Pacific Pawprints - November 9, 2010

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Dear Pacific Parents and Guardians,

The Thanksgiving holiday is just a couple of weeks away and it is one of my favorite times of the year. Thanksgiving is a special time to enjoy the company of family and friends, to gather for delicious food, cheer for a favorite team, and to reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives. We are fortunate to live in a wonderful community with outstanding schools for your children to attend. However, life circumstances are very different for many others throughout the South Bay. 

 

At Pacific School, we believe that when students engage in meaningful community projects and service learning, it not only enhances the educational program but builds emotional and social development. During the month of November, several seasonal projects are available for your family to participate in at Pacific. As follows:
 
~ Halloween Candy Collection from 11/1 to 11/17 for local agencies
~ Thanksgiving Food Drive from 11/1 to 11/17 for Richstone Center
~ Warm Coat Drive from 11/8 to 11/12 for Girl Scouts
 
Sharing in the experience of giving to others will have lasting impressions on our Panthers. Many, many families will truly appreciate your generosity. Thank you in advance for your participation.

 

With gratitude,  

Debbie Mabry
Principal
 
 
Flu and Pertussis Clinic
 
The Public Health Department will be offering a free 'Flu and Pertussis' Vaccine Clinic in Manhattan Beach. Please click here to access the flyer for more details.
  
 
A huge thank you to all of our volunteers and families who helped to make the MBEF Pledge Day a huge success!
 
Thank you to the 55% of Pacific families who have made a donation or pledge to the 2010/2011 MBEF Annual Appeal. Together, Pacific families have raised over $430,000 to date. Thank you for making a great investment in our schools. Thank you to our amazing volunteers who helped us spread the word during Pledge Day: Kristi Knowles, Kay Sheth, Lisa Rosenberg, Mickie Kingston, Shannon Nicholson, Elaine Weddell, Cindy Zielinski, Marla Zaslansky, Jania Fox, Jodie Kase, Phyllis Calza, Erin Shippey, Birgitta Istock, Mary Yollin, Kristin Coons, Tina Stout, Rachel Reisig, Ellen Chao, Jennifer Svensson, Dana Lindley, Staci Trief, Audrey Estes, Karla Cameron, Sejal Sood and Mrs. Mabry. We couldn’t have done it without you! We would also like to thank Susie Howat and Shirley Rickard for their assistance in handling donation envelopes and making sure they get to the MBEF office. Finally, thank you to all of the parents, teachers and students who participated in the first community MBEF Pledge Day rally.
 
Together we can keep our Manhattan Beach schools strong!
 

 
 The PTA Appreciates Our Volunteers!
 
Thank you so much to Deb Morrell and Tracey Daley for doing such a fabulous job organizing the Halloween Parade. Thanks to kevin Daley for emceeing the event and keeping our little ones on the move! Once again, it was so much fun for the kids and the adults, too.
 
Also, thank you to Cat McComb and Kelley Storer for making the gift wrap such a great success. Nothing was better than having a human present walking around the school(the ribbon wig really tied it all together!) 
 
Thank you to our MBEF Site Reps, Dawn Bush, Whitney Sargent, Stephanie Siddons and Jeri Vick who worked so hard on the MBEF Pledge week, day, rally and the hand-painting project. MBEF and PTA is a wonderful  partnership!
 
A big WOW to Denise Wandel and Colleen Soulis Pachler for getting the directory out before Halloween --unheard of!
 
Thank you to Cathy Banchik for seamlessly running Red Ribbon Week for her 5th and final year! We will miss you, Cathy!
 
Science Night was such a hit. How can we thank Jane Stavropoulos and Cathy Hobart enough for their creativitiy and commitment to making this the best Science Night ever!
To our ever inspired Book Fair Chairs, Teri hampton, Kelly Kelley and Susan Lynch -- you make it look so easy! Thank you!
 
 
 
 
 Red Ribbon Week Thank you!
 
A Big PTA Thank you for helping with Red Ribbon Week.  Mary Kirchwehm, Denise and Zoe Berger, Rachel Childs, Max and Jack Sevier, and Nicole Sevier! Thanks for making this event a huge success!
 
