Last Day of School in 2009

It was an extraordinary day! Not only did we come to school with a wacky hair-do, we finally had our one-hour happy hour in the afternoon playing boardgames, making snow flakes with coffee filter paper, reading casually on a blanket, or making a online snowflake from the website. We finished our day with a school wide sing along. What a day to remember!! Who has the wackiest hair-do? Is there any camera-shy kid in room 24?

One Warm Coat!

This winter, room 24 raised $91.70 in one week and purchased six jackets/coats for One Warm Coat! We wish our warmth will reach someone in need, and help them get through this winter knowing others do care about them.

Eww. Gross! An Icky Investigation of the Human Body

Thanks to the direct donation from our parents, students welcomed this assembly from Lawrence Hall of Science on Monday, December 14. Who should work with the Mad Scientist? Our own Professor Snot (Edward) here to show us some home-made snot! Greenish! Slimy!! Cool..............

December Kids!

All right, Mrs. Yu is not exactly a kid anymore, even though I still feel like one sometimes (shhhh…….). Yes, winter break has begun, and here I am with two hours left for my birthday. I am so glad no one yelled out loud at school about my birthday, because I really don't celebrate my birthday in any particular way. Yet I am fortunate that my family members remember this day well. Today I got phone calls from my dad, mom, and my three sisters. Even my friend, who I grew up with since elementary school, sent me an email to wish me happy birthday. I started my day with a long walk with my husband along the creek behind Portal School along Lawrence Expressway. Yes, I am getting older, so it's even more important to exercise to stay healthy. At lunchtime, we headed out to Palace BBQ for yummy Korean food. Later I spent hours talking to my family members who called me from the east coast and across Pacific Ocean. I really miss my parents and my sisters.

Don't forget I am not the only December born who has birthday during the break. In three days, it will be Zarah's birthday (12/23), and eight day later, Rebecca's birthday (12/31)!!

Send in a comment if you see this post to wish Zarah and Rebecca happy birthday! Even though we don't get to see each other until January 4th next year, we don't have to stop our communication!

Have a wonderful break dear students from room 24!

Mrs. Yu

Camping

By: Justin

Have you ever been camping before? Well I have. I go camping once a year during the summer on July 3 to July 5. I’ve gone camping three times. My favorite campsite is Sunset Beach. I have been there two times with my friends. I bring my bike there. There is a beach ¾ of a kilometer away. I usually ride my bike to the beach. We have potlucks for every meal there. We are allowed to stay up all the way till 12:45 am at night. At the campfire, my friends and me roast marshmallows. I am looking forward to go to Sunset Beach next year. Have you ever gone camping before? If you have, please tell us about your experience. If not, would you want to go?

Favorite Field Trip

By: Aaron

I would like to tell you about my experience at Chabot - my favorite field trip! I learned many things. The 360-degree screen movie was awesome! We made many things like the planets and we also looked through telescopes and saw Venus and Venus was red. Like in our play Venus is totally hot! We even saw a space toilet! It was about five feet long. Too bad this really fun looking thing was off-limits. There was this picture place where you stand on this mat and there is a screen and it says now and you stomp on the mat and it takes the picture. I saw a small spacecraft which at first I thought was a escape pod. What is your favorite field trip? Tell the class about what you learned and what you liked about it. Please share your comments about field trips. Enjoy this last blog before Christmas! Wahoo!

Look At Us!!

Vacation To Mars!! We Rock!!

VTM Group Pictures #1

The Family and the Tour Guides The Planets The Moons and the Neptune Family The Venettes and the Mechanics

VTM Group Pictures #2

The Jupiter's Moons The Chorus The Rings of Saturn

My Dance Performance

By: Clara Hi guys! I would like to share with you about my dance experience. On my last dance performance I had to perform four dances and two shows. It was very time pressing for me to dress up four times in a very short time. For my ballet dance, I dressed up like a princess. We played European traditional dance. For my other dances, I dressed up different costumes to fit for the scene. My most favorite dance was Thai dance where I dressed like a Thai girl. Another dance was about a group of playful school kids enjoying the start of a new school year. My final dance was about a butterfly flying around a bunch of pretty flowers and thrilled by the wind and sound. I was very nervous at the beginning. When I heard applause from the audience, I started to relax and enjoy the dance. It was a very great experience dancing on stage and I am looking forward to a better performance for next year. Have you danced on a stage or watched a dance performance before? How was your experience? Please tell me!

Sports Superstar

By: Arjun

I think Roger Federer is the most awesome tennis player ever !!!

