Spring 2008
Center/Sylvester Newspaper
Dreaming the Dream with Susan V. Bosak
By Caitlyn Dever & Sarah McCarthy
On April 28, 2008, our favorite author, Susan V. Bosak, came to Center/
Sylvester School. We were so thrilled to see her. We were in awe of her books
because she writes such descriptive books like Dream. She was very nice when
Caitlyn got Susan’s autograph on two of her books, Dream and Something to
Remember Me By.
Susan’s grandmother was her inspiration to write Something to Remember
Me By because she is the only person who said she could become an author
and she did. Also, her mother inspired her to write Dream because Susan
looked up into the sky every night since she was four years old and made a
wish on a star. Guess what? She still does.
While Susan was reading Dream the pictures from the book appeared on the
screen behind her. A different artist illustrated each page. Susan told us the
names of the illustrators and what they did to become an artist. I would love
to see Susan again and reading another one of her books would be incredible!
Interview of Mrs. Hrenko
YEARBOOK TIME!
By Mike Meads
Every year, the students at
Center/Sylvester School get a
yearbook. What is a yearbook? Some of the sections of
the yearbook are the pictures
of every individual person in
your class, fourth grade favorites, and some games.
Some people buy it because it
reminds them of their friends
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and teachers. Other people
buy it to see how people look. I
like it because it reminds me
of all the kids in my class
and all the teachers I have ever
had. This year the fourth
graders got to help make the
yearbook.
By: Courtney Walsh and Ethan Hallett
If you don’t know anything about Mrs. Hrenko, here’s some information that we learned. Mrs. Hrenko has always wanted to be
a teacher and we are very lucky to have her as a third grade
teacher at Sylvester School. She likes being a teacher because she
gets to hang out with her kids all day and has a blast teaching
them. Another thing about Mrs. Hrenko is that she likes how her
class is always willing to help each other out. She enjoys teaching her class about the American Revolution and working with
the other 3rd and 4th graders in Sylvester School. Mrs. Hrenko
really loves her classroom and all the history in the school. The 80
year old wood floors at the school are something she enjoys. If she
could, she would teach about ancient civilizations because it is
fascinating to her. Rocky is her one and a half year old dog that
she likes to walk. They also celebrate the same birthday, May 12.
Mrs. Hrenko lives in West Bridgewater and really likes it. When
she’s not at school, she likes to exercise, sleep late and spend time
with her family. Now you know a lot about Mrs. Hrenko!
Fenway Day by Megan Abbott
One day at Center/Sylvester School,
we had Fenway Day. On Fenway
Day, we dressed up in our Red Sox
clothes including hats or wore red,
white, and blue. In the morning, we
went out to the baseball field and did
the pledge of allegiance. Then we sang
“Take Me 0ut to the Ball Game.” In
Physical Education that week, we
played “Home Run Derby.” Home
Run Derby is a baseball game where
you try to hit home runs so there are
no bases. Mrs. Cashman and Mr.
Arena split us into two teams. If there
was another class going on at the
same time, we played class versus
class. Fenway Day was a blast!
Active Legos
By Deidre White
In Lego/Robotics, third and
fourth graders are a team that
build a robot out of legos. We
also have to do a project for the
science fair. At the science fair
our team had half an hour to
demonstrate a few programs
on the robot and the project we
made. The project had to involve energy and how we can
make it better. The board for
the project had to be divided
into a question and answer
section, and how people are trying to make it better today.
My team chose to talk about
solar panels. We came up with
about 7 ideas. I think Lego/
Robotics is a lot of fun. You
should try it next year!
Read Across America
by Kali Heffernan and Kayla Orrick
Books for Babies
By Carol MacDonald & Kayla Orrick
Read Across America stunned the school with its achievements and
activities. To celebrate, Mrs. Harvey had many different games and contests “Bring in books!” That is what the awesome
for Dr. Seuss’ birthday, many people from all over Hanover came to read to posters said all around the school. Their
bright colors and pretty pictures begged you
our classes, and our school collected books for babies.
to bring in books for babies. Piles of books
In the library during Read Across America Week, there was a goldfish eventually came pouring in from Center/
contest. Stephanie Crowley won for 4th grade. Cate McGillicuddy won for 3rd Sylvester school. The students hoped to reach
grade. They each got a book of their choice as a prize. The answer was over our goal of 450 delightful books. Yeah! We
collected over 500 books. You can read more
1,050 goldfish. Did you guess for the goldfish contest? We guessed but we in the article ‘Read Across America’. Conweren’t even close.
gratulations to the Center/Sylvester stuStudent Council and the Hanover Teachers Association tries to help dents!
out the newborn babies by following through with a program called Books
Penny Power by Mike Meads
For Babies. As you know the program tries to raise a ton of books for newborn babies in the month of April. We collected so many books that it’s toSylvester Student Council has a lot of
tally insane! Imagine all the babies that will go home with a brand new book
fun activities that they do every year. One
because of our school.
fundraiser activity is called Penny Power.
