"Rising Every Time" Get your issue here!!

85 fabulous authors in one issue!

Read about the changes coming to Regent Park, our annual Film Festival, life in Kenya, water conservation and much much more! For best viewing, click right on the front page image, below. Then click the 4-way green arrows at the top of the screen to see the full screen view.

Get your own - Open publication

Leave your opinions about articles that pushed your buttons, in the comments section (click below)

Forest of Reading..... Best on the Bookshelves!!

This year, there are some great books on the list under the Blue Spruce, Silver Birch and Red Maple trees.

Our librarians can help you find the one you want to start with.....maybe you'll read them all, from now through April. Go have a good talk with the teacher who has read that same book, and compare notes on everything you liked and didn't. Get yourself registered so you can vote at the end of the program. Then talk about your book right here: click comments, below. Influence your classmates to read your favourites!

Cozy up in the cold and stormy weather months with popcorn and a good book!

Click on the title of this post to explore the FOREST online!

Come on, Teddies!

See anyone here you know?



Please let us know what you liked best about this funny, fabulous, family time! Click comments, below. Make sure to include your first name.

Future Technology!

In the future, people might invent environmentally friendly transportation that is faster and better, or something to help global warming from coming. Right now, people are trying to not waste electricity. In the future, people are trying to make a windmill to give electricity. Here is how it works:
1. The wind blows to the windmill.
2. The windmill conducts energy to the generator.

3.The generator turns it into electricity.

4. The street wires connect to the homes.
5. The homes get electricity.
In my opinion, I think this is a good idea because it saves a lot of ELECTRICITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by Madeeha

Room 13's Mysterious New Friend!

Hi, its Nahin and Emily from room 13. We just wanted to tell you about our teacher Ms. Burton. She is going to have a baby! Do you know what it will be? It’s going to be a girl! We love Ms. Burton because she is a very nice teacher and she lets us have free time sometimes! We wish her a happy time with the new baby, and we hope she comes back soon!

A (Not Really) Green Holiday Season?

A lot of children usually get gifts in the Winter Holiday season. Gifts cause garbage and so many things we buy this time of year cause pollution in some way. Here are some tips (from Andrew Nisker) about how to be more environmentally friendly this year:

1. Forget wrapping paper. Use newspaper from the recycling bin so you're not killing more trees, and you're causing less pollution. Put the gift in a box, wrap it in old clothes or an "old" bag.

2. Goodbye to Xmas trees. Instead of using a lot of water and fertilizer to grow the tree, and then having the tree shipped to where you buy it...don't buy the tree and hide the gifts around the house for a fun Hide 'n Seek/Scavenger Hunt game!

3. Don't use paper plates and plastic cutlery. While it makes more tidying up and water pollution to use real china and cutlery, it cuts down on the waste and garbage that ends up in landfills.

4. Be selective. Instead of giving toys/gifts, how about gift cards, subscriptions to a cool website, tickets to a concert or movie, a meal at a favourite restaurant, or giving a book or DVD that you really liked?

5. No cards. There are lots of websites where you can send free e-cards, and there are no trees being killed or factories running to print the cards.

6. A greeting tree. A tree in a common area (school, community centre) where families put up one card for everyone, instead of cards for each friend in the neighbourhood.

7. Shop online. Instead of driving around, polluting the environment and getting stressed, sit down in front of the computer to do your shopping. Wear your pyjamas and stay warm at home. Often shopping online costs less than being in the store to buy it. No lineups to check out either!

8. Buy local. Buy homemade products from a local farmers market. Shop at local stores instead of driving far away to buy a gift. Try not to support items being shipped from far away, causing lots of pollution along the way.

9. Holiday lights. Sure lights look great around the home or tree, but they're wasteful and not environmentally friendly. Replace older lights with newer energy efficient ones. Put your lights on a timer, so they're not going 24 hours a day - when you're out or asleep.

10. Give a gift to somebody who really needs it. Find a charity that does good work and feel good about making a donation to them, and someone who may need the gift more than you.

Mahara, Hana, Aisha and David AKA Mr. K.

What thoughts or suggestions do you have about how to be more "green" this jolly golly holiday season?

Kindness thrives at NMPPS!

December 's Character Matters theme is kindness and caring.

Room 25 shows you what this looks and sounds like around our school

and in the world outside our doors.

When you've looked at their presentation, send them a comment - click below.

Mandela Kids "remember" Dec. 6

We commemorate the fourteen young women engineering students who were murdered at École Polytechnique in Montreal on December 6, 1989
and
all women who are victims of violence
on our National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

We will all attend our school's annual assembly this Thursday, Dec. 4.
We have completed a Webquest, and we know quite a bit about the issues. Here are our responses.....

