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Thank you, Friends of Valencia After School - we made it!

2010-03-11T07:27:00.001-08:00

A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR SUSTAINING DONORS WHO HELPED US MAKE IT TO THE END OF THE YEAR!

Valencia School $1500
Valencia Home and School Club $1000
Anonymous Donor, Fresno, CA $1000
Anonymous Donor, Aptos, CA $500
G. Vuppuluri, $500
Chuck White $35
Anonymous Donor,Palo Alto, CA $100
Anonymous Valencia family $300
Anonymous Valencia family $125
Anonymous Valencia family $100

Click here to download our DONOR LETTER, thank you!

Six-Word Memoirs - 5th grade

2010-03-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day Celebrations With Our Families

2010-03-04T11:07:00.000-08:00

I usually look forward to spending time with my family. I also dine with my Aunt Doris. My favorite food is the turkey. I will be in Los Angeles with my Aunt or at my Grandma's. It won't be the same without my Grandpa, he died at age 78. But I will be with my family and we will have fun.

My cousin Angelica comes over and we play and talk about BOYS! It's really fun until my two annoying little cousins come and ruin all the fun and then my mother starts yelling and saying, "You should play with them!" YEAH, RIGHT! Like I'd play with an eight year-old and a six year-old.

- Noemi, 5th grade

I make tamales and eat them, then we go with our friends to eat more tamales! I look forward to making the tamales because I make great tamales. My favorite thing to eat is turkey, chicken, and tamales. I might be at my Mom's friend's house and I will be with my family or my friends. Sometimes I am thankful for my friends, best friends and my nicest, best friend Angel.

During Thanksgiving I like to give parties because it's a fun thing to do, and I look forward to being able to be nice. My Mom brings the food; she and her friend buy the food ingredients at Mi Pueblo market.

- Kathie, 5th grade

On Thanksgiving, I go to Lake Shasta. I look forward to seeing Uncle Steve, Grandma Bev, Papa, Gamy, Kathy, Aunt Becca, Uncle Eddie, Devon, and maybe Jayden. My favorite food on Thanksgiving is the turkey. and I get to play with Devon, Papa, and Uncle Eddie. Oh, I forgot, I might get to see Great Grampa Tom, and Great Grandma Rosalie. My Grandpa usually cooks the food, and it is awesome.

- Matthew, 6th grade

For Thanksgiving Day, I buy a big turkey and see my friends and family. After they arrive, we all get cookin'! I make cookies or cupcakes and my mom makes a BIG FAT dessert dish! My Dad cooks the turkey while my big sis makes the stuffing. When the guests come, they either help cook or put something on for us to watch while they cook. Since the whole family cooks, you can imagine how big our kitchen is!

I mostly look forward to seeing my family and friends. I also look forward to seeing the huge turkey on the table. I think my dog looks forward to seeing the huge turkey on the table, he looks forward to all of our scraps. My older sis looks forward to sleeping on the couch after all that turkey that she consumes. I love eating turkey again at the end of the day.

My favorite food is either my Mom's coconut cake or my Dad's turkey. My Mom is Brazilian so she makes the best cake ever!

- Dani, 5th grade

I usually go to my Aunt's house for Thanksgiving, but last Thanksgiving we had it at my Dad's house. This Thanksgiving I'm not really sure if we are going to have it at my Dad's house or at my Aunt's. I look forward to spending time with and etaing with my family. My favorite food at Thanksgiving used to be the turkey, but now since I am a Pescatarian it would be any vegetable that's on the table, or the bread, or the mashed potatoes.

- Sam, 6th grade

Creative Writing 4-6th Graders

2010-02-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

Rain

I think rainy seasons are very fun! I play board games, make forts, and eat popcorn. Even if it’s cloudy, ugly, and you can’t play outside, they can be very exciting. I would have to say that I like wintery weather better than summery weather because in the summer you get hot and stinky. But, however in the winter you can make snowmen if it snows where you live. If it doesn’t snow where you live, you can play inside and play bored games, build forts, and many more fun things. But in the summer you can swim, and if you swim all day it makes your breathing weird and at night and you get really sleepy. But you can still swim in the winter too if you go to an inside pool. Even though there are gray, ugly skies they could be fun and not a drag. These are some of my reasons why I love winter!!

By: Claire

Winter Break

This winter break I am going somewhere with my Grandpa and Grandma. I am going to go snowmobiling. First, I am going to Sierra California and I am going to a snow park called Hope Valley. Second, I am going to another snow park called Iron Mountain. I am going to stay there for a little while too. Lastly, I am going to Nevada and I am going into Carson. Once I am in Carson I am going to a hotel called Carson Valley Inn. After that I am going to go back home, maybe go over to one of my friends houses - but probably I am going to be playing my xbox360 all day on xbox360 Live. I might beat Halos and a few more games.

