Martial Arts in Sisters

by Talon (grade 5)

Martial Arts is a sport of discipline, humility, and respect. At the same time it is fun and you learn how to defend yourself. My Martial Arts teacher's name is Master K., who runs Outlaw Martial Arts in Sisters. Master K. shows a ton of discipline by practicing Martial Arts all the time. Master K. is also very respected and humble.


The types of martial arts classes we do are kickboxing, belt testing, boxing, sparball, MMA, and BJJ. We practice a lot of kicking such as slide kicks, single kicks double kicks, triple kicks and spinning back kicks. 

Reptiles All Over

by Scott (grade 7)

Snake Hibernating
https://coldbloodwarmheart.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/snake-hibernation/

Most people don’t know what reptiles do in the winter and I would like to tell you in this article. A  lot of people don't know what a reptile is or they have made up some crazy idea of what they are. Let me tell you what they really are. Reptiles are cold blooded animals. That means their body temperature regulates depending on the temperature around them.  Hibernation is something a reptile does so they do not die in the winter and to get them ready to mate in the spring. They get ready for hibernation by eating as much as they can and then they go into a deep sleep for the winter like bears.      

Reptiles hibernate so they can mate. Reptiles mate in the spring  and to get ready to mate they have to hibernate. They hibernate by hiding in a very deep hole and sleeping until spring comes. When they hibernate you can often find several snakes in the same hole. They cannot hibernate if the hole is not deep enough.        

Snakes can hibernate anywhere it doesn't matter as long as the hole that they choose to hibernate is deep enough. When snakes hibernate they go into a very deep sleep. If they do not hibernate they will die because it is too cold for their bodies. They need a certain temperature to stay alive and healthy. Now you now what reptiles are doing this time of year.  

The Wonders of Dance

by Maddie (grade 4)

This fall/winter season there are a lot of BBS students doing dance at the Sisters Dance Academy. There are  tons of different dances like jazz, hip hop, Irish, contemporary, and ballet. This season the theme for the show is Christmas Stories.

All the classes are doing Christmas songs from stories. You get to play games and have fun with friends and you can make new friends also. The teachers are really nice. Their names are Lonnie, Shannon, McKenna, Tiffany, and Kayla. These teachers will help you learn dance.   

At the recital tons of people are watching you do the dance that you learned. You will have a rehearsal before the recital to practice your final moves and learn the stage. For the recital you will have to wear a costume, at the end there is a finale. The finale is when all the classes get together and do a group dance. This year our recital is December 15th.   

Recess!

By Lily (grade 5)

This year at Black Butte School we got up our tetherball up which has been down for a long time. The way you serve is you hold the ball and throw it up. The way to hit it without getting hurt, you hit the ball with your forearm. You can have fun without getting hurt. A lot of kids have fun playing it at recess and have competitions. Scott said, “It is very fun!”

Lots of the boys play two-hand touch football during recess and have a lot of fun with that as well. They usually play every recess. Ace said, “It is very, very fun.”  It’s one of their favorite fall sports to play. We play football in the spring as well.

Some of our kindergardeners play on the tire swings a lot at recess. They will call the name of the person they want to push them. They love the tire swings. They always have a lot of fun. They sing songs and laugh together every recess.

A lot of kids enjoy playing soccer at recess. And they have Mr. Sharp go into the shed and get soccer balls out, but there are not enough balls for everyone to play. So Mr. Sharp gets out volleyballs as well. Soccer is super fun and always is competitive and awesome. I hope that everyone has a great time at r

ecess!

The Geese Migration!

by Joseph (6)

I think that geese are cool. Geese are passing through Camp Sherman as they are migrating down south for the winter. They fly in formation to help each other get lift. You will see lots of geese this time of year, be careful, they are very protective.

The ones we see in Camp Sherman are Canadian geese. As the name suggests, they migrate from Canada and head down south for the winter. They do this to get more food, because the cold weather kills all their food.

Geese are one of my favorite birds, I have always liked them. People still hunt them and I think  it's sad that they get shot. However, sometimes it’s good, because we need food. We all know about geese, but someday I hope to learn even more.

Squirrels in the Fall

by Daniel (grade 7)

photo credit: lightpoet/123RF

Squirrels are getting ready for winter. They are putting leaves and pine needles into their dens for their nest. They are making their dens bigger. Ground squirrels can dig tunnels as long as twenty feet. All the squirrels are communicating to others, and helping other squirrels prepare for winter. They are a very social animals and often help each other.

