west university elementary school april 2021 monthly …

WEST UNIVERSITY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL APRIL 2021

Houston Independent School District http://westues.org page 1

Monthly Mustang

I SURVIVED THE WINTER FREEZE BY MARY PLUMB

During thespring,over5,000types of wild7lowers bloomacross Texas. One of thesewild7lowers is the Bluebonnet,whichisthesymbolofourstateand isoneof themostbeautiful7lowers.The scienti 7 ic name for

Bluebonnet is Lupinus Texenis.They are also called buffaloclover,wolf7lowerandelconejo,or rabbit in Spanish. There ism o r e t h a n o n e t y p e o fBluebonnet. Most of them areblue, but some of them arepurple, maroon, or even pink.D u r i n g m i l d w i n t e r s ,Bluebonnets can start bloomingin late February or March, butthey can also bloom in earlyApril.But Bluebonnets weren’t

always around. The bookLegends and Lore of TexasWild7lowers tells of the legendof how Bluebonnets 7 i rstappearedinTexas.The legend says that Texas’s

weather was very harsh on the

Native American peoples thatlived on the land before theEuropeans arrived. Thes u m m e r h a d b u r n i n gtemperatures with dust storms,the fall had 7loods, and thewinter had harsh temperatureswithblizzards. Thetribesknewthatitwasclearthat“TheGreatSpirit”wasangryat them. Onenightwheneveryonewasasleep,a little girl sneaked out of herfamily’s teepee. She got somecoals, went to the top of a hill,and started a 7ire. She held upher prized possession, whichwas a doll, and threw it in the7ire saying that it was for the“TheGreatSpirit.”When the 7irewas out, she took

the ash and threw it north, south,east,andwest.Then,shewentbacktobed.Thenextmorning,whenthetribewoke up,whatwas a dry andbare land had beautiful greenerywithblue7lowersonit. ItwasclearthattheGreatSpiritforgavethem.Lucky for us, the Bluebonnets

have remained and we Texans, aswell as other visitors to Texas. canenjoytheBluebonnetseveryspring.

IT’S BLUEBONNET TIME! BY LYLA DAVIS

It was a normal Sundaynightwhen,suddenly,phonesstarted to receive alertss ay i n g t h a t s now wa scoming! All the kids wereveryexcited,butadultsweregettingworried. Last time ithad snowed, there was noalert because the snowmeltedbynoon,butthistimeit kept snowing. Schoolwascancelled because of the ice.I t s tar ted Monday andTuesday…then Wednesday…then 7inally school wascancelled the entire week.Working parents got veryannoyed by this. Powerstarted to go out, and pipess tarted burst ing . Somehouses had water shut off,too.Whenitwasover,peoplestarted to realize how luckythey were to have thesethings. Ifyouweren’toneofthesevictims,youwerereallylucky.In my family, we had lots

offun. Welostpowerfor24hours. We put on our snowgear and went sledding ontheEdloebridge.Thatwasan

epicfailurebecausewedidn’thave real sleds and couldn’tgo fast enough. We wentsledding with Shelby andLanieHenry (ThirdandFirstGrades) and saw Tyler Graf(First Grade) out there, too!We were puppy-sitting mygrandmother’s dog becauseshe broke her leg. Her namei s Mi l l ie , and she wasjumpingforjoy.Thiswasher7 irst t ime in snow! OnMonday night, we stayed atour aunt’s house. Then, shelost power, so we stayed atmy Lala’s house. When wecame home on Tuesday, wehadpower!Itwouldcomeonand off. My aunt and uncleand threecousinsstillhadn’tgotten their power back, sotheycame toourhouse. Mygrandmother,Jammy,lostherpower, so she also came tostay. We kept the 7ireplaceburning tokeepusallwarm.Webakedalot. Mybrownieswereahugehit. Weplayedafun dice game called “Left,Right , Center” with ourC o n t i n u e d o n P a g e 8

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Stella:Iwenttoahoteltosleepthereforafewnights.Then,mypowercamebackon.

Chandler:I7irstwenttomyfriend’shouse,butthenherpowerwentoff.Inthemorning,mypowerwasbackon,soIwentbackhome.

Hattie:Iwenttomydad’sof7ice.Istayedthereforawhilewithmysister.Then,myfriendAnnaClaire’spowercameon.So,westayedthere.Then,thepowercamebackonatmyhouse,andthatisit.

Nanny:Ifedmypetsandgotreadyfortheday.Icouldn’tcometotheButlers’housetobabysit.