He has won 15 grand slam tournaments in 8 years and I don’t think anybody can break that record. He also has a great rivalry with Nadal the number two tennis player and their matches are real thrillers.

I also admire him because he is such a nice person and is always smiling warmly after each match. He plays to entertain the people who come to watch him and he does it in style and humility. That is my kind of hero !!

Who is your favorite sports person and why? Is it Tiger Woods, Kobe, A-Rod or Sharpova or ….. ?

Denver

By Collette, the Great Vacationer

Hey, guys!! Have you ever been to Denver? WHAT..... you haven't ? WELL..... let me tell you a few interesting things about my Thanksgiving Trip to Denver, Colorado.

1. Denver is very high up! It is surrounded by mountains and is called the Mile-high City because it is 1 mile above sea level. You have to drink lots of water or you can get dizzy with altitude sickness.

2. They have LOTS of snow! When it snows the snow stays on the ground for two or three weeks afterwards because it is so cold. It snowed before we arrived, so we built a snowman, which was a lot of fun when there's LOTS of snow on the ground!

Another great thing you have to do is........................ have a SNOW BALL FIGHT!!!

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A SNOWBALL FIGHT BEFORE? IF YOU HAVEN'T YOU REALLY SHOULD TRY IT!! I filled a 15 inch bucket with snow and my friend was getting my brother distracted by throwing snow balls at him. I waited until he fell down...... then I lifted the heavy bucket and..... CRASH!! The snow in the bucket fell on top of my brothers back!! THAT WAS SO FUNNY! Also, after a snow storm the roads are covered with WHITE snow! It will be hard to drive on the roads without special chains on the car tires. Also, because of all the snow, there are many ski resorts in the mountains of Colorado, but we didn't go up there.

3. You must wear warm clothes in the snow and outdoors.... I had to wear long socks, furry boots, SEVERAL layers of clothes, long sleeves and a sweater, plus a big cozy jacket! But, after our snowball fight my clothes got wet and I was FREEZING!!

4. We also went to the Mall on 'Black Friday'. Have you ever heard of 'Black FRIDAY'? Black Friday has big price cuts and is held everywhere after THANKSGIVING!!!!! (You are probably wondering that..... this has nothing to do with Denver..... right?? WELL.... it's true, I just wanted to bring this up.) After we finished shopping, we went to see the movie 'Planet 51' which is about us humans being the aliens on another planet - really funny!

Now I have a question to ask you... Did you do something interesting for Thanksgiving Vacation? HOPE YOU LIKE MY POST! ..... Looking forward to our next vacation at CHRISTMAS!!

Spongebob

By: Mihir Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? It's Spongebob Squarepants!!! This happy little sea critter will make even the most unhappy person laugh like crazy!! Spongebob lives on the ocean floor in a pineapple with his pet snail, Gary, who meows like a cat. Spongebob is a fry cook at the fast food restaurant The Krusty Krab, which is famous for it's best-selling burgers, the krabby patty. The Krusty Krab is owned by Mr. Krabs, who is very fond of money. Spongebob is the best friend of the starfish Patrick Star, who lives on the same street as Spongebob, under a rock. Patrick makes a lot of people laugh because he does things that are very strange. For example, when he gets woken up by his alarm clock , he hurls his lamp to the floor instead of the clock. Another person who is an important character to the show is Squidward Tentacles, an octopus who hates Spongebob because of his babyish ways, like catching jellyfish. Squidward's hobbies include painting self-portraits, and playing the clarinet. He also works at the Krusty Krab as the cashier, a job which he's never been fond of. Since The Krusty Krab is well known in town and is successful, Sheldon Plankton, the main antagonist in the series, is always coming up with ways to steal the Krabby Patty formula. Plankton is known to be very unsuccessful at these schemes. Last but not least there's Sandy the squirrel, who lives in a fresh air dome and wears an astronaut suit outside her home. Sandy has a Texan accent, which makes people laugh when she speaks. Sandy is very fond of karate, and she practices with Spongebob. I hope you will like the show, and laugh about it as much as I always do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_bJ_q0rK5s#

Bullying

By: Zarah

Have you ever been bullied? I have! I had the type of bullying called Cyber Bullying. This is how it started: My friend kept on e-mailing me saying you are a copycat and all rubbish stuff. I felt really bad because I wasn't a copycat. She kept on sending me e-mails but I just ignored those messages. I got SOOO many e-mails from her that I decided to finally reply back to her. What I said is that I am not a copycat. Since we go to Sunday school together, I told her that I am not a copycat and stop sending me e-mails. As you can see, I was in a situation there. If you ever experience bullying around, either tell a teacher or tell them to stop immediately. Please share with us your experience with bullying!

