Wellington Landings Middle School Newsletter

A STUDENT PUBLICATION

JANUARY 2017 | ISSUE 1

MOCK-ELECTION

By Alyssa Sanchez, Brenda Guajardo and Isabelle Kelly

Many adults went to the voting ballot on November 8th and were able to vote for who they believed would better represent the United States.

However, many adults don’t know that middle school children also get this opportunity. WLMS had a mock-election on November 2nd during which all students were able to cast their vote. 6th grade voted on the south campus while 7th and 8th graders voted in the media center. These votes were counted then shared on November 3rd during the announcements.

The students voted on the presidential candidates, U.S senator, the theme to kick off spirit week, the theme for the 8th grade dance and the one cent penny tax. The candidates were Donald trump (Republican Party), Hillary Clinton (Democratic Party), Jill Stein (Green Party) and Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party). The senator choices were between Patrick Murphy (Democratic Party), Marco Rubio (Democratic Party) and Paul Stanton (Libertarian Party). The one cent penny tax is where there is one more penny added to the tax. This extra cent gives schools the money for remodeling and a better education. Wellington Landings would receive about 14.5 million from the tax. There were many choices for the 8th grade dance and the theme to start spirit week off.

The votes were then counted and shared on November 3rd. A majority of the students voted for Hillary Clinton as the new president. We met up with some students and asked them who they voted for and why. Many of the students said that they voted for Hillary because of her experience in politics. 7th grade student Maria Vega said “I’m voting for Hillary Clinton because she cares about women’s rights and education.” On the contrary 7th grade student Megan Nahom voted for Donald Trump because she likes his idea about removing illegal immigrants to make America a safer place. The students at WLMS also had to vote for senator of Florida. Most of the students voted for Marco Rubio, our current senator. As for the 8th grade dance the theme chosen was Las Vegas Night, and the kick off to spirit week is Twin Mix/Match Day. The real elections were held on November 8th, but the mock elections were a great success.

Mission Statement Wellington Landings Community Middle School is committed to empowering all students with the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their full academic potential and to become productive citizens and lifelong learners.

WELLINGTON LANDINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL

ity ts, and commun of Wellington Landings Middle Schoo ents, studen l A publication for the par

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EPCOT TRIP TIPS

By Isabelle Kelly, Alyssa Sanchez, and Brenda Guajardo As 7th graders who enjoyed last year’s trip here are a few tips on how to have a good time while staying organized and safe.

1. Don’t go with too big of a group. When you go with a large group you have a better chance of losing some of your group members. When it’s time to check in, all of your group members have to be there. We suggest that you go into smaller groups and just combine with other groups during the day.

2. Bring a portable charger. If you have a phone, then we suggest that you bring a portable charger. If your phone dies while you are walking then you have no way to access anyone if you get lost. You should also bring your phone charger for the bus.

3. CHECK IN ON TIME. When you are at Epcot, you have to check in at certain times at The Electric Umbrella. If you don’t check in on time, you chaperone will call you and tell you come and check in.

4. Fast Pass. Fast Passes are available and they are free to you. Visit a fast pass kiosk upon entering the park to set them up.

5. Stay with your group. It is vital that you stay with your group. If you want to do something, tell your group, don’t just go off by yourself. You are going to end up getting lost and it is important for you to stay safe.

6. Bring snacks and water. Food at Epcot is very expensive and it is a great idea to bring your own food and not spend all your money on food and spend it on something that will last. You’ll also want snacks for the bus.

7. A couple days before the trip, check the weather. Last year it was very cold so, you should check the weather so you can dress appropriately.

“Landings Advisor” January 2017 Published Four Times Per Year The School District of Palm Beach County 3300 Forest Hill Blvd.

