A Day in the Life – Nachman

Edublogs Challenge 3

I attend Poughkeepsie Day School. I’m lucky that I can wake up pretty late (7:30 a.m.) because my school is only about a mile away from my house, and starts at 8.15 a.m.. It’s a struggle for me to wake up in the morning because I find it hard to fall asleep at night. In fact , sometimes I feel like  by the time I’m actually asleep it’s already morning. Have you ever felt like that? In a daze, I have breakfast from 7:45 to 8:00 A.M., and then leave for school, either by bike or bus. Usually my breakfast of either a pancake or eggs helps to wake me up a little. I really enjoy the fruit and tea (made in a tiny teapot that I found in an antique market in a temple complex in Kyoto this summer) as well.

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Before I tell you about my school day, let me tell you little bit about PDS itself. PDS is a progressive school, meaning that understanding concepts and creativity is emphasized over rote work.  We don’t have any tests or grades, but instead have a written report. In fact, we make a presentation to our parents on our progress every half year! PDS incorporates technology a lot:  we all use laptops to write, research, and even practice math! We use Google docs, so that we can share what we are working on instantly and  there is even  an art with technology class! Do you use computers in school? Do you like using computers?

We don’t have uniforms (which means that I can dress up to the nines!) and our classroom spaces are very flexible. In the middle school, we have a large open space with tables, comfortable chairs, and a “donut” one can sit in and pick books to read from.

 

Off this large space,  there are several smaller classrooms with tables, chairs, whiteboards, and projectors.  We don’t really use textbooks and don’t have individual desks. Instead we store our stuff in our lockers.

School starts at 8:15 with advisory. In advisory, I meet up with all of the other 6th graders (there are only 17 of us). Attendance is taken, and sometimes announcements are made. The school day is broken into 8-9 periods, and sometimes we have double periods in some subjects. Today, I had  math and science class, followed by a 30 minute break where we can usually do anything. However, today the people running for student council (an executive student body) had to give their campaign speeches. I am running for 6th grade representative, and also had to speak which was a little nerve wracking.  After that I had humanities class (where we study many things including reading, writing, history, english, etc.), and then lunch and recess. Since it was a Friday, we had pizza for lunch. After that I had common time and arts. In common time we can either read or study unless there is a special event or a special class. Today I learned about John Burroughs for the first period of common time, and I read for the 2nd period. In arts I had a class called Fabrications Lab. I also have an outdoor drawing art class, and a “mini movies” art class where we use technology to create art. Today we connected circuits on arduinos (mini computers). Then we used a pre written program to see how much light a receptor got when we aimed a low power laser at it.

After school I ride the bus home. I have a quick snack, practice piano, and do my homework. Today, I had soccer practice from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Then I came home and relaxed – because it was the WEEKEND!

 

 

– Nachman

Nachman – All About Poughkeepsie

 Edublogs challenge 2

 I live in the town of Poughkeepsie, in the Hudson Valley. Poughkeepsie is located 83.2 miles away from New York city, and is on the Hudson River. I would like to share four of the main attractions with you.

 

1. The Walkway over the Hudson is 1.28 miles long and 212 feet high, the largest pedestrian bridge in the world. It used to be a railroad bridge, but in 1974, there was a large fire. After the fire, the bridge was abandoned. Later on, a non-profit organization called “Walkway over the Hudson”, decided to turn this old railroad bridge into a pedestrian park. They fundraised for many years and were able to open the Walkway on October 3rd, 2009. I like to bike and I’ve  gone over the Walkway several times. The bridge itself isn’t especially beautiful, but the vast size and the great veiw really do make the experience special. Now there is a Rail Trail (bike path), connecting the bridge to other trails in the area. I haven’t biked the route  yet, but I’m looking forward to doing it. In 2012, someone organized what they hoped would be the longest hokey pokey on the walkway!

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2. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), is a college that teaches professional cooking. They also have several restaurants, serving different cuisines. The college was founded in 1946 by Frances Roth and Katharine Angell. It was called the New Haven restaurant institute and was located in New Haven, Connecticut. It was actually founded as a training school for World War 2 veterans on vacation. The name was changed to the Culinary Institute of America in 1951, and in 1972, the CIA was moved to Hyde Park, New York. I went to the CIA for my 10th birthday. I got to eat frog legs for an appetizer, duck for my main course, and cheesecake for dessert!

 

3. The Bardavon is the oldest theater that still operates in New York state. It was designed by an architect named J.A. Wood and built by James S. Post, who also designed Vassar College. At one time, it was bought by Paramount, and later on, a pipe organ was added. In 1975, The Bardavon Theatre was threatened with demolition because it was next to the sight for a proposed highway project. There were plans to demolish the building and replace it with a parking lot. Worried citizens rallied to save it. On August 20, 1977, The Bardavon was named to the National Register of Historic Places and was renamed the Bardavon 1869 Opera House. I got to miss school and go see the inaugural ceremony of President Obama there.

 

4. The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center is a teaching museum located on Vassar college’s campus. It was founded in 1864, and called the Vassar College Art Gallery. Vassar was actually the first college to have a museum as part of their campus. The Gallery was named for Frances Lehman Loeb, a donor, and an alumnus (a member of the class of 1928). The Gallery has 18,000 pieces of artwork from both Europe and America. I really like the gallery. I used to go there when I was a baby. There was one sculpture that I called the alligator.

 

  These are some of my favorite notable places to visit in Poughkeepsie. Other than these four places, there are also other attractions such as The Presidential Library of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Locust Grove, Springside, and many others. In addition, Poughkeepsie has many nice restaurants, including Mole Mole (mexican), La Cabinita (mexican), El Azteca (Mexican) Billy Bob’s (barbecue), Lemongrass (thai), and Thai Spice (thai).

 

 

  Come to Poughkeepsie sometime and I’ll show you around. It’s hot in the summer, snowy in the winter, colorful in the fall, and a fresh start in the spring.

 

-Nachman

Nachman all about me

Edublogs challenge 1

Hello. My name is Nachman. I’m in 6th grade at Poughkeepsie Day School. I live in the town of Poughkeepsie, in the state of New York. I like to travel, and every summer I go to visit my grandparents in India. I was actually born in England, but my family moved to America when I was one year old. When I go to India, we sometimes stop over in other countries along the way. So, this past summer I got to visit Japan because I was flying to India from the west coast of America, as I spent the first part of the summer in Tahoe, California. I loved it in Japan! I really enjoyed trying the new food and seeing and doing  new things! I stayed up one night and went to a communal bath in Kyoto and was surprised to see how busy it was at 10 p.m.! At one point, I went into an electrified bath, and got the shock of my life! I also had fun  exploring a bullet train, even as it sped along at 200 mph.

I also like to play soccer and squash. I play “travel” team soccer, for my town – which means that my team has to travel to other towns to play. In other words, I don’t get much of a break on Sundays because I have to go to my games. I also plan to play soccer for PDS. I don’t play squash seriously, although I enjoy playing with my friends.

In school, I enjoy arts classes. I have an outdoor drawing class, an Imovies class, and an art with technology class, all of which I look forward to. I really like to read. Some of my favorite series are: Artemis Fowl, The Hunger Games, and Alex Rider. Right now I’m thinking about reading a book called Gone, which a friend of mine showed me. I also play the piano.

 Do you play any sports or instruments? What do you like to do in your free time?