The Snelling Connection

A newspaper written by elementary students, mentored by university students

THE

SNELLING CONNECTION Newsletter for the Hamline to Hamline Collaboration Fall Issue 2016

Volume 20, Issue 1

Huskies Tumble Into Success Kindergarteners work with Hamline gymnasts

By Al’lyn Stowers Student Journalist

Have you ever wanted to be like Gabby Douglas? Flipping on the floor, balancing on the beam, and flying high on the vault. Kindergartens from Hamline Elementary had the opportunity to practice like Olympic athletes when they visited the Hamline University gym to learn gymnastics with the Hamline Gymnastics team.

Kindergartners practiced tumbling, walking on the beam, and flipping over bars while building great relationships with college gymnasts.

The kindergarten classes went over to the Hamline campus multiple times over two weeks to learn and practice their moves. They learned how to do bars, front flips, back bends, and how to walk on the beam.

Kindergartener hangs on the bar “We worked with the kindergarten classes for one hour” said Cate Reynolds, a senior at Hamline University and one of the captains of the Hamline Gymnastics team, “The hardest thing to teach the kindergarteners was the beam.” Cate has been an active member of the Hamline Gymnastics team throughout her four years at Hamline.

Cate has worked with many elementary students in the gym. Cate and the gymnastics team wanted to help the kindergarten class with the basics of gymnastics because it is a great way

Hamline Elementary To Become Community Hub

School Recieves Community Grant from State

By Illias Sikorski Student Journalist

What would you do if you received $132,000? A new car? A house? A swimming pool full of legos? Well Hamline Elementary school is putting that money into developing itself as a hub for the community in order to prepare their

Elementary students cross Snelling Ave.

for children to get moving so that their bodies grow tall and strong.

The kindergarten classes went to Hamline University to learn gymnastics with the Hamline University Gymnastics team (HUG). The kindergarten classes learned many basic skills of gymnastics.

This pairing hopes to get kids moving while giving them a chance to use highquality equipment.

To learn more about the Hamline Gymnastics team visit their team website at hamlineathletics.com.

students for long-term success.

When applying for the Minnesota Full Service Community School Grant, Hamline Elementary requested $150,000, which is the max amount of money you can receive. Although they requested $150,000, the school received a grant for $132,000. Hamline Elementary was the only school to receive the Minnesota Full Service Community School Grant in the district. Hamline Elementary plans on using the grant to create a resources for parents and other members of the community.

Hamline Elementary Assistant Principal Kristin Reilly has been leading the grant committee. “We have been told that we will receive the money,” said Ms. Reilly, “the goal is to make Hamline into a community hub that provides resources for families. This would be done by creating a family resource room where there would be computers or possibly even washing machines. Our goal is not to become a laundromat, we just want to support families in as many ways possible. We also would possibly provide trainings for parents on how to use the ipads so that could support their kids in school”.

Ms. Reilly explained that the grant will be used to support the community. The grant will also be used to hire a site coordinator that will provide support and education to parents. With the help of this grant, Hamline Elementary School will become even more of a pillar in the greater Hamline Community.

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The Snelling Connection NEWS

Third Graders Divide and Conquer Geometry Elementary students learn from college math professor

By Youa Her Student Journalist

Math is a skill that everyone should know and Hamline Elementary students are getting a head start on it. This fall, Ms. Lawson’s third grade class had the opportunity to work with a math professor from Hamline University. Professor Sayonita Ghosh Hajra taught a math lesson to show elementary students that learning math can be fun. With the help of University students the third graders learned about math while also having fun.

Professor Sayonita Ghosh Hajra taught Mrs. Lawson’s class about fractions. To teach them about fractions she used shapes and blocks.

To make it fun the third graders created drawings of fraction flowers. From Elementary Students Build Shapes creating fraction flowers the students learned how to divide shapes, and how likely to remember what they learned to make halves of circles. The students if they learn in a creative and fun way. also learned that different fractions can Mrs. Lawson’s third grade class equal the same amount. For example learned that math can be fun. They they learned that 2/4 and 3/6 are the learned about fractions by working with same thing. Professor Sayonita Ghosh shapes, blocks, and creating drawings.

Hajra believes that students are more

(Photo by Jodie Wilson) Professor Sayonita Ghosh Hajra hopes to do more pairings with the elementary school in the future so that she can show more students how fun math can be.

Educator In-Depth

Get to know third grade teacher Ms. Lawson

By Finn McCauley Student Journalist Have you met the new third grade teacher yet? Mrs. Lawson is a new third grade teacher at Hamline Elementary.