 

  Book Fair Thank you!

Thank you Panther Families for supporting our fall Book Fair and making it a success. Pacific Panthers are true book lovers! We have many people we need to individually thank for their contributions. First, our talented and tireless Book Fair Committee, Dana Mahony, Robyn Glasgow, Tracey Daley, Lisa Whitman, Kate Malik & Audrey Ritterman-Estes. Girls, you are an awesome team and we love working with you! Second, all of our wonderful volunteers who came in throughout the week and kept us going -- Colleen Soulis-Pachler, Superna Kalle, Phyllis Calza, Jenny Sampson, Karen Barker, Ellen Hotchkis, Kim Noonan, Kim Johnson, Shawne Spelke, Kristen Johnson, Lisa Dickson, Carol Bernstein, Kelly Storer, Sejal Sood, Stephanie Streader, Shelly Stutz, Cindy Zielinski, Fran Sweeney, Kim Petri, Lorrie Arvin, Julie McMahon, Desiree Brown, Andrea Custer, Jill Coons, Becky Mollareza, Jennifer Williams, Michelle Gentille, Kay Sheth, Sandra Meyer, Jill Hansen, Kathleen Johnson, Mary Yollin, Peter Yollin, Monica Kwon, Michelle Traylor, Lana Rizika, Lisa Rosenberg, Elisa Johnson, Michelle Childs, Julie Johnson, Shannon Nicholson, Tracee Farrell, Karla Cameron, Christine Rawson, Elaine Weddell, Lisa Tomsick, Staci Carey, Toni Blakeman, Robyn St. Germain, Erin Shippey, Kristi Knowles, Shari Gong, Carla Fritsch, Kari Estrin, Louise DuMont & Linda Kupiec. We are truly grateful! And finally, special thank yous to Julie Jones, our inspiring librarian for her expertise and guidance and for letting us take over her space and move in for the week. And also to Ms. Lawaii King and Mr. Tyron Dixon for all their help during set up and take down. 

We hope to see you all again in the spring!
 
Sincerely,
Kelly Kelley, Susan Lynch & Teri Hampton
Book Fair Co-Chairs
 
 

 Science Night Thank you!

We would like to thank our fantastic committee for their hard work: Justine de Grandpre and James Locke for putting together a mind-boggling CSI/Forensics exhibit; Christa Colvin and Jania Fox for their Water Density exhibit; Liz Donahue for “What’s in the cup?”; Marcie Cullen our stellar Thank You chairperson; Jen Temperley for labels; Staci Trief for helping with assembling the pamphlets at all hours, organizing Dippin’ Dots, jumping in to help at a moment’s notice and working the information booth with Donna Mathis all night! 
 
A special thank you to Rich Janson for creating a map to help guide the way; and Nicole Hirshberg for decorating our information booth with balloons!
We had many parents who work in Science-related industries lend a hand with their expertise this year: Dr. George So, Dr. Madhu Chatwani, Dr. John Kunesh, Sven Hackman from Siemens who provided the 4-D Ultrasound Machine, and Beth Emery from Northrop Grumman.
 
We would also like to thank community volunteers and organizations: Dawn from the Roundhouse Aquarium, Julie from Heal the Bay, and Cindy Malouin from Beach Cities Robotics. Ms. Atia and her 5th Grade Docents did a fantastic job in the Science Lab presenting their projects, you can read about them in the 4th/5th grade edition of Pawprints.
 
A big thank you to Kristi Knowles and Kay Sheth for their support and encouragement. Mrs. Mabry has so much enthusiasm for this event and helped us every step of the way! And of course, Susie Howat and Shirley Rickard for all of their support.
 
