1. No category

The Aire Archives
March 2015/FSA Edition
Devon Aire K-8 Center
10501 SW 122 Avenue
Miami, FL 33186
Test Taking Tips
aration for test taking other than lots
of study, study, and more study!
~Madison Soltis
Eat a Good Breakfast.
Don’t underestimate the power of a
good breakfast. If you don’t want to
eat so early in the morning, that’s o.k.
Our school cafeteria offers a free
breakfast, or you could bring in a
healthy snack to be eaten on the bus
or in homeroom before the test.
Tests are used to track how you are
doing in your classes. By taking
tests, teachers and officials can see
if you need an extra little push to
help you in certain classes.
According to Dr. Mary Ann Smialek, the best ways to study are to:

During the Test
Read the directions.
Your teacher will read and explain the
test directions with the class. If she/he
doesn’t, remember to read the directions. Remember to ask for clarification if you don’t understand them.

Before the Test
Use a Study Guide.
If your teacher does not usually
provide a study guide, ask him/her if
he/she would consider doing so. If
the response is not positive, you can
design your own by following these
various tips.
 Write down main ideas of a
science or social studies chapter on 3 x 5 index cards. Memorize them!

Jot down incomplete sentences.
Fill in the blanks. Write in the
answers. Memorize main ideas!

Define key vocabulary words
from the lesson or story. Write
down, short, concise word
meanings. Memorize each one!

It is more important to concentrate on major, focal ideas than
spending time on details that
may be irrelevant. Reading,
studying and memorizing the
major items of a selected lesson will always produce a better grade when taking a test.
Don’t cram. In the week before
the test, schedule shorter study
sessions. You will feel less
pressure and remember more.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep.
Getting plenty of sleep the night
before a test is the second best prep-
Skim the test quickly.
This test taking strategy is much overlooked by students. Many times when
students complete the short, easier
sections of the test they gain more
confidence. They then can continue
the test with less pressure. By skimming over the test, you will know
what to expect and can pace yourself
a little better for a longer or written
essay section of the test.
 Check over work.
Remind yourself to make sure that
you didn’t skip any part of the test.
This happens often. When the test is
turned in to the teacher, it’s a little too
late to make corrections or complete
missed sections. If there’s time, check
over for correct spelling, punctuation,
capitalization and grammar. In a math
test, always check the signs
(operations of the problem) and note
that careless mistakes such as adding
instead of subtracting can lower the
test grade substantially.”
By doing all these steps thoroughly,
you will have the best chance at acing
your tests. Also, if you practice and
ask for help on some problems that
you have trouble with, you most likely will get better at doing them and
excel in your class. Taking tests aren’t
that hard if you know how to take
them.
Make sure to follow these tips and
you will do great!
Test Anxiety
~Valeria Berrondo
Stress! Pressure! Tension!
These are all
things that you
feel
when
you’re taking a
test. If you’re
dealing with test anxiety you’re not
alone, I’m here to give you some
tips on how to deal with it.
Test anxiety is actually a type of
performance anxiety — a feeling
someone might have in a situation
where performance really counts or
when the pressure's on to do well.
This sort of pressure can cause you
to totally forget what you studied.
A student with test anxiety can
even feel very shaky and sweaty as
they wait for a test to be passed
out. This type of stress can get to
be a lot, but, with the right steps,
you’ll be able to handle it well.
Instead of being nervous, you’ll be
completely ready to take on the
test.
(http://kidshealth.org/teen/
school_jobs/school/
test_anxiety.html)
Tests may feel like bullies at times,
but you can’t let them get to you.
These are some tips you can use to
Stress Busters
not feel overwhelmed with testing.
First of all, you don’t have to be
perfect on a test. It’s ok to make
mistakes... you can learn from them.
Another good way of dealing with
test anxiety is by having good study
habits and skills.
“You don't have to control your
thoughts. You just have to stop letting them control you,” said Dan
Millman, an American author
Having good studying skills is very
important because if you just study
the night before, you might get even
more stressed. So if you have a test,
make sure you study regularly until
the test. It will help you be sure and
confident that you’ll do well. Don’t
freak out, just study enough and
you’ll be fine. Once you’re done
you’ll feel relieved.
One thing that you should not do
before a test is think negative
thoughts.
Thinking
negative
thoughts could really affect you.
Negativity could contribute to your
anxiety, and you don’t want that. If
you are thinking negative thoughts,
replace them with positive thoughts.