She started working at Hamline Elementary this past fall to teach and help students learn. Mrs. Lawson’s favorite thing to teach is reading.

Mrs. Lawson came to Hamline Elementary with lots of teaching experience. Before coming to Hamline she was a teacher at Daytons Bluff Elementary. Mrs. Lawson taught math and reading before she was a teacher at Daytons Bluff, “I taught reading and math at retro public schools.”

Mrs. Lawson is not new to Minnesota

either. she grew up in Minneapolis and attended St. Thomas University in Saint Paul.

Mrs. Lawson wants her students to be the best they can be when they leave the third grade. Mrs. Lawson loves to teach her students reading. Her favorite thing to read with the class is the tale of despereaux. “I like to see kids grow and read more and more books” said Mrs. Lawson. Mrs. Lawson was inspired by her own second grade teacher to become a teacher that cares about students and their learning.

When she is not teaching, Mrs. Lawson likes to spend time in her community. She goes to the gym with her son Joshua and loves to spend time

with her family. Some of Mrs. Lawson’s favorite activities are going to church and giving back to the people in her community.

Mrs. Lawson is a great addition to the Hamline Community. She brings a lot of experience in teaching. She cares about her students and their learning.

Mrs.Lawson loves to share her love for reading with students and to see her students grow. If you want to learn more information about Mrs. Lawson go to hamline.spps.org or stop by to meet her!

Support the Collaboration!

Give your gift @www.hamline.edu/collaboration

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The Snelling Connection Hamline Huskies Hit the Water 4th and 5th Graders learn how to Swim

By Vanessa Lopez-Gonzales Student Journalist When the flood comes, Hamline Elementary fourth and fifth graders will be ready to save lives. Fourth and fifth graders at Hamline Elementary go swimming at Hamline University to learn how to swim. They are taught by instructors from the YMCA. Students learn skills and play games that help them learn. One of the games is Red light, Green

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light. In this game, when they say green light you go and when they say red light you stop. Another game the students play is freeze tag. In this game you swim and if the tager tags you, then you freeze and if the untager tags you, then you unfreeze.

You learn skills like rocket, cannon ball, dive, pizza, and many others.

Skylar is one of the swimming instructors at Hamline University. She likes being able to help kids to feel comfortable in the water, and she is also a lifeguard.

Skylar likes being able to help kids in the pool with clear blue water because she has seen kids drown as well as save kids from drowning. She has also seen kids that look like they are drowning and

Elementary Artists Hold University Gallery Huskies Displayed their Art around the University Campus

By Amareah Roberson Student Journalist

Are you interested in seeing other people’s art in a show? Well look no further. This article is about the Hamline to Hamline Collaboration and when Hamline University let’s Hamline Elementary students put their art in the art hall of the university.

On the 26th and 27th of January Hamline Elementary kids and maybe some Hamline University students put their art on display. It was located in the Anderson Center, a tall and big building with orange color and big glass windows.

The art show was to show off some creative and amazing art from Hamline kids. Maybe there is a chance that you

saw your art at Hamline University.

The show was hosted by Ms. Laubenstein, the art teacher at Hamline Elementary.

Ms. Laubenstein randomly picked 100 pieces of art from each class. “We’re gonna select 100 pieces of art at least and have a miniature expedition,” she said.

Ms. Laubenstein wants kids’ artwork on display like one of her favorite artists.

“I’d say one of my favorite artists is Georgia O’Keeffe because she took something as simple as flowers and painted them in a different way.

I think that’s what I like to do that in my art,

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Hamline Students Swim at HU it makes her nervous. That’s also why Skylar wants her job, she wants to have us look safe and feel safe and be calm in the clear, blue, refreshing cold water.

Learning to swim is important to the fourth and fifth graders because it is fun and can help you in case of an emergency. Also they get an opportunity that others schools and kids don’t experience. Many kids don’t go swimming because their parents don’t have time or don’t want to so we fourth and fifth graders need to be grateful that we have an opportunity that other schools don’t have and we need to take that opportunity.

Skylar is one of the swimming instructors and she is also a lifeguard so she has experience.

She wants all of use to feel safe and look safe in the pool and learn new skills like rocket. We Hamline Elementary school students have an opportunity that other schools don’t have. If you want to learn more go to the Hamline University pool to see the fourth and fifth graders in action.

take something that you see all the time and paint it in a different way.”

