Also, Mrs. Babb said to make sure the thesis is not too detailed or too general and make sure to correct mistakes immediately.

Before and after the SOL, students were talking and talking about their feeling and opinion about the test. On the other hand, Dawson D. said that it would be long, hard, and yet fun. After the SOL, Andrew P. said that he felt extremely relieved and sighed when the tests were collected and gone!

“I wonder who came up with this SOL, since it is an interesting idea. It’s going to get kids studying their grammar.” Shiva A. said.

The writing SOL was an exciting time for fifth graders and is an excellent reason for rising fifth graders to start paying attention to their writing abilities!

letter From the advisors

Dear Readers,

This newspaper was “born” two years ago. Never could we have imagined how wonderful it would become. We have been very fortunate to have a very dedicated group of writers/editors who helped to create The Explorers’ Compass with their hard work, time, and talent. We want to thank our fifth grade staffers who are moving on to Middle School. They leave behind very large “shoes” to be filled. A special thank you to Rachel R. who has been involved in every issue as both writer and editor. We wish them good luck in 6th grade.

The Newspaper Club will need new talented writers next year. So enjoy your summer and be ready to write!

Mrs. Reiner & Mrs. Fornatora

explorers’ the compass · syam r. “mrs. spring thinks about our feelings a lot!” said dawson...

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