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January 2016 Volume 4, Issue 2 Clarendon School Courier A Reporter’s Life By: Gabriela Romaneli I have always wanted to know what a reporter does. So, I interviewed my two next-door neighbors, who are journalists. Their names are Greg Hanlon and Carly Baldwin. Greg People magazine, and he writes People magazine weekly American magazine of celebrity and human- interest published by Time Inc. It is a national magazine. Greg chose to write for People because it has a large readership. He likes reporting the news because he gets to talk to and meet new people every day. He also likes letting people know happening around them. He decides what to write about by first asking “Is this story interesting to me?” If he finds the story interesting, most likely other people will find it interesting too. Principal - Mr. Steve Viggiani Co-Advisors – Mrs. Dawn Doering The Most Wonderful Time of the Year By Ava Lenz Since 1997, every holiday season, Secaucus celebrates the annual Town Tree Lighting. I had the opportunity to interview our Mayor, Mike Gonnelli and find out more about this awesome event. In the past, the tradition was to light a single live tree, but now the festivities have gotten bigger. This year there are two trees in the center of town and both are lit with approximately 3,000 lights. All the lighting and decorations in our small town take about three weeks and a lot of man power to assemble. Everywhere you look there are new additions each year! The night begins with our annual Holiday Parade featuring several groups and local sports teams, the High School Marching Band, A Real Bucketfiller!! Dawn Doering School Counselor A Clarendon School second grade student, Sophia Oquendo, recently demonstrated a bucketfilling trait, Kindness. Sophia used her personal allowance to purchase toys and then donated them to children in need. She purchased many dolls and a kitchen that will make another little girl very happy over the holiday season. We thank her very much for this good "bucketfilling" deed. Reporter’s Life con’t - like if the Mayor is opening a new

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January 2016

Volume 4, Issue 2

Clarendon School Courier

A Reporter’s LifeBy: Gabriela Romaneli

I have always wanted to know what a reporter does. So, I interviewed my two next-door neighbors, who are journalists. Their names are Greg Hanlon and Carly Baldwin.

Greg works for People magazine, and he writes about crimes. People magazine is a weekly American magazine of celebrity and human-interest stories, published by Time Inc. It is a national magazine. Greg chose to write for People because it has a large readership. He likes reporting the news because he gets to talk to and meet new people every day. He also likes letting people know what is happening around them. He decides what to write about by first asking “Is this story interesting to me?” If he finds the story interesting, most likely other people will find it interesting too.

Carly writes for an online newspaper named Patch. She likes reporting the news because “You never know what you are going to write about”. It could be something serious, like a crime, or something positive, like a pet rescue. She has wanted to be a reporter since she was a kid. Her parents both were reporters, her dad for AP, and her mom for CBS They had always told her about what a great career journalism is When I asked her how she decides what to write she told me “Some things you have to cover, con’t next column

Principal - Mr. Steve Viggiani

Co-Advisors – Mrs. Dawn Doering Mrs. Felicia Maloney

The Most WonderfulTime of the Year

By Ava Lenz

Since 1997, every holiday season, Secaucus celebrates the annual Town Tree Lighting. I had the opportunity to interview our Mayor, Mike Gonnelli and find out more about this awesome event. In the past, the tradition was to light a single live tree, but now the festivities have gotten bigger. This year there are two trees in the center of town and both are lit with approximately 3,000 lights. All the lighting and decorations in our small town take about three weeks and a lot of man power to assemble. Everywhere you look there are new additions each year! The night begins with our annual Holiday Parade featuring several groups and local sports teams, the High School Marching Band, colorful floats and of course Santa and Mrs. Claus! Each elementary school’s choir sings and this year the high school performed as well. Many small children enjoyed the donkeys, geese, rabbits, and cows at the petting zoo, while others enjoyed the free hot chocolate and pretzels given out by our volunteer firefighters. After the performances, Mayor Mike thanks everyone for coming and begins the lighting countdown. “3, 2, 1! He shouts “Happy Holidays” – The crowd cheers! Everyone is in the holiday spirit! This is one way Secaucus celebrates the seasons, Happy Holidays!

A Real Bucketfiller!!

Dawn DoeringSchool Counselor

A Clarendon School second grade student, Sophia Oquendo, recently demonstrated a bucketfilling trait,

Kindness. Sophia used her personal allowance to purchase toys and then donated them to

children in need. She purchased many dolls and a kitchen that will make another little girl very happy over the holiday season. We thank

her very much for this good "bucketfilling" deed. 

