The Award Winning Monthly Newspaper For Kids
DECEMBER 2015 • Vol. 5 • Issue 4
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2 • ClassCandy ® • December 2015
ClassCandy®, in partnership with the Piedmont Shopper, is a proud supporter of the educational system in the Danville City & Pittsylvania County, Virginia area(s). Our mission is to help promote fun learing for students; provide educational tools for teachers; and motivate parents. Without our wonderful Sponsors and Advertisers, ClassCandy would not be possible. Please remember to send ClassCandy home with students often, so parents can utilize and enjoy, too!
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December 2015 • ClassCandy ® • 3
How To Help & Support Schools
Parent
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Good schools help to harbor a strong sense of community. Children often make their first friends at school, and parents often meet their neighbors through school-sponsored activities. Students and school districts face a new set of challenges each year. Many of them can be remedied or made less daunting with the help of volunteers. Here are some of the many ways men and women can support the schools in their communities. • Practice open communication. Parents of children in the school should become familiar with teachers and the staff in the school. Find a balance between being involved and being intrusive. Joining the PTA is one way to be active in the goings-on of the school. When the opportunity arises, exercise your right vote on proposed policy changes and programs. Show an interest in your children’s assignments and ask to meet with teachers if the need arises. Doing so illustrates to the teacher that there is a connection at home and they’re not alone in the journey. • Participate in school fundraisers. Schools may not have enough money to cover all of their needs, and fundraisers are vital to the success of many schools. Fundraisers may provide money for the entire school or be collected for particular efforts, such as new technology or athletic uniforms. While you don’t have to get behind every fundraiser, participating in just a few can help the school raise needed funds.
Bryan R. Spurrier, DDS Diplomate, American Board of Orthodontics
www.spurrierorthodontics.com
• Donate books to the library. Members of the community can ensure students have plenty of reading materials available to them by donating used books in good condition to the school library. If you can afford it, purchase new books on summer reading lists and donate them to the school library. Schools also may appreciate donated subscriptions to magazines, newspapers and other periodicals.
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• Keep a clean campus. Students and parents can work together to keep the school and surrounding areas clean. Organize trash pickup days when participants gather and dispose of litter. Parents also can pitch in to make school grounds more aesthetically appealing. Donate and plant flowers or trees, and encourage groups that meet at the school, such as Boy and Girl Scout troops, to donate their time and effort as well.
• Send in complete supplies. Teachers often ask parents to supplement supplies for their classrooms. Remember to send in what is requested when school supply lists are given to students. This helps classrooms run more efficiently and may reduce out-of-pocket expenditures for teachers.
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Schools are an integral part of many communities. Explore the many ways to support schools with donations, volunteerism and more.
Schoolfield Elementary Honors Veterans!
4 • ClassCandy ® • December 2015
On November 10th the third grade Schoolfield students held a special patriotic celebration to honor all veterans. They sang a number of songs and recited the poem “In Flander’s Field” by John McCrae. The students also performed a flag routine to a medley of the Armed Forces theme songs. One Wednesday, November 11th, 2015 Master Sergeant Massingill came to Schoolfield Elementary School and spoke to the students in Ms. Tonya McCrae’s second grade classroom. Joining Ms. McCrae’s class were ESL students from his wife’s class, Mrs. Brianna Massingill. Master Sergeant Massingill served in the Air Force for 23 years. Students asked many questions and learned much about his life. His job was to work on jets. He joined the Air Force because he liked airplanes and wanted to travel. He has served in Korea, Turkey and Germany. Students also asked if there were flags when he was young and if he had to say the pledge each morning.
Master Sergeant Massingill read the class a story and explained what they should do when a flag passes them, stand at attention and salute it.
Thank You!
Girls On The Run & STRIDE at Park Avenue The Girls on the Run and STRIDE running teams at Park Avenue Elementary School recently completed a practice 5K (3.1 miles) run at Anglers Park. This warm up race was held to help prepare for our season culminating 5K race to be held in Martinsville on December 12th.
Left to Right: Back row – So’Myia West, Amyzhane Arnold, Ella Payne, Natalia Morrison, Karizma Edwards, Ms. Heather Ferguson, Kareema Austin, Seraphina Thompson, and Denise Torres; Middle row – Nyazjah Wilson, Ms. Megan Johansen, Elena Piedra, Michelle Khan, Madisyn Bledsoe, Brittany Hicks, Claudia Smith, Natalie Moore, and Mrs. Angela Smith; Front row – Brianna Smith, and Reagan Vickers
Left to right: Back row – Ms. Kelly Mayhugh and Mr. David Black; Middle row – Savion Marshall, Coleman Lewis, Tildon Motley, Colton Payne, Sean Tu, and Darryl Brimmer; Front row – DeAndre Thomas, Anthony Brawner, and Jemarcus Smith.
