Cougar Chr nicles - Cornell Grade School

Cornell Grade School
Cougar Chr nicles
December 2012
Cornell Grade School is
embracing the season of giving!
The kindergarteners have been
collecting school supplies, student
council is supporting local families
through the mitten tree, and student
council is raising money to support
students at our school.
The kindergarteners
have brought in school supplies
and even donated some of their
own along with donations from
other teachers. All together the
kindergarteners have brought in
150 school supplies for a school in
Staten Island which was affected
by Hurricane Sandy last month.
The mitten tree is a tradition
at Cornell Grade School, and
this year it runs from Monday,
December 3rd through Monday,
December 17th. Please stop in
and pick up a mitten, then return it
with the items requested. All items
collected will be donated to local
families.
Three upcoming events are
raising money to support eighth
graders Ivy Motl and Seth Melvin.
Both are undergoing surgery, and
PAWS (Student Council) members
came up with these activities to
help.
Hat Day is Thursday,
December 6. Hats must be school
appropriate and worn facing
forward. To participate you must
pay $1.
“Staching Through the
Snow” Mustache Day is Thursday,
December 13. Students can pay $1
to wear a mustache all day.
All students are welcome to
wear an ugly Christmas sweater on
Friday, December 21, but students
must pay $1 to participate in the
contest. The winning class will earn
a pizza party.
In This Issue:
Superintendent’s Message: page 2
PTO / Booster Club News: page 2
K-5 Highlights: page 3
6-8 Highlights: page 4-5
Sports & Activities: page 5
Entertainment: page 6
Activity Calendar: page 7
Menus: page 8
November 21, 2012
Dear Community Members,
We are in need of your help! We are
planning a school wide project and
we are asking for your recyclable
materials.
Specifically, we are in need of:
• Cleaned out plastic or cardboard
milk and juice containers, either
gallon or half-gallon size
• Empty cardboard paper towel rolls
• Cereal boxes—any size
• Plastic bags
• Old puzzle pieces
• Old magazines with the address
label removed
We need these items by Friday,
December 8, 2012.
Thank you so much in advance!
Cougar Chr nicles
Page 2
Superintendent’s Message
Its’ growing colder and the
threat of snow looms in our 2012-13
school year. Please make sure that
you are receiving school closing messages. I have sent out two messages in
the past month on early dismissals from
school. If you received these messages
then you are in the system. If you have
not received these messages, please let
Cheryl know in the main office and she
will add your phone number to receive
these alerts.
The flu has found its way into
the school district. Please follow these
few reminders:
1. Avoid close contact with people who
are ill.
2. Stay home when you are sick.
3. Cover your mouth and nose with
tissue when coughing or sneezing.
4. Clean your hands and surfaces frequently.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or
mouth.
6. Get plenty of sleep, eat nutritious
food, and stay physically active.
7. Change clothes after school.
cannot replace the valuable instruction
time spent with our teachers.
Dress appropriately for the
weather conditions. It is the time of year
where heavy coats, scarves, mittens/
gloves, and hats will be needed. Students will be permitted to come inside
when the temperature drops below 40
degrees. Please do not drop your students off before 7:30 unless they are
attending the Study Session or meeting
with a teacher.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact me at the school
815-358-2216 or email me at tbean@
cornell.k12.il.us.
Have a wonderful and safe
Christmas holiday!
Please review the student Thank you for the continued
handbook on attendance. We want you support of our school district.
at school, except when you are ill. You
PTC / Booster Club News
PTC will be having a Gondola
Dinner before the Christmas Program at
5pm on December 18th. Dinner price
will be $5 for 1/3 of gondola, chips and
a drink or 1/3 of gondola for $3. Cookies and drinks will be served following
the Christmas program in the cafeteria.
If anyone would like to donate cookies
for this, please contact Nicole Gourley
at 815-419-8134.
We are still in need of volun-
teers for the concession stand for all
home games for volleyball and boys’
basketball this year. Please contact Nete
Traugott-Olsen if you would be able to
help volunteer at 815-867-2151. We
would like for all parents of the players
to work at least one game.
