TheLittleLionNewsletterDec2015

December 17, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 1

Long Branch Elementary School

  ​The Little Lion​     

Kib Kib, Eritrea Henna Tattoos, India Making Sushi, Japan

International Night 2015

By Chloe McCann and Edward Diaz Romero

Did you go to International Night? We did and it was a lot of fun! There were a lot of things to do, like the
estimation stations, trying new foods, games to play, and entertainment in the gym. There were stations for
a lot of different countries: India, Turkey, Japan, Eritrea, Italy, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Southern United
States. Each country had a lot of facts for kids to learn. The foods that we tried were: pasta, cookies, cake,
injera, cornbread, candy, gelato, and pie. In Eritrea, they played a game called Kib Kib. You bounce the ball on
your head and someone times you to see how long you can do it. In India, Miss Jyoti from Extended Day did
Henna tattoos. The tattoos looked like flowers. In Italy, you got to dress up because it was fashion week in
Milan, a city in Italy. There was also a baby pool that you could throw pennies into that was like the Trevi
Fountain. In Nicaragua, there were lots of artifacts and crafts on display. Honduras had a SMARTboard
activity where you could click on the map and it would tell you about different places in the country. In the
Southern United States, you were allowed to play Jeopardy to learn about the country. In Turkey, you could
make evil eye necklaces, and in Japan, you got to make banana sushi! It was fun! Teachers, students, and
family had a great time!

33 North Fillmore Street ∙​​Arlington, VA 22201

December 17, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 1

Long Branch Elementary School

Ms. Dorset
Fifth Grade Teacher

Ms. Fenn
First Grade Teacher

Meeting Ms. Dorset Meeting Ms. Fenn

By Sheyla Ralda By Marquez Barlow

Ms. Dorset is a new fifth grade teacher at Long Ms. Fenn is a new first grade teacher at Long
Branch. She has been teaching for three years. At Branch. She has been teaching for four years and
Long Branch, she likes working with the teachers came to us from William Ramsay Elementary
and students. What is really cool about Ms. Dorset School in Alexandria, Virginia. Ms. Fenn was born in
is that she went to elementary school at Long Lexington, Massachusetts. She knew that she
Branch when she was a kid. T​he Little Lion asked wanted to be a teacher because she babysat and
Ms. Dorset what she liked about going to Long coached basketball and softball, and knew she
Branch as a student. She said that she liked that it liked working with young kids. In her free time, Ms.
was a really big school, and that it was new at the Fenn likes to play sports and go into D.C. to visit
time. Ms. Dorset was born in Washington, D. C. family and see the museums. Social Studies is her
Her hobbies are reading, running, and grocery favorite subject because she is very interested in
shopping. Her favorite color is purple and her history. Ms. Fenn has two younger sisters who are
favorite subject is math. We are glad to have Ms. both in college. At Long Branch, she loves all of the
Dorset back at Long Branch to teach fifth grade. programs and activities we have, as well as all of
Welcome back, Ms. Dorset! the AWESOME students and teachers! Welcome,
Ms. Fenn!

33 North Fillmore Street ∙​​Arlington, VA 22201

December 17, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 1

Long Branch Elementary School

Preschool goes to Ticonderoga Farm

By Alex Zecharias and Julissa Hernandez Aguirre

Ticonderoga Farm is in Chantilly, Virginia. The farm has all sorts of activities for little kids to do.
Preschoolers at Long Branch enjoyed themselves on their field trip. On the trip, they went on a hayride and
slides, and picked out a pumpkin to take home. There were also many animals to see. They saw sheep,
chickens, roosters, and horses. They thought the best part was going through the bamboo maze. Oh what
fun!

First graders travel back into the Past

By Alex Zecharias and Julissa Hernandez Aguirre

First grade students had their annual in-school field trip on Friday, November 20th. It was all about how
people lived in Colonial Times. There were different activities in each of the four first grade classrooms.
They learned how to weave, comb wool, and write with quill pens. The first graders loved making butter the
best. Do you think you could have lived back then?

Foreign Language in the Elementary School

By Charish Fleming and Evelyn Rosales Izara

This year, Long Branch students in kindergarten through fifth grade are taking Spanish classes. There are a
lot of exciting things going on, and we are learning new things in every class. The Spanish teachers are
Señora Ruiz and Señorita Gonzales. We have learned songs, days of the week, and how to say other different
types of words. We have even learned that “socks” is “calcetines” in Spanish. We have learned how to say
the names of shapes, too, in Spanish. Lately, we are learning how to use “ser” and “estar.” These two words
are verbs that mean “to be.” We have also learned how to say the parts of the body such as “nariz” which
means “nose” and “ojos” which are “eyes.” In class, our Spanish teachers do activities with students and
show videos to help the kids learn the new words. Señora Ruiz and Señorita Gonzales have done a great job
helping the students at Long Branch learn Spanish!

