IGSMA Recap

By: Ema and Macy

On Saturday, February 9, 2019, fifth grade Band and Orchestra students competed at the IGSMA competition at the Winston Campus in Palatine.

Students learned a solo performance or an ensemble. They performed for a judge and earned a medal. Everyone worked very hard with Ms. Dobias to earn a blue, Division I medal, or a red, Division II medal.

Congratulations to:

Grant Miller

Leela Shah

Lindsey Bycraft

Macy Heublein

Ema Lovric

Maria Voight

Isabel Issac

Laila Grodecki

Priya Nimmaggadda

Emma Egan

Carlin Endre

Agnes Moskal

Estee Chung

David Przybylak

Congratulations to all who competed!

Student Interview: Ruthie and Teddy

By: Brielle and Sydney

You've probably seen their e-mail about ways we at Hoffman can help the environment. Since these two fourth graders are making news here in school, we wanted to learn more about why they chose to work so hard to save the environment.

Why is it so important for you to save the environment?

A: Because of global warming and to save the animals.

In the email you sent, you talked about how the ocean had risen 9 inches. Why is that important?

A: It was one of the main ideas. It is very dangerous and could become a serious issue. If you live near water, you could be in danger of flooding, damage, and much more.

What inspired you to do this?

A: A project in Ms. Greene’s class. Both Ms. Greene and Ms. Kemper inspired us to pick an important topic and work hard on it. We came together again at the beginning of this year to put a plan into place.

What made you decide on what to do to get people involved?

A: Most kids don't like homework, and so you can have a small reward for doing your part in helping out.

Do you think that this will keep going into next year?

A: We'd love for this to continue through 5th grade, and maybe even after we're in middle school

Have you ever thought about taking this outside of school and doing it in Glenview?

A: We want to keep it small to start, but think it will grow bigger once we see how it works in school.

The Endangered Bumble Bee

By: Lindsey, Lulu, and Maria

Many people think that bees are annoying pests. All that buzzing and stinging can get people mad and annoyed. But, if you if you imagine a world without those little dudes... there is no world.

This is how it works: the bees pollinate the plants that feed cows, sheep, pigs, rabbits, and every plant-eating being on Earth. Without these animals being fed, we have no meat and other goods. Bees also pollinate the vegetable and fruit plants that we eat. If you think about it, any food, including some medicine, originated from some sort of plant. Without bees pollinating these plants, there would be barely any food left in the world.

The biggest reason bees are slowing becoming endangered is habitation loss and disease. Some people will even buy bee repellents and smoke machines. When you think bees, you probably think stingers, buzzing, and pain; but when they come to your garden, they aren’t looking to sting anyone, they just want to get pollen and nectar from your flowers. This actually benefits you and your garden.

There are so many ways you can help bees. You can plant bee friendly flowers, plant native plants which are native to your region, make a new garden bed filled with native plants, and stop using fertilizers and growing sprays.

All these simple actions can help save these amazing animals!

Most Popular Questions on Google

By: Grant, Isabel, and Joseph

Have you ever wondered what the most popular questions asked on Google are? Well, we did some research to present to you the Top 5!

Why is the sky blue?

(On average, every month 135,000 people have asked this question on Google.)

In the Earth’s atmosphere, blue light is scattered everywhere by the tiny molecules of air. Blue is scattered so much more than the other colors because it moves in smaller and shorter waves. This is why we normally see a blue sky.

Why is there a leap year?

(On average, every month 2,240,000 people have looked up this question on Google.)

Answer: There is a leap year because the Earth does not orbit the sun in 365 days precisely, so every four years we have a leap year. The next leap year is in 2020, meaning the last one was in 2016.

Why are cats afraid of cucumbers?

(On average, every month 60,500 people have searched this up on Google)

Answer: cats are afraid of cucumbers because they are green. Cats mistake the cucumber as a snake, and some types of snakes eat the cats in the wild.

Why do we yawn?

(On average, every month 49,300 people have looked up this question on Google)

Answer: When we are really bored or tired, we don’t breathe as deeply as we normally would. Our bodies would take in less oxygen because it has slowed down. Yawning helps us bring more oxygen into our blood.

And a funny one, Why is Caillou bald?

(On average, every month 40,500 people have looked up this question on Google)

Answer: Caillou was originally made as a 9 month baby, but when he grew up, and when they gave him hair, he didn’t look like the original Caillou. So when they took off the hair, he looked more natural and recognizable. The producers of the show also made Caillou bald because they want kids to realize that being different is okay.

Valentine's Day

By: Nicole

As you all know, Valentine's Day was February 14th. We hope you had a great one, and maybe even a secret admirer?

Valentine’s Day is a day where you celebrate your loved ones. Pope Gelasius declared Valentine’s Day to be February 14th. It was not until later, however, that the day became connected with love. During the Middle Ages, France and England believed that February 14th was the start of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea of Valentine’s Day being connected to love.

Written Valentines didn’t begin to appear until the 1400’s. The oldest Valentine’s card is a poem written in 1415 by the Duke of Orleans to his wife. Americans began exchanging Valentines in the early 1700’s. It is estimated that 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year.

Valentine’s Day is also celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.