We have our old popcorn
machine for sale; we are asking $150
for it. Please contact Nicole Gourley at
815-419-8134 if you are interested in
Contributors to this Month’s Edition
Design Editors: E. Burkitt, C. Campbell, S. Melvin
Primary Grade Editors: K. Barlow, C. Kreush
Intermediate Grade Editors: T. Brown, A. Dodge, M. Egerstaffer
Middle School Editors: A. Fletcher, B. Long
Sports & Activities Editors: A. Dana, M. Melvin
Entertainment Editors: S. Melvin, I. Motl
Editorial Committe: S. Decker, M. Hagaman, T. Sullivan
Published November 27, 2012 at Cornell Grade School
Cornell Grade School / 300 N 7th Street / Cornell, IL 61319
the machine.
The next PTC/Booster Club
meeting will be held on Thursday,
December 6th, 2012 at 6pm.
Friend us on Facebook! Keep
up-to-date on PTC activities, announcements and meeting minutes by visiting
http://www.facebook.com/cornellgradeschoolptc.
Cougar Chr nicles
K-5 Highlights
Page 3
Thanksgiving Play
By: Katelyn Barlow, Cheyanne Kreush
The first graders had a Thanksgiving play. The
kids were very excited about making their costumes
and their boat. This play contained music, Indians, and
Pilgrims. First grader Joshua said sitting down and eating
at the table was his favorite part while Shea said “I like the
music best”. Brooklyn likes when the Indians show them
how to plant corn. and Tristan shared ”I like when we act
like we are tired.”
Primary Grade Activities
By: Katelyn Barlow, Cheyanne Kreush
The kindergarteners have been quite busy this
month. The kindergarteners are learning about the Pilgrims
and Indians as well as their shapes. The kindergarteners
made 3-D shapes and they are now reading out of books!
Kindergartener Annalyse learned “Pilgrims eat with their
fingers because they did not have forks.”
In second grade this month they have been very
busy. Something very exciting for the 2nd graders is they
all have made honor roll for the first quarter which means
they all had only A’s and B’s! Good job 2nd graders!
They have been making turkeys, which are brightening
Kindergarteners Annalyse, Blake, and Carter show off their
costumes. Photo Credit: Katelyn Barlow.
up the hallway. They have been learning about the first
Thanksgiving as well as solids, liquids, and gases. One of
their favorite parts of learning about solids, liquids, and
gases is they made a gas by mixing a solid and a liquid.
Second graders Kaylynne, Jacob, and Neve said, “We
learned that water is a solid, liquid, and a gas.”
Intermediate Grade Activities
By: Timothy Brown, Alison Dodge, Mariah Egerstaffer
getting eaten on Thanksgiving. In December the fourth
In November the third graders had character
graders won’t be 4th graders anymore. They will turn into
education about morals and respect. In December they plan little elves as a Christmas event.
to begin a Science unit about force and motion. They will The fifth graders just finished their unit on
be making a rocket out of paper towel tubes and a 2 liter
division and learned friendly numbers using partial quotient
bottle. They will connect the bottle to the tube and step on methods. The fifth graders have less students because Lola
the 2 liter bottle to see how far the tube goes.
moved again and Nichole moved as well. The fifth grade
In November the fourth graders learned about
class shrunk to 5 outstanding students, but “Everyone
onomatopoeias. Also, they did a “how to blow a bubble”
misses them and we wish them the best!” says the class.
project, which turned out great! Next, they did a disguising They are starting a unit on hurricanes and learning more
a turkey project and wrote about how to save a turkey from and more every month.
Warm fire. Art Credit: Tyler
Fitzpatrick.
Name Art. Art Credit:
Destiny Bennett.
Cut paper landscape. Art Credit:
Toby Hansen.
Secondary color boingos.
Art Credit: Romiah Stiff.
Cougar Chr nicles
6-8 Highlights
Page 4
Class of Cornell 2013: Who Are They?
