Good Dental Health by Diego H. (Grade 5)

Good dental health will help your teeth stay healthy and clean for the rest of your life. The first step is flossing, flossing is really important to keep your teeth clean. In the article ”Learn how to floss” it states that floss can get rid of food and plaque in between your teeth that toothbrushes can’t get to. You slip the dental floss between each tooth twice a day to keep plaque from accumulating between your teeth. The second step is brushing, brushing is another thing to do to keep your teeth clean and healthy. In the article “How to keep your teeth healthy” it states that brushing can break down plaque that might cause cavities. Brushing for at least 2 to 3 minutes can give you a nice and shiny smile. The final step is eating well, eating well can help get a beautiful smile. In the article “take care of your teeth” it states that eating well would give you a strong and healthy smile for the rest of your life. If you take care of your teeth, they’ll take care of you by helping you speak clearly. In conclusion, you will have great, strong, and healthy teeth if you follow the steps of brushing, flossing, and eating well.

Benjamin Franklin by Diana M. (Grade 5)

     Ben Franklin's important accomplishments from 1776 to 1790 were to help people in the United States. In the article, "Benjamin Franklin" it states that he convinced the French in a war with England. Ben Franklin signed the Constitution. Ben Franklin also helped write the Declaration of Independence. As you can see, Ben Franklin's important accomplishments from 1776 to 1790 were to help America.

Book Review Podcasts, Give Them a Listen! (Grade 5)

Jasmine R.

The Grim Grotto, A Series of Unfortunate Events

Click to Hear the Podcast

Christopher D.

The Heros Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

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Oscar H.

39 Clues, The Maze of Bones

Click to Hear the Podcast

The Visitor by Monica S. (Grade 6)

“ABIGAIL MAY BAILEY!! GET IN HERE!” yelled mom. I sighed. Oh boy. Here we go again. I dragged my feet as I walked back to the house. She had just gotten back from work, standing with her hands on her hips, soaking wet.

“Do you know anything about this?!” she asked pointing at a big puddle of water on the floor. There was a bucket hanging from ropes that were attached to the ceiling. She had clearly recognized it as one of my inventions.

“Heh heh heh. April fools?” I said sheepishly. She glared at me like she was ready to kill.

“You’re 12 years old Abigail! You know better!” I looked down at my shoes.

“Upstairs right now,” she growled.

I love to build things out of almost anything. In our garage (that we never use,) I have my own little workshop where I make everything. I especially like working with fire. I make my tools with a small forge. I had made a simple contraption where when you turned on a light, it would pull a string and trigger a catapult to shoot a ball and knock a bucket of water down on someone. I like to play sneaky tricks on people, but my mom isn’t the best person to do that to.

My mom and I live alone in a small two-story house in San Francisco. She works at a bookstore in the city, a job she has had for 15 years. The owner was on the brink of closing the store when he hired my mom. She begged him to give her a chance at the job, and now she practically runs the place. When I was born, my dad left us. Mom won’t tell me anything about him. It’s been pretty hard for her without my dad. She spends most of her time in her bedroom.

As I walked into my room, I felt a weird sensation rush up and down my body. Something wasn’t right. I ran to my door but somehow became locked.

“Ha ha ha,” I laughed sarcastically. “Nice one mom. Happy April Fools Day to you-” I stopped. A huge gust of wind filled my room.

“Hello Abigail,” someone said in a deep voice. I slowly turn around to see a big, strong man sitting on my bed. He had a big, scraggly beard, enormous hands and wore a mechanic's uniform. I’ve got to say, his face was kind of ugly.

I was speechless and as still as a statue.

“I saw what you did to your mom,” he said with a chuckle. “I thought that contraption of yours was pretty cool.” I finally got the courage to speak.

“Um...thanks,” I said slowly. “How exactly did you get into my bedroom? And who exactly are you?” His presence was vaguely familiar.

“My name’s Hephaestus. The Greek god of fire, mechanics, metalworking, things like that,” he said. “And believe or not, I’m your dad. Oh, and I got in through the window.” So many questions were running around in my head trying to find an escape.

“Really?” I said in awe. “Well, it makes sense that you’re my father because I love to work with all the things you just described. “

“Exactly,” Hephaestus said.

“Why did you come here anyway?” I asked curiously.