Reporter’s Life con’t - like if the Mayor is opening a new building, like a cat getting stuck in a tree”. Carly likes doing local news because she gets to know everyone really well. Greg, on the other hand, if he goes to California for an article he is never going to see those people again.

I have gathered a lot of information from this interview. The more I learn the more I want to be a journalist when I grow up!

Page 2 of 6 News from the classrooms

The 50 th Day of School By: Maya Geller

On the 50th day of school, I went see what the kindergarten classes were up to. They were all doing so many different activities, 50’s style. The girls were wearing nice poodle skirts, and the boys were wearing suits and hats. Each class had a different way of celebrating. The teachers gave them one of the best days of the year!

Mrs. Lamatina’s class was so excited about their fun day ahead of them! First, they were making a super cool 50’s book. It included a record, jukebox, and many more exciting things. While they were making their books, they started to listen to some awesome 50’s music to get them into the 50’s mood. As the party was coming closer and closer, I could feel all of the excitement in the room. Mrs. Lamatina did a very nice job with her class!

In Mrs. Knapp’s class they had a very busy day. They were coloring super cool sheets that had to do with the 50’s. Counting to 50 was a very fun experience for the kindergarteners. Once they finished counting to 50, they discussed the numbers greater than 50. One of the last creative things that Mrs. Knapp did with her class was talk about what they want to be when they were 50. Finally, the kindergarteners were getting ready for their ice cream social. What an amazing day for these kindergarteners.

In Mrs. Houran’s class and Ms. Jaramillo’s class, they were also celebrating a fun day. Ms. Jaramillo did some super fun things in her class. Mrs. Houran and her class made super cool root beer floats! They looked so good. I bet they were super good. They weren’t just celebrating their 50th day of school, they also made turkey hats since Thanksgiving was coming up that week.

The kindergarten had a very eventful day, and thank you to the teachers who made it happen!

5 th Grade Feast By Meghan Francis

Have you heard of the 5th Grade Feast? This is what I can tell you about it. Each of the four 5th grade homerooms attended the Feast. Students in each class had to bring in a food from a country representing their heritage. For example, here are some of the foods that the students brought into school. There was pasta, cream puffs, cookies, pizza, bread and a lot more. I brought in butter cookies that were red, yellow, and black. My country was Germany. The cookies should really be white, but to make them look cool, I added food coloring. On the day of the feast we made place mats to enjoy our food. Mrs. Wassong, one of the 5th grade teachers, dressed up as a turkey. After we had our feast, we had some free time to socialize with one another. The feast was my favorite day of school this year.

5 th Grade Thanksgiving

FeastBy Anya Singh

On November 25th, the 5th graders had a Thanksgiving Feast. Everyone had to bring something from their native background. I brought samosas, an Indian triangular appetizer. Many others also brought samosas so we had a lot of doubles. Some other cultures that were represented were China, Morocco, Spain, etc. I got so full by the time the feast was over but it was a lot of good food. I like to try new things and this was a major opportunity to try many new foods. We got to make our own place mats to use and mine became filthy but it was fun. I’m excited for the 4th graders who will do this next year.

Environment Through The Artists’ Eyes

By: Gabriela Romanelli, Maya Geller, & Chloe Lin

On the 8th and 9th of December, the fourth grade Gifted & Talented students went to a convocation called, The Environment Through the Artists’ Eyes. On the 8th we went to the Newark Museum. We were separated into four groups of about twenty students. We were taught how to analyze art. We saw paintings of all different styles like impressionism, realism, still life, landscape, portrait, and abstract. Some groups of students visited the House of Balentine, and were able to see how people lived in the 1800’s. Other groups of students saw portraits and still life.

On December 9th we went to the Meadowlands Environmental Center. We went to three different areas outside and sketched the landscape. Once we got inside, we started to work on our final masterpiece with different materials. This was called mixed media. When we were done with our painting we were asked to analyze our own art. We had to name it, sign it, and say what we wanted people to feel when they saw it. Once we finished, we displayed the paintings for everybody to see. In the last few minutes we had to nominate a painting that we liked. At the end of the convocation, the director, choose a couple of students to talk about their nominations. This was a really fun field trip!

