EXCLUSIVE

MS. PENZCAR

On teaching,

funny moments,

and how Lincoln-

Eliot changed her

as person

Investigating

the roots of

Lincoln-Eliot

at the

Jackson

Homestead

Creative Writing

LET’S DO IT

Artist Spotlight

ADVISORY

COLUMN Dear 5th graders

Lincoln-Eliot Magazine

BEST Initiative

February 2012 Issue #1

Good Jokes vs Bad Jokes

Art by Grade 3 Gabriel Gonzalez

Table of Contents The History of Lincoln-Eliot By Jesus Rodriguez, Tammy Yang , Ms. McLoughlin, and Ms. Fugazzotto

Artist Spotlight

Creative Writing

Humor and Stuff

Meet Ms. Penczar Up Close

By Edward Aybar, Maria Cunha, and Ms. Sutherland

By Angie Bellevue, Shaniay Chatelain, Tatiana Salazar, Eleasah Whittaker, and Ms. Lew

By Victor DoValle, Jonathan Iacuzzi, and Mr. Hurray

Artists of the Month

Look at these photos and find out how creative L-E students are

43a

By Arrianna Proia, Emma McLean, and Ms. Mok

Students Pick Toys, Music, Books, and More…

Ask a 5th Grader By Jarianna Pereyra, Jacob Moustafa and

Ms. Baumann

Design and Layout

Ms. Mok

Meet Ms. Penczar Up Close

My name is Tammy and my friend Jesus and I decided to investigate

the roots of the Lincoln-Eliot School. The Lincoln-Eliot School is on the

corner of Pearl Street and Jackson Road in Newton, Massachusetts. The

address is 191 Pearl Street.

We began our investigation by visiting the Historic Newton at the

Jackson Homestead Museum. At the museum we met Ms. Sarah Goldberg,

one of the historians. Ms. Goldberg showed us old pictures of the Lincoln

School and the Eliot School.

Just as we suspected, the Lincoln School was named after Abraham

Lincoln, and the Eliot School was named after John Eliot. He was an early

colonist who befriended the Algonquin Indians along the Charles River and

converted them to Christianity.

THE HISTORY OF

THE LINCOLN-ELIOT SCHOOL

BY JESUS RODRIGUES AND TAMMY YANG

The Lincoln School The Eliot School

Below you will find two pictures, one of the Lincoln School and one

of the Eliot School. Both schools were made of wood. The new Lincoln-

Eliot School was built in 1939, combining the two schools. It was built of

brick. The new school was built in a Georgian style, with a slate roof

and a large bay window that is now in Mrs. Bradley’s Kindergarten room.

When they combined the schools, the Lincoln School was 85 years old

and the Eliot School was 55 years old. Our present school is 73 years

old.

The Lincoln-Eliot School as it stands now has two additions; one was

built in 1966 and one was built in 1976. When the 1966 addition was

built, the president of the PTO was Mrs. Hole’s mom, Mrs. Madeline

Lewandowski. She helped get the construction off the ground. The 1976

addition included a gym. Before the addition, the gym was in what is now

the cafeteria. The first principal of the Lincoln-Eliot School was Ms.

Annie Pottle. During our research we discovered that the principal of

the Lincoln-Eliot School was paid $2,603.11 per year. Many very

Here we are at the Homestead.

Notice the historian is wearing gloves to protect the pictures

because they are very old. We used a magnifying glass to look

at a group of students standing outside the school.

We also looked at old maps of the area around the Lincoln-

Eliot School.

important people attended the Lincoln-Eliot School, such as Mrs. Sharon

Fugazzotto and her mother Mrs. Devine, along with Mrs. Hole.

GETTING TO KNOW

MS. PENCZAR

We interviewed one of the kindest teachers at

Lincoln-Eliot, Ms. Penczar. We had a chance to know what

life is like as a fifth grade teacher. Ms. Penczar is an

amazing and passionate teacher. We learned all about her

teaching career. You may already know her as a teacher,

but now, you get to know her as a friend.

By Arrianna Proia and Emma McLean

Exclusive Interview- Ms. Penczar

Question: Why did you want to be a teacher?

