MANUFACTURING TEAM DECLARED "MOST SPIRITED" AT VALLEY-WIDE AWARDS CEREMONY

March 6, 2018

By Marissa S.

On Tuesday, February 27, What’s So Cool About Manufacturing award ceremony was held at Steelstacks in Bethlehem. The WAIS team earned the Most Spirited award for their teamwork and positive interactions.

The WAIS team included Marissa S., Emma M., Logan W., Katelyn K., Jessica K., and Harrison B. The team put many hours of hard work into their video. Their video was about a local pipe company, Victaulic.

It wasn’t all hard work, though. During the project, the team had plenty of fun with each other. Some of their favorite moments was when they had water squirted on them not once but two times. Another moment that the team loved was their visit to Victaulic. They ate trail mix and got plenty of goofy footage such as doing the wave, jumping onto things, and wearing Super Mario and Luigi hats.

During the award ceremony, the manufacturing crew enjoyed their time with their families and friends. Even though the award ceremony was a special moment, the whole team wishes their experience didn't have to end.

WARRIOR OF THE MONTH AWARDED

March 13, 2018

By The Scribbler Staff and the Warrior Wake-Up News Staff

So far this school year, 68 students were nominated for Warrior of the month. We are extremely proud of each nominee and grateful for their positive contributions to the building.

Bladen Aadsen is your 5th grade Warrior of the Month. He was nominated by Mrs. Housel, who says, “Bladen is polite and kind to everyone around him. He is also a member of Buddy Up Club, and has been especially helpful with certain students in the class. He accepts everyone as they are! ”

In 6th grade, our Warrior of the Month is Chase Eller. Chase was a Warrior of the month winner last year too! He was nominated by Mrs. Fenton and Mrs. Tereska, who write, “Chase consistently demonstrates all of the qualities of a Warrior. He continually strives to perform at his highest level and has a true passion for learning. He is a student who can always be relied upon for his honesty, responsibility, and kindness to others. Chase is genuinely a person of good character and is a role model for everyone around him.”

The 7th grade Warrior of the Month for February is Braelynn Roth. She was nominated by Mrs. David. Braelynn selflessly and generously donated to our Warrior Bag program. Rather than receiving birthday gifts this year, she asked friends who attended her party to bring food donations. Braelynn then wrote a personalized message to the Warrior bag recipients and helped to package the items for distribution.

And finally, in 8th grade, our Warrior of the Month is Emma Brown. Mrs. Kesselring nominated her, explaining that, Emma demonstrates responsibility through contacting her teachers when she is absent to find out what work she is missing and having all the work completed when she returns to school. She demonstrates the WARRIOR trait of inspiring through her quiet but continued commitment to ensuring the classroom is cleaned up at the end of the day and all Chromebooks are correctly put away and plugged in. Emma demonstrates respectfulness and welcoming through her demonstration of kindness to anyone she comes into contact with throughout the day, both in the classroom and in the hallway. Overall, Emma is a caring and conscientious student who works hard to do her best in school and create a positive environment for everyone around her.

Keep demonstrating those Warrior traits, WAIS students - maybe you will be featured in next month's article!

WAIS STUDENTS ADOPT ELEPHANT

March 20, 2018

By Aiden H. and Patty S.

This March, the WAIS 5th grade students are helping to adopt a young baby elephant calf. They made money to sponsor the elephant by selling green beads. Then, on Friday the 16th, students showed off their green beads on St. Paddy’s Day.

WAIS fifth graders have read The One and Only Ivan by the visionary author K.A. Applegate. This book features an elephant, and while they read, students learned that baby elephants are in need of help. This activity allowed the 5th grade to support organizations trying to assist the elephants.

In Africa, wild forests are being destroyed. Adopting an elephant allows conservationists to protect their beloved habitat. Without the appropriate habitat, the elephants would not have any place to live, making this program a significant part of the school’s environmental programs. Approximately 55 elephants are murdered in ONE DAY, supporting the significance of this cause.

The fifth graders say, “Thank you so much to those who bought a green bead necklace and helped support our cause to adopt an elephant! We sold out of green beads in just 4 days and also accepted many donations.”

PSSA TESTING STARTS SOON

March 27, 2018

By Jacob P.

The PSSA will be held at WAIS during the weeks of April 9-27. First, fifth through eighth grade students to will take the English Language Arts assessment. Then, the same students will take the Math assessment. Finally, the eighth grade will take the Science assessment.

But what IS the PSSA? WAIS students aren’t quite sure! In a survey, only one third of students could correctly identify that PSSA stands for “Pennsylvania System of School Assessment.” Many students thought it meant “Pennsylvania State Standardized Assessment.” A few students were doing a bit of wishful thinking. One student guessed it meant “Party Saturday, So Attend.” Austin M. was hoping the state had made some changes, and it was now the “Play Station Standard Assessment.” According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the PSSA is an “assessment which provides students, parents, educators and citizens with an understanding of student and school performance related to the attainment of proficiency of the academic standards.”

Students did understand some of the reasons that we take the assessment, though. Sofia H., a sixth grader, said that the assessment helps to know if you are ready for the next grade. Dylan P., a fifth grader, thinks that doing well on the PSSA means you will get into good classes at the high school. Sabrena E. summed it up best when she said, “The PSSA is to see what we have learned.”

WAIS students also shared their best test-taking tips with us. Kenneth S., a seventh grader, said “Take your time, and go slow. Read carefully, and read questions twice.” Patty S. reminded students to check their questions over when done. Noah Perez said it's not as important as you may think, so don’t get stressed out while you are taking the test.

Here are a few other good test taking tips from kidshealth.org:

• Get enough sleep the night before the test.
• Listen closely to any instructions.
• Read the test through first.
• Focus on addressing each question individually.
• Relax.

WAIS students have learned so much this year. Now it is time for us to show off our learning - do your best on the PSSA!

SCIENCE FUN ON THE HORIZON FOR THE FIFTH GRADE

March 27, 2018

by Emily M. and Lilli W.

WAIS fifth graders will be going on a field trip this year during the month of June. The date has not yet been finalized, but the teachers would like it to be June 1, 2018. The 5th-grade students will be going to The Franklin Institute, a science museum.

The museum is in Philadelphia, PA. On Fridays, the museum is open at 9:30 am and closes at 5:00 pm. Various activities at the museum are building a Mars rover with K’Nex, calculating your carbon footprint, and crawling through magma. Those are just some of the activities: there are many more to experience! The Franklin Institute was established in 1824, and its architectural styles are Neoclassical architectural and Greek revival architectural, which means the building looks like a Greek temple with lots of columns and stone carvings.

Sabrena E., a fifth grade student, is excited to go on the field trip. She can’t wait to learn everything the field trip has in store for her. If we have movies on the bus this year, she is excited to see what movies they are. Another fifth grader, Dylan P., is also excited to go on this field trip because he would like to learn a lot of science. He is excited to know if they have movies on the bus and to visit the museum.

The sixth grade students experienced this trip last year, and they have some positive memories. Austin M. says, “It was fun and amusing.” Jacob P. also enjoyed the trip, but warns the fifth graders that the trip involves an long drive of more than an hour. Plan on taking a nap or hanging out with your friends.

If you want to visit with your own family, the prices for children are $19 and adult pricing is $23. The fifth graders have paid $30 for the trip, but this includes buses and t-shirts. It should be a great day for everyone. If you would like to know more about the museum before the trip, visit the website https://www.fi.edu.