Goodbye to Our 8th Graders!

8th Grade Field Trip to Bainbridge Island’s Japanese American History Museum

By Kayla

On Tuesday the 8^th Graders went to Bainbridge Island to visit the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum and the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial.   They had the opportunity to speak with various docents that were either interned at the camps or had friends that had been interned at the camps.

The docents first took students through the Historical Museum and discussed important points on internment and their points of view on the situation. After this, each student was given a name tag of a Japanese American that was actually interned and were asked to research that person and write the most interesting thing the student learned about them on the back of the card.

After learning about their particular person, the docents and the 8^th Graders then met at the Japanese Exclusion Memorial where they walked the wall and found the name they had been given. To conclude the field trip, the docents shared stories of memories they had about the relocation or life in the camp. Overall, it was an amazing experience and a once in a lifetime opportunity. The 8^th graders truly enjoyed hearing from the docents about their experiences and perspectives. Hopefully the 7^th grade class will be able to experience and visit the museum next year.   

5th Grade Trip

by Carson

The fifth grade class went on a trip to Neah Bay to explore the beauty of the NW Coast and learn more about the culture of the Makahs.  The students went to the Makah Culture Museum where they got to see a whale skeleton and hear a story that was part of Makah culture.  Students also went on a backpacking trip to places like Cape Alava and slept at an elder center one night.

A lot of people said the trip was tons of fun, people especially liked going on the beach.  Here is what some students said about the trip.

Jacob- "It was fun."

Ethan- "It was good because we got to go to the beach." 
                                                
 Raymond- "My favorite part was going to Cape Alava and taking a nap."                            

Dena - "My favorite part was climbing on the rocks at low tide and falling in the water."

Elizabeth- "My favorite part was seeing sea lions."                                                           

Nathan- "My favorite part was that we got to sleep in the senior center instead of tents."         

 Cooper- "My favorite part was sleeping on the beach."                                                        

6th Grade Trip

Nathaniel and Hannah

Last week the sixth grade went to Dry Falls and Vantage. After a long car ride we arrived at Dry Falls. We explored the visitor center and set up our tents and after a great meal went to bed. However, after only being sleep a little while the wind picked up and we had to get up and make sure the tents didn't fall down. Eventually the tent poles broke. We had to take the tents down and move. We moved to a field by the bathrooms. At eleven o'clock we were settled into our sleeping bags. At one o'clock the sprinklers came on and soaked everything. We finally found a spot and got to sleep.

On Tuesday we packed up and went to Vantage. On the way there we went on a hike. However, Sidney hurt her knee and went to the hospital. For the rest of the day we played at a park.

On Wednesday we woke up in the new campsites in our replacement tents. We climbed for the first time on the trip. Some groups hiked to the sand dunes while others went to a waterfall. For lunch we had the same lunch we had every day of the trip, bread. After lunch we continued our activities including private journaling in the canyon.

Thursday was like Wednesday except we hiked to Never Never Land and we also repelled. Repelling is when you start at the top of a cliff and lower yourself to the bottom.

On Friday we packed up camp and went home. On the way we stopped at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest to look at the petrified wood. We arrived at Westside School at 3:00. All and all the trip was really fun and successful. Even the sprinklers were kind of fun.

7th Grade Trip

BY: Henry and Nate

Westside's 7th grade trip was very successful. We went to Eastern Oregon to go rafting on the Grande Ronde river. The drive there was 8 
hours, and when we finally arrived we played capture the flag. The second day we met our 5 river guides and we had brief instructions and then we were on our way down the river. The rapids we went on were a class 1-2 rapids, overall the river was mild and calm. Each night the class indulged on some amazing food made by the river guides.

We had a lot of fun and everyone bonded together. We also played chicken where somebody gets on another person's back and they battle another chicken. We also wrote in journals talking about what we did in the day.  