Our Peace Assembly #3 : Grade Ones - it's a sign

Our grade ones know that even if you can't hear, you can sing. You just need to know the signs!
We sing Oh, Canada every day as school starts, but it has special importance within our Peace Assembly. We celebrate our own country's contributions to peaceful life on this planet and we pay attention to how important it is to us to feel that our freedom to choose our way of life is secure.

Our grade ones featured in an earlier video, but this rendition of Oh, Canada shows superb polish, so here they are, again!

Our Peace Assembly: #2 - Kindergarteners have got the whole world in their hands

Our three morning kindergartens sing at our assembly.
Their spirit can really make us believe it's all in our hands....
Now, what will we do with "it?"

Our Peace Assembly

November 11th is a special day here at Nelson Mandela Park. As a community we meet together and recognize that when our most important values have been threatened, such as freedom, equality and respect for life and our planet, brave souls have gone off to foreign places to fight for these essential ideas. Many lives have been saved by such action, but untold millions have given their lives......
Right now, there is war. Canadian soldiers battle for these same values far away in Afghanistan, and many have been injured, many have died. We raise up our hopes on this day especially, together, loud and strong, that peace will soon prevail on our planet.




the music on this video is royalty free, composed by Mark Hewer, published by Freeplaymusic.

Don't EVER stop the beat!

Watch our choir at work, practicing an upbeat song with great spirit and pizazz!

Catch their polished performance at the holiday concert on December 15!

Builders Galore!

We're in room 15, and look what we've been doing! In MSI we tried to go tall-tall-tall. Take a look....

Be on our "Radio" Show

Mandela's Majestic Radio has arrived! Hana and Hajera give you a delightful introduction to our new show, and an invitation to go "ON THE AIR" yourself, adding your news and views into
"the mix!"

Click the title of this post to hear their podcast.

Click "comments" below to say what you think, or to sign up to do your own recording!

The Two High Holidays

By:Aisha and Rafia
Hi. I’m Aisha and I’m interviewing David (Also known as Mr. K). We are comparing the two High Holidays that happened this past month.

D: “Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. But it is not celebrated on January 1st, like the Gregorian, or January to December calendar. It falls on the first day of Tishrei, which is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar. It is the first of the High Holy Jews use the High Holy days to repent for things they realize they should not have done over the past year. They hope that when the “Book of Life” closes on Yom Kippur, ten days later, that they will be written favorably in it. It is our most holy time of the year.

A: “The most important thing about Ramadan is that we fast because one of our prophets starved for 30 days. Ramadan is a Muslim holiday named after the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is the Islamic month of fasting, when Muslims do not eat or drink anything from sunrise to sunset. Fasting teaches a person patience, sacrifice and humility. During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and try to purify themselves through good deeds.” Ramadan is the most important of our holidays. A: “What do you guys do to celebrate Rosh Hashanah at the end?”
D: “Rosh Hashanah is a two day holiday in Canada and one day in Israel. Usually what happens is that families come together for a big dinner on the first or second night. Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown the night before the first day and ends at sundown on the second day. It is celebrated like the Jewish Sabbath, as you cannot do any “work”. No lights can be turned on or off, no fires started or electricity turned on or off, no cars driven and it is a time for prayer and self-reflection. Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is a day where Jews fast from sundown to sundown on the tenth day of Tishrei. This is more like Ramadan, as Jews pray for atonement through repentance.”
A: Ramadan is followed by Eid, which starts when someone in the world first, for sure, sees the moon. Here in Canada, if you are a kid, you start off by skipping school.Then we go with our family to the nearest place to pray, Then we visit our familiy’s and friends’ houses and play! Then we feast!
Jews and Muslims celebrate their separate holiday, but as you can see theyare a bit different and a bit the same at the same time! They both have feasts at the end to celebrate. They both have some fasting to make people think. While the Jewish High Holidays are always in the fall, Ramadan changes it’s dates. Jews celebrate in a synagogue and Muslims celebrate in a Mosque. Thank you Mr. K. for helping me with this article.

"RISING ...." Again!!!

Here are some of this year News team! "Rising Every Time" and our 2 school Blogs can be expected to "explode" with fascinating coverage and cool creativity!

Click on comments below to suggest topics to our team.

What do YOU waste?

This week in Canada, EVERYbody is trying to make less WASTE!

This is getting more and more serious, and EVERYbody is thinking hard about how he or she can contribute.

Click on the post title to see a PowerPoint slide show.

Draw a picture about the garbage in your life (!) for Deb to scan into the blog.