Answer: It’s very interesting. Ever since I was little, I wanted to

be a teacher. I don’t really know why. I always liked teaching

my stuffed animals and working with young children. There

are other things I wanted to be too, like a veterinarian. But in

the end, I realized I really like being with people, especially

younger people. When I got into college, I had a chance to

teach one day a week at a school. And I knew I made a right

decision. It was fabulous. I liked school and I wanted other

people to like school, too.

Question: When did you start teaching?

Answer: I started teaching in 1990. That’s 22 years ago. Isn’t

that amazing? I can’t believe that. Every year when a new year

goes on and I say, “Oh, my God. I have been teaching X

amount of years!” I have always been completely shocked that

it has been that long.

Question: Did you start at Lincoln-Eliot or somewhere else?

Answer: I did. I started teaching at Lincoln-Eliot in 1990. I was

hired because there were two first grades that were really big

and they needed to make a third first class. So I was hired to

teach first grade and I was thrilled. I originally really wanted to

teach first grade, or maybe second grade or maybe third

grade. It never really entered my mind to teach fifth grade at

first. So I started here in first grade and I taught first grade for

about 6 years before I switched to 5th grade.

You know what is very neat? For a few years, I had some kids

that I taught in first grade, I also got to teach in 5th grade. That

is very neat especially when you first teach someone, they are

6 and you see them again when they are 10 or 11.

“Ever since I

was little, I

wanted to be a

teacher. I always

liked teaching

my stuffed

animals and

working with

young children.”

“I love it. I absolutely

love it. I love it.”

Question: Which grade was your

favorite teaching?

Answer: It’s hard to say because I really like both

of those grades for very different reasons. I like

first grade because kids are still really new to the

school and they are really excited about coming

to school. There is a lot of energy about being

new in school. It’s really neat to see them learn

things for the first time.

But in fifth grade, I was surprised how much I

love it. We can carry on great conversations. Kids

know what kind of things they might be

interested in and they ask questions about those

things. We can go a little bit deeper into some

topics and I like that. I also really like that there is

so much I learned about teaching in first grade

that is useful in fifth grade. You are still teaching

kids to read but in a totally different way.

Question: What part of teaching do you like

most?

Answer: Well, I like interacting with the kids. But

I really like when there is a part of something

that somebody doesn’t understand and I have to

figure out how to help them understand that and

come up with a list of different things to try. I like

to do that not just with math and reading but

with friendships, too. For example, try to figure

out when kids aren’t connecting with each other.

If you find the right things, it will definitely work

out at the end. There is always a puzzle-what is

going to work for certain kids? I really like that

part of teaching.

Question: Do you enjoy teaching?

Answer: I love it. I absolutely love it. I love it. I

love the kids. I also really love the people that

I work with here at Lincoln-Eliot. That has

been very special, as you can imagine, since

this is my 22nd year. I’ve known a lot of people

here for a long time. It is like having another

family here. I love working with my

colleagues. And I like that every day is

different. Every day we are either learning

something new or a kid asks something I

never thought of or brings up an idea that I

had never thought about, or maybe we have a

new problem that we have to solve in the

classroom or at Lincoln-Eliot. Every day, there

is something different. That’s why I love it, I

love it.

Question: What subject do you enjoy the

most? Why?

Answer: That’s a tough one. I love social

studies. I like to read a lot about history. I love

that subject personally. I like to read about it

and I like to teach kids about it. But here’s my

second answer. Even in social studies, it feels

like it is teaching reading because we do a lot

of non-fiction reading. Therefore reading is

my favorite subject to teach and social studies

is my own personal favorite subject.

Question: How has Lincoln-Eliot changed you, not

only as a teacher but as a person?

Answer: Well, you grow up as a kid but you also

kind of grow up as an adult, too. When I finished

college, this was my very first job. I knew about

teaching from college but I had never really done it

myself. And I came here with lots of great ideas and

felt really excited. I had a lot of people here who

were experienced teachers who helped me learn

and grow to be a better teacher. I learned so much

about how to be a teacher. All along the way, even

now, I have always liked sharing ideas with other

teachers, so my teaching can change every year,

sometimes every day, certainly every week. It is

always changing because of communicating with

other teachers. That’s a very special part of Lincoln-

Eliot.