Talent

By: Lynn Hey everybody! I have many talents. One of them is ice-skating. I can do small jumps, turns, tricks, spins, more turns, and much, much more. My favorite jump is the "Bunny Hop".It's really simple. All you have to do is kick one leg forward, land on your toe (toe pick), push and glide with the other foot you kicked with. Another talent I have is gymnastics. I think gymnastics is really fun! I love to do front-handsprings and fly-springs. They are basically the same thing although in front-handsprings you kick one foot at a time when you are doing it. For fly-springs, you kick both feet in the air together. What is your talent? Please tell me!!

My Favorite Restaurant

By: Mahi Hello! My favorite restaurant is Chevys and BJ's. Chevys is a Mexican restaurant that has good food. After every meal, they give you ice cream! If it's your birthday, they sing you happy birthday and bake you a cake to enjoy with your family. I like BJ's because it has many different types of pizzas. Since my favorite food is pizza, I have a lot of fun there. I also like the pazooki, which is a warm, melted chocolate chip cookie, with ice cream on top. This is why Chevys and BJ's are my two favorite restaurants ever! What are your favorite restaurants and why? Please share them with us!

Let's Go Fishing!

By: Leanne Hi guys! Have you ever been fishing? Well, I have. I have been fishing in the sea and in the lakes. Fishing can be very fun and boring too. It depends where you are. If you are fishing at a lake, it can be very boring. You just sit on the seat, hold the fishing pole, and wait for a tug and reel it in. {Usually you get trash and something that looks like seaweed.}. The fish I fish at the lakes can be very small, which is very different from the fish you get in the sea. First, you need to wake up at 4:00 and drive to the sea at 4:30 for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Second, you get on the boat for about 20 minutes to prepare the fishing poles. Third, it takes 30 min to 1 hour to reach the destination. Then you lower the fishing line to the bottom of the sea. Then reel the string up 2 circles. After you wait for 2 or 3 minutes, the fishing pole starts to bend a lot. Then you reel up the fishing line. {Every time you go fishing in a new place, you are always lucky.} When you reel up the fishing line, you put the fishing rod {pole} on the boat and take off the fish on the hook and put it in a potato bag you will get earlier. I hope you guys can go fishing too, would you like to try someday?

Lunch Thief?

Do you think this could possibly be the thief that has been stealing Leigh's lunch? Huh................

Running Club

By: Ishan Sharma

Hey guys! Hmm…I’ve heard we’ve severely lost some participation in Running Club this year! Is that true? Ouch! That doesn’t sound good! What’s that? You want some identification? What right do I have to tell you to continue Running Club you ask?

Ok I’ll show you my identification badge:

Whoops….wrong one….here’s the real one:

Caption: Sorry I can’t get through a blog post without bragging! By the way the medal is 110 miles!

Why did some of you stop running?

Running is important in many different ways!

Obviously, running is good for your health! Running Club is a perfect way to get ready for future physical practices such as “Mile Club” in Miller and “Lap Derby” in Hyde. P.E. in middle school suddenly gets A LOT harder! Running Club would help you in endurance and speed! Also remember, you guys are the oldest kids on campus and the school leaders! You can set a good example to the younger kids by running, and this would make them and you healthier too!

Running in Running Club helps promote school spirit, too! Who says it has to be a spirit day to show your Portal spirit? Just getting out there and walking on the field shows spirit! Also, there are volunteers spending their precious time just to organize Running Club! If no one is running, what’s the point of volunteering? You can show respect to them by running in Running Club!

Finally, in Running Club, you just don’t run for nothing, you run for ribbons!!!!! I’m really crazy about Running Club ribbons! I don’t stop running, EVER! I also have a lot of ribbons….you do not want to count them! You can do many things with ribbons such as…wearing them, bragging about them, rubbing it in your sister’s face (which is my personal favorite), showing them off, impressing other people with them, and whole lot more! All you have to do is run 20 laps to get a ribbon!

For those Running Club Maniacs out there here is some advice:

-You should never ever sprint, only if you know it’s the last lap

-Pace yourselves, run at the same speed the whole time!

-NEVER stop running!

-Try not to get into homework club on Running Club days

-Volunteering for sweeper or cone-collector boosts you up 1 lap

Ok guys, I’m going to go set some goals for you guys now! If you can pass these goals you will earn the title: “Da Runner”

Ok here are some goals!

Students:

You have to run at least one lap every Running Club day! This will earn you the title of “The Pledger”

You must run at least 7 laps each Running Club Day. Pass this, and you can call yourself “John Henry-running machine”

You must run 10 more miles then what you did last year. You now have the title “Wood Legs”

Make it to 50 miles! You have now earned your stone legs.