Click on the comments button below, and tell us what you are doing to help reduce the garbage you produce.

Cross Country Chasing Championship!

NMPPS Cross Country Runners were simply terrific all season. They practiced four times per week, running 2 kilometers each time. WOW!!! That's a lot of running. Out of 62 runners at the Area Meet, NMPPS qualified 33 runners for the South Championships. I think that's the best the school has ever done.

We are so proud that Mandela kids are such good sports!

Ladies First - Yes or No?

Have you ever heard the phrase "ladies first?"

It started as a sign of respect for women. A man would hold a door open for a lady. If a line were forming, a gentleman would allow ladies to go first. The woman's movement curtailed a lot of the historical signs of respect and politeness, but not all. Many ladies still appreciate a seat on a crowded bus or a man holding a door.

Here is a familiar story: The Titanic hit an iceberg in 1912. “I was awakened by the shock of the collision and went out on deck. There was no great excitement and persons were coming out of their rooms and asking what had happened. Suddenly from the bridge or from some officer came the cry: “Ladies first”. This was my first inkling that we had that the ship was in danger. We went back to the stateroom and dressed. Then came the horrifying cry that women must leave their husbands and brothers and that no men should go in the boats." This quote is from the New York Tribune. http://derbyhistorical.org/Titanic.htm

Watch the video linked to the post title, by Marlo Thomas, of a story recorded in the 1960's.

What does your experience tell you about this issue? What are the merits of a "manner" or "code" that says girls and women deserve special treatment or preference because of something inherent in their gender? What would you do????

Respond in comments: click below.

Our Famous Female Footballers!

Our Sr. Girls Touch Football team played their tournament on Oct. 1st. at Westwood P.S. Awesome effort by all girls, they got better as the day went on. You rock, girls!

Character Matters: What is making you so angry?

Everybody gets "roarin' mad" sometimes... sometimes they just get grumpy, and sometimes they lash out.

Mandela Kids
learn what anger is all about for them, and to deal with it in ways that make them feel better.

Go to a web page by clicking on the title of this post.
Read what others say about the things that make them mad.
Watch the video.
Vote in the poll.
Play the game Go, Go, Diego!

Then click on "comments" at the bottom of this post, and type in the things that make you angry most often during the day, at home, at school or at play. Be sure to use only your first name, and no one else's name.

Cyber Safety: Have your say

There are many rules of the road if you want to travel the "Information Highway" safely and independently.

To really get a grip on the issues of harassment and bullying on-line, see
http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallife.htm

To check out the issue of keeping your PRIVACY private, look at
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/privacy_playground/

To investigate the world of chat rooms, learn to distinguish between fact and fiction, and to detect bias and harmful stereotyping in online content go to
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/cybersense_nonsense/

Under comments, write about any experiences you've had and tips that would help other Mandela-kids stay safe on the internet.

Or make up a similar story, with different characters, to be read in a dramatic way to emphasize one of these important safety issues.

Good to be Back! Teachers, place your # 1 "Words-of-Wisdom" message here

Kids, see if your teacher has left you an inspiring message to start your year off right.

Click on "comments" to read it.

Once you have received your message, click on the comments button, and offer your teacher "a piece of your mind" to show that you understand the meaning and importance of that message. Your teacher will be able to read your comments, and know that you are all on "the same page!"

:) You will be helping your teacher practice blogging :)

What if you couldn't HEAR Oh Canada?

If your ears work just fine, then you can hear our national anthem when it comes on the PA every morning, and you can sing along with your vocal cords vibrating good and loud with all the right notes.

If you couldn't hear, then you could still sing with your hands by making the signs that match the ideas in the song.

Grade one and two students in Rooms 2 and 5 show us how Oh Canada "sounds" in a different language. They are growing up ready to understand that communicating can happen equally well in a variety of different ways.

Watch this cool performance!

Latest Launch!

Enjoy your paper here!!!

"Rising Every Time" - the latest and most up to date issue, right here on our blog!

Click the title to read it all in full colour, and leave your reactions by clicking "comments" at the bottom of the post.

Let's have some comments about the comments - let's get some communication going here!

Listen to Room 25, "News and Reviews!"

In this post, some of most versatile Grade 5 and 6 students share their podcast, in which they recommend a book, a movie, describe a famous politician now deceased, report a school sports event, poetically ponder the significance of school, and share jokes and a tip of the day!

Click on the post title, to check it out!

music by freeplaymusic.com

Action Hero: Jackie

Jackie Chan

"Do not let circumstances control you. You can change your circumstances."