“That’s what I am going to tell you -”

“Ouch! Hot hot hot!!” I said while yanking a necklace off my neck. I dropped it on the floor. It was glowing red as if it had just gotten pulled out of a hot forge. It had a small key attached to it.

His eyes grew wide in amazement.

“Um, do you need that?” I asked. He kept staring at it. All of a sudden, the necklace started to glow white and I floated up into the air. Hephaestus put his hand out and grabbed it. A huge smile spread across his face.

“Abigail! This is exactly what I need! I was afraid you mom had gotten rid of it when I left!” he exclaimed as he gave me an enormous bear hug. If he had hugged me any tighter, he would’ve broken all the bones in my body. After he let go I asked,” Is that important to you?” He explained that the key unlocks a safe containing items he needs to build a powerful weapon. It will help protect Mount Olympus from any major attacks. He gave the necklace to me when I was born and have worn it ever since.

“All the gods and goddesses will be super proud of me,” Hephaestus said to himself as he stared at the key. All of the sudden, mom knocked on the door.

“Honey? Are you alright?” Hephaestus and I shared a worried look. I thought fast.

“Yes, I’m fine mom,” I said quickly. “Please don’t come in! I’m..uh…working on something secret.”

“Okay sweetheart,” she replied. We waited until we couldn’t hear her footsteps.

“That was a close one!” we said with a sigh of relief. We smiled at each other. Then a question came to me that I hadn’t thought about before.

“Do you love my mom?” I asked. He was surprised by the question.

“Yes. I love her so much. She is the most beautiful mortal woman I have ever met.”

“If you do, why did you leave her to take care of me all by herself?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“A couple days after you were born, the other gods told me to come back to Mount Olympus to work for them. If I refused, they threatened to not count me as a god.”

“That’s pretty harsh,” I said. Hephaestus nodded.

“Well,” he said changing the subject. “It is so nice to see you all grown up. Please keep this a secret from your mom for now. I promise I’ll back and visit both of you.”

“It’s nice meeting my dad for the first time in 12 years,” I said. We embraced.

“Bye Abigail,” he said. I waved. Then he and the necklace disappeared into thin air.

Opinion: Should You Keep the Money You Find? by Carla A. (Grade 5)

Should you keep the money you find? Yes. There are many reasons why you
should keep the money you find, and it will not make you a bad person. What I mean
by that is if you find money on a street or somewhere where nobody is, you should take it.

One reason you should keep money that you find is that you could do great things
with it like giving it to people that are homeless to buy food and water. Another reason
is you could use it for something you need or medicine.

If I see money on the floor, when I go out with my family, I take it and use it for
important things I need or I do something to make someone grateful.

As you can see, taking the money you find is okay. Think about this, if you find money
and donate it, you are doing a great thing. Also, you are helping people when you give,
not keep.

Opinion: Should You Keep the Money You Find? by Jasmine R. (Grade 5)

    I think you should return any money that you find. If you don’t return the money, that is called stealing.

     If you are ever behind someone and you see them drop some loose cash, you should return it to them. I was once walking when a man in front of me dropped his wallet. He got in a car and drove away, so I picked up his wallet and saw his ID and phone number. The next day my father called the man, he came to my house and claimed his wallet. He thanked us for not taking any money or personal information.

     One reason you should return any lost money is that you would feel bad if you didn't. If you have picked up lost money before, haven’t you thought that what you did was wrong? The person who lost the money could really need it.

     Remember, if you ever find money on the floor, you should give it back to someone or give it to an adult you trust. It’s the right thing to do.

Book Review: The Cay by Isabela H. (Grade 5)

The Cay is a book by Theodore Taylor and takes place on an island called Curaço, which is the largest of the Dutch islands just off the coast of Venezuela. It also takes place in Wilmsted where Phillip’s friends are from.

The main characters are Phillip, Timothy, and Stew Cat. Phillip is kind of spoiled and judgy, but later in the story that changes. Timothy is an African elder who helps Phillip when the Germans attacked the ship. Stew Cat is a cat that Timothy found. His name is Stew Cat because they were gonna cook him. The main event in the story is when Phillip and Timothy have to wait weeks in the sea to find an island to survive on. Unfortunately, Phillip became blind because he kept looking at the sun.