Squirrels hunt for food during the fall. They harvest pine seeds, and other foods that have lots of fat, so they have food during winter. They can eat most seeds. They can also eat insects. They hibernate during winter. They sleep for one or two weeks. Then they eat some of the food they stored and go back to sleep. They can go for weeks without food. They are a very adaptable animal.

They are an amazing animal and can do a lot of different things. One of the many things is climbing. They are great climbers and can run up trees super fast. They can even jump more than ten feet. They are also known for there speed and agility. They are one of the most interesting animals on earth, and  we can learn a lot about them. Even if it's hard to live with them in your hair.

Fall Sports

by Audrie (grade 6)

Fall is here! So that means we are bringing on the fall sports. Some of the sports kids in the area are playing are soccer, volleyball, and cross country.

We have some kids at BBS who play these sports. The people who play soccer are Clover and Zion. Clover says “I just like the thrill and the exhilaration of kicking the ball, and scoring goals, it’s  just super fun!" Soccer is a very popular sport. Some people may refer to soccer as football. Soccer has been around for a long time since about the 18th century. Sisters has some really good soccer teams. Just a few years ago the took first place in the state championships.

As I said, volleyball is also played a lot. At BBS we have two people who play volleyball, who are me and Maddie. There have been a few people who want to play volleyball, so Mr.Sharp has been letting us get some volleyballs out to play with at recess. Sisters also has an amazing volleyball they have gone to nationals a few times, and it is a start of a new season I can't wait to see what will happen this year.

And now Cross Country, we don’t  have any students who run cross country. But with Mr.Sharp we run on trails in Camp Sherman sometimes we run short distances and sometimes we just run in circles. Some former students have done cross country like Conner, who was here at BBS until about 1 year ago. He is still running cross country. At BBS we do a physical test so we run a mile every Spring and every Fall.

Phoenix Ries: Child Development Specialist

by Addison (grade 5)

Phoenix started at Black Butte School at the beginning of the school year. She seems super cool and we like her. Phoenix came to work at Black Butte School because she loves the size of the school and loves how much we go outdoors. She also loves our size so she can get to know all the families!

She wanted to be a school counselor because she likes to have relationships with the kids and their families. I've only talked with her once but it seems her counseling school payed off!! She is super awesome and exciting! I can’t wait to visit her again!

Phoenix likes to work with kids because she loves to work with their energy and we are all so lovable!  We do energy exercises Sometimes we have so much energy we can feel it! She also feels when working with kids there is hope. She is full of hope!

Phoenix is a great person and she is super cool and I hope you get to meet her yourself someday!

Black Butte Hike

By Rope (grade 7),

The Black Butte Hike is a pleasurable and dusty hike. Every year we get to go up to Black Butte as a school and hike it. Some parents come up and all the kids get good exercise and get to experience the Oregon weather. Black Butte is 3,076 feet tall and it is a 3 million year old volcano. It last erupted 1,430,000 years ago but it does not plan to erupt soon.

On the ride to the mountain we had a loud and bumpy ride. When we were on are way to Black Butte all the kids were loud and yelling but some kids were reading and doing homework and being quiet. When we hit the rock road up to the trailhead it got bumpy. When we hit the rocky road it got louder because the kids got more excited and more hyper and the bus started to rattle really loud which made it even louder. The teacher had to keep on telling the students to calm down and lower their voice.

During the hike it was very dusty and it was also really hot. All of the kids got really hot and some of the younger kids got dusted out by the taller and older kids. Some of the kids got to get carried by the older kids because they got to hot. When we got closer to the top we started to get little breezes of air which felt really good. We were lucky it was not like last year were it was freezing cold and very windy there was even little patches of snow on the ground last year. At least we had a nice day for a hike.

When we got to the top we at lunch and during lunch. We saw a sharp shinned hawk and it was cool. Then after we ate lunch we started to look at the mountains as a class and we looked and named the mountains we saw. We saw Mt.Hood, Mt.Jefferson, Broken Top, The Three Sisters, Hoodoo, Three Finger Jack, and the tallest point we saw was Mt.Adams which is all the way in Washington. When we were about to head down the mountain we saw a short horned lizard. 

The Black Butte hike was a exciting and awesome experience. Most of the kids are excited to go next year and you should go to. Lets just hope it is nice you go because you need to go on the right day.

A Story of Mrs. M

By Addison (grade 4)


Mrs. M (Caroline Molesworth) just began at BBS as a student teacher and I think we all love her. She started going to college about 15 long years ago. She started out wanting to be a preschool teacher but then decided to be a elementary teacher. 