Seth Melvin came to Cornell Grade
School at the end of 2006, so he
has spent the majority of his school
years in Cornell. He has been a very
active student at CGS, participating
in chorus, band, basketball, track,
speech team, PAWS (student council),
and math team. Seth won a first place
award at solo and ensemble contests
for playing the drums. He also earned
the Accelerated Reading trip to Mary
Poppins and loved the show. Seth’s
favorite band is Avenged Sevenfold
and he eagerly awaits their new album.
He is quite a reader and enjoyed the
Harry Potter series immensely.
If you hear the tap, tap, tap
of fingers beating the rhythm on
a desktop, you know Seth is near.
Besides his “practice” at school, much
of his spare time is spent practicing
his beloved drums! Seth greatly
admires James Owen Sullivan who is
a great drummer. I can see future CGS
newsletters mentioning Seth as the
great drummer someone admires!
There are many events and
activities Seth is looking forward to,
such as the possibility of having an 8th
grade lock-in this spring! Seth is also
planning to participate in golf, band,
track , and basketball when he attends
Flanagan-Cornell High School. He
hopes to attend college to become an
architect or an English teacher – and
continue to play the drums. He also
believes that he’d still like to live
around this area. One of the things
that Seth really likes at CGS are the
Promethean Boards. His comment, “I
need to get one of those in my room!”
When Seth leaves CGS, he
knows he will miss Mrs. Nussbaum
and Mrs. Decker! All of us here will
miss Seth, too. We wish him the best
at FCHS and whatever else he chooses
for his future. Our hallways will echo
with memories of Seth’s beat!
Cheyanne Kreush came to Cornell
Grade School in 2nd grade and
became an important part of the class
immediately! Cheyanne has been part
of the CGS Student Council and has
helped plan and organize many terrific
activities including fund raisers. She
has also participated in volleyball and
track at school as well as numerous
plays outside of school. Cheyanne
loves music, to sing and play her
instrument; she is part of the choir
and band here at Cornell. She hopes
to be part of Flanagan-Cornell High
School’s Student Council next year.
Cheyanne has lots of favorites
including the singing group One
Direction, the book My Sister’s
Keeper, purple, and zebra print! Her
favorite trip was to Chicago to see
the play Lion King which happens to
be her favorite movie as well. She
also liked our Titanic Enrichment
Day because we watched the movie
about the Titanic which made all the
information from the day seem very
real.
Once Cheyanne has graduated
from high school, she plans to go to
Illinois State University in Normal
and become a teacher. The teachers
at CGS are one of reasons Cheyanne
is planning to be a teacher; they have
influenced her decisions and choices
and from them she feels that it would
be fun to teach. Good job, CGS
teachers! Cheyanne will miss the
terrific Accelerated Reading trips even
though she worked hard to earn them.
She is looking forward to the 8th grade
field trip to Chicago in the Spring.
We’ll miss Cheyanne’s willingness to
participate and her beautiful singing
next year but wish her the best at
Flanagan!
3-inch squares. Art Credit: Hannah
Dunahee.
Meeting
Constitutional
Requirements
By: Carrie Campbell
Every year the 7th grade class
has to pass the Constitution to go to
8th grade. Students are required by the
state of Illinois to demonstrate knowledge of both the Illinois and United
States Constitutions before they can
be admitted into high school, and at
Cornell Grade School U.S. History is
covered during the seventh grade year.
Mrs. Nussbaum teaches
students about how our government
was formed and how the government
works, using the 225 year-old document as well as other resources.
In addition to this year’s seventh graders, students who spent their
seventh grade year at another school
are learning the material as well. The
eighth graders don’t seem too excited
about this additional work: Katelyn
Barlow says “It's OK”, Tim Brown
says “It is not the most exciting thing
in the world, but it is something you
just have to learn,” and Alison Dodge
says “I don’t really like learning it but
it’s going to be better when it’s over.”