Emilie:Iwenttomygrandma’shouse,andIkindofforgottherest.

AnnaClaire:Isleptbythe7irewithmyfamily.Then,Iwenttomyfriend’sof7iceforawhile.Then,Iwentbacktomyhousewhenthepowercameon.

Mrs.Grimmer(Teacher):WewereabletostayhomeuntilTuesday,butthenthepowerwentoffandwedidn’thaverunningwater.Then,wewenttomyparents’houseinTheWoodlands,butunfortunately,theyhadlotsofissueswitheightpipesthatburst.So7inally,wewenttostaywithfriendsinMontgomerywhoneverlostpowerorwater:)Bodhiwasabletoplaywith7ivepuppyfriends,sohehadnocomplaints!!

Ms.Levy(Teacher):Iplayedboardgamesandcharades.IwatchedTVwhenIhadpower.Ialsoreadabook.

Wearebackhomenowthankfullywithpowerandrunningwater!

WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE POWER OUTAGE? BY JANE BUTLER

Wow!Ithoughtitwasreallycrazytobewithoutpowerwhenitwassocold.SodidsomeotherpeopleIinterviewed.

Easter is a well-known holiday celebrated bymanyonApril4th.ItcelebratestheresurrectionofJesus Christ in the Christian religion. On thisoccasion, some people decorate and paint eggs,some people follow the tradition of 7inding eggsandeatingthecandyinside,orsomemaydoboth.Butwheredidthistraditioncomefrom?

Theegg,anancientsymbolofnewlife,hasbeenassociatedwith pagan festivals celebrating spring.In the Christian religion, Easter eggs are said torepresent Jesus' emergence from the tomb andresurrection. Now, the Easter Bunny is a legendfromEaster,whichmosthaveheardof.TheEasterbunny 7irst arrived inAmerica in the1700swhenG e rman imm i g ran t s c ame a nd s e t t l e d

in Pennsylvania. Theybrought their traditionof an egg-laying harecalled“Osterhase”.Theirchildren made nests inwhich this creaturec o u l d l a y i t scoloredeggs.Eventually,this led to the legendoftheEasterBunnyhidingeggswithcandyinthem,aroundEastertime!

For some people, this holiday may not bereligious,but this is surelya funholiday formanypeople!

WHERE DID THE EASTER BUNNY COME FROM? BY RHEA MORANI

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TheMandalorianTVSeriesReviewedbyLilaCooley

TheTVshow,TheMandalorian,isoneofmyfavoriteshows.ItisonDisney+ifyouwould like to watch it. I know thatPrincipal Disch is watching it based onhisinterviewintheFebruary2021issueoftheMonthlyMustang!

Therehavebeentwoseasonssofar,whichmeanstherearealotofepisodestowatch.ThenextseasonisscheduledtocomeoutinDecember2021,whichgivesyoulotsoftimetowatch(orre-watch)theshowifyouwant.Ifyouhavenotalreadyseenit,Ihighlyrecommendit!

TheMandalorian is themain character. He is a bountyhunter.So,hehasepicbattlesandhelpstodefeatvillainsallover the galaxy. I personally like the character called TheChild.HeisacreaturewholookskindoflikeYodafromStarWarsbutsmaller.That’swhypeoplestartedtocallhimbythename of Baby Yoda. If you want to find out what his realnameis,youcanwatchtheseriestofindout!

I give The Mandalorian a five-star review. I think thatthereisalittlebitofviolenceinit,eventhoughtheeventsarenot real. I recommend this show for ages eight and up ormaybe for younger children if they are not easily scared. Ithinkthatthisshowisreallygood,andIhopeyouwatchit!

BOOK, TV AND MOVIE REVIEWS

This is amovie reviewof thenewandhypedmovie,Tomand Jerry.This movie came out on February 26, 2021.Thespecial thingabout thismovie is that it combinesanimationwithliveaction. TomandJerryareanessentialpartofyourchildhood.Itsamazingslapstickhumorwillgetyourollingonthefloor.Nowonderit’sbeenaroundforover80years!