This book reminds me of “Island Of The Blue Dolphins” because the Native American girl loses her brother on an island and she got lost at sea too. I’m wondering if Phillip kept Stew Cat as a pet when he was reunited with his parents? I noticed that Timothy didn’t have a family which was tragic because Timothy talked about never knowing them. It’s interesting and emotional when you read the book, there are a lot of details that a human being might experience. I would also recommend the book because it’s historical fiction which could teach others a bit more about what have people went through back then.

Over the Intercom by Myka S. (Grade 4)

It’s cold. I thought. Way too cold for a late October Monday morning here in Calistoga. I stood shivering outside my classroom waiting for Mrs. Henry to arrive. I zipped my jacket, flipped my hood onto my head and shoved my hands into my pockets to keep warm. Mrs. Castle's door opened. Out came Mrs. Henry fumbling with her keys to unlock our door. “Come in.” She told me. “It’s frigid out here.” I picked up my backpack and walked inside. I hung it on a hook, then yanked my lunch box out to put it in the lunch bin. The bell rang. Mrs. Henry let in the rest of the waiting students.

There was a note on the board that said, Everyone, take a poem from the pile under this note. This is the poem for the week. I walked to the front of the room and took a paper from the pile. I sat back down and read the title and the first stanza.

Halloween

By Jack Prelutsky

It’s Halloween! It’s Halloween! The moon is full and bright.

All of a sudden Ella (my table-mate and good friend) interrupted my reading and exclaimed excitedly, “You're doing it today!” In the blink of an eye, I was out the door and running. For a second, I had no idea what I was doing, until it came to me. The Pledge! I thought. At the last student council meeting, we made a schedule of who would do the flag salute every Monday morning and when they would do it. I was doing it today!  I raced to the office. When I arrived, I stopped for a second to catch my breath. Then, I pulled the door open and walked in. “Um, I am in the student council and I am supposed to do the flag salute today.” I told one of the secretaries, Veronica. She smiled. “It will be in a couple minutes. Have a seat.” she motioned me to the chair and continued typing. A few minutes passed. Then, Mrs. Lamare, the principal walked in. “I hear you are doing the pledge. Come over here.” I walked over to where she was. “This is the intercom,” she explained,  pointing to a phone. Next to it was a piece of paper taped to the counter with the pledge and a few other things I had to say. Mrs. Lamare unplugged the wire from the phone, twisted it and plugged it back in. “Are you ready?” she asked me. All of a sudden I wasn’t so sure. My knees felt like Jello, but they held me up. Come on. I thought. The whole school is counting on you. I held my head high enough to show Mrs. Lamare I had confidence and nodded shakily. She pressed a few buttons and handed the phone to me. “Go ahead,” she told me and gave me the thumbs up. I took a deep breath that made my shirt tighten around my chest, and began. “Good morning Calistoga Elementary School. Please stand…” I finished the pledge loud and clear. When I finished. Mrs. Lamare took the phone and welcomed the school to a new week.

I practically skipped my way back to the classroom. I felt my ponytail slap my face as if it were trying to get my attention. When I strode proudly into the classroom, I heard many say “Good job Myka” and “I could never do that!”. I sat down at my desk and finished reading my poem. With no interruptions. None at all.

Local Stray Animals by Jasmine R. (Grade 5)

There are many stray animals around the world, even in Calistoga. On September 21, 2018, there was a black puppy near Berry Field of Calistoga Elementary School, a stray. A few girls found this pup and started saying “A lost dog, aww, it’s so cute.” After a few minutes of chasing the dog around Jasmine R. (me) decided to take the dog to the office. When we got there, Mrs. Lamare (the CES Principal) was there, I told her the story of the puppy and she gently grabbed the dog and left. I have recently gotten some information from Mrs. Lamare that the lost puppy is now safe and sound!

     Now, let’s talk about adoption! Many animals are scared because they don’t have homes, food, or care. With adoption, you can get almost any animal. Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, and fishes will be saved!

   You can help by adopting some animals. Here are three adoption centers near you!  

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  Napa County Animal Shelter and Adoption Center  -   942 Hartle Ct, Napa                

We Care Animal Rescue  - 1345 Charter Oak Ave, St Helena       

      Forgotten Felines of Sonoma Co  -  1814 Empire Industrial Ct F, Santa Rosa

                                                             

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Save Me! Meow.