Alyssa's Thoughts

I feel that Trinity getting MacBook Airs is a fantastic idea, I think it will help us mature (at least I’ll mature). Having the computer will help us take notes and keep nice and organized.I also think that it’s going to give us more freedom and trusting us even though were being monitored. Having the computers probably affect us in good ways, one being they could encourage us to type or blog. Second you get the chance to be a better research and be able to get around the computer easier. With these computer I am going to try make longer essays meaning I am not going to just make the minimum amount of words, but now I am going to put as many words as I feel. So, over all I feel like getting the Macs is a fantastic idea.

The picture of the tsunami in Rikuzentaka, Japan really made me really sorry for the families that suffer through the lost of one of their family members. Then it makes me wonder,  what if this happened to me.” Not in the way that if the tsunami hit me but in the way of what if my mom or my dad had died in that natural disaster. 

If you look at the picture at a different angle, the tsunami had stopped right in front of the one of the houses. If that house was mine I would have been so thankful. To me this picture makes you stop and think for a moment about how this could have to you or it could make you wonder about how the people affected are feeling right about now.

 Caption

More than 1,500 people died last March in Rikuzentakata, one of several towns eradicated by the tsunami. “As the buildings were destroyed, black,dusty smoke was thrown up,” a survivor told an Al Jazeera reporter. ” Then the tsunami swallowed up the smoke.

- Tamon Suzukia

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/tsunami/tsunami-photography

Some people may think typing is so 21^st Century, and that typing doesn’t hurt your hands like writing.  But I would beg to differ, since technology is rising we shouldn’t forget about what the ancient Phoenicians worked so hard to invent. Their hard work should not be forgotten, but should be carried on through our generations.  I also think writing is a time saver. With typing you have to wait for the computer to turn on, for windows to load, and for a word processing document to load.  That can be a long process. For writing you need a piece of paper and a pencil and that’s it, with typing you have to buy a computer. These days, printer ink costs about 30 to 40 dollars. With the economy so bad the ink makes a big dent.

As a student being on the computer means there are tons of things that can be distracting to the eye. I feel that writing influences editing, meaning that by yourself you have to go over and check it. On the computer it checks for spelling and grammatical mistakes, so you may never learn how to spell certain words, or know where to properly place commas. As you’re learning to check over your work would make your GPA probably a lot higher. After you ace editing you can get a job as an editor.  Writing could open up many opportunities in life. It’s like learning a language many people say the earlier you start the better you will be. I think it’s the same as writing, the earlier you start the better you’ll be at it.

I am not saying that we should give up on typing or on writing. Typing is a great use of technology and is a great invention, and writing is a tremendous way to communicate but ……..writing is better.

At Trinity School in Atlanta Georgia, the Technology Lab is gaining a fresh start. Trinity School was built in 2000 it is now 2012 and Trinity is seeking a change. Recently most of Trinity’s computers have been replaced with Apple products and now decided that their technology lab should be more modern. The school is planning for the construction to be finished by August 10, 2012.

The plan for the design includes a comfortable area where students can work together and a work space where students and teachers can work independently. In the working area they are pondering about putting in tables, countertops, and, desks ,and in the  comfortable workspace they are considering whiteboard paint on the walls where the kids can write down all of their ideas with Expo Markers. There also maybe beanbags where the kids can work while at a calm state of mind. They are going to remove everything except for the Apple computers. Mrs. Harris, the technology teacher, believes that, “the redesigning of the tech lab will give the students and teachers a chance to come together and hang out and work with each other.  The tech lab will be more like a learning center than a technology lab.”

Mr. Kennedy, Trinity’s Head Master, exclaims “We hope that the tech lab will allow more collaboration, encourage more creativity, and spark new ideas.” The idea of the redesigning was Mr. Morrison, the Head of Technology, and Mr. Kennedy’s. They believe that 21st century learning means 21^st century designs.

Trinity is modernizing their tech lab to go along with the modern computers. All of the teachers and staff believe that the changing of the technology lab will affect the students in a positive way.

-Alyssa and Emily

We are reading the book Homeless Bird.  Koly is the main character in the book and she has been through some really tuff times. At the beginning of the book Koly has a forced marriage.   It turns out her husband is ill, and they used Koly for her dowry, so they could recover her husband. From there things get worse, Koly becomes a widow and so does her mother-in-law, sass. Then one day Sass gets a call from brother asking if she would live with them. So they hop on a train and head off. Sadly when they stop for a break Koly was ditched and left alone in the city. A man helps her and brings her to a shelter, there she gets a job.  From there things start to kick into a better gear. Like when the owner of the shelter comes to see the widows.  The owner really adored Koly’s embroidering, so much that she found Koly a new finer job.  At her job she makes a friend, Mala, little did she know Mala lives wildly. One day a golden sari went missing, nobody could figure out who took it. Until one day when Mala invited Koly to see how she lived. Koly had never been introduced to boys and girls living to together so that made her very uncomfortable .Another thing that made her uncomfortable was that she saw the golden sari that had been stolen. When Mala saw that Koly noticed it she threatened her so Koly kept her mouth shut. A few days later golden thread went missing. When they found it they found it in Mala’s purse. Mala was fired and sent to the street. Later, Koly finds love with a boy named Raji. They went out to the river side where it was nice and quiet.  When they went they would talk about life and personal things. One day when they were sitting together Raji i proposed. Koly could not say yes right away, because she was thinking of how much she would miss her life. So when Raji left for the farm they decided to write to each other. One day she sat down and thought about it and made her decision, it was a yes! Before she could leave she had to tell her idea to Mr. Das, the store owner. He said that he give her a sari to embroider so when she came back he would get to see the beautiful sari that she made. So when she was done saying good-bye she left to Raji. When she arrived at Raji’s there was a beautiful room waiting for her to embroider in.  I feel that Koly does have to adapt to her situation and that she does it well. I feel that way because has had money to have and hasn’t been broke or living with little to no money, and when she was living on the street she knew the best way to spend her money or to manage her money.