West Palm Beach, FL 33406 Issue #1

6TH GRADE CHOICE PROGRAM OPEN HOUSE

By Alyssa Sanchez

Thursday, November 17th Wellington Landings held its annual choice program Open House. Many parents and future students attended the Open House which began at 6pm. The gator-guides were stationed at the flag pole to meet the guests coming in and then lead them to the gymnasium. The Dance, Band and Chorus programs performed amazing pieces for the parents and incoming students. After the presentations the guests were offered a tour around the school. The parents were also able to ask many questions of both gator-guides and the faculty.

After the showcase Mr. Samarel led many of the parents through the TV production and computer classrooms. After the first stop the Gator Guides separated and led the groups to the different choice classrooms. In the classrooms the parents and children were able to ask many questions and also got to meet the teachers. The evening ended around 8pm with parents and future students eager to attend Landings in the fall.

Mrs. Skinner

By Leah Robbins and Ximena Pichardo

Mrs. Cotter

By Brenda Guajardo and Alyssa Sanchez We got privilege to interview Mrs. Cotter, the 6th grade office secretary. Mrs. Cotter has been working at Wellington Landings for only a little over a year, but was PTO president for 2 years. She likes working at Wellington Landings because she enjoys working with students and the staff, and she loves how everyone works together as a team. Her quote or motto is “JUST KEEP SMILING” Some personal facts about Mrs. Cotter are, her favorite time of year is Christmas time because she like the holidays and has really good memories growing up with her family. She has one son named Michael, who is currently in high school. The last place she has traveled to was Georgia, where she visits her parents and goes sightseeing in the mountains. As a child she grew up in New Jersey in a small town, she said that it was a great community, and it was close to New York so she was able to go there a lot. Her favorite weekend activity is hanging out by the pool, working on projects, cooking and being with the family. Mrs. Cotter’s favorite animal is a penguin because she has always liked them and how together they work hard as a team for the good of all. She also does not have a favorite book but she enjoys reading thrillers. As you can see Mrs. Cotter is a very nice and interesting person.

Mrs. Skinner started working at WLMS in 2013 as a substitute. She is currently a school secretary. She works in Student Services where there is always lots to do. She spends most of her day assisting students, parents, and teachers. Mrs. Skinner also sends in work orders to the district when something isn’t working properly. The busiest times in Student Services are when the first and last bell rings.

Every day is different in Student Services. Mrs. Skinner wanted this job because she loves to help people, but she is torn when kids come in and ask for her help because someone is bullying them. Overall, however, her job is amazing. “I love the people

I work with. Everyone is so friendly and supportive at WLMS.” Mrs. Skinner loves this job because she feels like she is making a difference in many kid’s lives by helping them in Student Services.

Next time you see Mrs. Skinner, make sure you thank her for all she has done!

Meet Ms. Lentz

By Natalie Laham and Rilee Rimes

Ms. Lentz, one of the staff members here at Wellington Landings Middle School, went to college at Florida Atlantic University. Her favorite food is chicken tenders and also, her favorite color is Carolina Blue. Ms. Lentz likes teaching because she likes to inspire young minds to go above and beyond what they think they can do.

One thing she always says to the students is “Don’t forget to do your Reading Plus.”

Ms. Lentz teaches at Wellington Landings because she believes that Landings is a fantastic school with great students and staff. She wakes up at 8:00 am to head to school. So you may not know this but Ms. Lentz loves superheroes. She loves superheroes because she thinks they are inspiring and I love that they stand up for what is right. Her favorite subjects as a kid in school was P.E and Language Arts. Ms. Lentz has a dog and also a fish. According to Ms. Lentz she quoted that “Children are great imitators. So give them something to imitate.”

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Mrs. Sussman

By Victoria Loredon and Giannah Destine Did you know Mrs. Sussman is our new dance teacher?

She was born in Newark, New Jersey. She started ballet at only the age of 4. She was taught in the multi-purpose room in elementary school. The dance teachers that she studied with were some of the best. It was a great opportunity that she was able to study with them. She has gotten to study with Luigi, the father of American jazz dancing, who sadly died at age 90 from cancer on April 7, 2015. She also studied with Chuck Davis, a fantastic African dancer. She has studied at Boston Conservatory with great teachers, such as, Phil Black. Her favorite dance style is jazz dance, using her hips, shoulders, and jazz hands with flair with combinations of Jerome Robbins and Bob Fosse styles of dance. Mrs. Sussman worked off Broadway choreographing television shows, movies, and commercials.