Don’t doubt yourself! Believe in
yourself!
Don’t let test anxiety push you
around and make you feel down!
Just believe in yourself!!!
As we are all aware, End
of
Course
exams
(EOCs) are coming real
soon. These exams can
take a real big toll on
stress. Here are a few
tips you can take to help
get rid of your stress.
a good night’s sleep is really important for your brain. We are all
getting the realization that this
school year is coming to an end,
as students have already taken
their writing tests and End of
Course exams are coming real
soon. Sleep, study, relax, be with
family and friends, focus, and get
a good night sleep! I assure you,
you'll do terrific!
It is pretty obvious that school and
homework are stressful, so it is important that you relax. Napping,
relaxing, and being with family are
ways to get rid of that stress. Getting
“You always think you’re not
going to pass, so you get really
stressed, but, in the end, it all
turns out ok,” said 7th grader,
Isabel Conde.
~Brittney Alvarez
Visit us online at http://devonaire.dadeschools.net/theairearchives.htm.
Another DAK-8 Award
Winner
Editorial
~Valeria Vidal
~Jordi Gonzalez
Devon Aire students are capable of
the incredible, and they do it every
day. From athletic aptitude to academic achievement, Devon Aire students are some of the best the world
has to offer.
Standardized Testing
Is testing really helping kids, or is it
actually detrimental? Many times,
students are stressing too much.
Many teachers are very concerned
because of the new tests and also
what their students will do when
they are being tested. This whole
new process and setup of these
exams is very different from before
because most students are going in
blind despite the information that
they have been given.
“It’s very stressful. I have other
things I need to worry about other
than testing,” said Natasha Taylor,
eighth grade student.
Aside from testing, students need to
complete homework and projects
from other classes that may not be
testing in that period of time. There
are also the teacher-made preparation packets to help students’ scores
rise. This gives them even more
work to do and less time to do it.
If the standardized tests could all be
taken care of in a timely fashion,
unlike how the writing testing took
about two weeks alone, it could be
less of an issue because they could
be implemented later in the year
with more time to prepare properly.
The views and opinions expressed
in this editorial are not necessarily the views or opinions of The
Aire Archives or anyone affiliated
with DAK-8!
School Beautification
Day
~Xavier Clough
I think our school is missing something!!
We are missing more trees and
plants!! On Beautification Day,
our school community gets together! Parents, students, teachers, and
businesses help make school a
better place by bringing trees,
flowers, bushes and mulch. They
also provide help by taking out the
plants that are dead and bringing in
new ones to replace the old ones.
Diangelo Movilla, a
Devon Aire student has
been invited to the
prestigious
National
Young Leaders State
Conference (NYLSC).
The NYLSC “honors
high-achieving students
Jaguar Sports
across the country who are ready to
step
forward
as
lead~Yasmanny Vega
ers.”
(envisionexperience.com/
explore-our-programs/national-young What’s all the hoop-la about?
-leaders-state-conference?
state=florida#what-to-expect)
Not only is the NYLSC for students
that are great leaders, but for students
that show proficiency in academics.
(envisionexperience.com/explore-our
-programs/national-young-leadersstate-conference?state=florida#) Movilla has earned an invitation to the
conference, as he has demonstrated
both of these important qualities,
acting as a role model for everyone.
The basketball teams have been
chosen!
The coach for the girls’ basketball
team is Mr. Davis. There are 14 girls
and 1 team manager. The coach for
the boys’ basketball team is Coach
Diangelo Movilla did this all in his Bronis. There are 13 players on the
first year of middle school; Movilla is team.
only in sixth grade having gotten this
far. Movilla was interviewed on this. Practices that help the players excel
He stated that he was “very thrilled” at basketball are skill development
after receiving the invitation, noting such as dribbling and shooting.
that it was “really good for my col- Then, they go over set plays and
lege recommendation.” When asked defense formation. They normally
what he wanted to get into in the practices 4-5 days a week.
future, he said he’d like to get into
law; Movilla is aiming to get into
Harvard for its law program. Because Mr. Davis’ favorite quote is: “Talent
this is his first year in sixth grade, he is NEVER enough. With few excepwas asked about his middle school tions the best players are always the
experience.
hardest workers.” ~Magic Johnson
Movilla wrote, “It’s hard, but I do
enjoy the experience.” Movilla is a Coach Bronis’ favorite quote is:
role model for everyone and an ex- “Respect all! Fear none!”~John
ample of what every Devon Aire Wooten.
student can achieve.
