THE WILLETT CHRONICLE
A Newspaper by Willett Students for Willett Students
December 2008
Getting to Know Ms. Perry
by Meili Monk, Grade 4
I interviewed Ms. Perry, our new school
principal.
She said, “I
like
meeting all
the families
and
teachers.”
Ms. Perry
was born in
Fairfax,
Virginia,
but went to
high school
in Oregon.
She likes
our school. She also likes to spend time with
her son Scott, go to movies, and travel! Her
son is 15 years old. She likes the color blue,
Mexican food, tulips, sunflowers, and Nancy
Drew books. Her birthday is June 3rd. Ms.
Perry is a very nice person and principal.
end, they have to run a race against time, a
race in which losing would be deadly. Even
though this phenomenal book is coming out
as a movie, you definitely need to read the
book. Its sequels, New Moon, Eclipse, and
Breaking Dawn, follow the story that’s been
a hit across America.
Interview with Mrs. Reina-Guerra
by Margaret Ji & Divya Kunda, Grade 5
Mrs. Reina-Guerra is the fifth-grade GATE
teacher at Willett. She teaches in Room D15. She was previously working at North
Davis Elementary, and before that, at Valley
Oak Elementary.
Margaret & Divya: What made you want
to come to Willett?
Mrs. Reina-Guerra: I love Willett. My son
goes here. I know what a wonderful school
climate it is. I always wanted to be an owl,
and one of my favorite colors is green. I
now like 29 students.
M&D: You mentioned you have a son here?
Twilight in Print and on Screen
by Kasey Carlson, Grade 6
Twilight is the first book of the Twilight
series, a romantic story that keeps you on
the edge of your seat. This 498-page novel
by Stephenie Meyer grabs you as the reader
and holds your attention, making you thirsty
for more. A vampire and a mortal fall deeply
in love, and figure out their families’ pasts.
The adventures they put each other through
are the most attention-grabbing ever. In the
Mrs. R-G: Yes, his name is Davis. And
after school, my daughter Abby comes from
Fairfield.
M&D: How do you feel about teaching at
Willett?
Mrs. R-G: I love it.
M&D: How is Willett compared to the other
schools where you’ve taught?
1
Mrs. R-G: Every school is different and
special in its own way. Willett is special
because of all the wonderful people.
M&D: Do you think that you will want to
teach again at Willett next year?
Mrs. R-G: Yes!
M&D: How many years have you taught?
Mrs. R-G: About 16 years.
M&D: What are your hobbies, other than
teaching?
Mrs. R-G: Skiing, and I love reading,
reading, reading, and sitting under a tree and
reading.
Recipe: Simpson Sponge Cookies
A Book Review about Rose
by Kasey Li, Grade 4
In Rose, a beautiful graphic novel by Jeff
Smith and Charles Vess, Rose Harvestar, a
young princess, knows nothing of what Fate
has prepared for her. All she knows is that
she has a wondrous dream eye, which is
good in a way, yet also bad. Her elder sister
does not have this gift. Along with loyal
doggie friends Cleo and Euclid; Lucius
Down, the captain of the palace guards; and
Briar Harvestar, her sister, whose dreaming
eye is very blind, Rose sets out on a spiritual
journey to the Master’s cave. Briar and
Rose are two very different sisters. While
Rose will spend a free day looking for
honey, Briar might spend it sulking in her
bedroom. That’s when the trouble starts.
Whatever the future has for Rose and Briar
Harvestar, it will surely become reality in
this beautiful graphic novel.
by Tina Simpson, Grade 6
Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar
½ cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
½ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cream together sugar and butter in a large
bowl.
3. Add eggs and vanilla. Whisk.
4. Add milk. Mix.
5. Mix in baking soda, baking powder, and
salt.
6. Slowly add the flour while mixing.
7. Place dough 1 inch apart on ungreased
cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown.
“Clone Wars” Disappoints
by Noah Papagni, Grade 6
I was dying to see “Star Wars: The Clone
Wars”….until I did see it and exited the
theater shaking my head in dismay. It didn’t
follow the other movies at all, it called my
favorite character Grievous a droid, the lip
motions didn’t correspond with the words,
and the animation was all-out cheesy. The
only good character was Captain Rex, the
Shock Trooper. The battle droids were about
the only amusing things throughout the film.
