Phoenix Press
WeBring News From FCS Lower School
Welcometo Another Year at FCS
By Duncan McLuckieand Bailey Connors
Welcome to the first issue of the Phoenix Press and welcome back to school!
On Friday, September 8th, the lower school gathered outside around the Friendship Bell. Our principal, Ms. Pierre called 5th grader, Emily up to ring the bell and start the new year. Ms. Pierre read the plaque next to the Friendship Bell which states, ?Ringfor the joyof learning, Ringfor thelove of friendship ". After the bell ringing, we all went down to the Meeting Room to meet and greet all the new students and teachers.
You are reading the first issue of the Phoenix Press.This is a newspaper written by some students in 5th grade during newspaper club which happens at lunch time.
Hope you have a great year here at FCSand enjoy the Phoenix Press!
Thelower school newspaper is brought to you by thefollowing 5th graders: Alex,Bailey,Ben,Benedict,Charles,ChloeM.,Duncan,Maira,Olivia,Parker,Sam and Theo.
Meet Teacher Brandi
By Olivia Anyumba,CharlieKlein and Theo DeSouza
Have you ever wanted to know why and how new teachers come to the school?Well, we have a story here about our new 5th grade humanities teacher, Teacher Brandi. Teacher Brandi says that her students are the best part of being at this school. ?Everyone here is different and unique in their identities,?she said. She is enjoying getting to know her students better.
We asked her to describe our school environment in one word and she said, ?Family?. That?s because she can talk to her students and laugh with them about their common interests like
movies, books and sports. Teacher Brandi has taught many grades including first and third grade. ?I don?t have a favorite grade,?she said. ?I just love teaching."
Teacher Brandi came to Friends Central from Chicago. She loved it there because she felt that she was surrounded by ?Black Excellence?...black people with great qualities and abilities that went very far. But she decided to come to Philadelphia because she wanted to challenge herself with a new grade and take herself out of her comfort zone. She wanted to become a better teacher. ?I want to teach my students how to find their own voices and to care for others,? she said. ?Social justice is really important to me. It?s okay to be yourself.?
Teacher Brandi thinks that 5th graders can changetheworld!
All About Ms.Lee
By Alex Duvivier,Ben Hebert and Sam Lord
?When I visited here last spring, I noticed that the teachers were very intelligent and the children were open-minded,?says Ms. Lee, our new 5th grade mathematics teacher. ?I was very impressed by that.?That?s why she decided to come here from her old school, Baldwin, an all-girls school.
Before coming here, Ms. Lee taught 4th grade for the majority of her teaching years. She also used to work at a school called Pennsbury. Ms. Lee says she never thought she would be a teacher, but she liked young kids and her mentors always said she would be a good teacher. While she was a kid, Ms. Lee?s favorite subjects were reading and social studies. But we can see that she likes math! Ms. Lee also likes to cook, play the piano and socialize with friends.
Weareso happy to haveMs.Lee teaching herein 5th grade!
TheBully Buster Comes to FCS
By Parker Hoppy and Benedict Tessler
Do you know how to deal with bullies?Well, we do now! On September 29th, actors from The Walnut Street Theatre came to FCSand put on a fantastic performance about how to deal with bullies. The skits were funny, entertaining, and gave students helpful strategies. In one of the skits, Alex, the bully, was stealing Timmy?s lunch money, grabbing his arm, and snatching his hat.
Being bullied makes you feel really bad inside. If you are being bullied, you start by telling a teacher or an adult you can trust that someone is picking on you.
After you tell an adult, you can try to understand why the person behaved like a bully. You can try to talk to
the bully and resolve the situation. The most important thing we learned is to be an upstander, not a bystander. That means if you see someone being bullied you try and fix it, not just watch. You can try to tell the bully to stop, but if they don?t listen, tell a trusted adult.
Piggles and the Painting
A story by Maira Zaidi
Hi there! My nameis Mr.Pigglebottumbut you can call mePiggles.I'mfiveyears old.Today,I am painting a picturefor my mommy,Ms.Weird.Sheis thehuman who adopted meand I loveher so much! By theway,did I tell you I'ma pig? Well anyway, I amgoing to paint a picture, but I don't knowwhat to paint.Hmm?Oh,I know! I?ll build a timemachineso I can get someadvice!
*Piggles builds a time machine*
Okay and nowI'll takePiggies,my stuffed pig,and go to meet Leonardo da Vinci!
*Piggles goes back in time to Leonardo da Vinci's house*.
Whoa,this is too cool, right Piggies? Suddenly Iheard, ?Ahhhh! Murderer! Pleasedon't kill me!?It was Leonardo.Hedoesn't knowwho I am.?I comein peacefor inspiration for a painting,?I said to Leonardo.?Oh,
well all you haveto do is beimaginative.Likemeimagining to be with my truelove,?da Vinci said.?Weall haveimagination.Wejust haveto learn to useit,?hesaid."Ok.ByeLeonardo.," I said."And by theway,thanks for theadvice.?And with that,I left.
Leonardo looked shocked but hey,I had to get backto draw my painting.After I camehomeIdrewthepicture. It is a pictureof my mommy,Ms.Weird! Shesaid sheloves it and that it looks like theMona Lisa.I guess everyonehas an artist on theinsidejust waiting to comeout.Bye-bye.
