Page 1
The Laser/Autumn 2011
HAPPY ‘BOO’ DAYHAPPY ‘BOO’ DAYHAPPY ‘BOO’ DAY
Written for the children
by the children!
AUTUMN 2011
Cont’d on page 2
by:
Krisha Beyka, Yr6 /Kimberly Andrade, Yr5 / Yul Hilton, Yr 3
On October 31st, we celebrate
Halloween, a night when it is
thought that ghouls, witches
and fairies are very active.
Although the origins of Hal-
loween are not well known but
what is known for sure is that
it falls on the Christian festi-
val of All Saints (1st Novem-
ber) and the pagan Celtic fes-
tival known as Samhain.
So, where does the name Hal-
loween originate from then?
Well, it originates from All
Hallow‟s Even, which literally
means the evening before All
Saints Day. It was originally a
pagan holiday in which the
Celts honoured their dead.
TRICK OR TREAT
Trick or treating is a customary
practice for children on Halloween
seen in many countries. Children
dress up in costumes they
have made, either in large
groups or accompanied by
an adult, travel from house
to house in order to ask
for treats such as candy
(or, in some cultures mon-
ey) with the question
“Trick or Treat?”.
Trick and treating is the most
popular modern tradition in
Halloween. Its history can be
traced all the way back to the
Christian All Souls‟ Day pa-
rades in England. During this
day, poor people would beg for
food and families would offer
them pastries that came to be
known as “soul cakes” because
it was hoped that the person
receiving this offering would
pray for the soul of the bene-
factor‟s dead relatives.
In North America, trick or
treating has been a customary
Halloween tradition since at
least the late 1950s. People
usually decorate their private
entrance with plastic spider
webs, paper skeletons and jack
-o-lanterns if they are going
to be participating in Hallow-
een activities.
HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
The tradition of dressing up in
costumes during Halloween
comes to us from ancient European
and Celtic history. Celts had
great bonfires to ward away
Page 2
FUNNY BONES! Compiled by Yousef Bouran, Yr4
What do skeletons
say before they begin
dining?
Bone appetite!
Who won the skele-
ton beauty contest?
No-Body
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 2
CONT’D FROM PAGE 1
the bad spirits
that might
otherwise harm the next
year‟s crops. They dressed
up in dead animal‟s skins and
masks to intimidate the bad
spirits.
The early darkness that
came with the arrival of win-
ter terrified a lot of people
and so many would leave
food and drink outside their
homes to stop the bad spir-
its from coming in on Sam-
hain. But some people could-
n‟t stay at home during that
time and so they wore grisly
masks to trick the ghosts
into thinking they were one
of them.
CARVING PUMPKINS
A Jack-o'-lantern is typi-
cally a carved pumpkin
where the top is cut off and
the inside flesh then
scooped out; an image, usual-
ly a monstrous face is
carved onto the outside sur-
face, and the lid
replaced. At night,
a light is placed
inside to illuminate
the effect. De-
spite the colourful
legends, the term
jack- o ' - l an tern
originally meant a
night watchman, or man with a
lantern.
Pumpkin carving being associ-
ated with Halloween comes
from a method used by the
Celts to ward off evil spirits
during Samhain. They would
hollow out turnips, then carve
faces in them and place can-
dles inside. The turnips were
then either placed in the win-
dows, to keep evil spirits from
entering a home, or carried
around as lanterns.
Nowadays, people usually dec-
orate their entrances with
plastic spider webs, paper
skeletons and jack-o-lanterns
if they are going to be partici-
pating in Halloween activities.
HAPPY ‘BOO’ DAY
LUCKY YOUUUUUU!
According to superstition, if your
birthday falls on Halloween, you
have been born blessed with the
gift of communication with those
who have passed away.
Page 3
Autumn 2011 Page 3
CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST AN INTERVIEW WITH THE LASER!
by:
Yousef Bouran, Year 4
Casper is one of the most fa-
mous fictional characters on
American TV. He first ap-
peared in the children‟s 1939
book, The Friendly Ghost created by Seymour Reit and
Jo Oriolo. He is a cute little
boy ghost with a New York ac-
cent who prefers making
friends instead of scaring
them. He has had a lot of suc-
cess starring in his very own
TV shows and has had a major
feature film. The Laser’s Yousef Bouran imagines what it
would be like interviewing this
awesome character.