The Tom and Jerrymovie is based on the classic cartoonTomand Jerry. TheTomand Jerrymovie is aboutTomCatand JerryMouse inNewYork. Jerry is looking foraplace tostay,andhefindsthebesthotelinNewYork,TheRoyalGate

Hotel.Tomsoonsfindsoutandmakesith i s miss ion to cap ture J e r ry.Meanwhile,anewworkerisworkingatthe hotel; her name is Kayla. BeforeKayla interviews for the job,shestealssomeone’s resume. Theweek that shestartsisthebiggestweekthehotelhasever had because Preeta Mehta andBen (very famous people) are havingtheir wedding there. After the hotelfindsoutaboutJerry(amouse)staying

there,KaylahiresTomfor the jobofgetting Jerryoutof thehotel.Shortlyafterthat,Preetas'sweddingringgoesmissing!Willtheweddingringbefound?WillTomcatchJerry?WatchTomandJerry:TheMovietofindout!

Iamgoing towriteabout thisawesomebook I just 7inished reading.As you canseeinthetitle,itiscalledTheChroniclesofNarnia. It isabout theadventure thatfour kids have when they go through amagicalwardrobeand7indthemselvesinamagicalland.TherealtitleofthisbookisTheLion,theWitch,andtheWardrobe.TheChroniclesofNarniaisthenameoftheseries.Itwaswritten by C.S. Lewis. There are sevenbooks in the series. The 7irst one isThe

Lion,theWitch,andtheWardrobe,andthatisthebookI’mwriting about. The names of the four kids are Peter,

Edmund,Susan,andLucy.Theyarestayingataprofessor'shouse because England is involved in World War II.Germany had begun the Blitz in England. That was abombing campaign targeting major English cities. Okay,back to the book. After all, I am notwriting aboutWorldWarII!Thefourkids(withthehelpofalionnamedAslananda

lotofforestcreatures)overthrowawitchwhounrightfullytookthethrone.Peter,Edmund,Susan,andLucygrowupinNarniaaskingsandqueens.Oneday,they7indthewaytheygot intoNarnia.Theydidn’t rememberwhat itwas, but itfeels familiar.When they 7ind themselves in thewardrobeagain, it is the same time as it waswhen they had left! Idon’twanttospoilanymore,soIwilltellyouwhyIlikedit.I really liked it because itwas exciting andmademe feellike Iwashavingablastwhen Iwasreading it. Ifyou likereadingaboutadventure,youwilllovethisbook.

TheChroniclesofNarniabyC.S.LewisReviewedbyGavinTerrazas

TomAndJerryMovieReviewReviewedbyKavanPandyaandKayanSharma

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SkeletonRoadisthesixthbookofTheLastKidsonEarthseries,anditisaction-packedandfunny. Itstartsoffwiththemaincharactersbuildinganobstaclecourseforzombies.Maxandhisfriendssoonfigureoutwheretheoutpostis,butitisacrossthecountry. Theydecidetoembarkona journey to find theoutpostanddefeatthe villain, Trull. On their journey, they discover cool

newcreaturesandworktogethertosavetheirparents.Willthesekidsbesuccessfulontheirjourneyorwill they fail todefeatTrull?Thisbook was very exciting and fun to read. Ireally recommend this book and the rest oftheseries.

THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH AND THE SKELETON ROAD BY MAX BRALLIER BOOK REVIEW BY MATHEW THOMAS

Lastmonth,thePerseveranceRoverlandedonMarswithfourmainobjectives.Thesewereto1)identifypastenvironments capable of supporting microbial life, 2)seek signs of past microbial life in those habitats,especially inrocksknowntopreservesignsofmicrobiallife, 3) collect core rocks and “soil” samples and storethem on the Martian surface, and 4) test oxygenproductionfromtheMartianatmospheretomakesureitcould one day be terraformed. Microbial life forms aresingle-celledorganismslikebacteria.

Tocompletetheseobjectives,theroverwasequippedwith some very cool tools, such as SUPERCAM, a lasermicro-imager; MASTCAM-Z, zoomable panoramiccameras; MEDA, a weather station; SHERLOC, anultravioletspectrometer;WATSON,acamera;andMOXIE,whichproducesoxygenfromMartianCO2.