While Mr. Lovell’s class was in the library on Read Across America Penny Power raises money for the different
Week, a Hanover Police officer came in and read to us. He read “Sneeches” by
activities that Student Council puts on, such
Dr. Seuss. After, Mrs. Harvey took pictures and we got police tattoos. Then
as Sports Day. Penny Power lasts for one
we played games like the fish guessing game and the egg game. We had a
week. The goal is to have the most pennies in
lot of fun.
your class jar. You put pennies in your jar as
The contest, the books, the police officer, and everything that went on you bring them in from home. But if somethat week was exciting. We collected over 500 books while our goal was only one brings in nickels, dimes, and quarters
450! The newborn babies of America will thank us one day. We had an awethey can be used to cancel out that amount of
some time during Read Across America week because of all the events that
pennies in another class’ jar. So, if I were to
occurred!
put a nickel in Mrs. Taber’s, or any other
class’ jar, they would loose five pennies. But
Community Meetings
By Christian Abbate
someone can put nickels, dimes and quarters
in our class jar, too. We would then loose the
By Courtney Walsh
pennies.
Poems, Poems, Poems!
Community meetings are really
You can’t actually take any coins out
Oh, how I love poems!
important. At Sylvester School, stuof the jars once they’re in. Student Council
dents go in the gym and talk about
adds up the pennies and then subtracts the
They are soothing
the school. Ms. Peterson or Mrs. Deamount of the other coins. They figure out the
and sometimes relaxing. winner for each grade. Last year Mrs.
Grenier announces winners for the
Read-a-Lot prizes and the character
Polansky’s and Mrs. Thomason’s classes
They are funny
card breakfast. Students clap for their
won. They both won indoor recess toys for
and even crazy.
classmates and have lots of energy.
their classrooms.
The community meeting is only about
Oh, how I love poems!
fifteen minutes long and all the teachHow to Make a Delicious Ice Cream
ers go to the meeting with their class. I
Sundae By Sarah McCarthy
love going to our community meetings!
What you need:
Are You Ready For Our Practice Drills?
By Megan Abbott and Deirdre White
I’m sure you have heard of the
three practice drills of Massachusetts Schools.
There is a bus
evacuation, a stay put drill, and a
fire drill.
During the bus evacuation,
you jump out the back of the bus or
evacuate the bus . During the stay
put drill, you stay put in a corner of
your classroom far away from windows and doors. Then an adult will
lock the doors and pull down the
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shades. The principal will say
when it is over but you cannot get
up until an adult tells you to.
During the fire drill, the
fire alarm will go off. Then you
exit the building using a special
path and line up silently with
your class outside. Once a firefighter tells you it is O.K., you go
back to your class. Those are the
three practice drills. Follow these
drill rules and you will stay safe.
favorite ice cream
whipped cream or marshmallow
topping
brownie or cookie
bowl
spoon
First, crumble up either the cookie or the
brownie and put it in a bowl. Next, put two
or three scoops of the ice cream on top. Then,
squirt the whipped cream or marshmallow
on the top of the ice cream. Add as many
toppings to the ice cream. I hope that you
love it!
Page 2
W
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by Callie MacDonald and Kayla Orrick
Many people know that Wacky
Wednesday is when you dress up in absolutely crazy clothes and celebrate Dr.
Seuss’s birthday. This year we did the
same thing but in order to dress up you
had to bring in a can of food for the
food bank. We did it for those in need.
At the beginning of February,
Hanover Food Bank asked for help because there was no food to save for the
needy. Student Council decided to help
the cause by bringing in cans of food
for the people that needed them. They
thought we all should bring in a can of
food to dress up wacky!
Wow, that was very weird! Everyone dressed up to fulfill the name
“Wacky Wednesday.” As for me, I had
my hair in a puffball and had a drape
over my ripped jeans and a tattered
shirt. I saw two boys dressed up as
girls. They dressed up in a mini skirt
and a cheerleading outfit. Everyone did
a great job of bringing in cans for the
food drive and dressing up crazy and
very, very wacky.
Dr. Seuss was an amazing man.
He made many people laugh and read
with the words of his books. His books
were extremely wacky. They were filled
with crazy and tremendous creatures
and inventions. His words were drawn
out of thin air and placed into his
books. We do Wacky Wednesday to
celebrate him and his books.
Hobbies by Alexander Lamoureux
People have different hobbies.
Some of the hobbies people have are
scuba diving, bug catching and
fishing. A lot of people like their
hobbies and don’t want to stop.
Some people think fishing is a good
hobby because they experience finding new fish they catch. Some people think playing video games is a
hobby because they have nothing
else to do. I know a few people who
collect coins. They like collecting
coins because they like to see the
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At Sylvester school 3rd and 4th grade students have to
do MCAS.
By: Deirdre White
MCAS is a test that tells teachers and the government how a town, state, or student is doing in school or
in a subject in school. Third and fourth graders only
have to do math and reading MCAS, but older children
have to do more subjects like science. During MCAS,
your teacher reads a long paper that explains the MCAS.
Each MCAS session is about 1 hour long. During this
hour, you must be absolutely silent. When you are done
you raise your hand, and the teacher will give you a
book to read. If you are in 3rd grade, and you have recess during 4th grade MCAS, then you have to use the
kindergarten playground. So, do you want to take
MCAS next year?
Talent and Performance
By: Carol MacDonald
The boys and girls at Sylvester School have a lot of talent
and they got to show it off, with a lot of help from the amazing Tracy Grady who directed Pot lock Musical Review.
The school play was absolutely dazzling! If I were to grade
it, I would give it five stars!