We could not have an event like this without the many volunteers who donated their time on Science Night in the exhibit rooms and shows: Jenny Sampson, Ellen Chao, Lori Sherman, Jody Williams, George Stewart, Monica Kwon, Cathy Sodl, Alicia Kling, Becka Gill, Shannon Nicholson, Jennifer Svensson, Tina Stout, Mike Horowitz, Greg Whitney, Kristina Schrader, Ellen Hotchkis, Cherylanne Martin, Michelle McDonald, Marla Zaslansky, Peter Yollin, Alison Guerrero, Debra Cummings, Rick Cameron, Scott Anderson, Shari Gong, Wendy Coate, Nicole Sevier, Norm Yamamoto, Denise Berger, William Elias, Nadine Jackson, Angela Lee, John Foster, Cat McComb, John Yanez, Michelle Baliton, Audrey Ritterman, Richard Safelder, David Brantly, Kristin Coons, Richard Sullivan, Oren Benami, Sherry Larkins, and Dawn Boisvert.
 
We would also like to thank Ms. Glassman and Ms. Liu, Student Council Advisors, and their team of parents and students for running the pizza booth and feeding all of our hungry scientists and volunteers: Greta Kessel, Lori Wymbs, Denise Berger, Susan Blake, Adam Kim, Parker Lynch, Max Berger, Emma Doyle, Olivia Wymbs, Alex Blake, Riley Farrell, Victoria Otto, Tucker Hale, and Zach Horowitz.
 
Most of all, a huge thank you to the parents for taking time out of their busy schedules to bring our Pacific Panthers to school to explore science! 
Thank you!!!
Jane Stavropoulos & Cathy Hobart

  

 

  4th Grade Student Council Interview,
by: Claire D. and Lauren D.

 

Our teacher says good-bye to us and we rush to the cafeteria.  There's a swarm near the results.  We push to the front.  The results are devastating yet exciting.  After that, we rush straight to Pawprints.  Then we find out we are lucky enough to interview the three fourth grade winners - Tucker Hale for Vice President and the Co-Treasurers Olivia Wymbs and Parker Lynch.

1). What made you decide to run for student council?

Olivia:  I like working on speeches and posters and stuff like that.
Tucker: To have the power to make the school a better place.

Parker: I wanted to take care of the money.

2). Do you think it was hard running for VP or Treasurer?  Why or why not?

Olivia: You didn't know what was going to happen.  It was fun to see the results.
Tucker: Yes, because you have to come up with a speech, poster and a slogan. It's complicated.

Parker: Yes, because there were 12 other people running.

3) What do you plan to do in the future as our VP or Treasurer?

Olivia: Fundraisers and buying new equipment for the playground.
Tucker: I plan to change the pizza, bring back football and repaint the benches on the playground.

Parker: Bring back donut Tuesdays.

4) What advice would you give to kids who hope to run next trimester?

Olivia: Don't take it as a competition, think of it as something to do for fun.
Tucker: You need a good campaign manager, a funny speech and a good slogan.
Parker: The speech is everything.
 

As you can see, Pacific School is in some wonderful care this trimester!

 

 

  Catching up with the 5th Grade Student Council Winners

by Joseph C. and Brendan R., 5th Grade

 
Pawprints staffers Joseph C. and Brendan R. recently caught up with the lucky 5th grade winners of the student council elections, Caroline Z., our President, Zach H., our Secretary, and Max B., our Historian to ask them some questions.
  

Joseph: What do you want to do to help the school? 

Caroline: I’ve been asking people for suggestions, and one friend said we should bring back Brown Bag Naturals, and maybe change our pizza brand. We should also maybe bring back the ambassadors which help 1st and 2nd graders, except maybe we could make the ambassadors student council members.
Zach: I don’t know exactly what a secretary can do, but I’ll support the other council members as much as possible.
Max: I want our school to have Dominos Pizza, and, I’ve heard almost everyone wants to bring back the jog-a-thon instead of the jump-a-thon. Also, during the end of the year, we can make a slideshow of the pictures I took and have it so that everyone can see it in the cafeteria.
 
Brendan: What you going to be for Halloween?
Zach: I’m going to be a hippie with my friends and we are going to have afros, tie dye shirts and peace glasses.
Max: I‘m going to be a cheerleader with a bunch of my friends.
Caroline:  I’m going to be an 80’s workout person with one of my best friends, Gabby.
 
