stone mill students compete in geography bee naina g. surely you have heard about the national...

December 2016 Vol. 22 Issue 1

Stone Mill Gazette December 2016

Stone Mill Elementary School

14323 Stonebridge View Drive North Potomac, MD 20878

Masthead By Miduo S.

Stone Mill Students Compete in Geography Bee By Naina G.

Surely you have heard about the National Geographic Bee. The first National Geographic Bee was held in 1989. It was hosted in Washington

D.C. by Alex Trebec who also hosts the Jeopardy game show. Washington D.C. is the headquarters for National Geographic. The very first winner was an

8th grader named Jack Staddon from Kansas.

At Stone Mill Elementary School, we have an annual Geography Bee. This year it was held on Friday,

November 18, 2016. There were seven rounds of questions and ten participants advanced to the final round.

From these ten students, two moved to the championship round.

The 1st place winner was a 5th grader Arjun R. from Mrs. Huang’s class, 2nd place went to a 5th grader

Lucas S. from Ms. Herbert’s class, and 3rd place went to a 4th grader Daksh B. from Mrs. Trice’s class.

The Geography Bee was hosted by our awesome counselor Mrs. Dulli and her son, Mr. Zach Dulli. Mr.

Dulli and Mrs. Bock (former Stone Mill parent) were the judges at the bee. The facilitators were Dr. Williams,

Mrs. Budman, Ms. Herbert and Mrs. Abrahams. Some parents also volunteered at the Geography Bee and they

included Ms. Vinita Puri and Dr. Shruti Japee. At the end of the Geography Bee, all the participants received a

certificate signed by Dr. Williams and a globe beach ball. Now our 1st place winner, Arjun, will get the chance to

compete for a spot at the state level. Good luck Arjun – we’re rooting for you!

NEW SGA OFFICERS ELECTED By Lily K. and Kelly R.

I'm sure you all heard about the SGA election winners! However, if

you didn't or just need a re-cap, here are the new officers; President-

Kelly R., Vice President-Logan P., Secretary-Kaia S. and last but not

least, Treasurer-Karen C.! All of these student officers are responsible

and helpful and will do a great job leading our school.

If you are wondering what happens to all the other candidates who

ran for office and did not get elected, we will let you know. You might think

since they lost they are not part of the SGA, however these students get to

be involved in the SGA board.

Students in the final election won a "mini-vote" first. All of 4th and 5th

graders vote in this election since students from those grades are eligible to

run for office. The top three people for each office (if there is a tie then top

4) advance to the final round where the whole school votes. These finalists

were the ones you saw making their speeches. The winners of that round

become the four official SGA officers of Stone Mill.

If you want to run for SGA but you're not in 4th or 5th grade, you still

can be a part of the SGA as a class representative. If you get elected you

will attend all the SGA meetings for class reps and will report back to your

class about the meeting.

If you are wondering how to become a class representative, we will

tell you. When your teacher announces your class is voting for an SGA

class representative, make sure to raise your hand or speak up so you can

have a chance to run in the class election. The person with the most votes

in each class will be that class’ representative to the SGA!

Holidays in the City By Ines E.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Meet Our New P.E. Teacher Mr. Simpkins Page 3

DIY Gifts to Make This Season Page 6

Fantastic Beasts Movie Review Page 8

Chicago Cubs Win World Series Page 9

And much, much more!

The newly elected SGA officers are shown from left to right: Treasurer- Karen C., Vice-President—Logan P., President—Kelly R. and Secretary—Kaia S.

Photo

court

esy o

f L

ily H

uan

g

Stone Mill students compete in 2016 Geography Bee on November 18th.

Photo

court

esy o

f S

hru

ti J

apee


Girls on the Run Promotes Exercise and Self-Esteem By Lily J. and Samantha M.

“Girls on the Run” is a fun running program that we have here at Stone Mill ES. Both of us have been doing Girls on the Run for five seasons,

and we love it! This program is for girls in grades 3-5. It is all about learning how to stay healthy, providing life skills, building friendships, preventing

bullying, and gaining important advice on how to improve your running.

The program at our school is on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with different practice times; there is a morning and afternoon team. There are also

two different seasons during the school year, a fall and a spring season. Each team has about 20-30 girls and 4-6 coaches.

Here are some of the things we do at our meetings:

We talk about the topic of the day.

We all do warm-ups so that we can prevent injuries when we run.

We play fun games related to the topic of the day.

And of course we RUN.

We end each lesson with an energy award where we recognize great things that some of our teammates have done during that lesson.

All of the lessons and running lead up to a big 5k run at the end of each season, and a community project! For those of you who don’t know what a

5k is, it is 3.1 miles. At the 5k, all of the participants from the Girls on the Run program come together. Before the race there is a DJ, hairspray and oth-

er fun things to get you pumped up to run. The race is early on a Sunday morning. You get shirts and bibs that you pin onto your shirt. Every girl who

runs in the race has a buddy with them who is at least 18 years old or older. When you cross the finish line there are different snacks to help you stay

healthy!

The community project is where the girls vote on a group of people they would like to help. We raise money, get supplies, or make something to

benefit them. Thank you so much to everyone that helped us do great things with GOTR (Girls on the Run).

For the girls in grades 3-5, we hope to see you next season!

Amazing Aid Mrs. Anna By Sloane S. and Ines E.

Have you ever thought of the people who keep you safe at

lunch and recess? These lunch and recess aids are very helpful to

Stone Mill students. Mrs. Anna is one of the aids that keeps a

watchful eye over students while they play.

Mrs. Anna was born on January 2nd and is the fourth girl

in her family. She has a daughter in third grade and a son in first

grade at Stone Mill.

Mrs. Anna’s favorite hobby is traveling. The place where

Mrs. Anna would like to visit is Paris, France. She also loves to

read and spend time at the beach. Her favorite color is blue, her favorite superpow-

er is the power to be invisible, and her favorite fruit is mango! Two of her other

favorite foods are broccoli and carrots!

If Mrs. Anna wasn’t an aid at Stone Mill, she would want to be an account-

ant because she loves helping others and working with numbers. Mrs. Anna loves

her job right now because she enjoys helping students and she loves Stone Mill ES!

So, if you ever see Mrs. Anna or other lunch and recess helpers when you play,

please remember to say THANK YOU!