Fire Safety With Northside PreSchool!
What a beautiful Fall day we had for a visit from the fire department back in October. The firefighters talked to us about safety. The class did very well answering the questions. Each child was given a chance to sit in the fire truck. What a special treat that was! October was fire safety month but you should always check your smoke detectors to make sure they are in good working condition.
December 2015 • ClassCandy ® • 5
Color Me!
6 • ClassCandy ® • December 2015
Twin Springs Elementary School Chorus will be singing with the Danville Symphony Orchestra on December 5.
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A Thanksgiving Feast At Twin Springs!
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The kindergarten classes at Twin Springs Elementary wrapped up their Thanksgiving theme by having a replica Thanksgiving feast. The students had a short program and then enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal with their parents.
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December 2015 • ClassCandy ® • 7
Kentuck Elementary School will be having their Christmas Play at Dan River High School on Dec. 7 at 6pm. Follow ClassCandy On
To Stay Up To Date On All The Fun!!
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8 • ClassCandy ® • December 2015
K2 students read ‘Bear Gives Thanks’ and had their own Thanksgiving snack together. Happy Thanksgiving!!
Mrs. Holdren’s Second Grade packed 20 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child! We celebrated by enjoying a Harvest Party!
Mrs. Hoover and Miss Nunn’s class had a Thanksgiving Parade visiting different people in the school!
Giving Back And Being Thankful At Westover Christian Academy!
We are thankful! Preschool celebrated all we have to be thankful for during our harvest party!
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Miss Swanson’s pre-k 4 stuffs boxes for Operation Christmas Child as part of their community service for the year.
Sharing Smiles & Learning New Things At Carlisle
Preschool 3’s Indians getting ready for Thanksgiving!
Second graders carve arrowheads out of soap and plant corn with fish for candy corn garden during their Native American inquiries.
Spelling tests are much more fun when you get to be creative and festive!
10 • ClassCandy ® • December 2015
Sacred Heart School Established 1953 National Young Readers Day was celebrated at Sacred Heart School. Numerous parents participated by reading books to their child’s class. Danville firefighters from Station #3 read to kindergarten students. Sacred Heart School 4th & 5th grade classes sponsored an orange (symbolic color for hunger) dress down day to support their Mustard Seed Project, for God’s Store House. Over 100 cans of food were collected. Congrats SHS students, faculty, and staff! In addition, the school supports God’s Pit Crew, Fire Station #3, Homeless Shelter, Danville Humane Society, and the Danville Cancer Association through the school’s Mustard Seed Program.
Sacred Heart School Wishes a Merry Christmas to All!
Celebrate Christmas Down On The Farm!
OWEN FARM TOURS December 5th • 10am - 3pm Santa Arrives At 11am! Enjoy the firepit, hayrides, pony rides and visit Santa in the cabin! Hotdogs, Ribbon Fries & More can be enjoyed in the warmth of the loft. Storytime around the tree & more activities for kids of every age! Cost is $8 for Kids 2 & Up • Under 2 is Free $6 For Adults 8 No Reservation Needed But Group Reservations Suggested
Pancake Supper With Santa! December 11th • 6-9pm Reservations Suggested
You Can Purchase Your Fresh Cut Frasier Fir Christmas Tree! Virginia Grown! 1668 Silver Creek Rd. • Danville, VA www.owenfarmtours.com Directions: 7 miles up Mt. Cross Rd. • Past Walmart Turn Left onto State Rd. #868. Farm is 1.3 Miles on Right.