Joseph: Is there anyone you want to thank for helping you in the election process?
Caroline: My campaign manager, Gabby C., and our moms.
Zach: My campaign manager, Matthew J., my parents, and my friends and supporters, Jesse S. and Kevin C.
Max: My campaign manager, Mitch P., his sister, and our moms.
 

Brendan: What is your favorite color? 

Zach: Orange      Max: Hot Pink       Caroline: Purple
 

Joseph: Why do you want to be on the student council?

Caroline: I was vice president last year, and I thought it was fun. We get fame throughout the school, and privileges like getting to go to the front of the lunch line on meeting days!
Zach: I think it is fun, we have a great time, and we get to help Pacific, as well as seeing former teachers and making announcements!
Max: I was treasurer last year, and I like taking pictures. Also it is fun meeting younger kids, and seeing teachers we once had!
 

Brendan: What is your favorite food?

Zach: Pizza, but I don’t have it at lunch.
Max: I love Mama D’s Garlic Bread.
Caroline: I don’t have a favorite food, but I like going to different places.

 
Joseph: Any tips for kids who want to be on student council in the future?

Caroline: Whichever job you go for, during the speech, it’s all right to be nervous! That’s natural! Also, be kind to everyone, and they’ll vote for you. Bribery never works, only friendship does.
Zach: Make sure you’re friendly to people, or you’ll most likely lose. Make sure you’re right for the job and ready to tackle it, and be ready to work a lot for the school.
Max: You have to have skills in the job, take responsibility. It would also be helpful to not be scared of being the center of attention.
 

Brendan: What is your favorite subject in school?

Zach: Math and Social Studies
Max: Math, Reading and Social Studies
Caroline: Math and Writing
 

Joseph: What sacrifices do you have to make to be on the student council

Caroline: You have to give up on recess a week, but it’s worth it and for a good reason. You also have to give up some after school time for getting good grades to be eligible to run.
Zach: You miss recess and a lot of after school free time.
Max: Missing precious recess and after school free time. The rest is very fun!
 

Brendan: What is your favorite shoe company?

Zach: Nike     Max: Puma      Caroline: Converse
 
Joseph: The final question: Any words you want Panthers everywhere to hear?
Caroline: Be kind to your teachers and Pacific’s the best!
Zach: Pacific’s the best in all the west!
Max: Stay in school and you won’t go to jail!
 
As you can see, we have wonderful student council members who we’re sure will provide a fun, memorable year!
 
 
 


 

 A Fall Poem
by ~ Jacqueline S. / 1st Grade
Pumpkin Season
What color are you?
Orange!
Where do you grow?
On a vine!
Do you have a stem?
Yes!
Are you pink?
No!
We know all about pumpkins!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
 
  Listen Up Kids...
by: Amber K./Kinder
Listen up kids at Pacific! Work your hardest this year, harder than you can ever imagine. Make sure to listen to your teachers. We want our school to be the best and have happiness and love. Caring for each other when someone gets hurt is another way to be a great Panther. You can also try to meet new friends. If you just play with your old friends, you won't have as many friends. Remember, work your hardest Pacific Panthers. I know you can do it! Pacific School is awesome and the best. Let's try to work our hardest!
 
  Family Science Night
by: Scott K., 4th grade
There were so many cool experiments at Family Science Night, but I could not go to all of them. So, let me tell you about the ones I saw in room 14. I learned that dry ice sublimates. To sublimate means to change from a solid to a gas. Not only when you put dry ice in root beer does it make a cool explosion, it also tastes delicious! After hearing about that, I bet you would like to hear about the next experiment.
 
In room 15, we learned how to make slime in a few easy steps. The first step was to get a cup and put in some poly vinyl alcohol. Then, the scientist gave us mysterious food coloring and we picked our favorite one of the three colors: green, yellow, or red. I decided to pick green, and most of the people around me also chose green. Next, she put some sodium borate into the cup. After all of that, she gave us sticks to stir it all together and make slimy, squishy, and do not forget gooey slime.
 