A Cozy Winter By Brielle R.

Meet the Magnificent Ms. Herbert

By Parker Z. and Alexander I.

We recently interviewed Stone Mill’s newest fifth-grade teacher, Ms. Herbert, and we would like to share some details with you. She was born

in Las Vegas, Nevada! Before coming to Stone Mill she attended Salisbury University. She lives in Germantown, Maryland and she has three pets: two

cats and one dog. Her cats are named James and Tyler, and her dog is named Murray. Ms. Herbert’s hobbies include hiking,

eating, swimming, and being outdoors. Her most favorite thing in the world is eating (unless of course it is her class! Ha!). Her

favorite restaurant is Baja Fresh.

We asked her what she likes best about Stone Mill, and she said, “Everything! The teachers are so welcoming!” Do you

know that if Ms. Herbert could travel through time, she would go back to the 1950’s because of the cool clothes! Do you know

that if Ms. Herbert could go anywhere in the world she would choose to go to Rome? She loves Rome! If she could change any-

thing in the world she would create world peace forever! Ms. Herbert’s most favorite book is called Fearless.

Last, but not least, we asked her if she had a favorite superhero, and she said that she likes Black Widow! If you would

like to learn more about Ms. Herbert, please stop by her classroom and say hello. She is really nice!

Get To Know Ms. Lewis By Andy Y., Daksh G. and Rohan G.

Have you ever seen or met our wonderful art teacher Ms. Lewis? Odds are, you probably have had her for a teacher or have seen her in the hall-

way. Here are some fascinating things you might not have known about her. She loves art because her grandma was an art teacher and her mother

taught her art. Before becoming an art teacher, she worked at a warehouse. She didn’t like the job there so she decided to get an art teaching job. That

is how she ended up as Stone Mill’s art teacher.

If you didn’t know this, she has 3 cats. Their names are Hiss, Zeus, and Little Lady. Currently,

they are 13 years old. She told us that all three cats were adopted and have always lived together.

Mrs. Lewis’ hobbies are reading and watching lots of TV. Her favorite foods are steak and lobster,

but she rarely gets to eat it. She has a brother who is ten years older than her but they aren’t very close

now. If she could teach another subject, it would be science since she says art is like science because you

get a chance to experiment in both of those subjects. As you can see, Ms. Lewis is quite an interesting and

unique person!

Shown are Ms. Lewis’ cats from left to right Hiss, Little Lady, and Zeus.

Photos courtesy of Marjorie Lewis


Have you ever wondered what your new PE teacher is up to? Mr. Simpkins is the amazing new PE teacher that came to

Stone Mill this year. Mr. Simpkins was born in Ocean City, Maryland on December 11th. He went to Salisbury University for four

years. His first job before he became our PE teacher was as a camp counselor. He said that his role models are his Mom and Dad,

because they’ve helped him become the person he aspired to be.

Now let’s get to the fun part! Mr. Simpkins has two cats that belong to him and his fiancé. Their names are Kai and Kolu.

His favorite grade in school was 12th grade. Mr. Simpkins’ favorite restaurant is Chick-Fil-A, because the salad is really good.

However, that’s the only thing he gets there. Mr. Simpkins’ favorite season is Fall. He likes the sports channel, ESPN. His favorite

movies are from the Star Wars series.

Basketball, soccer, football are his favorite sports. He likes basketball the most. His favorite sports teams are the Ravens,

the Orioles, and Real Madrid. Mr. Simpkins’ favorite basketball player is Lebron James. He wants to travel to Spain because that is where many of the

soccer players are from. His dream job is to be a professional basketball player. His favorite color is blue.

Mr. Simpkins says that his dream hair would be “surfer dude hair” that is blonde and long – but not too long. Now you know more about the

amazing Mr. Simpkins!

Behind the Scenes with Mrs. Lee By Caroline D. and Nicole C.

Have you seen Stone Mill’s new reading initiative teacher, Mrs. Lee? Her face is probably familiar because she

is a parent at Stone Mill and the President of the PTA. If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about Mrs. Lee, then keep

reading this article.

First of all, the people who have influenced her the most are her parents. Mrs. Lee’s favorite teacher in elemen-

tary school was Mrs. Fishburn. Mrs. Fishburn was kind, and she understood kids because she had a daughter.

Mrs. Lee grew up in Rockville Maryland and her birthday is February 14. Mrs. Lee’s favorite music performers

are Charlie Puth, Meghan Trainor, and Imagine Dragons. Her favorite movie is Finding Dory. Her favorite books are

The Purpose Driven Life and The Bible because they help her make good choices and they are so interesting. Her favor-

ite TV show is “Lost” and “Dancing with The Stars”. Mrs. Lee’s favorite subject in school is math. Her favorite sport is

soccer and volleyball, and her favorite hobby is cooking.

Her pet peeve is when the toilet paper rolls out in the wrong direction! Mrs. Lee was the happiest when her kids

were born (Madelyne-6th grade, Melissa-4th grade, and Christian-2nd grade).

She would like to visit Australia because it is beautiful. She wants to swim in the coral reefs, and hike and see

animals. She spent her favorite vacation ever in Hawaii. Mrs. Lee would describe herself as organized, athletic, and hos-

pitable. She would spend her ideal day shopping, going to Starbucks, and going out for dinner.

She wants to be remembered as a caring, giving, and honest person. In addition to being a teacher and active PTA officer at Stone Mill, Mrs.

Lee is also a soccer coach for Stone Mill fourth grade girls

Now you know more about our new reading teacher Mrs. Lee. These are just some of the things that make her special. Hopefully, you will get

a chance to get to know her yourself.

Snowman By Gurnoor S.

Supermoon Sighting

By Ruthiga V.

The supermoon is what happens when the moon

is at its closest approach to the earth. Did you happen

to see the supermoon on November 13th, 14th, or 15th?

Well if you didn’t I am here to tell you about it.

The supermoon was the largest full moon in 68

years. The last time it happened was January 26, 1948.

