GOING...GOING...GONE!

What a difference a day makes. This was our view from the Perkins School windows. And this is how it changed within 24 hours.

WOW!

Coming Down!

It doesn't take long for the first graders to be able to have the word excavator roll off their tongues.

Ariana and Rikelmis stared at the scene and gave a play-by-play. "It looks rainy, because he's spraying water on everything. He's spraying water on the tractor. He's spraying water in the windows. The excavator is breaking the windows and breaking the building."

Tommy and Christepher? They kept it simple. "The excavator is picking up stuff. It's cool!!"

Perkins Students Speak Out on Question #12!

If you read our last post, you'd know that many kids at the Perkins took this survey a while ago. And we promised to report some of the opinions they expressed on it.


Today we are listing some of the answers kids gave to Question #12, which asked: How do you feel about all the changes (that are going on with the construction and the renovation)? Here are some of the things our students said. We do not know who said what. These surveys are anonymous. That means that no one put their name on their paper so they could feel comfortable saying whatever they wanted to say.


How do you feel about all the changes (that are going on with the construction and the renovation)?

Some of the fifth graders said:
*I fell happy cause I think I want to move thier.
*I feel great that they finally started to make some improvements where I live.
*I feel that Old Colony is a great place and should not be torn down.
*I feel great about the changes because maybe when they build the houses some of the students will come back.
*I feel sad about the changes because the people won't have anywhere to sleep in. (We want to reassure every student that every family that lived in the buildings being torn down found a new place to live first.)
*A little sad but happy because I'm going to a new place and a new school.
*It does not matter to me. I don't live there.
*I think that the Old Colony Project will look better and be a more safer place to live. I feel pretty good.

Some of the fourth graders:
*sad because I am from South Boston.
*I feel kind of exited.
*I feel sad for the people who lived there and the people who might feel sad.
*I feel happy because people will see new houses.
*I don't like it.
*confused
*I feel good about the changes.
*I will miss the old buldings and naborhood
*I feel that this is the right choise because we really need new apartments!
*I know that nothing will be the same again.
*I feel excited, nervous, and sad because I have to meet new friends.
*I feel happy because they are gonna make it better.

The third graders had their opinions too:
*I feel sad because I have to leave my old home.
*I think it will be nice to live in a plas that has been worked on.
*I feel worried about the changes because my mom didn't really dicide what we are going to do during the constructions.
*I feel fine about the changes.
*I feel glad there are going to be changes.
*?
*good because they are going to make it more sptiale.
*little glad
*I fell shoct, because they shouldn't do that.
*I fell happy for the people because they gonna have better apartment.
*It is not going to feel the same.

Many second graders weren't exactly sure how they felt, but here are some who did:
*happey.
*mad
*it makes me sad because I love these buildings.
*good
*good are houses are gonna be clean
*Sad because they are going to dstory the aprments and I live there.
*Im sad. I'm sad because the people are moving.
*happy
*I fal sad
*happy and sad
*really really happy!!!

Perkins Students Speak Out on Question #11!

If you read our last post, you'd know that many kids at the Perkins took this survey a while ago. And we promised to report some of the opinions they expressed on the survey.


Today we are listing some of the answers kids gave to Question #11, which asked: How do you think these changes (construction and all the new buildings) will affect our school? Here are some of the things our students said. We do not know who said what. These surveys are anonymous. That means that no one put their name on their paper so they could feel comfortable saying whatever they wanted to say.

How do you think these changes (construction and all the new buildings) will affect our school?

Here are a range of fifth grade opinions:
*These changes will affect our school because it is going to distract us.
*It will be a nice place and we will meet new people.
*I think it will affect our learning because the loudness will go though the windows and then we won't get to hear directions.
*I don't think it will.
*I don't think it will affect the school because they are just buildings.
*It will make our school a better place and community.
*Well, because there is going to be alot of noise and people have to move out of their houses and they can't come to this school because they are so far away.
*I think it will make our school better probably.

Here are some of the things the fourth graders had to say:
*They will make noises.
*I don't know.
*It will amase us.
*I think it wouldn't effect our school.
*It might chip it!
*The buildings will be dearly missed from students.
*We could make it a better place.

