All Around Pennsauken

On Dec. 5, Ms. Vance’s class was treated to a special activity: all twelve students were provided with an opportunity to see a live performance of “Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.”

Ms. Vance’s parents donated tickets for the class to see the matinee performance at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

Students sat in awe at the theatre and were mesmerized by the actors and actresses, as well as the special effects. Needless to say, this was a gift the students are still talking about!

Throughout December, the third grade students at Roosevelt School learned about various holidays.

Students in Mrs. James’ and Mrs. Ben Abdallah’s classes enjoyed learning about Ramadan, Chanukah, Three Kings Day, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year and Christmas, while preparing to perform an original play entitled, “Holidays in Pennsauken.”

On Dec. 18, the students gave an excellent performance which taught their peers and family members more about the holidays.

Pennsauken is a diverse community; Roosevelt School was proud to share their knowledge and traditions with family and friends.

In Mr. Hirshorn’s fourth grade class, students discussed improving themselves and realized that no one is perfect and all can improve on at least one aspect of their lives.

They had a brilliant discussion about New Year’s resolutions. The class, including the teacher, made a list of improvements that they thought were attainable in the New Year. The class turned these lists into remarkable writing pieces that showed the creativity and honesty of the students. Here are a few of the resolutions they came up with:

Mr. Hirshorn: “Stop eating junk food and try to eat more fruits and vegetables.”

Jhaisir: “My New Year’s resolution is something I really, really need to work on… eating more.”

Brian: “I’m good at basketball but not that good. I want my New Year’s resolution to be getting better at basketball.”

Vy: “I have to help my mom do chores.”

Emily: “My New Year’s resolution is to play violin better.”

Kyla: “I’ve been feeling weak lately, so I want to eat more nutrients.”

Mikey: “My New Year’s resolution is to do all my work in class.”

Evalissa: “I’m very messy and since it is the New Year, I know what to do. I’m going to do. I’m going to be more organized and clean.”

Janelle: “My New Year’s resolution is to be a better daughter and sister.”

Alex: “Since it is the New Year, I’ve decided my resolution is to exercise more.”

We all hope to keep these resolutions… will you? Have a phenomenal 2015!

Mr. Jim Good, captain of the Quaker City String Band, recently visited Carson School to meet with the students of Mrs. Tryon’s and Mrs. Savino’s gifted classes during their unit study of the Mummers.

The students learned how themes are developed for each year’s performance, and about the behind-the-scenes effort it takes to put on such an amazing show. Good talked with the students about the dedication and hard work that is required from all the string band members to make the production come to life.

Students spent the day working cooperatively to research and develop their own themes. Each group created elaborate back pieces that represented their themes, and presented their ideas to Mr. Good.

The following day, students traveled to the Mummer’s Museum to learn the history of this Philadelphia tradition.

This was a wonderful learning experience for the students!

Mrs. Morett’s pre-kindergarten class at Baldwin School was given a family homework assignment. They were asked to decorate a family quilt piece for their classroom. This quilt piece was decorated by families with different fabrics, cultural representations and a family picture.

The children “sewed” the quilt pieces together and their family quilt is on display in their classroom for the remainder of the year.

Teachers at Carson School wanted to do something this holiday season that not only gave back to the community, but also showed students the importance of helping those less fortunate. They decided to base their project off of “Christmas Jars,” a novel written by Jason F. Wright.

In the book, a reporter explores the secret behind the “Christmas Jars,” glass jars filled with coins and bills left anonymously for people in need. Carson School set up a jar of their own, collecting donations from staff and students. Over $250 were collected in Carson’s giving jar; these funds were used to buy ingredients and supplies to make sandwiches for the Cathedral Kitchen, an organization that has been serving meals to the poor and hungry in Camden for over four decades.

On Dec. 22, teachers at Carson made 350 sandwiches during lunchtime, so students could see firsthand the importance of serving the community. Students in Mrs. Tryon’s class also assembled packages of salt, pepper, napkins, and the like to accompany the tasty care packages.

The staff of Carson would like to thank teachers and students for their generosity during this holiday project, as well as DiPascale’s at Meadowbrook for selling the lunch meat at cost.

Dec. 23 was Pajama Day at Carson School, a special day for students who earned enough “Carson Cardinal Cash” to participate. Carson’s kindergarten students worked hard to earn participation for Pajama Day! The boys and girls in Mrs. Koch’s kindergarten class are proud of their positive behavior and happy to wear their favorite pajamas to school!

Benjamin Franklin Elementary School celebrated its Students of the Month for December. December’s theme was: “Cooperative: Works Well With Others.”

December’s Students of the Month were treated to a lunch with Principal Lewis, featuring pizza and juice boxes. During lunchtime, Principal Lewis read the story, “In with a Splash.”

Congratulations to these great students!