The supermoon on the 13th was so bright - probably

even brighter than a flashlight. It was so large you

could see it even if there were clouds covering it. The supermoon on the 14th

was the main supermoon. It was so bright, big, and its color was a stunning

golden color. On the 15th the supermoon was bright, but it wasn’t as bright or

as big as the one on the 13th. Its color was different too - it was sort of a light

golden or yellow color. On the 13th the moon was almost full. On the 14th the

moon was absolutely full. Then on the 15th the moon was absolutely full in

New Zealand at 12:00 midnight.

Now you know a little about the supermoon.

Have you met the new enthusiastic 4th grade teacher? Well if you haven’t, she is the wonderful Mrs. Trice. We

would like to share what we’ve learned about her.

Mrs. Trice has curly red hair and freckles , and she was born in Silver Spring, Maryland on February 12. She met

her husband Stephen, at Shepherd University, and they have a 6 month old German Shepherd dog named Luna. Mrs.

Trice has one older sister named Ashleigh. Mrs. Trice looked up to her Mom and wanted to be like her. Can you believe

this? She has a Native American name, it’s Autumn’s Flower.

She wanted to be a teacher since her first day of kindergarten because she liked to help others. Her favorite TV

show is Full House, her favorite color is purple, and her favorite hobby is baking sweets, especially apple pies. She loves

to eat stuffed shells, she likes watching the snow fall, and drinking hot cocoa in winter.

The three words Mrs. Trice would use to describe herself are creative, enthusiastic and energetic. This is Mrs.

Trice’s 3rd year teaching. She has taught 5th grade for 1 year and 4th grade for 2 years. Now you know all about Mrs. Trice

so when you see her in the hallways make sure to say hi and smile back to her.

Authors of the article Nicole C. (left) and Caroline D. (middle) pose for a photo with Mrs. Lee.

Then and Now—Shown are pictures of Mrs. Trice as a fourth-grader and a picture of her today.

Photos courtesy of Angela Trice

Terrific Mrs. Trice By Shivani J., Elizabeth G. and Naysa M.

The Spectacular Mr. Simpkins By Rhianne A. and Nwamaka A.


Fifth-Graders Volunteer

with STARS Program By Samantha M. and Lily J.

STARS is a program for fifth-

graders who are interested in helping

teachers and other staff at the school.

Students can help a teacher or staff per-

son during recess, and maybe before or

after school. For fourth graders who are

thinking of becoming a STAR, it is all

year and you can’t quit halfway through the year. All you have to do is

turn in a paper saying why you want to be a STAR and the top three

teachers or staff members you would like to help.

Mrs. Milk is in charge of the program and assigns students with

a teacher or staff member. Students can help all specials teachers, K-

fourth-grade teachers, Mrs. Dulli, Mrs. Bayer, Mrs. Blank, and the PEP

teachers. All of these jobs will have you doing a variety of different

tasks; it really depends on what the teacher does and what they need.

For example you might grade papers, make ice packs, write kindness

sayings, put books on the shelves, and more. Your assigned teacher

might have you come once a week, twice a week, or more.

STARS is a good way to give back to your school and your teach-

ers. It is also a good way to help you get a recommendation for middle

school magnet programs because the teacher you are working for can

talk about how helpful you are, how reliable you are, how you always

follow the instructions, and so on. Through this program you can also

become more independent, because you will be more comfortable talking

to teachers and other students you don’t know.

Awesome Academy

By Ruthiga V.

Have you heard about academy

at Stone Mill? Academy is a before

and after school program for kids.

Academy started in 1990. That was 36

years ago. The purpose for academy is

“To provide quality educational and

fun programs for children of all ages,” said Mr. Bruce the Director

of Academy. Academy is also found in other elementary schools

including Dufief, Cold Spring, Drew, and Galway. Mr. Bruce has

been working at academy for 8 years. Mrs. Miller, another acade-

my instructor has been working academy for 16 years. Mr. Pan-

telis and Miss Nairi have both been working at academy for 3

years. Sometimes students from other schools come to Stone Mill

for academy.

On average 90 kids attend academy each school year.

There are approximately ten teachers in academy. The teachers

who work there really enjoy it. Here are some of the comments

they have shared about academy. “I love being around the kids,

teachers and parents” said Mr. Bruce. “It is like a family,” said

Mr. Pantelis. “I love all the fun food and art projects” said Miss

Nairi.

In the past few years academy has added a variety of

clubs to their program. For example they have organized craft and

sewing clubs, a Lego club, the chocolate club, and a marble club

to name just a few of the clubs and activities the academy is cur-

rently doing or did in the past. From personal experience I know

that academy is a wonderful place. I hope you have learned more

about the Academy program at our school.

Get To Know Mrs. Huang - An Amazing 5th Grade Teacher By Labeeba R., Shivani D., Nitya S. and Neha G.

Do you know one of our school’s 5th grade teachers, Mrs. Huang? She invented a magic wand! Well, at least she

would love to! She would love to use the magic wand to zap up snacks when she is hungry! Mrs. Huang also loves the book

and movie series of Anne of Green Gables. Her all-time favorite movie is Star Wars Episode IV. Other than Star Wars, she

enjoys watching shows on Food Network. Her favorite food is nachos, and her favorite ice cream is Turkey Hill Pistachio

Almond. Her favorite type of food is Italian. She prefers coffee to hot chocolate, and she also likes tea. Mrs. Huang’s favor-

ite holiday is Thanksgiving because of the food and because she is surrounded by family.

You probably already know that many people love dogs and have them as pets. Well, so does Mrs. Huang. She loves

puppies and she has a cute Yorkie-Poo named Cupcake. A Yorkie-Poo is a breed of a Yorkshire Terrier and a Poodle mixed

together.

Mrs. Huang has been a teacher at Stone Mill for about 8 years and she has been teaching for 23 years! Some other

schools she has taught at are Jones Lane Elementary, Hoover Middle School, Cabin John Middle School, and Lakelands

Park Middle School.

Her inspiration to teach was from her kindergarten teacher because she was a caring, kind, and fun person. The most challenging grade Mrs.

Huang has taught was 7th grade math. It was challenging to motivate the students who didn’t take school seriously. However, Mrs. Huang is very

happy to have worked with these students.

Maybe you have wished to go back in time to fix something in your life or in history. Mrs. Huang wishes she could go back in time to talk to

the people who started wars and persuade them to use a different approach. So, she wants world peace. Her favorite color is blue, and if she could go

anywhere in the world she would choose the Caribbean - any place that is warm, sunny, and has lots of blue water. Her opinion on technology is that

it is wonderful and makes life more efficient.