Perseverance launched fromCapeCanaveralon July30, 2020, and sailed through the vast, dark vacuum ofspaceforsevenmonths.AsitenteredMars,Perseverancedid something often referred to as EDL (entry, descent,and landing). This sequence startedwhenPerseveranceentered the top of the Martian atmosphere, travellingnearly 12,500 miles. About 10 minutes before startingthissequence,Perseveranceshed itscruisestage,whichhouses solar panels, a radio, and fuel tanks used for itsflight to Mars. Only the protective Aeroshell, with therover and the descent stage inside, actually made it toMars. The rover also fired small thrusters to reorientitself and point its heat shield for what came next. AsPerseveranceenteredtheMartianatmosphere,itsloweddown drastically and, in doing so, heated up to a peakheat of 2,370 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat shield thenslowed Perseverance to about 1,000miles per hour. Atthis point, it was then safe to deploy the supersonicparachute. About 20 seconds after parachutedeployment, the heat shield then dropped away and

exposedtherovertotheMartiansurface.Aftertheparachuteslowed Perseverance down to about 200miles per hour, therover cut itself free and its backshell fired rockets, droppedPerseverancedownon theMartiansurface,and flewaway toan uncontrolled landing a safe distance away fromPerseverance.

I asked Richard Garriott, a family friend and the firsthumanbeingtohavebeentospace,thenorthandsouthpoles,and thebottomof theMarianasTrench,aseriesofquestionsrelated to Perseverance. Here are the questions and hisresponses:Q, What will Perseverance mean for human space travel toMars?

A.Ifwe’relucky,Perseverancewillfindsignsoflife.Ifso,itwillradically changeourapproach toour futureexplorationofMars

Q.WhendoyouthinkhumanswillgettoMars?A.10yearsifwe’reoptimistic,20yearsifwe’repessimistic.Q.WhatwillhumansdooncetheygettoMars?A. 1.Survive. 2. Grow a colony that will be the first humanexpansionbeyondEarth,andhopefullynotthelast!So,asyoucansee,Perseveranceisagreatachievementfor

mankindandasteppingstonetogetusonMars.

A NEW BOT ON MARS BY ASHER GURR

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Kindergarten-2ndGradeTeam:RyanAtha,IsabellaChen,ZoyaJethani,NandiniKapoor,GeorgeLinqin,RitvikaMohanty,andMasonGrahmann

NAME THAT BOOK TEAMS BY EMEKA NDEFO

With the coronavirus, indooractivities are hard to do. Luckyfor us, there are a lot of funoutdoor act iv i t ies aroundHouston. Here are three of myfavoriteswithinanhourdriveofWestUniversity.ArthurStoreyPark is inHouston

ChinatownonBellaireBlvd andHighway8. You canwalkaroundabeautifullakeintheparkwhereyoucanseemanydifferent birds, including Laughing Gulls, Black-CrownedNight-Herons,andRed-ShoulderedHawks.MyfavoritethingtodoatStoreyParkistoridemybikearoundthelake. OnthewaybacktoHouston,youcanstopoffatoneofthemanybakeriesinChinatownandpickupyummypastries.

SylvanBeachParkislocatedinLaPorte,whichisabout45minuteseastofHouston.Therearetwosandybeachesattheparkwhereyoucandigaholeinthesandandwatchthewaves fill it tocreateapool. Whenit iswarm, it isagreatplace forswimming. Ifyou like to fish, there isalsoa longfishingpier.

SamHoustonNationalForestislocated50milesnorthofHouston. Youcangocampingandhikingintheforest. LastAugust,wewent camping in the forestandhada campsiterightnexttoLakeConroe.Wefoundaplacewherewecouldplayveryclose toa lake. Mydadalso tried fishing,buthedidn’tcatchanything. My favoritepartof thecampingtripwasswimminginthelake.

FUN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES NEAR HOUSTON BY BRAYDEN LIM

3rd-5thgradeteam:SophiaKim,KenennaNdefo,TobyYip,HenryFriedman,ClementDing,SamAtha,andEmekaNdefo

Inyourmind,Aprilmightbeallabout Easter, bunnies, andchocolate. But not for long! Inthis article, I will show all theamazing things to do duringApril.1.Play in the rain. SinceApril isknownastherainyseason(andthere are no hurricanes orfloods), it is a perfect time to

enjoytheweatherorseearainbow.2. Bake cookies! April is a perfect time to make cookiesbecauseofthethemeandthree-dayweekend.

3. Eatlotsofsweets!Nexttimeyouareatthegrocerystore,ifyou have the opportunity to get some candy, go for it.TherearetonsofEaster-themedtreats!

4. HaveanEasteregghunt!5. DecorateEastereggs.IfyouaredoinganEasteregghuntorjustfeelingcreative,youcangetanegganddecorateit.(Irecommendlookingitup.)

6. Dressupasabunnyorachick!7. Planyoursummer!Youandyourfamilycouldbrainstormideasforit,soyoucangetitdoneafewmonthsahead.

8. Take a vacation. If you do not celebrate Easter withreligious activities at church or someplace else, use thedaytogosomewheretounwindortakeabreak.

