My Writing Progress

No Dress Codes!

No Dress Codes!

By Caitlin

Do you like uniforms? Do you like going to school everyday and looking like everybody else? Not everyone does. When a kid goes to a new school, he or she usually says to his parent “I do not like the school dress code.” Kids do not lie about dress codes. If a child says to his or her, parent or teacher “I do not like the uniforms,” or “I hate the dress code,” He’s probably telling the truth. They might think that we should not have dress codes because dress codes are annoying, they might think dress codes are not appropriate, and a lot of new kids at school would like what school would be like without dress codes. We should let kids get what they want because it’s not just the little kids, if you ask a bunch of people they all agree.

First, not everybody likes dress codes because it is annoying. For example, you would have to wear what is allowed everyday, which gets very annoying after a while. In addition, it might be horrible to fix the way you wear your clothes. A kid interviewed by Time For Kids said “Horrible, I do not like tucking in my shirt.” Finally, some people think it is uncomfortable to wear. When I came to school at SAS, I knew we would have to wear school and P.E. uniforms as part of the dress code. When I have P.E., the uniform shorts are so uncomfortable to wear because they have a certain fabric that gets stuck to my legs. We should not have a dress code because some people think it is annoying. I also think it is annoying. Do you?

Second, we should not have a dress code because some people think it is not appropriate. For example, when they have dress codes, it takes away the freedom to choose what we wear. In addition, when you are wearing the same clothes, it’s scary. A kid interviewed on the streets of New York by Time For Kids said “If you look exactly alike, it’s kind of freaky.” Finally, at school in Wolftrap (Vienna, VA), you can’t wear flip flops because the school thinks they are not appropriate to wear to school when everybody wants to wear them because they are comfy and you can walk a long time in them without getting blisters. We should not have a dress code because some people think it is not appropriate for school and I agree.

Finally, we should not have a dress code because a lot of kids would like what it would be like without dress codes. For example, when you do not have a dress code, you can express your individuality and it makes kids happier. In addition, when Time For Kids interviewed a boy in New York, he said, filled with confidence, “ That’s their style. That’s you.” Finally, when I was at my old school, we could wear whatever we wanted. Sure, we had dress codes about spaghetti straps, which is okay because you need some rules, but it was fun wearing pretty much whatever we wanted because we could show our feelings and personalities with our clothing without even saying a word. We should not have a dress code at school because a lot of kids would like what it would be like without dress codes. I would love school without dress codes and I hope you would too!

I hope you have thought about it and now that you’ve read my story, I hope that you agree. Just to remind you, we should get rid of dress codes because it is annoying, some people think it is not appropriate for school, and a lot of kids would like what it would be like without dress codes. Some parents and even people without kids say, “We should have dress codes because it’s good for the kids,” but I disagree. Those people who say that, aren’t kids and even though they have been like us, they didn’t go to a school like ours so they shouldn’t have a saying. I hope that we can change this rule and give the kids freedom!

Save the Elephants

Save the Elephants!

Elephants use their trunks to keep from being burned. They use the hot sand and rub it all over themselves to stay protected from the sun rays beaming down on them. They are all safe with this technic in Africa, but what about New York or Virginia? Are we as the people of our time doing what is right for the elephants? Do you really think so? You  should guess again because were not. Nature protects them. I was sitting there staring at the elephants on a hot summer day. They were standing in a little puddle of water trying to stay cool. Sweat ran down my face as I listened to my heart. “Imagine how hot they must be in the sun,” it said as the elephants tried to pick up dirt. They were trying to rub themselves with to be protected from the sun beams. Elephants should be taken out of zoos because they could get seriously injured, they might not like certain food, and most of all, the baby elephants. I have found that elephants need there old natural environments to live because if they don’t they will all die.

