Author: Herrera,Lauren

Issue No. 5 February, 2016

The Hawk Eye Harrison Elementary School’s Newsletter Editors in Chief: Mrs. Herrera and Mrs. Szelingowski

Groundhog’s Day
-Kyle Viteri & Andy Pessoa-
We all look forward to February because of Valentine's Day, snow, and Groundhog’s Day! Groundhog’s Day is a holiday on February second. It is really a wonderful holiday, that has great purpose in our year.
-History-
Groundhog’s Day takes place on February 2nd. Let’s take a look at the history of Groundhog’s Day. The holiday is based off of the Catholic holiday of Candlemas Day. On Candlemas Day, people lit candles outside. The candles would tell how cold and long the winter would be. Then, Germany changed the holiday up a bit. Instead of a candle, they switched to porcupines. Later, when German people came to Pennsylvania in the sixteen-hundreds, they switched to groundhogs because they were much easier to find in Pennsylvania. The first official Groundhog Day celebration was in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, in 1887. From then on, thousands of people have come to Punxsutawney every year to see the groundhog forecast the future. But how does the groundhog's predictions work?
-Predictions-
Every February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil comes out of hiding. He never shows his face before that. According to German legend, if the groundhog sees his shadow, then there will be six more weeks of Winter. If not, there will be an early Spring.
Groundhog predictions bring thousands of people from across the world to one place. They all watch in the cold as Punxsutawney Phil peeks out. It is very exciting. But what was the prediction this year?
-This Year's Prediction-
Luckily, Phil did not see his shadow. So be ready for an early Spring this year!
-Fun Facts!-
Groundhogs’ diets consist of greens, fruits, veggies, and very little water.
Groundhogs whistle to communicate.
They can live to be 6-8 years old!

Snow Day Chillin’
By Eli Kronberg & Danny Cullen Almost EVERYONE loves snow days. You can stay in, bundled up, watching a movie, or roll around in the big, white, cold blanket called “snow”. We have some students in Harrison who told us what they like to do on a snow day. It goes from snuggling inside to getting dirty in the wet mud and snow.
Interviews
We interviewed students from kindergarten to 5th grade. First up is Sebastian Rojas in K-1. He likes to jump in the snow. The 1st grader we interviewed was Gavin August in Mrs. Schulke’s class, and he likes to play with Transformers during snow days. Next up is Lucy Stern in 2nd grade in Mrs. Weissman’s class. Lucy says, “I like to go sledding.” In 3rd grade, Jesse Kronberg in Ms. Reilly’s class likes to play video games when there is no school. Two students in 4th grade, Dasara Kurti in Mrs. Mullen’s class and Sylvie Friedman in Mrs. Raiola’s class, BOTH like to have a snowball fight with their sisters. Lastly are the 5th graders. Francesca Covello in Ms. Craig’s class likes to sleep and make hot cocoa, and Alec Spallarossa in Mrs. Latino’s class said he likes building a snow fort.
In conclusion, kids love to hang around on snow days. Maybe we’ll have one last snow day where everybody will do their favorite activity! Cross your fingers and wear your pajamas inside out!

Relaxing on Valentine’s Day By Ariana Batista and Sophia Shkolnikova
On February 11, 2016 we celebrated Valentine’s Day by having a pajama day and by participating in yoga. The yoga instructor, Linda Marlin-Roca, came to the new gym where the whole school did yoga in their pajamas. The fifth graders got to sit with their kindergarten buddies to help them get into the poses. The rest of the school spread out so that they would have their own personal space. We learned how to relax our body and how to get the chi out. We also learned a new word, namaste, which is a word that we use before and after we do yoga. Yoga helps your body relax when you are stressed out and it helps clear your mind. Mrs. Milano, our school nurse, says, “Yoga is good for you because it helps you learn how to self-regulate your own stress levels.”
Mrs. Milano also asked the students of our school to donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society if they wore their pajamas. Most of the school donated $1 or more to the foundation, and as a school we raised $618! This foundation is very important to us because a young boy in 5th grade has benefitted from its cause.
Overall, it was a fun and relaxing day at Harrison School. And the best part was, after the relaxing we had big parties in our classrooms to celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Kindness Corner Below, Helen Cheng’s artwork shows us how to be kind to our friends at Harrison. If someone drops something, offer to pick it up!