Merry Christmas! Last Day of the Semester`

DOG is Different. pet's name is Opposite. When we tell her to sit, she jumps up in the air. When we tell her to come, she runs away.  She thinks every day is Opposite Day. We just got her yesterday.  Bubbles and puppets and blocks and cards and play dough and beads and balls and balloons and books and frisbees and puzzles are all things I woud like for Christmas. Instead, I got a dog; but I love my dog. Eating. I think someone is burning popcorn. I can smell it.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.

Why Should You Not Talk to Strangers

You should not talk to strangers because Scared. UPSET. I   NOT PLAYING. Dad is Call.

What Happened When Frosty the Snowman Came Alive

Frosty is On The SnowMan. One day he came alive. SnowMan is Falling. The doctor came. The doctor gave Frosty some medicine and Frosty got better. Frosty got up and joined a garage band. He played   Drums.Wysper played the guitar. Shontia sang songs. Mrs. Hutchings played the triangle. Mrs. Fey played the violin. Ms Pies played is awesome. She played the bells.

We played Christmas music outside on the Town Square. People came to listen. They sang and clapped with us. They brought us hot chocolate to drink. They brought Frost juice so he wouldn't melt.Donovan came and sang.

Then we went home to bake cookies. Frosty waved goodby. He went to his own home where he wouldn't melt.

Merry Christmas to all and to all  a Good NIght!

TRIP TO THE CAPTAIN COOK HOTEL

Captain Cook. Today my class went to the Captain Cook Hotel.  We saw a gingerbread village.  There were gingerbread houses and gingerbread shops and a gingerbread railroad train. They looked like the ones we made in class last week. Eat At Mall. I ate a jelly sandwich, yogurt, chocolate pudding, and apple sauce. I had orange juice to drink. Play. Bubbles and puppets and blocks and play dough and frisbee and ball and puzzle and coloring and cards and beads. We rode the city bus there and back.   I  Saw   My Brother Wynter.

Gingerbread Houses

Today we made gingerbread houses. We baked the gingerbread and cut it up.         i was baked.  We glued the gingerbread pieces together with frosting. We glued candies on the outside. Donovan made a church with a cross on the roof. Devon made a rooftop of gumdrops.  I did not finish mine because I was at P.T. I will finish my later.  The gingerbread smelled good and the houses were pretty.        

christmas

Birthday Jesus;s Birthday Today. Presents are under the tree. Santa brought the presents.  There are lights on the tree. There is a star on the top.  The family goes to Church and they sing Christmas caroles. Then they eat a big meal. Christmas Day is December 25th. It is a special time for families.

At my house we go sledding after opening the presents. We have turkey and cake for dinner. We sing songs. My favorite part is the balloons. I like Christmas.

Hanukkah

 Sun Goes Down. Hanukkah begins.  Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that lasts for eight days. Each night one candle on the menorah is lit. The family eats potato pancakes called latkes. The children like to play with a spinning top called a dreidel. Hanukkkah is a special family time.

vocabulary: procrastinate

procrastinate: to delay or postpone doing something that needs to be done

What can Anchorage do about homelessness?

Home is Different. home is where your family is. Some people don't have regular homes.They live in hotels, camps, maybe their cars. Sometimes they do not have enough to eat. They  are Done  Eating. Sometimes they are cold.

The best part about being a teenager

Dog is named Double.     1

Spongebob

Spongebob and FINDING Nemo.    and

Native Youth Olympics

Yesterday, we had visitors who told us about the Native Youth Olympics. They showed us the events that kids compete in at the NYO.    I even tried the wrist carry.  The man who came to our class to talk about the Native Youth Olympics is cool.


Tony came to school on Tuesday, and he will be here again on Thursday. I like doing the exercises.  

Physical therapy

Today I went to physical therapy. I was playing there.

We played a game of blowing bubbles, and then I got to paint on the easel. We also played with puppets and play dough. Then we did some coloring. We played with blocks and also a game or two of tic-tac-toe.  We played with the frisbee and then we played some cards and did a puzzle. Then it was time to get on a swing. then it was time to go to school. No wonder I was such a sleepyhead at school!