But as a person, hmm…..Lincoln-Eliot is a very

special community. There are kids from

all around the world. There are all kinds

of kids with all kinds of interests, with all

kinds of beliefs, races, religions, and

different cultural backgrounds. I really

feel like I have a view of the world right

here in this neighborhood, especially over 20

years. It has been a very special place to learn

about culture and race and other religions. So I feel

lucky.

“It has been a very

special place to learn

about culture and race

and other religions. So I

feel lucky.”

What do humans

eat?

Food!

What doesn’t have

legs but still

runs?

A car!

What is the best

way to talk to a

hot dog?

Be frank!

How do you know if

an elephant is

under your bed?

If you can

touch the ceiling!

If a railroad is

40 years old, and

the train is 30

years old, how old

is the engineer?

37! How do

I know? He told

me!

Why did the

reindeer cross

the road?

He was

strapped to a

chicken!

What has a bed

but never

sleeps?

A river!

What did the

cowboy say when

he wanted to

get the sheep’s

attention?

Hey, ewe!

(you)

What do you get

if a bunch of

thieves dive

into

a swimming pool?

A crime

wave!

Created by Jonathan Iacuzzi and Victor DoValle

Peter piper picked a peck of

pickled peppers.

Once I heard a mother utter,

”Daughter, go and shut the

shutter.” ”Shutters shut,”

the daughter

uttered, “for I can’t shut

it any shutter.”

Danny dreamed of a dandy

dragon dungeon.

If a doctor doctors another

doctor, does the doctor that

doctors the other doctor,

doctor the way a doctor

doctors a doctor? Or does

the doctor doctor the doctor

the way a doctor can’t

doctor a doctor?

Creative Writing

Meep!

I’m going to be

president!

wee

eee

eee

eee

eee

ee

I got your back!

OMG!!! Where

did my back go?

Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Group

By Ms. Lew, Literacy Specialist

Lincoln Eliot’s first Creative Writing Newsletter Group consists of four talented,

amazing and hardworking writers from Ms. Penczar’s fifth grade class.

Angie Bellevue, who has the most poetic name in the world – Angelina

Bellevue, makes us wince, as we read “Pain on My Head,” about the suffering she

endures for the sake of beauty.

Shainay Chatelain won Ms. Penczar’s class “Scare-Off,” in October with her

blood-curdling horror story, “The Clown Statue.” ***Warning – this story might

not be suitable for younger readers! Her list-poem, “Purple,” takes readers on a

journey through everything purple.

Tatiana Salazar writes another chilling tale, “The Grudge,” about a mysterious

and menacing visitor. It leaves readers with many questions.

Eleasah Whittaker wrote her poems, “Walking,” and the mouth-watering,

“The Café,” on our writer’s field trip. Your stomach will rumble as you read.

Two other students, Liliana Vachon and Sam Maher, submitted poems for

review. The group acted as an editorial board, reading and reviewing the poems,

and making thoughtful suggestions for revision. Lili’s poem, “Moon Jellyfish,”

evokes a tranquil, underwater mood. Everyone can relate to Sam’s untitled poem,

bursting with the love and longing for his mother.

Thanks for reading and enjoying these pieces. Feel free to send questions and

comments to Ms. Lew.

PAIN ON MY HEAD

by Angie

Ow, ow,

ripping through my hair

with a brush,

it feels like I’m getting trampled

by a horse,

I smell shampoo,

really fresh like flowers

Ow, ow,

almost done brushing my hair,

but so far away.

Quickly done

but now I have to blow dry my hair

hot, hot, hot

all over my head,

burning my hair,

all the way down to my scalp,

but now I need to find an elastic,

black and skinny,

for my hair to go

up

up

up

now my head feels like it was…

sucked up by a…

VACUUM!