If you asked any 7th grader what their favorite trip was this would most definitely be the best one by far.(no offense)

8th Grade Spring Trip

By Aisha

For the 8th graders last trip together we went to Mt. St. Helens where we learned about the intense day and aftermath of the eruption, explored the Ape Caves and tested our knowledge of the outdoors in a 24 hour survival challenge. We (8th graders) had 2-3 weeks to prepare and plan our trip as a class. We were split up into four groups: Campfire and Stoves, Scheduling, Activities, and Food and planned the trip from there. Campfire and Stoves had to learn how to start and maintain a fire as well as how to use a Coleman Stove. Scheduling took control of things such as van groups and timing. Activities group planned campfire activities and group games/activities. And the food group created the meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks Monday-Friday. This trip was a definite eye opener showing our class how strong of a bond we have with one another and how much we will miss each other when we go our separate ways for high school. Nevertheless it was a great trip filled with emotional bonding moments as well as fun and bubbly ones to make it unforgettable.

Westside Middle School Bike to School Day and the MS Hoedown This Friday!!!

Our annual bike to school day is this Friday May 15. It's a great way to get exercise while
helping the environment as well. Those who participate will receive a homework pass the night before, so you can leave your supplies at school for the night, making biking more convenient.  In addition, there will be a surprise prize to those who bike.


We all encourage you to participate in Bike to School Day, it's a good opportunity to save energy and get outside.


And remember, The Hoedown is this Friday from 6 to 8 in the courtyard. There will be a pie eating contest and each grade has chosen someone to participate.

5th grade: Greg

6th grade: Garrett

7th grade: Jac

8th grade: Anthony.

If you haven't already turned in your forms, get them in a soon as possible to Susannah and

come join the fun!

The Sixth Grade Trip

 The Sixth Grade Trip

By Nathaniel and Hanna

Next week, the 6th graders are going to Vantage. On this trip, the students will be exploring rocks, studying the rock formations, plate tectonics and will continue building understanding of geology in their science class. On Monday, they will be stopping at Grand Coulee Dam and will be spending the night at Sun Lake/Dry Falls State Park. There, the students are going to study the geology of the Glacial Missoula Floods. From there, they will follow the flood water downstream to a rock climbing area near Vantage. Where they will improve their rock climbing skills that were acquired in the fall trip. The trip leaders are Lauren, Glyn, Mike and Michelle along with experts from the YMCA BOLD/GOLD program.

Calbuco Eruption

By Nathaniel and Emilio

Calbuco is a stratovolcano in Southern Chile, located southeast of Llanquihue Lake and northwest of Chapo Lake, in the Los Lagos Region. The volcano and the surrounding area are protected within Llanquihue National Reserve.

The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile has erupted twice in the span of a few hours. Calbuco last erupted in 1972 and is potentially one of the most dangerous volcanoes in Chile. About 23½ inches of ash fell in some places, according to the Ministry of Interior and Public Safety.

The situation is relatively calm right now, although people are understandably anxious about what could happen next. There are no reports of deaths, missing people or injuries.

“In this situation, with the eruption column so high, the main risk is that it collapses, falls due to gravity because of its own weight and causes a pyroclastic flow,” Gabriel Orozco, a volcanologist with Chile’s geological and mining service, said on local TV.

“It sounded like a big tractor trailer passing by the road, rattling and shaking, guttural rumbling … We left everything there, grabbed my kid, my dog, got in the car with my wife,” Moffat said. A pyroclastic flow is a superheated current of gas and rock that can destroy nearly everything in its path and travel at speeds upwards of 200 km to 300 km per

This situation could turn worse because of the pyroclastic flow. However, hopefully Chile will be fine.

4th Grade Spring Break Interview

4th Grade Spring Break Interviews

This last week was Spring Break and the blog decided to interview Amanda's 4th Grade class about their break, what they did, where they went and where they would've gone if they could go anywhere. Here is what they had to say.

Declan

Declan stayed home, his favorite thing he did was go to the Beard Hat Night to see the Mariners against Texas Rangers game. If he could of gone anywhere he would of gone to California.

Joshua

Joshua stayed home too, his favorite thing was getting his soccer game to state cup. If he could of gone anywhere he would of gone to Spain.

