School News
6th Graders' Favorite Subjects
By: Annaliese LeRoy and Nibha Bala Gowda
In this article we will talk about what subject 6th graders think is the best.
Gym (Anonymous)
"Gym is a good way to exercise and have fun."
Math (Anonymous)
"Math is something that some people like because you can learn and get smarter."
English (Anonymous)
"English can help you read better. English is a time to free write and express your creativity."
Below are the rest of the votes we’ve tallied up. We know that we couldn’t get to a lot of people but you will have another chance towards the end of the year to get interviewed. As you can see, Gym is the best subject in 6th grade with Math in 2nd and Spanish in 3rd. Unfortunately, Music and Health only got one vote.
Science- 4
Spanish- 17
Math-18
English- 5
Social Studies- 3
Tech Ed- 3
Art- 2
Health-1
FCS- 3
Music- 1
Gym- 19
We hoped you enjoyed our newspaper article! We will have another one out in a few weeks.
Basketball Updates
By: Aashray Veerapaneni
T.E Basketball So Far
Boys:
First 6 games: In the first six games it was for a lack of a better word rocky. As they went 2-4.
I don’t have too much information on their record after the first few games but I can give you their schedule information: Timothy Edwards Boys Basketball Schedule.
Girls:
First six games: The lady cougars came out red hot as they started the season with a record of 5-1.
Game 7: The girls destroyed Ellington 46-27 putting them to 6-1.
Game 8: The Lady cougars seem to have gone on a roll as they also destroyed Illings 34-14.
Game 9: The Lady cougars were able to beat their CRAL rival (East Hartford) 49-43.
Game 10: In their 10nth game they beat stage park yet again 51-43.
The Lady cougars are 9-1 and seem to be in a great position in the CRAL standings.
NBA Standings
Currently the Celtics are leading the east and the nuggets are leading the west. If you want more information about standings and who is in the playoffs visit: NBA Standings.
I was able to get the opportunity to watch the lakers vs celtics game on january 28 (the celtics won in overtime 125-121) and the celtics do look like a team that could go all the way with a incredible offense and an okay defense (but without Marcus Smart or Robert Williams not as strong as it could be).
Reminder About Attending T.E Basketball Games
Remember if you would like to go to basketball games then fill out the google form (it will be posted at 6 pm before the day of the game). There are a limited number of spots and late arrivals are not accepted. Keep that in mind. The google form will be on the T.E website read through it for more info on when to leave your class and exceptions during the game/expectations for rides home. Seeing away games is not provided by T.E (unless you’re on the basketball team obviously). Hope you attend a game or two this year. Playoffs are coming faster than you think. Let’s Go Cougars!
Patriotic Essay Contest
By: Suri Nguyen
The South Windsor Patriotic Commission is holding a patriotic essay contest. This is available for students in grade K-12 in honor of Memorial Day. It is planned to be held on May 29th 2023 on a Monday. If students want to participate, there is a form to be filled out. Students have to write about different topics for their given grade level.
K-2 will make posters about their favorite patriotic holiday.
3-5 will write an essay on how their family celebrates any patriotic holiday.
6-8 will write an essay on what it means to be a citizen of the United States.
9 -12 will write about what sacrifice they will make to preserve their freedom.
There are winners in every grade, a 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. They will all win a Barnes and Nobles gift card. Winners will be able to attend the Memorial Day parade and be able to meet the mayor of South Windsor. First place winners will be able to read their essays at the town council meeting! Best of luck to those participating!
Exam Stress
For this portion of the newspaper, I’d like to highlight an issue that almost all of us have faced at least once, or even recently- which is exam stress. Most of us know how that feels- you have an upcoming test in a difficult subject that you can’t wrap your mind around, and it's even worse when others get the hang of it while you're stuck at the beginning of the race. Although teachers are there to help, it is ultimately up to yourself how you will cope with your stress and find useful studying techniques. So, while this is a common issue and not 100% curable, I’d like to share some useful tips to help you de-stress and focus on your exam more.
Get a good night's sleep. You’ve heard this one already, but do you know how effective it is? I myself usually go to bed at about 11 every night, which is particularly late. When I used to go to bed at 10 or even 9, I woke up refreshed, and I could significantly feel that. For example, now that I go to bed late, I wake up late. It usually takes me 15 minutes after my alarm to even get up. Before, I had enough time to get ready and even had a few minutes to spare to revise for any upcoming tests. Later in the school day, I now have trouble usually focusing because all I think about is my bed, which in reality is not good for if you have a test.