Yousef: What is your real
name?
Casper: Casper Mcfadden
Y: In what year did you ap-
pear in your first ever short
film?
C: 1945
Y: When did you get your
very first major film?
C: 1995. It was called Casper.
Y: Have you got any ghost
friends and what are their
names?
C: Wendy the Witch (she is
very good), Spooky the Tuff
Little Ghost and his girl-
friend Pearl.
Y: Do you have a pet?
C: Well he‟s not my pet real-
ly, but I do have a friend who
happens to be a horse– a
ghost horse of course– his
name is Nightmare and he
is awesome because he can
fly.
Y: Do you only make friends
with ghosts like you?
C: Actually I have human
friends like Bonnie and
Johnnie and, Dr Harvey and
his family. I met them
while I was filming my 1996
film.
Y: How did you become a
ghost?
C: I was 12 years old living
in Whipstaff Manor with
my father J.T Mcfadden
when I became ill with
pneumonia and died.
BE-WITCHING HUMOUR! Compiled by: Sheigen Jonsiah, Yr3/ Kate Falcao Chollet, Yr3
Why do witches
wear name tags?
So they know
which witch is
which!
What do witches
put in their hair?
Scare spray!
Why did the
witch need a
computer?
She needed a
spell check!
What is a
witch‟s favour-
ite subject?
Spell-ing!
Page 4
Autumn 2011 Page 4
HALLOWEEN FUN...
Created by Zita Akande, Yr3
Created by Poppy Trevithick, Yr3
Page 5
GET CREATIVE THIS HALLOWEEN
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 5
Compiled by Myrtille Lehmann, Yr5
SCARECROW LOLLYPOP YOU WILL NEED
Lollypop stick
Peach and brown pen
Yarn or string
Wiggly eyes
Markers
Glue
Scissors
INSTRUCTIONS
1. To begin, use a circle
stencil to cut the beige
felt into a circle that is
about 6” across. Next cut
a piece of yarn, twine or
string to about 10” long.
2. Center the lollipop with
the fabric circle. Pull the
edges down around the
lollipop. Smooth out an ar-
ea for the face. Tie the
felt in place using the
yarn. There is now a scarecrow
face to decorate.
3. Use the marker to draw a
mouth with stitch marks. Now
draw in the nose. Carefully, glue
the backs of the wiggly eyes and
place them on the scarecrow‟s
face. Hold them in place for a
moment so the glue will set.
4. Now cut some of the yarn or
twine into short pieces for the
hair. Glue the hair. Place it care-
fully on the scarecrow‟s head.
Press down on the glued pieces
for a moment so the glue will set.
5. Finally, cut a fat triangle out
of felt. Glue the edges together
to make a cone hat. Hold the
glued edges in place for a moment
so the glue will set. Add addition-
al glue to the top of the scare-
crow‟s head and position the hat.
Let the glue dry for a couple of
minutes.
JUICE BOX MUMMY YOU WILL NEED
Empty cardboard juice box con-
tainer
2 Tablespoons of rice
Fold top sandwich bag
Tape
Black and white construc-
tion paper (available in
most discount stores)
Scissors
Glue stick
2 wiggle eyes
White craft glue
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut open the top of the
juice box container, rinse
and dry thoroughly.
2. Place rice inside sand-
wich bag. Roll up the bag
and secure with tape. Place
bag of rice inside juice box
and tape the top closed.
3. Cut a piece of black con-
struction paper, large
enough to cover the top
half of the front of the
juice box. Glue it in place.
4. Tear white construction
paper into strips and glue
them around the box, leav-
ing a small section of the
black paper visible for the
eyes.
5. Use white craft glue to
attach two wiggle eyes to
the black paper.
Page 6
Autumn 2011 Page 6
6. Keep your head covered when you go
outside. Most of your body heat es-
capes from the head, so wear a hat.
And you might want to accessorize with
gloves to keep your hands toasty too
and don‟t forget to wrap your neck with
a scarf.
7. Have lots of warm food and drink
handy like soups and tea. Certain foods
such as potatoes, beans, bread, milk,
eggs, fish and meat are good sources of
protein and provide the energy to keep
you warm. Also eat plenty of fruit and
vegetables because they are full of vit-
amins.
