The Scoop of VS News
By 5th Graders: Ruby, Ella, Sara, and Samantha
Get to Know Dr. Pullano
Dr. Pullano has achieved a lot this year. He does a lot for this school, so let’s thank him and take a little look at his life.
Was Dr. Pullano always a principal?
No, he was a high school English teacher for about ten years. Then, he was an elementary school principal for the next 21 years.
How long has Dr. Pullano been a principal?
He has been a principal at VS for 15 years, but he was a principal in Pennsylvania for 6 years.
Has Dr. Pullano ever been a principal at another school?
Yes, he was a high school teacher in Philadelphia for 10 years and then he was an elementary principal in Delaware County and then he came to VS in 2007.
How much time does Dr. Pullano give to his job?
Dr. Pullano wakes up around 6:30 in the morning. He checks emails or texts for any important information from teachers or parents. He’s usually in the building by 8:00 AM and then, depending on the day, he leaves between 4:00 and 4:30 PM Then he says “hi" to his family and checks his emails again. That adds up to about ten to twelve hours a day.
What made Dr. Pullano want to become a principal?
When he was in high school, he was an athlete. He played soccer and baseball. In his junior year of high school, his team worked a camp for younger kids. He really enjoyed interacting with the younger kids. He also always loved to read and write so he decided to be a principal.
What did Dr. Pullano want to be when he was a kid?
He wanted to be a firefighter or doctor.
Does Dr. Pullano have any kids?
Yes, he has three kids. His oldest son, Nate, is 21 and in college. He has a daughter who’s 19 and her name is Scout. His youngest son, Drew, is 17, and a sophomore in high school.
What elementary school did Dr. Pullano grow up at?
He grew up in Philadelphia and he went to a catholic school. It was kindergarten through eighth grade. It was called Saint Anselm.
How long did it take Dr. Pullano to get his doctorate?
His doctorate was a three year program. The first two years were mostly classes in the fall, spring and summer. Then he did a five chapter essay, that was about one hundred pages. There was research involved, and he worked with some of the other teachers who helped him gather information.
How did Dr. Pullano celebrate getting his doctorate?
He went out to dinner with his family, even though some were in college.
What’s Dr. Pullano’s favorite and least favorite thing about his job?
Dr. Pullano doesn’t like seeing students struggling or being unhappy. His favorite thing is helping students succeed and get along. He loves seeing students happy.
The Life of Saddler’s Woods
Saddler's Woods is the area behind Van Sciver Elementary School. Many people are familiar with it, but they don’t know much about it. How much do you think you know about Saddler's Woods - a seemingly simple cluster of trees with a rich history?
Before the area was colonized, the Lenni Lenape people lived there. But then, the area was colonized and much of the land was damaged. Trees were cut down damaging the whole ecosystem. But soon that all changed.
It was the 1800s, and Joshua Saddler had just escaped from a Maryland Plantation. He was an escaped slave, so he went to find protection with Quakers and abolitionists. Joshua managed to get a job working with a Quaker farmer, Cy Evans. He gained freedom and purchased a small farm next to the woods, where he raised a family. In 1868, Joshua wrote in his will that none of his heirs “shall cut the timber thereon,” Because of this, the woods were officially named Saddler's Woods in 2004 in his honor.
Recently, the goats have come to Saddler's Woods. They eat a lot of the invasive species, and help get rid of the English Ivy which latches its roots into trees and almost chokes them.
Some of the animals in Saddlers Woods are shown in the pictures.
Fun Times In Band and Strings!
The Band and Strings worked very hard this year. The Spring Concert was amazing, and we are so excited for many of the third graders to start band and strings next year!
Teacher Interviews
Ms. Marmelstein
What made you want to become a band teacher?
Ms. Marmelstein’s family had a lot of band teachers. Her grandfather was a piano teacher, her dad was a high school manager, and her uncle was a band director. She also saw how much a good band director can help students become good at playing their instruments, and they can give their students a boost in confidence.
What is the most exciting part about your job?
Getting to know so many kids in the whole district. As they get to middle school and high school she gets to know so many kids and gets to see them excel.
What instrument did you first play?
Ms. Marmelstein first played piano. She started piano lessons when she was five years old with her grandfather. When she was in fourth grade she did the french horn and that was her main instrument.
What made you want to play your instruments?
Ms. Marmelstein wanted to follow her family. She played piano with her grandfather and then she played French horn. She wanted to play flute or violin but her dad was a tuba player and she liked that it was shiny and circular.
Ms. Michel
What made you first want to play your instruments?
