Volume 3, Edition 3
May, 2015
Shark
Attack
A newspaper by and for the students of Key Biscayne K-8 Center
Our Staff
Maya Conway
Marika DupontBerry
Siska DupontBerry
Miranda TorresGarcia
Ava Jackson
Faith Labrada
Valentina Mendez
Ilana Sanz
Kathryn Serra
Sabrina Shipley
Advisors
Ms. Skinner
Amy Shipley
‘Shark Attack’ Staff Gets Tour of WPLG TV Set
By Faith Labrada
The Shark Attack newspaper
crew went to WPLG Local 10’s
Hallandale headquarters on May
19 and we got to see how a real
news station really works. A tour
guide showed us what goes on
behind the scenes as well as on
the air.
First we saw where the stories
that are reported are written. It
was a big room full of cubicles
and the writers were busy at work
to get ready for the news at noon.
Ms. Skinner, Ilana Sanz, Tiffany Berry, Miranda Torres, Sabrina Shipley, Ava Jackson,
Next, we were taken to the conAmy Shipley, Valentina Mendez, Siska DupontBerry, Kathryn Serra, Faith Labrada
trol room where all of the shows,
and Marika DupontBerry flank Kristi Krueger, Constance Jones and Julie Durda.
commercials and the news are
makes sure nothing goes wrong. After that, we were shown to the
broadcast.
So remember this when you’re
room where the producers conIn this room there is one person
watching shows like “Once Upon trol the background and speak to
who switches on the shows and
A Time” and “Modern Family.”
the reporters through their ear
Continued on page 2
Cambridge Program Coming to KB K-8 Center
By Miranda Torres-Garcia and Sabrina
Shipley
Next year, a new curriculum from an English university will be coming to Key Biscayne K-8 Center to start to prepare students for MAST. This new program, the
Cambridge Program, will be implemented
in grades 5, 6, and 7.
MAST already offers the program.
Ms. Tarafa says that the main reason for
the Cambridge Program is that it “will help
with the transition for the students [to]
MAST, whether they leave in middle school
or in high school.”
countries by over 9,000 schools across the
globe. The Miami-Dade school district
plans to have 80 Cambridge Programs at
about 70 schools by 2016.
The difference between the new CamYou don’t know what the Cambridge Probridge Program and the current program is
gram is? Well, the Cambridge Program is a like the difference between typing and
curriculum for grades K-12 including math, writing with a pencil – two different
science and English (language arts).
Continued on page 4
The Cambridge program is used in 160
P a g e
2
S h a r k
A t t ac k
The Grass Will Be Greener at KB K-8 in the Fall
By Valentina Mendez and Marika
DupontBerry
pand it and to make it beautiful. By doing
this, she could add more plants and flowers
and make sure they are watered daily so
they won’t die.
to the green space -- to transform all those
ugly patches and empty spaces to beautiful
flowers and green grass. Soon enough, our
school will be a dirt-patch free school!
A lot of construction and a lot of kids have
left Key Biscayne K-8 Center with a big problem: Damage to the playing fields and green We have interviewed a couple of children to
space at the school.
see what their opinion is on the condition of
the green space.
There are big
open patches in
“Honestly for right now I think it looks ugly,”
our courtyard
said Marcela Sauce, a fourth grader. “When
between buildI am on the field I notice it a lot when I am
ings one and
playing. When I am playing on the field, I get
two. There are
tired and decide to sit down but there is
also problems
nowhere to sit because of all the empty
that continue
patches of dirt.”
on to the P.E
Marcela said she looks forward to when the
field.
green space is done.
“They will be
“I would be grateful because I would be able
removing the
to sit down and see the beautiful flowers,”
portables once Fourth-grader Marcela Sauce.
she said.
they are done
Right now Ms.Tarafa is working on the inwith construction. So we want to fix all that
side of our school. For instance, bathrooms,
area,” Ms.Tarafa said.
cafeterias and classrooms.