In conclusion, the Hamline Elementary students got a chance to put their art in Hamline University. It was a miniature expedition that brought families and the community together to look at the school’s art work. I hope in the future there will be more art shows like this one. Thank you to Hamline University for letting elementary students put their art on display.

Student Art Displayed on Campus

The Snelling Connection NEWS

A closer look at the art exhibit created by Hamline Elementary students presented on the Hamline University Campus. Hamline Elementary students of all ages created art pieces around the theme of “India”. The pieces were presented in the Anderson Center.

Messages of acceptance, love, and community were displayed at the main entrance of Hamline Elementary after the presidential election. With the help of some Hamline University Tutors, members of the PTA created a colorful chalk portrayal of the love present in the Hamline Community.

Hamline Elementary Students performed an archealogical dig in the Blue Garden on Hamline University’s Campus. Students learned the details of what an Archealogist’s job consists of and then were able to put their digging skills to the test as the searched the Earth for treasures.

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The Snelling Connection NEWS

Huskies Fed Knowledge on Hunger Students Attend Oxfam Hunger Banquet Elementary

By Jaylen Gayles Student Journalist Did you know that 1 in 5 children are at risk of hunger? Hunger is an issue that affects children all around the world. To educate students of all ages on this issue ,students at Hamline University hosted an Oxfam Hunger Banquet. The hunger banquet was held November 21, 2016 in the Anderson Center.

Ms. Smith’s fifth grade class had the opportunity to participate in the hunger banquet. To learn about hunger the fifth graders were given meals based on socioeconomic classes. When you arrived at the hunger banquet you would pull a piece of paper and it would say either “rich, middle-class, or poor”.

If you pulled a piece of paper that said “rich”, people would serve you food and you would sit and eat at a table and eat pasta and salad. If you got “middleclass” you would only sit on a chair, with no one serving you your food, and eat rice and beans. If you got “poor” you would have no one serving your food and eat rice and water and sit on

the floor. This activity reflects how some people don’t have enough money to get a full meal.

It is important to learn about hunger and poverty because it is something that affects the people in our community. The people in our community that struggle with hunger, can get really sick and possibly get a disease or even die. Brooke Wallington, a University Student that helped put on the banquet, said, “it’s not people’s fault they get sick from starvation”.

There are people in the world that are starving and suffering from hunger.

People suffer from hunger because they Students Attend Hunger Banquet

don’t have money to buy good food.

Hamline University wanted to educate students so that they can be aware of what is happening in the community.

To learn more or host your own hunger banquet visit www.Oxfamamerica.org

(Photo By Jodie Wilson)

Huskies Get Dancing

Elementary Students Learn to Dance

By Naomi Agboh Student Journalist Hamline Elementary students are moving and grooving to the beat of the music.

Tu dance teaches Hamline Elementary students how to express their feelings through dance with no words just music. Tu dance is a dance company that comes to Hamline Elementary to teach students how to dance. Tu dance has been teaching students at Hamline Elementary for about a month now and will continue to come throughout the year.

By using interesting music and cool dance moves, Tu dance makes students become more interested in dance. Jessie and Julia are students at Tu dance. Jessie and Julia come to Hamline Elementary and share what they learned to students of all grade levels. Jessie and Julia get inspired by everyday things to teach students the basic dance moves that they can use to express themselves.

Jessie and Julia use active music, calm music, and African music to teach students dance. Jessie and Julia said, “I think the reason we do the dances we do is because we want to express our feelings and we like it”.

Jessie and Julia enjoy doing all types

of dance moves that get them moving and that express how they are feeling.

Students at Hamline Elementary get together to learn the basics of dance in an active way. Tu dance Instructor Jessie said “Students want to learn dance in an active way”. Students want to be active and have fun while dancing. Jessie also likes how creative the students at Hamline Elementary are. Jessie enjoys how much the students love learning and willingness to try new t h i n g s .

Students at Hamline Elementary get the opportunity to dance w i t h professional d a n c e company.

Members of the Tu dance company come to Hamline Elementary every week to teach students Students Get Moving

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the basics of dance. Students get to experience various styles of dance and music. The students get to be creative and have fun in an active way. If you want learn more information about Tu dance you can go to Tu dance.org.

(Photo by Jodie Wilson)

The Snelling Connection Whose Behind The Snelling Connection?

By Aerian Jakubiec

Student Journalists Aerian Jakubiec is a fourth grader at Hamline Elementary School. Aerian likes going to Hamline Elementary because of how much she has learned.