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A Healthy Christmas! by Dave Gluhareff Christmas is on the way and this is one of the most exciting times of the year! Christmas for me being a Christian is about celebrating the birth of Jesus who represents to me peace, hope, love, grace, forgiveness, fellowship, and mercy. This time of year is also a wonderful time for family and friends to gather together and share in gifts, meals, and joy! To other religions this Holiday may mean something different but to all of us it should mean Peace On Earth and Good Will Towards all Men and Women. We all usually share in the excitement ending a beautiful year of 2015 and welcoming a new year 2016 less than a week after Christmas. Excitement abounds Christmas Eve as many people get together to eat, laugh, and sing during this great Holiday season! Like Thanksgiving we should all be thankful and express gratitude for all things and people that encourage us in our lives and build us up as individuals. We should have gratitude for all the many blessings we do have and focus on all we’ve been given such as health, family, friends, Church, food, shelter, education, teachers, helpful community organizations, public services, transportation, giving people, and tons more helpful and caring aspects of a wonderful life. Most people also focus on all the food that comes along with Christmas parties, Christmas Eve, Christmas
Day, and leftovers and some worry about gaining weight. We have a couple options and ways to deal with all the extra high calories and fun. First we can all make sure we are as good and healthy as can be prior to the Holidays by exercising regularly, eating healthy foods, practicing proper nutrition, and getting plenty of sleep then when the high calories are put in front of us we can splurge a little bit and enjoy some junky calories without guilt or worry. We can be near perfect getting close to 8 hours of sleep each night prior to the Holidays then not worry during the Holidays so much. After enjoying some bad calories then we can get right back to exercising, eating right, and resting enough. Secondly we can also try to choose appropriate times to exercise and workout during the holidays and choose healthy food choices at each meal and get-together. If we want to stay in track with our sleep schedules we can by going to bed the same time each night and waking up the same time each morning also. Trying to be too good during the holidays can be a bit overwhelming plus we may not want to skip time with family we rarely see throughout the year to go and workout or go to bed too early so it’s okay to just relax and just enjoy a different schedule for a few days. We should all focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year and welcome family and friends with open arms, joy, and laughter. Do not fret or worry too much about all the exercise, nutrition, and rest stuff for a few days but just relax and enjoy quality time with family and friends. Focus on peace, joy, love, mercy, forgiveness, grace, fellowship, and laughter during this Christmas Holiday and value each and every moment you share with those around you!
Holidays Around the World As the year comes to an end, almost all of the major religions have a festival of some sort. For the Christians, it is Christmas. For the Jews, it is Hanukkah. Muslims have Ramadan, and the Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day. Hindus celebrate Diwali in October, and many Asian cultures celebrate the New Year. What are all these holidays, though? In the Christian faith, Jesus came to save the world from sin. On December 25, Christians celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Hanukkah is the Jewish celebration of past victories, both military and religious. The symbol of Hanukkah is the menorah, a candlestick that holds eight candles (plus another to light the others), because when the Jewish people won their freedom, they lit the menorah with one day’s worth of oil. That oil lasted for eight days. That is why Hanukkah is an eight-day celebration. Ramadan is a month of fasting to remember the arrival of the Qu’ran, or the holy book of the Muslims. Muslims do not eat or drink during daylight during the month of Ramadan. This month is spent in prayer and holiness. At the end of the month of reflection, the Muslims have a three-day feast to break their fast. Bodhi Day is how the Buddhists celebrate the spiritual enlightenment achieved by Buddha. In Buddhism, everyone strives to be in tune with the world, so they celebrate the day that their great teacher achieved this. Diwali is the Hindu Festival of Lights. This festival is celebrated around the New Year on the Indian calendar and remembers the victory of good over evil. Diwali is usually marked by large numbers of firecrackers, new clothing and sweets. Most Asian cultures make their major end-of-year holiday the celebration of the New Year. For them, the New Year is a chance to bring family together and celebrate with good food, firecrackers, parades, and dragon and lion dances. Now you know more about holidays around the world.
Christmas Tree Rice Krispie Treats! Ingredients 6 cup Rice Krispies Cereal 3 tbsp Butter 10.5 oz Marshmallows Green Food Coloring 12 Miniature Reese’s Cups 1/3 cup M&M Minis 12 Candy Stars 3 cup Powdered Sugar 3 tbsp Milk 3 tbsp Corn Syrup Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins Total Time: 1 hour 30mins
Instructions To help in forming the cone shape, take the foam that comes in a waffle cone pack to protect the cones and cut it to make a form to help shape the trees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a medium to large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add enough food coloring to make mixture dark green (it will lighten when cereal is added). Remove from heat. Add the Rice Krispies cereal and stir until cereal is well coated. Allow to set about 4 minutes. Butter your hands and form mixture into cone shapes. Place cones onto prepared pan. Allow to cool and firm up for several hours. Mix powdered sugar, milk and corn syrup in a bowl until smooth. Transfer to piping bag or zippered bag to pipe onto cookies. Pipe like a garland around each tree. Space M&M minis like ornaments onto the garland. Pipe a dab of icing on top of tree to act as glue and attach star. Place a Reese’s upside down on pan. Pipe icing on it and place tree on top. Allow to set before serving.
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December 2015 • ClassCandy ® • 12
CC and ClassCandy would like to wish all of our Fans, Sponsors and Advertisers a Wonderful Holiday Season! We’re gearing up for a NEW YEAR with lots more fun, games, themes and activities in store! If you have suggestions as to what you would like to see in ClassCandy 2016, please send your information to us at info@classcandy.com. Don’t miss out on January’s Issue! Remember to send any Awesome School News to us throughout each month!
May Your Days Be Merry & Bright!
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