Environment Through The Artists’ Eyes

By: Gabriela Romanelli, Maya Geller, & Chloe Lin

On the 8th and 9th of December, the fourth grade Gifted & Talented students went to a convocation called, The Environment Through the Artists’ Eyes. On the 8th we went to the Newark Museum. We were separated into four groups of about twenty students. We were taught how to analyze art. We saw paintings of all different styles like impressionism, realism, still life, landscape, portrait, and abstract. Some groups of students visited the House of Balentine, and were able to see how people lived in the 1800’s. Other groups of students saw portraits and still life.

On December 9th we went to the Meadowlands Environmental Center. We went to three different areas outside and sketched the landscape. Once we got inside, we started to work on our final masterpiece with different materials. This was called mixed media. When we were done with our painting we were asked to analyze our own art. We had to name it, sign it, and say what we wanted people to feel when they saw it. Once we finished, we displayed the paintings for everybody to see. In the last few minutes we had to nominate a painting that we liked. At the end of the convocation, the director, choose a couple of students to talk about their nominations. This was a really fun field trip!

3D Printing By Ayush Agarwal

Did you ever hear of 3D printing? The letter “D” in 3D stands for dimension. Since there is the number 3 before the “D”, the object has 3 dimensions. Dimensions, in this case, are length, width, and height. Did you ever print a page of writing? If you did, you printed a 2D page. A page only has a length and width, so it is 2D. 3D printing means you can print objects that are 3 dimensional. They have length, width, and height. With 3D printing, you can create a toy car. Unfortunately, 3D printing can take up to many hours or even days to complete. This all depends on how complicated and how big or small the object to be created is. For example, if you want to create a big object, it may take longer. If you want to create a smaller object, it will most likely take less time.

Creating a 3D object can be very complicated. Using software, you first create a 3D image of an object on a computer. This image is then sent to a 3D printer. The printer heats the material that is being used to create the object. It then joins each layer of material one at a time to create the three dimensional object. 3D printers are used by companies to create new products. These can even be used to create trash into valuable things. For example, Adidas used plastic ocean waste to create a 3D printed shoe. Schools can even use 3D printers to help students understand better. For example, in math, 3D printers can be used to help students understand word problems better. In science, a 3D model of the “Rain Shadow Effect” can be used to help students learn.

C URIOSITY By Jay Raval

NASA had launched curiosity on November 26, 2011 at exactly at 7:02 a.m. Curiosity was launched aboard the biggest rocket for an interplanetary flight, the Atlas V 541. The rocket is 191 feet tall and weighs 1.17 million pounds. Curiosity’s trip took over 8 months. Curiosity landed on Mars on August 5, 2012. Mars has been known as the red planet. There are many mysteries about Mars and a couple of them have been answered, Curiosity, a Mars rover has helped with this. Curiosity has recently found ancient lakes on Mars. NASA has been studying mineral veins through Curiosity.

Curiosity’s landing site could have supported microbial life in the ancient past. The rover has drilled a hole into Mars which is 2.5 inches deep to collect rock samples. Curiosity spotted some gray chemicals in the powder it drilled. It found sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen,

phosphorus, and carbon. The rock also has clay minerals suggesting an aqueous environment perhaps a lake. NASA’s president (Doug McCuistor) says that he hopes astronauts will return his rover to him one day. Doug says that humans will probably be able to visit Mars in the 2030s or in the 2040s. NASA says that they hope to launch another big rover to Mars in the 2020s. This rover will be based on Curiosity’s chassis and landing system.

TechnologyBy: Nicholas Viggiano

New things are happening all the time with technology. Some of the newest and hottest gadgets are drones and hoverboards. Drones are mostly being used to take pictures from the air. Even if you are not taking pictures, they are a lot of fun to fly. Because of the number of drones being used today, they may have to be registered with the authorities.

Hoverboards are also now very popular. They are a lot like segways, only they don't have a bar to hold on to. That makes it harder to balance and people are getting injured from falls. Even so, they seem like a lot of fun to ride.

Hoverboards Prohibited in Secaucus SchoolsIn light of the recent fires, accidents and other negative issues surrounding devices known as "hoverboards", Interim Superintendent Knops has banned the devices in all school facilities.

The new phones that are available have cameras that are so good people don't seem to be buying a regular phone.

Technology is advancing every day and some of the inventions are making everyday life easier for most people.

What’s Trending?Page 3 of 6

Page 4 of 6 Clarendon’s Character Education Corner

Book ReviewBy Saloni Singh

“Reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are.”