I think that this book teaches us that you have to keep your head up. I feel that way because, Koly has gone through some really down times. She has been ditched in Vrindavan, almost everyone she liked has died but still she keeps her head up. Another theme that is occurring is perseverance. More so towards the end then the beginning, because Koly is now living in a widow’s home and before that she was on the street. This is a big deal especially coming living in a home. She has persevered through some scary things like a man coming up to her and trying to take her. This might sound good, except these men are bad who look for young Indian girls like Koly.  Also this book shows courage, because Koly has been left alone on the street and she didn’t give up on herself and she kept trying because she knew something good was going to happen to her.

The author of this book is Gloria Whelan she is the one that makes this book come alive the one that makes you feel like you’re living Koly’s life. She uses sentences like “The thought had been waiting like a scorpion at the age of my mind” (pg.104) or sentences like “Was my marriage to be like buying of a sack of yams in the marketplace?” (pg. 11).  She also knows when to put those special moments in.  One example would be when, Koly and Raji ran off together right before that Koly was teaching Raji how to read and write. It seemed like the perfect moment to but a little love scene. Some comparisons she uses would be when Chandra was about to get married Koly compared her future husband mustache to a mouse tail (pg.76). Another one would be when Maa Kamala said “You wallow like pigs in mud she was comparing muds with Koly and her friend (pg. 121)

This book is a heart touching book about old Indian life with a touch of love added.

Over the winter break the Trinity fifth graders had to give a gift of time. Which means taking time out of your day to do something for somebody else. So the first thing I did was I clean the floors with the swiffer sweeper. I didn’t think that was enough so I also did the dishes. Then I thought to start helping people outside of my family, so I used my cake pop baker that I got for Christmas and baked the neighbors some cake pops. Then I was satisfied with all the things I did!

I am reading a book called The Watsons go to Birmingham. So far I have just finish chapter 8 going on to chapter 9. The book has never had a boring part, but I will say some of the times every thing isn’t the most exciting. Here the story line, it’s about a boy named Kenny who has a younger sister named Joey. He also has a older brother name Byron, who is always getting in trouble. He also has a  friend named Rufus. This book is great for anyone who likes comicicky, tragic and touching. If you like that stuff  you should read this book.

Crunch! Crunch, Crunch! Goes the sand as we walked down the white beach.We could smell the salty clear water. As we walked down the beach we could feel the sand sticking to our feet and the the sun shinning on our face.

Recently, my family spent an afternoon on the beach. We were all very eager to find a spot and relax. Then we found it. It was a little island with sea water surronding it. The first thing we did was have a sandcastle competition between Erica, my sister, and me. We made the castles out of sand and other thing we could find. On the island my dad and dog, Dante were chilling. Then my mom, Judy, took Dante into the cold ocean for a little while. Then they came running back. Next thing we know Dante was smashing our castles. This ruined the whole competition! Once my mom saw what he did, she took him back again and they walked in the water surrounding the island for a couple of minutes.

Later on we went into the tide pools to search for crabs. We only found one crab and it was white with a little dirty spots on it. My sister and I tried to pick it up but we got scared and so did Dante. Instead we looked for fish. We found tons of those. The fish were medium sized with silver scales.They swam in schools of six or seven.

That day was a day I will remember as fun,relaxing and enjoyable. Being with my family is one of my favorite things to do. Those are the days that just can not be planned they just happen.

Plump and

Unique orange plants that

Make up a jack-a-lantern for Halloween

Peeled on the inside with seeds like crumbs

Kids stick candles in me to light up the sky to show the way

Independent children begging candy walk by

Now getting candy and cheering

Your birthday party is the hardest thing to figure out. By that I mean what your theme is going to be or what your going to do with all those guests. For my 10th birthday party it was a surprise party. It was a super surprise at that. Here’s how it all went down. Madison’s mom took us to get some frozen yogurt. Once we finished eating they tricked me and said we were going to go to Stevie B ‘s and she said she didn’t know the way so she called my mom and we went to go get her to show us the way. Next thing I know I’m opening the door and hear a loud yell saying ” Surprise”. After that we partied the rest the night but stopped in the middle to see a movie. For my 9th birthday party you designed your dream bed-room. Other parties were skating and art and other stuff. Now it’s time to think about my 11th b-day party. Here comes the hard part.