The Extraordinary Mrs. Paschall By Rayna P. and Serena J.

Have you met the outstanding Mrs. Paschall? If you haven't, then we will tell you some facts about her.

Did you know that Mrs. Paschall did not want to be a teacher at first? She really wanted to be a veterinarian. But when she was in college,

she started to miss being with kids. Her favorite subject to teach is math because it’s like a puzzle. What she likes most about teaching is that she

gets to learn from different kids . Mrs. Paschall has been working at Stone Mill for 9 years – so she’s learned from a lot of students! She says that if

she hadn’t become a teacher she would have been either a scientist or a researcher. (But we’re glad she decided to be a teacher!)

If Mrs. Paschall could make three wishes, they would be to have a brand-new house with lots of storage, a clone of herself so that she

doesn’t have to do all the boring stuff, and lastly for there never to be unkind words.

Another fact about Mrs. Paschall is that she is addicted to Disney World (especially Mickey Mouse). The reason she likes Mickey so much is

because when she was little, she lived close to Disney World and it was a happy place.

Five adjectives that describe Mrs. Paschall are: creative, flexible, generous, caring, and funny. And we should know, be-

cause we were once in her class.

Mrs. Paschall says that her happiest moment was when her children, Averie and Logan, were born. Other things

that make her happy include baking, watching kids’ sports, and reading. She also loves to eat Indian food, Thai food, and

spicy food in general.

Her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because she likes to relax with friends and family. Other than Disney World,

her dream vacation is somewhere on a beach.

When we asked her if there was anything she didn’t like, she said that her pet peeve is bottle flipping - so don’t do

it front of her!

Now you know all about the extraordinary Mrs. Paschall!

Top Gaming Systems and Top Video Games By Yinquan J. and Kurtus H.

Have you ever thought about what video games are good? Well, if you

are looking for good video games, then keep reading. Most likely, most

of the best games are either on PS4 or Xbox.

First, we will tell you about PS4. PS4 is the short version for

PlayStation4. PS4 was launched in 2015. It was made by a company

named Sony Interactive Entertainment and has tons

and tons of games. But the bad thing is that it costs

more money for the good games. Here is our list for

the best games on PS4:

The Castle Game

Ace Combat 7

Gravity Rush 2

Crazy Strike Bowling Ex

Battle Zone

Now, we will talk about Xbox. Xbox was created and owned by Mi-

crosoft. Xbox was launched in November 2013. It also has lots of differ-

ent games. There are also three types of Xbox, the Xbox original, Xbox,

and the Xbox 360. Some of the Xbox 360

games are more expensive than the regular

Xbox. Some good games for Xbox include:

All-star basketball

2002 FIFA World Cup

If you are deciding where to play PS4 or Xbox games, we recommend

you play on a large television. That way the screen is larger and it

won’t hurt your eyes when you play. We recommend using a Samsung

TV because the quality is good and the games are clear and look good

when you are playing.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a twin? Twins are siblings that are born from the same

mother at the same time. There are two different types of twins. Identical twins are twins that look exactly

alike. Fraternal twins are twins that can look similar but they are not exactly alike. Did you know there

are more than 135,000 twins born in the United States each year?

We have a number of twins here at Stone Mill! There are even some teachers who are twins. For

example fifth-grade teacher Mrs. Hannah has a twin sister. Mrs. Young, one of Stone Mill’s PEP teachers,

has a twin brother. At Stone Mill there are a total of 16 sets of twins. There are two sets in kindergarten,

three sets in first grade, one set in second grade, six sets in third grade, none in fourth grade and three sets

in fifth grade.

Some teachers and staff members have children who are twins. For example, Ms. Wynant has twin

daughters, Mrs. Bayer has a twin son and daughter, and first-grade teacher Mrs. Carmi has twin daugh-

ters at Stone Mill!

We asked some twins at Stone Mill what it is like to be a twin. Identical twins say they sometimes

play tricks on people and make them think they are the other twin, which can be really fun. Other twins in the school say that it can be

hard to share everything, but overall they like being twins because they always have someone to play with who is the same age. Being

a twin sounds really fun. What do you think? Would you want to be a twin?


November 18th marks the release

of Pokémon Sun and Moon, a new addition

to the Pokémon game series. In this game

the player will travel through a new region

called the Alola region based in Hawaii.

This region contains many new Pokémon characters that the player can

battle and catch. The three Pokémon starters in this region are: Rowlet

the grass quill Pokémon, Litten the fire cat Pokémon, and Popplio the sea

lion Pokémon. Instead of gym battles, there are trials a trainer has to

complete before he or she can challenge the totem Pokémon that lies be-

yond each trail. The totem Pokémon is a very powerful Pokémon that can

call upon ally Pokémon and get a “stat” (e.g., attack, special attack, de-

fense, special defense, HP, and speed) boosted at the beginning of the

battle. After the trainer has beaten the entire totem Pokémon on the is-

land and has the Z-crystal to prove their victory, they can challenge the

island kahuna, the strongest trainer on the island.

Alola has four islands, Melemele Island, Akala Island, Ula’ula

Island and Poni Island. Each island has at least one trail, one kahuna

and one legendary Pokémon, and one of the Tapus or island guardians.

Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu and Tapu Fini are all members of the

Tapu family.

Z-moves are super powerful moves a player can use only once per

battle. To activate one you will need the Z-crystal that matches the Poké-

mon that is holding it. You also need a Z-band given to you at the begin-

ning of the game. Alola has new creatures known as ultra-beasts that

will occasionally appear out of an ultra-worm hole from ultra-space, the

domain of all ultra-beasts, and attack the player at random locations and

times. Team skull is the evil organization of the region and their goal is

to kidnap and sell Pokémon for profit. In the game, the player has to try

to defeat team skull and foil their plots. There are many more new fea-

tures in Pokémon Sun and Moon but I wouldn’t want to spoil them for

you! If you enjoy playing Pokémon games, you should try this new one.

Vibrant Mrs. Voundy By Lauren I., Amber T. and Makeda G.