Next, I saw the 5th graders in the Science Lab doing their own cool experiments! I did not see all of them, but I am sure that all of the ones that I did not see were also amazing. First, I saw Maya and Mackensie do an experiment that showed when you mix pop rocks and Pepsi together in a cup and close it up with a balloon, all of the excess gas makes the balloon blow up! Then, I saw Christina, Katie, and Elizabeth show when you get cups of oil and make bags of either cotton balls, cheese cloth, or paper towels, you can find out which material soaks up the most oil. Surprisingly, it was the cotton ball! I also saw square bubbles being made! The 5th graders really did an awesome job. I hope I can present an experiment next year!
 
Finally, I decided to go to the Icky Yucky Gross Bug Show in the Art Room. He introduced us to two Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and they were awesome. That was not all we saw! We also saw two giant African Centipedes. He also gave us a fun fact that most millipedes have over 450 legs. This was a great show!
 
Family Science Night was so awesome, especially when you go and see it with all of your friends and family. It is too bad that Family Science Night only happens once a year.
 
  Veterans Day
by: Lauren M., 5th Grade
 
Veteran’s Day is a totally misunderstood holiday.   As a matter of fact, many Americans don’t even know the true meaning of Veteran’s Day or confuse it with Memorial Day.   Originally, Veteran’s Day was called Armistice Day.   Armistice Day honored the end of World War I which took place on November 11, 1918. It was a day set aside to promote world peace and honored veterans of World War I.   After World War II and the Korean War, the United States Congress voted to change the word “Armistice” to the word “Veterans”, making this new legal holiday a day to honor all American Veterans of all wars.     Veterans Day is a time for all Americans to honor and thank all living veterans who have served our country, both in times of war and peace.   I think Veteran’s Day commemorates all the people who have served in our military and have worked so hard to defend our country and come home safely.   So, on November 11th, if you see a serviceman or woman, be sure to thank them for the sacrifices he or she has made for our freedom and for our country.
 
 
  The History of Thanksgiving
by: Christina L., 5th Grade
 
Do you think Thanksgiving was a holiday that the Pilgrims celebrated?  Well, you're going to find out now! Back then, the Pilgrims were celebrating a great harvest. The reason the Pilgrims left England and came to America was so they could freely practice the religion they chose. When they were on the ship, which was called the Mayflower, all the people were crammed under the deck of the ship. Many of the 102 people got seasick. 
 
After they had arrived in America in December of 1620, a lot of people died during the harsh winter because of diseases. The following fall, out of the 102 people that had been on the ship in the first place, only 56 survived. When the Pilgrims were going to have a feast for the "first thanksgiving'' they invited the Indians because they probably would not have made it through the year without their help. The meal did not include the food you would think of today like turkey and pumpkin pie. In fact, they did not even have flour or any dairy. The food they did have was fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums. Thanksgiving was not a holiday until 1863, when President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving. 
 
  A Healthy Afternoon Snack Fruity Banana Smoothie,
by: Amber K./Kinder
 
 
Ingredients
 
2 containers (8oz each) Vanilla Yogurt
    1/4 cup Orange Juice
      1 Cup Frozen Strawberries
    1 Banana
   1 1/2 tsp mini chocolate chips or crushed Trix cereal 
 
1. Put the yogurt in the blender.
2. Pour the orange juice in the blender.
3. Add the banana and frozen strawberries into the blender.
4. Cover the blender with the lid and blend the mixture until smooth.
5. Pour the mixture into glasses so that each glass has about the same amount. Measure out 1/2 teaspoon of the chocolate chips or Trix and sprinkle on top of the smoothie. Repeat measuring out the chips or Trix and put them on the other 2 smoothies.
 
 
 
 Saving the Roundhouse Aquarium
by: Adam K., Philip W. and Carolina P./ 5th Grade
 
Many people have heard about the problem that the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium is facing. We sat down with Eric Martin and Valerie Hill, co-directors of the Roundhouse, to learn more about the Roundhouse and their situation.
 
