FEBRUARY 2016 VOLUME VII PHOTO BY: JOE DOYLE corner, but the late start of winter took us all by surprise. Scientists call This this phenomenon “season creep.” It can result in buds appearing on some trees in late winter. Winter Crazy Winter has finally caught up with us and the temperature drop has caused Mayor De Blasio to issue a Code Blue ear- Weather lier this month. Code Blue provides shelter for the homeless from the ex- treme cold. The last week of December, the whole month of January, and the first week of February have shown the ef- fects of an El Niño. An El Niño is a weather pattern of extremely warm temperatures. An El Niño happens when trade winds are weaker than usual. This causes the Pacific Ocean to be warmer than usual and chang- es the jet stream, leading to unusu- al weather patterns with some areas flooding and other areas staying dry. This past December challenged many temperature records, and all of those records have shown signs of an BY ASHLEY JACKSON-WILLIAMS AND NATE WILDMAN El Niño. The average temperature for Janu- Have you seen this year’s weather? past winters. Bodies of water that ary is a high of 40° F and a low of 28° It’s crazy! We have had some of the once froze regularly each winter F. The average for February is 43°F hottest days this season and some of now freeze less frequently. Winter high/30° low. This year, we have the coldest, too. We have also had storms have increased in frequency been 10 to 20 degrees higher than the a historic snow storm! The mild since the 1950’s. The snow depth for historical average. This Christmas start to winter that we had does not this time of year would usually aver- Eve was the warmest Christmas Eve mean that all of our winter will be age around 3 1/2 inches, but so far, it ever, not only in NYC but across the mild. This season, we may see snow is almost 30 inches. Also, the snow country. Five thousand, two hundred days, indoor recesses, or hopefully, came very late this year. At the start records have been tied or broken outdoor recesses. What does all this of the winter, it was really warm and in December. Winter Storm Jonas weather mean for us and our future? no one thought it was going to snow. broke snowfall records by being the This winter is very different from It felt like spring was just around the continued on page 2 1 PAPER FEBRUARY 2016 PHOTO BY JOE DOYLE WINTER continued second biggest storm in the history of New York, coming in with 26.8 inches of snow in the northeastern United States. Though this year has been unusu- al, extreme weather has happened in New York City in the past, too. The Questions largest snowstorm in NYC was on with... February 11, 2006. It dropped 26.9 inches of snow. Even though this year’s Valentine’s Day was the cold- Adi Licht est Valentine’s Day in a 100 years, the coldest day ever in NYC was -15 degrees Fahrenheit, which was on February 9, 1934. These past records seem to be ran- dom abnormalities in the weather. However, permanent climate chang- es are making storms consistently 1. How long have you worked at music? more intense and frequent, while PS 11? All kinds of music. I love Beyoncé. winter temperatures are lower, in 6 ½ years. general. These changes will affect 8. Do you have any pets? us because it will make some areas 2. What is your favorite thing No, but I really want a puppy. uninhabitable for growing crops. about P.S. 11? Global warming plays a big part by All of the shows and all of the 9. If you could have dinner with producing more precipitation. Short- amazing students. any famous person, dead or er and warmer winters may be dam- alive, who would it be and why? aging some plant life because they 3. What is your favorite type of Michael Jackson just because I can’t start their hibernation process, dance? really look up to him and grew called “cold hardening.” Super storm Hip-hop. up on his music. I’d love to have Jonas was formed by a polar vortex, lunch with him, and then, a dance which is an arctic cyclone. 4. Where do you get your class. We can all do our part to lessen inspiration for your dances? the effects of global warming by I am still a student and I take 10. If you could live anywhere reducing our emissions and find- classes around five days a week else in the world other than NYC, ing better ways of transportation, and I like to travel the world and where would it be? like walking, using buses, trains or learn new types of dances. On an island in the Caribbean. I bikes. We should also try to find al- go there every summer. ternative energy sources like wind, 5. What are your hobbies? water, or solar power. We shouldn’t I like to dance and travel. 