The remains of a whopper of a sea creature have been found in Antarctica. Called an Elasmosarid, it is related to the plesiosaurs(think "Loch Ness Monster"), prehistoric creatures that had very long necks. Thought to date back about 70 million years, the Elasmosarid remains, one of the most complete ever found, suggest when the creature roamed the ocean, it weighted about 15 TONS and was about 40 ft. long.

Illustration from DailyMail.co.uk

History was made at the Tony Awards this week. Actress Ali Stroker won the award for best featured actress in a musical, for her performance in Oklahoma. It is the very first time a person with a disability, in this case, a person in a wheelchair, won a Tony Award. Stroker was paralyzed from the chest down in a car accident when she was two years old. "This award is for every kid who has a disability, a limitation or a challenge who has been waiting to see themselves represented in this arena," she said. Sadly, there is still need for improvement in awareness for those with disabilities. Stroker had to wait backstage at the theater in case her name was called as there wasn't a ramp for her to come up on stage.

Photograph from Yahoo.com

Photograph from space.com

Meteorologists in San Diego, California, say that there was an unusual display on their National Weather Service radar. A swarm of ladybugs, 80 miles long, was detected, on June 4th! Called a "bloom", some meteorologists questioned whether it was indeed a massive number of ladybugs. Even in large numbers, could they REALLY be detected as a cloud like occurrence on radar equipment? Did you know a group of ladybugs is called a "loveliness"? Do you know anything about ladybugs? Click here to learn about ladybugs:Ladybugs

Picture from easyscienceforkids.com

In addition to passing your classes, a new law passed in the Philippines will require ALL students to show that they planted 10 trees to graduate! With about 18 million students calling the Philippines home, that could mean that 175 million trees will be planted each year! It is estimated the requirement would mean about 525 billion trees could be grown in just one generation.The tree graduation requirement hasn't begun as of yet but trees indigenous(native) to the Philippines will be the first priority. Areas for planting will include abandoned mining sites,forest and urban areas of the Philippines. In addition to helping to beautify the Philippines, scientists hope the tree requirement will cut down on CO2 levels and hopefully help lessen the growing global climate crisis.

Illustration from wpclipart.com

PAST NEWS STORIES

Click here:Past News Stories
"The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to compromise."FDR "If a man empties his purse into his head, no man can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest."(Ben Franklin) "You must be the change you want to see in the world."(Mahatma Gandhi) "School is a building that has four walls-with tomorrow inside."(Lon Watters) "We know the future will outlast all of us, but I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make."(Senator Ted Kennedy) "The purpose of life is a life of purpose." (Robert Byrne)
Special thanks to EducationWorld for letting me use this image of my "alter ego" as Mrs. "Waffenschmidt!

About Gail:

I have retired from teaching after 33 1/2 years in the classroom. Of that time, I taught Grade 6 Social Studies teacher for 31 1/2 years.I earned my BA in early secondary education with a concentration in social studies from SUNY Oneonta, New York, and my MST in social studies education from Binghamton University in New York. In 1988, I was awarded the Outstanding Elementary Social Studies Classroom Teacher of the Year Award from the New York State Council for the Social Studies. Additionally, in 1988, I was also awarded the Outstanding Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award by the National Council for the Social Studies. I am the author of 8 books for teachers and over 30 books for children(Purple Turtle Series by Aadarsh Publishing). In 2019, my new series of three books, "Odd History" will be published by Red Chair Press.

My work has appeared in most children's publications including:
Appleseeds,Scholastic's Super Science,Scholastic's Science World,Highlights for Children,Jack and Jill,National Geographic World, Ranger Rick, Cobblestone, Faces, Muse Magazine,Contact Kids, US Kids,Action Magazine(Scholastic),Girls' Life,Boys' Life,American Girl, Instructor,Creative Classroom,Middle Years,Time for Kids,Scholastic News,Scholastic News Zone, Time for Kids , Ask Magazine, Dig,Calliope, Cobblestone, FACES, Studies Weekly, Glo Adventurer, and more.

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