The dancing was unique and spectacular. The dancing went
along with some fantastic and classic songs like “The Devil
Went Down To Georgia”, “ABC”, “You Can’t Stop The Beat”,
“What Time Is It”, “All For One”, “We Go Together”, “Thank
God I’m a Country Boy” and of course “Stop Look And Listen”. All of the songs together (and of course the amazing
participants and staff) made it the best school play ever!
On opening day, everyone was engaging in exciting conversations about the play. I begged my mother to go because I
knew it would be great and she let me go. I absolutely needed
a good seat so we went early. The theater was packed! The
curtains opened to reveal the two masters of ceremony, Michael Carr and Ricky Dahlstrom. They did a great job of introducing the songs and cracking some very funny jokes.
Thank you to all of the people who had anything to do with
the play and for showing us great talent.
different colors and faces that represent our history.
Even I have a hobby. Mine is
collecting coins from different
countries. I started to collect coins
last year when my dad went to
three different countries. He went
to Australia, Japan and Singapore.
I got coins with holes in the middle,
some that are gold, some that are
silver and some that are brown.
Another person I know that collects
coins is my sister. My sister and I
thanked him so much! If you want
to have a hobby, I suggest you first
write down all the hobbies you can
think of. Then go back and cross
out all the hobbies that you think
are not exiting. Now circle the one
that you think is very exiting.
You’ve got your hobby! This is how
I chose my hobby. I hope you find
yourself a great hobby!
Page 3
If You Lived 100 Years Ago!
4th Grade Travel Basketball Team Makes History
By: Courtney Walsh
By Christian Abbate
From the book If You Lived 100 Years Ago
By: Anne McGover
If you lived 100 years ago, everyone
was supposed to go to school. Some
children were smarter than their
teachers. If a female teacher gets
married they would have to be fired.
But if a male teacher got married it
would be okay. Lastly, the classrooms only had very little supplies.
That’s what it would be like at
school 100 years ago.
When you’re in 4th grade you can
try out for the travel basketball team.
There are two Hanover teams. I’m on the
Coastal Prep League. This team that I’m
on has made history. We made history by
winning one game.
game went back and fourth until the
buzzer went off. Hanover looked at the
scoreboard and they saw that they had
won. Then we all celebrated in a huddle
right after we saw the score.
So now you have some history
about our season to carry on with you.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about
Coastal Prep League basketball history. Hey, maybe you could make history someday in your school or team.
Now that may sound silly, right?
But to tell you the truth in the last two
years Hanover hasn’t won a game in this
fourth grade league. Hanover is new to
this league and they’ve only been in for
two years and lost every single season
If you lived 100 years ago what game. The team we beat was Braintree. Do
would your teacher be like? Your you want to hear about the game? I bet
teacher would not be that nice. They you do.
did not stop your fights with someHere’s how the game went. The ball
one else. The teachers were too afraid was thrown up and won by Hanover. The
to break up your fights with someFourth Grade Memory Day
one else because they were biting
By: Carol MacDonald & Kayla Orrick
and pushing each other. They would
punish you for doing a bad thing.
It is almost the end of the year! Fourth grade is so excited to be going to a new
That’s what the teachers were like
school. If there is one more great thing happening, I think the entire fourth grade
100 years ago.
will explode with excitement. But wait, there is!! The fourth grade Memory Day
The United Boxes of America would be added to the miraculous list of events. It is a celebration in which the
fourth grade celebrates the awesome memories that Center/Sylvester School has proThe fourth graders are making a vided. It is a day of friends, memories, and goodbyes. We will be saying farewell to
city out of boxes. Called The elementary school and hello to middle school. It is a sad and wonderful day for eveUnited Boxes of America. Groups ryone. There is a delicious cook-out. Everyone dresses up in red, white and blue. We
of 4 or 5 were assigned a house. watch meaningful and powerful videos made by fellow students, explaining how we
One person was responsible for one can help the community. It is the day that all of the years of elementary school have
room in that house. Each person been leading up to.
brought home a pink supply slip
that asks, “If you have any sup- Scrambled eggs by Damian Galotti
plies you are willing to donate Would you like to learn how to make an outstanding recipe for scrambled eggs? If
please do.” Before the 4th grade you do, read this! First, you take as many eggs as you want to and crack them in a
Chorus Concert the Sylvester bowl. Next, take a spoon and poke the eggs. Now, add almost a half-cup of milk and
School Gym was transformed into stir it. After that, pinch little pieces of your favorite cheese and put them in the bowl.
Box City. Box city is hard work Stir it all together. Then add salt and pepper and stir again. Put the stove on mebut the fourth graders can do it be- dium and put a pinch of butter in the pan. Finally, add half a cup of milk but don’t
cause they can wire lights, deco- stir this time. Pour the mixture in the pan and make sure to get all the cheese out of
rate rooms, and build beautiful the bowl. Now, stir the mixture every one-minute until you see the bottom of the pan.
houses.
When you do, keep stirring. When it looks cooked enough, bon appetite!
Newspapers Favorite Subject
By Caitlyn Dever
If you want to know what the newspaper’s favorite subject is
keep on reading. Art received 7 votes. Music & Art almost
had a tie because Music got 6 votes. Gym has the most with
10 votes in all. Lots of people like gym! Last, library has 2,
which is the least. If you add 7, 6, 2, 10 you get 25 in total.