Purple

By Shainay

Purple cars purple box purple shoes

The color of your shirt

The pants that you wear

The laces on your shoes

Purple

The water with purple paint

The ice cream that you eat

The cupcake in the fridge

The straw that you drink from

Purple

The shoes that you always wear

The button on your jacket

The bracelet on your wrist

The sweater that you see in your mom’s closet

Purple

Your favorite color pencil

The folder in your bin

The pen that you write with

The backpack that you bring to school

Purple

The book in your living room

The chair that you sit on

Last but not least

The sun setting

Purple

The Grudge

By Tatiana Salazar

I live alone in a big house,

I hear voices at night. Sometimes I see a

little girl standing there with her red eyes. I

really can’t tell she’s looking at me because

her midnight black hair covers her face.

Sometimes I hear her giggle. It sounds like

this, “Hee hee hee.”

One night, I felt a cold hand touch me. It

was her. She said to me, “Hee hee, better

watch out.”

A week later I woke up in the middle of the

night. I looked up at my bureau and on the

mirror it said, “I’m next to you.” When I

turned to the side, she was right there.

“BOO!”

That was it.

The Café

By: Eleasah Whittaker

The smell of food,

The taste of drinks,

My wandering eyes look at…

Hot chocolate,

Boston Cream Pie,

The delicious coffee and tea,

The foods on the menu

make my mouth water

The…

Soda,

Chocolate brownies,

Biscotti,

Donuts,

Bagels,

I want to eat them all.

Too bad

my mom won’t let me have any.

Students’ Submissions

Moon Jellyfish

By Lili Vachon

Moon Jellyfish,

Clear and little.

Slimy and squishy,

in my hand.

As little as a quarter.

When in the water clear.

I can hear the sound of the water.

Swish swoosh.

The bottom of the ocean has rocks.

It feels rough on my feet.

By Sam Maher, Kindergarten

Oh Mom,

I missed you

when I was reading

I love you more than

TEN DOZEN COOKIES

So I wanted to give you this

LOVE, Sam

The Clown Statue by Shainay Chatelain

A few years ago, two parents, Angie and Joseph, went out for dinner,

which they never have time for because they’re always taking care of

the kids. An hour later, the babysitter called to ask if she could replace

the clown statue in the kids’ room.

“What clown statue?” Angie said.

“Oh, the one in the kids’ room…”

Angie and Joseph thought for a moment. “Wait, this isn’t right. I

know we left the kids’ room empty,” they thought.

And the dad said, “Get the kids out of the house! Call the

police!”

The babysitter got the kids out of the house and onto the lawn.

Later on, the police came. “Where’s the clown statue?”

“What clown statue?” Emily and Chris said.

The officer said, “Another prank call… We’ll be going now.”

Angie said, “Wait. Before you leave, check the kids’ room.”

The police checked the kids’ room. “Nothing here. We’ll be

leaving now.”

Angie thought maybe the babysitter was lying. “No – it couldn’t

be – but maybe—wait! What am I saying?”

The kids went upstairs with the babysitter. Angie and Joseph

went to their room downstairs. Before Angie said a word, Emily and

Chris screamed.

“What happened? I don’t know,” they said. They quickly went

upstairs and looked in the kids’ room. The room was painted red. They

saw the kids dead on the floor. They looked around there. They saw

the clown statue. They shrieked with terror.

“Get up and let’s run!” Joseph said. They ran outside into the

woods. The clown statue followed them. One thing the parents didn’t

know – the babysitter was the clown statue.

But it was too late for them.

***********************

More from our creative writing newsletter group

Walking

My feet race down the sidewalk,

Tap, tap, tap

I hear a car go by,

Pat, pat, pat

I can see…

A car repair shop,

A dress shop,

BERTUCCIS too,

The bare tree branches swaying in the wind.

I can see squirrels climbing up the trees,

While I walk.

By: Eleasah W.

ASK A FIFTH GRADER

By Jariana Pereyra and Jacob Moustafa

Dear 5th Graders,

I play a lot of sports

and have lots of after

school activities. How

can I fit studying into

my busy schedule?

Signed,

Stressed Out

Dear Stressed Out,

Do the important stuff

first-homework! If you

do it before sports or

fun stuff, you won’t have

to worry about it later!

Don’t PROCRASTINATE. Do

your work!