The improvement will also take part in our
Ms. Tarafa wants to replace construcgarden. For this concept, Ms. Tarafa will be After she is finished with her work on the
tion-damaged grass like this patch.
inside of our school, she would move on
willing to concentrate on our garden to ex-
Newspaper Club Gets An Inside Look at Channel 10
Continued from Page 1
pieces. We got to see what goes on outside of
the newsroom when the news came on live.
When they went to commercial we went into the
live studio, stood feet away from the live broadcast and met anchors Kristi Krueger, Constance
Jones and meteorologist Julie Durda.
Overall, the trip was both fascinating and educational.
“I felt like a girl in high school because I’ve been
watching these people for so long, and the platform and the wall in the news room were just
beautiful,” said Ms. Skinner the head of the
Shark Attack newspaper.
So yes we had a very good time and we hope to
do this again next year!
Marika, Faith, Siska, Valentina, Kathryn, Ilana, Ava, Miranda and Sabrina
pose for a photo in Channel 10’s newsroom.
V o l u m e
3 ,
E d i ti o n
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Students Hit D.C., Boston and Many Local Stops for Field Trips
By Kathryn Serra and Siska DupontBerry
Imagine five kids sleeping next to a dolphin,
three kids sleeping next to an orca, and 10
kids sleeping next to a sea lion. Well, this is
what the seventh grade does on its overnight
field trip to Sea World: Kids sleep next to
animal habitats for one night.
Field trips in Key Biscayne K-8 center come
in an abundance. This year alone we have
participated in over 20 field trips. For example, the kindergarteners went to Butterfly
Garden; second grade went to the movie
theater; the fourth grade went bowling -- and
that’s just three of the field trips.
On a much larger scale, fifth and sixth grade
went out of the state to Boston and Washington for three nights (most students without
their parents). Those three days weren’t just
fun and games, though. Every day students
get jam-packed with a lot of information.
Plus, they have to wake up at 6:00 a.m. and
go to bed at 10:00 or 11:00 p.m.
“We walked so much in those three days my
legs nearly fell off, but it was worth it!” said
Ava Jackson, a fifth grader who participated
in the Boston trip.
Key Biscayne sixth graders visit the White House during their May trip to Washington, D.C.
As Ms. Ferreyros Jr., a fifth-grade teacher,
said:
Why does the school go through all the trou- “it offers students to learn in an engaging
ble to have students participate in field trips? way.”
And, as most students, like Maya Conway, a
fifth-grader, will say:
“It is an amazing way to learn new things,
and it’s the most fun we have in school.”
Parents, Students Enjoy ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’
By Ilanna Sanz and Maya Conway
“Take your child to work day is
fun especially when I got to teach
the second graders with my mom
and Ms. Peña,” said fourth-grader
Brianna Babani.
Take Your Child to Work Day is a
day that was created to let children learn more about their parents’ jobs.
It used to be called Take Your
Daughter to Work Day because
girls were not able to get the
same jobs as men so people created a day for girls to learn more
about the jobs of men. Then everybody felt that Take Your Daughter to Work Day should be for
everyone so they changed it to
Take Your Child To Work Day.
“It’s a great way to learn about
the different jobs that I can have
when I grow up.” said fourth-
Brianna Babani is the daughter of
a second-grade teacher from this
school named Ms. Babani.
“It’s not something that just
Dade County came up with,
it’s something that is out there in
all the state and everybody does
it,” said the school principal Ms.
Tarafa.
Ms. Peña and Brianna Babani
grader Kathryn Serra.
Kathryn Serra worked with her
mom who is a speech therapist.
Take Your Child to Work Day is an
opportunity for you to go out and
see the different types of careers
that there are out there.
Glitches Accompany Debut of FSA Test at Key Biscayne K-8
By Ava Jackson
luckily the computers saved stu- sometimes, and the technology is plemented in grades K–12 in the
dents’ work once the glitches had not always the best.”