Her favorite teacher at Hamline is Ms. Casperson. Aerian’s favorite thing to do in Snelling Connection is research for her articles.

Finn McCauley is a third grader at Hamline Elementary School. Finn likes doing research in Snelling Connection.

He is a member of the Hamline community and enjoys going to school at Hamline Elementary because it has a nice playground. Finn.

Vanessa Lopez-Gonzalez is a fourth grader at Hamline Elementary School.

Vanessa’s favorite part of Snelling Connection is doing interviews and writing .She likes Hamline university because students at other elementary schools don’t get the same opportunities.

Vanessa likes to write mysteries .

Abby Vera is a fifth grader at Hamline Elementary School. Abby likes to write stories about cats that talk. Abby’s favorite teacher at hamline is Ms. Casperson. She likes the playground at Hamline Elementary because she gets to run around.

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likes to write. She likes Hamline because she likes to learn. Her favorite teacher at Youa Her is fifth grader at Hamline Hamline is Ms. Casperson.

Elementary School.

Youa enjoys writing, and her favorite place to write is Jaylen Gayles is a fifth grader at somewhere quiet. Her favorite teacher at Hamline Elementary School. Jaylen Hamline is Mr. Johnson. likes Hamline because he has a lot of Naomi Agboh is a third grader at Hamline Elementary School. Naomi likes Hamline Elementary because it gives her inspiration .Her favorite teacher at Hamline is Ms. Martin. Naomi likes to write stories that she makes up.

Ilias Sikorski is a fourth grader at Hamline Elementary School. Ilias likes being in Snelling Connection because he likes to do research. His favorite thing to write is nonfiction stories. His favorite teacher at Hamline Elementary is Ms. Casperson.

Al’lyn Stowers is a fifth grader at Hamline Elementary School. Al’lyn likes Hamline Elementary because there are nice teachers. She likes to write fantasy and nonfiction stories. Her favorite teacher at Hamline is Mrs. Schjei

friends and he’s been going there since kindergarten. His favorite place to write is in school. His favorite teacher at Hamline is Mr. Johnson.

Co-Editors Kiana Verdugo is a Junior at Hamline University. Kiana’s favorite thing to write is letters to her friends and family .Her favorite teacher at Hamline Elementary is Travis (but don’t tell him). Kiana likes school because she loves to learn new things and challenge herself.

Travis Whitt is a Senior at Hamline University. Travis’s favorite thing to write is fictional stories about fantasy.

Travis’ favorite place to read is in the bathtub.

Amareah Roberson is a fifth grader at Hamline Elementary School.

Amareah’s favorite place to write is in her room.

Her favorite teacher at Hamline is Ms. Casperson. She likes going to school because she likes to learn.

Laila Diaz is a fifth grader at Hamline Elementary School.

Laila likes Snelling Connection because she The Snelling Connection Crew

Hamline Students Learn to Play Elementary Students make Music

By Laila Diaz Student Journalist

Students at Hamline are learning the skills that will get them to the top of the charts.

Hamline Elementary students work with Rita Juhl to learn music and express themselves. Ms. Juhl works with students at Hamline to listen to and play all kinds of music.

Ms. Juhl thinks music is important for students so that they can learn sounds and songs and create things from their ideas.

Mrs. Juhl has been teaching music at Hamline for a few years now. She enjoys teaching music because it is fun to see students make music of their own. She thinks that music is calming and a good addition to students regular school day. Music is a universal

language that can connect students.

Mrs. Juhl has over 40 instruments, but mostly teaches piano to first and second graders at Hamline Elementary. Mrs. Juhl uses an electric keyboard but also uses every instrument that you can name.

In Mrs. Juhl’s class, students learn many different songs. Students see and play instruments of all kinds. While learning to play instruments students also learn to cooperate with each other. Students get the opportunity to write and play their own songs and share them with their classmates.

Students at Hamline Elementary get the great opportunity to learn and play music throughout the school day.

From listening to different instruments to writing their own songs, students work together to create music. Mrs. Juhl hopes to keep that creative and collaborative spirit alive in her students for many years to come.

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Snelling Connection Hamline Elementary Student Advisor Jodie Wilson | Hamline Elementary Liason jodie.wilson@spps.org Hamline University Student Advisor Frank Shaw | Mathematics Department fshaw@hamline.edu Snelling Connection Co-Editors Kiana Verdugo | University Student Travis Whitt | University Student Ray Doss | University Student snellingconnection17@gmail.com For more information about the Collaboration hhcollaboration@gmail.com