Pawprints: I understand that the Manhattan Beach Roundhouse is dedicated to the Outreach program which teaches kids about the ocean who can’t afford to go there for field trips. What percent of the money you earn goes to that program?
Valerie: We set aside most of the donations we get for that program but some of the money is used to buy food for the fish.
Pawprints: Can you give us a brief description of the services the Roundhouse provides?
Valerie: There are three main programs. 1. The volunteer program. This is where students in high school and college volunteer to help do things, like feed the fish or clean the tanks. 2. The education program. This is the program that allows kids like you to come for field trips to the roundhouse to learn about the ocean. 3. The public education program. This program lets everyone in the public area to come and visit the roundhouse and also learn about the ocean so it’s similar to the education program but it’s open to the public.
Pawprints: If the Roundhouse manages to overcome this money shortage, some of the children at our school would like to know, what new events would be coming up?
Eric: Well, some things that will be new are that we’re going to try to decorate the fish tank, which is very expensive. We’ll also start evening ocean classes as well as photography contests for kids. Another thing is we’re going to try another haunted house next Halloween for those who are interested in participating.
Pawprints: If you put it on a scale from one to ten, what would be the state of the Roundhouse right now and how do you think you can make things better aside from the fundraisers?
Valerie: I think we can make things better by adding new carpeting to the Roundhouse to attract more people.
Eric: I agree with Valerie. What I was thinking was, (it’s a dream which would cost billions of dollars) that it would be cool if we could build a tube that goes under the pier and people could go inside and see all the ocean life underneath the waves.
Problems for the Roundhouse
Eric: The economy is the reason that we at the Roundhouse are having a money shortage.
Valerie: Yes. Fewer people from summer camp are coming to the Roundhouse nowadays because the camps can’t afford to pay to come here and people are starting to give less and less to the donation jar because of the economy and their shortage of money as well.
Facts about the co-directors of the Roundhouse (Eric and Valerie)
Eric: I've been working at the roundhouse for 10  years and I've been affiliated with the roundhouse for 10 years before that.
Valerie: I started volunteering for the roundhouse 7 years ago and officially started working there 4 years ago. 
To save the program, they must raise $100,000 but the Aquarium has only raised about $11,000 so far. Apparently, the Aquarium was receiving grants from one main company which it no longer receives. The Aquarium is asking for donations from Manhattan Beach’s wonderful citizens. If the Aquarium doesn’t raise enough money, the education program will no longer exist, which means no more fun field trips to learn about the ocean. Please donate money to save the program because it fills every child with lifelong memories.For more information or to donate, please see http://www.roundhouseaquarium.org/index.htm
 
 
 
 One Warm Coat
 
Daisy Troop 7535 is collecting clean and gently used jackets, sweatshirts, sweaters, and coats of any size to donate to the needy through the 'One Warm Coat Organization.' A collection box will be placed next to the school office until November 12th. Please contact Shelly Stutz with any questions
 
 
 
 Villalobos Animal Shelter
 
Daisy Troop 7575 is collection old blankets and towels for a local animal shelter from November 15th through the 19th. It can be very cold in the Inland Empire during the winter months, and the Villalobos Animal Shelter can really use your donations. Please place your old blankets and towels in the box located outside the Pacific School office. Thank you! Please contact Laurie Krinsky with any questions.
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Next Issue of Pawprints will be out November 30th. 

Calling all 2nd graders, the December 14th issue is dedicated to you. Pawprints will contain articles, interviews, poetry, tips, information and fun facts submitted by the student body with the theme of "Holidays" The Pawprints Staff will review all submissions and the selection will be made for publication. Submit you piece via the web-site under the 'submit news' option, selection 'Pawprints' by November 26th. Be sure to include you name,  grade and your treacher's name with your submission.

 

Looking ahead? The January 4th issue is dedicated to 3rd graders! So, start thinking about something you would like to have published. All submission are due by December 3rd for consideration by the Pawprints Staff. The theme for this issue is "Resolutions."