When I interviewed Aidan Curtis he said, “P.E. gives me
an opportunity to exercise and to sweat.” Megan liked
library because she, “love to read books a lot.” When I interviewed Sarah McCarthy she said, “I like dancing, playing
with the recorder, singing” in music. Art was Caroline
McDonald’s favorite subject. “I love getting to draw and using your imagination. I can be creative.” Wow!
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Cirque Du Freak
Winter Basketball
By Patrick Bowen
By Douglas Low
Cirque Du Freak is the
best book series I have
ever read! It is about a
kid named Darren Shan
who went to a freak show
with his friend, Steve
Leonard. Steve said to
Mr. Crepsley, who is a
vampire that Steve
found out about at the
freak show, “I want to
join you and become a
vampire.” Mr. Crepsly agreed to make him
half vampire. He ended up not becoming a
half vampire but you need to read the books to
find out why!
I play winter basketball. I think it is exciting when I get
the ball. I’ve gotten three baskets so far.
My team is the Raptors. We have a lot
of good players and they are fast. I
think my coach is good. Our coach
makes us better every game by giving
us shooting drills. I practice at Cedar
School. I play games at Center School.
My games are fifty minutes long. I’ve played ten games
and we won eight of them. I like winter basketball. I’ll do
it again next year.
Night time fog fills the shadow like sky.
Inspirational for watching stars.
Glowing stars shine in the moonlight.
Harmless bats catch their prey in the moon.
The stars glow rapidly in the night sky.
By Alex Lamoureux
CHECK OUT THE MOVIE-COMING SOON!
Once the movie comes out in theaters, I am going to see it like five times because I love the
book series so much!
Truck on the Trail
By: Deirdre White
Daily Homework
By Christian Abbate
Mrs. Polansky’s 3rd grade class has a trucker buddy
named Rod. Rod travels around the United States in a
large truck. He sends my class post cards about the different places he goes. Sometimes Rod sends my class gifts,
like when he sent us an ant farm, books, and some brochures. Another time he sent us all our own rulers, pencils,
and stuffed cat toys! We send him letters in return. For
Christmas we sent him a t-shirt that had all our names on
it. At the end of the year he might even visit my class! My
opinion is Rod is a really nice guy.
I’m sure you all have heard about homework, right? I’m
in Ms. Taber’s class. She doesn’t really give out that much
homework and sometimes I wish there was more homework because I’m always up for a challenge. The most she usually
gives out is three sheets a day but sometimes a little more.
Now that you know how many sheets we get I think it’s
time to give you some information about our reading log. A
reading log is when you have to read a book and write a summary about what you read for the first paragraph then in the
second you write about what predictions, inferences and
thoughts you had before, during, and after your reading. I’m
sure you all have heard of the READ-A-LOT boxes because the
way we earn the coupons is to bring in your reading log every
week. So I think you’ve heard enough about homework for now.
You shouldn’t be afraid about getting too much homework. I
really like it!
Taxes! by: Damien Galotti
One day in Mrs. Toomey’s class, we were
part of “No Taxation Without Representation Day”. It was very challenging because we only started out with one dollar.
We lost money simply by drawing or writing on a piece of paper, talking when not
called on, going to the bathroom, getting a
drink and sharpening a pencil. You are
probably asking, “Where did all the teachers get $22?” Well, I don’t know. Only two
people had money left over at the end of the
day. That is what the colonists went
through back in the 1700s and it was one
of the events that lead to the Revolutionary
War. I am glad I wasn’t them!
Volume 1, Issue 2
How Newspaper Works by: Courtney Walsh
I am going to tell you how the Center/Sylvester Newspaper works.
First, you can pick something to write about. Next, you write it on a
piece of paper and brainstorm. Last, you go on the computer and type
it. That’s the first couple of things you do.
After you type it, the teachers check it and print it. Then I think
it goes in the newspaper. After, you get the newspaper and you see your
article. That’s how the newspaper works.
My experience started when I signed up and got in. I was so excited. I went to the first meeting and I looked through the list of topics.
Ethan Hallett and I interviewed Mrs. Hrenko and wrote about a few
summer vacation ideas. It was so fun that time has gone by so fast. I
have written five articles so far. I have had a wonderful time in the Center/Sylvester Newspaper.
Page 5
Plimoth Plantation
by: Doug Low and Nathan Collins
The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag are awesome. The Pilgrims visited us in Sylvester School. They brought a bag of
clothes and kids in the classrooms got to put them on. The
Pilgrims brought a beaver skin and toy dolls. They also
brought a knife. One Pilgrim said football is illegal. The Pilgrims did not have to go to school. The Pilgrims got home
schooled.
When we went to Plimoth Plantation we went to the Pilgrim
village and to the Wampanoag home site. The Wampanoag
were burning a canoe. They were building a summer wetu
because the old one was rotten. There was a big wetu and a
small wetu. Their are summer wutus and winter wetus.
Summer wetus are made out of bark. Winter wetus are made
out of bark and stick.
At the Pilgrim village we went to all the houses .We saw animals like sheep and goats. We learned the walls of the houses
were made of mud. I loved learning about them and I bet you
would too!
