NUT SWAMP ELEMENTARY! FEBRUARY 2015

PAGE 1

Educator and entertainer, Greg Kaler, came to our school on February 6th after returning from a 5-month trip of performing shows around the globe. He brought us some games and activities that he learned from the countries he was in, such as China and England.He was a great entertainer and played a few fun games

with us. One of them was kicking around a badminton birdie back and forth to each other. I volunteered for the badminton birdie game (called Shuttleball in England) with two of my classmates and one teacher and it was really hard to do because the birdie was so small. But it was also fun because sometimes the birdie just went

“SPLAT” on the floor. He also had a circular stretchy thing that sling-shotted people. A few students – and even teachers – all got inside the circular rubber band. Then they backed up, and then sling-shotted across to the person who was opposite them. It really gave them a big boost! All of the students were laughing because everyone kept bumping into each other. There were also other games going on, like making shapes with ribbons (a Chinese game), while others kids and teachers tried to balance a sand-filled birdie on a tennis racket and walk across the room without letting it fall. At the end of the assembly, he had a hypnotizing circle on a drill and we had to stare at the center for 20 seconds without talking or blinking. When he took it away, his head looked like it was about to explode! The message of the day was to try your best and you’re winner if you had fun. It was a very nice visit and we were lucky to have him at our school.

TIGER TIMESGAMES FROM AROUND THE WORLDColin B., grade 2

Hi! My name is Emma H. and I am a second grade student at Nut Swamp Elementary. I am writing an article about Jump Rope for Heart. Jump Rope for Heart is a program run by the American Heart Association. The program teaches about the importance of developing habits that lead to a healthy heart. Our school participated in the program during gym classes the week of February 17th.Some people are born with heart defects, but others can develop a heart problem by eating unhealthy foods and not exercising. The Jump Rope for Heart program will teach students about heart disease and how to prevent it by making the right choices. By participating in the program, students can help our school earn money that will be used to teach us about our hearts and buy gym equipment that we can use to exercise. I encourage students to participate in the program and learn how we can help ourselves and others make the right choices and build a healthy and strong heart.

NUT SWAMP CARES: JUMP ROPE FOR HEARTEmma H., grade 2

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays in February. Valentine’s Day is on February 14th every year and I look forward to it. Valentine’s Day is very close to President’s Day, which I always look forward to. I love Valentine’s Day also because of all the cute symbols. My best friend’s birthday is close to Valentine’s Day, too. I love all of the Valentine’s Day movies that come. I buy most of the movies because I’m obsessed with celebrating. I always give my mom gifts and eat the candy or chocolate covered strawberries. That is just what I do. Then I get candy, devour it, and it upsets my stomach. But, it is all fine with me as long as I spend the day with friends and family. Do you like Valentine’s Day? Remember to write for the Tiger Times, it is a lot of fun.

KIDS OPINION: VALENTINE’S DAYSamantha S., grade 3

FEATURED ARTISTChloe D., grade 4

NUT SWAMP ELEMENTARY! FEBRUARY 2015

PAGE 2

Rebel From The Devilby Wesley F.Have you ever heard of the Jersey Devil? You know the horse headed, snake bodied, and bat winged monster that hides in the New Jersey pine barrens. It can be traced back to Deborah Smith who immigrated to New Jersey to marry a Mr. Leeds.The legend goes that the Jersey Devil was born on a stormy night in 1735. Deborah Smith, also known as Mrs. Leeds, was about to give birth to her thirteenth child. She was said to have called on the devil during her extremely painful labor and the surrounding people began expecting a devil to be born. When the baby finally arrived, the people were disappointed. It appeared to be a normal baby but it soon grew a horse head, a snake like body, and wings like a bat. The Jersey Devil was now born.There have been many al leged sightings of the Jersey Devil with some people taking photographs of what they think is the Jersey Devil. However, I believe that many of the photographs have been edited or the photographers have been mistaken by shapes that mimic the supposed Jersey Devil.This is what I would call a Rebel from the Devil.