She has been choreographing shows since the age of 14. She was very close to being on Broadway, but she got an injury and she wasn’t able to be picked, instead a girl with long black hair was picked. She still was one of the last 20 girls to be picked

out of hundreds. Her favorite Broadway shows are Chicago on Broadway because her girlfriend, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs, was in it. Another favorite show is West Side Story because her idol Jerome Robbins produced it. Also Billy Elliot because her student, Tommy Bachelor, played Billy in Billy Elliot. Jelly’s Last Jam because Gregory Hines and her friend Mamie performed in it. Also another Broadway show she loves is Hairspray. Mrs. Sussman wanted to dance because she felt the rhythm and the beat, she just had to dance. She says that it wasn’t an intellectual decision it was just always there she always felt the rhythm and the beat. Mrs. Sussman wanted to teach because she wanted to tap into children’s talent. She lectured at the Kravis Center how she wanted all children to be a star. Besides dancing she loves to go shopping with her daughter. She enjoys getting a pedicure and a manicure. She enjoys having massages and spending time with her husband and dog. Mrs. Sussman always says, to motivate kids, is “Believe in yourself”, “Be Proud”, and “Feel free to dance”.

Wellington Landings Drama Presents 101 Dalmatians Kids On December 1st and December 2nd the Wellington Landings Drama department presented a production of 101 Dalmatians Kids in the Wellington Elementary Cafeteria.

The two drama classes alternated lead roles for each evening. The show was full of exciting scenes that included singing, dancing, and a few jokes. The performances were an enormous success and we look forward to many exciting performances in the future.

Dance

By Ashritha Koreboina In dance they do eight count steps and are learning “A Latino Dance”. They do hip hop moves and hand movement’s and also jazz routines. They usually use their legs like kicking in jazz. They also do ballet. In ballet they learn to use correct posture and do bar work. All dancers dance with at least two groups.

In dance the daily attire is black t-shirts and black pants. The dance teacher name is Mrs. Sussman. They will be performing May 15th.

Mrs. Sussman stated that “You don’t talk with your mouth you talk with your body”. I spoke with two students that are in WLMS dance, Rhea and Anjali. Rhea’s feelings about dance are “In dance I feel passion and I able to express my feelings.

I feel as if I am flying as a bird. Whenever I dance I feel really happy and not stressed out. Sometimes I feel relaxed and my brain works better”. Anjali’s feelings about dance are “Dancing is like exercising and dancing is kind of showing off and talent”.

MUSIC REVIEWS Luke Bryan

(Album: Kill the Lights) Luke Bryan is a modern Country singer and is famous for making country music all over the world. He has been a music artist since mid 2000. His newest album “Kill the Lights” is a very popular album of his and is definitely one of his bests. His album Kill the Lights is about his lifestyle and can relate to a lot of people who listen to his music. Some of his previous albums are Crash my Party, Here’s to the Party, Tailgates and Tanlines, and Here’s to the Farmer. This one of his many albums is definitely my favorite because it contains all of my favorite songs from him and it is more of a modern country than other albums he has made.

One reason why I like Luke Bryan better than other artists is because his music stands out from other albums of his and other artists.

Shawn Mendes

Panic! At the Disco

Shawn Mendes is a singer songwriter who writes and sings pop acoustic, teen pop, and pop rock. Shawn plays guitar and piano keyboard. His most recent album is Illuminate and his previous album is called Handwritten.

His previous album and current album are both reflections on who he is and some of the experiences that he has had. His current album is different from his previous album because in his current album, illuminate he is more upbeat and plays more pop songs where in his previous album, handwritten he writes slower songs. Both of these albums compare with the work of other artists because these are some of his personal experiences, and the style of writing he uses is different than other artists.