Do you know one of the wonderful new 4th grade teachers, Mrs. Voundy? Mrs. Voundy was born in Pennsylvania and

her birthday is March 3rd. Mrs. Voundy became a teacher because she loves children. She always played school when she was

a little girl. While playing school, she was always the teacher.

Mrs. Voundy’s favorite book is Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume. Her favorite movie is Full Metal

Jacket because her favorite types of movies are all related to the military. The person Mrs. Voundy looks up to the most is her

grandmother because she is very wise!

Her favorite restaurant is Dutch’s Daughter which is located in Fredrick, Maryland. It is her favorite because Dutch’s

Daughter has a five-star rating and their bread pudding is the best, in her opinion. Mrs. Voundy’s favorite ice cream flavors

are peanut butter and pumpkin. Her favorite chocolate is Godiva’s white chocolate. She also enjoys eating Swedish Fish!

“Yum!”

Traveling is Mrs. Voundy’s favorite hobby. Her wish is to travel around the world to all seven continents! Mrs. Voundy’s favorite travel destina-

tion is the Caribbean Islands because she thinks it’s so relaxing! Her favorite water park is Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Pennsylvania. She

loves going on the water slides there! Her two top favorite shopping places are Lord & Taylor and Old Navy.

Guess what Mrs. Voundy’s favorite sport is? It is tennis because she has been playing ever since she was a little girl. Mrs. Voundy’s favorite

song is You’re the One by Lisa Shipman because it was her wedding song and she listens to it almost every morning. Can you believe Mrs. Voundy

doesn’t have a pet? Even though she doesn’t have any pets, she likes puppies and says they are so cute and cuddly! Her favorite color is orange because

she thinks it’s a very happy color. Now you know more about fourth grade teacher Mrs. Voundy. Next time you are near her classroom, stop by and say

hi!

Ph

oto

co

urt

esy o

f G

reta

Vo

un

dy

A Thing or Two about Twins By Elizabeth M. and Kelly R.

Top: Fifth-graders Ethan and Elaine W. are fraternal (non-identical) twins.

Bottom: Third-graders Olivia and Elizabeth D. are identical twins, and Hailey and Taylor C. are fraternal twins.

Pokémon Sun and Moon

Game Released By Calista P.


Stone Mill Winter Drawing By Karen C.

The Fun Pages puzzles, stories, and more

I am a pencil. I know many things. I don’t have, what is

it...parents. Instead, I have many ancestors. For example, loggers, who

chopped the wood I was made of. Waitresses, the people who served food

to the loggers. Engineers, factory workers, inventors, and other people like that. My

other ancestors are saws, chainsaws, ships, roads, and trucks and other things like

that. These things and people don’t realize how much they are contributing to my life,

and others’. You’re probably wondering how I know all this. I would tell you if I

knew. I’ve come to the conclusion that we learn more as we grow. Not many people

understand how we feel about being chewed, neglected, sat on, or thrown away. And

just so you know, it doesn’t hurt when we’re sharpened. Enough about that.

By the way, my name is Celia, like cedar wood, which is what pencils are

made of. Let me tell you about how I was made. We don’t like it. It’s hard to make us,

no one person can do it! Think about that. First, I was a tree in a huge forest. Then I

was chopped down in about 2/10 of an inch boards. That is really thin. Afterwards, I

was inserted with grooves and they we’re filled with glue. Next, my grooves were

filled with long pieces of lead. Did you know that lead is imported from China and Sri

Lanka.? It is made of graphite and clay and the elements copper, zinc, and aluminum.

Then, I was part of a “lead sandwich” with another grooved board. We had to dry for

an hour and then we were cut into individual pieces, cut hexagonally, and put

through a machine called a lacquerer for painting, normally a yellow or orange color.

Lastly, aluminum pieces were squeezed on, along with a rubber eraser, mainly pink,

and our tips were sharpened. None of this hurts, of course. After that, we’re sent to

you to use! I hope you enjoyed learning about my adventure! Until later, goodbye!

My Adventure As A Pencil By Nitya S.

DIY Holiday Gifts By Kaia S. and Alexa S.

News for Kids By Lily K. and Samantha M.

The KidsPost is a special

page of the Washington Post that

is geared to children. It is found

in the back page of the style sec-

tion of the paper on Monday-

Thursday. It also comes out on

Sunday in the comic section of

the paper. It is designed specifi-

cally for kids in grades 2-7. Sometimes students even

submit entries for KidsPost. Another cool feature is

that kids can draw the weather. If you send in a draw-

ing of the weather and it matches the real weather for

that day, the Washington Post may pick your drawing

and put it in the KidsPost section next to the weather

and temperature.

The KidsPost is a safe newspaper for kids. It is

a cool concept because there are not a lot of newspapers

specifically for kids. If you want to hear about new and

trending subjects, check out the Kids Post! It has arti-

cles such as the newest clothes line or the best skate-

board to use. On Nov. 15, there was information about

how President-Elect Donald Trump's son, Barron

Trump is the first young boy to live in the White House

in HALF A CENTURY! Isn't that cool?

If your parents don't subscribe to the Washington

Post and you don't get the newspaper but you want to

read it, don't worry! If you go to Kidspost.com you can

still read the same information. It has lots of interest-

ing stuff! You should really check it out!

Merry Holidays By Lyla D. and Naima C.

Need a present for someone in your family, but can’t afford anything you see at the stores? Well we have two great gifts for you to make and give to family members.

SNOW GLOBE To make a snow globe you need:

A washed jar (with a reliable lid)

Super glue or hot glue

Glitter (optional)

Any Small toys First you’re going to need to rinse out the jar. Dry it, and then glue the figure onto the inside of the lid. Let the figure dry for 3-4 minutes. Fill the jar with water and glitter. Screw the lid (with the figure on it) onto the jar. Now, enjoy your snow globe or wrap and give as a gift

ERASER PUTTY To make Eraser Putty you need:

A Sticky note

An eraser First, you erase the sticky part of the sticky note. Then, collect all the eraser shavings and squish them together into a ball. You can use differ-ent colored erasers to make different colored putty. Enjoy your eraser putty or wrap it up and give it as a gift! Note: DIY means “Do It Yourself”

The Perfect Gift By Kimberly L.