Cougar Chr nicles
Page 5
Middle School Activities
By: Abbie Fletcher, Bailey Long
In language arts the eighth grade watched a movie on the
Holocaust. Students saw how the Nazi’s took the Jews and put them
in concentration camps, starving them to death and throwing them
in mass graves. It was a sad movie that was hard to write about, but
Mrs. Decker said she was glad to hear what students learned and
was glad she taught them about the Holocaust.
In science eighth graders are starting the science fair. It will
be an actual science fair so you can go all the way to state. You can
win cash prizes or a scholarship.
The seventh grade class is studying microbes (bacteria and
viruses) in science. As part of that study, they went to the sewage
plant in Pontiac and were surprised how big it was; they thought it
would have be smaller. They said that it was interesting
to see how the sewage plant worked and that the guide
explained it very well. They also loved going to Joe’s
Station House Pizza afterwards.
The sixth grade is working on decimals and division
in math. They have studied division for several years now,
but it is important for them to understand. They will need
to use these skills as seventh graders, as eighth graders, and
in high school.
Bear batik (close-up), Clay tablet tree, and paper mache dog. Art
Credits: Michael Moranville, Dylan Swanberg, Carrie Campbell.
Sports & Activities
Lunch for a Cause
Activity News
By Amanda Dana, Morgan Melvin
Get reading because 5th- 8th
grade will be going to Potted Potter
in Chicago on Wednesday, December
5th. In order to go you must reach your
goal for AR points. You must need 9
out of 10 take-a-breaks. Get reading!
Get those heels dancing
because the Winter Ball is on December, 7th 2012 from 5-8pm. Fifth
through eighth graders pay $5 if they
are formally dressed and $7 if they are
casually dressed.
The Christmas parties will be
on Friday the 21st . The Christmas
parties will last from 1-2pm. Happy
Holidays!
Sports News
By Amanda Dana, Morgan Melvin
The volleyball season started
on November 26th. They are practicing very hard to go all the way this
year. Good luck, volleyball girls!
The boys’ basketball first
game in December is on December 3.
They will be facing Braceville. It will
start at 5pm and is a home game.
By Amanda Dana, Morgan Melvin
On December 2nd CGS will
have Lunch for the Cause. Teachers
and staff at CGS will be hosting a
lunch fundraiser. It will be held in the
Cornell Grade School gym from 11:00
am- 1:30pm. The lunch will be pork
chops, baked beans, cole slaw, chips,
drinks, and dessert. Adults pay $5 and
students or seniors pay $3.
We are raising money to purchase technology for our classrooms.
Technology like iPads, computers, and
interactive white boards will help our
students be more engaged. It is important that we keep our students active
and provide them with 21st century
learning skills. The more active our
students are, the more they will learn
and remember!
Cougar Chr nicles
Entertainment
Page 6
10 Ways to Annoy Reflection on the Holocaust
1. Specify that your drive-through
order is “to go.”
2. Claim that you must always wear a
bicycle helmet as part of your “astronaut
training.”
3. Follow a few paces behind
someone, spraying everything they
touch with Lysol.
4. Wear a special hip holster for your
remote control.
5. Holler random numbers while
someone is counting.
6. Invite lots of people to other
people’s parties.
7. Learn, “Ice, Ice, Baby” by heart
and recite it endlessly.
8. Never make eye contact.
9. Never break eye contact.
10. Make appointments for the 31st
of September.
Jokes
By: Matthew Inman
Did you hear about the fire at the
circus? It was in tents.
A magician was driving down the
road...then he turned into a drive way.
What’s invisible and smells like
carrots? Rabbit farts.
A neutron walks into a store and asks
“how much for a soda?” The clerk
says, “for you? no charge.”
Why is there no gambling in Africa?
Too many Cheetahs!
Why was the sand wet? Because the
sea weed!
What do you call it when a dinosaur
crashes his car? Tyrannosaurus
Wrecks.
A man drove his expensive car into
a tree. He finally found out how the
Mercedes bends.
What did the worker at the rubber
band factory say when he lost his job?
OH SNAP!