She says, “I want  to be a teacher because I value education's role in improving outcomes for individuals and society. Receiving a quality education from a young age can help people stay out of trouble and attain good jobs, which boosts the economy and saves money on things like rehabilitation and incarceration costs. Teachers can be interventionists, who get children the help they need to grow their potential and develop a growth-mindset for future success. I generally enjoy working with kids too!” 

She has three children, one 7 year old, an (almost) 2 year old, and and a 19 year old stepson. Her favorite food is pasta with red sauce. She says to make a good student the child must “have the mindset and willingness to learn, engage, and try.”  I will tell you Mrs. M is great to me and I bet everyone loves her to. 

Youth Fishing Pond in Camp Sherman

by Ace (grade 4)

This year we’re helping build a fishing pond at the old fish hatchery in Camp Sherman! Kids will be coming from all around the state of Oregon to fish at the youth fishing pond here in Camp Sherman! There will be salmon and trout in the youth fishing pond. Some activities there will be fishing for kids, signs to look at plants to see, and in the summer, lots of butterflies on the milkweed. We have been making signs for the old fish hatchery pond. It will tell the plants names, types of fish, and ecology of the youth fishing pond. We also planted aspen trees, milkweed, rushes and sedges in the area around the pond to restore it. When is it going to open? We do not know yet, but we are thinking summer. That’s why we are helping the youth fishing pond. The youth fishing pond will be a good place for kids to fish and learn about the environment.  

Weston planing an aspen tree last November

Xzavier with milkweeds we planted last fall

Hoodoo's Winter Carnival

by Addison (grade 4)

This year Hoodoo had an amazing winter CARNIVAL!! At the carnival there were many attractions. There was a Dummy Downhill competition, snow sculptures, skiing and fun.

This year BBS competed in the Dummy Downhill with a dummy we named Buszilla. There were multiple contest entries for the dummy downhill. The Dummy Downhill is a contest where you try to get the most cheers as your dummy goes off a jump. You build something with a mannequin (aka a dummy) and it skis down a hill and goes over a jump. The biggest crash with the most cheers wins. These are some quotes that I got from my classmates Emily says “It was cold but the Dummy Downhill was fun to watch.” Also Jojo says “The part when the motorcycle dude crashed off the jump was crazy cool.” Mia says “The Dummy Downhill and the snow animals were really cool.” Also Keanan says “ It was exceptional and my favorite part was watching the Dummy Downhill.”   

There were two snow sculptures. One was a spiky alligator. The other was a Winnie The Pooh with a big honey jar and people could crawl into the honey jar.

Skiing was very fun. There were many people snowboarding and skiing down the hill. It was crowded and sometimes you would almost crash into somebody. There was day and night skiing and bonfires and fireworks.

So next year if you can take a trip to Hoodoo winter carnival, it’s super cool. Have fun!

Science & Art (SciArt)

by Athan (grade 5)

The SciArt contest at the Sisters Science Fair this year is broken into two different categories, one for students in grades K-5, and another for students in grades 6-12. Each has its own approach to the basic ideas of finding science in art. In SciArt we have to take pictures, sculpt, draw, or paint. I don't know how many people from Black Butte School are going to enter, but I know I am going to enter two drawings. The SciArt contest is put on by the Sisters Science Club.

We can enter at the most of two pictures/sculpture, drawing, or painting. The winners of the contest get cash prizes of $75, $50, and $25. First place gets $75 second place gets $50 and third place gets $25. In SciArt we have to take pictures, sculpt, draw, or paint something to do with science and art. Like taking pictures, sculpt, draw, or paint something of the forest like some plant or animal. Below is one entry from a BBS student. I hope it wins!

Climate Change

by Audrie (grade 5)

Winter of 2018 has been going through some tragic times. Our current weather pattern has been seasonally warm, with unpredictable weather, that has people questioning how it will affect the future.

Finally we had enough snow to sled by the end of February!

This year the Sisters and Camp Sherman areas have been waiting for snow since November 10th, we had a few small snowfalls since November, but just recently we got about 5 inches of snow. (Since the writing of this blog on February 22, Camp Sherman got another 12 inches of snow!)

In 2017 we had a different problem with winter we had TO MUCH SNOW. Last year we had to delay our winter performance because of the road conditions. But this year we hardly had any snow on the performance or on Christmas, New Years, and Groundhog Days. We had some snow on Valentine's Day and Presidents Day, lets hope this weather will stay snowy (luckily it did! and then warmed up and now its mostly melted).

