Magnet Express Volume Vol. 6 1/No.1 No. 1
Spring 2017 Fall/Winter 2009 PULLING IN NEWS
TMSE reporter features fellow classmates from different religions, cultures By Edan
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t the Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary School, we have many foreign students from several different countries. We have Madelyn C. Herwig, a German Presbyterian Christian. She was born in Duisburg and moved to the United States in 2008. Unlike the clothing we have in the United States, Madelyn says, “German people wear very dark, thick clothing.” Abdel Abdelharim is a Muslim student from North Sudan. In his religion, he cannot eat pork or drink alcohol, especially the adults. He practices Islam in a mosque, which is
like a temple. “There are a lot of fancy dresses in the Muslim religion,” he says. Abdel moved to the U.S. in 2007. Also, we have two Hindu students, Vibha Chandra and Abhai Anand. They both don’t have middle names, which is common in their culture. Their family is from India, an industrial and large Asian country. Abhai and Vibha are both vegetarians by religion, and they practice Hinduism in a temple. They both said that their country produces the “sari,” a popular exotic dress. Lastly, we have my brother, Yoav Y. Eyal. He is Jewish and from Israel, a country that connects Africa and Asia. He is restricted from eating pork and most seafood. He practices Judaism in a synagogue. An exotic cloth his country makes is the head dress, a cloth women wrap around their head. In his culture, this cloth is a sign of humbleness. TMSE has many students from foreign countries who practice various religions. This is very important, since they give us a taste of their culture. Check page two for photos of our featured friends!
TMSE’s Extra Explorations fuel students’ brains, passions beyond the classroom By Ben
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xtra Explorations at TSME teaches students valuable tasks that are not taught in school. Caleb Scofield is now an utlimate frisbee expert because of Extra Explorations. He says, “Ultimate frisbee is really fun!” Caleb enjoys this unique sport so much because it’s good exercise, and it teaches him good sportsmanship. “I have improved at ultimate frisbee because of Extra Explorations,” he said. Caleb believes he got better at everything about ultimate. This is also his first time playing ultimate frisbee. Champ Hollins has been busy with the drama program of extra explorations! He said he loves drama because he likes to act. “I have gotten better at singing in drama, but I have done it before now,” Champ said. Extra Explorations are allowing students to try new things and improve existing talents! For more information, visit the “Activities” page on TMSE’s website.
We’ll miss you,
Ms. Hester! By Madelyn
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he first day Tuscaloosa Magnet School opened, Ms. Hester was here and ready to teach. Because Ms. Hester is retiring this year, I interviewed her about her career as a teacher. She has taught in many cities, including Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Geismer, Louisiana. Her favorite thing about TSME is that we have won a blue ribbon.
Ms. Hester notes that, “Winning a blue ribbon means that our school is one of the best schools in the nation.” Ms. Hester loves that the students at TMSE are diverse. She also describes her admiration for the school’s “unique curriculum.” During her free time, she hopes to go to a bible study and exercise more. We are so sad that she is leaving us, and we hope to see her around Tuscaloosa!
Meet our international friends at TMSE!
Ms. Hester
Teacher Feature: Coach Prior
Madelyn Herwig
Abdel Harim
Vibha Chandra
Yoav Eyal
By Desiree
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rom volleyball to tennis, Coach Prior knows about sports! One of Coach Prior’s favorite games is volley-tennis. Volleytennis is a sport that her middle school P.E. teacher taught her, and it’s still her favorite game today. Unlike volley-tennis, the sport that challenges Coach Prior the most is lacrosse. Using a stick to catch a small ball when running can be a difficult task. Coach Prior enjoys the school because TMSE has challenging activities. “The challenges bring love to use,” she explains. She always loved being active and playing sports throughout her life. “I always knew that I would be a teacher,” she admits. Coach Parsons has been teaching at TMSE for 8 years and shows so many students how to love sports!
BRACE YOURSELF
How do people tolerate braces? Over four million people in the world have braces, and some of those people are here at TMSE. Find out what Kate Richardson, Lilly Void, and Alice Arlington have to say about braces: Do Braces Hurt? Kate: They hurt at first. Lilly: They tickle a little. Alice: They hurt when I got first got them.
Can Braces Come Off Without A Dentist’s Help? Kate: No! Lilly: Yes, if you pick at them. Alice: They can if they get too loose.
What Foods Are Not Allowed? Kate: I can’t eat popcorn, gum, or drink soda. Lilly: Super chewy things! Alice: I can’t eat gummies.