Testing News
Beautification day is on March
14th.
Middle school students, for
every bag of mulch you bring,
you will get 1 hour of community service. Elementary students, if you bring 1 bag of
mulch, you get a homework
pass.
For more information please
contact Ms. Monica Picone.
So come on out and bring bags
of mulch and your energy to
help our school look like new,
and make it new like never
before.
Teachers’ Corner
~by Susan Peters
A team of champions!
The DAK-8 Middle School
Girls’ Volleyball Team consists of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.
They had a very successful
season, going 10-0 in the regular season, and then winning
all the playoff games and the
championship game to end up
14-0. Undefeated and presented with a nice, large, championship trophy. Excellent serving, bumping, and good team
work, were the ingredients for
the success of this team. Here
is a list of the championship
team:
Captains,
Tiani
Chaname (8th) and Aimee
Lopez (6th), Danielle Jimenno
(8th), Ciera Martin (8th), Madison Soltis (8th), Isabella Perez
(8th), Amber Maier (7th), Robin
Maier (7th), Yilian Ramos (7th),
Daniela Rincon (7th), Valeria
Ruffo (7th), Mackenzie Soltis
(6th), Yasmanny Vega (6th),
Eliza Espinal (6th) and Amanda
Palma (6th). The team was
coached by Ms. Susan Peters.
~Natasha Taylor
As most people know, standardized testing in school starts in March, and now they have computer based testing for most
of the reading and math tests. Down below is a link to some practice tests for use to practice the tests and understand their
format. Also, there is a link to more information that might be helpful to students who are wondering what they are actually going to be tested on.
Practice tests: http://www.pearsonaccess.com/cs/Satellite?c=Page&childpagename=Florida/
flPALPLayout&cid=1205461226846&pagename=flPALPWrapper
Information: http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/computer-based-testing.stml
App Happy
~Megan Weetom
Personal Zen
Having anxiety before a test? Well,
here’s a game for you!
A lot of people feel nervous about
taking tests. This may cause children to not be able to take the test to
the best of their abilities. So how
can you relieve your stress and anxiety? Well, Personal Zen is a great
way to relieve you of stress and
anxiety.
Personal Zen helps relieve stress by
just playing a few minutes of this
game. On the screen, there are two
faces, a happy face and an angry
face. They burrow into the ground
and you have to follow one of the
faces. The point is to follow the
happy face and trace the taller grass
with your finger. The game distracts
the player from all the anxieties the
player is having, and thinks about
positive thoughts instead of the negative.
Dr. Dennis states, “The habit of
thinking about the world in a more
positive light - like looking for a
silver lining in a bad situation – is
one of the key ways we can promote
our own resilience in the face of
stipulate? Do you finish your work
on time? Are you able to accomplish
what you want to do before deadlines? Are you a good time manager?
~Yang Cabrera
Q: How can I manage my time better
so that I can complete my work on
time?
A: Agendas, schedules, check lists,
all very different things with one
equal purpose, to manage time.
Many people have troubles managing
their time. How long to wait? How
long to do something? It’s always
difficult to know the answer. But
don’t worry, I can help you with that.
Are you usually punctual or late? Do
you finish things within the time you
If your answered ‘no’ to any of the
above questions, that means you are
not managing your time as well as
you want. Here are some tips to help
you with your time management.
Create a daily plan. Plan your day
before it unfolds. Do it in the morning or even better, the night before
you sleep. The plan gives you a good
overview of how the day will pan
out. That way, you don’t get caught
off guard. Remember to try to stick to
the plan.
Peg a time limit to each task. Be
clear that you need to finish X task
by 10am, Y task by 3pm, and Z item
by 5:30pm. This prevents your work
from dragging on and eating into
time reserved for other activities.
Fashion and Entertainment
~Brianna Alvarez
What color do you see?
The dress that “broke the Internet” and is
keeping some of our own DAK-8 students
from preparing for the test. The original
dress is blue and black, but why do some
people see it white and gold or even both
colors?
According to Science One, it's really all about the light. If
you convert the picture of the dress on your phone or on an
app you can see that blue is gold and black is white. Sometimes it depends on the background. If the background is
dark, it will look more gold and white. If the background
is white or light it will come out blue and black.
adversity.”- Huffington Post
Personal Zen may look a little bit
weird, but it’s a great way to relive
stress; especially if it’s before a
major test and if you are feeling
nervous. Download Personal Zen
on any Apple product to relieve
your stress now!