By Kevin

New Year

My goal for 2010 is to get more friends and to get more A’s on my grades. I will like to get a new backpack and to get to live with my real family like my dad that lives in Oregon and he visits me 5 days a month. I also want a phone and an Ipod and I also want some clothes. I also want to paint my hair with pink straps because pink is my favorite color.

By Conny

Creative Writing One-Liner Prompts - 3rd grade

2009-02-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

One-line prompts were followed to create stories:

"It is starting like this."

by Lars

It is starting like this. "I go to the mall, you don't-- that is how it goes," my Mom said to me. "No way," I said. She told me to go to my room and I said, "Ok, Mom." She said to stay in there until she got back. I said "Ok". I stayed in my room and that is how this story ends.

"I was made to rebel."

by Connor and Jenny

I was made to rebel. In my house whenever we eat we have to wash the dishes. I hate washing dishes! Whenever my room is a mess I have to clean it up. I hate that. I hate homework but I always have to do it...
I love to run, and we can't run in the classroom. I wish I could get on top of the monkey bars but we can't get on them. I hate that!
It's mean, because we want it our way.

"At home, I'd get up early."

by Christian and Josh

At home I'd get up early, when the sisters were still asleep and head to the ancient Chinese man's store and get a teacup and a Chinese clock. And a table, and then I leave.

"A child wants to see."

by Luis and Angel

A child wants to see the dog. The dog has big red feet, and looks like a lion. One day the dog left the neighborhood on those big feet.

It's all in a Name- 5th grade

2009-02-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

Students use a name acronym to describe themselves:

Musical
Awesome
Respectful
Intelligent
Emotional
Love
Adorable

Marvelous
Awesome
Right all the time!
Great
Active
Radiant
I love trees
Talented
Actress

Awesome
Dread
Run
Important
Apple
Nectarine

Knight
Extra cool
Vince is one of my best friends
Is fun
New

5th Grade Earthweek Article follow-ups

2009-02-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

Students responded to an article from Earthweek Diary, true news of the wierd on planet Earth.
They read an article and described what happened thereafter.

Article 1: Mosquitoes
Theme: Mosquitoes in Athens, Greece reported which have evolved to be uber-smart, indefatigable and pesky.

"Mosquitoes", by Kevin

Mosquitoes are not even funny. They make me mad! Another place they are found thriving is in the Sierra Mountains in California. They are most active from two hours before sunrise 'til sunrise. They sometimes sit on top of the water.
You never want to walk into a crowd of mosquitoes. Trust me, it really hurts! If you wear repellant, you will most likely not get poked.
Don't try to keep them as a pet! That's all for now, folks.

"Mosquitoes", by Patrick

If a mosquito bites your nose, it gets larger and larger. Clothes designers are upset because people who get bit on their rear end can't fit into their clothes and they lose sales. And, the people have stopped buying sweatshirts because when they sweat, mosquitoes bite them.

Article 2: Fish from Heaven
Theme: In a village called Manna in India, a live rainstorm of flying fish descend upon a village, providing food for many people. Due to to deep sea currents, this phenomenon has happened in the past but rarely is there a live storm.

"Fish From Heaven" by Margarita

"I can't believe the weather today," said the weather forecaster, Ms. Holland. "Ma'am, Ma'am, get on wth this forecast, we don't have much time," the producer yelled. Crash. Crash. Boom. The windows cracked and all the windows shattered as fish fell through them, and slipped down the hall. One even fell on the weather girl's head.

"Fish IN Heaven" by Allan

One day, a fish was at home in its' pond. The pond became polluted and it died. The fish went to heaven, and it met the fish god. Then it lived in a gold house.

Article 3: The Monster Rabbit
Theme: An enormous rabbit has been reported about in England which is about three feet tall and terrorizes people's gardens. A documented case of a giant rabbit exists in captivity and this may be a wild counterpart.

"Monster Rabbit" by Andrea, Uriel, and Mariela

The rabbit came back and guards tried to kill it. The guards failed, the rabbit won- and he went and destroyed the garden. Then the monster rabbit ate all the crops and he got fat. After he ate all the crops he went to a sumo wrestling match. In that match he played against a giant bear. Finally, the bear won and the monster rabbit just gave up. Then the British town gave the giant bear a big award. They never saw the Monster Rabbit again.

Six-Word Memoirs - 6th grade

2009-02-20T11:34:00.001-08:00

Six-Word Memoirs activity excerpted/ inspired by the book:
Best American Non-Required Reading 2007, edited by Dave Eggers

These were hilarious!