8. Choose tweed, wool and fleecy syn-
thetic fibers to wear because they
keep you warm. The heavier the fabric
the warmer it will keep you. And re-
member that several thin layers of
clothes are better than one thick layer.
9. If you get wet while outside, change
your clothes as soon as you are indoors.
10. Drink plenty of water. Most people
forget the importance of water during
the cold months.
ORANGES
IN
WINTER
by Rasika Shrestha, Yr3
There are different vari-
eties of oranges which
include tangerines and
mandarin.
Just one orange contains
enough vitamin C for two
days. Vitamin C helps
boost our immune system
so we don‟t get a cold
during winter. It is also
low in calories and very
high in fibre.
When you are buying an
orange don‟t be fooled
into thinking a partly
green orange isn‟t ripe.
These are actually the
ripest oranges. Oranges
change colour from orange to
green after plenty of sun-
shine as heat draws out the
natural chlorophyll in
their skin.
The heavier the orange
the more juice it has.
HOW TO STAY WARM & TOASTY
THIS WINTER
by Gracie Crawford Miller,
Yr6
The winter months can be very
cold and to avoid getting sick
with the flu here are a few tips
to help.
1. Cosy up with your family and
watch a good film. Might want
to try to wrap up in a big warm
blanket.
2. Remember to exercise be-
cause you might be stuck in the
house all day especially when it
is snowing. Exercise is great
because it keeps your blood
flowing which helps to keep you
stay warm.
3. When your house doesn‟t feel
warm check all your windows are
properly shut.
4. Wear slippers or long thick
socks around the house to keep
your toes all warmed up.
5. A hot water bottle is very
heart warming. It is great to
have during those really cold
winter nights.
Page 7
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 7
“A N A P P L E A DAY K E E P S
T H E D O C TO R AWAY ”
by Charde Jonsiah, Yr5
The main ingredient in
pies, turnovers and Hal-
loween treats, the apple is
a member of the rose
family with over 7000 va-
rieties. Ranging in taste
from sweet to sour to
tart, apples are famous
for their versatility.
Archaeologists have found
evidence that humans have
been enjoying apples for
at least 4000 years. Origi-
nating in an area between
the Caspian and the Black
Sea, apple trees are now grown all
over the world. The old saying "an
apple a day, keeps the doctor
away" comes from an old English
saying, "To eat an apple before
going to bed, will make the doctor
beg his bread."
Apples are high in anti-oxidants
and fibre (found in the skin). The
body needs fibres for the diges-
tive system to work properly and
also anti-oxidants are good for
keeping the body healthy and dis-
ease free. Apples are a good
source of minerals and vitamins
such as boron which is needed to
keep bones strong.
According to studies, mak-
ing apples a part of your
regular diet can actually
lower the levels of blood
cholesterol in your body.
Apples contain a soluble fi-
bre called petin, which helps
in maintaining the low cho-
lesterol. Apples can also be
made into apple juice, cider,
vinegar and apple sauce.
Apples turn brown once
they are cut open because
oxygen in the air reacts
with phenolase in the apple.
You can stop that by tossing
the apples in a bit of lemon
juice. And the reason that
fresh apples float is be-
cause 25% of their weight
is air.
A H A L LOW E E N T R E AT
CA N D I E D A P P L E S
Colour Me Red!
by Morgen McCameron,
Yr3
Ingredients
15 apples
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 ½ cups water
8 drops red food colouring
Instructions
1. Lightly grease cookie
sheets. Insert craft sticks into
whole, stemmed apples
2. In a medium saucepan over medi-
um-high heat, combine sugar, corn
syrup and water. Heat to 300 to 310
degrees or until a small amount of
syrup dropped into cold water forms
hard brittle threads. Remove from
heat and stir in food colouring.
3. Holding the apple by its stick, dip
in syrup and remove and turn to coat
evenly. Place on prepared sheets to
harden.
Page 8
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS
Autumn 2011 Page 8
by Tyrena Maitland, Yr4
Bottlenose Dolphins are related to killer
whales. They are marine mammals; this means
that they nurse their babies with milk from
the mothers. They are intelligent, playful
and kind and they seem like they are grinning
all the time because of the way their mouth
curves. They live in groups or families called
pods.
