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Margie Palatini, the beloved children’s author and illustrator visited with the Highland and Godwin students on March 15. She presented three assembly programs, sponsored by the MPEPTA and shared her journey to becoming an author. Margie grew up in Edison, New Jersey and attended Moore College of Art and Design. At first, she didn’t want to be a writer but later changed her mind because of her love of reading. She was an avid reader who could often be found with her nose in a book. She also loved to read fairytales, biographies, history, and pretty much everything.
She was forever telling stories, making puppet shows, and putting on plays.She was very animated and would create funny little characters— singing, dancing, and acting. She had a really good ear for imitating voices, and would create her own characters mimicking everyone from mom and dad, to grandparents, aunts, uncles, her doctor, teachers, and people she saw on TV. She loved Lucy, adored Lamb Chop, and was always crazy for Bugs Bunny.
Margie shared that the inspiration for her stories and characters don’t come from just one person, place, or thing, but actually a whole lot of mish-mashed mixed up stuff. Important stuff that is made up of family, friends, memories, and life. She shared that her process may seem unstructured but when the story is complete, she can connect the dots fromA to B to Z.
This blog is a combination of Margie’s presentation, her website and the introduction writtenby 6th grader Emma Sclafani.
Joseph enjoyed sharing information about the Maasai. He talked about all the different things they do and are doing. He talked about his schools, his students, the wildlife in the area, (giraffes, lions, the brush) daily life, the dress (the read and all the jewelry), the food, etc. The students learned where Kenya is, what the land is like (the brush/dessert type landscape), the idea of not living with electricity (no power, no tv, no computers, no video games) not living with running water (no showers, no sink, limited drinking water).
Joseph is a Maasai man living beyond Ngong Hills in Kenya. Where Joseph lives there is no electricity and no reliable plumbing. He does have a small solar panel which he uses to charge a car battery which he uses to have 2 CFL lightbulbs in his home and sometimes to use a portable DVD player to watch education videos with his kids. There is a reservoir near by which I believe he has a pipe run from to fill 2 or 3 giant tanks to hold water. The water is used to do laundry by hand, make tea, make dinner, and for bucket showers. The bathroom is an out house, and there is a 'shower' where a bucket can be brought in to dump over your head to have a shower. On Joseph's property he has 2 structures, one is made of branches, mud, and cow dung. In here is the kitchen and the entertaining room.All meals are eaten in here and when people visit everyone sits around the fire in here, relaxes, tells stories, drink tea and socialize. The other structure is made of wood surrounded by corrugated tin. This is where most of the family sleeps and they have a storage room in here.
Joseph has a wife and 4 kids.The kids are now ages 4 through 16 and all but the youngest go to school. His wife, Cecila, is very active in the women's group and also the choir for their church.
Joseph is a teacher for a high school. He walks over 4 miles to work every day and are super smart, learning everything we learn here in the States including math, English, science, etc (also some stuff which we do not study which would include how to filter water, certain things about farming techniques).
Joseph is also very involved in his community in terms of getting aid, bringing awareness to the Maasai, making other aware of the Maasai and working with volunteer groups to improve the overall quality of life for the Maasai in his community.
Do you have a reluctant reader? Is your child losing interest in reading? In elementary school, we build the foundations for reading and hopefully a love for it that will last a lifetime. Some students do not gravitate towards reading unless it is mandatory. Take some time to speak to your child about their reluctance and help them overcome it. If your child has difficulty reading, speak with their classroom teacher about the appropriate leveled literature they are capable of reading. Then visit the library together and select reading material. Ask the librarian for suggestions and read along side with your child. Perhaps a new series or author will grab your child's attention and keep them interested. Encourage your child to read a variety of genres, magazines, recipes, brochures, project manuals, newspapers, etc. As long as they are reading, they will be improving their fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Still struggling? Contact me or the librarian for further assistance.
Back to school nights are this week, and in my opinion they are one of the most important meetings of the school year. Having back to school night so early in the year allows you to learn about the classroom procedures and policies. The follow through from school to home is a vital part of a student's success. Along with the classroom teachers all of the specialists, speech staff, child study team members, basic skills teachers, and guidance counselor are available. I hope you are able to attend and visit the staff members who instruct your child(ren).