So if you want to go places, come to the Clarendon School Library and pick up a book. Mrs.Voli, the librarian, will help you find just the right one. She recommends the “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstien. This book is for all ages, kindergarteners to adults will enjoy it. It is about a boy who loves a tree and spends a lot of time with it. As the boy grows older, he asks the tree for more and more. Soon, what’s left of the tree is only a stump, but it still has one thing left to give...This book made me think of all the “giving trees” in my life, and I’m sure you will feel the same!

MOVIESBy:Smriti Chopra

New movies are coming and some are already here. Movies are great entertainment! Some movies are here and they are….Alvin and the Chipmunks (The RoadChip) and Star Wars (The Force Awakens) are new movies that everyone wants to see.

The Chipmunks have recently starred in a movie called Alvin and the Chipmunks (The RoadChip). This movie is about some misunderstandings. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in Miami….and dump them. They have three days get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave, but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother.

Star Wars (The Force Awakens) is the movie that takes place thirty years later after defeating the Galactic Empire. Hans Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Hans Solo’s son) and his army of Storm troopers.This is the plot of the two great movies that had come out recently. If you hadn’t watched it yet, go watch it have some fun.

BUCKET FILLING PROGRAMBy Aarti Advani

As we all know the bucket filling program has switched. Mrs. Doering, the guidance counselor, is in charge of the bucket-filling program. She changed it so that now the teachers could get more involved by handing out the tickets. One more reason that she switched it is so more students can win or at least try harder..

The Prizes Are: *Ice Cream Party for your Class *Pizza Party for your Class *Ice Skating Pass to the town Ice Skating Rink *Pick a Prize of your choice out of the display case outside the office *Wendy’s - you and a friend of your choice can sit next to each other and eat Wendy’s *Fast Pass - you can cut the line to get your lunch and a free snack

Remember you can always donate a prize for Pick a Prize.

If interested please contactMrs. Doering.

CLARENDON’S HOLIDAY BAZAAR

By Anya Singh

On December 10th 2015, Clarendon School had their annual holiday bazaar/ lunch. There were many things on display at the sale like holiday erasers and pencil toppers. There were also many raffles that families donated. Parents come every year and eat lunch with their kids, and my mom was one of the parents that came this year. One of my favorite things at the sale was customized ornaments where you write your name or anything you wanted on a clear ornament to hang on your tree. Santa was also there, collecting lists from kids and taking pictures with them. He also gave out candy canes to the kids who sat on his lap. Every year, this is a fun day at Clarendon School. Let’s hope we always continue this tradition.

AMERICAN GIRL By: Uma A Advani

Children around the world enjoy playing with dolls. It is a look a like human being that is made in different sizes and different materials. I am one among those children who loves to play with my doll, Julie Albright who is an American Girl Doll. American Girl is an American line of 18-inch (46 cm) dolls released in 1986 by Pleasant Company. The dolls are intended for girls between the ages 8 and 11 years. They are sold with books from different periods of American History. This brand also sells a variety of casual, and formal clothes and accessories for different seasons. They also sell glasses, hairbrushes, hearing aids, casts, and bandages. The first American Girl store opened in Chicago followed by New York City and Los Angeles. But now there are smaller stores in America. I hope I have encouraged you to buy a doll. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine. Do visit the store in Manhattan, NY. I assure you it will be a fun experience just as it was for me!

AMERICAN GIRL By: Uma A Advani

Children around the world enjoy playing with dolls. It is a look a like human being that is made in different sizes and different materials. I am one among those children who loves to play with my doll, Julie Albright who is an American Girl Doll. American Girl is an American line of 18-inch (46 cm) dolls released in 1986 by Pleasant Company. The dolls are intended for girls between the ages 8 and 11 years. They are sold with books from different periods of American History. This brand also sells a variety of casual, and formal clothes and accessories for different seasons. They also sell glasses, hairbrushes, hearing aids, casts, and bandages. The first American Girl store opened in Chicago followed by New York City and Los Angeles. But now there are smaller stores in America. I hope I have encouraged you to buy a doll. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine. Do visit the store in Manhattan, NY. I assure you it will be a fun experience just as it was for me!

By Ava Formisano

Kwanzaa is celebrated in the African American culture. Most people who celebrate Kwanzaa live in the United States. It was started by Dr. Maulana Karenga to celebrate the African culture.

