News from the Fast Lane Monthly Newspaper for the Volume 12
Issue 1
Lt. Job Lane Elementary School
66
October, 2009
10 cents
Welcome to our first issue of the 2009-2010 News from the Fast Lane. As many of you know, this is our Lane School monthly newspaper, “written by students for students”. Our first issue of the year always introduces students who are new to the town of Bedford and our schools. This year, we welcome 29 new students to Bedford - fifteen 3rd graders, six 4th graders and eight 5th graders. In this issue, you will be introduced to most of the new students. We wanted to save some for the November issue, where you will also meet the teachers who are new to Lane School. For those of you who are new to our school you should know that News from the Fast Lane costs 10 cents and is sold outside the Lane School Library for several days each month. Listen carefully to the announcements every morning to find out when the paper goes on sale. The money we earn goes towards prizes for the Fast Lane sponsored contests. If you want to participate in the monthly contests, read the guidelines each month and submit your entry into your classroom Weekly Challenge folder. We hope you enjoy the newspaper this year.
Mrs. Dorer, Editor
With Halloween just around the corner, one of our reporters interviewed some 4th graders to see what their favorite costumes are. Is yours listed in this group? If you are an “other” what will you wear?
16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Costumes
D Bu ev gs D il is / ne Fo y od Zo C s ha m bi ra e/ c G te ho rs st /G ob lin
Pi ra te
Sp O th or er ch ts ar Fi ac gu te re rs s or st ar s Va m pi re
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M ov ie
W itc h/ W iz ar R d ea R l P an eo do pl m e S po ok y
Number of votes
Favorite Halloween Costumes
News from the Fast Lane
Interview With Mr. Ackerman by Gus W. and Cameron M., Grade 4
Cameron Maurice and I interviewed Mr. Ackerman. How do you like these questions? What changes would you have made? Now that Mr. Ackerman is going into his second year at Lane, he’s had some time to make some changes. Imagine if you were the principal! How would you answer these questions? If you could have any job in Lane School other than Principal, what would it be? I wouldn’t want to be my secretary, but I would want to be a gym teacher.
What is the best part about being Principal?
I think the best part is doing many different things.
What is the worst part about being Principal?
I think the worst part is making decisions that people sometimes don’t like.
If you could make one major change in the way the school is run what would be? I would want every bus to arrive at the same time.
Have you ever been a teacher or principal at another school, and if so, which ones? Yes, I was a principal at Page-Hilltop School in Ayer and a 4th grade teacher at Hood School in North Reading.
So far, what do you think is the smartest change that you’ve made this year to what goes on at Lane? I think that would be having ice cream only on Fridays.
How would you feel about having year-round school?
I would like having an extended school year, but not year-round school.
When you were in 4th grade, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a radio or sports announcer.
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News from the Fast Lane
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New Student Interviews Let’s welcome the following students to grade 3:
Briyella B. is a new student here at Lane School. She is in Mrs. O’Brien’s class and is enjoying 3rd grade. Her favorite thing to do when she is at home is to go exploring. In school, she loves gym and the school lunches. Her favorite color is purple and she loves spaghetti. A cool fact about Briyella, is that she used to live in Milton,MA. So, if you see Briyella in the halls, be sure to say hello. By Lorraine B. Grade 5 Meet Eleanor K. from Ms. Stadtlander’s third grade class. Eleanor moved to Bedford from somewhere in California between San Fransisco and Sacramento. In her free time, she likes to watch movies and paint. She lives with her mom, dad and brother. Eleanor’s favorite thing to do in school is to read. By Emma P., Grade 5 Michael O’C. is a new student in Mr. Wichterman’s class. His nickname is Mick. Before he came to Bedford, he lived in Dublin, Ireland. His favorite hobby is to ride horses and he has three of them. He claims that he also rides in a lot of ATV’s. He is ten years old and was born on August 2, 1999. Mick also has a great sense of humor. He has two sisters whose names are Mary and Margaret. He also loves Hurling which is an Irish sport somewhat like hockey. By Julia S., Grade 4 Samantha P. is in Ms. Ferguson’s class. Her favorite subject is Science and her favorite special is Art.. Her favorite things so far about Lane School are her teacher and Mr. Ackerman. At recess, she likes to play on the swings. She has