9. Makeagarden.10.Learnmoreaboutthemonthandallofitsholidays!

🌼 10 FUN THINGS TO DO DURING APRIL🌼 BY LENA BEDDAR

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HaveyoueverhadanAprilFool’sDayprankplayedonyou?OrdoyouknowthehistoryofAprilFool’sDay?Ifyoudon’t,let’sdiveintothehistoryto7indouthowAprilFool’sDaybegan.

In 1582, France switched calendars and that changedthedateofNewYear’s.ItusedtobecelebratedonApril1st.Under the new calendar, it would now be celebrated onJanuary 1st. The people who celebrated New Year’s onJanuary1stcalledthosewhostillcelebrateditonApril1stfools.ThatishowAprilFool’sDaybegan.

I’lltellyouhowScotlandcelebratesAprilFool’sDay.InScotland, it is celebrated for two days. They start withhunting. Then, they are sent on fake errands. This isfollowedbyTailieDay.Thisinvolvespranksbeingplayedon

people’s rear ends, such as pinningfaketailsor“kickme”signsonthem.

They are so excited about AprilFool’sDay inPoland that everywordsaidonAprilFool’sDayisconsideredtobeuntrue.Itistakenveryseriously,buttheystopatnoonon April Fool’s Day. Every joke played past noon isconsiderednotclassy.

InFrench-speakingcountries,AprilFool’sDayiscalled“AprilFishDay.”Theyhavetopinapaper7ishonsomeone’sbackwithoutthemnoticing.

Ihopeyouenjoyed learningabout thehistoryofAprilFool’sDayandhowother countriesandcultures celebrateit.Maybethisyear,youwillbefooled.

AprilFools’DayiscelebratedonApril1steachyear.Ithasbeencelebratedforcenturiesbydifferentcultures.AprilFools’Daytraditionsincludeplayingpracticaljokesonothers,oftenyelling“AprilFools!”BelowaresomeofmyfavoriteApril

Fools’Daypranks.IloveAprilFools’Day.Ifyou'relikeme,youwillLOVEtheseideas!!!SaturdaySchoolDayWakeUp!WhenAprilFools’Dayfallsonaweekend,youareinluck.First,wakeupallyoursiblingsorparents.Tellthemtheyarerunninglateanditistimeforschool.Getthemoutthedoor,andthenturnaroundandyell,“AprilFools’-it’stheweekend!”

FrozenCereal!Hereisafunnyone!Thisprankcanbedoneonaschoolday.Thenightbefore,putsomecerealandmilkinabowlwiththespoonandputitinthefreezer.Inthemorning,wakeupearlierthanusualandtellyourfamilythatyoumadethembreakfastandyell,“AprilFools’!,”whentheytrytoeatit!MintOreoSurprise!Beforedoingthisprank,itisagoodideatomakesurethispersonlikesminttoothpaste.The7irstthingyouneedtodoisgetanOreoandaknifeandscrapofftheicinginthecenter.Next,usewhiteminttoothpastetoreplacetheicingandputtheOreobacktogether.OfferuptheOreotosomeonetoeatandwatchhowtheyreactandyell,“AprilFools’”!Ihopeyoulikedmyprankideas.Feelfreetocomeupwithyourowntoo!

APRIL FOOL’S DAY HISTORY BY JULIET KUBAN

AcrosticPoembyZaraAlousi

AtlastwinterhasendedParksfullofkidsfreeze-tagandswingsRisingfrombedwantingonehourmoreIrisesinbloomallshadesofpurpleLeavingmypufferuntilnextyear

Somanypeopleoutsideplanting7lowersHeatofsummernotyethereOhhowlikeabikerideinspringWeputonourraingearandgetdrenchedEatingdeliciousfoodatapicnicinparkRunningwithkite-dayfriendsShortestofseasonsgoesbysofast

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY PRANKS BY CAROLINE BENITEZ

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• April1:AprilFools'Day,InternationalFunatWorkDay,NationalBurritoDay*(7irstThursday)

• April2:WorldAutismAwarenessDay,InternationalChildren'sBookDay*,NationalPeanutButterandJellyDay,NationalFerretDay,NationalWalktoWorkDay*(7irstFriday)

• April3:NationalFindaRainbowDay,WorldPartyDay• April4:NationalHugaNewspersonDay,NationalGeologistsDay*(7irstSunday),InternationalCarrotCakeDay

