The Aerie

Please visit our school website and view our new literary magazine, The Aerie. This magazine was created by and for students! The Aerie features stories, poems, artwork, and other works of literature.

Visit our school website and download your copy today! www.bit.ly/VictoriaEagles - click on Quick Link "The Aerie"

Happy Reading!

READ! READ! READ!

March kicks off Victoria's Pleasure Reading month! Students are challenged to complete several tasks this month that are tied to reading. Students completing the challenges will earn prizes!

• Week 1: Students are challenged to read an additional 30 minutes at least 4 nights this week. All those successfully completing this task will earn an extra 10 minutes of recess

• Week 2: Students are challenged to write a creative story. By doing this, they can earn a "game day" during their lunch period.

• Week 3: This may prove to be the most difficult challenge for some! Student are challenged to turn off the T.V. and video games for at least 4 days this week. This will earn students a picnic lunch on the lawn and Popsicle.

• Successfully completing all 3 weeks' challenges will earn the student a free book!

• Also, if a student goes to the public library any time during Pleasure Reading Month and has their card stamped will receive a piece of candy.

Pictured above are 5 students who have read over 1 million words with our Accelerated Reader Program this year!

Gong Hey Fat Choy

Gong Hey Fat Choy or Happy Chinese New Year!!

As part of their social studies curriculum, our sixth grade students study Ancient China. They learn about Chinese dynasties, Confucius, the Great Wall, the Silk Road, and Emperor Qin's terracotta army. Additionally, the students learn about the daily lives and cultural of the Ancient Chinese - including celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Each year, Victoria's sixth grade students celebrate the Chinese New Year with a Chinese feast and a parade. They work in small groups to design brightly colored dragons for the Dragon Parade they put on for the rest of the student body. The students get very creative with materials and features - from fire-blowing dragons to those covered with paper plate scales and crepe paper streamers.

Students in other classes join in the celebration by making dragon masks or puppets of their own.

The dragon parade this year was absolutely fabulous!

Delightful Father/Daughter Dance

Last Friday night, Victoria's PTA sponsored a very special Father/Daughter Dance.

The girls wore pretty dresses and looked like little princesses, while their dads/escorts looked handsome to escort their special dates. With over 120 fathers and daughters in attendance, they "rocked the night away" at the Freddie Finn Dance Studio in Riverside.Daughters wrapped their dads around their cute little fingers as they learned a dance routine to the song "I Don't Need Anything But You" from Annie.

Other dances included the "Chicken Dance", "Macarana", "Conga Line", "YMCA", as well as popular current hits.
The dance studio was decorated beautifully for the ball with pink puffy bows, pink organza fabric drape all around, and white fairy lights everywhere. The PTA served fancy refreshments (all the girls' favorites, including rice crispy treats dipped in chocolate, goldfish, pretzels, and valentine candy) and pink lemonade and punch to whet their whistles - served in fancy champagne glasses.

Each couple left with a professional photograph (like that from a prom) in a hand-painted pink picture frame.

It was an enchantening evening and has left me smiling all weekend!

Victoria's 6th Graders Mummify Chickens!

The sixth grade curriculum includes the study of ancient civilizations. Victoria’s sixth grade teachers like to include projects/assignments that not only help students master learning objectives, but also make the content memorable. The following is one such example!

The Ancient Egyptians were famous for their embalming methods and mummification – that is, the treatment and preservation of bodies. Our sixth grade students worked in small groups to mummify chickens using similar methods of the Ancient Egyptians.

1. They bought fresh chickens from the grocery store and removed the innards. The chickens were then thoroughly washed and dried.
2. Next, students covered the chickens with a mixture of salt and baking soda and placed them in a large zip lock bag. This mixture was changed daily for the first few days, then every two or three days after that, and then weekly.
3. After about 45 days, the chickens can be removed from their bags. They will be washed and dried again, rubbed with oil and sprinkled with spices, such as rosemary. They will then be wrapped with strips of cloth and coated with lacquer.
4. To complete the process, students will decorate a 'sarcophagus' (or coffin) and a ‘cartouche’ (name plate) for their mummified chicken.

Thank you to our Victoria teachers for helping to make learning fun!

'Tis the Season for Giving

It's that time of year. The chill in the air brings out the carolers and mailboxes full of cards. It is during this time of year that many initiate acts of kindness towards others. The students at Victoria are no exception.

The weeks between Thanksgiving and winter breaks students joined the A.O.K. Club (Acts of Kindness) by contributing to our Annual Coin Harvest. The A.O.K. Club collected approximately $550 that was cashed in for gift cards to Stater Bros. Supermarket and Target Department Stores. These gift cards were distributed amongst six Victoria families.

Victoria School was also the recipient of a very generous donation from the grandparents of one of our students. The school leadership team (made up of staff) will assist me in determining how best to use this donation. We are very fortunate to have such tremendous support from our Victoria Family.

Fa La La La La

I just love this time of year... the sounds of laughter, the smell of homemade goodies, the sight of excited little kids!

Today, Victoria's S.O.A.R. Glee and Drama Clubs performed their programs in front of the student body and will put on an additional show tonight for their parents, family members, and friends.

The Glee Club performed "Crazy Carols" - songs and poetry about school children getting ready for the holidays (above).

The Drama Club performed the show "The Holiday Show" about animals who are learning about various holidays that occur this time of year (see photo below).Thank you to Mrs. Read, Mr. and Mrs. Russell, and Liz Russell (and friends) for offering your time and talents to provide these enriching experiences for the students at Victoria!