Dolphins can stay up to 15 minutes under the
water but they cannot breathe under the wa-
ter because they are mammals. They have
blowholes located in their heads that open
and close allowing them to breathe.
Dolphins eat fish and squid and communicate
with each other through whistles and sounds.
Many of the sounds they make can be imitat-
ed by holding a balloon tightly by the neck
then letting the air out faster and slower.
THE GRIZZLY BEAR
by Hodhan Ibrahim, Yr4
The grizzly bear get its name from is white-
tipped or grizzled fur. Today Grizzlies are
found in only 5 U.S. states and 4 Canadian
provinces.
Most adult female grizzly bears weigh about
130-200Kg. A male grizzly bear weighs
about 180-360Kg.
Grizzly bears are omnivores, so they feed
on both animal and plant food. They eat
nuts, fruit and grass, as well as feeding on
mousse, sheep and deer. They also feed on
salmon, fish and trout.
The most noticeable characteristic of a
grizzly bear is its hump. The hump is a mass
of muscles that give the bear extra
strength for running and digging.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
1. What is a baby dolphin called?
2. What is a male dolphin called and what is a female dolphin called?
3. Dolphins have blubber. What is that?
4. What is echolocation (eeko-low-ca-shun)?
5. Dolphins sleep with one eye open. True or false?
1.Calf 2.The male dolphin is a Bull, the female dolphin is a Cow 3.This is the thick layer of fat under
a dolphin‟s skin to keep it warm. 4.The type of sonar dolphins use to determine the exact size, dis-
tance and location of objects around them. 4.True
Page 9
A S H O RT STO RY
T H E S E A L T H AT L E A R N T A L E S S O N
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 9
by Sydney Lai, Yr5
Once there lived a polar bear, a penguin and a
seal that were the best of friends. The only
downside to their friendship was that Seal
loved to play pranks on them. In fact, as he
grew older the tricks just got worse.
Once Seal crept up to Penguin‟s house while
he was asleep and plucked a few of his feath-
ers. When Penguin woke up he had a complete
shock; to his horror, he realized that Seal
had plucked half of his body naked.
One day, Penguin had had enough so he met up
with Polar Bear behind Seal‟s back to decide
how they were going to put an end to Seal‟s
horrible pranks. They came up with a plan. It
was time they taught Seal a lesson.
They sat there for a moment thinking hard.
There was an endless silence. What could
they do? What didn‟t Seal like? They knew
what Seal DID like – he was mad for fish.
Suddenly they remembered what really
scared Seal. Seal had told them when they
had first met. It was Sea Lions, but there
was only one problem: you couldn‟t find Sea
Lions in Antarctica.
Then Polar Bear had a fabulous idea, there
may not be any Sea Lions but there certainly
was ice. He was thrilled by the idea brewing
in his mind and he couldn‟t wait to share it
with Penguin. Together they sat plotting.
The next day, Polar Bear and Penguin set to
work. They gathered all the ice they could find
and started slowly transforming it into a mag-
nificent Sea Lion sculpture. Once they were
done, they snuck into Seal‟s house and bor-
rowed some of the murky dark paint he had
used last week to paint his house. It was the
perfect colour to make their sculpture more
real than ever.
At last, they were ready. They placed the Sea
Lion sculpture where Seal could easily spot it.
Just then, Seal came out of his house and the
moment his eyes set upon the sculpture he let
out the loudest wildest most terrified scream
ever. Polar Bear and Penguin could not control
themselves and burst out laughing. “You should
have seen your face,” they cried. Seal, realiz-
ing he had been tricked swam off angrily.
Later that day, Seal came back to apologize.
“Sorry,” he said, “I was jealous because I am
normally the one who plays tricks on both of
you. I won‟t do it again.” And from that day on,
Seal was true to his word and never tricked his
friends again.
Page 10
Autumn 2011 Page 10
Kai Sen, Yr4 and Guilia Hea-ton, Yr5 let us know some of their favourite parts of the phenomenon that is Harry Potter.
Harry Potter is a series of
seven books written by Brit-
ish author J.K.Rowling. They
are books that have cap-
tured the imaginations of
millions worldwide. They
have been made into an
eight-part film series by
Warner Bros. with the sev-
enth book split into two se-
ries. It is the highest
grossing film series of all
time. The books have also
been translated into 67 lan-
guages making Rowling the
most translated author in
history.