Mitch says that listening to me describe my day at physical therapy reminds him of a Peter, Paul and Mary song called "Autumn to May." Here are the lyrics:

Oh, once I had a little dog, his color it was brown.
I taught him for to whistle, to sing and dance and CLOWN.
His legs they were fourteen yards long, his ears so very wide,
Around the world in half a day, upon him I could ride.

Sing tarry-o-day. Sing - Autumn to May.

Oh, once I had a little frog, he wore a vest of red,
He'd lean upon his silver cane, a tophat on his head.
He'd speak of far off places, of things to see and do,
And all the kings and queens he'd met, while sailing in a shoe.

Sing tarry-o-day. Sing - Autumn to May.

Oh, once I had a flock of sheep, they grazed upon a feather.
I'd keep them in a music box from wind or rainy weather.
And ev'ry day the sun would shine, they'd fly all through the town.
To bring me back some golden rings, and candy by the pound.

Sing tarry-o-day. Sing - Autumn to May.

Oh, once I had a downy swan, she was so very frail,
She sat upon an oyster shell, and hatched me out a snail.
The snail it changed into a bird, the bird to butterfly,
And he who tells a bigger tale would have to tell a lie.

Sing tarry-o-day. Sing - Autumn to May

Now, I want to see Spongebob on the computer. 

Bowling Tommorrow

I will play with a ball tomorrow. Tony is going to be here for bowling. Yeah!!!!

The Scientific Method

There are five steps to the scientific method.

The first step is to ask a question. What do you want to investigate? What do you want to learn?
Yesterday, in class we investigated the question, "How many seeds are in a bean?"

The second step is to form a hypothesis.  A hypothesis is an educated guess. It is a sentence that can be proven either true or false. In my bean experiment, I guessed that there would be 8 seeds in a bean.

The next step is to do an actual experiment. We got some string beans and a knife. Then we split the beans opened with a kniife. The next step was to count the seeds in each bean. We recorded how many seeds we found in each bean.

The fourth step is to organize the data.

Finally, we have to find a conclusion. A conclusion is an answer to the question, "What did this experiment teach us?"

Halloween

Halloween is fun because of Trick or Treat. I got dressed up for Halloween, too. I dressed up like Patrick from SpongeBob Square-Pants.

At least five people came to my door. We gave them candy. We had decorations at the house. We had food decorations.

Reading comprehension.

A telesccope helps us see things far away.
People thought that stars were holes in the sky.
Sputnik was a moon.
A spacecraft teaches us about the planets and NASA.
NASA sends spacecrafts into space.

This chapter is about exploring space.
You can see stars through a telescope.
Galileo made a telescope.
Sputnik was the first spacecraft.
Scientists are learning about space

Today's Art Project

Today, I worked on a very special art project. It was a project about the earth and the other planets and the Sun. My job was to color the earth.

This morning we heard a song about the Sun.  I went for a walk this morning and while I was out we had a lockdown drill.  We all went into the laundry room and waited quietly.  Dennis from O.T. was there and he told us a scary story. But it had a funny ending. 

I had some delicious pudding with my peanutbutter and jelly sandwich. My friend Mitch helped me feed myself. Lunch was delicious but Mitch's singing is horrible. He thinks I want to swing on a star.

This afternoon we watched part of a silly movie.

Last year, Miss Vicky worked for me.

The gift of good health

Miss Wall did not come to school today because she is not feeling well. I hope she will be back in school tomorrow. Even though Mrs. Fey was not feeling well yesterday she came to school. With so many people being ill, it is probably a good idea to write about what we can do to stay healthy.

One thing you can do to keep healthy is get enough sleep. Sleeping is important because it gives your body  time to mend. It is also a time when you can organize the thoughts in your head so that you don't forget what you learned during the day. A new study shows that people are more successful with diets if they get enough sleep.

Eating properly is a good way to stay healthy. Here's a good description of a healthy diet. "Eat food. Mostly vegetables. Not too much." Mitch says you should get 40% of your calories from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and the other 30% from fat. Make sure the carbs are from vegetables with a low-glycemic index. And make sure the fats are not saturated.

Exercise helps to keep us healthy. Just walking around in my gait-trainer is plenty of exercise for me. Today, my friend Mr. Tony came and we went bowling. It was awesome. Exercise helps us in many ways. It helps us to sleep well. It helps us to develop strong muscles. It even strengthens our immune system. It is especially helpful if you combine exercise with fresh air. I went to the fair and to the beach and it made me feel hot!

