Editor:
U n i on S c h o o l,
Mrs. Annie Mathews
359 Union Avenue,
November, 2013
Page 1
Rutherford, NJ 07070
201-438-7675
Thankful
When I think about November, I think about how much I love the
autumn season. Apple picking, pumpkin picking, and the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving all come to mind.
When I think about these things I become thankful for all that I
have in my life. My family is at the heart of that.
It's all about who is around your dinner table or Thanksgiving
table. The food is terrific this time of year, too. Pumpkin pie, turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and apple cider are just
some of the fantastic foods my family enjoys.
With so many people in this world that may be suffering or going
through some type of adversity, it gives me comfort to think
about all the good I have in my life. It also makes me realize how
lucky I am right now.
Even through rough patches I decided long ago to focus on the
positive. Make lemonade out of lemons is the old saying.
Hopefully you can focus
on something
good in your life and be
thankful for it.
Happy Thanksgiving
everyone!
If it's worth doing, it's
right!
worth doing
November colors: red, orange, gold
October’s neighbor
Very appetizing turkeys
Electronic Greeting Card Day: 17th of November
Mayflower voyage from England to the New World
Better Conversation Week: November 24th to 30th
Extra good apple pie
Religious freedom caused Pilgrims to want to migrate
28th of November: Thanksgiving
0 leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner
102 pilgrims on the Mayflower
30th of November: Stay Home Because You’re Well Day
An acrostic poem by Elizabeth Mathews, Grade 5
Sincerely,
Mr. Blanchard
The Plymouth Rock Thanksgiving
In England over 300 years ago, there lived some people called the Pilgrims.
They were not happy with the laws of the king or the Church of England. They
were not allowed to pray as they chose. They were not allowed to practice
their faith. The pilgrims decided to leave England. They sailed on one of the
famous ships, the Mayflower. The Mayflower was a huge ship and Captain
John Smith kept a journal. He had said it took 60 days to get to the land. When
the pilgrims got to the new land, they met Wampanoag’s. They helped the
pilgrims build new houses and how to plant food. Finally, they gathered together and had a feast, such as turkey and corn. That’s how Thanksgiving
became a national holiday.
Something to think about
By Abbey Schmitt, Grade 4
I always thought about crunching acorns in the fall.
Am I ruining a squirrel’s dinner ?
Or am I helping it open the small, brown acorn ?
I like the way it sounds crunching under my feet..
But am I ruining a squirrel’s special treat ?
So here is something to think about..
Do I continue to crunch ?
Or should I stop to think about the squirrel’s lunch ?
By Nick Grochowski, Grade 4
A cool number trick:
take any four digit number example:
3542's digits in descending order:
5432 in reverse order:
Subtract 5432-2345 =
Put 3087 in descending order:
8730 in reverse order:
Subtract 8730- 0378 =
8352 in descending order:
8532 in reverse order:
Subtract 8532 -2358 =
3542
5432
2345
3087
8730
0378
8352
8532
2358
6174
Try this with any other 4 digit number, as long as no digit is repeated.
6174 is called the " Kaprekar Number."
Kaprekar was the Indian mathematician who came up with this concept.
The number 6174 will always be at the end of this great math trick.
See you again next month!
By Sadhana Sankar, Grade 8
Editor:
U n i on S c h o o l,
Mrs. Annie Mathews
359 Union Avenue,
November, 2013
Page 2
Rutherford, NJ 07070
201-438-7675
By Naisha Roy, Grade 4
Photo by : Elizabeth Mathews, Grade 5
Fall this year was running late,
But I still expect it to be great!
How would a perfect Fall be ?
This is what I would say if you ever asked me.
Colorful leaves falling to the ground;
When I step on them, I hear a crunching sound.
There should be so many leaves, that they cover the street,
Leaves going down, down, down until it seems like a fantasy.
Expressing Thanks
Gobble, gobble! It's that time of the year again- Thanksgiving!
This holiday isn't just about the paper turkey decorations hanging in the hallways, or watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV. Well, it might include those, but Thanksgiving is actually a much deeper idea. It's a whole day dedicated to giving thanks for the things we have. Even the Pilgrims had a lot to thank the Native Americans for.
Though you may not thank your teacher for helping you plant corn, like the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims, you
can thank your parents for loving and feeding you, and your teacher for teaching you, and even your dog, for being a
good companion! So, go out and thank everybody that help you, love you, or deserve a simple thank you for just being
there .
Oh, by the way, can you pass the stuffing?
By Aditi Chiney, Grade 7
Do you want to write for the Union School Newsletter?