For more apps that can improve
your brains ability to perform well,
especially during testing, visit this
link:
http://
www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/
04/brainexercises_n_5438222.html .
Know your deadlines. When do
you need to finish your tasks? Mark
the deadlines out clearly in your
calendar, organizer, or agenda so
you know when you need to finish
them.
all the applications you aren’t
using. Close off the tabs in your
browser that are taking away
your attention. Focus solely on
what you’re doing. You’ll be
more efficient that way.
Target to be early. When you target to be on time, you’ll either be
on time or late. Most of the time,
you’ll be late. However, if you
target to be early, you’ll most likely
be on time. Get the work done before it’s due.
Don’t fuss about unimportant
details You’ll never get everything done in exactly the way
you want. Trying to do so is
rather ineffective.
Have a clock visibly placed before
you. Sometimes we are so engrossed in our work that we lose
track of time. Having a huge clock
in front of you will keep you aware
of the time at the moment.
Focus. Are you multi-tasking so
much that you’re just not getting
anything done? If so, focus on just
one key task at one time. Close off
Leave buffer time in-between.
Don’t pack everything closely
together. Leave a 5-10 minute
buffer time in between each
tasks. This helps you wrap up
the previous task and start off on
the next one.
Follow my advice and I promise
you’ll have enough time to finish your work before its do date.
Hope this helped.
A Corner on Health
~Juliette Guerra
Preparing Your Body to Succeed on Your Tests!
Now that testing is on its way, you need to eat well and get enough rest in order to be prepared to
do well.
Healthy nutrition before a test can help you get higher test scores. Getting enough sleep is very
essential because you need energy to function well enough and be able to think and concentrate.
Eating the right things are also key to doing well on a test.
You should go to sleep early before taking a test so that you are well rested and prepared to use
your brain and energy to think about problems. Eat good foods that you know will wake you up
and won’t make you feel groggy or slow. For example, DON’T eat too much sugary foods, caffeine, or foods made with flour. This is because these foods use up some of your body’s energy to
digest them, and you will need to conserve all the energy you have for your test (http://
www.goodluckexams.com/what-to-eat-before-an-exam/).
The foods that you should pay attention to and eat are foods such as eggs, yogurt, nuts, and whole
Some people think it depends on your mood, but that is not -grain foods. These foods are high in protein, and, therefore, take less energy out of your body.
true. It really all depends on the way you look at it, what
Nutrition and sleep are very important to help you do your best while taking a test, so you need to
kind of filter you are using, or maybe if you scroll too
treat your body well! Test-Taking Tipsfast on Instagram or other social media.
Eat well and eat healthy, easy to digest foods.
So now you can get back to studying for your test! Good
Eat a full breakfast.
luck!
Avoid sugary foods that take energy from your body.
For more information, visit
Sleep long enough to regain energy for the test.
http://www.wired.com/2015/02/science-one-agrees-colorRelax and stay confident, you’ll do fine!
dress/.
If you prepare your body for the test, you will be sure to succeed!
The Class Clown
The Taste
~Melanie Bergunker
~Kayla Sanchez
Testing and Breakfast
Pet Paradise
~Isabel Conde
And yet another set of hilarious jokes for a BRAND NEW issue!
This is the 6th issue of Aire Archives. Have fun getting a laugh
from these jokes and getting a break from end-of-year testing!
Q.) What did the tree say to the math teacher?
A. Gee, I’m a tree! – www.enchantedlearning.com
Q.) What subject in school is easy for a witch?
A. Spell-ing! – www.enchantedlearning.com
Q.) What is snake's favorite subject?
A. Hiss-tory! - www.enchantedlearning.com
Q.) What is an owl's favorite subject?
There are some important tests coming up
and nobody wants to be tired and hungry
when taking these tests. Sometimes, there
isn’t enough time to eat breakfast at school.
So why not have an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
bar?
I suggest that you make the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip bars the night before, so that in the
morning you can just grab it and go. The
total time it takes to finish this recipe completely is 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
*1 cup butter
A.
Owl-gebra! – www.enchantedlearning.com
Your Jokes:
Q.) Why is the longest human nose recorded 11 inches long?
A.
Because if it were 12 inches long,
it would be a foot! –Sophia Perez-Guillen; 4th Grade
Q.) What animal can’t take a test in the jungle?