It is important to know what to do when you are feeling ill. A hot bath is one of the best things you can do for yourself. It relaxes you, so you can rest comfortably and your body can use all of its energy fighting the bug that is making you sick. It raises your body temperature, which activates your immune system. After all, have you ever seen a rubber ducky with a head cold?

I hope these hints will help Miss Wall and Mrs. Fey get well soon!

reading comprehension

The Sun is a big star.
We see many stars in the sky.
The Big Dipper isa picture in the sky.
The moon is pretty. It is made of Rocks and Dirt.
A full moon is when we can see all of the moon.

(Mitch thinks I can do much better if I try not to be so silly. But maybe the moon really is made of Blue Cheese. What does he know?)

Bowling for fun

Bowling is fun. Today was all about the bowling.

Our class is going to the Special Olympics. We are going to participate in bowling. There is an award for the best spirit. Our class hopes to win it. Today we made posters for the Clark Middle School Special Olympics bowing team.

Then we went to our adaptive P.E. class with Mr. Tony.  I was bowling with a foam ball and with foam pins. Last week, my entire class went to the bowling alley. We had fun.

You may wonder how I can bowl in a wheelchair. Here's how I do it.  I have a special frame that fits over my wheelchair. It has two rods that go down to the floor. I put the ball on it, and when I release the ball it rolls down the space between the rods, on then down the alley. Sometimes I knock over all the pins.

I enjoy bowling with my friends, but I would rather be jellyfishing with SpongeBob.

It's all news to me!

     October is time for the World Series, the championship of Baseball. Four teams are competing for the trophy. The teams are the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers, the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants.
      My favorite team is the Giants. My last name is Gross which means “big,” and the Giants are BIG!! Baseball is fun.
     If you want to learn more about the playoffs and the World Series click here.

Saturn -- rings aren't just for bathtubs anymore.

• Saturn is huge. It is the second largest planet in our Solar System. Jupiter is the only planet that is bigger.
• You cannot stand on Saturn. It is not like Earth. Saturn is made mostly of gases. It has a lot of helium. This is the same kind of gas that you put in balloons.
  
• Its beautiful rings are not solid. They are made up of bits of ice, dust and rock.

 

Saturn is encircled by seven major rings. In this photograph, a section of the rings is hidden by the planet's shadow. The Cassini spacecraft, launched in 1997 to study Saturn and its rings and satellites, captured this natural color image as it approached the planet in 2004. Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

What I read about today.

The Earth takes 365 days to go around the Sun. The Earth rotates around the sun.  The Earth's tilt changes the seasons. The Sun is good for people, plants, and animals. There is air around the Earth to help us breathe.

The three R's -- and I don't mean reading, writing and 'rithmatic.

The earth is the only planet we can live on. That is why we have to protect it. We need clean air, and clean water for humans to live on earth. What can we do to keep the air and water clean? Also, we use natural resources, like coal, oil and wood. What can we do to make sure that we don't run out of the things we need?

Mrs. Fey's water bottle has a good slogan on it. It says, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." Those are three ways we can protect the earth. We can reduce our needs. We can reuse items, instead of just throwing them away. And we can recycle things that can be turned back into new ones.

What are some ways we can reduce? When we buy things in the store, we can look for products that don't have too much wasteful packaging. We can bring our own re-usable bags to the store, so that we don't have to waste plastic bags. We can use less energy if we dress warm indoors, so that we don't have to use up energy to heat the house so much. It is important that when people buy cars, they try to get the one with the best fuel economy, so that they do not waste gasoline. New types of cars -- like hybrids and all-electric cars -- can also save energy.

We can protect the earth by reusing things. If we aren't aware of this problem, one day there will be no more space for landfills to hold all our garbage. Also, landfills are very expensive, and if we have to spend money on them, there is less money to spend on education and other important things. How often have you used a piece of aluminum foil once and then thrown it away? Did you ever thing about re-using it? Our parents' generation used lots of disposable things. We can start thinking about things that have lasting value.

That brings us to the third R -- recycling. At Clark Middle School, my class goes to all the classrooms and collects the paper and cardboard that other students and teachers use. Then, we put it in a special dumpster so that it can be taken to the recycling center. The paper is collected and shipped to Washington, where it is made into new paper. By recycling paper, we save energy, we save space in the landfills, and we save trees that would be used to make new paper. The trees then can breathe in carbon dioxide, and breathe out oxygen, so that our atmosphere is healthy.