four people in her family and nine pets! Her favorite animals is a guinea pig. Now that you know a little more about Samantha, make sure you say hello to her if you stop by Ms. Ferguson’s room. By Mary M., Grade 5 Meet Amelia R., from Mr. Wichterman’s third grade class. Amelia moved to Bedford from Mashpee, MA. Some of Amelia’s favorite hobbies include doing art and playing outdoors. Amelia lives with her mom and dad. By Emma P., Grade 5 Lelu Tyler S. is eight years old and in Mrs. Jacob’s class. She used to go to school at Newport. Her favorite food is kiwi fruit. Her favorite color is light blue. Her favorite subject is Reading. Her favorite sport is soccer, and her favorite TV show is iCarly. On the weekends, she like to go outside and play. By Kyle M.P., Grade 4 Seana S. is a new student here at Lane School. She is in Mr. Wichterman’s class. Her favorite color is brown, and along with that, she loves cheetahs. Her favorite subjects are Art and Reading. The coolest fact about Seana is that she came from California. Stop by Mr. Wicheterman’s room to say “Hi!”. By Lorraine B., Grade 5 Kaitlyn S. is in 3rd grade and has Mrs. Lindsay as a teacher. She used to live in North Carolina, and went to the MacKelemely Elementary School. Kaitlyn has a brother named Tyler and a sister named Meagan. She likes to read and her favorite type of book is Mystery. Kaitlyn’s favorite sport is soccer and she used to play on a soccer team named “Lightning”. Kaitlyn has traveled to Mexico and Belize. By Melissa D., Grade 4
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Rithsia Devin T. is a new student in Mrs. O’Brien’s third grade class. He has two brothers for siblings and no pets. His favorite animal is a dog. His favorite book is Corduroy, and in his free time his favorite thing to do is to go outside and play. By Laura C., Grade 4 (We will print interviews with several other new third graders next month)
We welcome to Grade 4:
Cameron H. is in Ms. Jones’ 4thgrade class. His favorite subject is Math. So far, his favorite things about Lane School are the teachers and, well, just about everything. He says that Mr. Ackerman is the best principal he’s ever had. He like P.E. and loves to play tag at Recess. He has three people in his family and has a pet cat. Cats are his favorite animal. Now that you know a little more about Cameron, remember to say “Hello” to him as you pass by Ms. Jones’ room. By Mary M., Grade 5 Nina K. is 9 years old and has Mrs. Lee for a teacher. She likes Mrs. Lee and this school a lot better than her old school. She moved to this school because her old school closed down. She had a good summer and a great start to school so far. Nina’s favorite subject is Science. In her old school, she had to wear uniforms, but did not have to make up Snow Days. She has already made some new friends: Georgia, Giuliana and Sarah. Nina’s favorite sport is Basketball and she wants to play it more. By Megan D., Grade 4 Christine L. is really fun! She is nine years old and in Mrs. Elien’s class. She thinks that Mrs. Elien is really nice. She plays piano and violin. Her love for music is great. She loves everything and hates nothing. I asked her what she thinks of Lane School, and she thinks it is great. By Melanie C., Grade 5 Joseph R. came to Bedford from Ayer, MA. He likes to play videogames and his favorite sport is Baseball. His favorite book series is The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He loves the Star Wars saga as a movie. He has one brother and his favorite foods are chicken and bacon. His likes to travel, and has been to places like Florida and New Hampshire. Joey loves Bedford! By Evan C., Grade 4 (We will print interviews with several other new fourth graders next month)
We welcome to Grade 5:
Alison C. used to live in Utah before she moved to Bedford. She plays the flute. Her two favorite colors are green and blue. She has a seven-year-old sister named Emma and she enjoys playing outside. Alison has shoulder-length dark brown hair and wears glasses. Her favorite subject in school is math. Say hello to her if you happen to pass by Mrs. Dick’s classroom. By Emily B., Grade 5 Felicia D. moved to Bedford from Woburn, MA. One of Felicia’s hobbies is to ride dirt bikes! Her favorite color is black. Her nick name is “Flee”. Her favorite book is Psycho Butt and her favorite subject in school is Gym. Felicia has two younger sisters who are 7 and 1 and a brother who is 3 years old. You might see a short, brown-haired girl in Chorus or in the halls. If you do, say “Hello”. By Emily B., Grade 5 Devin G. is in Ms. Edwards’ 5th grade class. He has made three friends so far: Parker, Alex and Ethan. So far, he likes his class. Spelling is his favorite subject. At Recess, Devin plays tag with his friends. In his free time, he likes to build Lego sets. Before he moved to Bedford, he lived in Chelmsford. Devin is a very nice boy and maybe you will make friends with him. By Robbie M., Grade 4