Mrs. Toomey
By: Nathan Collins, Damian Galotti
and Caroline Macdonald
Mrs. Toomey is currently working with second and third grade students. She was our third grade teacher
for the first half of the year. We wanted
to share some information to help you
get to know her better! Mrs. Toomey
thinks that Sylvester School is a happy
and joyful place for children and teachers to learn and teach. We asked her if
there was anything in Sylvester School
to fix what would it be? She said the
heating system. Mrs. Toomey has
taught in different schools. They are
Roxbury, Brockton, Weymouth and
Hanover. Her favorite thing about Sylvester School is the students that she
teaches. IF she could only teach one sub-
ject she would teach writing, but as
some of her current students we already
knew that! Next we asked her how many
people do you have in your family and
what are their names? Mrs. Toomey has
a husband and three children. Caitlyn
is five, Caroline is four and Aidan is
one. We also found out that Mrs.
Toomey has wanted to be a teacher since
she was a little girl. She enjoys teaching at Sylvester School because she
thinks third and fourth graders are
awesome! She also likes the curriculum. Lastly, we asked her if teaching
was her only job? She said no. Mrs.
Toomey likes to tutor and she is also a
mom. That is a big job! Mrs. Toomey is
a nice, generous and smart person! I
hope that you get to meet her some day!
Biography Breakfast by Courtney Walsh
Right now I am going to tell you about
the biography breakfast. When Mrs. Hrenko’s
and Ms. McGrath’s class did it they dressed
up as someone else back in the days. Parents
went around to ask questions and guess who
you are. When you were there you ate bagels
and muffins.
At the end a teacher announced what
number you were and what your real name
was and who you were. If you got the person
right you checked your answer off. The biography breakfast was really fun.
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Page 6
Rockin’ Recorders
By: Sarah McCarthy
During the spring season, the 3rd grade
recorder concert came on May 8, 2008.
All 3rd grade practiced every Music
class for this wonderful concert. The
concert took place at Center School in
the auditorium.
Backstage, the whole room was so very
quiet and no one could make a sound,
but we could take big deep breathes to
relax. I stood in the small hallway
next to the auditorium. When it was
our turn to play the recorder, we
walked out through the door and
climbed on to the stage. The three
classes sat down on the benches and
the edge of the stage. The first thing
we did was read posters with information of signs or recorders. Our
first song was “Mary Had A Little
Lamb”. At the end of the song the
crowd applauded and the cameras were
flashing like crazy. We left the stage
and went through the door and to the
cafeteria. Then the next class went
right after us. I could hear the recorders playing “Merrily We Roll Along".
I heard the applause through the
Cafeteria doors. Five seconds later,
Mrs. Lafond’s class came through the
door and sat down. Last, but not
least, all three classes went on the
stage and played “Hot Cross Buns”.
A big applause filled the auditorium.
We left the auditorium and went
back to the cafeteria to say hello to
our parents. We got to see some of our
artwork and went back to Sylvester
School. I had a wonderful time playing the recorder!
Science Fair by Deirdre White
Students in grades 1-4 have the opportunity to enter the Science Fair.
The Science Fair usually happens in May. If you enter the Science Fair you
have to do a science project. I did the Science Fair this year. My project was on
super volcanoes. They are different from other volcanoes because when super
volcanoes erupt they have an effect on the whole world, while other volcanoes
only have an effect on the continent they are located on. Another difference is
that after a super volcano erupts, it collapses into a crater. Some other projects
were “How a Tooth Decays”, “Things in a Pond”, and “Baby Chicks”. Lego/
Robotics also did a demonstration.
When you get to the Science Fair you have a few minutes to look around
and then you are judged by either Mrs. DeGrenier or Ms. Peterson. If you don’t
enter the Science Fair , you can come and admire all the projects. Some people
even hand things out, like bouncy balls. Well, I hope I see you at the Science
Fair next year!
Are You Smarter than a Hanover Middle Schooler by Patrick Bowen
On Thursday, April 10, I went to “Are You Smarter Than a Hanover Middle Schooler.” It was held at Hanover Middle School. I got a very good seat
and saw some of my friends and teachers I knew like Miss Butler. There were two teams made up of students
and teachers. The students won! There
was a snack bar and I bought some
candy. I went with my brother, his
friend, his friend’s brother and his
friend’s brother’s friend. I knew most of
the questions they asked like, “What
are the three types of rocks?” The answer
is igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Mrs. Collins gave me a free pencil
that said “Are You Smarter Than a
Hanover Middle Schooler.” I had a lot of
fun. If they do “Are You Smarter Than
a Hanover Middle Schooler” when I am
in middle school I will want to be in it.
Volume 1, Issue 2
Page 7
All About Paul Revere
Sweet Movies
by Christian Abbate
By Megan Abbott
Paul Revere was born on January 1,
1735 in Boston, Massachusetts. He
studied at North Grammar School in
Boston. He served in the French and
Indian War for a short time. After the
war, he married Sarah Orne. Paul was
a member of the Sons of Liberty. On
December 16, 1775, he took part in the
Boston Tea Party. A lantern signal
was established if the British were
coming by land or sea. It is “One if
by land, two if by sea.” Revere left
Boston to warn the colonists that “The
British were coming!” Paul was captured. He was released to go back to
Lexington without a horse. During
and after the war Paul started working
at his father’s silversmith shop in Boston. He died on May 10, 1818. We all
remember Paul Revere for his amazing
midnight ride from Lexington to Concord. He was a hero to all of us.