Can you think of some other ways to save the earth?

The Moon -- by Wysper and Mitch

Wysper and Mitch worked on this blog. Can you tell what part Wysper wrote?

The Moon is a natural satellite of Earth. That means that it revolves around the earth. It takes about 28 days for the moon to circle the earth. The moon also spins on its axis. It spins around once in every 28 days. Therefore, the same side of the moon always faces the earth.  The other side of the moon, which we cannot see from earth is sometimes called “the dark side of the moon.”

Actually, just like the planets, one half of the moon faces the sun, and the other faces away. Because the moon spins, it is not always the same side of the moon which is dark. And sometimes, the side with no sunlight on it faces the earth.

As it spins, more and more of the side that is illuminated by the sun faces us. We say that moon is waxing. At first it is a tiny sliver, but it grows to be a crescent, and then a full moon. Then it starts to get smaller, and we say it is waning.  The whole process is takes 28 days, and this is what we call a month on the lunar calendar.

 The gravity of the moon affects the tides. Wysper and Sponge Bob went to Bikini Bottom. The first human landing on the Moon was on 20 July 1969. During the Apollo missions of 1969-1972, 12 American astronauts walked on the Moon and used a Lunar Roving Vehicle to travel on the surface. Wysper and Sponge Bob were jelly-fishing on the moon.

Earth and Its Movements Related to the Sun

I learned that we live on a planet called Earth. Earth is always moving. It may not seem like it to us but the earth is moving very fast. The Earth spins on its axis. This spinning is called rotation. It takes 24 hours for the Earth to make one full rotation. One rotation is also called a day.

The Earth also moves around the Sun. When the Earth moves around the Sun it is called a revolution. One revolution around the Sun takes 365 days. One revolution is called a year.

My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas.

We are studying the planets at school. I can remember the names of the planets by saying, "My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas." Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune, and the celestial body known as Pluto. 

Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. Mars travels around the sun once every 687 Earth days; this is the length of the Martian year.

Here’s a picture of Mars taken in August of 2003. At that time, Mars was closer to earth than it had been in the previous 60,000 years. It was still 56,000,000 kms away.  In this picture, you can see the red tinge to Mars..

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science System

The planet Mars, like Earth, has clouds in its atmosphere and a deposit of ice at its north pole. But unlike Earth, Mars has no liquid water on its surface. The rustlike color of Mars comes from the large amount of iron in the planet's soil. Mars is much colder than Earth. Temperatures at the Martian surface vary from as low as about -195 degrees F (-125 degrees C) near the poles during the winter to as much as 70 degrees F (20 degrees C) at midday near the equator. The average temperature on Mars is about -80 degrees F (-60 degrees C).

     The planet Mars is named after the ancient Roman god of war, pictured in this statue which is a from around 320 BCE. It is a marble copy of an earlier Greek statue of their god of war, Aires.

Many wars start in March, the month that is named after him. This is because armies tend to remain in place during winter, but they go on the march in Springtime. Also in the Springtime, the sun is in the constellation Aires named after the ancient Greek god of war.

What I learned about the University of Nebraska

The N on their football helmets stands for "knowledge."

Cinderella

Today, my class and I went on a field trip to West Anchorage High School. There we saw a production of Walt Disney's Cinderella. It was wonderful. I didn't like the way the step-sisters were mean to her, but it turned out well in the end. Cinderella is with Her King,  They lived happily ever after.

So far ...

Mrs. Fey has asked how we feel about our progress in school so far this year. Well, I feel that I have come so far. I was a little slow to start using my walker, but now that I am doing it, I seem to be making good progress. Now, I can walk, well, just so far.

I have made some new friends, too. There are some new students in my class and in Ms. Pies class. Some of my friends from last year are gone. It seems like they are so far away.

Business technology has been fun. It is hard for me, but I still enjoy it a lot. That's how things have been going so far.

An amendment to the Constitution

When the Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence, they said that all are entitled to "Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness." Furthermore, they said that governments are instituted to protect these rights. Therefore, I think the Constitution should be amended to guarantee health care to everyone. After all, what is life without health?

