Johnson Journal
Mighty Edition
3
2018-2019
Table Of Contents
Introduction
Spring is finally upon us, along with another publication of the Johnson Journal. We promise this special edition will be a real treat! Mr. Crozier’s Literacy W.I.N. class has been working very hard to complete this newsletter. This edition is all about our new therapy dog Mighty who we love and adore so much! You will learn about Mighty's Life Story, Animal Shelters, the Ocean First Grant which enabled us to have Mighty, fundraising efforts to support Mighty, Mighty's training experience and the Muttigrees Curriculum. Sit back and relax, and enjoy our best newsletter yet!
Mighty’s Life Story
By: Jay Benjamin, Patrick Miller, and Makay Evans-Lascik
Mighty is the new therapy dog coming to our school. Mighty is a hypoallergenic breed (kids who are allergic can be around him and he does not shed). He is so excited to come to our school and all of the students are very excited too! Read this section to find out all about his age, breed, why he was chosen, and how he got into a shelter!
Introduction
What Kind Of Dog Is Mighty?
Mighty is an energetic, friendly dog. Mrs. O´Keeffe (Mighty´s owner/music teacher) went to Petcon in NYC where she got Mighty’s DNA test taken. At Petcon, there were Vets, dog clones, Instagram dogs, etc. Doctor Angela Hughes, a Veterinary Geneticist at the Wisdom Panel placed a Q´tip in his cheek to get some saliva for the DNA test which took about a month to get the results back. Finally, results proved that he was a Maltese, Labsa Obssa and Shih Tzu, all hypoallergenic breeds.
How he got into a shelter
It is currently unknown how Mighty got into a shelter, but it is thought that he was found as a stray and brought to Precious Friends Animal Shelter in Clarksville, TN. Precious Friends Animal Shelter is an animal shelter that was beginning to over fill. It filled up too much, so after a month he was sent to North Shore Animal Shelter in Long Island, where he remained for a few days.
How Old is Mighty?
It is currently unknown how old Mighty really is, but he is thought to be at least 8 months old at the time this was written. It is unknown where Mighty came from so we have no information from Mighty's previous owner. This has made it hard to estimate his age.
Conclusion
Mighty has been to many different states and shelters, but we are so grateful that he has ended up with us! Mighty seems very happy, too! He has been in this school since the end of February and the whole school has grown so much from him, loves him very much and can’t wait to have many more fun years with him. To find out more about Mighty's life journey click the link below! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8qHbvHjM5E
Animal Shelter Spotlight
By: Arianna Negron, Gavin Dehart, and Justin Alfano
Introduction
There are thousands and even millions of animal shelters all across the U.S. Did you know Mighty our new therapy dog lived in two different animal shelters? He lived in both shelters for a month and a half. Now that he is a part of our school, this shows that all dogs from shelters have a chance to get a family. That’s why we think it’s important for everyone to learn about animal shelters. In particular, what they do to help dogs to find safety and a family. In this slideshow, you will learn about the shelters North Shore Animal League, ASPCA, Rescue Ridge, and two rescue dogs!
North Shore Animal League
North Shore Animal League is the shelter that Mighty came from. North Shore Animal League is an animal shelter located in Port Washington, NY. North Shore Animal League is the world's largest non-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. It also does tons of different adoption events. For example, North Shore Animal League America Kitten Bowl Party and Empty the Shelters free Adoption Event. According to Ms. Hogan, our librarian at H.C.J. Johnson Elementary School says,” We are very fortunate to work with the members of North Shore Animal League. Their commitment to caring for shelter animals reminds us all that kindness can truly change the world.”
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ASPCA
The ASPCA is an animal shelter where you can adopt or foster a pet. You can donate and volunteer to help out a lot, and they also host special events. According to the ASPCA, every year about 3.3 million dogs enter shelters across America and only 1.6 million get adopted, which is crazy!
For over 150 years, the ASPCA has worked to help end animal abuse. They help by assisting in animal cruelty, to provide a voice for animals in court. To add on to this, they work with all levels of the government to enact and enforce animal protection laws. In addition, they partnered with NYPD ( New York Police Department) to shelter, treat and get a home for all victims of animal abuse!�
Rescue Ridge Wish list
At the Rescue Ridge animal shelter in Spring Lake, New Jersey, you can donate to dogs in need! Click the link to see their wish list! You can donate toys, beds, food, and more!
Colby!
This dog has been rescued and is up for adoption at Rescue Ridge! This dog, Colby is 9 weeks old and his breed is a Staffordshire Terrier and Labrador mix. Colby was saved by Rescue Ridge from an overcrowded shelter like Mighty. Colby is waiting in Central N.J. at Rescue Ridge for his forever home! If you are interested in adopting Colby, please apply here RescueRidge.com!