*(Procrastinate: delay,

put off)

Dear 5th Graders,

My friend thinks she’s being funny

when she makes comments about how

I look but it really makes me

angry and embarrassed. How should

I respond?

Signed,

Embarrassed

Dear Embarrassed,

I think I know how you

feel. Tell her you don’t

like what she’s saying

and tell her she is

hurting your feelings.

Some tips to remember

when you have this

conversation: stay calm,

think before you talk,

and use a respectful

tone of voice.

Remember, positive

communication in a

friendship is valuable!

Dear Confused,

Don’t FIGHT BACK! That is the wrong

thing. First, you could get into

trouble and second, the fight could

get bigger. The best thing to do

would be to talk to a teacher or your

principal. Remember REPORTING IS NOT

TATTLING. Adults are there to help

you.

Dear 5th Graders,

My friend is giving me the cold

shoulder. I’ve tried to talk to her

but she keeps ignoring me. What are

some tips to help make her talk to

me?

Signed,

Hurt

* (Giving Cold Shoulder: Ignoring someone)

Dear Hurt,

Sorry that this is happening to you.

Try writing her a note saying that

you noticed she has been giving you

the cold shoulder.

Tell her that you value the

friendship and want to work things

out.

Dear 5th Graders,

I keep getting picked on

at school during recess.

The other kid is getting

physical, and people who

give me advice tell me I

should hit back. That

doesn’t feel right to me.

What should I do?

Signed,

Confused

Dear 5th Graders,

On the weekends my friend

likes to play video games but I

want to play outside. How do I

disagree with her and still

stay friends?

Signed, Conflicted

Dear Conflicted,

The easiest way to tell her

what you want to do without

hurting her feelings is to be

calm, polite and “assertive.”

Be ready to compromise because

real friends learn how to share

the time they spend together.

A good compromise would be to

spend 30 minutes playing video

games and then 30 minutes

outside!

*(Assertive: expressing your

thoughts in a clear, honest,

strong, and respectful manner.)

Kindergarten Brian Carter Pterodactyl: Eric Carle inspired Animal Collage

ARTISTS OF

THE MONTH

Grade 2

Dina Furman

Rocketship

Grade 3 Zachary Sardi-Santos Suminigashi: Marbled paper

Grade 1

Timothy Tsarinnik

Robot Collograph

Print

Grade 4

Michelle Lee

Woven bag

Artist Sp tlight BY BY EDWARD AYBAR AND MARIA CUNHA

Fifth Grader, Taya Frishman,

talks to us about her puppet,

“The Specter of Embarrassment”.

This fifth grade unit was inspired

by hand puppets, which were

made by the artist Paul Klee in

the 1920’s for his son, Felix.

Edward: What was this project about?

Taya: Well, a specter is a ghost or a haunting thought in your head. So I thought, what’s more

haunting than embarrassment? What I had to do was create the vision of embarrassment, so to

do this, I looked on the internet and some pictures that showed up were of a guy with a bag over

his head and another with a person going to school in his underwear, so I chose both of those.

Edward: What inspired you to make the Specter of Embarrassment?

Taya: I just wanted to do something funny that a lot of kids could connect to, maybe everybody in

the fifth grade could connect to, so I decided on embarrassment.

Maria: What was easy about this project?

Taya: What was easy was putting my own twist on it. I really liked designing the underwear and

making it sparkly and pink.

Maria: What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?

Taya: Well, I was really little and my family went on a cruise, I was in a program for kindergartner

and we were in this concert and when I came on stage I just spun around randomly because I

forgot everything I was working on.

Maria: What advice do you have for other students if they are interested in making a puppet?

Taya: Well, don’t come up with a too complex idea because it will make your range of creativity

very narrow. Think of a basic idea, like embarrassment or happiness, so you can have a lot of

things to represent it.

Matilda is about a little girl discovering a power that

she never had before, which gets her in some trouble with

the headmistress at her new school and with her family at

home. She is very smart; she can do long math and read big

books and she is only 6! The cast of this movie is Mara

Wilson as Matilda Wormwood, Rhea Perlman as Ms.

