ChickeringThis year, two new teachers, in grades Kindergarten and First Grade, joined our school. Mrs. Parker, is a new kindergarten teacher and new to teaching; Ms Cipolla is new to our first grade team. We trust you enjoy our talk with both these teachers.
Reported by Jonathan, Mason, Sawyer and Andrew
Have you ever been a new student? Do you remember how it felt? Maybe that’s how the new fifth graders felt this year. These are the new fifth graders, Garrett, Kirby, Rahul, Sophie, Clare, Christopher, and Emily.
We asked the new kids a series of questions, the first one was what are the differences between your old school and Chickering. Most people thought that Chickering is a larger school then their previous school. One student was grateful they didn’t have to wear school uniforms anymore and another
student said that the students were nicer here.
These are their favorite activities shared in order of popularity:
1. Gym, 2. Recess,
3. Art, and 4. Writing.
The next question we asked people was how they were fitting in. Almost every student felt that they were fitting in well, and all of them said that that they were meeting new kids.
Several students told us that their favorite subject was science, especially CSI. (Crime Scene Investigation) and Electricity units. Math was a favorite subject for a couple of students; one shared it “gets their brain working”. Two students said that they liked Social Studies and History because they like learning “about the past”.
Two teachers, Mrs.Bedell-Healy and Mrs.Wasik, returned to Chickering after an absence of several years. 
Mrs. Bedell-Healy shared a few things that have changed from the last time she was here. She said there is a new principal, and more plants are growing in the outdoor garden. She went from second grade to kindergarten. Now she has to tie more shoes, and kids are learning to read. It is probably a much more difficult grade to teach.
Mrs.Wasik also shared a few things since the last time she was here. She told us that there is a new principal and she is in a new classroom. Also, there are new sets of state standards called Common Core for
English Language Arts and Mathematics, which need to be taught. The last change is, she teaches a new science unit. She used to teach Oceanography, now she teaches Technology & Engineering. The good thing is, she still teaches 4th grade.
Thank you for reading our report, we hope you enjoyed it!
By George B., Peter, Declan, and Kirby