200 × 200I
500 × 425I
Lefty!
This dog, Lefty has also been saved by Rescue Ridge and is waiting for a new forever home to live in! Lefty is 7 years old and is a Staffordshire Terrier just like Colby. Lefty was surrendered by his family and will go on in life to try to get adopted by a new family. We promise Lefty will always be smiling at you. If you are willing to adopt Lefty, go to Rescueridge.com.
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Conclusion
As you can see, there are many dogs in America that are looking to get adopted from dog shelters like North Shore Animal League, the ASPCA, and Rescue Ridge. We encourage you to donate to their wish lists, adopt a pup or help out as best as you can. According to North Shore Animal League, they say “A future in which all companion animals find responsible, loving homes where they are free from abuse, hunger, fear, and loneliness, and receive the care and respect they deserve”. For more information go to North Shore Animal League , ASPCA ,and Rescue Ridge.
Here is a picture of Mighty!
OceanFirst Grant
By: Emily Hersh, Gabriella Hamdi, and Skylynn Ervin
Introduction
Imagine that you are sitting in a room full of people. You are so nervous, this can determine how your big idea for work will turn out. You see someone talking, but their words sound like nothing. All of a sudden you hear your name. “We got it!” You yell. You run up to receive your check. You feel like you’re on top of the world! This is exactly how Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O’Keefe felt when they were awarded the OceanFirst Grant for Johnson’s new furry teacher, Mighty! The OceanFirst Grant is the reason Mighty is here at our school! We are very thankful and excited for Mighty! This article will teach you about all the hard work Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O’Keeffe put in to be able to adopt and care for Mighty.
OceanFirst Bank
The OceanFirst Bank, founded in 1902, just awarded Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O’Keeffe with a $10,000 grant! The grant is for our new therapy dog, Mighty! The OceanFirst Bank has been up and running for over 100 years! The headquarters are located in Toms River, NJ. The current Chairman, President and CEO of the bank is Christopher D. Maher. He makes lots of decisions, books meetings, and creates policies for the bank.
Headquarters of the Ocean First Bank.
What is a Grant?
A grant is a chunk of money that banks give out to selected applicants. Every year lots of people apply for grants, but not everybody receives one. Fortunately, Ms. Hogan and Mrs.O’Keefe did, so we can welcome Mighty to our school! Grants are very complicated to get. In fact, there is a full application process. You start in Stage 1 which is when you submit an application letter with a short background, the amount of money you are requesting, and summary of the part of your program that the grant would support. If you make it to Stage 2 you will give further information on the program with extra documentation, requirements, and a deadline.
This is the check that Mrs. O’Keeffe and Ms. Hogan received from the OceanFirst Bank.
OceanFirst Bank Grant Rules
Applying for a grant is very serious and must be followed. There are different rules to apply for a grant and using the money you get. The Grant Committee reviews a grant with a rubric. The rules for the grant are listed below:
The Johnson School Grant
The HCJ grant was “well written and unique”, says Dr. PrevitiPe from the OceanFirst Bank. The grant showed the youth development that the Grant Committee was looking for. Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O’Keeffe spent two months on their grant. It took a lot of hard work and they had to sacrifice a lot of their time to write it. According to Dr. PrevitiPe, “the Johnson School grant received a high grade across all scores” says. Overall, it was a huge success and we are all very thankful for it.
Reaction/Reflection
“We were really excited,” Ms. Hogan says. She even cried because the grant was “a lot of work” and she was so happy to win! Ms. Hogan thinks this program will “be very beneficial to our students and staff”. Mrs. O’ Keeffe is very thankful for the grant because it is the reason we have Mighty. “We are very proud that we have our grant,“ she said.
This picture was taken on the night our school won the grant.
Conclusion
Everyone at Johnson would like to say thank you to the awesome grant that Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O'Keeffe wrote. All of the students and teachers are super excited to meet Mighty and learn from him! Thank you to the OceanFirst Bank for awarding Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O'Keeffe with this grant so our school can have our very own therapy dog. But, most importantly thank you Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O’Keeffe for putting in all of your time and effort into writing the grant. Out of about 144 applications, they won! That shows how well written their grant was! We look forward to spending time with Mighty.
Fundraising For Mighty
Adriana Murcia, William Green, Moody
AsiMahmoud
Introduction
People all around the world fundraise for many different reasons. We are fundraising for our school dog, Mighty. Fundraise means to raise money for something or someone. With Mighty on the way, we need to fundraise for many different reasons too. One way we fundraise is by doing ¨Mighty Mugs¨ and selling to the staff members at HCJ.
