Bravo! Bravo!

What an amazing performance we saw today! The play Freedom Train was a dramatic and exciting view into Harriet Tubman's life and how she escaped slavery around the time of the U.S. Civil War. The actors showed how Harriet fought for her freedom by sneaking away from the evil slave owner and travelling to the north. Even after escaping, Harriet was so brave to return to the plantations to free other slaves and help them travel north, to freedom.

Right now, American soldiers all around the world are fighting to defend OUR freedom! Just like Harriet, these brave men and women are risking their lives so that others could be free.

Think back to your own experiences: Can you think of a time in your life that you needed to be brave? When did you have to put your fears aside and do something very scary or important?

Coming to America...

3-Pal will soon be discussing how important it was for immigrants from other countries to settle in New Jersey in the early 1900's.

As a class, we will explore why these people decided to leave their homes and relocate to America. We will discuss what they experienced when they checked in at Ellis Island. We will also discover what their lives were like once they settled in New Jersey and the surrounding areas like New York City.

I know I had relatives that came to America from Italy, Germany, and Ireland in the early 1900's. They were immigrants that left their country to find a better life in the United States.

Do you know of any of your family members were born in other countries and are immigrants to the United States? You or your parents may be immigrants! Did any of your family members pass through Ellis Island when they arrived in America? Tell us all about it!

Enjoy a video about what it was like to enter America through Ellis Island:

The End to An Exciting Week!

I had a great time at the Roller Skating Party yesterday afternoon! We have such talented skaters in this class, and EVERYONE that was there showed their SBS spirit by having fun with their friends. I really enjoyed being there with you all!

Our week of testing is finally over! I think the students of 3-Pal did a fantastic job, being respectful and responsible during the testing, and I'm sure they did an excellent job on each part of the test. All of that nervousness can MELT away over the weekend!

Our EXTRA LONG Weekend

I kept busy this weekend by cleaning my apartment. I vacuumed the floor, did some laundry and re-potted a plant! It looks great! I also visited a friend that lives out of town. What did you do over the long weekend? Tell me all your great stories! - Mr. Palladino :)

The Big Test!

We have worked so hard to prepare for the NJASK. How did you feel before you began taking the test? Were you worried, or confident, or something else? Now that we've completed one section, how do you think you'll do on the next two days of testing? - Mr. Palladino :)

The Big Storm!

Outside SBS, there were fallen trees, downed telephone poles, and the power went out for a few days. Did anything happen to your house after the storm? - Mr. Palladino :)

Video Games

I played "Guitar Hero" and "Mario Galaxy" this weekend on the wii. Did you play any video games? What games did you play? - Mr. Palladino :)

Week of the NJ ASK!

After a powerful storm on the night of Saturday, March 8, parts of Chatham Township and Boro were left without power for a while. This included Southern Boulevard School! The power remained out for the weekend and tree limbs were scattered all over the parking lot and outside the school.

The power company worked hard to get the town back in order, but couldn't get the power on at our school until Tuesday! What a storm! That meant that we couldn't open the school Monday or Tuesday and the NJ ASK would have to wait.

We have been working so hard in class preparing for the test. We have done many picture prompts, poem prompts, reading passages, and have learned so much in math this year! I am confident that students of 3-Pal will do wonderfully on the test...once we get to take it!

The following posts are by 3-Pal students that have finally taken the test. Here you will read their reaction to the SURPRISE days off and how they are feeling about the test so far.

Enjoy!

Mr. Palladino :)