Here is Sherri's Asian Culture Celebration Month quotation contest, week 3!
Like we did with African History Month, this month the vocabulary contest will be quotes from famous Asian people. You are being asked to describe what the quote means to you. Remember to include in your answer:

something you know about Jackie Chan, (click the post title to check your info)

your interpretation of how he might have meant this in his own world, and

how it means something to you in YOUR world, right now.

Sherri will get your answers straight from this blog!

photo, courtesy of Creative Commons, Johnny Vulkan

Happy 2000 hits Nelson Mandela Park!!

A few months ago we started a blog for this school. This blog is used for articles on school events, advertisments for our school, slide shows, and podcasts. It is also used for the students here at Nelson Mandela Park P.S. to make comments about the things that really matter to them. And WOW ever since then our hit counter has been going

up up up!

We want YOU to tell us how you feel about this blog. Are the news updates exciting? Do you enjoy posting comments for your fellow peers to read?

Posted by Our News Club

Lead on, gals!

Here is a photo of our girls at the Young Women's Leadership Conference which was held at OISE on the 29th of April.

We're in your hands for a better tomorrow...

Athletes Galore! NMPPS' Pride!

The boys played three excellent games against Blythwood, Given-Shaw and Niagara. They promised to keep striving to improve.

To the TOP of the World - words of wisdom

Junko Tabei

"Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top - it is the will power that is the most important. This will power you cannot buy with money or be given by others - it rises from your heart."

Here is Sherri's Asian Culture Celebration Month quotation contest, week 2!

Like we did with African History Month, this month the vocabulary contest will be quotes from famous Asian people. You are being asked to use pictures and/or words to describe what the quote means to you.

Remember to include in your answer

• something you know about Junko Tabei, (click the post title to check your info)
  

• your interpretation of how she might have meant this in her own world,

and

• how it means something to you in YOUR world, right now.

Sherri will get your answers straight from this blog!

photo, courtesy of Creative Commons, Feileacan

What do you think he was REALLY saying?

Mahatma Gandhi

"We must be the change we wish to see in the world."

Here is Sherri's Asian Culture Celebration Month quotation contest!

Like we did with African History Month, this month the vocabulary contest will be quotes from famous Asian people. You are being asked to use pictures and/or words to describe what the quote means to you.

Remember to include in your answer

• something you know about Mahatma Gandhi, (click the post title to check your info)
  

• your interpretation of how he might have meant this in his own world,

and

• how it means something to you in YOUR world, right now.

Sherri will get your answers straight from this blog!

photo, courtesy of Creative Commons

"What do YOU think it means to be a Global Citizen?"

"Citizen" means "member" with the rights and responsibilities of membership. You are a member of your family, school, Regent Park, Toronto, Canada, friendship group, maybe church or mosque, and THIS WORLD.



You each need to be concerned about 3 things:

WORLD:
The preservation of your planet and its resources
Your own contributions to specific other people
Your own contributions to the general good (health, wealth, well-being) of people you may not ever know



“There’s a radical—and wonderful—new idea here… that all children could and should be inventors of their own theories, critics of other people’s ideas, analyzers of evidence, and makers of their own personal marks on the world.” Deborah Meier, educator

Begin making your own personal mark, right now, by writing thoughtfully about:
"What GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP means to me."

Photos from: http://www.uofttix.ca/view.php?id=195; www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/curriculum/key_elements/; www.ncgs.org/uploads/textWidget/wysiwyg/images/474/ncgsgloballogo.jpg

Ms. Werbitsky gathers our talent!

So many talented students and teacher, all here at NMPPS!
How did we get so lucky?
Look at these picts of our Spring Talent Show, 2008....
Leave a comment encouraging your favourite act.

Room 25 and 26 dance their way to the FINALS!

A Good Cause for JUMPING!!

NMPPS students "Jump Rope for Heart!"
To check out our special guest, Elvis, and our own "skippers".....click the arrow below

You DO know what "Heart and Stroke" is, right? For more info, click the post-title!

BULLYing has got to GO!

Bullying happens all over the world.
At NMPPS it has got to stop! It makes everybody - bullies, victims & bystanders - feel miserable.Remember what bullying looks like?

People calling you names Making things up to get you into trouble Hitting, pinching, biting, pushing and shoving Taking things away from you Damaging your belongings Stealing your money Taking your friends away from you Posting insulting messages on the internet or by IM (cyberbullying)

Spreading rumours Threats and intimidation Making silent or abusive phone calls Sending you offensive phone texts Bullies can also frighten you so that you don't want to go to school, so that you pretend to be ill to avoid them

Click on the title of this post to create a poster that helps us get our message across to anyone who dares to bully someone in our school!