A. A cheetah, because they cheat! – Sophia Perez-Guillen; 4th
Grade
Thanks for your great jokes! Wanted, jokes about the summer,
vacations, or the beach!
*1 cup brown sugar
*1/4 cup white sugar
*2 eggs
*1 (3.5 ounces) package vanilla pudding mix
*2 teaspoons vanilla extract
*1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon baking soda
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*2 ¾ cup quick oats
*1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
*1 cup chopped nuts and seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking
pan.
2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and white sugar
in a bowl until creamy; beat in eggs until
smooth. Stir pudding mix into creamed mixture, followed by vanilla extract. Whisk
flour, baking soda, and salt together in a
separate bowl and stir flour mixture into
moist ingredients. Mix oats, chocolate chips,
nuts and seeds into dough. Press dough into
prepared baking pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly
browned, about 25 minutes. Let cool before
cutting into squares.
~Yield depends on the size of your squares
Hope you enjoy and good luck on your tests!
Carnaval
~Jonathan Jimenez
Carnaval
Miami is a
weekend
festival
that takes
place between mid-February to
mid-March with events that
take place on Miracle Mile.
Events such as a soccer tournament, domino tournament, a
pageant to crown Miss Carnaval, classic golf, cooking, jazz
music, and a 10K run are all
great ways to enjoy the weekend at Carnaval. Famous Latin
celebrities help make this event
even more enjoyable!
An explosion of Latin culture
is part of this 35 year old
event. People fill the streets of
Little Havana and Calle Ocho
to celebrate the festival of their
culture by eating amazing food
and enjoying great events.
The Kiwanis Club, a children’s
service organization, sponsors
Carnaval Miami. Celebrating
Carnaval will help the Kiwanis
Club raise money for worthy
education programs.
One
year, the funds were used to
provide Internet access to
needy families.
The event is free, and there is
plenty of extra fun to indulge
in, including dozens of food
stands and art vendors. The
event takes place every year on
the weekend before the main
event, the Calle Ocho Festival.
Many people enjoy the food
tasting booths. Food tastings
from classy restaurants to Cuban ice cream are a great way
to appreciate some good food
at Carnaval.
You just don’t want to miss
Carnaval with all of the great
food and events that will make
you remember that weekend
for years.
For more information, visit:
http://
www.carnavalmiami.com/ .
Have you ever thought of having a
pet that hops around and is soft and
sweet? Well I think a bunny is perfect
for you…
Bunnies are great pets! They have
different types of fur, whether it is
brown, white, black or any color. But
do you know how to care for a bunny? If you don’t, then read on. To
care for a bunny you need to know
the basics… You need to keep an eye
on your bunny. Remember that they
hop a lot and can easily run away, or
should I say HOP away!!! You also
need to watch out for fleas, ticks, and
ear mites. To prevent these parasites,
groom their fur on a regular basis. To
improve your bunny's joint flexibility, muscle tone, digestion, and cardiovascular fitness, your bunny needs
exercise on a regular basis, including
room in their cage to run and hop all
around. Make sure the cage is escape
proof with a solid bottom. Now for
the food: you can give your bunny
Timothy hay from Petco and feed a
minimum of 1 cup of vegetables per
day.
“Bunnies are really cute, but you
have to clean the cage [often], and
also make sure they get exercise. Get
a play pen and let them out in your
backyard in the pen, but make sure
you watch them just in case they start
digging holes,” said 8th grader Tiffany Franco.
“It doesn't like when people lift it and
doesn't like small spaces, but it does
run a lot. It does dig every where and
nibbles at everything... especially
boxes,” said 8th grader Yang Cabrera.
Have fun with your pet bunny. I almost forgot Happy Easter!!! I'll see
you hopping around “The Aire.”
Preparing for the Big Test
~ Ryan Garcia
The big tests are coming up, and teachers are preparing their students well. Students and teachers are working hard to get ready
for the test. Here are some pictures of their dedication.
A FEW GOOD
WRITERS
For the final edition of “The Aire Archives”
we want to ask you, our audience, if you
want to contribute any of your writings to
our last paper. It could even be poetry or
a letter! we would gladly accept it. Every
piece of literature is very much appreciated, and we will choose the best pieces to
be included in the next issue of “the Aire
Archives.”
If you have something to say about “The
Aire Archives,” or if you want to submit anything, please do so. Our audience’s feedback is very important to us. We want everyone to have a say in what they liked about
our newspaper. All year we’ve been trying
to entertain our audience, and now we
want to hear from you so that we can improve next year.