Please contact
Mrs. Mathews at <annie.nj99@gmail.com>
U n i on S c h o o l,
Editor:
359 Union Avenue,
Mrs. Annie Mathews
November, 2013
Page 3
Rutherford, NJ 07070
201-438-7675
Figure this
Are you SUPERSTITIOUS
!
Math challenges for families
?
Do you avoid the number 13?
Figure this! Is there a Friday the 13th every year ?
Hint: If January 1 were on Monday, on what of the week would January 13th fall ? What about February 1 and February 13? Other months ?
Answer: There is at least one Friday the 13th every year.
Complete solution: There are 14 different calendars (check the websites for all calendars). There are seven possible calendars for non-leap years: one with January 1 on each day of the
week. Leap years give seven more calendars, for a total of 14.
For example, if January 1 is on a Wednesday, you have the following list:
Because June 13 is a Friday, you can stop. The chart below on the right shows the total number of Friday the 13ths for all the 14 calendars.
January 1
Wednesday
April 1
Tuesday
January 13
Monday
April 13
Sunday
February 1
Saturday
May 1
Thursday
February 13
Thursday
May 13
Tuesday
March 1
Saturday
June 1
Sunday
March 13
Thursday
June 13
Friday
Additional challenges:
1.
Why is the year 2000 a leap year and when 1900 was not ?
2.
If your VCR cannot handle the year 2000, to what year can you set it back so
that the days will still be the same ?
Answers to additional challenges in the next issue.
Things to think about :
 Why do you think we have seven days per week with 52 weeks per year ?


Hotels that rename the 13th floor as the 14th floor still have the 13th floor.
The words September, October and November are derived from Latin words
septem, octo and novem meaning seven, eight and nine respectively but the
months are not the seventh, eighth and ninth months. Why ?
What January 1st is on
Non leap year months in
Leap year months in which
which Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th will occur
will appear
Monday
April, July
September, December
Tuesday
September, December
June
Wednesday
June
March, November
Thursday
February, March, November
February, August
Friday
August
May
Saturday
May
October
Sunday
January, October
January, April, July
Resources:
Book : The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1999. Mahwah, NJ : World Almanac
Books , 1999.
Websites: www.julian12.com/history.htm, www. Stjohndc.org/what/9609ca1.htm
VOLLEYBALL
Which is the smarter bet: students or teachers? Height, strength, speed and agility are all very important when it comes to
volleyball, but the more important question is, which one will turn out to be most vital when the Union School’s eighth grade students battle
their own teachers? Will the tall, strong-but-slow adults turn out to be the victors against the fast and agile students, or will their clumsy,
sluggish footwork be the key factor that ends up costing them the game?
Both sides, students and teachers, have some extremely skilled and top-notch players. All of them have their own specific
attributes that help increase their chances against their opposing team. Although not a professional volleyball player, the gym teacher, Ms.
Bertrand, has much to say on the matter. “Mr. Arsi and I both love winning,” she claimed. “As much as we love to win, we want our students
to do a great job as well.” As I pressed to know more about how exactly the students would be preparing for the volleyball tournament, she
said, “The students are going to practice in class a week before the game, which is taking place in Washington School’s gym on Thursday,
November 21st.” Even though Ms. Bertrand heartily supports the students, she cannot help but admit that the teachers have a distinct advantage over them. “Traditionally, the teachers do win the majority of the volleyball games,” she admitted. “We teachers have accumulated
much more experience than the students over the years.” Earlier, I came into that conversation obstinate and confident of the idea that the
students had the edge, but when we were done with my interview, I wasn’t so sure.
Once I was finished asking the teachers’ views on the volleyball game, I was intrigued as to what a student had to say. Chancing upon Liam FitzSimons, I asked him who he thought would win. To that he had no answer but instead replied, “If anyone can win us the
game, its Aryan Cira. I don’t know if he’s playing or not, but if he does, our chances at winning are definitely boosted.” Thomas Kim chimed
in, “He’s the tallest in the grade,” appearing confident about Aryan’s prowess in volleyball. Along with learning that Liam and Tom had supreme confidence in Aryan, I also found out that the teachers won’t be having their best player this year: science teacher, Mr. Viola. Although the teachers have won a substantial amount
more volleyball games, they never did it without their star player, Mr. Viola, which makes me wonder whether or not they can truly succeed against the students without him.
Biases aside and neutrality replacing them, the eighth grade students and teachers are both incredible volleyball players and deserve your attention for this one night. Taking
place in Washington School’s gym and costing $3 for entry, it is easily accessible and doesn’t require much money for you to enjoy the entertainment taking place. Come down and support
your fellow eighth grade students!
Written by: David Cedeno, Grade 8
Do you want to write for the Union School Newsletter?
Please contact
Mrs. Mathews at <annie.nj99@gmail.com>
Illustrated by: Lauren Vivirito