What did YOU think? Earth Hour - done!

It's finished! I wonder what it really all meant.....

What did you see? What did you hear people say? and finally, What do you think and feel and hope......?

Let's see what conclusions you Mandela kids, have come to about this experience. Comment below.

Photo source, The Toronto Star.

Birthday wishes to Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, Madiba of South Africa, inspiration behind our school, and famous everywhere in the world as ambassador for fairness and freedom for all, is turning 90 years old this July!

He has been told about this website, and may be peeking in here to read anything special you might write to him. Will you wish Mr. Mandela happy birthday in your very own way? Will you tell him what you wish for him and for all the children in the world who he works so hard to help?

Click comments below and compose a careful letter, making sure you put To:.... and From:.... [not you last name, please] - then he can see it on this blog. Perhaps he will answer....!

For more information, http://www.nelsonmandela.org/

New "Rising Every Time" - Your school newspaper at your fingers!

The title above is your link to the new edition of "Rising Every Time."

Check here for everything that's been happening in and around our school through the winter: clubs, Talent Show, students' thoughts on a wide range of community and world issues.

Enjoy poetry, a new novella, and two puzzles.

Think of Mr. Mandela's 90th birthday as you search out 3 of his famous and wise quotes!

Character Matters! NMPPS Students Speak Up

On our latest survey, our students answered overwhelmingly that HONESTY matters most, against courtesy and kindness. Honest answers, from honest folks!

That may seem simple, but what do YOU think it means? Are courtesy and kindness "out" at NMPPS? I don't think so...do you? Speak your piece, connect with your own experiences and let others know what is important to you.

Click on comments below, and don't forget to include your first name.

Let's hear it for these awesome athletes!

Leave this team of winners a comment to cheer them on! Make sure you include your own first name. No last names, please!

What's "Golden" about this Rule...?

....and why do so many people from different backgrounds accept it?

Click on the title above and check out this link.
Compare all the different cultures - their music, and their statement of the Golden Rule. Talk over anything you think is interesting with the neighbour to your right or to your left.

How might it make things different to you in your daily life, and to those around you in Regent Park and at NMPPS, if everybody was aware of this rule, and followed it?

Think and write to me and your friends under "comments."

Great Read!

Check out the review of Ellis' Jakeman by Humairah and Brenda,
in "comments" under the Forest of Reading post below.

Poem: Stop the violence!

No Violence, No drugs, No war.
We need Love, peace & more.
Working together is what we need,
Faith and hope should be in our lead!
So stop the violence, stop it now,
because we're smart & we know how!
By: Humairah

I wrote this poem because I live in a place were children know about violence and they shouldn't have to. This is a serious matter, and if we all put our effort together we can all make a difference!

Mandela Kids - EarthSavers all!

Use the "comments" space here to share your ideas about Earth Hour [March 29th!] and about habit changes that you will adopt to help turn global warming around.

Show this list of yours to your family and friends....they may be inspired by your determination to do these things themselves!Then you will really see that even ONE change by ONE person, YOU, can change the world's chances of survival.
Congratulations, EarthSavers, you are awesome!

Give it a listen!

Earth Hour and YOU?



Enjoy! -- Deb Gladstone

Reading a "Forest" Full of Books!

Who is reading a Blue Spruce, Silver Birch or Red Maple book?
I am! Ms. Zeitz got me started, and she's waiting to help you, too. Go ask her about these great books. I want to see if my favourite book wins over all the others - don't you? And you can VOTE, if you can read!

It means you'll have to read all through January and beyond. The 2008 Voting Day is April 23.

Check out this website: http://www.accessola.com/forest2008/ Find the link over on the right..

Right here, on this blog, let's use this place to talk back and forth about these books. When you've read one, click on comments right under this post. Write the title, the author and the "tree" the book belongs to. Advertise the book if you liked it, or give it the thumbs down if you didn't. Make sure to give your reasons. I'll post your opinions where everyone else can read them. Your view could make a difference in deciding the winner!

HELP! I Want to Write a Story!

I really love to write. I write my own personal journal, I write your lessons, I email my friends..... but I don't get to write many stories. Often when I think I'll get started on one, I find myself saying, "I don't know how to start....what should I write about?"

So, I need you to help me. Click on comments, and think up and write a 3 or 4 sentence story starter...about anything you'd like to hear a story about. I'll look over all your ideas, and pick the one I find exciting, to finish. I'll write and write and write, and post the finished story with both our names on it. Anyone can comment on the story when I'm done.

So how about it? You can't lose - I'll be doing most of the work! Let's see what we can come up with, together!

Thanks, Deb