Did You Want Braces? Kate: I liked the idea of getting different colored bands.
Caroline
Weather experts talk about their predictions, favorite weather patterns
Story by Grace
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n observant student and terrific teacher at TMSE give insight and opinions about the unpredictable Tuscaloosa weather! Mrs. Barnes and 4th grade student Caroline enjoy watching the weather of this city. Today Caroline predicted, “It’s going to be chilly in the morning, and warmer in the afternoon. It will be cloudy with a little sun.” Caroline does not enjoy thunderstorms and does not predict any storms coming through any time soon. Her favorite season is summer because school
Mrs. Barnes
By Saxon
is not in session! Mrs.Barnes also enjoys watching weather patterns. She said tomorrow will be rainy in the morning and cooler than today. Mrs. Barnes’s favorite extreme weather is thunderstorms. She says she enjoys sleeping during thunderstorms at night and in the morning. She also says her favorite season is summer because she does not work!
THIS WEEK: Hang up your coats and enjoy the warm weather this week, but pack an umbrella just in case of rain!
Principal, students share thoughts on TMSE, benefits of IB schools By Genesis
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MSE is challenging students and teachers to be the best they can possibly be! I am Genesis Little, a journalist at TMSE who interviewed Mrs. Paxton, the school’s principle, and students Coulter Perreira about academics at TSME. What is the best quality a student can have to succeed? Mrs. Paxton: Gratefulness is the best quality a student can have to succeed. What would you change about TMSE? Mrs. Paxton: I would like for the school to be bigger. Coulter: I would get a better roof for the gym because every time it rains the rain leaks through the roof. What do you think is the difference between an IB school and a regular public school? Mrs. Paxton: At TMSE we are more globally focused. When we talk about a topic we don’t just focus on what it’s mainly about, but the why and the how. We also connect it to other topics. What do you want to do in life and is TMSE helping you achieve it? Coulter: I want to be an architect. The art at TMSE is helping me achieve this. Describe Mrs. Paxton in four words. Coulter: Nice, funny, caring, and incredible!
Talent Spotlight:
MOVE!
get up and
TMSE’s sports partnership excites students, encourages fun, exercise By Reggie
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he newest 2017 partnership is sports, and 5th grader Henry Evans has great things to say about it! He gets to spend his partnership playing games similar to dodgeball and tag. Why did he choose this partnership? When Mrs. Elledge, our Enrichment teacher, asked him if he wanted to do it, he gladly
Mrs. Craddock Mrs. Poe
We LOVE our teachers!
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rs. Speight, Mrs. Poe, and Mrs. Craddock all love teaching at TMSE! Mrs. Speight loves teaching at our school. She enjoys teaching at TMSE because she can use various tools to meet her students’ needs. Her pet peeve is, “when students aren’t first time listeners.” Mrs. Poe shares her love for teaching with all of the students at TMSE. The students are her favorite part of the school. Her pet peeve is when students don’t respect Ms. Grant. Mrs. Craddock enjoys life at TMSE just as much as Mrs. Speight and Mrs. Poe. She enjoys it because she likes the creativity of her students. She said, “My pet peeve is when kids are mean to each other.”
Mrs. Speight
Teaching at TMSE: what a gig! By Kate
agreed! It was not difficult to recruit students like Henry for this new partnership. Students spend time in the gym and outside. The partnership is for 3rd through 5th graders. “If I could rate this partnership on a scale from 1-10, I would give it a 9.5!” Henry explains. Sports seems like a perfect new partnership. Here are some photo highlights!
Mrs. Parsons - Art By Zyren
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rs. Parsons is the most awesome, dynamic, and creative artist at TMSE! During this interview, Mrs. Parsons reveals how she became so talented! Mrs. Parsons likes genealogy. Genealogy can have different meetings, but to Mrs. Parsons, it means the study and tracing lines of descent or development. The students at TMSE should be proud and amazed of what this talented a r t i s t draws! As a journalist interested in art, I really like her Mrs. Parsons drawings. Yes, Mrs. Parsons loves her drawings too! She has been drawing well for years and enjoys finding old drawings from 2 or 3 years ago in her studio. Sometimes she even takes them and makes them better. When asked about her biggest concern for her drawings, Mrs. Parsons answered that she likes to keep her drawings from being “torn, loose, or even missing.” She keeps her drawings in her journal, where they can remain private and safe.
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MORE?
Check out our website, tmsemagnetexpress. wordpress.com, for expanded stories, staff bios, photos and more!