Plus some very interesting facts about how far my school really ran!
Last month, I decided to enter a triathlon here in San Diego. It was the IronKids Triathlon. I had never done anything like it before. All I knew was that I love to run and I know how to swim and ride a bike… So I tried it. Wow, it was hard! I had so much fun and was surprised to find out that I had placed 4th which qualified me for Nationals. I guess I’m going to St. Petersburg, Florida in October!
Here is a clip from CBS about the events being held all around the country.
Yesterday I ran in the 2010 Junior Carlsbad Race. Anyone can participate even if you can only crawl. This was my second year and it was a beautiful day.
I get butterflies in my stomach at the starting line because there are so many kids and you don’t know what’s going to happen. I dedicated my race to my dog, Cash. Exactly 1 week ago yesterday, he died suddenly and I miss him terribly.
During the last stretch of the race, I was running side-by-side with another competitor. I thought about Cash and I felt like he gave me an extra boost of power. It was just what I needed.
I love you, Cash!
Click here to see the results from yesterday’s race.
Watch video highlights from the race:
How fast can you run a mile?
9 minutes?
8 minutes?
7 minutes?
Steve Scott is an amazing man. He is well-known for being one of the greatest milers in American history. In his career, he ran 136 sub-4 minute miles (more than any other runner in history)!!!!
That is so fast. Wow.
And he came to our school. It was an HONOR to meet him. He gave a talk at flag salute. He talked about how you don’t have to come in first place to be a winner. And I agree. There were many races and championships where he did not come in first place. He may have missed the mark by hundreths of a second. And that did not make him a loser at all. He is a total champion in my opinion!
I had a great Thanksgiving vacation week. I am thankful for my family and my friends. On Thanksgiving morning I got to run in the Oceanside Turkey Trot. It was a 1-mile timed race. It was a lot of fun and it was a close finish. I came in third place 🙂
This is me at the awards ceremony with some Miss Teen Vista Princesses.
(Taken from Mrs. Yates’ Classroom Blog)
Mrs. Yates:
11/9/09
Dear Friends,
If you look up “science” in the dictionary it says the following: “Science is a continuing effort to discover and increase human knowledge and understanding through research. Scientists collect observable evidence, record measurable data relating to the observations, and analyze this information to explain how things work. The methods of scientific research include hypotheses (guesses) of how things work, and experimentation that tests these hypotheses.”
I hope this year you become inspired to ask your own questions, come up with your own hypotheses of how things work, and create your own experimentations to prove or disprove your ideas. You all have intelligent and curious minds and through innovative thinking, you can change the world! Think BIG! Tell me, what does science mean to you? What questions do you have? Maybe you are curious about biology: the study of the body and how it works, or maybe seismology: the study of earthquakes or seismic waves, or maybe physics: the study of matter and energy… the list goes on and on!
What interests you? Please respond in our new “Friendly Letter” format! Room 22 ROCKS!
Warmly,
Mrs. Yates
Max:
Dear Mrs. Yates,
Science is fun to learn! We are learning about fossils. Fossils are fun to learn about because they teach us and tell us what lived long ago. It also tells us what size and shape the plant or animal was. Fossils are also fun to learn about because we can use fossils to help us learn more about what it ate and what kind of plant or animal it was. I want to learn more about the moon, the solar system and lots of other things.
Your student,
Max
(Taken from Mrs. Yates’ Classroom Blog)
Mrs. Yates:
Dinosaurs have fascinated Paleontologists for years. They are creatures that once roamed this earth and hold a mystery that we continue to try and solve each day. Write a paragraph about these mysterious creatures we call dinosaurs. Tell what you know about the time period, for example, when they existed. Talk about the characteristics that made dinosaurs different from each other, for example, what they ate and how they defended themselves. How do you think they became extinct and why do we, as humans, know so much about them?
Max:
Dinosaurs have lived long ago. They are very fun to learn about because no one has ever seen one. I think that dinosaurs got extinct because there was a lot of erosion. There were lots of time periods like the Jurassic period and the Cretaceous period. They all had different habitats like the plains, the forest, the swamp, and the desert. We as people know so much about dinosaurs because we have found so many fossils and imprints of dinosaurs. A meat eater is a carnivore and a plant eater is a herbivore but I forgot the one that eats plants and meat. If I were a scientist I would probably study dinosaurs.
(Taken from Mrs. Yates’ Classroom Blog)
Mrs. Yates:
Halloween is an exciting holiday where the tradition of dressing up is magical, knocking on neighbors doors and receiving candy is fun, and staying up later than usual is thrilling! So tell me, what is it like on Halloween night? Use a lot of descriptive details so I feel like I am there with you! Use your voice in your writing to make me laugh or make me think about safety on Halloween night. Boo!
Max:
Halloween is a fun Holiday! For Halloween, I am going to be Darth Maul. My sister Mia is going to be Snow White. Darth Maul is a guy from Star Wars and he is a bad guy .He has a painted face, and he has spikes on his head, so watch out for him. Mia (who is Snow White) is a princess and she has a beautiful blue and yellow dress, has pretty eyes and gorgeous shoes. If you go trick or treating, you have to say three special words: trick or treat. I do not know what my favorite candy is. I just care that people have fun. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays!
(Taken from Mrs. Yates’ Classroom Blog)
Mrs. Yates:
As we have learned, studying the earth can be very exciting. So my friends, what would it be like to be a geologist? What type of skills do they have to have to be able to do the job well? Why is their job important? What can we learn from these fabulous scientists? Would you like to be a geologist some day? Why or why not?
Max:
Geologists are a type of scientist. They study rocks, minerals, and soil. The kind of rocks that they study are igneous, metamorphic, and sedamentary. Metamorphic rocks are made from heat and preasure. Sedamentary rocks are made from sand and lots of other things and igneous rocks are made of lava and magma. I don’t know about minerals or soil, but soon Mrs. Yates will teach it to me. Geologists are important.