“NO, NO, NO!” Carly yelled. She had forgotten to buy her teacher Ms. Harwell

a gift for the holidays. Winter break was only three days away and she was running out

of time. Carly felt like she had searched the web for hours. Then she got an idea, she

would go to a local store nearby called Holiday Hamptons.

Carly knew this store would have exactly what she would need to get the best

gift ever for Ms. Harwell. She grabbed wax, some crayons and a candle holder. She got

home, melted the wax and then added color with the crayon. First she poured in pink

wax, then silver, then yellow and tan and then a tiny bit of black. Carly had made a

pencil candle, the perfect gift for an awesome teacher.


Solutions on Page 10

Snowman, Snowman,

Where Is Your Nose? By Lily K.

Santa Puppy By Alexander I. and Lauren I.

Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah

Word Search By Abby N., Brooke Z. and Jenna G.

BLESSING CANDLES DREIDEL EIGHTNIGHTS GELT GIFTS HANUKKAH JEWISH LATKES

LIGHT MACCABEES MENORAH MIRACLE OIL TEMPLE

M I R A C L E T O I L I N S H

T K B B H M E T H L W W J A K

W H E A I M E S J A Z Y R X Y

R T V Z P Z I E T T L O O G A

N C W L V E G L V K N O J D M

S C E M T S H D H E J Y V A B

T M U H Y T T N M S E Y C K B

G H Q E Z F N A T L T C E A X

D N G R Y I I C M L A F L M N

J R I I O G G R E B O R N J C

O R E S L U H G E H S I W E J

K Z R I S H T E R F F B G X Z

K J H W D E S H A K K U N A H

C W S H X E L F L D T Z P M N

I M Y U X E L B C D U B D G Y

J M R D M T O A I D E M Z H N R J K V A A Q Y D X C I W J X

Y C S I Q V S C B I I G Q N E

A E N D K G U U K N F U B S U

P L R X G H W I X O F D T O H

M U C S R R B I N G O O K N F

H N J Q R R V C X E N R Y D S

R C R H F E D I M E G A P M I

Q H T N R H G R M S O M M U Z

N R D I E H D I T W Y C Z J C

A D N B C Y L P T Z Z U S O M

Q G G J E L Y V X A D Q P V U

Z Y W Q S V Q J J K H F I C S

M Q D R S C Q W Q D L S K W I

H T X V S G Z P M Q N N Z T C

STONEMILL TIGERS LUNCH RECESS ART MUSIC MEDIA BINGO OFFICE GYM

Super Stone Mill Word Search By Jack M.

The Fun Pages puzzles, stories, and more

Winter Crossword Puzzle By Jack M.

Solutions on Page 10


The Stone Mill Newspaper Club wishes everyone a fun, safe, and

relaxing winter break!

Have you seen the new movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? I give this movie 5 stars all the

way. It may be because I’m biased since I like J.K Rowling and the

Harry Potter series. However, I really did enjoy watching it. The main character in the movie is Newt Scamander who

comes from England and has a suitcase filled with amazing crea-

tures and has an undetectable extension charm. Newt’s suitcase

was switched with a No-Maj’s (short for no-magic or another term for

muggle). He gets help from former Auror Tina Goldstein, Queenie

Goldstein, and Jacob Kowalski to help find all the released crea-tures.

In this movie, there are extraordinary

creatures from all over England and the

U.S. Harry Potter fans will recognize some

of the creatures from the original series including the Niffler which steals anything

shiny, and the tiny bow truckles who use

their leafy green bodies for camouflage.

And let’s not forget the Erumpent, faintly slipped into the

movie, is a humongous rhinoceros look alike who can spew

lava from their horn whenever than want. The Swooping Evil should not be judged on its name because it helps the characters get out of

dangerous situations. It is a huge bird-like animal with blue-green

wings and a long tail. The Demiguise can become temporarily invisi-

ble and has white, long fur and large, bright eyes. The Occamy is a

blue-green snake-like creature with a large golden beak and big co-

coa brown eyes. Last but certainly not least, is the Thunderbird. It has creamy white feathers and is extremely huge. Newt brings him

along because the Thunderbird belongs in Arizona. Newt and his

friends also look for a dark matter roaming and terrorizing New

York.

To find out more, watch Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. In conclusion, I think you should definitely watch this movie.

I give this movie five stars for its way of bringing beautiful animals

and characters to life.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Book Review

By Idhant G.

Harry Potter fans have probably heard by now

of the new book Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by

J.K. Rowling, Jack Throne, and John Tiffany based on

the original story by J.K. Rowling. The official release

date of this book was 7/31/16.

The story starts with one of Harry Potter’s sons

named Albus, who is heading to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and

Wizardry. While he is on the train, he befriends Draco Malfoy’s son,

Scorpius Malfoy. Once they arrive at the school, they are sorted into

the Slytheryn house. They then leave Hogwarts to visit a man named

Amos about his son Cedric Diggory and how he got killed by

Wormtail during the Triwizard Tournament. Albus and Scorpios feel

bad for Amos and his son, so they decide to look for an item called the

time turner.

The time turner would allow Albus and Scorpius to go back in

time to save Cedric. Soon, Delphi who is a caretaker and niece of

Amos Diggory joins them on their search. They drink the polyjuice

potion, which transforms them into someone else. This way they

won’t be noticed as themselves and they went into the scenery of the

Triwizard Tournament.

Shortly after they drink the polyjuice, Harry Potter senses

two things: that there is a dark cloud around his son Albus, and that

Vold (I mean he who must not be named) is near. They then find

Cedric and go back to Hogwarts. Once they are at Hogwarts, Delphi

reveals her biggest secret. (Which I won’t put in here so that I don’t

spoil the book for anyone who still wants to read it.)

Now let me tell you why I underrated this book. I did this

because the book is set up as a rehearsal script. Which means the

book is written as a play! In my opinion, the format is very hard to

understand and to read. Plus, the book is very expensive – it costs

$30 in the US. I would recommend that if you want to read the book,

you should borrow it from a library.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Movie Gets High Marks By Nitya S.

Did you ever wonder what the movie Alice through the Looking

Glass was about?

The movie is about a girl named Alice who has dreams about a

fantasy world. In her dream world, her best friend the Mad Hatter, is

getting more and more sick everyday – to the point where he could die.