11. What advice would you give use gas, oil, or power plants to fuel a student who wants to be a our things. Power plants, drilling, 6. Where did you grow up? dancer when they grow up? and timber companies are the most Tel Aviv, Israel. Always give 100%. Never give up serious causes of global warming. If and you can make all your dreams we don’t do something about global 7. What is your favorite kind of come true. warming, then, there will be more life threatening storms in our future. BY AMANDA BALLAS 2 PAPER FEBRUARY 2016 PHOTO BY SAMUEL COHEN Overheard at LUNCH: BY ASHER BLACKMAN AND LORENZO MATIZ “Pizza is goooood!” - Roger, 3rd Grade (Chicken tacos) “I like it!” - Aidana, 1st Grade “Delicious and nutritious.” – Shaun, Kindergarten “I like cheese and tomato pizza.” - Scout, Kindergarten “I only like the tomato sauce on the pizza.” - Alex, 3rd Grade Loving her Valentines! (Cheese sandwich) “Bread is my favorite.” - Cassidy, 1st Grade “My favorite are the potato fries.” - Hilmay, 3rd Grade Valentines For Everyone! “The line is way too long!” - Adam, 3rd Grade BY ELEANOR HOROWITZ “Love the bread.” - Walker, Kindergarten Our school goes by the rule that When you saw the name of the everyone should try to be “K & G” student you got, you could imagine “Yummy sauce and yummy (kind & gentle). What better way to how you wanted the person receiv- cheese.” - Anna, Kindergarten bring the K & G spirit to Valentine’s ing your Valentine to feel when they PHOTO BY RUBY WILDMAN Day than to do secret Valentines! opened the envelope. I would want On February 12, we celebrated a the person to feel like they are one holiday, followed school rules, and of my friends, if they are not already possibly got to meet new people, a friend. To me, secret Valentines all at once! Envelopes were handed are a good way to make everyone out at random by the teachers. On in the school feel included, no mat- the front of the envelope, there was ter if they are new to the school or a person’s name and class number. have been there for a year or more. Sometimes, on the envelope, there Lizzie Appelbaum thinks P.S. 11 might be one of your friend’s names should keep doing K&G Valentines listed and you could make a person- because, “it helps get to know people alized Valentine for them. You might in your grade that you did not know also have gotten a total stranger and before. It is also a fun activity kids had to trust your instincts to help can do while following the school’s you make one for someone whom rule of being K&G.” Hope you had a you don’t know. Happy Valentine’s Day! 3 PAPER FEBRUARY 2016 2016 Lunar New Year Coin Drive Results BY EDWIN HOROWITZ RESEARCHED BY LORENZO MATIZ The Lunar New Year is a celebration rooster, dog, cat, pig, rat, ox, tiger, that falls on the last day of the lunar rabbit, and dragon raced across wa- 1500 calendar. It is sometimes called “Chi- ter. Every animal, except the cat, got nese New Year.” This year, it started across and the rat won. It`s important 1200 WINNER on Monday, February 8, which was because the calendar is in the order the day of the new moon. The cele- of how they finished. bration lasts for 15 days. People who Henry Zhang celebrates Lunar 900 celebrate gather and eat the annual New Year by visiting his family and reunion dinner. They also decorate he sometimes makes dragons with 600 their windows and doors, covering them. Henry loves Lunar New Year. them with red colored paper cutouts. “We watch the dragon dance and 300 The Chinese Zodiac is a 12-year speak Chinese while we eat cake!” calendar cycle that has 12 animals on he said. Ms. Lam, a teacher at P.S. 0 it. Two Thousand, Sixteen is the year 11, celebrates Lunar New Year in a PreK/K 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th of the monkey. There is a myth about different way. She gives lucky red Third graders get to pull a prize from how the animals made it into the Chi- envelopes to anyone who is unmar- the P.S. 11 Treasure Chest for their win! nese Zodiac calendar and in what ried and also to the elderly.