Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 23, 2011

8

SUMMER FUN

 Mountain Views News Saturday, July 23, 2011 

“RETHINK YOUR DRINK” 

Campaign to Help CA Kids Kick Soda Habit by Lori Abbott

Miss Palmer’s 3rd Grade Class, 31 talented and creative students, have 
published a book! It is called, “Miss Palmer’s Third Grade: Once Upon 
A Wayside” and it includes the work of each of the students in her class. 
We will publish the book in its’ entirety this summer, with 3-4 stories each 
week. The stories will not be edited, well maybe a few spelling corrections. 
They are all entertaining and original!

 Inspired by the book series they read in class, The Wayside School Series 
by Louis Sachar, the children created their own episodes of life at Wayside. 
(Hint: Louis Sachar’s Wayside School was supposed to be 30 classrooms, 
one story high; but by mistake it was built straight up 30 stories. That 
should give you some insight into the kind of stories you will read from Ms. 
Palmer’s 3rd Grade Class!)

 A teacher for six years, Ms. Palmer has been at Sierra Madre Elementary 
for two years. She was born and reared in Sierra Madre, played on the SM 
Girls Softball Team and was a Sierra Madre Rose Princess in 2000.

 This is a series of stories that will enlighten, inspire and keep you laughing 
all summer long! 

 If you want to read the previous week’s stories, go to: www.mtnviewsnews.
com. S. Henderson/MVNews

 
"Rethink Your Drink" is the 
message health advocates 
are sending to parents and 
kids, as First 5 Los Angeles 
launches a campaign to 
help young children kick 
the soda and sugary drink 
habit. 

Francisco Oaxaca, First 5's 
director of public affairs, 
says the average four-year-
old in Los Angeles County 
eats or drinks almost 65 
pounds of added sugar a 
year, which is usually more 
than their body weight. 
He says the single biggest 
source of added sugar in a 
child's diet comes from sugar-
saturated beverages: soft 
drinks, fruit juices, punches 
and sports drinks.

"Something very important 
for parents to realize that 
making water the beverage 
of choice both in the 
home and outside the home 
can go a long way towards 
developing healthy habits 
for their children, which 
become healthy habits as 
adults."

Through the end of August, 
First 5 LA will work with 
other groups to distribute 
about 200,000 free copies of 
a new bilingual book, Potter 
the Otter: A Tale About 
Water. Oaxaca explains it 
includes fun activities to 
reinforce the sugar-free 
message.

"It features an otter who 
is walking throughout the 
forest, meeting his different 
animal friends along 
the way, and he's carrying 
a glass of water with a straw 
in it. And he's telling them 
how important it is to drink 
water - that maybe they 
should trade the soda, juice 
or the sports drink that 
they're drinking."

Oaxaca says childhood obesity 
frequently leads to adult 
obesity, and can cause serious 
health problems now, 
and later in life. Learn more 
about the Rethink Your 
Drink campaign at www.
ReadySetGrowLA.org/
RethinkYourDrink. 

MAC IS MISSING 

by Ethan

One fine day at Wayside 
School, Mrs. Jewels took attendance 
and noticed that 
Mac was absent. The class 
thought this was weird because 
he was never absent. 
They figured he must be 
sick.

 The next day, Mac was absent 
again and this time the 
class was worried. They 
decided to go look for Mac. 
The class felt really bad because 
there was no one to do 
show and tell or play kickball 
with.

 The got lots of stuff to 
look for Mac like Mac’s pet 
dog also named Mac.

 First they went to his 
house. They knocked on his 
door but no one was there.

 Next, they went to the 
playground but no Mac.

 Finally, they saw smoke 
coming from the distance so 
they ran toward the smoke. 
They saw that a bus had broken 
down. They went to see 
if everyone was ok. They 
looked in the window and 
there was Mac just sitting 
there.

 They took Mac back to 
school where he shared the 
story of his bus accident.


THE RETURN OF JANE SMITH by Katie Vita

 Jenny entered Wayside 
School and started to the 
elevator. When she pressed 
the button, the door opened 
but nothing was inside to 
stand on. Way down the 
elevator shaft, three kids 
were trying to climb on the 
brick wall and were screaming 
for help. (Well, one was 
sleeping.)

 Jenny looked down all the 
way, and then she went to 
Mr. Kidswatter’s office to 
tell him about the broken 
elevators.

 “Mr. Kidswatter, I think 
the elevators are broken”, 
Jenny said.

 “Oh, Jenny, nice to see you. 
Uh, don’t worry, the repairmen 
are late again.”

 As they were talking, Jenny 
noticed under Mr. Kidswatter’s 
suit he was wearing a Hawaiin 
shirt and he had a sun hat on.

 “Um, Mr. Kidswatter, what’s 
that on your head?”

 “Oh that, nothing,” Mr. Kidswatter 
said taking it off.

 Jenny walked out of his office 
and up the thirty flights 
of stairs. Back in Mr. Kidswatter’s 
office he sighed in relief. 
“Phew! That was close!”

 When Jenny got back to class 
she asked, “Mrs. Jewels, what’s 
going on with Mr. K.? This 
morning I went to go talk to him 
and he’s like, wearing a Hawaiian 
shirt and a sun hat.” Several 
kids gasped.

 “I know, isn’t that weird, Maurecia?”, 
Jenny said. Maurecia 
nodded. 

 Mrs. Jewel’s class went outside 
on the playground to see 
Louis.

 “Hey Louis!”, Joy said. “Can I 
have a green ball? I’m guessing 
not since we’re on the thirtieth 
story.”

 “Here”, Louis said sadly giving 
the ball to Joy. Joy was 
shocked. Louis hadn’t given out 
a single green ball that afternoon. 
Maurecia and Jenny were 
with her.

 “Why haven’t you been giving 
away balls,” Jenny asked. Louis 
said sadly, “Look around. Don’t 
you guys see that the whole 
school is sad, even me?”

 “I know. I see. But why?”, 
Maurecia asked.

 Louis had a puzzled face on, 
“Don’t you know? The whole entire 
school knows!”

 “I guess we don’t. What is it 
that we should know?”

 “We have a new principal”, replied 
Louis.

 “A what?!”, Jenny screamed. 
Maurecia went up and down the 
stairs telling everyone.

 Back in Mrs. Jewel’s class, 
Mrs. Jewels was worried about 
what was going on.

 “Maurecia, Jenny and Joy, I’m 
not sure what Jenny is talking 
about.”

 “I’m pretty sure what I saw 
the hat and everything Mr. Kidswatter 
is quitting his job!”, 
Jenny said.

 The next day the new principal 
entered Wayside School and all 
the children recognized her. 
She was Jane Smith! 

 All the kids freaked out, but 
when the principal went on the 
loudspeaker she said, 

 “Good morning girls and boys. I 
am your new principal Ms. Luck. 
Today all of you will write a letter 
to Mr. Kidswatter. Plus, I 
used to be a dentist.”

 “Then all the children wrote 
a nice card to Mr. Kidswatter. 
Mr. Kidswatter said, “Goodbye, 
see ya soon.”