My class (Ms. Taber’s class) did a project on the United States
regions. This project involved Social Studies, Technology, and Art.
To make the movie we had to use iMovie in Technology. We had to
build a diorama in art, do your research in class, and do the movie
in technology. In our class, we researched our region but Mrs.
Monahan assigned us the same region except it was a little smaller.
Then we got some pictures off of Google and printed those. Next we
took those pictures to art to make a background and a stage (that of
course is where you put your animals on and take the pictures).
Also in one of our art classes, we made an animal for our movie. After our animals had been made and we took our pictures and put
them on the computer, we took all of those pictures and put them on
iMovie. Oh and one more thing, when we were doing our pictures we
had to move our animals bit by bit to make our pictures look like a
movie. Well I hope you’ll have fun doing this when you’re in fourth
grade.
The Inside Scoop on Ms. McGrath
By: Aidan Curtis
Ms. McGrath is a third grade teacher at
Sylvester School. I was able to interview her and
ask her questions about teaching and her life
outside of school. Ms. McGrath became a teacher
to help students love learning just like her
teacher helped her.
I learned that she loves teaching because
she likes to help students with Math and ELA.
Her favorite subject to teach is math because use
can use your counters and blocks to solve problems. She really loves teaching her class about
fractions and the Revolutionary War because
they are very interesting topics for the students
to learn and for Ms. McGrath to teach. Ms.
McGrath also loves working at Sylvester because
it is made up of fantastic students and staff.
Ms. McGrath has started a school newspaper at Sylvester School. She enjoys it and is
passionate about it. The newspaper began four
years ago. It was printed on photocopy paper.
Now, it is printed at Graphic Development Inc. in
Hanover. It is on real newsprint and even has
some color pictures!
When Ms. McGrath isn’t in school, she
likes to ski and hang out with her nephew, Jackson and her niece, Madison. I think Ms.
McGrath has a pretty interesting life as a
teacher at Sylvester School!
Volume 1, Issue 2
The Last Day Of School
by: Callie MacDonald
In my stomach the butterflies tickle.
I would never again see a winter icicle.
My mind is no longer in school
It wandered off to the nearest pool.
Outside the window the weather is hot,
while the buses all wait in the parking lot.
The clock makes sounds like tick and ping,
and then finally the bell starts to ring.
Page 8
Skateboard
Newspaper’s Favorite Sports
By: Christian Abbate and Ethan Hallett
X
Basketball
XXXXXXXX
Soccer
XXXXXXX
Gymnastics
XXX
We made this graph because we were
interested in seeing how many people liked each
sport. We also wanted to know what people
were interested in. We thought that people
would have a hard time choosing just one sport
because they are all really popular sports in
Hanover.
We found out that basketball is the most
popular sport within the newspaper group. We
also found out that skateboarding is the least
popular sport. There is a one person difference
between basketball and soccer. Lastly we found
that gymnastics has two more votes than
skateboarding.
Each “X” is equal to one person
SPORTS DAY 2nd Grade, 2007 by Aidan Curtis and Caitlyn Dever
Sports day was very fun last year. We went outside and rotated to different stations. Each station was a different
game. At the end, we got to face the teachers in a volleyball tournament.
My favorite game was when we played “Shark & Lifeguard” with a big parachute. Everyone sat in a circle with his
or her legs out straight. They were the swimmers. They held the parachute in their hands and pulled it tight. One person
was the shark and swam under the parachute. One person was the lifeguard and tried to save the swimmers if the shark
tried to pull them under the parachute. If you were pulled under the parachute you became a shark, too. The last swimmer
left won. I liked this game because it took a lot of strength to pull the swimmers under the parachute.
At one of the stations, we got to eat popsicles and go on the kindergarten playground. We also had a big limbo game
and we had a fun sack race across a long field. There was an exciting hula-hoop tournament too! Sports Day in second
grade was very exciting. I can’t wait until Sports Day in third grade!
Health Corner
Healthy Living
By Douglas Low and Nathan Collins
There are many ways to be
healthy and here are some. Running
on a treadmill is a great way to be
healthy. Another way is not to watch
as much TV and drink water instead
of fruit punch or juice. If you are going to drink juice, drink one glass a
day. Eat fruits and vegetables to stay
healthy. Even though drinking tomato
juice may seem disgusting, it is good
for your body. If you want to stay
healthy you should eat organic foods.
Organic foods are grown or made from
products that are grown in healthy
ways such as in chemical-free soil and
they are kept away from pesticides.
Avoid fried foods and fast foods like
McDonald’s. Eat different types of
foods if you can such as fruits, vegetables, and yogurt. If you do these
things you will stay healthy your
whole life.
Volume 1, Issue 2
Baseball
By : Ethan Hallett &
Christian Abbate
Crack! The crowd roared with
anticipation. The announcer said, “It’s
a home run!” Have you ever wanted to
play baseball? Well now you can. On
April 26th there was this thing called
a Jamboree, or a preseason kickoff. A
Jamboree is when all the teams play a
few scrimmage games against other
teams that are 6 innings long.
Healthy Living
By: Courtney Walsh
Now listen up because I am going
to tell you about healthy living. Some
healthy things you can live by are to eat
fruit and vegetables. You can also drink
milk. If you drink milk, you will get
strong bones and strong teeth.