• April5:NationalDeepDishPizzaDay,NationalDandelionDay,ReadaRoadMapDay

• April6:NationalSiameseCatDay,NationalStudent-AthleteDay• April7:NationalBeerDay,WorldHealthDay,InternationalBeaverDay,NationalNoHouseworkDay,NationalWalkingDay*(7irstWednesday),NationalBookmobileDay*

• April8:NationalEmpanadaDay,DrawaPictureofaBirdDay,ZooLoversDay

• April9:NationalWinstonChurchillDay,NationalNameYourselfDay,DayofSilence*(secondFriday)

• April10:NationalHugYourDogDay,NationalSiblingsDay,Golfer'sDay,NationalFarmAnimalsDay

• April11:NationalPetDay,NationalSubmarineDay• April12:NationalGrilledCheeseSandwichDay,NationalLicoriceDay,InternationalDayofHumanSpaceFlight

• April13:NationalMakeLunchCountDay,NationalScrabbleDay,InternationalPlantAppreciationDay,NationalPeachCobblerDay,InternationalBeKindtoLawyersDay*

• April14:NationalEx-SpouseDay,InternationalMomentofLaughterDay,LookUpattheSkyDay,NationalDolphinDay,SchoolLibrarians'Day,NationalLibraryWorkersDay*

• April15:NationalLaundryDay,TitanicRemembranceDay,WorldArtDay,NationalD.A.R.E.Day(DrugAbuseResistanceEducation),NationalHighFiveDay*

• April16:WearPajamastoWorkDay,NationalStressAwarenessDay,SavetheElephantDay

• April17:NationalCheeseballDay,InternationalBatAppreciationDay,NationalHaikuPoetryDay,HusbandAppreciationDay

• April18:NationalVelociraptorAwarenessDay,TheNationalColumnistsDay

• April19:NationalGarlicDay,PatriotsDay*(thirdMonday)• April20:ChineseLanguageDay,NationalLook-AlikeDay,VolunteerRecognitionDay

• April21:NationalBulldogsareBeautifulDay,NationalKindergartenDay,AdministrativeProfessionalsDay

• April22:EarthDay,NationalJellyBeanDay,GirlScoutLeaderDay,AnnualTeachChildrentoSaveDay*(variesinApril),TakeYourDaughterandSontoWorkDay*(fourthThursday

• April23:NationalPicnicDay,WorldBookandCopyrightDay,Lover'sDay,NationalTakeaChanceDay

• April24:WorldLaboratoryDay• April25:NationalDNADay,NationalHugaPlumberDay,NationalTelephoneDay,WorldMalariaDay,WorldPenguinDay,NationalZucchiniBreadDay,NationalHairstylistAppreciationD

• April26:NationalPretzelDay• April27:NationalPrimeRibDay,MorseCodeDay,BabeRuthDay,NationalTellaStoryDay

• April28:NationalSuperheroDay,NationalKissYourMateDay,InternationalGuideDogDay*(lastWednesday)

• April29:InternationalDanceDay,InternationalShrimpScampiDay,NationalZipperDay

• April30:InternationalJazzDay,NationalHonestyDay,NationalRaisinDay,NationalMahjongDay,NationalArborDay

IwasborninHouston,andImovedtoMexicowhenIwas two years old. My parents are Mexican. I have twobrothers;onewasborninHoustonlikeme,andmyolderbrother was born in Spain. We came back to HoustonwhenIwassix.

WhileIwaslivinginMexico,Ilikedtospendtimewithmyfamilyandfriends.Sometimes,Ihadsleepoversinmygrandparents’house.Theywereveryfun.Ialsolovedmyschool,Mexican traditions,myballet, theplaydates,andfood.IwasveryhappylivinginMexico,andIfeltsafe.

Later on, my dad got an offer to work in Houstonagain. He accepted it and told us in a Disneyland trip. Ididn't want to leavemy family, friends, andmy ballet. Iwas afraid I wouldn't make any friends. I accepted thesituation,butItoldmymomtheonlyconditionthatIhadwasthatIwantedtodanceintheHoustonBallet.

Later,mymomgotme into theHoustonBallet,and Istarted going toWestUniversityElementary. Itwas 7irst

grade, and my teacher was Ms.McMillan.Atthebeginning,Ididn'tunderstandanything.Later,IgottolearnmoreEnglish as I listened tomore words. I also got help frommyfriendXimena,whoalsospeaksSpanish. I also remember thateveryday my stomach hurt a lot,andIwasshy.Inclass,Ihadtodoalotofwork;readingwasalsohard.Itwashardformetounderstandwords,anditwasalsohardformyclassmatestounderstandme.Astimepassedby,Ilearnedmoreandmademorefriends.Myteacherwasverycaringwithme,andIstartedenjoyinggoingtoschool.Iwasstartingtobehappier.