Wormwood, Embeth Davidtz as Ms. Honey, also Danny

DeVito as Mr. Wormwood and, last but not least, Pam Ferris

as the mean, old Agatha Trunchboll. This movie came out

on August 2, 1996 and there is a book about it you can

check out in our library. I think your whole family will love

the movie and the book.

By: Kyla Barbosa

Students Pick

NICKI MINAJ is a person who’s a rapper and a

singer. You might know her unique style. NICKI MINAJ

is talking to some magazine artists, so she can be on

the cover of VOGUE. NICKI MINAJ wears a lot of wigs

that are creative, like cheetah print hair and rainbow

hair. Also one of the wigs would be short and then the

other half would be long.

When NICKI MINAJ dresses, she wears some

things that other people wouldn’t wear in public. She

wears different dresses everyday, like outer space

dresses and also wears black clothes. She has two

albums out and people say her best album is PINK

FRIDAY. I think some of the fifth graders would

recommend listening to her music.

BY SONU HART

What is Kinect for Xbox 360? It is a device that when you stand in front of it

your body will be on screen even though you’re not in the screen. Sometimes

something is too dangerous to do in real life but in a video game and using the

Kinect for Xbox 360 you’re safe. You can play a game that keeps you moving until it’s done or

you can play a sports game that also

involves a lot of movement. The price is

$149.99. The Xbox 360 Kinect makes you

move a lot in the beginning, middle, or

end of the game. A person should buy

this if they like to move a lot.

By: Daphnee-Anne Grignon

The 3DS is a new DS that combines

3D technology and the modern DS into one.

There are many differences in the old DS and the new DS; for one it has a special feature that lets you watch videos and read some comedy. They also upgraded how it looks. Before you had arrow keys and you had to press on them to move. Now though there is a joy stick that you can move with your fingers which makes you move on whatever you’re playing.

There are also two screens now

(800x240 resolution for the top screen and

320x 240 for the other). The price of the

3DS was originally $249.99 and now they

changed the price to $169.99. The 3DS also

has a new gyro sensor and motion sensor.

They also created it to have a 3D camera

lastly it has a 3D depth slider, which is a

switch that switches the screen from 3D to

off. And I think everyone would like it except

the elderly.

By Derek Chen

March

>>>>>>>2012

FROM THE LINCOLN-ELIOT MAGAZINE COMMITTEE

Dear Creative Writing Group, Our group had so many shining moments. I loved the way you thoughtfully decided to accept a poem, with friendly revision feedback. Together, you crafted a letter with positive comments, questions and suggestions, resulting in a revised and improved piece. The trip to Starbucks was a blast, and the fact that all of you worked on pieces at home, showed that you valued this experience. It was great, Ms. Lew, Literacy Specialist

It was very exciting for me to see how this magazine helped Arrianna and Emma to recognize that they are very capable, competent, and have a lot of potential! It was great! Ms Mok, School Psychologist

I loved working with Victor and Jonathan the

Humor Department. We shared a lot of laughs.

However, I was very disappointed that they

rejected some of my favorite jokes. Here’s one

they didn’t like:What did the thief get for stealing

the calendar?

….. 12 months

Mr. Hurray, Principal

Jariana & Jacob, I loved working with you on this project! You both showed such dedication and enthusiam throughout the whole process. Your article was extremely thoughtful and your answers were helpful and kind. I hope you are proud of yourselves; I know I am extremely proud of your hard work! Ms. Baumann, School Social Worker

I loved the opportunity to work closely with Derek, Sonu, Kyla, and Daphnee on the review section. I was impressed with their original ideas, research skills, and creativity throughout their pieces. I look forward to working with them again. Heather Smith Library Teacher

The Roots of Lincoln-Eliot were so much fun to unearth. Jesus and Tammy were enthusiastic researchers who really enjoyed discovering the history of their school. We cannot wait for our next assignment!

Ms. McLouglin, School Secretary

Ms. Fugazzotto, Building Aide

I enjoyed working with my art editors, Edward and Maria. They were eager to use their knowledge of the school's culture to make aesthetic decisions for the benefit of the school community. Ms. Sutherland, Art teacher