Owen

Owen stayed home over break and spent his days playing on his computer. His favorite part of break was going to the Spring Fair. It was his favorite part because it was the only fun thing he did outside during break. If he could go anywhere over Spring Break he would go to Hawaii. He would go there because it is warm and the water is good for swimming.

Morgen

Morgen stayed home over break. She went to the mall a lot over break. Her favorite part of spring break was going to the spring fair. She liked it because there were lots of rides and it was fun. If she could go anywhere she would go to Huntington Beach, California. She would go there because it is warm and big waves for surfing.

Santo
During Spring Break, Santo stayed home and relaxed but his favorite part was staying at his friends house for two nights to play video games and walk to the corner store to buy candy. If he could've traveled anywhere over the break he could've gone to New York because he really enjoys himself whenever him and his family go there.

Jackie
Jackie went to Lake Chelan during Spring Break with her family. While she was there she went fishing, played mini golf, volleyball, soccer with her brothers. Her favorite part was fishing for trout. Although she would've preferred catch and release  because she is an animal lover but Jackie enjoyed reeling in the fish and looking at them. If Jackie could've gone anywhere over break she would've gone to California because she loves the hot weather and sandy beaches.

Emma
The best part of her break was receiving a call back for Seattle Children's Theatre for the play, the Gulliver's Travels. She went to Great Wolf Lodge and enjoyed spending time with her family over break. If she could have gone anywhere, she would have gone to Hawaii.

Molly
The best part of her spring break was going to Great Wolf Lodge. In addition to going to Great Wolf, her grandmother visited for a few days and she then visited her other grandparents house. She wouldn't have gone anywhere if she could have gone anywhere.

Hana

For break, Hana went to Disneyland. Her favorite part of break was watching the Hunger Games and riding the Tower of Terror. If Hana could go anywhere, she would go to Disney World.

Giacomo
His favorite part was watching his sister's game of soccer. He also enjoyed going to the Seattle Art Museum. He also went to ferris wheel, Museum of History and Industry, and he was almost late for the bus. If he could have gone anywhere he would have gone to Hawaii  

Katie

During break, Katie stayed at home. Her favorite part was going swimming.

If Katie could go anywhere, it would be to Hawaii.

Lena

For this years spring break, Lena went to Arizona and rode horses at the Flying -E- Ranch. She enjoyed riding the horses as well as visiting museums in the area too. If she had the opportunity to have gone to anywhere though, she would have gone to France, Italy or Russia because of all the ballet.

Ysabel

During the past week of spring break, Ysabel went to the Puyallup Fair and took a soccer camp as well. She won a pink and purple lemur at the fair and beat a hard soccer team in a game, 2-1. If she could have gone anywhere this spring break she would have gone to the Big Island in Hawaii.

Liana
I interviewed Liana. I asked her three questions about her Spring Break. Liana went to Kauai and boogie boarded and had shaved ice. Her favorite part was the sun and having sand on her feet.  

Mckenzie
I interviewed Mckenzie. I asked her three questions about her Spring Break. Mckenzie went to the San Juan islands like she does every weekend. There she went sailing and skateboarding.

Ryan
I interviewed Ryan, his house was was being re-floored so him and his family had to stay in a hotel. His favorite part was being able to swim every day in the hotel pool. If Ryan were able to go anywhere in the world he would go to Brazil to explore all of the animals.

Hudson
I interviewed Hudson, he went to the big island of Hawaii. His favorite part of the break was being able to swim in the ocean.  If he were able to be anywhere he would go to Mexico.  

3rd Grade Native American iBook Projects

by Kayla

The past few weeks the third graders have been studying Native Americans. As their culminating project for this unit, they were each assigned a different tribe from different regions (they also had the option to request a partner). They were then asked to make ibooks based of the information they collected. The students had to first fill out a packet with all of the information they collected from their research and then reformat it for the ibooks. 

Students went into great depth on their tribes, researching every detail about them such as what they used for weapons, gear, transportation, clothing, their belief system, if they were involved in conflicts, shelter, and language. Students also learned about the citation aspect of researching, making sure that they did not plagiarize; instead paraphrasing the information. They started out by reading books and trying to find the most they could about their tribe and if they were missing anything, began researching online.