Meditate and relax. It is normal to feel stress about exams, I mean, that is all you have been learning for weeks or even months. No matter what, there is always going to be a feeling in the back of your mind that you’ll fail, not live up to the appropriate expectations. However, it is essential to leave that stress in the exam hall, because once you enter that classroom, that stress builds up, losing focus for your test which ultimately harms you- and that nightmare from earlier? It comes out of the hidey-hole. But how exactly do you leave your stress outside the door? Meditating. Listening to white noise for people might help. Take me, for example. At night, I cannot sleep without the noise of a fan, or a humidifier or else it will get eerie. Stretching and breathing exercises are also beneficial because rather than pushing all that pressure into your brain where it is most vital for exams, you are letting it all out by doing some light exercises and routines.
Use good studying habits. You’ve heard this one, but no one actually provides you examples. And if they do, it is usually very broad and doesn’t help out with a vast majority of subjects. Some people stick with routines, but writing it down on a piece of paper can be a waste of time to others. Here are some of my favorite studying tips:
Give yourself breaks. No one likes studying from end on end. After all, no one enjoys studying anyway, so why don’t you treat yourself to it? While doing practice problems revising for a math test, every 5 questions you get right you can give yourself 10 extra minutes of free time.
Repeat your studying technique. This has particularly helped me in Math and Spanish. In math, I usually revise the same problems over and over again and redo parts of previous packets from that chapter for a better refreshment. In Spanish or French, it is crucial to memorize certain words and phrases. I made flashcards of different questions about my unit and answered them one by one, over and over again.
Know what to expect. Talk to your teacher beforehand, ask them what would be best for revising the exam, because after all they are the ones giving it. Do any and all of the study guides and make sure to refer back to notes and other handouts to compare the information.
And that is just a handful of things you can do to de-stress. Of course, not all ways will be effective nor will they get rid of stress completely, however a weight off your shoulder will be lifted once you find out the right technique. Hope you do well on your next test!!
Is Learning Another Language Important
By: Joanna Halle
In Timothy Edwards Middle School, you have to take Spanish in 6th grade, and in 7th and 8th grade, you have the choice to switch to French. Whatever language you take is a core class, which means that you have that class 3 times every full week all year. Are these classes even important? Do we need to learn another language? Will you ever use those skills in the future? Read more to find out!
The first thing you need to think about is what language the rest of the world speaks. If you do a little research, you’ll find that English is the most widely spoken language in the world. Although that is true, there are a lot of people who speak Spanish- and, if you come across one of those many people, then you’ll have no way to communicate with them. If you were trying to discuss business, that might be an even bigger- or should I say- major issue. (This is also the same for French, but French isn’t as spoken by as much people as Spanish.)
When you're older, do you plan on going to different countries? Well, if you go somewhere like Paris, France, it’s considered respectful to learn French because that’s the language they speak- and it’s a little rude to expect people to know the language you speak in a place where that isn’t the language spoken. (This is the same for going somewhere like Peru where they speak Spanish.)
Ok, so this skill will be useful in the future, but why is it important to start learning different languages as a kid? Well, the short answer is you’ll most likely remember more. The long answer is: kids have much better memory than adults do, so if you start teaching a kid a different language, they are more likely to remember more of what they learned. Also, trying to learn a different language quickly for a vacation can be stressful and it is easier to already know some and make your work a whole lot easier.
When you learn a new language at this age, you can make new friends that speak a different language, and you’ll still be able to understand them because of Spanish or French class. Without learning that other language you might not have made that new friend. This could also help you communicate with family members who speak another language that maybe was very hard to communicate with earlier.
After reading, what do you think, is it important to learn another language?
Teen Center Events
By: Sophie Donnelly
The teen center has many events that will be hosted by the teen center at 150 Nevers Rd, South Windsor, CT. We are open Tuesday from 3 to 5:30pm and have transportation from TEMS to the teen center. Make sure you sign up with signupgenius and Fridays at 6-9:00pm.
We will be having a bake sale on February 10th. We will be selling baked goods during teens center hours. Also something we will have something at includes baking is the art of baking 6-7:30pm at the teen center. There will be a painting workshop on February 17 from 1pm to 3pm. The event that is happening in February is the open mic night 4:30-6:30pm and there will be a movie night on the third Friday of each month 6-8pm. If you would like to come and attend these events, sign up with signupgenius.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4fa8a622a2ffce9-middle#/