A great song in my opinion from Shawn Mendes current album, Illuminate is treat you better. An example of the lyrics is “I know I can treat you better than he can and any girl like you deserves a gentleman.” I like the lyrics in this song, the way the words flow, and the upbeat rhythm in it. A song that I do not like from Shawn Mendes current album, illuminate is three empty words. An example of the lyrics is “because I won’t keep on saying those three empty words, No, I won’t keep on saying those three empty words.” I don’t like this song because I do not feel like it has a good rhythm and does not flow well.

I think that both of Shawn Mendes albums, Illuminate and Handwritten are excellent. I think this because most of the songs flow well, have good rhythm, amazing lyrics, and sound great. A personal memory this album brings to mind is the first concert I ever went too and heard his album live. In my opinion readers and fans will be very happy with Shawn’s music. I also rate Shawn’s music as a 10 on the scale.

The artist I’m doing is Panic! At The Disco. The singer, Brendon Urie, used to be in a band but is now singing by himself. The album I will be talking about is Death of a Bachelor. The genre of music in DOAB is Alternative/Indie. Brendon Urie sings and plays the piano, accordion, bass, cello, drums, guitar, organ, keyboard, and trumpet, but not all of them are featured in his music. Brendon used to play in Fall Out Boy, where he played back-ups and is still close to them but is on his own. He started his music early with some songs like “Nine in the Afternoon.”

His latest album is actually Death of a Bachelor, which came out last year.

He says that “Death of a Bachelor is very important to me, it expresses the bittersweet (but mostly sweet) end of era.” He also said “I wrwote a new album this year and even in the few songs that don’t sound remotely similar to any of his music.” His music was influenced by Frank Sinatra. Apparently, Sinatra was someone Brendon looked up to. His songs in DOAB are very different to the songs in I Write Sins Not Tragedies. IWSNT is all about marriage, while Brendon tried to take a different approach with DOAB. His songs are similar to My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Set It Off. All of these bands have a similar meanings to their songs.

By Jessica Golab

By Addison Pickett

In Tune With Wellington’s Needs

Girls Volleyball

By Leah Robbins

This year the girls’ volleyball team consists of Lauren Scully, Rilee Rimes, Leslie Garcia, Tania Chavez, Arianna Beckham, Amber Swift, Ashley Mobilia, Ilise Hyams, Abbie Hynes, Leah Robbins, Logan Castellanos, Skyla Anderson, Liz Adams, Leslie Diaz, Beatriz Rangel, and Lola Marecki.

The boy managers are Nolan Sanchez, Benjamin Shields, Luciano Mignone, Charlie Kimberly, and Tommy Butler.

The team captains are Logan and Abbie. The coach is Kathy Bourque with Lauren Robinson and Allison Bourque as assistant coaches.

The Lady Gators’ season started off with an amazing win against o u r crosstown rival, Polo Park. They won in three games with the third game ending 15-0 thanks to Abbie Hyne’s incredible serves. The Libero, Logan Castellanos, has had an impressive season with amazing digs and back row attacks. The setters had amazing sets throughout the season. There were many kills and blocks with our hitters and blockers. The Lady Gators hope to take many more wins this season.

Boys Soccer

By Ximena Pichardo

The boys soccer team’s players are Santiago Camargo, Aaron Diaz, Kyle Diogo, Dominic Donadio, Jaden Filice, Zachary Flesich, Michael Juckett, Luciano Mignone, Tyler Miller, Eric Powers, Maximum Roldan, Diego Sanchez , Lucas Santos, Patrick Thommes, Miguel Torregrosa, and Caleb Walker. The captains are Tyler Miller and Eric powers. The coach managers are Josh Iturrino, Alvaro Penaranda, Mateo Tapper.

The coach is Mr. Streed with Mr. Torregrosa assisting. Mr. Streed hopes to win many games this season. The team so far is undefeated. They won against Polo Park on Friday November 18. They beat Lakeshore on Monday, November 28. They defeated Crestwood on Wednesday, November 30th and won against Osceola Creek on Friday, December 2nd.