Kwanzaa is a seven day celebration from December 26th-January 1st. People who celebrate Kwanzaa have a big feast called Karamu on December 31st. The colors of Kwanzaa are black, red and green. Black represents the color of the people, green represents the fertile land of Africa, and red represents blood shed in the struggle for freedom.

Kwanzaa celebrations often include African dances, drums, storytelling and poetry. Gifts are given on the last day of Kwanzaa, and many gifts are made.

Enjoying and learning about different celebrations is fun and interesting. It is nice to know about the different cultures in the world.

Hanukkah

By Meghan Francis

Do you know what the holiday Hanukkah is? Well this is what I can tell you about Hanukkah. Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown. Jews typically recite blessings and display the menorah in the window as a reminder to others of the miracle. The holiday is celebrated with the lighting of the menorah, traditional foods, games and gifts. This holiday is a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple.

Winter ActivitiesBy Tia Hussain

Do you ever get bored at your house during long and cold days? It can be hard to survive these long winters. But, with a bit of creativity you can make these winter days shorter. Here are some activities you might like to try. Sledding, snowboarding and snowtubing can be fun, especially with friends and family. You can race against friends and see who wins. You can also try doing tricks or sliding downhill on your back. Many people like playing this game. A snowball fight! Build a snow fort and make teams. Get ready and start throwing snowballs. Look out! Do you like building snowmen? You can build and accessorize as you wish. You can also make snow angels. Enjoy swishing your arms & legs back and forth to create your amazing snow angel. Skiing is a recreational activity and a competitive winter sport. You can feel the wind rushing past your face as you glide downhill at top speed. All you need are skis, poles and skiing shoes. If it is your first time skiing, I'd recommend riding on bunny slopes. Glide between flags and stay on your skis. Ice skating is another favorite winter activity for many people. Figure skating however, is very similar to ice skating. But figure skaters usually perform spins, jumps and lifts. Ice hockey is a fun sport and you can get started with lessons right here in our Secaucus ice rink! If you still really miss summer you can go somewhere indoors. Some fun summer activities you can do are going to an indoor water park or pool. There you can ride slides, swim or splash around. You can also go to an indoor sports center or to a rock climbing facility. At a sports center you can play your favorite sports. At rock climbing facilities you can climb different rock walls, depending on your level. Don't forget about laser tag and go karting! Sometimes you might like to just sit down drinking hot cocoa with marshmallows and playing boardgames with family and friends. My favorite board games are Chess, Checkers, Blokus, and Monopoly. Summer can be loads of fun, and so can winter. Have fun with friends and family. Wish you a happy winter!

CHRISTMAS By Alexandra Castil lo

Well, it is that time of year again when we wake up and see presents under the tree. We know that Santa has come to bring presents, but what is Christmas really about, the friends, the presents, the snow in our yards? That stuff is all fun, but it is not the true meaning of Christmas. Many people are saddened that they couldn’t buy their children, their family, or their friends a nice present.

Christmas is a day when Jesus was born. Wise men and angels all celebrated on this special day. The prophets had told of his coming hundreds of years before his birth. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way of those who were looking for this special child. An angel appeared to some shepherds outside a field and they were terrified, but the angel told them not to be afraid and that the baby brings good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born he is Christ, our lord. So now you know what Christmas is about and you could be the good angel that spread the news and now you can go tell everyone the true meaning of Christmas.

What would it cost to buy all the items mentioned in the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas?..... $155,407.18.

The full set of prices:- Partridge, $25 - Pear tree, $190 - Two turtle doves, $290- Three French hens, $182- Four calling birds (canaries)- Five gold rings, $75- Six geese-a-laying, $360- Seven swans a-swimming, $13,125- Eight maids a-milking, $58- Nine ladies dancing $7,553- 10 lords a-leaping $5,508- 11 pipers piping $2,635- 12 drummers drumming $2,855

Tis the SeasonPage 5 of 6

Do you know what the holiday Hanukkah is? well this is what I can tell you about Hanukkah. Hanukkah is an eight-day holiday; each day you will light a candle. Each candle shows a different spirt. The spirts were that you would have to eat a different kind of food also to get a little gift and a helper candle smashed on their head. You can know Hanukkah as the Festival of Lights or Chanukah. The eighth day of Hanukkah is called Zose Hanukkah. There is forty-four that have to be lit over eight days of Hanukkah with nine having too be lit the final night. This holiday