2014–2015 school year,” acEvery year, the Key Biscayne K-8
subsided.
cording to the Florida DepartCenter has the children doing the
Soon the children were able to
ment of Education. “All Florida
reading, writing and mathematics “It’s kind of frustrating, when
turn in the FSA test so now we
schools will teach the Florida
FCAT. But this year we don’t have you’re taking a test, you’re read- wait for our results.
Standards, and the Florida Dethe FCAT assessment test -partment of Education (FDOE)
instead we have to take the “All of a sudden — voom! The computer goes down, black,
has contracted with the AmeriFSA assessment test to
can Institutes for Research
and
then
you
have
to
start
again.
Luckily,
we’ve
been
dodetermine where we will get
(AIR) to develop and administer
ing really well. The kids have been great.” — Ms. Tarafa
placed next year.
new statewide assessments.”
Right when the test was going
ing, and all of a sudden – voom!
Even though the computers had
Finally, what is the FSA assesssmoothly, the technology and
The computer goes down, black,
many issues going on we still did
ment test?
weather just had to cause many
and then you have to start
a fantastic job on cooperating. So
issues.
“The Florida Standards in Mathe- now the anticipation is killing me:
again,” said Ms. Tarafa. “Luckily,
The computers had major glitch- we’ve been doing really well. The matics and English Language Arts what are the results of the test?
es occurring in them, maybe be- kids have been great. The teach- were approved by the Florida
You may not have the same opiners have been great. And we just State Board of Education in Feb- ion I had, but still!
cause of the weather issues or
have to deal with Mother Nature ruary 2014 and will be fully imthe power surge occurring. But
2015 Summer Reading List
Fifth graders visit Harvard during their annual Boston trip (see story page 3)
Cambridge Program to Start Next Fall
“It’s basically focused on enhancing the types of learning students
get in language arts, math and
methods of doing the same thing.
science so that it’s a more worldly
This summer, teachers in grades 5, perspective,” Ms. Hill said about
6, and 7 will be trained by teachers the program.
from the actual Cambridge UniverTeachers are mostly supportive of
sity in England.
the program, including Ms. Moore,
Next year will mark the beginning of who said that “anything that is for
the benefit of the kids, the teachers
our school as a Cambridge school.
are supportive [of].”
Continued from Page 1
Going to 1st Grade
Biscuit Goes to School, Baby Dolphin’s First Day, Wemberly Worried, La Oruga Muy Hambrienta
(EFL), The New Kid (ESOL), Let’s
Have a Play (ESOL)
Going to 2nd Grade
Hey Diddle Diddle: A Food Chain
Tale, Nate the Great, Abuelo y Los
Tres Osos (EFL), Click Clack Moo
(ESOL), Henry and Mudge and the
Big Sleepover (ESOL)
Going to 3rd Grade
Who Was Helen Keller? Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye, Una Tarde
en el Amazones (EFL). How to Eat
Fried Worms (ESOL), The Lemonade
War (ESOL)
Going to 4th Grade
Bobby Vs. Girls, Alvin Ho: Allergic
to Girls, School and Other Scary
Things, Me Llamo Maria Isabel
(EFL), Summer Reading is Killing
Me (ESOL), Lawn Boy (ESOL)
Going to 5th Grade
Hoot, Wonder, El Amor es Como el
Queso (EFL), Joey Pigza Swallowed
the Key (ESOL), A Long Way from
Chicago (ESOL)
Going to 6th Grade
The Name of this Book is Secret?
Chew on This: Everything You Don’t
Want to Know about Fast Food,
Kidnapped in Key West (adv.)
Going to 7th Grade
Technology, 90 Miles to Havana,
Tooth and Nail: A Novel Approach
to the SAT (adv.)
Going to 8th Grade
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie,
The Wright Brothers: How They
Invented the Airplane, Gifts (Annals
of the Western Shore) (adv.)