One reason that elephants should be taken out of zoos, is that they could get seriously injured. They could get injured because of photographers. For example, I was sitting on a giant rock next to the elephant habitat, when a bunch of people came by with huge cameras. They came up to the fence and (with their flash on) took a bunch of photos of the elephants. I felt so bad for them. If those people took any more photos (than they already did) those poor, beautiful creatures would have been blinded. I thought in my head “If they become blind, they could get really hurt, and someday die.” They could also get injured because they don't want to mate. If they don't want to mate, even if they don't get injured, there kind will be injured because they are going extinct. One last example is the food they get. When they are in the zoo, some zookeepers might dislike elephants. Since they might dislike elephants, they might put something in their food and when the elephants eat it they might get seriously injured or die. Therefore we should take them out of zoos because they could get seriously injured by photographers, they don’t want to mate, and the food they get.

Besides them being taken out of zoos because they could get seriously injured, is they might not like certain food. One example is that some don’t want to eat. For instance, one time at the zoo I saw an elephant just wandering around. He was doing normal elephant stuff, just like any other elephant would do. We left for a while and six hours later, when we came back to see him, (and the others) he hadn’t even touched his food. It surprised me a lot. “This is oddly unusual for an elephant.” I thought in my head. “They usually eat a lot of food every hour. He hasn’t eaten anything.” Another example is that they might not want to eat. If they don't want to eat they just starve themselves because they're not hungry. One final example is that they might not like any food. If they don't like any food then they might starve themselves because there is nothing good to eat. They also wouldn't get a wide enough variety of food like the other elephants which isn't fair. Therefore we should take them out of zoos because they might not want to eat, they might not like grass so they don’t get a wide variety of good food, and they might not like any food.

Due to them being taken out of zoos because they can get seriously injured and they might not like certain food, we should take them out of zoos because of the baby elephants.  For instance they might be scared of people. When you go to the zoo you usually go and stare at the new babies, right? But the elephants also have feelings so they might be scared of us. Even though we're doing the baby talk or saying things he could like, he might still be scared of us. Another example is they might not be ready to be seen. When elephants are first born they are needed to be kept with their mother for a certain amount of time. But when they are ready to go outside and see all the people nobody realizes that he isn't ready to be seen by the public yet. One final example is, they might not have enough natural environment in their habitat. I was standing there, staring at the cutest baby elephant. He wasn’t doing anything at all, just standing there. Then I looked around and saw that he had nothing to do that made him feel at home. I felt bad because he had no natural environment from home. Even though they should be taken out of zoos because they could get injured and they might not like certain food, they should be taken out of zoos because of the baby elephants for three reasons, they might be scared of people, they may not be ready to be seen, and they might not have enough natural environment from home.

Humans are known to be caring mammals, but I think we should take elephants out of zoos for their own sake. Zookeepers claim to take elephants out of their original to save their lives because of those crazy people who take their trunks. Even though that is true, it makes it easier to go extinct because they might get seriously injured, they might not like certain food, and most of all, because of the baby elephants. All of these happen in the zoo but no one fixes it. Don’t be surprised if posters start popping up all over town. You should join me and save the elephants because we don’t have “Forever in a Minute” (Pooja K.). Now I ask you, will you prevent or lead?

The Last Goodbye

The Last Goodbye

             It was Friday evening. I was standing with my mom in the doorway with tears of sadness in my eyes. She was staring at me like she was looking with amazement at a light bulb for the first time. “Goodbye Cat.” I said with a hug. She squeezed me really tight as she whispered “Goodbye Caitlin.” “I’ll never forget you. I”ll Skype you everyday unless it’s midnight here.” "I'll always reply!". "Goodbye!" I yelled as my mom drives us away. "Bye Caitlin!" She ran after our car until she couldn't keep up anymore. We gazed at each other's eyes both filled with depression. In the car I had a sudden flashback of our first sleepover. We just came in from the slip-and-slide to relax, eat pizza and ice cream, and watch a movie. After dinner we watched like 3 movies then we went to sleep. We slept in the living room on the air mattress my mom set up. My mom came down to sleep on the couch in case something happened. When we were just laying there we both got bored so we talked. After about an hour of talking my mom said in a tired but stern voice "GO TO SLEEP GIRLS!" We fell asleep and when we woke the next morning my dad was in the kitchen making my favorite breakfast... CHOCOLATE CHIP PANCAKES! We ate it all and then her mom showed up. Cat had to leave early than she normally would in the future for Suzuki. As soon as she left I told my mom that it was the best sleepover I've had since my first sleepover.