The story centers around a
young wizard by the name of
Harry Potter along with his
two best friends Ron Wea-
sley and Hermione Granger
who are all students at Hog-
warts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Throughout
the books Harry Potter is
trying to vanquish the evil
dark wizard Lord Volde-
mort. This Summer, the last
of the movie adaptations
was released.
Everyone loves Harry Potter;
adults and kids alike and
J.K.Rowling‟s books have been de-
scribed as „pure magic‟ and books
that „make reading fun‟. To many
Harry Potter has become an eve-
ryday household word.
WHY I LIKE
HARRY POTTER!
by Giulia Heaton, Yr5
Harry Potter is my all-time fa-
vourite. He‟s a daring, good-
hearted, adventurous boy who
always puts others‟ lives before
his. He is a real hero.
My favourite part is in book five
(Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) when Harry is per-
suaded by two of his older, mis-
chievous friends to sneak into
Hogsmead, a neighbouring village
for Hogwarts (the home of the
young hero).
Hogwarts is a school for young
wizards and witches and is head-
ed by Dumbledore; a fair but firm
old headmaster who used to be
the school‟s caretaker. Harry‟s
enemy is the evil Lord Volder-
mort, a dark wizard who tried to
murder Harry as a baby.
On the other hand, Har-
ry has two friends (Ron
Weasley and Hermione
Granger) and many oth-
ers who are always res-
cuing, defending and
helping Harry. They
have adventures togeth-
er that are a joy to
read.
I really enjoyed the
Harry Potter books and
I think it is an amazing
story that whisks you
away as if by magic!
The Harry Potter Books
Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows
Cont‟d on p.11
Page 11
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 11
HARRY POTTER
AND THE HALF-
BLOOD PRINCE !
(THE FILM)
by Kai Sen, Yr4
I like this film because
some of it is both sad and
scary at the same time.
The film does contain a
death scene that is very
dark. But it also con-
tains a love story and
the best thing is that there is a
big amount of action in the movie.
There is a horrible scene where
Malfoy stomps on Harry‟s face
giving him a broken and bloody
nose.
In this film (which is based on
Book 6 of the Harry Potter se-
ries) Harry is in his sixth year at
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft
and Wizardry. Lord Vordermort
and his Death Eaters are increas-
ing their terror upon the Wizard-
Cont‟d from page 10 ing and Muggle worlds.
My favourite part is when
Harry takes possession of a
strange school book in-
scribed “This is the proper-
ty of the Half-Blood Prince”
which contains astonishing
information.
On the other hand, Dumble-
dore and Harry secretly
work together to find a way
that can destroy Volder-
mort once and for all.
Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft
Sketched by Yousef Bouran, Yr4
Page 12
BOOKS &
AUTHORS
Autumn 2011 Page 12
by Molly Gregson, Yr6
Cathy Cassidy is
a children‟s au-
thor. She was
born on June
13th, 1962. She
wrote her first
book “Dizzy” in
2004.
Cathy first wrote a picture
book for her brother when she
was eight or nine and has been
writing stories ever since. She
is currently writing a series of
books called The Chocolate Box Girls starting with Cherry Crush.
Cathy has been a vegetarian for
over thirty years and a vegan
for eight of those years which
inspired her for a character in
one of her books.
She has books for younger
readers such as “Shine on Daisy
Star” and books for older read-
ers such as “Driftwood”.
She currently lives in the Gol-
loway hills of Scotland.
CATHY CASSIDY
by Bea Delap, Yr6
Charlotte Bronte was born on
the 21st of April 1816 in York-
shire, England. She was the
third of six children. She was
the eldest of the three that
survived to adulthood. Bronte
is famous for writing Jane Eyre.
Charlotte Bronte used the
male pseudonym Currer Bell so
that her work would be pub-
lished. She also wrote three
other books; Shirley, Villette
and The Professor which was
published after her death on
the 31st of March, 1855.
CHARLOTTE
BRONTE
by Charlotte McLeod, Yr3
I have read the most fan-
tastic book called Goldie.
It is the first book in a
series of six Puppy Place
books which star a lovable
puppy in every book.