Exercise can make you healthy,
too. Healthy living means you have to
watch what you eat.
You play twelve games in your
regular season. You have to win at
least half of your regular games to
make it to the playoffs. In the playoffs it’s do or die. “Do” means if you
win, you advance to the next round of
the playoffs. What “die” means is that
if you lose you’re out of the playoffs.
If you finish in first place by the end
of the season, you get to go to the second round of the playoffs automatically because there are only seven
teams. Hope you’re going to have fun
playing baseball!
Page 9
The Solar System
By: Kali Heffernan
The 4th graders are doing a project on the solar system.
Everyone chose a planet to study and they worked with a
partner. My planet is Neptune. It is very interesting.
The Solar System is interesting. When the 3rd
graders are in 4th grade they will learn about it. I hope
they have Neptune, Pluto, the Sun or the Earth.
Neptune is a gas planet. There is no life on Neptune that
has been found. One year on Neptune is 165 Earth years.
You would be 165 years old to live one year on Neptune!
One day on Neptune is equal to 16 hours and 17 minutes
on Earth.
I learned about the other planets, too. Some people say
Pluto is not a planet. Some people say it is a dwarf planet.
but I don’t know. What I do know is that it has 1 moon
named Charon [Karen] and it is the farthest planet [if it is
one] from the Sun. The Sun is a hot fiery star made of
gas. All the planets orbit around it. Mercury is the closest.
Earth is our home planet. It is the only planet with life,
as far as we know. Earth is the only planet with oxygen. It
is the only planet with plants, water, and animals. These
are the things that we need to survive.
Habitats
By Alex Lamoureux
Rocks and Minerals
By Patrick Bowen
Do you know about minerals? Well, in third
grade we learned about minerals. I think learning
about minerals was really fun because we got to experiment with minerals. We explored how it smells,
its shape, its streak color and if it was magnetic or
not. Some of the minerals were sandstone, basalt,
obsidian, marble, pumice, gneiss, and slate.
We also did an activity with rocks in computer class. We chose a rock and drew its shape on
the computer. Then we colored it. After that, we went
on a website to see if it was a sedimentary rock, a
metamorphic rock or an igneous rock. A metamorphic rock is formed by pressure in the earth. Other
rocks and fossils form a sedimentary rock. An igneous rock is hardened lava.
Do you want to learn about animal habitats? Ms. McGrath’s third
grade class already did!
We had to do a poster or diorama of the habitat of an animal. I did
a poster about a rhino. Some of the kids did animals like a chipmunk, skunk, wolf, and tiger.
Rhino facts are a little bit hard to find. I know that they can
run to 40 miles per hour and they mostly eat vegetation and eat
grass. The male rhino snorts to scare away enemies like lions or
hyenas. They live up to 40 years. They are endangered and we have
to do more to stop that. They use their horn as a weapon because
they run while putting their head down to charge and stab their foe.
They have a little friend, too, called an oxpecker. It picks fleas and
sores off the rhino’s body. It also sucks their blood, but it does not
hurt it.
Study Island
By: Megan Abbott
Study Island has lots of
fun games you can go on but
you have to answer the questions correctly. There are games
like a bowling game, a cannon
game and other fun games you
can play. During computer
class Mrs. Monahan picks the
subject like math or ELA. You
can also play it at home with a
username and password.
Volume 1, Issue 2
On the cannon game, you
have to answer the question correctly and if you do you have to
aim the cannon at the correct angle. You are trying to shoot the
ball at the target.
On the maze game you answer the question and direct the
mouse to the correct letter in the
maze. The mazes get harder with
every question.
The chase game is hard also.
After you answer the question
you lead the car to chase the correct letter. When you try to get
the letter, it runs away from you.
You also need to watch out for the
rocks, or you might die.
All of the games on Study
Island are fun to play. You
should check them out!
Page 10
Things to do over the summer
Dear Second Graders,
I think you will like
grade. You will get to play many games and
will be able to learn. The teachers of 3rd grade are Ms. McGrath, Mrs. Flaherty,
Mrs. Hrenko, Mrs. Lafond, Mrs. Polansky and Mrs. Tavares. You will be in
one of these classrooms soon. Here are some things you need to know for next
year at Sylvester School.
By Courtney Walsh and Ethan
3rd
Third grade is on the second floor of Sylvester School. The teachers are
Ms. McGrath, Mrs. Flaherty, Mrs. Lafond, Mrs. Tavares, Mrs. Hrenko and
Mrs. Polansky. All the rooms have carpet, tile or hardwood floors with one white
board. In 3rd grade you will learn about multiplication and division in math,
the different kinds of rocks in Science, and Revolutionary War in Social Science.
On the first floor is fourth grade. In the basement is the cafeteria, the
teacher’s room and the computer room. You will have to go down four small
flights of stairs to get to the basement. You will walk across the path to Center
School for specialist. You will learn and play the recorder in Music and in P.E.
You will run a mile and do push-ups. In Art you will make many new pictures
and objects out of clay. In Library, you will pick out more chapter books than
you do now. As you walk back, make sure you keep your eyes on the path.
I hope you have a wonderful time in third grade everyone!
Dandy Dress-up by Deirdre White
Mrs. Polansky’s 3rd grade class is doing a
project on famous people from American history.
But it couldn’t be someone like a famous baseball
player or a famous athlete. It had to be someone who
changed American lives, like a president.