Children were given examples:

"Wanted world, got world plus chocolate."
"Bad brakes discovered at high speed."
"Wasn't born a redhead; fixed that."
"Lucky in love, unlucky in metabolism."
"Never really finished anything except cake."
"I managed not to destroy anything."
____________________________________________________________________

And came up with..
____________________________________________________________________

"Money was thrown away, life had." - Tyler
"I don't remember my middle name." - Tyler
"When showering, sing rock and roll." - Tyler

"I had to go to Ohio." - Seth

"I love my mom so much!" - Ulises
"I am a good soccer player." - Ulises

"Haven't broken a bone so far..." - LaMaya
"MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace, MySpace." - LaMaya

"My friend's whistle drives me crazy." - Jose

"Born in Chicago, got a dog." - Al

"My alter ego is a Queen." - unknown
"Accomplished my goals in Math, yeah!" - unknown

"Spending time with friends equals happiness." - Dani
"My alter ego is totally Mexican." - Dani

"Wanted chocolate, did not get chocolate." ;( Alejandra
"Wanted a sister, got annoying sister." - Alejandra
"Wanted a hot chocolate, got coffee." - Alejandra

"Found out that I am smart!" - David
"Sports make me fly, fly, fly..." - David

Haiku - 3rd grade

2009-02-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Hallowe'en

A Vampire I'll be
I'll wear black and sparkly red
I will get candy

Untitled

I sat down today
A fly was flying around
please don't land on me!

by Summer
_____________________________________________________________
Handball

I will play handball
I hope I don't hit my friend
Ball bounces, hits wall

by Zennia
_____________________________________________________________
Bunnies

Hopping, fluffy ears
I want a bunny, badly
I love them so much

by Cameron
_____________________________________________________________
Hallowe'en

Scary spooky bats
and ghosts, black cats give bad luck
Hallowe'en is cool

by Kiana
_____________________________________________________________
Untitled

At recess I play
I like to play football now
because I'm older

by Phillip
_____________________________________________________________
Recess

I did my homework!
at recess I play "Two-Touch"
at recess I play

by Alen
_____________________________________________________________
At recess I play
I kick the soccer ball hard
Soccer is so fun

by Jessy
_____________________________________________________________
At recess I sat
on the bench and did homework
no playing today

by Magali
_____________________________________________________________
Recess ends early
I like to play with my friends
after school is fun

by Lizet
_____________________________________________________________
At recess I play
When it ends I am so sad
I eat and play ball

by Nick

Haiku - 5th grade

2009-02-20T10:37:00.001-08:00

Snack time

I need recess now
I'm so hungry, I could croak
I am very big

by Adrian
_____________________________________________________________
About Me

I play with my friends
I have brown hair and I'm smart
I like to travel

by Ruby
_____________________________________________________________
Untitled

A rhino is big
A rhino has a big horn
they can't play soccer!

by Patrick
_____________________________________________________________
Favorite Sport

Kevin likes to ride
I like BMX biking
Jumping is the best

by Kevin
_____________________________________________________________
Recess

At recess I play
Vanesa and I are friends
we walk to the grass

by Mariela
_____________________________________________________________
Recess

Dodging and throwing
I play dodgeball with my friends
happy, enjoying

by Lupita
_____________________________________________________________
Friends

School is very fun
School has a lot of hard math
and awesome friends too

by Sophia
_____________________________________________________________
Untitled

I fell off a swing
we play hard at after-school
boys are weird, hate 'em.

by Margarita
_____________________________________________________________
My Friends

My friends are awesome
my friends work together well
we play together

by Eduardo
_____________________________________________________________
Dodgeball

Dodgeball is so cool
I got hurt with a dodgeball
it makes me sweaty

by Sofia
_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Haiku - 6th grade

2009-02-20T10:03:00.000-08:00

"They"

Arid skies, dark nights
They're coming to prey on us
hurry, run away

Big Dipper

Look at the nightsky
the Big Dipper shines so bright
-never dread the night

Friendship

A friendship is Love
It's like a relationship
there are ups and downs

Music

Music is awesome
it ties my life together
makes my days more fun

God

Day leaves, starry nights
When the wind moves, when sun shines
it is God above

by Lamaya
_____________________________________________________________
Cookie Monster

Blue fat mountain man
Cookie monster is famous
on a kid's landscape

by Asia
_____________________________________________________________
Music

Music is laughter
Music is the way of Life
music is joyful

by Emma

_____________________________________________________________
Paintball

Bryant likes paintball
you get shot and color flies!
it hurts very bad

by Bryant
_____________________________________________________________
Longing

Wish I was at home
playing Guitar Hero 3
I would be happy

by Miles
_____________________________________________________________
Bikes on the playground

We like to ride bikes
Let us use them to have fun
and be sooo happy

Wheedling for bike use

Roses are golden
violets can be bright purple
we want to use bikes!

by David
_____________________________________________________________
Soccer

We're good at soccer
we play flawed and have fun, but
Your team always wins

by Jose
_____________________________________________________________
Soccer

We're good at soccer
We play in Spring, it's better
All we do is win.

by Ulises