Goldie is about a boy and a
girl who desperately want
a dog but their mum keeps
saying “No!” because she
feels that the family is
not ready for one. Then
one day their dad, who is a
fireman, comes back from
a fire in a pet shop and
what does he come back
with? That‟s right, a cute
little golden Labrador that
they name Goldie. Now
they have to prove to
their mum that they can
take care of a dog.
Goldie is young and still
has to learn how to be a
good puppy. Does she suc-
ceed? Well, I am not going
to tell you anymore be-
cause you must read the
book yourself to find out.
BOOK REVIEW
„GOLDIE‟
Page 13
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 13
CREATIVE
CORNER
TREES: NATURE‟S
CYCLE
by Saskia Filbee, Yr3
Trees change colour accord-
ing to the season they are in,
In Winter some trees have
no leaves at all. In Spring
they wear their blossoms and
look beautiful.
In Summer we have lovely
green leaves again until Au-
tumn, as if by magic, comes
round and the trees shed
their orange, red and brown
leaves to the ground.
by Poppy Trevithick, Yr3
Leaves falling on your
head
People sleeping in their
bed
Animals hibernating
People‟s eyes are shining
What a wonderful Au-
tumn day
Get tucked up warm and
go play
by Billy Crow-Haidar, Nursery
by Gracie Crawford Miller, Yr6
Katy Perry is an American
singer, song-writer and ac-
tress born on the 25th of Oc-
tober, 1984. She was born
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
and later decided to adopt
the stage name Katy Perry.
Katy plays the guitar and the
piano and grew up listening
only to gospel music. She sang
in her local church choir as a
child.
Her popular songs are Last
Friday Night, Teenage Dream,
E.T., Firework, Hot „n Cold,
Waking up in Vegas, California
Girls and many more.
She lives in Beverly Hills and is
married to Russell Brand.
KATY PERRY
Page 14
Autumn 2011 Page 14
THE ATMOSPHERE
QUICK FACTS
by Oliver Blundy, Yr5
The atmosphere is made of
five layers; the troposphere,
stratosphere, mesosphere,
thermosphere and the exo-
sphere.
The troposphere is the part
of the atmosphere that is
closest to us. It has 99.9%
of the water vapours
(clouds) in the protective
layers of the Earth. All our
weather takes place within
this layer.
The gap between the tropo-
sphere and the stratosphere
is called the tropopause and this is
the area where all weather stops
and the stratosphere is essentially
cloud-free. The stratosphere is
the second major atmospheric lay-
er which contains the ozone layer;
the invisible force field that pro-
tects us from the Sun‟s ultra-violet
rays.
The next layer is the mesosphere.
The top of the mesosphere is the
coldest part of the Earth‟s atmos-
phere. It is the place where the
meteors burn up on their way down
to Earth.
The thermosphere from the Greek
word thermo for heat begins about
80km above the Earth.
The thermosphere ab-
sorbs much of the X-ray
and UV radiation from
the sun. This layer helps
keep Earth at the tem-
perature that makes it
liveable.
The exosphere is the
last layer of the at-
mosphere. Here the
atmosphere becomes
very thin and atoms
and molecules escape
into space. It is
thought of as the re-
gion where the atmos-
phere merges with
space.
Page 15
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 15
by Kai Ring, Yr5
INGREDIENTS
250g butter
300g flour
140g caster sugar
20 chocolate cubes
1 Tsp. Vanilla essence
WHAT YOU WILL
NEED
A rolling pin
1 big bowl
1 small bowl
Biscuit cutter
1 baking tray
METHOD
1. Put the butter and sugar into the
big bowl and stir in till nice and
smooth.
2. Add the egg yolk and stir.
3. Add the flour and stir until there
are no lumps.
4. Now use your hands to make the
dough into sphere shapes
5. Put some flour on the kitch-
en counter and roll each dough
sphere out and cut with a bis-
cuit cutter.
6. Place on a baking tray and
cook for 12-15 minutes
CHOCOLATE BISCUITS
by Amy Jenkins, Yr4
INGREDIENTS:
1 package of store-
bought pizza dough OR
your favourite dough
recipe
Oil, for greasing
Tomato sauce
HOME-MADE PIZZA
8 oz. (50 g) of mozzarella
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
Cheese, sliced
Fresh basil leaves
DIRECTIONS:
1. For the dough use 1 pack-
age of shop-bought pizza
dough or your favourite
dough recipe. Punch down
the dough and divide it
into 4 pieces for large
pizzas or 8 for small
ones.