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Alexus G. is so cool. I spent recess with her and she is awesome. She does dance, gymnastics, music and more. Trust me, there’s lots more! She has one little brother who she thinks is really annoying. Her favorite colors are black and green. You will enjoy getting to know her! By Melanie C., Grade 5 Kate K. is new to Lane School. She always lived in Bedford but went to a private school. She is in Mrs. Lerra's class. She has long brown hair and she has brown eyes. Kate is 11 years old and she has two dogs, a pug named Jack and a lab named Spencer. Guess what her favorites animals are? You guessed it, dogs. She has two younger sisters named Anna and Nina. Kate really likes the color green and enjoys playing basketball. Pasta is Kate's favorite food. She likes so many different books, she can’t decide which is her favorite. Kate’s favorite season is spring. So if you see her in the hallways please say “Hi”. By Ava A., Grade 5 Eugene L. is new here at Lane School. He came from Texas Valley. The color of his eyes is brown and his favorite color is blue. He has black hair. Although he has no pets, his favorite animal is a dog. He’s in Mrs. Lerra’s class and has just turned ten. He had a party in our class. The food he likes the most is Kimchi, which is a specialty from Korea. He’s also a fan of the Korean TV show called Star King. Football is his favorite sport. He likes summer better than winter. His favorite book right now is Bone. You can check it out from our library if you want. Be sure to say hi if you see him around. By Ava A., Grade 5 Mary Ann O’C. is eleven years old and in Mrs. DeRocco’s class. She moved to Bedford last year from Dublin, Ireland. Her favorite color is pink. The biggest difference between her old school and Lane School is that in Ireland she had to wear uniforms and learn Gaelic rather than Spanish. She enjoys shopping for shoes and clothes and drawing. Her favorite animals are dogs and horses. Her favorite school subject is Art, and her favorite food is Chinese Food. By Hannah K., Grade 5 (We will print interviews with several other new fifth graders next month)
Interview with Mr. Whittier, Food Service Director for the Bedford Schools By Emma P. and Lorraine B., Grade 5 Do you ever wonder who chooses the menus for the school lunches? Well, we did and discovered that they are chosen by Mr. Ken Whittier, the Food Service Director for the Bedford schools. We asked him for an interview, and he agreed. First, we found out a little more about Mr. Whittier himself. When he was young, he lived in Melrose, MA. He brought his lunch from home AND he bought his lunch in school. He said he liked his school’s lunches when he was growing up. Mr. Whittier also told us that he hadn’t always wanted to be a Food Service Director. When he started college, he wanted to be a chef. Then, later on, he decided he wanted to become a Manager. We asked Mr. Whittier how he chose the lunches. He replied that he chose lunches that were healthy and ones that students would like. We also asked him about Pizza Friday. He told us that Pizza was approved to be served by the United States government a couple of years ago. Pizza Friday is actually a tradition in the Bedford schools. So, eat up that lunch…it’s almost time for recess!
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Bedford Farms Ice Cream An Interview with Mr. Joe Venuti By Melanie C. and Mary M., Grade 5
Did you know that Bedford Farms has been around since 1880? That’s a long time! We interviewed Mr. Joe Venuti, the present owner of Bedford Farms and asked him the following questions: Q. What made you decide to open Bedford Farms? A. It was here before I bought it 26 years ago. I have always loved the ice-cream business. Q. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? A. (Laughing) I have lots of flavors, but if I had to choose one, it would be vanilla because vanilla goes with everything. Q. Is working at Bedford Farms fun? A. Yes, it is lots of fun. Q. What do you enjoy most about your job? A. It is a very happy job. Every time you sell ice cream, you make people happy. Q. What ice cream do you sell the most? A. Definitely, vanilla While we were at Bedford Farms for the interview, we tried one of the new flavors: Monster Mash and it was delicious!
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The Lowell Spinners By Robbie M., Evan C., and Kyle M.P., Grade 4 The Lowell Spinners are the Red Sox Single A Minor League team. They play in Lowell at LeLacheur Park. This year, they made the playoffs, but the Staten Island Yankees beat them. During this season, the Spinners also beat many of their own records. They had the best record in their division. The Lowell Spinners have some great players such as Ryan Westmoreland, Mitch Denning, Ryan Dent and Dan Buller. Below are photos of three Spinners who make it to the Red Sox.