He is totally heartbroken because his entire family has been killed, and

that makes him very depressed. Alice finds out there is a way to save the

Mad Hatter’s family by traveling into the past and stopping a fire breath-

ing dragon from attacking them. As Alice discovers, traveling to the past

and changing it to save the Mad Hatter’s family may destroy the entire

world.

While Alice is trying to change events of the past to save the fam-

ily, she also realizes the truth about the Queen of Hearts. Everyone

thinks she is an evil and jealous person, rotten and mean. However, Al-

ice gets to see the Queen of Hearts from her childhood and what events

cause her to become a mean and terrible woman. Another thing Alice

learns is that the past cannot be changed without consequences. When

you change the past and try to cheat time, you also change the future

which can lead to even worse outcomes. After a lot of hard work, she gets

the Mad Hatter’s family back and she has to say goodbye to everyone.

Then she wakes up from her dream.

I personally thought the movie was good, and I thought the plot

was even better. I did not like that the whole reason the queen of hearts

was bad was because she wanted an apology. The action scenes were

amazing and the combat sequences were thrilling.

I believe that this movie was better than Alice in

Wonderland. The actors performed very well and I

would even see it again.

Thank you for reading my movie review on

Alice through the Looking Glass and make sure to

check out my next movie review!

Movie Review: Alice Through the Looking Glass By Rohan G.

Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid

books series has written a total of 11 books so far. The

books in the series are Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick

Rules, The Last Straw, Dog Days, The Ugly Truth, Cab-

in Fever, The Third Wheel, Hard Luck, The Long Haul,

Old School and his latest book Double Down which came

out in November.

All of these books are about a kid named Greg Heffley who is in

middle school. The books are mainly about the challenges he faces in

middle school with his best friend Rowley. He also has to deal with his

mean older brother Rodrick, spoiled younger brother Manny, overprotec-

tive mom and his demanding dad. All of the books are filled with comedy

and humor. Read the books for a good laugh!

Three of these books have been turned into movies and are fun to

watch too. If you have never read any of the Diary of a Wimpy kid books,

I suggest you pick up the first one and start reading. If you are already a

Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan, you might want to pick up his new book Dou-

ble Down. It continues Greg’s crazy adventure through middle school.

A cool fact is that Jeff Kinney grew up in Prince George’s County,

Maryland and went to the University of Maryland. Kinney basis some of

the stories in his books on his own experiences in middle school.

Discover “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” Book Series

By Elizabeth M.


In 1945 Chicago Cubs baseball fan William Sianis

brought a Billy goat into Wrigley field, the Cubs home

baseball park. He was asked to leave the stadium because

the odor of the billy goat bothered fans. William Sianis

cursed the Cubs by saying “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna

win no more.” The Cubs didn’t get into the World Series for

the next 71 years and blamed this on the “Curse of the Bil-

ly Goat.” In 2016, however, the Cubs finally made it to the

World Series against the Cleveland Indians.

The Cleveland Indians won the first game 6-0. The Chicago

Cubs won the second game 5-1. In the third game Cleveland won a

pitcher’s duel 1-0 and lead the series two games to one. Cleveland won

game four 7-2 and they only needed to win one more game to become

world champions. Chicago won the next two games 3-2 and 9-3 and the

series was tied at 3 games apiece. The seventh and final game would

decide who wins the World Series!

In game seven the Cubs took the lead 1-0 after Fowler hit a

home run to lead off the game. In the bottom of the third inning

Cleveland tied the game. In the top of the fourth the Cubs

scored two more runs to take the lead again 3-1. In the top of

the fifth Chicago scored two more runs to extend their lead 5-1.

Things looked very good for Chicago. However, in the bottom of

the fifth after taking out the pitcher Hendricks, Cleveland

scored 2 more runs and now only trailed 5-3. In the top of the

6th the Cubs scored another run and the score was now 6-3. But

in the bottom of the eighth Cleveland tied the game by scoring three

more runs. The score was 6-6 going into the 9th inning. When no one

scored in the 9th the game went into extra innings.

In the top of the tenth Chicago scored two runs making the score

8-6. In the bottom of the tenth Cleveland scored only one run and the

Cubs won 8-7. The curse was finally over and the Cubs became the 2016

World Series champions!

The Curse Is Over: Chicago Cubs Win 2016 World Series By Elizabeth M.

The New England Patriots joined the National Football

League (NFL) as the Boston Patriots in 1970. The team was original-

ly a member of the American Football League (AFL) and called the

Boston Patriots from 1960-1970. The Boston Patriots had four differ-

ent home stadiums, Nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway

Park, and Alumni Stadium. After they joined the NFL they moved to

Foxboro Stadium and wanted to be called the Bay State Patriots,

however, the NFL rejected the name.

In 1971 they officially changed their name to the New Eng-

land Patriots and have kept the name ever since. Their current home

field is Gillette Stadium. The Patriots have three team colors blue,

white and red. Their nickname is the Pats. The owner of the Patriots

is Robert Kraft. They have been to the playoffs 23 times. They have

competed in eight Super Bowls, six of them since the year 2000 with

Tom Brady as quarterback and Bill Belichick as coach. The Patriots

last won the Super Bowl in 2015.

The Patriots By Jack M.

Shooting Hoops By Parsa H.

This article will review and rate the features of two cell phones,

the iPhone 7 plus and the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Both are top-selling

phones in the United States.

In the iPhone 7, the camera lens 1- allows the phone to easily

zoom in and out and 2- allows the phone to photograph tiny objects

very simply. This iPhone comes in 5 colors, the most famous color at

this time is the jet black. The easy play music allows the phone to play

music in seconds! This iPhone has a weak security features. A big con

is the iPhone has no headphone or earphone jack which means you

need a Bluetooth headset to listen to the phone privately. Apple also

made the iPhone 7+ very expensive due to the improved camera fea-

ture. Most people would prefer the iPhone 6+ instead. For these rea-

sons I would give the iPhone 7+ a rating of 6.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is bigger than the IPhone 7+ and

it comes in A LOT more colors like pink. The Samsung also has a

strong frame. It is also very comfortable to hold and to grip. In addi-

tion the Samsung has an easy search tool which means if you open the

phone there will be a google search bar at the top! The Samsung also

comes with a pen that can scratch the screen of the phone. Here is a

VERY big con— the Samsung can explode while it charges. For these

reasons I give the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 a rating of 3.

iPhone 7+ PROS

iPhone 7+ CONS

7 camera lens +2 Weak number password -2

Easy zoom in/out +1 No headphone jack -9

Water resistant +5 Expensive -1

Very fast +2.5

In 5 colors +3

Thin +1

Big +0.5

Aluminum edges +2

Easy play music +2

Overall: 6

Samsung galaxy note 7 PROS

Samsung galaxy note 7 CONS

Bigger +1 Pen that can scratch -1

More colors +7 Can explode -17

Metal frame+2

Water & dust resistant +6

Comfy to hold +3

More pixels +2

Easy search +1

Overall: 3

Is the iPhone 7+ or the Samsung

Galaxy Note a better phone? By Idhant G.