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 de-
grees Fahrenheit. Oil a
couple of large baking
sheets. Roll out the
dough into circles
then place them on
the baking sheets.
3. Spread a thin layer
of tomato sauce on
each pizza. Top with
mozzarella cheese
and halved cherry
tomatoes. (or try a
mix of cheeses such
as mozzarella with
grated Cheddar or
Parmesan). Bake in
ov en f or 10 - 12
minutes.
4. Scatter fresh basil
leaves on your baked
pizza.
Page 16
Autumn 2011 Page 16
COMIC STRIP
Written & Illustrated by Lulu Pennicott-Banks, Yr4
Page 17
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 17
SPOOK-TACULAR WORDSEARCH Created by Gabriel Cadogan, Yr4
Page 18
Autumn 2011 Page 18
1. This monster sucks up blood
2. You can only see this creature‟s
bones
3. He is invisible
4. He comes from a tomb
5. Green and slippery
6. Witches and - - - - - - -
7. It has a comic named after it
8. You can carve this vegetable
9. Another word for sweets
10. Witches fly using this
11. You wear them to a Halloween party
12. Trick or - - - - -
13. Witches have them as pets
Answers:
1. Vampire 2.Skeleton 3.Ghost 4.Mummy 5.Slime 6.Wizards 7.Bat 8.Pumpkin 9.Candy 10.Broomstick
11.Costumes 12.Treat 13.Cats Created by James Keating, Yr4 /Ryan Nguyen, Yr4/ Gabriel Cadogan, Yr4
Page 19
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 19
21st May—20th April
You are a confident and
loving person who loves
to be with family. You
are also witty and very
cool.
21st April—21st May
You know your mind and
you find lots of things
fun. How about you make
an Autumn collage this
half-term?
22nd May—21st June
You are witty and elo-
quent. You adapt to
changing circumstances
easily but you get really
nervous sometimes. Relax.
22nd June—23rd July
You are imaginative and
sensitive, emotional and
sympathetic. But you can
also be bossy and overpro-
tective of your friends.
23rd July—22nd Aug
You are warm-hearted
and generous but you can
be big-headed and rude
sometimes. Learn to lis-
ten to what other people
want.
23rd Aug—21st Sept
You are modest, intel-
ligent and reliable.
Many people trust in
you and believe you
can do anything. You
can also be very shy.
22nd Sept—22nd Oct
You like playing with your
friends and you are very
good at solving problems.
You are very good at look-
ing at things differently
to find your solutions.
23rd Oct—21st Nov
You know your own
mind and find lots of
things fun. You can be
short-tempered and
very moody. You tell
the best jokes ever.
22nd Nov—21st Dec
You love your family
and friends and you
are very creative.
Why not try making
the Halloween crafts
in The Laser or try
one of the recipes?
22nd Dec—20th Jan
You love animals alt-
hough you don‟t own a
pet. But you are kind
and nurturing and
sweet to everyone
around you. You make a
very good friend.
21st Jan—19th Feb
You are a very secre-
tive person who
doesn‟t like confiding
in people but you are
very helpful. Try ask-
ing for help more of-
ten, it won‟t hurt.
20th Feb—20th Mar
Your friends are very
important to you and you
love them like family but
you are easily led and a
bit of a dreamer. Try to
keep your head out of
the clouds for a while.
Prepared by Charlotte McLeod, Yr3 & Giulia Heaton, Yr5
Page 20
Autumn 2011 Page 20
I am leaving the school because we
are moving to another country. I know
we can always come back to visit and
of course I know we have to go but I
don’t want to leave my friends behind
and it is making me feel sad, is that OK?
Moving is never easy. It can be a very
confusing and sometimes upsetting
time for you and your family.
It is very normal for you to feel apprehensive,
sad and even angry at times because you are
having to deal with a lot of issues such as leav-
ing your friends behind and worrying about
whether or not you will be making new ones
where you are moving to.
Whatever the reason the best thing to do is to
talk about your feelings to your mum or dad.
They will probably have some good ideas and
suggestions to make you feel better.
Find out about the new place you are moving to.
The more you know about something the less
intimidating it will be. You may even start to
get excited about the move. You can go online
and check out information about the new coun-
try and even your new school.