A lot of Ms. Michel’s family members are musicians. Her uncle was a trumpet player and her grandmother was a professional jazz pianist. She saw that they were playing instruments and it made her want to play an instrument.
What was your first instrument you played?
Ms. Michel started playing the violin when she was six years old. But her main instrument is the flute. She started playing the flute when she was eleven years old.
What made you want to be a string teacher?
Ms. Michel wanted to become a band teacher but got the position of a string teacher. When she was offered a string teacher she then became both a band teacher and a string teacher. She then fell in love teaching string instruments and working with kids with those kinds of instruments.
What do you like most about your job?
Ms. Michel likes watching the kids excel and getting to know them really well. Ms. Michel enjoyed listening to the kids first notes of their instruments to their last.
Interviews of Kids
We interviewed some fifth grade band kids here at Van Sciver Elementary School, and got their opinions and stories on things related to their instrument. They were a big help in creating the first issue of the school newspaper, and here is some of our collected information.
Choosing Instruments
We noticed that many kids chose their instrument because of people around them and movies and shows that they saw that had those instruments and they were inspired by that.
“What made me want to play the trombone is in almost every movie I saw, it had trombone music in the background. So that inspired me to play the instrument.” said Logan Muro, a fifth grader at VS who plays trombone.
“What made me want to play the flute is that my sister played it before me, and I was really interested and inspired by that. So I decided to play it myself!” said Daliana, another fifth grader here who plays the flute.
Cameron McCauley had a different reason for picking the trumpet. “I didn’t choose it, my mom chose it,” says Cameron. However, Cameron is very talented at the trumpet and it seems the trumpet was a good choice.
Dislikes about Instruments
There are also many different things different people dislike about their instruments.
Carsten Hahne dislikes how many different instruments you have to learn as a percussionist. “I don’t like how you have to learn so many different instruments,” says Carsten.
Miriam Thakkar doesn’t like that it can sometimes be hard to play certain notes for the saxophone. “It’s hard sometimes to play notes,” said Miriam. However, though these students have small things they dislike about their instruments, they love their instruments very much and are great in band.
Likes About Instruments
Many different people liked their instruments for different reasons, but most of the time people liked it because of the sound or how it played.
“I like the skill, I thought it would be easy at the start, but as I played it it started to get really hard and I had to practice a lot,” says Hunter Winfree, a violinist.
Maya Longyard, another violinist, loves how the violin sounds. “I like how it sounds and how it feels,” she says.
Lauren Johnson, the only fifth grade cello player here at VS says she likes how different her instrument is from the rest of the orchestra. “I like how it's like different from the other violas and violins,” she says.
These are a few of the things we noticed about the band kids and their instruments. Many people had different reasons for their opinions, and it was fun interviewing them. Thank you, Logan, Daliana, Cameron, Carsten, Miriam, Hunter, Maya, and Lauren.
Big Events in VS
VS has had a lot going on lately. With the end of the year coming quickly, let’s recap and look at some of our past events and upcoming events!
Past Events
5/15-5/18 Book Fair
This book fair was amazing! All of the books were incredible, and I know I loved them. All the pens and erasers were fun to get too! I hope everyone got a book just for them!
5/19 Field Day (3rd-5th grade only)
Field Day was amazing! An exciting day of sports where the five Haddon Township schools, (Van Sciver, Strawbridge, Jennings, Edison, and Stoy) competed! There are many events, but for many, the relays are their favorite, where you can form a team of four with your friends and try to be the first to cross the finish line!
5/25- Spring Concert
The fourth and fifth grade Van Sciver band, strings, and chorus put on a concert for all to watch! It was held at the middle/high school, and it was an exciting day for both those who were watching and those who were participating! There were many instruments like the flute, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, clarinet, percussion, violin, and cello.
5/31- Bio Breakfast
The fifth grade students dressed up and prepared a presentation on a person in history who had an impact on the world! Your class might have gone to Bio Breakfast and looked at all of the fifth graders' presentations! It is also very fun for the fifth graders, and they put a lot of time and effort into it! Fifth graders have worked in class or even at home on this project. They got to pick a famous person and study them to show to others.
Upcoming Events
6/14 VS Splash Party
Time flies by faster than I thought! The VS Splash Party is already coming up! Ask your parents or guardians if you can come to the Crystal Lake Pool. There will be food there once you walk in on your left. There is a little playground to hang out with your friends and family. You can also look for a baby pool right in the middle of the kiddy pool and the normal pool. You can hang out with your friends, lounge, and even jump right in the ice cold water!
