We're Goin' on Account!

Ahoy me hearties! Captain Cong is pleased to announce the crews of her two ships, The Black Pearl and The Death Deck! All these salty sea dogs will be goin' on account for our next sailing:




The Black Pearl
Quartermaster-Sophie
Boatswain-Teddy
Navigator-Harrison
Surgeon-Lance
Carpenter-Veronica
Cooper-Will
Master Gunner-Nestore
GunnerMichael
Gunner-Owen
Cook-Teddy
Musicians-Caspar, Kevin, Nicholas, Ivan
Seamen-Sean, Archer, Nate, Sandy, Max, Case, Bryan, David, Tanner
Cabin Boys-Ryan, Jonah, Ilai

The Death Deck
Quartermaster-Julian
Boatswain-Miles
Navigator-Charlotte
Surgeon-Dominik
Carpenter-Patrick
Cooper-Oliver
Master Gunner-Addison
Cook-Jeremy
Musicians-Talia, Kenneth
Cabin Boys-Thomas, Annika

Turkish Delight

Today in World of Narnia, we read about Edmund's experience with Turkish Delight, a delicacy also known as lokum. To the left is a picture of real Turkish Delight, which we will sample later on in the class.

Check out this clip from the movie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYHhsM7BEg0

Can't wait to try the Turkish Delight for yourself? How about making it at home? Get your parents' help and cook up a batch. Here's the recipe:

Turkish Delight

2 cups of granulated sugar
1 lemon
1 orange peel
1 orange
4 tablespoons unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups water

Dissolve the granulated sugar in half of the water over medium heat. Add the strips of lemon and orange peel and the juices. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Soak the gelatin in the liquid for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain the liquid into a shallow, dampened pan and let it set for 24 hours. Cut the candy into 1 inch squares. Sift the confectioner's sugar and cornstarch together. Roll the pieces of candy in the powder. Store the squares in boxes with more confectioner's sugar and cornstarch between each layer.

Summer School!

Well, hats off to Arroyo Vista for hosting this year's SPEF Summer School, and to Mr. Nielsen for lending me his classroom! We are off and running with the start of classes. This year, I have Zuckerman's Farm, World of Narnia, and Pirateology on my schedule. We're just getting to know each other right now, but there are lots of fun activities in store over the next few weeks.

I try to check my email every day, so if you have any questions or comments, please let me know!

miss_cong@hotmail.com

School's Out for Summer!!

Thanks again to everyone in the Room 7 family for making this as smooth a transition as possible! It was a pleasure.

I am going to have the last few pictures up very soon, but many of the Washington albums of the PhotoSite will be coming down at the end of next week to make space for my Summer School photos. Parents, be sure to download any pictures you wanted to keep ASAP. Also, this blog will be switching gears in the next post or two as I move into Summer School mode, so have a great summer, Warriors!

Remember, you can always email me at miss_cong@hotmail.com with any questions or comments.

Three Days to Go!

More Science Fair photos have been added to the PhotoSite.

Once again, the Warrior staff was victorious over the 5th graders! The annual softball game took place this morning. Pictures can be seen on the PhotoSite.

Tomorrow is the final awards assembly of the year. Be there at 9:30AM to recognize the students' achievements in the third trimester!

If you haven't already, you have one last chance to contribute to the Science Camp fundraiser by bringing 6 bottles/boxes of drinks (juice, water, no soda) to the front of the school on Wednesday morning. The drinks will be sold at the BBQ on Thursday.

Our end of the year party will be held during lunch on Wednesday. Some food (pizza and green salad) and drink will be provided by me, though I am requesting that students contribute at least one cup of washed, bite-sized fruit to be used in a yummy fruit salad. If you wish to bring something, please make sure there is enough for the whole class (33 students). Please do not bring candy, chips, or soda. Students who do not participate in the party will have their regular lunch in the cafeteria.

Science Fair

The Upper Grade Science Fair was a great success! There were so many projects exhibited, the tables in Bennett Hall were nearly full. Each student will receive a certificate for participating and plaques will be awarded for the top project in each of four categories.

Pictures from the Science Fair can be found in my PhotoSite gallery.

Remember to bring drinks on Friday for the Science Camp fundraiser! We are hoping to raise $300 selling drinks at the BBQ for next year's camp.

Also, please bring your donations for the Student Council Read-a-Thon fundraiser. Upper grade will be reading for one whole hour on Friday to raise funds for Student Council programs. Ask everyone you know to sponsor you!

Peaches!

June's "Harvest of the Month" is the peach! Nurse Sherwood stopped by last week with enough peaches for the whole class. This stone fruit is an excellent source of nutrients and is closely related to the nectarine.

Samantha (at left) volunteered to help wash the peaches during recess. Make sure you thoroughly wash peaches before eating, as there may be harmful chemicals on the skin.

Museum Map

Many students wanted a copy of the Museum maps. Unfortunately, they were only giving these out to the adult visitors, so here is a scan of each section.

I encourage everyone to visit the Natural History Museum with their families over the summer. Admission is $9 for adults, $2 for children under 12, and FREE every first Tuesday. The Butterfly Pavillion of Wings will be open until September for an additional charge. While in Exposition Park, stop by the California Science Center (FREE), California African-American Museum, and nearby USC.

Day at the Museum!

We have just returned from the 4th Grade Field Trip to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum! Huge thanks to Ms. Dea, Ms. Savare, and Coach C. for accompanying us on the trip. Today, the students learned from hands-on exhibits about California history, gems and minerals, modern and prehistoric animals, and ancient civilizations.

I will be adding photographs that I took to my PhotoSite shortly. Since I was not with the whole class for most of the trip, my pictures will be of students in my group. However, I invite students to share their photos (via email, disc, or memory card), which I will happily upload to the site for all the students (and parents!) to see.

Tonight is a homework-free Thursday kids, enjoy!

For interested parents, there is a Science Camp meeting this evening at 7pm in Mr. Perry's room (Rm. 9).

Teacher Appreciation Week

A big thank you to all the families that participated in Teacher Appreciation Week! Even though I have only been your students' teacher for a little over two months, you have all been very gracious and supportive. The flowers and cards were lovely and I'm sure we will all enjoy the cookies during our tea times.

On another note, Mrs. Mangahis has delivered a healthy 5 lb. 4 oz. baby girl named Olivia Lucia! The class left a message on her voicemail, though understandably, we have not heard from her yet.