It is sad to say goodbye to family and friends but you
can always phone, write, email and Skype your friends.
Take loads of photos and maybe have a notebook in
which all your friends can write you messages. It will
make you feel better when you are feeling sad and you
can show your new friends what brilliant friends you
already have!
I love fireworks and can’t wait
till bonfire night. I am six and
my mum doesn’t let me light up
my own fireworks. Why?
Aren‟t fireworks just the best? I
share your enthusiasm and I am
very much looking forward to them
myself.
I have to agree with your mum on this one.
First because she is your mum and also be-
cause fireworks are dangerous things. The
best way in my opinion to enjoy fireworks is
at a professional display.
Fireworks can cause a lot of injuries like
eye injuries, even blindness. Other common
injuries are burns to the hands and face,
which can cause scars. Fireworks can even
cause fires which can hurt even more peo-
ple.
Only adults should light fireworks and if
you know of anyone who is having fireworks
set off in their garden make sure to remind
them to have a water hose close by just in
case of a fire, and never ever try to re-
light a firework.
Sparklers may seem less dangerous but you
have to take care as they can get very hot
as well and cause burns. Be careful and re-
sponsible while using them because an inju-
ry can take the fun out of a very special
occasion.
Page 21
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 21
NOTES & CONUNDRUMS
by Sidonie Crow-Haidar, Yr4
WHY IS THE SKY BLUE?
A clear cloud free sky during the day is
blue because molecules (bits) in the air
scatter blue light from the sun more
than they scatter red light. When we
look towards the sun at sunset, we see
red and orange colours because the blue
light has been scattered out and away
from sight.
WHY IS A TAXI CALLED A TAXI?
Taxi was the name given to them by
Harry Allen who imported the first 600
taxis for New York from France. He
made up the name because the meter
used to decide the fare of each trip is
called a taximeter, which comes from
the French word „taximeter‟.
COMIC STRIP Created and illustrated by Yousef Bouran Y4 & Lulu Pennicott-Banks, Yr4
Page 22
Autumn 2011 Page 22
HAPPY COLOURING
by Rasika Shrestha, Yr3
by Saskia Filbee, Yr3
Page 23
The Laser/Autumn 2011 Page 23
HAPPY COLOURING by Kai Sen, Yr4
THE CLOWN FISH
by Quinlan Maitland, Yr5
1. Clown fish and anemonefish are two names
for the same thing.
2. Clown fish inhabit the waters of the Indian
and Pacific oceans.
3. The clown fish live in poisonous anemones but
they have a layer around them that protects
them from an anemone‟s sting. Clownfish help
keep the anemone clean.
4. Clown fish are orange, yellow, maroon and many other colours.
Page 24
SPORT
Page 24 Autumn 2011
We’re on the web!
www.meridian.greenwich.sch.uk
Meridian Primary School, Old Woolwich Road,
Greenwich, London, SE10 9NY
Thank you to everyone who helped
make this newspaper possible and we
look forward to producing many more
issues!
by Neil Tripathi, Yr3 /Paarth Maheshwari, Yr4
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
(nickname Mahi) is an
Indian cricketer and
the current captain of
the Indian national
cricket team. He was
born on July 7, 1981 in
India
In 2009 Dhoni topped
the list of the world‟s
top 10 earning cricketers. At 5ft 9in (1.75M),
he is a right-hands batsman and his bowling
style is right hand medium. He is also a wicket
keeper. Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won the
2011 World Cup
His ODI shirt no7
Last ODI: Sept 3, 2011 v England
Last test: 10 July v West Indies.
WHO IS MAHENDRA
SINGH DHONI?
WHO IS WAYNE
ROONEY?
by Tyrese Emanuel, Yr3
Wayne Rooney is an English footballer who
plays as a striker for Premier League club
Manchester United and the England national
team. He wears shirt no. 10
He was born Wayne Mark Rooney, on Octo-
ber 24, 1985 in Liverpool, England.
He made his senior international debut in
2003 becoming the youngest player to rep-
resent England. He is England‟s youngest ev-
er goalscorer.
He has won the England Player of the Year
award twice, in 2008 and 2009. As of Sep-
tember 2011 he has won 73 international
caps and scored 28 goals. Along with David
Beckham, he is the most red-carded player
for England.