33 North Fillmore Street ∙​​Arlington, VA 22201

December 17, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 1

Long Branch Elementary School

Game On!

By Jovon Joyner and Abdullah Raziq

Did you know there are girls at Long Branch that play flag
football? Caroline Colucia, Kara Felker, Abby Kant Charlotte
Lawson, Ellie Rowland, Tierra Russell, and Caitlin Tramontozzi
play for The Cowgirls. T​he Little Lion had a chance to interview
Ellie Rowland in Mrs. Goidich’s fifth grade class. Ellie started
playing flag football after her coach asked her to join his new,
all-girls team. The name of the team was supposed to be The
Cowboys, but the coach asked the board to change it to The
Cowgirls since it is an all-girls team. There are twelve girls on the
team and their record is 2-7. The Cowgirls just won a playoff game, and Ellie scored the final touchdown!
The Cowgirls practice twice a week at Washington-Lee High School. The team plays their games at
Washington-Lee and Wakefield. The team has been around since September.

Lion Pride

By Bryanna DeJesus and Malaak Sadouk

Lion Pride is a way for students, teachers and staff to come together and learn new things. Lion Prides meet
about once a month and we have had two so far this school year. In October, before Halloween, we had a
Lion Pride meeting to learn about Trick or Treat for UNICEF. There was a video for everyone to learn about
what UNICEF is. Communities raise money for children who need clean water, clothing, shelter, and food.
This year, Long Branch raised $830! In November, all students and staff talked about what we are thankful
for and watched a video about gratitude. Gratitude means being thankful for something. The video was
about three trees, two that weren’t thankful and one that was. The one that was thankful for what it had,
grew very, very tall. The wise old owl told the trees that you need to be thankful so good things can happen
to you. Our next Lion Pride meeting will be on December 18th.

33 North Fillmore Street ∙​​Arlington, VA 22201

December 17, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 1

Long Branch Elementary School

Winter Holidays

By Gustavo Gonzales, Kai Rasmussen, and Tauqeer Hussein

Christmas is a major religious holiday for Christians. It is celebrated on December 25th. Christmas is
one of the most colorful and festive times of the year. Families like to get together to sing carols and
decorate Christmas trees with colorful lights and ornaments.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. It lasts eight days and eight nights. People light candles on a branched
candlestick called a menorah. They start with one candle and add a new candle each night. There are
gatherings with families and friends where gifts are exchanged and games, such as dreidel, are played

Kwanzaa is celebrated by African families. Each day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of seven principles. The
principles are unity, self-determination, collective responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity,
and faith. Each night, one or more of seven candles are lit and one of the seven principles is discussed.
Kwanzaa is also celebrated with a community feast and harvest festivals.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in January or February. It is a major holiday in Chinese communities around
the world. Chinese New Year is a 15 day celebration with fireworks, feasts, dragon dances, parades and
family gatherings to bring in the new year. The last event of the celebration is a lantern festival, where
glowing lanterns are hung or carried around.

Many people celebrate the start of a new year on New Year’s Day. It is celebrated on January 1st, all around
the world. On New Year's Eve, some people celebrate with a party. They stay up late and count down until
midnight. A lot of people make New Year’s resolutions, which are promises to yourself for a better new year.
What will you do differently in 2016?

33 North Fillmore Street ∙​​Arlington, VA 22201

December 17, 2015
Volume 3, Issue 1

Long Branch Elementary School

Words of Wisdom

By Isis Haynie and Tako Lee

TLL:​​How do you help students at Long Branch?
Mrs. Martin: I teach lessons to help students with their problems, such as making friends and bullying. I also
have lunch bunch groups where students get together during lunch to talk about anything that could be
going on in school.

TLL​:​What do you suggest kids do over winter break?
Mrs. Cerrud: I think kids should go hiking, spend time with family and play games, do art projects, read
books, and have fun!

TLL:​How do you think this school year is going so far? What do you think the students at Long Branch need
to work on?
Ms. Russo:​I think this school year is going well so far. The kids need to remember to keep their hands
and feet to themselves and to respect one another.

The Little Lion Reporters 2015-2016

Staff

Marquez Barlow | Bryanna DeJesus
Charish Fleming | Jovon Joyner
Tako Lee | Chloe McCann
Abdullah Raziq |Alex Zecharias
Edward Diaz Romero | Isis Haynie
Julissa Hernandez Aguirre
Tauqeer Hussein | Malaak Sadouk

Gustavo Gonzales | Kai Rasmussen
Evelyn Rosales Izara | Sheyla Ralda

with help from
Ms. Williams | Mrs. Pickering
Mrs. Sterne | Mrs. Woolley

33 North Fillmore Street ∙​​Arlington, VA 22201