Once we had a person picked out, we had to
find an autobiography or biography about that person. It had to be a chapter book that was in our reading level. Then the book had to be approved by Mrs.
Polansky. There could only be two of the same people chosen. Then we had to read the book and write a
report about it.
We also had to make a costume. The costume
had to resemble the clothes they wore in the time that
they were alive. It was due March 6th right after
Wacky Wednesday.
I was Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams was
married to John Adams. He was the first Vice President of the United States. The then went on to become our second president. Abigail’s son, John
Quincy Adams was the sixth president. Abigail Adams was sick most of her life, so she did not get to
travel much.
Some of the kids in my class chose Ben
Franklin, Clara Barton, John F. Kennedy, and Harriet Tubman. On the day we all presented we had a
lot of fun! I got to learn about different people from
American history. Even my teacher learned more!
Are you bored over the summer?
Sometimes I am. Keep reading to
find out some great ideas to keep you
busy over the summer. One thing
you can do over the summer is you go
camping with your family. The next
thing you can do is go swimming
and relax in the pool. You could also
play with your friends. Lastly you
can invite your friends to your house
and your parties. That’s what you can
do with your friends and family over
vacation. You could also go hiking for
good exercise with your family. You
would love to go to a hotel. You could
also make new friends and go to their
house. It is always fun to never stop
playing. Lastly, you can invite your
friends to your house and your parties. That’s what you can do with
your friends and family over summer vacation.
We will miss you all!
Pre-Kindergarteners,
One thing your teachers taught you
To last your whole life through,
Is to know that you are special,
Just because you are you!
Second Graders,
We had a fantastic time with all
of you this year. Good luck at
Sylvester School. We know that
you will make us proud!
KindergartnersWe praise you for your efforts ,
And send good wishes, too,
For a future filled with happiness,
And your fondest dreams come true.
Dear Third Graders,
It was a pleasure having you in
3rd grade this year! Have a safe
and happy summer. Good luck
in fourth grade!!
First Graders,
We're so proud of all you've done,
You've learned a lot and had some
fun.
You worked hard so here's a cheer,
To wish you well in your second
grade year!
Fourth Graders,
It's been a wonderful year with
each one of you. We all wish
you a restful summer and an
exciting fifth grade adventure at
the Middle School!
www.dltk-holidays.com/graduation/images/
bkindergarten.gif
All Center/Sylvester students,
Wow! What a year! You have accomplished so much and we
are proud of you. Have a fun and relaxing summer. Gear up
– next year’s going to be even better!-Mrs. DeGrenier & Ms.
Peterson
Volume 1, Issue 2
Page 11
Summer Reading
K
Students entering Kindergarten at
Center School should read Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten.
1
Students entering Grade 1 at
Center School should read Atlantic.
From John Salvucci
"It's about an ocean that connects to streams and
It's the first day
rivers. First it's an iceberg that keeps floating until
of kindergarten
it starts melting into water and it goes to a beach.
There's a part that's about a guy coming over a
and Miss Binderbridge that is over a river that connects to the Atlantic Ocean. At the end, there was a picture of
garten is hard at
the Atlantic Ocean with a boat crossing it. I liked it
work getting the
because it's a nice book about the Atlantic Ocean
and I like to learn about it."
classroom ready
for her twenty-six
new students.
Students entering Grade 2
Meanwhile, Adam
at Center School should read
Krupp wakes up,
Somewhere in the World Right
Brenda Heath brushes her teeth, and
Now.
Christopher Beaker finds his sneaker.
Miss Bindergarten puts the finishing
Summary By: Elizabeth DeMita
touches on the room just in time, and the
SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD RIGHT
NOW is a really cool book. It shows you differstudents arrive. Now the fun can begin!
ent places around the world in different time
zones. It tells you what people and animals are
This rhyming, brightly illustrated book is
doing when we might be sleeping or going to
the perfect way to practice the alphabet
school. And if you look very carefully you can
see a map with the country the author is talking
and to introduce young children to kinderabout. The last page it shows you all seven
garten.
continents. I think that everyone should read it.
2
3
Students entering Grade 3 at
Sylvester School should read Judy
Moody Declares Independence.
Come on! Do you want to know why you should read this book?
Well if you do come with me. This book is about Judy Moody
and she wants Independence. Judy got into trouble most of the
time. Judy had two best friends named Frank and Rocky. She
also has a brother named Stink. Judy goes on the Freedom
Trail. Don't forget she' s in the third grade and she has a
teacher named Mr. Todd. I think I should stop telling you about
the story. I think everyone should read this book because it is
about Independence. So everyone remember to read. The
next time you read a book try to read this book.
By Caroline R.
4
Students entering Grade 4 at Sylvester School should read A Week in the
Woods.
Mark didn't ask to move to New Hampshire. Or to go to a hick school like Hardy Elementary. And he certainly didn't request Mr. Maxwell as his teacher. Mr. Maxwell
doesn't like rich kids, or slackers, or know-it-alls. And he's decided that Mark is all of
those things.
Check out the Hanover Public Schools website for a copy of the
summer reading log. Be sure to keep track of the minutes you
read this summer. Let’s top last year’s total minutes of
215,000. See you in September for our Read-A-Lot kick off!
Volume 1, Issue 2
Page 12