             I will always remember her and I will always miss her. I just remember that I have to cherish the good memories not the bad. That is why I remember and cherish this story. This is a story that means a lot to me and now I have shared it with you.

                             

Ailurus Fulgen

The Do's and Don'ts of the Dog Book Trailer

The One and Only Ivan Book Trailer

My Chinese Story About Me!

Here is the link to my 5 slide story about my life, or at least some of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hldvUvSz_uA&sns=em

Raffles Hotel~Singapore Site Project

Caitlin's Colonial Dress

Chocolate Milk No More!

Chocolate Milk No More!

Dear Mr. L’Heureux,

Do you love SAS? Do you love all of the kids in SAS? Some people disagree saying that chocolate milk is so healthy, but I challenge this because I know, for a fact, that chocolate milk is unhealthy. You should eliminate chocolate milk from our school. You may think that since it has some nutrition in it, it is healthy, but, I am here to tell you that chocolate milk should be eliminated from school meals. Did you know that some brands of chocolate milk have 30 grams of sugar in it? I have also seen chocolate milk that has even more than 30 grams of sugar. Furthermore, you should eliminate chocolate milk because it can lead to obesity. Also,  milk alone, can be unhealthy, and finally, kids at SAS drink a lot of chocolate milk.

One reason why chocolate milk should be eliminated, is because it can lead to obesity. For example, chocolate milk has a lot of sugar. In writer, Mike Ochs’, argument, he declared that flavored milk can get up to 48 grams of sugar, and I know from science, that 48 grams is about 48 paperclips worth of sugar, and I know that 48 paperclips worth of sugar is a lot for something that is supposedly very healthy. Also, New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, says he tried to eliminate chocolate milk along with other sugary drinks, saying that he did not want to have an obese city, showing that chocolate milk has a lot of sugar. In addition, Mike Ochs, wrote that if you drink too much chocolate milk, it can lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health problems just like other sugary drinks like soda does. You should always keep that in mind.

Another reason why chocolate milk should be eliminated, is that milk, alone, can be unhealthy. For instance, tons of experts state that since milk is high in cholesterol and saturated fat, it is certainly unhealthy. Furthermore, Ten News states that at a school in Los Angeles had a presentation to show how much sugar all the kids in one school consumed each week from drinking chocolate milk. To show this, they got a school bus and cut a hole in the top of it, then they got a large machine and poured into the bus the amount of consumed sugar, the machine wouldn’t stop flowing, and it was a big machine, it kept a very strong flow, and I’m pretty sure the whole bus, and some space around it, was filled with sugar, which showed that regular milk probably has only a little less sugar than that, but that is still a lot. Also, many experts go beyond saying that chocolate milk has a lot of sugar and is unhealthy, and I can’t believe it, but, now experts are saying that white milk is unhealthy too, can you believe it?

Even though chocolate milk should be eliminated from SAS because it can lead to obesity, and milk, alone, is unhealthy, chocolate milk should definitely be eliminated from school meals because SAS kids drink a lot of chocolate milk. For example, everyday, when I stand up to leave lunch, I see a lot of chocolate milk cartons. I see a ton of them, and they are everywhere. They’re on the table, on the ground, and I see that each trash can is about 75% full with chocolate milk cartons. Also, If you go up to buy something and you look in the small fridge, you will see that each fridge is filled mostly with chocolate milk, which brings me to say what about juice? What about water? Even though we do have both of those, the so-called yummy chocolate milk is taking all the attention away from them. Furthermore, if you walk throughout the whole cafeteria, you will see that most of the kids would be drinking chocolate milk because they don’t know or care that chocolate milk is unhealthy.