Valentine’s Day FactsBy Chloe Lin

Valentine’s Day has a few symbols such as the god, Cupid, son of Venus the god of love and beauty. Cupid holds a bow and a few arrows. These arrows are love tipped, which means when he shot someone, they will fall in love with someone else. Other popular symbols for Valentine’s Day are the dove, lovebirds, roses, and hearts. Lovebirds and doves get their name by how they behave. Lovebirds and doves mate with a male like having a date! Two other popular symbols for Valentine’s Day could be roses, because they are red which is a Valentine color. Another symbol is the heart because it stands for love. Love also is pretty important to Valentine’s Day for a symbol to be a Valentine’s Day symbol. These symbols are popular for Valentine’s Day because most of the symbols stand for love and the colors are red and pink, which are the Valentine’s Day colors.

The history of Valentine’s Day started when Pope Gelasius declared the burial day of Saint Valentine. Before he had died, he sent a note of farewell to his girlfriend who got herself in jail. It was signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell note to her. He had loved his girlfriend for a long time. He had died a little while after that had been written. So people had the tradition to put on the bottom of the card to put “from your valentine.” So that’s how Valentine’s Day started. After Valentine’s Day started a few years later, in Medieval Times, people have been doing something called “to wear love up your sleeve.” People celebrate this by drawing a name from a container. The person they draw out will be their valentine. After they draw out the name, they pin the name on their sleeve for a week.

Not every person in the world celebrates Valentine’s Day, but it is a happy, fun holiday! Happy Valentine’s Day!

President’s Day

Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

Chinese New Year 4714February 8, 2016

Year of the Monkey

The date of Chinese New Years changes every year. It is a 15 day celebration, beginning on the first day of the new moon, and ends on the full moon. The celebration on the15th day is called the Chinese Lantern Festival. Chinese culture is amongst the oldest in the world. While the rest of the world is in the early years of but the third millennium, Chinese culture is in their fifth millennium. In Chinese astrology, every year is represented by an animal. The cycle is twelve years, with a different animal.

Fun Facts forGround Hog Day

The average groundhog is 20 inches long and weighs from 12 to 15 pounds. Punxsutawney Phil weighs about 20 pounds and is 22 inches long. Groundhogs are covered with coarse grayish hairs (fur). They have short ears, a short tail, short legs, and are surprisingly quick. Their jaws are exceptionally strong. A groundhog's diet consists of lots of greens, fruits, and vegetables and very little water. Most of their liquids come from dewy leaves. A groundhog can whistle when it is alarmed. Groundhogs also whistle in the spring when they begin courting. Insects do not bother groundhogs and germs pretty much leave them alone. They are very clean. Groundhogs are one of the few animals that really hibernate. Hibernation is not just a deep sleep. It is actually a deep coma, where the body temperature drops to a few degrees above freezing, the heart barely beats, the blood flows, and breathing nearly stops. Young Groundhogs are usually born in mid-April or May, and by July they are able to go out on their own. The size of the litter is 4 to 9. A baby groundhog is called a kit or a cub. A groundhog's life span is normally 6 to 8 years of life.

 

Seasonal

CHRISTMAS By Alexandra Castil lo

Well, it is that time of year again when we wake up and see presents under the tree. We know that Santa has come to bring presents, but what is Christmas really about, the friends, the presents, the snow in our yards? That stuff is all fun, but it is not the true meaning of Christmas. Many people are saddened that they couldn’t buy their children, their family, or their friends a nice present.

Christmas is a day when Jesus was born. Wise men and angels all celebrated on this special day. The prophets had told of his coming hundreds of years before his birth. The star stopped over Bethlehem just to mark the way of those who were looking for this special child. An angel appeared to some shepherds outside a field and they were terrified, but the angel told them not to be afraid and that the baby brings good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born he is Christ, our lord. So now you know what Christmas is about and you could be the good angel that spread the news and now you can go tell everyone the true meaning of Christmas.

What would it cost to buy all the items mentioned in the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas?..... $155,407.18.

The full set of prices:- Partridge, $25 - Pear tree, $190 - Two turtle doves, $290- Three French hens, $182- Four calling birds (canaries)- Five gold rings, $75- Six geese-a-laying, $360- Seven swans a-swimming, $13,125- Eight maids a-milking, $58- Nine ladies dancing $7,553- 10 lords a-leaping $5,508- 11 pipers piping $2,635- 12 drummers drumming $2,855

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