6/15 Game Day
A wonderful event that takes place the day before the last day of school! Everyone from the 5th grade, including the teachers, can gather to play one last game with their friends this school year. There will also likely be a water ice truck! It will be a beautiful day to celebrate nearing the end of the school year!
6/16 Last Day of School
Many people love the last day, while some are sad and cry. We all know summer is coming up, and many things may be happening. Some people say their goodbyes until fall arrives. There are also other things for fifth graders. Their moving up ceremony will be taking place. The fifth graders will also have a pool party with other fifth graders from other schools (Van Sciver, Strawbridge, Jennings, Edison, and Stoy) to get to know each other. The pool party will be 1:30-3:45. We wish you all luck for next year!
POEMS
These poems are by fifth graders that were chosen to be published in this newspaper. Fifth graders worked hard on these, and they are amazing!
Spring by Max Baker
The cold in with the new hot,
Home runs in baseball and little chops
winds and breezy weather that give me two
Woodpeckers chomping on trees for a snack
Getting fresh watermelons off the rack
Putting my brand new cousin on my lap
Now let’s give spring a clap
Dogs by Maya Longyard
They bounce around
They zoom through the house
Loves to get petted
And stick their head out of the car window
So soft and fluffy
Cuddle when it's bedtime
Did you guess the pet?
Well it was Dogs
Van Sciver Rocks by Elleana Martian
Van Sciver, the school that always rocks
The one that would always pop
The awesome teachers
They are always a keeper
We love to learn new things
It is always good for our future
I love math
I love writing
It always guides my smart path
They always have the best people there
Awesome teachers, aides, principal, and best friends
It is the best school I swear
I bet when we are older,
We will be thankful for going to Van Sciver
It makes our brains smarter and bolder
My Cats by Sara Gerber
My Cats are smart
My Cats are true
And they don’t forget you
I bet it’s a fact,
That even you,
Will say “aw” too
They are black, white, tan, and blue
Three wear socks but none wear shoes
Gary is alpha-king of the crew
Teddy is dopey, his little goon
Whiskers is sassy with her fluffy fluff tail
Cleo is sly and keeps to herself
Mittens likes water, the sink is her shelf
Nick was not picked adopted number six
Allergies by Quinn McDevitt
You’re excited for spring to hit,
But allergies are now here
I hope you don’t get it,
The scratchy eyes
Stuffy nose
And pills, Oh my
I could die,
Tell me once
Tell me twice
And two’s enough
Don’t give me a fright
But when summer hits
This all slows down
No more tearing
That sneezing sound
Acrostic Poem by Miriam
Victorious
Amazing
Not the worst
Supportive
Cooperative
Independent
Very kind
Easygoing
Responsible
Trees by Daliana Jaquez
Every day I am there
Play with me I won’t care
I am left
Then right
If you kill me
You won’t survive
I can be tall
Or short
And I can be
Skinny
Or thick
No matter what
I’m always different
From my leaves
To my size
I am a tree
Beauty of Spring by Cali Hutchinson
The pollen tickles my nose making me sneeze
I feel the itchy green grass underneath my fingers
The clear blue sky high up above me
The beating pounding sun blazing down
The warm breeze hanging in the air all around
Trees once bare now growing hundreds of leaves
New and old flowers growing and sprouting
The wonders and beauty of spring preparing us for a blazing hot summer
JOKES
Q: Why do we tell actors to break a leg?
A: Because every play has a cast!
Q: What do you call a sleeping bull?
A: A bulldozer!
Q: Why couldn’t the bad sailor learn the alphabet?
A: Because he was always lost at “C”!
Q: Why was 6 afraid of 7?
A: Because 7,8,9!
Q: Why did the bike fall over?
A: Because it was two tired!
KNOCK KNOCK JOKES
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Interrupting cow
Interrupting co-
MOOOOOOO!
Knock Knock!
Who’s there?
Banana
Banana who?
Banana
Banana who?
Banana
Banana who?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Tank
Tank who?
Your welcome
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Cow says
Cow says who?
No, cow says mooo!
Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Says
Says who?
Says me!
RIDDLES
Riddle 1: I’m tall when I’m young, but small when I’m old. What am I?
Riddle 2: There’s a one story house in which everything is yellow. Yellow walls, yellow doors, yellow furniture. What color are the stairs?
Riddle 3: What month of the year has twenty-eight days?
Riddle 4: What question can you never say yes to?
Riddle 5: What is always in front of you but can’t be seen?
Answers
Riddle 1: a candle. Riddle 2: There aren’t any- it’s a one story house. Riddle 3: All of them.
Riddle 4: “Are you asleep yet?” Riddle 5: The future.