Now some of the third graders give their views:
*It affects our school because some of us have to move.
*I don't know how the changes will affect our school.
*I'm gonna feel happy to meet new friends.
*I think these changes will affect our school because people who walk(ed) will be bussers.
*Because maby some kids in the school lived in them.
*I think there will be more students because there going to be better.
*I fell kind of happy because their gonna be new apartments.
*I think that there will be more trees and the school would look more green.
*That it is going to make it dusty and make it hard to see.
*It makes all of us great.

Lots of second graders answered the question by saying they did not know. Others said:
*all the noise.
*good
*we won't be abal to learn we might feget what it is and the ansaws 2
*it will make nous then we cant here a thing.
*A little bitty exited!

Sometimes It Pays to Ask a Few Questions!

Kids in science class have been learning how to make a survey. These are the questions they are using to learn more about who goes to the Michael J. Perkins and some of their ideas about the renovation project. We know the survey is a little hard to read here, just click on it to make it larger.

These fourth and fifth graders discovered that there are many hard things about doing a survey. It's hard to get around to every classroom in the Perkins. Some kids filling out the survey don't answer every question. The students aren't finished working with the survey yet, but here is their report on how it's going so far(remember, clicking on it makes it easier to read):



GREAT NEWS!

The kids who wrote the report said that they would like to interview some of "the people in charge." Well, luckily the people who are working on Old Colony's renovation read the blog all the time. Two of them are coming to the Perkins School this Thursday, November 18th, to answer some of the questions.

Then these students will have a lot more to report!






Meanwhile, this week while we're waiting for these fourth and fifth graders to write up what they learned, we'll report a little more about the survey.

Question 11 of the survey asked Perkins' students: How do you think the construction and all the new building will affect our school?

Question 12 asked: How do you feel about these changes?

The next two blog posts will give some examples of the answers. Stay tuned!

HAZMAT? What's That?

WHO IS THAT MASKED MAN??




HE'S THE HAZMAT GUY!





A few weeks ago, the second and third graders learned that demolition begins long before excavating machines start taking chunks out of the buildings. Old buildings contain hazardous materials (HAZardous MATerials=HAZMAT). Asbestos isn't dangerous when it's in solid form as a tile on the floor, for example. But when it gets broken up and you can breathe in the dust, it can make you sick. So before the crews can tear down the buildings they have to get rid of these dangerous materials.


When they break up the stuff and get rid of it, they don't want to get sick either. So they wear masks that filter out any dust. They also wear suits so they don't get any of it on their clothes. Goggles and gloves keep their eyes and hands protected. And everyone must always wear a hard hat on the construction site, of course!

Once the hazmat crew is finished, an inspector comes to make sure the area is truly free of dangerous materials. Another step finished on the way to demolition.

Who is Michael J. Perkins?

Yes, we're called the Michael J. Perkins School, but why? Some of the Perkins kids didn't really know who Michael J. Perkins was. Given that Thursday November 11th is Veterans Day, it was time to find out.



Here is a report by fifth graders Selena F. and Sumeya A.:

Michael J. Perkins (1899-1918)
He was a brave man. He captured 25 prisoners by himself. He earned a Medal of Honor. We want to honor him on Veterans' Day, because he helped protect our country.

To find out more about how Mr. Perkins won his medal, you can learn more about him by clicking here.

Demo: What They Saw

Back in the classroom, after the kids saw the onset of demolition, Ms. Haney asked her first graders to draw and write something about what they witnessed.

Here are some examples of their work:

Ask the Experts: Why hose down the demo?

After watching the start of demolition, Ms. Murphy's second grade class had a question.

They didn't see any sparks or fire. So why did the crew squirt the building with hoses when it was being torn down?

It was time to ASK THE EXPERT.


We turned to John O'Toole at Suffolk Construction Company. Mr. O'Toole is the Senior Project Manager for the Old Colony Project. He makes sure that all the demo and rebuilding keeps moving along smoothly. He knew the answer to the second graders' question.

"Breaking the building apart creates a lot of dust," says Mr. O'Toole, "and dust is so light that it floats on the air. We don't want it to stay up there where people can breathe it in. So we squirt water on it. The water coats the dust and makes it heavier so it will fall to the ground."

Thank you, Mr. O'Toole!