After studying World War II, reading The Boy in Striped Pajamas, and
visiting the War Museum, the eighth
graders watched a DVD of the British
soldiers liberating the concentration
camps at the end of the war. After writing about the terrifying sights they witnessed, they decided to share some of
their writing.
No matter what happens in their
lives, the British soldiers will never
forget those scenes of those people
(Jews) who are now just a little piece of
the earth.
– Cheyanne
You can see the horror the Jews
endured through their expressions they
left behind.
– Carrie
Starving bodies, trapped inside,
little hope, is in their lives.
– Alison
Do you see scars, pain, that is
too deep to heal? / Listen to me, son,
The Holocaust was real.
– Seth
Today we might have wealth. /
We’ll never know because I’m dead, /
All because I was never fed. – Mariah
If I was a British soldier, I
would cry and have those pictures in
my mind forever.
– Amanda
No letter or apology can take
those memories away, No matter how
much you try, They come back like it
was yesterday.
– Emily
It was wrong to kill the Jews,
starve them, and lead them to the gas
chambers.
– Morgan
When I first heard about the
Holocaust, I did not have a clue what it
was about. Now I’m an 8th grader, and
I know the man named Hitler was pure
evil.
– Katelyn
Ivy Motl
December Menu
M
Tu
W
Th
F
3
4
5
6
7
Breakfast:
Apple Breadstick
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Blueberry Muffin
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Donut
2 Slices Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Cinnamon Toast
1/2 Orange
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Milk
Lunch:
Ravioli
Lettuce Salad
Cucumbers
Breadstick
Pineapple
Milk
Lunch:
Shepherd's Pie
Celery w/Peanut
Butter
Roll
Applesauce
Milk
Lunch:
Chicken Fajitas
Lettuce/Cheese/To
mato
Mexican Rice
Refried Beans
Mixed Fruit
Milk
Lunch:
Deli Turkey on Bun
Tater Tots
Corn on the Cob
Pears
Milk
Lunch:
Mini Corn Dogs
Carrots &
Cauliflower
Ranch Dip
Apple
Milk
10
11
12
13
14
Breakfast:
Egg & Cheese
Biscuit
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Breakfast Pizza
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Pop Tart
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
French Toast
Applesauce
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Milk
Lunch:
Ham on Bun
Baked Beans
Warm Cinnamon
Apples
Milk
Lunch:
Fish Patty on Bun
Broccoli & Celery
Ranch Dip
Mandarin Oranges
Roll
Milk
Lunch:
Chicken Nuggets
Mashed Potatoes
Bread & Butter
Pears
Milk
Lunch:
Barbecue on Bun
Cole Slaw
Peaches
Milk
Lunch:
Hot Dog on Bun
Chips & Salsa
Carrots
Orange
Milk
17
18
19
20
21
Breakfast:
Lumberjack
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Cinnamon Roll
Yogurt
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Mini Cheese
Omelet
Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Donut
2 Slices Toast
Juice
Milk
Breakfast:
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Milk
Lunch:
Beef Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Cooked Carrots
Deviled Egg
Bread & Butter
Peaches
Milk
Lunch:
Turkey & Noodles
Peas
Mixed Fruit
Bread & Peanut
Butter
Milk
Lunch:
Walking Taco
Lettuce/Cheese/Tom
ato
Breadstick
Refried Beans
Pears
Milk
Lunch:
Cheese Pizza
Green Beans
Mandarin Oranges
Milk
Lunch:
Chicken Patty on
Bun
Lettuce Salad
Cherry Tomatoes
Pineapple
Milk
Cougar Chr nicles
Page 10
Support classroom technology at Cornell Grade School!
When:
Time:
Where:
Cost:
Sunday, December 2, 2012
11:00 a..m. - 1:30 p.m.
Cornell Grade School Gym
$5 Adults
$3 Students / Seniors
What’s for Lunch?
- Fabe’s Famous Pork Chop Sandwiches
- Baked Beans
- Coffee
- Coleslaw
- Tea
- Chips
- Lemonade
CORNELL GRADE SCHOOL
300 N 7TH ST
CORNELL IL 61319-9282
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