January 17, 2011 - Hillcrest Elementary

T H E H I L L C R E S T G A Z E T T E
J A N U A R Y 1 7 , 2 0 1 1
T H A I L A N D
by Christopher Simpson
Last summer I went on vacation to Thailand with my mom. I have been to Thailand several times before, but on this
trip, I had some of my friends from Utah with me. I was excited to show my friends what a beautiful country Thailand
is.
Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north with Myanmar (Burma) and Laos, to the east by
Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia. Its capital is Bangkok which means “City of
Angels”. Thailand has been nicknamed as “the land of smiles.” Anywhere you go, you will see people greet you with
their smiles and that is how it got the name. The population in Thailand is 66 million. The official language is Thai
and the dominant religion is Buddhism.
The five major places I went were Krabi, Pattaya, Ayuthaya, Samed Island,
and Bangkok. Krabi is located in the southern part of Thailand and by the
coast of Andaman Sea where the Tsunami hit in 2004. I went snorkeling
and saw many different types of fish. At one point we went to a bat cave
that was in the middle of the ocean. We also visited an island where I witnessed
a crab fight. We caught crabs and puffer fish. I found a gecko in
the bathroom in our hotel room. I caught it and tried to scare everyone
with it.
One day we went to Ayuthaya, which is the former capital city of Thailand
over 200 years ago. We rode elephants in that town. It was an amazing
experience for me. We spent some time in Bangkok. While there, I went to
see the Thai traditional Puppet Show. The story was based on Ramayana
which came from India. I love the show because my favorite character was
in it. His name is Hanuman. He’s the monkey solder and he is funny and
very cool. He can do lots of tricks. We also went to two floating markets
where the vendors sell their food and souvenirs in the canoes along the
canals. I bought my bow and arrow from there. I have extended family in
Pattaya and that is where my friends and I got a break from Thai food. We had McDonalds's in Pattaya. It is a busy
city by the ocean. There are lots of people from different parts of the world visiting Pattaya.
I know this was not my last trip to Thailand. I still want to go back and visit my grandmother and other family members.
I am glad I can speak Thai. I would like to show my friends all about Thailand.

T H E H I L L C R E S T G A Z E T T E
Page 2
D I V I N G B O A R D B Y S H E L S I L V E R S T E I N
You’ve been up on that diving board
Making sure that it’s nice and straight.
You’ve made sure that it’s not too slick.
You’ve made sure it can stand the weight.
You’ve made sure that the spring is tight.
You’ve made sure that the cloth won’t slip.
You’ve made sure that it bounces right,
And that your toes can get a grip– –
And you’ve been up there since half past five
Doin’ everything … but DIVE.
Poem chosen by Mohammed Felemban
Above: Major cities in Thailand.
Right: A place of peace and
repose near a cave.
W H E N I G R O W U P B Y J A C K P R E L U T S K Y
When I grow up, I think that I
may pilot rockets through the sky,
grow orchards full of apple trees,
or find a way to cure disease.
Perhaps I=ll run for president,
design robot, or invent
unique computerized machines
or miniature submarines.
When I grow up, I’d like to be
the captain of a ship at sea,
an architect, a clown or cook,
the writer of a famous book.
I just might be the one of teach
a chimpanzee the art of speech. . .
But what I=ll really be, I=ll bet
I’ve not begun to think of yet.
Thailand has many
rivers and beaches,
henceforth, there are
many boats.
Left: River market.
Vendors sell products
from their boats.
Above: Boats used to
give tours.
Poem chosen by Sungmin

T H E H I L L C R E S T G A Z E T T E
Page 3
L I L Y V I O L E T B Y S H A N N O N W O R T H E N
Once upon a time there lived a young flower called
Lily violet. Now Lily Violet was not a lily or a violet
she was a sunflower: Lily Violet was enjoying a nice
sunbath when suddenly aliens came to visit. They
were popsicle shaped aliens and they were all the
colors of the rainbow. They said, “We come in
peace.” Lily said, “Wow I’ve never seen aliens before.”
Suddenly the aliens were gone in the
blink of an eye and Lily Violet could not
even move. She had been frozen solid. She
fell asleep. She woke up 1,000 years in the
future. She became famous and was
named the coolest flower. The end.
1 0 W A Y S T O H E L P Y O U R T E A C H E R S
Traditional Chinese Character
1. Listen—really listen—in class.
2. Improve your note-taking skills.
3. Take part in the class discussions.
4. Review your subject notes before
class.
5. If necessary, change your seat
assignment.
7. Ask questions.
8. Double check your homework
and test material before handing
them in.
9. Hand your homework in on time.
10. Two days before a test, do some
additional studying in that subject
area.
6. Do an extra-credit project.
C A L E N D A R
Jan. 28 - 5th Grade Maturation
Feb. 4 - 1/2 Day
Feb. 7 - No School
Feb. 14 - Manner’s Tea
Feb. 16 - SEP Conferences
Feb. 17 - SEP Conferences
Feb. 17 - 1/2 Day
Feb. 18 - No School
Feb. 21 - No School

T O G E T H E R W E A L L S U C C E E D
H I L L C R E S T E L E M E N T A R Y
S C H O O L
W E A T H E R R E P O R T - W E A T H E R . C O M
940 N. 1400 E.
Logan, UT 84321
Phone: 435.755.2360
http://www.hillcrest.loganschools.org
Hillcrest Gazette Advisor:
Avery Jones - Parent Liaison
Avery.jones@loganschools.org
Editor: Shannon
Weatherperson: Angelica
Writers: Christopher
Sources: www.weather.com, Google Image Search for Thailand,
Parentsworld.com
S A M P L E S O F A R C H I T E C T U R E I N T H A I L A N D