Before we got our snowfall we were having 60° weather. People were wearing shorts and tank tops. Then out of nowhere we got WIND and more WIND and RAIN and more RAIN and than SNOW and more SNOW. I wonder what kind of weather our changing climate will bring us next winter.

Snowboarding with BBS!

by Scott (grade 6)

Here's me shredding the gnar!

Black Butte School's students have had the chance to ski and now we can snowboard for the first time ever! We have ten snowboarders Scott, Rope, Athan, Weston, Ace, Kennan, Wesley, Paisley, Michael, and Xzavier. The youngest two groups are on the bunny hill but the older group will be going on the run Blue Valley on Friday. Both groups have come very far and we are all waiting to see how they do at the end of the year.

Sherman Poppen with snurfing prototypes in 1965
http://www.mashf.com/snurfing%201966.htm

The first name given to snowboarding was snurfing. A surfing freak named Sherman Poppen invented it. It was a toy for his two daughters. He made it by fastening  two skis together and adding rope to it to help steer. It became so famous that other people wanted to do it as well. Soon it became so popular that other peopole made their own versions. Snowboarding is a lot like skateboarding since you steer by shifting your weight. You stay in control by making turns and going as fast as you like and being able to slow down. The conditions at Hoodoo are pretty good and there is enough snow that we can go the whole 8 weeks we planned.  We are all glad to be able to do this and do what we want. We hope to see you on the hill!

Lower Grade Math Geniuses

by Talon (grade 4)

The lower graders have been learning about subtraction and fractions. Ms. Steele is really pushing the lower graders to learn time. And the students are adapting quickly. The lower graders have also been working a lot in their textbooks. The lower graders have really been doing some hard work. Today the lower graders are working on a fraction pizza, a fraction pizza is where you put toppings and you record the fraction of each topping. I am really starting to think that the lower graders are learning faster that it takes for a lightning bolt to hit the ground.

2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics

https://viamediatv.com/pyeongchang-2018-winter-olympics/

By Cody (grade 8)

This year the Winter Olympics have been held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Before we get into the details let's talk about the history of the olympics. The first olympics was held in Ancient Greece. During the olympics the cities would stop all wars and go into the Olympics. Then in 1924 people had the idea of creating a separate olympic games in the winter. This made people who were good at winter sports work to get better and have something to show how good they were.

In the Winter Olympics (as of this writing on February 27th) Norway is leading with 29 medals followed by Germany with 23 and Canada with 19. Russian athletes are still competing even though their country was banned from the olympics due to doping. This year North Korea participating. The North put their differences aside and went to South Korea.

Also, this year Shaun White was able to complete with a gold from the men's halfpipe. His metal was the United States 100th Winter Olympics gold medal. This was historical and big for the U.S. and Shaun White.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/other-sports/2018-winter-olympics-shaun-white-triumph-caps-golden-century-for-united-states/story-1Di0KlGkZVKasUFvhZJb5J.html

Lastly, this year Lindsey Vonn won a bronze medal. It was great that she was able to get on to the podium after her injury skiing. Overall this year has been one of the most historical Winter Olympics ever.

http://www.sportingnews.com/athletics/news/winter-olympics-2018-lindsey-vonn-reacts-ester-ledecka-win-pyeongchang/141fq0wdzw9e51j48hwh5jdj28

Valentines Day

by Jo Jo (grade 5)

Valentine's Day is one of the top producers of candy,gifts,and cards. One of the most common thing given on Valentine's Day is candy, in the united states 600 million pounds of candy is bought just for Valentine’s Day. Most of candy is given to another person as a gift. Also a lot of the candy is bought by parents for their kids to bring to school. Most schools in america have some sort of Valentine's Day thing at school like some give out candy and some have a party. Most of the time kids give cards and other treats out to the other kids in there school.

A lot of the money spent on Valentine's Day is on gifts. Most Americans spend their money on jeweled items such as rings, necklaces, bracelets, and flowers. Some Americans get together on Valentine’s Day and propose. Also some Americans get married on Valentine's Day. One of the most popular gifts for Valentine’s Day is flowers, which are a sign of love and friendship.

Valentine's Day is full of love and friendship but it also has different ways of connecting people like cards-giving. Everyone likes cards and they can show feelings too. That's why over 1 billion cards are bought and sold each year for Valentine's Day. Valentine's day is important because it brings people together and creates friendship. It teaches us that giving is as important as receiving.