You may wonder how we would pay for this. It would be difficult, but, the measure of a civilization is how it treats its least fortunate. Who knows? By recognizing human dignity and the value of human life, we may reap many benefits that will increase our wealth and benefit us in other, loftier, ways. For example, we might abolish the death penalty.

Or, we could just make me Queen. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Once, I felt really special

I went to the movies with Dad. I was the only person in a wheelchair. But that is not why I felt special. I felt special because I was with my Dad, and I know he loves me.

My brother, Wynter, was with me and Blanche was there, too. What a surprse it was to see Blanche at the movies. We saw Finding Nemo.  The divers were mean because they were taking Nemo to a dentist's office.

Adaptive P. E.

I was playing with Tony outside on the field with the frisbees. I was still smiling when I got to Mrs. Fey's class.

Signed,

Wysper "the Jet" Gross

A Clark tradition

I was recycling today. It is a tradition I do with my Clark Middle School family. We did recycling after lunch. Students in my life skills class help with this job and it is a tradition now every year.

When I recycle we go to all three floors of the school and pick up things. We pick up card board boxes and paper. We took them outside to the dumpster and sorted them. We wear our tie dye shirts that we made when we recycle. It makes me happy when I help with recycling at school. I like this tradition at Clark.

What a difference a year makes

Last year, Mrs. Wall was not here. Tomorrow will be Tuesday. Tony will come tomorrow to teach Adaptive P.E. I love Tony and I want to marry him.

Friday's blog

I was recycling today again with my class from Clark Middle School. I was recycling boxes today and mixed paper. I have fun recycling with my friends. I recycled after lunch and everyone helped today. Now I need to blog about what annoys me about grown ups.

Nothing annoys about adults. They are in charge and that's okay. They helped me put candies on a cake for Donavan. Donavan is a student who is in the class next door. It is his 12th birthday today. We are going to sing to Donavan and eat cake after Business Tech class. We might have free choice after that since it's Friday. I feel like I'm am lost sometimes.

What I did over the Labor Day weekend

As we all know, after Labor Day, it is considered tres gauche to wear white. Accordingly, I had to put away all my white ball gowns. My Pa-pa thought that he could still wear a straw skimmer! Can you understand why I question his fashion sense?

Wynter and I made a game of putting our summer clothes away. First, I would fold up a gown or a jacket. Then he would sneak in and throw it in the air. I didn't see him come in the first time, and I was beginning to think that perhaps I had gone mad. The second time, I caught him red-handed. Well, actually, I didn't see him throw the gown in the air, but I saw it hanging from the crystal chandelier, that Grand-pa-pa brought us from Paris.

I became so angry that I grabbed Wynter and threw him up in the air. As luck would have it he landed on the ceiling fan. He was going round and round, trying to grab the gown, when Eloise, the upstairs maid, walked in.

Eloise leapt into action. She got Wynter down, and used a broom to get the gown off the chandelier. Pa-pa would have been tres, tres angry if he had seen what happened. Lucky for us, Eloise can keep a secret!

Other than that, not much happened this weekend.

NEMO IS AT THE DENTIST'S OFFICE

Nemo wants to have his teeth cleaned. Why? He is going to have his picture taken. Before the dentist can clean his teeth he has to check for cavities. To do this he uses a special kind of photography. Special film is put into Nemo's mouth and then a machine emits X-rays through his cheek. The X-rays pass though his face and teeth and when they reach the film, they leave an image of the inside of Nemo's teeth. He has no cavities.

Wait! The dentist decides that Nemo has such beautiful teeth that he decides to keep Nemo in his fish tank.

The kids at Bikini Bottom are never going to believe this!

memory book

wysper has had a long day and she is sleepy. She would like a soft bell to chime to keep her attention. It would be nice to be able to speak into the computer because Wysper cannot keyboard. Thank You

All about me

Every day, for lunch I have just about the same thing. I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I eat it with yogurt. Usually, I also have a little apple sauce. Today, my dad surprised me. I had a cookie!

I hope my dad will let me have Wendy's for dinner. That's my favorite restaurant. We had food from there last night and I had a hamburger and chicken nuggets. It was delicious! I also got a Nemo cup.

I have a brother named Wynter. He likes to eat food from Taco Bell. Last night dad got him food from Taco Bell.