To conclude, chocolate milk should definitely be eliminated from school meals. We should save our school. As I have mentioned, I think chocolate milk should be eliminated from SAS because it can lead to obesity. Furthermore, milk alone, can be unhealthy. Finally, SAS kids drink a lot of chocolate milk. I hope you take my advice and eliminate chocolate milk for good. Chocolate milk should be gone forever because you only get one chance, and you should always use it wisely. I really hope that if you are questioning it at first, you will at least think about. I hope you agree with me that we have to get rid of chocolate milk for good. I hope you make the right choice and eliminate chocolate milk, for SAS. We will save SAS, I know you will make the right choice. Now, will you keep it...or leave it?

From,

Caitlin Ma

Caitlyn Reighley

Room i315

Stop Poaching Elephants

Stop Poaching Elephants

I believe we should stop poaching elephants for their tusks. Elephants are magnificent creatures, and I think they should stop being poached for their tusks. After all, they never did anything to us that we have to do to them back. They should be treated like the beautiful creatures they are, not things you can shoot for their ivory tusks. I think of it as, “if you were them, would you like to be treated that way?” They are beautiful creatures, and I think they should be treated like people. They may not look like it, but deep down inside, they are just like us. We aren’t them, but I know humans should stop poaching elephants because: they have feelings just like us, they are an endangered species, and selling ivory from their tusks won’t save them. I know that if you think about what I say today, you will definitely agree with me.

First elephants should stop being poached because elephants have feelings just like us. PBS's website, “Nature,” states that elephants are among the most exuberantly expressive of creatures, that means that they are extremely joyful and vigorous. They say that you can tell if an elephant is feeling joyful, grief, or anger. The one I will talk about is grief. Article, “Elephant Emotions” by PBS says that days, months, or even years after a loved ones death, an elephant would still pass by where they were either shot or they passed away, or they might just stand and pause for a few minutes because they had remembered a loved one. If you still don’t believe me, here are more reasons to show you they feel. I have heard a story of a herd, and the matriarch passes. The rest of the herd tried to feed her and lift her tusks, but she wouldn’t budge. When the herd moved on because they discovered she was dead, but, a mother and a calf stayed behind still moving her feet and mourning. Isn’t that so sad. Also, PBS wrote that they saw a mother elephant whose calf had died. They say she had dragged behind the herd for days. That just proves that elephants have feelings just like us. I know that even if nobody else believes this, it is true, and I have seen it all over the place, because they have feelings just like us.

To add on, elephants should stop being poached because elephants are an endangered species. PBS's (Public Broadcasting Service’s) article, “The Elephants of Africa” states that there used to be 1.3 million African elephants, which seems a lot compared to right now, doesn’t it? I also went on to SIRS Discoverer, and found that only about 600,000 African elephants remain, and who do you think caused that...humans! Everyone I tell just says, “What do you mean little? 600,00 is a big number,” but compared to before it is so small. As of the end of June in 2014, Singapore, a small island, had about 5.5 million people, and 600,000 African elephants compared to 5.5 million people, that just shows that they are endangered. Their population is less than one Singapore island, and that is small if you compare it to the size of Singapore. One final reason that shows you that those poor African elephants are endangered, is that they are endangered because of their tusks! I know that if I asked you right now ‘are people really poaching elephants,’ you would say yes because everybody knows about it. They would know about it because they’re doing it. They are the ones poaching elephants for their tusks, all because they want the money from their ivory. They are the ones that will sooner or later cause elephants to be extinct. That is so sad, isn’t it? If you ask anyone, they would say we poach them for money, and even if money helps people, it doesn’t help the biggest, most beautiful land mammal in the world.

Lastly, elephants should definitely stop being poached because selling ivory from their tusks, and killing them for it won’t help their cause. Since the elephant is killed to have the tusks, it won’t help them. Laura Leigh Davidson, from scholastic, writes in her article, “Satao's Sad Story, a quote from the Tsavo Trust, "It is with enormous regret that we confirm there is no doubt that Satao is dead, killed by an ivory poacher’s poisoned arrow," which shows that poaching elephants is bad. Everyday people are poaching elephants, so that they have the money for something wierd, but the elephants will get angry, and depressed. Poaching these creatures will hurt nature, so many people love elephants, and they will be sad if the biggest land mammal goes extinct. Also, considering that there are only 600,000 African elephants left in the world, and people are still selling their ivory tusks, you can see that selling their ivory isn’t really helping. People all over the world don’t see that these creatures care about each other. They are like us, they have the same exact feelings humans have, but nobody sees it. Finally, when people sell ivory, since they have to poach elephants for it, and the elephant population has been split in half, it must be bad. All because of poaching all over the world, the elephant population has literally been split in half. I wish all people could take the time to save elephants, but I can see that they are too busy doing something else, then caring about nature. Nature has kept us alive all these years, and only animal lovers have done something about it because they know that nature deserves something in return. I hope you think about this and stop poaching those poor creatures.