Electricity is ALMOST Magic

by Weston (grade 4)

Electricity is so cool it is almost like magic. Electricity is a form energy for humans to use to live comfortably for life. Electricity is carried in wires by moving little electrons in the wires. A generator is what makes the electrons move in the wires.

Electricity can make things hot or cold. It can make heat with a heater and you can also cook by using heat. You can make it cold with air conditioning and keep food cold with a fridge or a freezer. All of these are powered by electricity. Electricity can power a motor. Motors are in things such as circular saws, vacuums, washing machines, even cars and buses.

Electricity is transferred from a different form of energy by a generator. The generator needs something to make it move, like a wind turbine or hydro, nuclear, coal and oil power. Also, there is solar energy which does not need a generator. It just sends the electricity to the wires using sunlight.

    Some of the harmful forms of electricity to the earth are coal, oil and nuclear. Oil and coal put pollution in the air. Nuclear makes waste that we can’t get rid of and if a big storm comes it could destroy it and make a nuclear explosion.

Electricity is one of the best kinds of energy. In my opinion, I think it’s one of the most helpful ways to change the forms of energy. Lightning is one of the most dramatic effects of electricity.

Awesome Annie Painter!

by Audrie (grade 5)

Annie Painter  is the main art teacher here at Black Butte School. She is the best, she has been here twice this year, the first time she was here she taught us block art. We printed different shapes and shades with one block. And the second time she let us make windows inspired by Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

We won’t be able to see her as much as last year, sadly she is in the process of moving to Portland. She has been a teacher for a long time, she was actually my mom’s principal at Powell Valley grade school in Gresham. Then she wanted to teach at her own studio.  Lucky for her she has the last name Painter.

I have known Annie since I was 8 and now I’m almost 11. I have learned so much from her. She loves teaching new techniques. “Annie is inspiring and fun,” said Talon and Weston. “We will miss you so much Annie, see you soon and safe travels” says the entire school. If you want to learn more about Annie’s Adventures go to her website www.anniepainter.com.

COCC Solary Array

By Eniat (Grade 7)

On Wednesday the 1st of November the upper graders of Black Butte School went to COCC Redmond campus to see their solar array. Once we got to the campus we went to a classroom to learn about different types of energy. The main types of energy are hydroelectric, solar energy, fossil fuels, biofuel, and wind. In all of these 6 types of energy solar is the only one that does not use a generator.

On the bus we were asked to come up with questions to ask the professor we worked with. One of the more common questions was “will the panels work with snow on top of them?” The answer was yes the panels work with snow on top of them but not as well.  Another common question was “will the panels work with the reflected sunlight of the moon?” The answer was also yes but not as well.

The solar array has 1556 solar panels. This array  can power the campus during the summer and actually makes extra energy that they can to the power company, but in the winter they don’t make enough to power the campus, so they have to buy the energy from the power company. Ilya one of the 8th graders at BBS said “It was a really enjoyable field trip.” Athan, one of our 5th graders said, “I liked it and am happy that solar panels were invented so we don’t have to use fossil fuels as much.”

This field trip was fun because we got to go into a college classroom, touch an actual solar panel, and track the amount of energy they were making.

Bend Science Station

By Cody (grade 8)

The Black Butte School upper grades class went to the Bend Science Station on Friday, November 5. We went to learn about how to make a motor and a little bit about how electricity works. On the way there we got to talk about how we thought motors worked. When we got there, we met up with a guy named Dan who was going to teach us for the day.

The first thing we did was talk about magnets and how they work in motors and what types there are. The permanent magnet in a motor helps make the motor spin when the two different types of magnets are pushing against each other. Next we were told about how an electric motor works. An electric motor works by having a solenoid that then has power sent through it, then the electricity can make a circuit that makes the solenoid turn into an electromagnet.

We then went on to make our own motors. We made a type of motor called a brushed motor. A brushed motor is a type of motor that gets its power directly from the power source. It uses two brushes that rub against the armature. What we first did was work on bending some copper into a shape to work as brushes. Then we put the brushes that we made into a wood block with pre-drilled holes to act as a base. Next we worked on getting a D-size battery hooked up to the brushes. We last got an armature and permanent magnet to finish it off. This works by having the electromagnet and the permanent magnet push against each other. Athan said,“ I think it was fun, and everyone had a great time.” Last thing we did when we got back was teach what we did to the younger kids.