NowIamstronger,Ifeelmoreresilient.Iworkedhardandgotmoregoodgrades.Iamgratefulformyteachers,parents, and new friends that supportedme and helpedme to make this new life easier. Sometimes things lookimpossible,buttheyarepossible.IstillmissMexico,butIalsolovemynewlifehereinHouston.

MOVING TO HOUSTON BY JULIA MADERO

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS IN APRIL BY SYDNEY DEFREHN



Thisistheonlyyearthatallthekidsinourfamilyareatthe same school. Toby is in fifth grade, Kelsey is in thirdgrade,andJesseisinKindergarten. It’sbeenfuntoseeoursiblingsinthehallwaysandatlunchandrecess.Everynight,wehavethingstotalkaboutthathappenedatschoolthatwe

canallrelateto.Andsincewe’vespentalotoftimewithoursiblingsthisyear,wewerecurioustoseehowmanypeopleintheschoolhavesiblingsandiftheyareannoyingornice.Weinterviewed40studentsintheschool,andherearetheiranswers.

ARE SIBLINGS ANNOYING OR NICE? BY TOBY AND KELSEY YIP

TheNFLDraftisan annual eventw h e r e N F LTeams recruitp layers f romcolleges. Eachteam is given aposition in thedraftingorderin

reverse order to their playing recordin the previous season,whichmeansthelastplaceteamgetstopickthetopcollege prospect or trade theirposition to another team for otherdraftpositions.

Currently, the draft consists ofsevenrounds.Duringthedraft,oneisalways ‘’ontheclock.’’Teamshave10minutes to make their choice in the7irst round, seven minutes in thesecond round, 7ive minutes in thethird to sixth rounds, and fourminutesintheseventhround.

The 2021 draft will be held inCleveland,Ohio fromApril29 toMay1,2021.ItwillbeshownliveonmanyTV channels like ESPN, ABC, andN F L N e t w o r k .

The Jaguars and Jets haveannounced they will draft twoquarterbackswiththe7irsttwopicks.The Jags will take Trevor Lawrencefrom Clemson, and the Jets will takeJustinFields fromOhioState. Ja’MarrChase,ZachWilson,PeneiSewell,andKylePittsare likely togonext.Thereare almost 250 picks in the sevenrounds. Teams can trade draft picksalongwithplayersandcash.

TheNFLdraft isoneof themostexcitingNFLoffseason events. Teamsdraft future Hall of Famers andcomplete busts. Both will happen toeveryteamatsomepoint.

neighbors. TheHenry family cameoverandmadechili for the 7ire7ightersonUniversityBoulevard.Mybrother, Jack(FirstGrade),beggedtogodeliveritsohecouldtakealookinsidethe7irestation. ByFriday,theentirewinterstormended,andourvisitorsleft.Itwasabouttimeforthat!

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1: I SURVIVED THE THE FREEZE

THE 2021 NFL DRAFT BY AAVIN PANDITA

As you can see,manymore people have siblings thanpeople who don’t. It was close, but more people had onesiblingthananyothernumberofsiblings.Morepeoplealsosaidthattheirsiblingswereannoyingthanpeoplewhosaidthat their siblingswerenice. Somepeople said thatoneoftheirsiblingswasniceandtheothernaughty,butwemade

themchoose an answer. So, overall,morepeople said theyhave siblings than those who said that they don’t havesiblings,andmostofthepeoplewhohavesiblingssaidthattheywereannoyinginsteadofnice.Eventhoughit’sbeenaroughyeardue toCovid,we’re suredeepdowneverybodylovestheirsiblings.



1.What do youdo with familyo n y o u rbirthday?A:“Igooutwithmy family todinner.”2.Anytraditionsyouusedtodowith

yourfamilyonyourbirthday? A:“Mydadwouldusuallytakemeoutofschoolearly.”

3.Doyoustillhaveanybirthdaygifts fromwhenyouwereyoung?

A:“BirthdaygiftsfromwhenIwasyoung…I’msureIhavesomegiftsIreceivedwhenIwasyounger.WhenIwasincollege,Igotmy dog Bonnie as a birthday present.Thatwasprettycool!”

