Local News

Stay Alert!

2011-05-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

By Maddie L. and Peyton O.

There has been a series of muggings locally in the Oak Park area. The mugger is unidentified and is still at large. They only strike late at night, and prey on unsuspecting women. You can stay safe if you follow these safety tips:

· Don’t go out after dark

· Walk with friends, or in a group. If you can’t find anyone to walk with, you can request a police escort.

· Make sure you always lock the doors at night

Try to be aware of your surroundings (i.e. don’t text or read while walking)

Remember, always be safe. Good luck!

5th Grade Graduation Song

2011-04-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

By Grace S.

The fifth grade graduation is not too far away. It’s sad but true. The fifth graders are singing “Waving Flag” at the graduation ceremony by David Bisbal and Knaan. It is in both Spanish and English, so they have to work with Ms. Poleski and Mrs. Karia. It is a motivational soccer-based song, but it can work for any occasion. Emma C. said, “I think that if we’re going to be able to actually sing this song, we should have a script [so we know what we are singing]. But besides that, I think it was a nice choice.” If you would like to see the song’s music video, simply go to Ms. Poleski or Ms. Karia’s blog, and click on 5^th grade. The music video should be posted on the page. The fifth graders are collaborating with the teachers to create a truly special musical performance.

Spirit Week

2011-03-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

By Grace S.

Spirit Week has been a great success so far this week! With the mounting pressure building to the annual student vs. staff basket ball game, things are really exciting! So far this week we have had Sports Day, Pajama Day, and Crazy Hair/Hat Day. On Sports Day, everyone supported their favorite teams - not only from Illinois. On Pajama Day, students rolled out of bed and went to school wearing PJs. Some bizarre hairstyles and hats were seen on Crazy Hair/Hat Day. In fact, one student even shaved off half of his hair! We asked several students what their favorite day so far was. Peyton O. said her favorite day was Crazy Hat/Hair Day. “I liked Crazy Hair/Hat Day the best because I liked seeing the weird things everyone came up with.” Peyton was wearing a curly black wig with white streaks. Gracie F. said that her favorite day this week was Pajama Day because, “I enjoyed seeing what everyone slept in.” Peter G.’s favorite day was Sports Day. He said it was because “I got to wear all my [Chicago] Cubs gear.” Peter wore two Cubs shirts and a Cubs hat. Spirit Week has been tons of fun!

Waste Free Wednesdays

2011-02-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

By Emma C.

Waste Free Wednesday has been something that I, personally, look forward to. Even though waste free Wednesdays are supposed to be all about being waste free, most people just do for the stamps. Recently I started to ask for stamps on my forehead. Now most people do it on their foreheads, cheeks, and other obvious places.

One of the stampers, Bess Celio, told me that one forth grader wanted a stamp on their armpit!!

A few ways to be waste free are:

1. Use containers that can be used again.

2. Get a lunch box instead of paper bags.

3. Try to eat all your lunch so you don’t throw away as much garbage.

4. Compost at home.

5. And most importantly…….RECYCLE!

Bullying

2011-02-16T07:56:00.001-08:00

By Maddie L. and Izzy L.

Schools around the world have seen an increase in bullying, and Holmes is no exception. One common insult is “Did you forget the Y in stupid?” The bullies say things like this to people who dress differently, speak differently, are from somewhere else, or just don’t fight back. Teasing is a form of bullying. Just tiny mean little jokes can go a long way.

It’s our generations job to end that. Everyone can help bring these children up to speed. We can teach people about bullying and how to stand up to it. We can help people catch up with work. Lots of people are creating new programs or murals in their school to discourage bullying. We can educate ourselves. But there is one thing that is so easy to do, it could stop bullying for good: STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND FRIENDS!!!!!! It’s that easy, people!Just walk up to that bully and say;

“Please leave me alone. You are hurting my feelings,” And walk away. Not guaranteed to work. But, if said multiple times, the bully WILL leave you alone. Or school’s social worker, Ms. Flemming, says “Bullying is a difficult task to end, but with an education on how to stand up for ourselves, we can stop bullying!”

The Writing Celebration

2011-02-10T10:12:00.001-08:00

By Grace S.

This year, as always, many great entries were submitted to the 6^th annual Writing Celebration. Mrs. Circo and Mrs. Linss admitted that, writing-wise, this was one of the best years. Congratulations to the young authors who submitted this year’s winning entries. Anyone school wide can submit an entry. The accepted writing types are prose and poetry. A panel of judges selects the writing pieces. This year’s panel was Mrs. Circo, Ms. Linss, and Mrs. O’Malley. The winners are as follows: For 1^st grade, the winner was Lauren K., with her story, Nutcracker. The 2^nd grade winner was Sophie B., with her story, Sophie and the Cool Rollercoaster. For 3^rd grade, the champ was Matthew S., with his story, Othamus and the Tiki God. In 4^th grade, the winner was Natalie U., with her story, Delila. Finally, the 5^th grade winner was this author, with her story, Two Journeys. Congrats again for the great stories, everybody! Keep on writing!