Thank you Stone Mill PTA for

sponsoring the Newspaper Club.

STONE MILL

NEWSPAPER CLUB

Fifth Graders:

Rhianne A. • Nwamaka A. • Hannah B. • Karen C. • Shivani D. • Ines E. •

Sekayi F. • Daksh G. • Neharika G. • Rohan G. • Rory G. • Ruiyan H. •

Kurtus H. • Amy H. • Alexander I. • Yinquan J. • Lily J. • Sophia K. •

Lily K. • Shruthi K. • Blair L. •Kimberly L. • Kalle M. • Zara M. • Eliza-

beth M. • Samantha M. • Calista P.• Samahith P. • Sriman R. • Labeeba

R. • Kelly R. • Samantha R.• Brielle R. • Nitya S. • Gurnoor S. • Sloane S.

• Miduo S. • Elizabeth T. • Elaine W. • Adam Y. • Andy Y. • Sityana Y. •

Parker Z.• Bring Z.

Fourth Graders:

Rehobeth A. • Imelda A. • Daksh B. • Taylor B. • Jason B. • Isobel C. •

Jonathan C. • Naima C. • Nikki C. • Lyla D. • Caroline D. • Michelle G. •

Elizabeth G. • Naina G. • Makeda G. • Idhant G. • Jenna G. • Sarah G. •

Gianna G. • Satvik G. • Mathew G. • Parsa H. • Lauren I. • Shivani J. •

Serena J. • Shayan K. • Matthew K. • Mason L. • Ellen L. • Alexis M. •

Jennifer M. • Jack M. • Joy N. • Naysa M. • Abby N. • Rayna P. • Lincoln

P. • Lily P. • Yury R. • Kaia S. • Alexa S. • Cayla S. •Ella S. • Amber T. •

Ruthiga V. • Brooke Z.

Advisors:

Ciara Amaral • Shruti Japee • Joanne Misovec • Jill Needleman

ANSWER KEY


Hanukkuh Oh Hanukkuh

(pg. 7)

Baby Dragon By Ruthiga V.

All About India By Daksh B.

Introduction

India is a fun place to explore new things. The country is small, almost

one third of the size of the USA. Yet in population, it is the second larg-

est country in the world after China. It is the world’s biggest democracy.

Cities

India has many cities. Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and New Delhi are

the metropolitan cities. Other cities include Hyderabad, Bangalore and

Agra.

Languages

There are many languages in India such as, Telugu, Tamil, and Malaya-

lam. India’s national language is Hindi. It is spoken by a lot of people in

Northern India. People in Mumbai and other places in India also speak

Hindi .

Father of India/Independence from Britain

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, fondly known as Mahatma Gandhi is

considered India’s Father of the Nation. He worked in South Africa for

many years and returned to India to help the country get independence

from Britain. Britain took over all the monuments and natural resources

like The Taj Mahal and the Himalayas. In 1947, India gained independ-

ence from Britain because of Mahatma Gandhi.

Bollywood Bash!

India also has the biggest movie industry. They make over 600 movies a

year! Wow! Almost all of the movies are musicals with elaborate cos-

tumes and dances. Most Indian movie actors/actresses don’t sing for

themselves in the movies. Playback singers sing for them. Some of those

singers are stars in their own right.

Bengal Tiger

The Bengal Tiger is India’s national animal. These animals were once

found all over the country. The tiger population decreased because hunt-

ers started killing them. People think that there are only fewer than

4000 tigers left in India. Some hunters kill them illegally for their

skins. The Indian government has initiated a program to help these

endangered cats. The Bengal Tiger is an endangered species.

Religion (Hinduism)

There are many religions in India. Most

people in India are Hindus. Hinduism has

many gods and goddesses. Hindus worship

them at temples. Hinduism has no single

founder, no scripture, and no commonly

agreed set of teachings. It is natural.

There are over 1 billion Hindus worldwide.

Other Religions

There are many other religions in India. There are over 150 million

Muslims in India. They are also followers of Islam. Islam was found in

622 C.E. in an area that is now called Saudi Arabia.

There is another religion called Buddhism. Buddhists don’t say if gods

exist or not and don’t believe that gods/goddesses bring them happiness.

Strangely, one can read stories about gods in Buddhist books.

Sikhism is another religion. This started in North India in the Punjab

region in the 15th century. It is closely related to Hinduism. This reli-

gion has a scripture and a single founder. His name is Guru Nanak.

There is another religion called Jainism. It is an ancient religion of In-

dia. The aim of Jain life is to achieve liberation of the soul. Hence Jains

do not have one god. Jain gods are innumerable and the number is in-

creasing as more people attain liberation. Jains believe that every living

soul is diseased with karmas (i.e. bad deeds).

There is one last religion called Zoroastrianism. It’s one of the oldest

religions that started 3600 years ago. Followers of this religion believe

that there is one universal, transcendent, supreme god, named Ahura

Mazda (Ahura means “being” and Mazda means “mind” in Avestan lan-

guage).

Wonders of India

Some wonders in India are the Taj Mahal, The Red Fort, Nalanda, and

the rivers Ganges and Yamuna. They are remarkable and breathtaking

places to visit.

Stone Mill Word Search

(pg. 7)

Snowman, Snowman

Where’s Your Nose?

(pg. 7)

Winter Crossword Puzzle

(pg. 7)

stone mill students compete in geography bee naina g. surely you have heard about the national...

Documents