4. Have your past students given you giftsduringschool?

A:“Yes,inthepast,mystudentshavegottenme gifts. Last year, my birthday wasduring thebeginning of quarantine, so itwasn’t the best. Everything was closeddown, so I couldn’t see my students orfriends”

5. Do you do anything specific if yourbirthdayisonaschoolday?

A:“MybirthdayisonthesamedayastheWriting STAAR this year, so I will bespending it monitoring students’ testing.Whenitisonaschoolday,Ienjoyseeingmystudentsandcelebratingmybirthdaywithcoworkers.”

6.Didyougettheguineapigsclosetoyourbirthday, on your birthday, or evensometimeinApril?

A: “Ihad twoguineapigsas classpets fortwo years…I think. I got them fromanother family near the beginning of aschool year. Last year, you took themhome right before my birthday whenquarantinehit,andyou’vehadthemeversince!”

Emeka: I remember you taught7irst grade when I was in 7irstgrade.Whichdoyouprefer:beingalibrarianora7irstgradeteacher?

Ms.McMillan:Ilovedteaching7irstgrade, but I would have to saybeing a librarian is a dream cometrue!Ilovetobeabletotalkaboutbooks all day, and it has been somuchfuntoteachallgradelevels.

Emeka: Why did you choose tobecometheschoollibrarian?

Ms.McMillan:Ihavewantedtobea librarian for years, but I wasintimidated about going back toschool for my master’s degree.WhenCovid started, I knew itwastime to make the leap and followmydream.ItwasthebestdecisionI ever made! I love talking aboutbooksanddoingMakerspaceswithallofthestudentsatWestU.

Emeka: How do you feel aboutyour recent wins with the NameThatBookteam?

Ms. McMillan: I am so incrediblyproud of Emeka, Kenenna, Sam,Clement, Sophia, Toby, and Henry!Theyworked so hard for somanymonths,andIwashappyforthem!It was de7initely the highlight ofthisschoolyear!

Emeka: How long have you beenteachingatWUES?

Ms.McMillan: I taught 7irst gradeat WUES for 10 years, and I havebeen a librarian for one year. So,I’ve been teaching for 11 yearstotal.

Emeka: What are your hobbies,besidereading?

Ms.McMillan: I love tocook,eventhoughI’mnotthebestatit!Ialsolovetodopuzzlesandknit.

Emeka:Whatisyourfavoritebook?

Ms.McMillan:MyfavoriteseriesofalltimeisHarryPotterbecauseit’stheseries thatgotme intoreadingduring middle school. My favoritebook isTheNightingalebyKristenHannah. It’s a historical 7ictionnovel about two sisters duringWW2.

Emeka:Wheredidyougrowup?

Ms. McMillan: I grew up in Katy,Texas.So,reallyclosetoHouston.

Emeka:DoyouhaveafavoritecitybesideHouston?

Ms.McMillan:IhavebeengoingtoVail since I was a baby with myfamily, andwegoa couple timesayear.It’smyhappyplace,anditwillforeverbemyfavorite!

Emeka: Where is your favoritevacationspot?

Ms.McMillan: The best vacation IevertookwastoRome,Italy.I lovehistory,andthereisancienthistoryeverywhere you look when youwalk in Rome. The colosseum,RomanForum,TreviFountain,andsomuchmorewere just incredibletosee.

Emeka:Wheredidyougotocollege?

Ms. McMillan: I went to TCU(TexasChristianUniversity)inFortWorth and had a wonderful timethere. I’m currently getting mymas te r ’ s deg ree f rom UNT(UniversityofNorthTexas).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. MUSGROVE BY LYLA PICHON GARCÍA

GETTING TO KNOW MS. MCMILLAN BY EMEKA NDEFO

http://westues.org



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Usethesecluestocompletethecrosswordpuzzle.SomeoftheAnswersaremorethanonewordwithnospacebetweenwords.Across

1.AcelebrationoftheBattleofSanJacinto3.AChristianholidayonaFriday4.Aglobalhealthawarenessday6.Anationaldayforakindofbutterandjamthatgogreattogether7.Adaytoplanttrees8.Aone-dayworldwidecelebrationforparties9.Adaytocareforourearth10.Adayforpranks

Down2Ourthirdpresident'sbirthday5Aholidaywhereyoumighthaveanegghunt

April Holidays and Observances: A Crossword Puzzle by Lauren Chen

Answer key

west university elementary school april 2021 monthly …

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