Kevin Youkilis Jacob Ellsbury Justin Masterson ********************************************************************************
Biking the Reformatory Rail Trail By Melissa D., Grade 4 If you are looking for a fun Fall activity to do with your family, then you are going to want to ride the Reformatory Rail Trail. This is a new trail that starts at the bend of road along Railroad Avenue by the Middle School. It takes 4 miles to get to Concord Center, where you can shop, get ice cream down in an alleyway called the Main Street Café or just walk around. I enjoyed biking this rail trail, and I think you might like to do this too. For more information about this trail, go to www.bedforddepot.org. *******************************************************************************
Halloween Origins by Julia S.e, Melissa D. and Kiera D.H., Grade 4 Boo! Everybody loves Halloween, but do you know how it started? It began in Ireland, Scotland and Northern France. About two thousand years ago, there was a festival called The Lord of the Dead, which was held on November 1. People would dress up in costumes and try to scare away the evil spirits. People believed that the souls of witches and ghosts would come into our world. In later years, Pope Gregory IV changed the name to “All Saints Day”. The evening before (October 31) was called “All Hallow’s Eve” or “Holy Evening”. It was on this evening that people would put on masks to scare away ghosts and witches. Now, the name is shortened to “Halloween” and it is much more different than it used to be. Now, kids dress up like ghosts, witches, pumpkins, vampires and so much more. They take bags with them and get candy. They used to do tricks for the candy, but not there isn’t too much tricking anymore, just getting treats. The name “Jack-O-Lantern” came from a story about a boy named Jack who played dirty tricks on the devil. The devil got mad and turned him into a pumpkin. It was called a “Jack-O-Lantern” when someone put a lantern into the pumpkin. Lanterns were also made from turnips, potatoes, and rutabagas. That is how Halloween started. BOO!
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All About Animals Sharks Around Cape Cod
The Marten
By Emily B., Grade 5
By Emily B.a and Hannah W., Grade 5
During August this year, there were a few sightings of sharks around Cape Cod. In September, scientists determined that they were, and still are, Great Whites. On September 5 at 10 A.M., biologist Greg Skomal and the crew of the vessel Ezduzit, found a Great White and the crew’s harpooner, Bill Chaprales, tagged it. On the same day at 3:30 P.M., a second shark was tagged. Those were the most successful taggings done in the Atlantic Ocean. Some shark experts then tagged two more sharks on Sept. 8. This made five shark taggings in one week. Around one dozen species of sharks, including Mako’s, Blue Sharks, and Thresher Sharks swim through New England each year. However, none of these species is as dangerous as the Great White.
Martens are small furry mammals that are about the size of a house cat. Male American martens measure 36 – 45 centimeters while females measure 32 – 40 cms, being slightly smaller than the males. The fur of the marten is long and shiny and the colors vary, but usually include a cream or pale yellow patch on the chest area. The animal’s body is normally brown. Martens are long, thin animals with big eyes and ears like a cat. They have sharp, curved claws. Martens can be found in mature pine, spruce or hardwood forests in the Northern areas. They are carnivores and eat squirrels, mice, rabbits, birds, insects and different types of eggs. They will also eat fruit and nuts if possible. Martens mostly live alone. They only get together in late spring and early summer to breed. Litters of up to five, blind, almost naked, kits are born in early Spring. The kits grow fast. Their eyes open after 39 days. Young martens are weaned after 42 days. The kits get to their full size after about 3.5 months, and mature at 15 – 24 months of age. The Croatian word for marten is “Kuna”. It is the name of Croatian money. A marten is shown on the 1, 2 and 5 Kuna coins, and on the reverse side of the 25 Kuna coin. The trilogy series: Inkheart, Inkspell and Inkdeath have several martens in it. In our opinion, martens are beautiful, agile creatures that should be protected.
“Mrs. Dorer’s Explorers” by Gus W., Grade 4 Have you ever heard of “Mrs. Dorer’s Explorers”? You probably haven’t. That’s because it’s it’s the title of a brand new blog that was created and started by Mrs. Dorer this year (you probably know her). However, it is a blog for students to share all sorts of cool stuff like experiments, book reviews, school news, and other recommendations. You can find it on the Web at http://sdorer.wordpress.bedford.k12.ma.us . Interested in writing for it? Just talk to Mrs. Dorer in Room 38. (PS. Can you find the mistake in this paragraph? Bet you can’t! It’s meant to trick your eyes.)
New to the Fast Lane this year!!!! In every issue, we have hidden a small graphic of a lion. If you find it, put your name and room number on a piece of paper and tell us on what page you found it. Put the paper in the orange Mrs. Dorer’s Activity Folder in your room. You will be eligible for a monthly prize. We will pull one name out of a hat each month.