Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 28, 2011

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SIERRA MADRE SCHOOL NEWS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 28, 2011 

STUDYING THE STARS AT NIGHT - Astronomer and Author Bob Eklund Speaks

Learning more about the skies above has been one of the many 
thing that students in Mrs. Halpern’s second grade class really 
enjoy. The class received a mini-grant from the Sierra Madre 
Rotary Club and took a trip to see the Discovery Cube Star 
Lab. They also took a field trip with the entire second grade 
that Mrs. Halpern coordinated to see the Columbia Memorial 
Space Center. They have learned a lot about space, and so on 
Wednesday the class decided to make a ‘night’ of it.

First, the class did an amazing job performing a musical/play 
from NASA at the school’s Spotlight Assembly. More than 130 
people were in attendance. 

 

 Then, after a great dinner, the students then went into the 
school yard to gaze at the stars. with Mark Fleischman, who 
is also known as the Sidewalk Astronomer of Berkeley. The 
class was actually able to see Saturn, which the class had been 
learning about through a course for kids from JPL/NASA. 

Following the star gazing, Bob Eklund, Astronomer, and Author 
of the book, “First Star I See Tonight” read excerpts from 
the book under the stars and it had the children and parents 
mesmerized. Bob writes the weekly column “Looking Up” in 
this paper. Bob is also Past President of the Mt. Wilson Observatory 
Association.

The weather was perfect and the sky was clear. Mrs. Halpern’s 
second grade class, and many of their parents, had a perfect 
night under the stars!


SMS second grade teacher Carolyn Halpern and Author Bob Eklund, along with several other students were 
lucky enough to also see a shooting star on Wednesday evening. Eklund also writes a weekly column with the 
Mountain Views News. Photo by S. Henderson/MVNews

STUDENTS IN GRADES K THROUGH 5THJULY 5TH THROUGH JULY29TH, 2011HOURS 8AM - 3PM (CLASS TIME 9AM - 12:30PM)
INCLUDES FUN HANDS-ON CLASSES*CHILD CARE AVAILABLE BEFORE (7-8AM)
AND AFTER (3-4PM) - FOR AN ADDITIONAL FEE*
FREE 
MORNING CAREWHEN YOU REGISTER 
BYJUNE 20TH(626) 388-1525 / MyHomeworkClub.comLocated on Sierra Madre Elementary School CampusWEEK 1: JULY 5 - 8 MAD SCIENCE AND KIDS IN THE KITCHENWEEK 2: JULY 11 - 15 LEGO TEK AND SPORTS MANIAWEEK 3: JULY 18 - 22 MAD SCIENCE AND SPORTS MANIAWEEK 4: JULY 25 - 29 LEGO TEK AND SPORTS MANIAEACH WEEK OFFERS A NEW EXPERIENCE!!
FUN DAY CAMP FOR KIDS!
SMS BOOK FAIR BEGINS

Sierra Madre School Book Fair with 
books from Mrs. Nelson's Book Fair 
Company kicked off Friday with a constant 
stream of students browsing hundreds 
of books for their favorites. Most 
students acknowledged spending money 
they had saved specifically for this 
event. Parent volunteers were on hand 
to staff the event including Book Fair 
Chairperson, Doreen Thomas.

 Fair Hours:

Tuesday, May 31 9:00 to 3:00

 Wednesday, June 1 9:00 to 3:00

Thursday, June 2 9:00 to 12:00

(Open House) 5:00 -7:45 pm

 

Friday, June 3 9:00 to 3:00

The Book Fair is located in the Lower 
Campus Library


SOLUTION CELEBRATION - An Exploration of Creative Thinking 

Did you ever wonder, “How Things Fall?” or “How Fast Do Things Mold” or what are “Mice Favorite Foods”? Do you know, “What Helps Candy Dissolve In Your Mouth” ? What do you know 
about evaporating liquids or “How water travels up a tree” Well, if you did, you would have been delighted to attend the solution celebration presented by Mrs. York’s 3rd Grade Class on Friday. 
Mrs. York challenges her classes each year to undertake projects that provide answers and/or solutions to everyday challenges. The Students then put their findings on display at the Solution 
Celebration and invite all of the other students on the lower campus to come and share what they have learned. Each student, parent or visitor to the exhibit is given a passport to help 
them navigate through the exhibits. The presenters 
explain their projects, including their methodology 
and why they chose their specific topics.

Throughout the day, students from other classes excitedly 
select displays that they are interested in and 
discuss the theories and solutions presented.

Photos and caption by S. Henderson/MVNews