Good luck boys with your season.

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FASTPITCH Girls Softball

Landings Baseball

By Emma Brinkmann and Megan Nahom

By Trevor Robb and Aarush Singh

The girls softball team had a great season. They are all great players and show much love for the game. The team was made up of four 6th graders, four 7th graders, and eight 8th graders. The captains were Paige Rodriguez, Jolie Skivington, and Rylee Hagan.

They participated in the playoffs on Tuesday November 1, 2016. They practiced every day of the week during the season.

Mr. and Mrs. McMasters were in charge of everything that the softball team did. They show support and order new shirts every year. The team walked in the homecoming parade and supported our school. If you want to try out for the team next year you have to have a physical which is a form that you get from your doctor. Every year tryouts are held within the first two weeks of school and at least 15 people make the team. We wish the best for the softball team and hope to see them next year!!

The landings baseball team finished off the regular season with a decent record of 8 wins and 3 losses. They ended up in the playoffs. Congratulations to all the 7th and 8th graders who made the team and congratulations to Antonio and Tommy (6th graders) who made the Landings team. The whole team averaged about five runs per game in the regular season.

The complete roster of the 2016 fall season was Griffin Hugus, Jake Penta, Joe Guelli, Cameron Garcia, Blake Kendall, Jackson Hugus, Nicholas Webber, Chris Dupree, Bradley Balcomb, Antonio De Los Reyes, Tommy B, Wilfred Morin, Shawn O’Sullivan, Zack Hesssler, Dawson Ball and Jason S. The season came to a tragic end in round one of the playoffs with a crushing loss.

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Saito’s Japanese Steakhouse

By Jenna Dolins and Jessica Golab Saito’s is a local Japanese steakhouse chain with a hibachi grill. You can choose to down and watch them cook food at the hibachi or sit down and get served.

We ate at the hibachi, we had steak, vegetables, and fried rice. The steak was well cooked and very juicy. The vegetables were cooked and had a nice seasoning to them. The fried rice had lots of butter and flavor, and had a touch of eggs.

We were served our drinks right away, and our appetizers of soup and salad came out a few minutes after we ordered. Our main meal was cooked in front of us in a timely fashion and when we were done eating the bill came right away.

The restaurant was very clean and was decorated well with fountains and Buddha’s. The other customers were very friendly and polite. There was no music and the bathrooms were very clean and well decorated.

I would definitely go back. It was a good deal for the amount of food we got.

This would be a good place.

Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza

By Taylor Soriero and Lily Berube

Background- Anthony grew up in New Jersey, surrounded by Italian traditions. Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza is an Italian restaurant. The restaurant first introduced coal fired pizza to south Floridians in 2002. Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza restaurants are located in Delaware, New Jersey, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza was voted for Best Pizza, Best Wings, and Best Meatballs in 2015.

Food- When we went to the restaurant we tried the cheese pizza. The pizza is very well done, and has a crispy crust. The tomato sauce contains chunks of tomatoes throughout the pie. The wings are served with pita bread and cooked onions. The wings come straight out of the brick oven and they are served it hot. There are different sized portions that can be ordered.

Service- The service was amazing. The waiter was well informed of the menu and helped us choose what to order. When you sit down they take your order of drinks and bring them out very quickly. The waiter was easy to attract if we needed them, and the bill arrived when requested.

Ambiance-The restaurants has dim lights, and pictures filling up the walls of famous people eating at the restaurant. The restaurant also has TV’s broadcasting sports and news.

The other costumers aren’t loud, and didn’t cause a mess. The bathrooms are also very clean.

Conclusion-Yes we will definitely go back. We have only been to one Anthony’s Coal Fired, and it was a good deal. The food was well priced. The restaurant is kind of tight but there are a lot of tables and chair so it would be good for a celebrations. Definitely you should make reservations because it’s always packed.