Liberty State Park by Erika R.    There is a place in New Jersey where you can enjoy the view of the “Big Apple” and visit the Liberty Science Center. You guessed it, Liberty State Park.  Families can go fishing, crabbing and to the Liberty Science Center. Many cultural events happen at Liberty State Park. Did you know  that in 1980 on Labor Day, Ronald Reagan made his campaign speech in Liberty S ta te Park ? In the 80s two musicians named Daryl Hall and John Oates  were really popular. So, on July 4th,  1985 they played in Liberty State Park and 70,000 people showed up! It was so good it was replayed on HBO! Next an opera singer named Andrea Bocelli had a concert featured on PBS named American Dream Statue of Liberty concert. Then In 2001, Cirque du Soleil premiered its new work in the All Points West Music & Arts Festival. They hosted it again the next year wi th Jay Z and Coldplay!Let me tell you a little about the history of Liberty State Park. It started as a small island named Black Tom. Next, it took landfill projects to get what they then called Bedloes Island to join the mainland. Audrey Zapp,Theodore Conrad, Morris Pesin and J. Owen Grundy were some of the people that were environmentalists and historians that helped make this possible. Streets and places are named after these terrific tributes.Liberty State Park in New Jersey is a wonderful place to visit and learn about!

What Are Powwows?by Deaven C.A powwow is probably not what you are thinking of. Have you ever heard of a powwow as a medicine man, not a gathering? Powwows can cure people, tell the future, and talk to people about the i r prob lems . Another name for a powwow is a shaman. Most people think that powwows where only alive a long time ago, but guess what, there are still some powwows living in New Jersey!!!! There is one in Eatontown, New Jersey, near me!!!! Did you know that powwows believe that everything in nature has a spirit? Powwows dedicate their life to learning how to deal with those spirits. When someone is ill, they believe that a bad spirit has taken over or stolen their soul. They try to cure people by carrying around objects that will disarm bad spirits.I loved learning about powwows, I didn’t know what a powwow was before doing research on it. I hope you are as interested in powwows as I am and I hope you learned a lot about them.

C L A S S C O L U M NMRS. JOHNSON’S NJ SCOOP ESSAYS

NUT SWAMP ELEMENTARY! FEBRUARY 2015

PAGE 3

Rocks, Minerals, and Gems by Nicholas M.You may think of New Jersey as a place with beaches and boardwalks, but did you know that New Jersey is also home to many rocks, minerals, and gems?Minerals are natural and non-living substances, which can be recovered using a chisel or pickaxe. Rocks are solid combinations of one or more minerals. A rock hammer is used to collect samples of rocks. Gems are precious or semiprecious stones that can be cut and polished to wear as jewelry or just to collect.The rocks, minerals, and gems found in New Jersey were formed long ago and can be found in the mountains, lakes, rivers, and oceans throughout the state. Many of them are dug out of the ground in quarries or found in sediments on river bottoms and beaches.Last year, our class went to the Sterling Hill Mine in Ogdensburg, NJ.  Sterling Hill, along with its nearby neighbor in Franklin, is a zinc and iron ore mine known for its fluorescence. Also, right here in the Highlands, we have marble.This marble is not used for countertops or floors.  It is usually crushed and used for landscaping. Finally, you can find quartz in Southern New Jersey.  A common variety of quartz is amethyst - a pretty, purple gem.So, make sure you look around the next time you're at a park or beach in New Jersey.  You may find a treasure!

Thomas Edisonby Daniel I.Do you want to know about Thomas Edison? Then this paragraph is for you. Thoma s Edi son wa s bor n in February. He lived 84 years and died on October 18, 1931. Mr.Edison made great inventions, such as the light bulb , the motion camera , the phonograph and many more inventions that remain useful today. The first great invention developed by Mr.Edison in Menlo Park, NJ was the tin foil phonograph. While working to improve the efficiency of a telegraph transmitter, he noted that the tape of the machine gave off a noise resembling spoken words when played at a high speed. This caused him to wonder if he could record a telephone message. He began experimenting with the diaphragm of a telephone receiver by attaching a needle to it. He reasoned that the needle could prick paper tape to record a message. This turned into a gramophone player. He is also wel l known for the inventing of the motion camera. Mr. Edison first put a small picture behind a machine that made the picture bigger, but went further. He made more little pictures, then put them behind the screen and made holes in the sides of the pictures, put the pictures behind the screen and rolled the pictures. This turned into a TV.Thomas Edison patented most of his inventions and built them. I choose Thomas Edison because he made inventions that are still used today.

The Jersey ShoreBy Reese F.Do you and your family want to go somewhere full of adventure? Then let me   introduce you to the wonderful Jersey Shore! There are a lot of amazing places to visit here and two of those are Six-Flags and Sandy Hook. Do you like rides? Have you ever been on a ride? If you have or have not, you have to try out the amazing Six Flags. This amusement park is located in Jackson, NJ, and opened on July 1, 1974. Six Flags has the most terrifying, incredible, amazing rides ever! If you want a break from the rides, then you can head to the Safari Tour to see animals from around the world. There are rides for all ages and plenty of areas for food and candy. Six Flags equals family fun!Beaches, delicious seafood and exercise. Does that all sound good? Then let me introduce you to a wonderful state park called Sandy Hook. The Hook, as locals call it, was originally discovered by the famous sea captain, Henry Hudson in the early 1600s. It is a place to enjoy your free time, whether it be exercising, eating or relaxing on the beach. When hunger strikes, mouth watering seafood is very close by. A paved trail starts at the beginning of the hook and goes all the way to the tip. You cannot go wrong with a day at The Hook.These are both great places to have a blast on the Jersey Shore!