I do remember being fascinated with Asajj
Ventress’s light saber: a dual light saber
with the ability to split into two curved ones.
Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s new Padawan (Jedi
apprentice), was the low point of the whole
film, annoying in a Jar Jar Binks way. Never
shuts up. Annoying, annoying,
ANNOYING! All in all, bad film.
2
Ice Skating
written & illustrated by Jiyoon Choi,
Grade 5
Have you ever feared getting hurt when
doing something? Well, I have. When I first
tried a waltz jump in figure skating, I fell.
However, I felt an urge to try again, so I
overcame my fears and proceeded.
Eventually, it became fun. So don’t worry,
try again, and have fun! Here are some
pointers on figure skating:
Balance
At first, you may think, “How am I
supposed to balance and stop without getting
hurt?” Well, look no further! Balancing is all
about bending your knees and leaning
forward slightly. As you get better, you can
straighten your legs and arch your back
(always trust your legs and knees to support
you).
Stopping
At first, you’ll probably stop by crashing
into the boards or falling down.
Unfortunately, both can hurt quite a lot.
However, there is a basic way to stop. It is
called an L stop. Just skate on one foot and
drag a blade behind you. This will cause
friction and slow you down until you stop.
As you get better, you’ll learn the snowplow
stop, T stop, and hockey stop. Soon you’ll
get more advanced, so take your time to
enjoy skating.
Backward crossovers are harder. You
have to include a slide of your foot, lift,
cross, and push. There are also three turns.
In this move, you turn on one foot, making
the shape of a “3” on the ice.
There are also “mohawks.” Gliding on one
foot, turn both heels out on the ice and
switch your feet.
Field moves
Field moves are quite simple. “Shoot the
Duck” is one where you kneel down with
both feet on the ice. Then you extend one
leg in front of you. “Lunge” is another move
where you extend a leg behind, but it is still
on the ice, similar to an L stop, except
without stopping. A “spiral” is a field move
where you extend a leg behind you in the
air, with an arched back and spread arms. It
is very elegant. Enjoy those field moves!
Wherever you ice skate, you’ll always be
showing your talent. Don’t forget to have
fun and work hard!
Basic moves
If you’re age six or older, the first level
you’ll get into is Pre-Alpha. You can
probably balance on one foot by now, so
you will learn crossovers. You just do a onefoot glide on a circle, and cross your feet.
3
WORD FIND: WEATHER
Linda Su, Grade 6
Q
T
G
Q
L
B
M
V
I
S
Q
P
U
U
Y
C
W
I
N
X
Z
S
U
N
N
W
F
D
P
B
A
F
R
X
W
N
N
M
E
V
U
A
O
K
C
A
M
F
N
H
V
N
S
O
S
J
D
W
I
N
D
Y
C
O
A
N
L
E
Y
G
Z
N
H
P
B
L
Z
C
O
C
F
O
G
G
Y
A
L
Y
E
M
I
W
J
N
O
H
A
H
I
K
Y
M
I
R
S
E
D
Z
Y
G
Z
L
N
W
D
L
R
T
I
R
T
F
Z
R
J
D
O
X
E
U
O
M
S
Z
A
S
B
W
W
N
C
Q
H
R
I
G
R
B
I
L
A
J
S
H
B
H
M
H
D
Y
T
Q
I
Q
W
L
F
G
K
Words to find: SUNNY, RAINY, WINDY, FOGGY, MISTY, SNOWY, CLOUDY, HAIL,
BLIZZARD, SNOWSTORM, HURRICANE
Happy Holidays from Pub Club
The Willett Chronicle is a publication of the Willett Elementary School Publications Club, a PTA-supported afterschool activity. Naomi Williams is the parent coordinator; contact her at [email protected]. Pub Club
thanks Mr. Reevesman and his class for hosting Pub Club in their room (again!) this year, Vanessa Soriano at the
District Publications Office, Pub Club parents who bring snacks and type manuscripts, and junior high assistant
Julian Fuchs.
4