Make it to 75 miles! You are: the awesome guy

What’s at 100 miles?? “Da Bombster!”

110 miles: “Steel Legs”

At 120 miles? Congratulations, you beat me! You are “ARunning Legend”

150 miles: Usain Bolt

1 lightyear: God

Ok I’m not going any further!

Teachers:

1 lap each week! That’s all the goals! (I know how busy you guys can get!)

Ok guys, ATLEAST go to Running Club once a week just 1 lap! It’s not that hard! I promise!

Do you guys know any other advice or tips for running? What goals do you have this school year? Do you like pie? Finally, do you know any other activities or hobbies that require a lot of effort and motivation? Ok see ya! I’ll come back and visit!

Skiing

By: Edward

Hey guys! Have you ever gone skiing before? Well, I have gone skiing many times and it is my favorite winter sport. Skiing is when you are wearing two skis on your feet and you are going down a snow covered hill. The first time I went skiing was when I was 5 years old. I used to be very scared when going down the hill. I had to take lessons to get better at it. During the classes they taught me how to turn and slow down. After the classes I was a lot better than I was before I took the lessons. My favorite ski resort is Mount Rose. I like it because it has long and easy trails.

Right now I am at the intermediate level. I am hoping that I will make it to black diamond this year. Have you gone skiing before? Will you be going this year? Are you going to try?

The Food Pyramid

By: Siddesh

The Food pyramid is a very important part of our health. It is very important because if your grain category becomes thinner and the whole oil category gets wider it is very bad for your health. First, I eat whole grains like wheat bread, cheerios, or oatmeal for breakfast. Also, I eat at least 3 portions of dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt. Then, I eat the vegetables from the vegetable category like peppers, potatoes, lettuce, okra, beans, and eggplant. Oils, meats and beans are good at a moderate amount, but grains, vegetables, and dairy products are better for you. I don’t eat meat and get my proteins from lentils, beans and eggs. When I get a snack I’ve one fruit before eating chips or cookies. Finally, I remember to drink water with every meal. What type of food do you eat from any of these groups? Do you keep your meals balanced?

Room 24 Having Fun At PE

Yes!! Run for your life, we are ready for Running Club!

K/1 Halloween Parade!

Look at the k/1 teachers and students!!

My Favorite Animal

By: Kaytlin

Hi everyone! My favorite animal is the penguin. I like penguins because of what they can do and how they look. For example, they can swim in the water for a long period of time; and there are interesting types of penguins with amazing designs on their bodies. Another animal I like is the swan. I like swans because they look beautiful. What is your favorite animal? Why?

Helping Others

By: Puja

My mom watched a movie about a man who helps a blind girl with no arms. One day they both had the test at the same time. The man couldn't help the girl without arms, so she told the test-giver. They told her to get some one from the street to help her, but no one listened. The man was mad. He told his friends to each help three people. When the three people said thanks, the friends would say to each of them ''we don't want thanks, we want you to help three people and tell them to help three people each. Make sure it becomes a chain.'' Millions of people were part of the chain in a month.

The movie went on, but it inspired my mom. She told me she was going to try it, and she said she wanted me to try it, too. I encourage you to try it. Have you ever helped someone? When was the most recent time? Did others ever help you and who were they? Did you like helping people?

Halloween Parade!

If your parents had taken some pictures, please ask them to send the pictures in to share with our class!! Can you guess who are behind the masks? Happy Halloween........................... 2/3 Halloween Parade! Can you find Mr. Davis?

Car Crash

By: Shreya

Have you ever experienced a car crash or seen one? Maybe even hear about one?

I have just recently seen one. I was in a car with Auboni and her driver. We were in a traffic jam and late for soccer practice. Suddenly, I saw a car WHOOSH by. It was pretty fast. I didn’t really see what really happened until we moved forward. There was a man lying down as if he were playing dead. I think he was an old man knocked off his wheelchair. I couldn’t really see the details. There were also some people surrounding him trying to carry him up. I couldn’t see the rest because by that time the traffic cleared out and a car behind was blocking my view.

Now that was not the only accident that I know of. My cousin had gotten in a car crash to. They were driving to Lake Tahoe with their friends and their car skid on the icy road, but that was not it. Their soon car flipped over two times and landed over upside down. My cousin neck was bleeding because the seatbelt strap bruised. Her friend had a few bruises, but her mom was hurt real bad. She was in the hospital for a week or so.

Now that I’ve told you about my experience, share with us yours! If you’ve never experienced one, tell us how we could avoid these accidents!