C L A S S C O L U M NMRS. JOHNSON’S NJ SCOOP ESSAYS

The Class Column is open to al l classes. Have an idea?

Talk to your teacher today!

NUT SWAMP ELEMENTARY! FEBRUARY 2015

PAGE 4

Super Bowl XLIX was played in Arizona on February 1, 2015. The teams were the Ne w England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks. It was a very cool game. The quarterbacks were Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. In the first quarter no one scored. Both teams scored in the second quarter. Right before halftime, with only 6 seconds left, the Seahawks decided to pass the ball instead of going for a field goal, and they scored. Chris Matthews was the one who scored the touchdown. The score at halftime was 14 – 14. In the fourth quarter the Seahawks were losing. They were about to take the lead. They were on the five-yard line. Everybody expected Russell Wilson to hand it off to Marshawn Lynch but they decided to pass it instead. Then a rookie for the Patriots, Malcolm Butler, intercepted it at the one-yard line. It could have been the worst play call in Super Bowl history. Then the Patriots won. The final score was 28-24.

SPORTS: SUPER BOWL XLIXJack D., grade 1

There is an amazing explorer named George Kourounis who loves to go on extreme adventures , such a s swimming with piranhas and driving next to tornadoes.  His most recent trip was his most exciting yet! Kourounis went down into a pit of fire. The pit is called the Darvaza Crater and is located in the Central Asian Country of Turkmenistan. It has been burning since the 1960s or 1970s, but no one knows how it was formed. Kourounis wanted to collect dirt from the crater floor to see if any living things could survive in such extreme conditions. He is the only person to do this, since the temperature can reach 750 degrees F. Kourounis wore a suit covered in aluminum, a harness made out of Kevlar, and an air tank, like a scuba diver's, in case the air was unsafe to breathe. He spent 17 minutes on the crater floor where he picked up samples of soil and rocks. Scientists studied the samples and found 2 types of bacteria never seen before.  This was an exciting discovery because if life can exist in the pit of fire, then maybe some things can live on other planets too!

SCIENCE: THE PIT OF FIREKamryn O., grade

I'm Lexi and I interviewed my third grade teacher Mrs. MacLellan. Mrs. MacLellan grew up in Bay Bridge, Brooklyn. She went to Saint Anslem grade school and Saint Savior High School, and played softball. Her favorite subject was reading. Mrs. MacLellan got her Masters in teaching and special education from Monmouth University. She worked until her first daughter was born, and two and a half years later she had triplets! Her sister and aunt then inspired her to become a teacher. Mrs. MacLellan has been teaching for 9 years at Nut Swamp. After being a co-teacher, she's happy to have her own class because she can give it all her energy. It's very important that her students are happy, learn at their own pace and are motivated. Mrs. MacLellan lives in Middletown and she has a boxer named Charlotte. It's amazing that she can balance having a class of 24, and also help her own kids with their work!Hobbies: ( Cooking, reading, running & decoratingFoods: (( Seafood, chocolate cake and TwixTV Show: ( The Office or Modern FamilyVacation: ( Prince Edward Island, CanadaSport: ( ( Soccer Book: (( Charlotte's Web

TEACHER FEATURE: MRS. MACLELLANLexi Z., grade 3

Do you like exciting and adventurous stories? Well, then Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl, would be a great book for you. It is a book about a boy named Charlie who lives with his four grandparents and his mom and dad. They are very poor. They live right near a mysterious chocolate factory. When Charlie passes it on his way to school every day he can always smell the great smell of chocolate.Then one day Charlie’s grandpa reads in the newspaper that the chocolate factory is having a contest. There are 5 golden tickets in 5 chocolate bars for 5 lucky kids. If you get the golden ticket you get to go in the factory no one has been in for years. You also get trucks full of chocolate, enough chocolate to last your whole life. The children that find the five golden tickets are Augustus Gloop, Mike Teavee, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt and Charlie Bucket. They are some strange kids! To find out what happens when they go in the chocolate factory you should read this book. I recommend this book because I enjoyed reading it and I think you will too.

BOOK NOOKMolly D., grade 3