Lindsay Waddell

It's Not Easy Being Green!

As that famous amphibian sang those words, he wasn't aware of the many meanings that phrase could hold in the future!  Well, it's been a theme all year here at still (maybe not an 'official' theme, but a theme, nonetheless).  Still has been working very hard at 'going green.'  We have had various recycling projects: ASP collecting paper recycling with Ms. Duhn; ink cartridge recycling; a PTA contest recycling old electronics; and our P.E. teachers even joined in by collecting old tennis shoes to donate to Nike (who will then turn them into playground materials).  Even the News Crew has done their part to meet the 'green' challenge - we transitioned from paper scripts to using a laptop and a powerpoint, saving a ton of paper this year.  I know our PTA is working tirelessly to create future recycling opportunities for our students and Staff.

That said, tomorrow is Earth Day!  To celebrate, I researched some great educational sites for students and teachers.  Click HERE to link to the list. 

Happy Earth Day, everyone!  Remember to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (maybe Kermit will consider adding this phrase to some of his lyrics!).

Almanacs

Almanacs are oftentimes a forgotten resource!  However, almanacs are a great tool to research current, brief facts.  If you need a quick way to find the most up-to-date population of a city, or even what last year's #1 kid's movie was at the box office, the almanac is your answer.  They're also a great way help to spice up reports with interesting and little-known facts.  An alamanac is a wise choice if you are looking for:

• Lists!  Almanacs are filled with lists such as first ladies, presidents, academy award winners of past years, and even Olympic host cities.
• Comparisons!  You can find the deepest ocean in the world, or the highest mountain.  
• Weather!  Find information about certain natural disasters that happen in any given year.
• Politics!  Senators, Governors, Mayors, Presidents, Dictators - they all change so often.  An almanac will give you a quick look at a Country's or City's current political state. 

An almanac is easily navigated using either the table of contents (mainly found at the front) or the index (usually found in the back).  The trick to finding information easily and quickly is to look up the correct key word.  For example:

• If you were looking up the capital of the state of Georgia, your key word would be GEORGIA (not capital). 
• If you were looking up a list of popular TV shows in 2005, your key word would be TELEVISION.

The great news about almanacs is that they are the one reference tool that are available for checkout!  You can find our almanacs in the 031 section of the non-fiction section.  So, have fun with them and let us know if you find out any cool facts!

In times of trouble, call on news team 7!

We said goodbye to our seventh news crew today as news team 8 took the reigns.  Team 7 did an awesome job and overcame several technical diffuculties during their turn at the morning announcements.  They muddled through missing laptops and Ms. Waddell's badly-written (last minute) cue cards, overcrowded renditions of the cupid shuffle, and a broken DVD player.  However, as usual, our 5th graders kept their cool (while keeping ME from going into panic mode) and let everything roll off their backs!  They were true professionals (even if they did crack up every once in awhile...).  Thanks for the good work, Hector, Suzanne, Jacob, Rebecca, Maggie, Ryne and Alexis! 

                                      

Happy Birthday, Teddy!

Who is Teddy you ask?  Why, Theodore Geisel of course!  Wait...who is Theodore Geisel?  The answer to that is easy:  Dr. Seuss!  Yesterday was Read Across America day which is always celebrated on Dr. Seuss's birthday  (he would have been 105!!).  Still Elementary had quite a celebration with guest readers and birthday cake. And we couldn't have celebrated without some of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters....

   

Today you are you!  That is truer than true!

There is no one alive who is you-er than you!

...

I am what I am!  That's a great thing to be!

If I say to myself, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

~ From the book~ 

Happy Birthday to You!

By, Dr. Seuss

Congratulations to our Reading Bowl Team!!

The Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl took place on Saturday, January 31st at Osborne High School.  Participants included Cobb County schools at the elementary, middle and high school levels.  Competition was tough, but....Still won FIRST PLACE in the elementary division!!!  We are so proud of our reading bowl team (comprised of 4th and 5th graders).  Weeks of practice certainly paid off when our girls went head-to-head with some tough competition! 

Our journey ended at the regional competition on February 7th, but spirits still remain high.  We were 4th place overall and we definitely had fun!