Just to conclude, we should definitely stop poaching elephants to save their lives. People are always poaching elephants for their ivory, without even giving them a chance. Everyone thinks elephants are just fine, but I know just from the small number of 600,000 African elephants left, they aren't fine. They need serious help! We need to save them. They need us, and I know that if this keeps going on, after they are extinct, you will feel bad too. All you have to think about is poor Echo and her family. Her family was going down bit by bit in Amboseli all because the farmers there didn't want them to eat their crops, but then even after they put up the chili smelling ropes, it was still bad. I hope you find out what is right and stop poaching elephants for their tusks. I think people should stop poaching elephants because they have feelings too, they are going extinct, and poaching them doesn’t do anything to help them! We need to save them! Right now, we need to do something in return something for those 6 ton land giants, we need to give them something in return, their freedom of life.

Bibliography

PBS. “Echo: An Elephant to Remember~Elephant Emotions.”

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/echo-an-elephant-to-remember-elephant-emotions/4489/

PBS. “The Elephants of Africa~The Poaching Problem.”

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/elephants-africa-poaching-problem/11367/

Cargo for Conservation (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). “African Elephant.”

http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/discoweb/disco/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000025430

Davidson, Laura Leigh. “Satao's Sad Story.”

http://magazines.scholastic.com/news/2014/07/Satao-s-Sad-Story

Chinese Q & A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MOCx0BIyDQ&sns=em

Christalite Methodist Home Reflection

Thursday, April 30th, 2015

   I just came back from the Christalite Methodist Home, and I had a really fun time. Even though Pooja, Tanisha, and I only got one resident, I had fun. We were just sitting there waiting for a resident when a man walked in. He sat down and then I found out that he was the exact same resident I had last time. I remembered he liked to draw, so I knew he would have fun coloring.

  Today we did a really fun craft. We got a piece of paper and folded it in half. Then we opened it back up and colored one side of the paper. Lastly, we folded the paper back up and wrote whatever we wanted on the front, so that when we opened it back up, it had what we wrote on the front, inside. It was a really fun craft to do, and I'm going to do it when I get home because it was so fun.

  Something that worked well, was that we got residents. It worked well because they came. I think they thought that since it was fun last time, they would do it again. I think I 'm right, because I saw the same residents today that I saw last time. I think it was awesome how may people showed up, again.

  I think something that didn't work well, was the language part. Even though I had two really good Chinese speaking friends at my table, it was still hard because I wish I could have had a conversation with him because I had to ask people to say it for me because I can't speak Chinese well enough to have a good conversation.

  I hope I somehow get to volunteer again at the Christalite Methodist Home because it makes me feel great to see residents smile at something I did. It makes me fell like I can make the world a better place, and I believe that everyone deserves to have that feeling inside them. I hope the kids next year enjoy the Christalite Methodist Home as much as I did!!!

Movenote Sample

Colonial Boston Postcard

Boxing Jewelry Math Class

I know the length of each side is 8 cubic centimeters because if you multiply 16, 8, and 4, you get 512 cm3 for Lisa's box. Since Ken's box is the same as Lisa's, his cube will also be 512 cm3. I know that each side can't be 5cm or 10cm because 512cm3 is in between 125cm and 100cm, so I multiplied all the number in between 5 and 10(6-9), and saw that when I multiplied 8x8x8, I got 512cm3,so that is how I know that each side is 8cm in length.

My Journey to Singapore

SS Video

My Math Problem Solution