The Caton Conversation Issue #2

The Conversation

Caton

Friday April 30th, 2021

The PS249 Student Newspaper

April is Autism Awareness Month

New Name and Logo for Newspaper!

The puzzle was adopted in 1999 as the universal sign of autism awareness. The pattern reflects the complexity of the autism spectrum.

By Marilyn Hernandez

What’s Autism you may ask?
Have you seen someone with Autism? Have you seen how different they are?Do you know what’s it like? Autism is like something with you for your whole life! Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior.We know that there is not one autism but many subtypes, most influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Because Autism is a spectrum disorder, each person with autism has a distinct set of strengths and challenges.

Continued on next page.

Lismairy Reyes, winner of the design contest

By Lismairy Reyes
Thank you so much for choosing my logo and name for this newspaper. I'm Lismairy Reyes. I’m in Ms. Lara’s 5th grade remote class. Some of the things I enjoy doing during my free time are making new friendships, dancing, watching Netflix shows, and helping others. I was a student at PS 249 when I was in kindergarten, but, my family moved to the Dominican Republic for two years. I returned to the school in 3rd grade ready to learn. This will be my last year here. Even though it is sad to leave, I want to thank Ms. Brown and all my teachers for giving me the opportunities to become who I am today.

More About Autism

What Is Autism?

Continued from front page.

The ways in which people with Autism learn, think and problem-solve can range from highly skilled to severely challenged. Some people with ASD may require significant support in their daily lives, while others may need less support and, in some cases, live entirely independently.
Several factors may influence the development of Autism, and it is often accompanied by sensory sensitivities and medical issues such as gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, seizures or sleep disorders, as well as mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression and attention issues. Signs of Autism usually appear by age 2 or 3. Some associated development delays can appear even earlier, and often, it can be diagnosed as early as 18 months. Research shows that early intervention leads to positive outcomes later in life for people with Autism.

Signs and Symptoms
People with ASD often have problems with social, emotional, and communication skills. They might repeat certain behaviors and might not want change in their daily activities. Many people with ASD also have different ways of learning, paying attention, or reacting to things. Signs of ASD begin during early childhood and typically last throughout a person’s life.
Children or adults with ASD might have symptoms that include:
•having trouble relating to others or not interested in other people at all
•avoiding eye contact and want to be alone
•having trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings
•preferring not to be held or cuddled, might cuddle only when they want to
If someone you love shows several of these signs, see your doctor.

Autism Facts

Autism spectrum disorder now affects 1 in 68 children. Boys are nearly 5 times more likely than girls to be diagnosed with ASD. ASD is more common than childhood cancer, diabetes and AIDS combined.

Famous people with ASD
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Classical Composer
Sir Isaac Newton – Mathematician, Astronomer, & Physicist
Jerry Seinfeld – Comedian
Satoshi Tajiri – Creator of Nintendo's Pokémon
Nikola Tesla – Inventor
Andy Warhol – Artist

Table Of Contents

Pages 1-2: What is Autism?
By Marilyn Hernandez, Grade 5

Page 3: Caton Conversation Editors

Pages 4-5: Table of Contents

Page 6: P.S. 249's Poetry Corner

Page 7: Growing Season
Spring
By Erik Herrera, 5th Grade
Raindrops
By Rosario Castellanos, 5th Grade

Page 8:
Untitled
By Avery Bryan, 3rd Grade
At The End of The Day
By Rishan Arham

Page 9:
Trash
By Joseph Regis, 5th Grade
Spring is Here
By Alleyne Medina, 3rd Grade

Page 10: Hopes and Wishes
Proud and full of energy
By Adriana Robles, 4th Grade
My Wish
By Eny Ponce, 4th Grade

Page 11:
I Wish There Was Peace
By Nevaeh Longchallon, 3rd Grade
Our Life's Poem
By Elani and Alan Perez, 5th Grade