It is the first time that the students had done a research project in so much depth. They had done other projects that required research, but not to this extent. Learning about Native Americans is a very beneficial subject to be studying at such a young age, as well as research and citation techniques as they will use these skills for the rest of their life.

Amur Leopard

Soon to be extinct?

By Hanna and Carmen

The Amur leopard is one of the 7 types of leopard in the world and it is the number one most endangered animal known to man! The Amur leopard is mainly endangered because of poaching. It is estimated that there are only 35 Amur leopards left in the wild, and 9 in captivity. In the wild, Amur leopards live in the forests and mountains in the Russian Far East. The Amur leopard is the only leopard that lives in the cold and snow.

Quick Facts on the Amur Leopard
-The Amur leopard can runs at 37 miles per hour.
-The Amur leopard has been reported to jump 19 feet horizontally and up to 10 feet vertically
-The Amur leopard is solitary.
-The Amur leopards become independent at 18-24 months.

How can we save the Amur leopard?

Some sources say it is too late to save the Amur leopards while others say if we do something right now there is still a chance to save them! YOU can help by donating to WWF, WWF is a organization dedicated to saving animals. To under extinct animals and click adopt an Amur leopard to save one. You can even go to Russia and give speeches on the importance of the Amur leopard to help!

Student Led Conferences

By Aisha


Student Led Conferences better known as SLCs are coming up and middle school students have been working hard to reflect on their class projects for the school year. For the past three years the middle school students have been creating documents explaining what and how they've been doing in school and presenting them to their parents and teachers. In middle school, a huge part of preparing for high school is taking ownership and recognizing your own growth and the ability to present. Presenting on what you have accomplished will help not only in high school but the rest of your life; being able to communicate what you've learned and what you can do within the context of other people is a very powerful skill.  SLCs are next Thursday and Friday all day, therefore, we will not have school on those days.

2015 NFL Draft

By: Emilio & Henry

The 2015 NFL draft is coming up soon on April 30th. There is a lot of hype surrounding Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. The two best quarterbacks in this years draft. Jameis Winston is projected to go number one overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jameis Winston is so athletically gifted and he isn't a bad passer either. Although Winston isn't a sure thin based off of his off the field activity. Mariota is an extremely talented quarterback and has more skill than winston but, hasn't been in huddle once. Which is what you do before every play in the NFL. There is also a lot of hype around Amari Cooper, the Wide Receiver from Alabama University. He has been compared to one of the best receivers in the NFL, Jordy Nelson.

The Tennessee Titans have the second overall pick in the draft and have about three decisions they can make. They could keep their current quarterback, Whisenhunt,  and draft somebody else that could help their team. They could take a chance on Mariota and hope that he is NFL ready and can lead the Titans to 5+ wins. Or, they could trade that pick to the Philadelphia Eagles with Chip Kelly, Mariota's old coach, and theTitans would have longer to decide who to pick.

No matter what happens, this should be an exciting draft.

Uganda Pen-Pal Project

By Hanna and Carmen

The sixth graders at our school are doing are pen-pal project with some kids in Uganda. They write letters to each other every week. The project is optional but more than half of the kids in 6th grade have chosen to do this. The kids plan to write to each other as long as they can.

Commonly asked Questions:

Why are people doing this?
Long term friendship! Also to meet people in different countries. It is an opportunity to build friendships. It is the opportunity of a lifetime.

When did it start?
It started around a month and half ago, but only a few letters have been sent. The first couple weeks were figuring out the details.

How long are they doing it?
It's a hope that this lasts for years or even a lifetime! The official name for the project is friends for ever! It is also a hope that every sixth grade class will be able to do this.

What's happening in the future?
Future is you will carry friends for life. A huge wish is to visit them on a school trip!

How many kids are doing this?
25 kids in Uganda are taking part, and around 30 kids are doing it here.

Chance of a Lifetime

This is the chance of a lifetime for the sixth grade because most 6th grade students don't have many opportunities in life to make a new friend in Uganda. This project could turn into something more serious, and then even traveling to Uganda as a field trip.