Page 12: Trait of the Month: Confidence

Page 13: "New York State of Mind"
By Maisha Kabir

Page 14: All About Ramadan
By Maisha Kabir, 4th Grade

Page 15: Selena
By Estephanie Ramirez, 3rd Grade

Page 16: True Crime: The Case Of The Black Dahlia
By Dante Ortiz, 3rd Grade

Table Of Contents

Page 17: Sharks Discovered Inside Underwater Volcano
By Gabriel FloresPage

Pages 18-19: Deadly Animals
By Nafisa Alam, 3rd grade

Pages 20-21: PlayStation5 vs. XBox Series X
By Elias Rincon, 5th Grade

Page 22: Like Kid Cosmic?... Then Read On!
By Jayden Boaky

Page 23: Why The Promised Neverland is a Good Anime�
By Valena Windley, Grade 5

Page 24: Avatar the Last Air Bender
By Daniella Cortez, 5th Grade

Page 25: Should Kids Play Fortnite
By Diego Cruz, 5th Grade

Page 26: We've Been Here Before
By Jessey Gonzalez, 5th Grade

Page 27: Students should NOT take the State Tests!
By Eileen Gonzaga, Grade 5

Page 28: Teacher Interviews & Teacher Appreciation

Page 29: Interview with Ms. Hechtman, 3rd Grade Teacher
By Ty Brown, 3rd Grade

Pages 30-31: Interview with Mrs. Cornejo
By Hasslich Cohetero, Grade 3

Page 32: We asked... She answered!
Interview with Ms. Hans
By Aidymar Olmo and Xitlalic Martinez Palacios

Page 33: Earth Day 2021
Interview with Ms. Derenzo, A Passionate Conservationist

Page 34: Caton Classifieds

Growing Season

Spring
by Erik Herrera, 5th Grade

The beauties of Spring
The Spring is coming
The bees are buzzing
The flowers are blooming
Here comes the Spring
the sun starts to shine
the birds spring and cry
it is now time that I say
Goodbye

Raindrops
by Rosario Castellanos, 5th Grade

Rain can look so plain;
No life with no pain.
So calm so warm,
Why can’t we be like that?
Raindrops fall and fall,
Raindrops splash into a puddle of water.
Raindrops hit like drums when they splash,
Us people aren’t raindrops.
Raindrops don't fight.

Untitled
by Avery Bryan, 3rd Grade

Winter is always when I get a blister with my sisters
Spring is when we shall sing and I like to watch Lord of the Rings, even when the allergies kick in
Summer is when I like to color and do a sleepover and do Friday night slumber
Fall is when I dance and grow tall we will have Thanksgiving and say why we appreciate all

At The End of The Day
By Rishan Arham

The sun falls
Darkness comes
The stars rise with the moon
Out the windows the people look

Trash
By Joseph Regis, 5th Grade

Trash is something in our world that does not belong
It isn’t something we should say in a song
Trash ends up by houses and streets
But no one cleans it up, so why give them sweets?

Trash is something that makes the world dirty
It’s all around and makes this world hurty
The world could be a better place
If we can keep up the pace

People making noise about cleaning up a lake
Everyone knows those projects are fake
People who don’t help clean up trash
Why don't they get a rash?
They're Trash

Spring is Here
By Alleyne Medina, 3rd Grade

Roses are red, violets are blue
Spring's here so don’t be blue
Flowers are blooming and trees are growing
People cheering children playing
Bees buzzing and birds are chirping
The sun is bright

Proud and full of energy
by Adriana Robles, 4th Grade

I am proud and full of energy
I wonder can I ever reach my goals even if I tried?
I hear voices calling my name to be successful.
I see myself being able to reach my goals and my dreams
I want to become successful and reach all my goals
I am proud and full of energy.

I pretend to work hard.
I feel an emotion, but I don't know what it is
I touch my goals and feel it going through my body
I worry I worry I don't work hard enough
I cry because I can't keep it inside
I am proud and full of energy

I understand things can't always go the way you want but I still work hard towards my goals
I say I can do this only if I try
I dream to try hard and make my dreams happen
I try really hard to make my goals happen and I will no matter how much effort it takes
I hope i hope one day all my hard work will really pay off
I am proud and full of energy

Hopes and Wishes

My Wish
By Eny Ponce, 4th Grade

We are all one big family
but others are causing tragedy 🎭.
When we figure this out
we will all come out like little sprouts
We all know that we are in a tough stage
but that doesn’t mean the we are all in one big cage.
If we all work together
we can get through this
So don’t be a Karen
because we can do this
I don’t think we can
I KNOW we can
So wash your hands everyday
this virus 🦠 won’t stay.

{A tip for washing your hands is to sing happy birthday at least two times every time you wash your hands}