Why do we Fundraise
We fundraise because Mighty needs to be taken care of properly. In order to keep Mighty safe and healthy, we need to save up a lot of money! For example, we need the money for Mighty´s vet bills. We also need money for the transformation of the music room. To properly support Mighty, we will continue to fundraise for the rest of the year.
Who is Involved?
Our HCJ advanced math students have helped with our many fundraisers for Mighty. On our H.C.J. staff, Mr. Goldberg and Ms. Hogan have helped the advanced math students, by providing fresh apples and advertising. Every Wednesday our advanced math students take the time to prepare our fundraisers for our new school dog Mighty.
Mighty Mugs
Mighty Mugs is a way to fundraise for Mighty, and give great tasting snacks and beverages to the Johnson staff. Mighty Mugs is a monthly fundraiser that our advanced math students run. Mighty Mugs is also selling dried apples, that are made by the fifth grade advanced math kids. The dried apples are a teacher favorite when the Mighty Mugs comes around. In addition, Mighty Mugs sells fresh hot coffee and tea. Mighty Mugs also sells bottled water. If you see Mighty Mugs coming around, make sure to get some delicious drinks! Be sure to read the facts and info slide for some new beverages in the near future!
Dried Apple Chips
The dried apple chips are made by our advanced math students. They work hard on Wednesdays to make this delicious treat. First, they put the apples in the apple corer and peeler. Then they lay out the the apple pieces. Next, they put the apples in the dehydrator and let it cook overnight. Finally, the apples are packaged and ready to sell to our school staff.
Beverages
On our Mighty Mugs mobile offers a variety of beverages. They are prepared by our Johnson advanced math students, with the help of Mr. Goldberg, and Ms. Hogan. The staff so far, has been enjoying the coffee and tea. Some drinks on our cart are: bottled water, hot chocolate, tea, and coffee. We even offer special flavored creamers to help make the coffee or tea just right. Below is a price list. Many teachers have been quite generous by actually paying more than the list price. To that we say a very BIG THANK YOU!!!!!
Prices:
Water: $1
Coffee: $1
Tea: $1
Hot chocolate: $1
Facts and Info
By: Everest Johnson, Jordan
Vaughan and, Jenna Cocuzza
Mighty the School Therapy Dog has come to Johnson and everyone is so excited! This article is about Mighty´s training! Enjoy!
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Shelly Leibowitz has been training dogs for the last 40 years. Shelly teaches obedience, kindness and control. Shelly has also been selected to represent the United States on the Schutzhund (A purebred dog breed) World Team (The Olympics of Schutzhund), where he competed against the best of the best from countries around the world. He has trained hundreds of dogs that have gone on to win awards and titles. Mighty has gone to Shelly’s School for Dogs and has graduated from the school.
This is a Schutzhund.
Mighty’s Personal Trainer, Katey O’Connell is a trainer for animals at Shelly's School for Dogs in Green Leaf Pet Resort. According to Mighty’s trainer, she has trained Mighty to heel, sit, down, stay, come, go to place and give paw! Mighty had 7 weeks with Katey. She made sure Mighty was perfecting his commands. According to Katey, “Mighty is a fast learner and did awesome in his therapy dog training!” From his training experience Mighty gives Katey two BIG paws up!
On Thursday mornings, Mighty wakes up very early. Mrs. O'Keeffe doesn’t feed him breakfast so he is eager to eat when the kids at Johnson feed him. Believe it or not, Mighty teaches five classes and only gets a half an hour break! Like all teachers at HCJ by the end of the day, Mighty is exhausted. Mighty teaches life lessons to the students. Students learn how to stay calm around dogs. He calms kids down by giving the students an opportunity to feed and pet him. From their visit with Mighty, students learn to show empathy towards people and animals.
Mrs. O’Keeffe and Ms. Hogan are helping students in Johnson School by letting them relieve stress from the school day by meeting Mighty. Mrs. O’Keeffe and Ms. Hogan also take care of Mighty. How do they do this? They take him for walks, and care for him when he needs something, before, during and after the school day. Mrs. O’Keeffe and Ms. Hogan are very important to the Muttigrees curriculum here in Johnson. Mrs.O’Keeffe comes to Shelly´s School for Dogs to learn how to handle Mighty. For example, they both learn voice commands, certain tricks and how to control him.
Picture Collage!
The therapy dog of Johnson School is ready to meet all of the kids at Johnson! Mrs. O’Keeffe, Ms. Hogan and Mighty´s personal trainer, Katey, have been working so hard to have Mighty come to school! If you have an Instagram account I would suggest you follow him!
@mighty_the_school_dog
#Working
By, Camryn Baldwin, Kaitlin Garagiola, and Tyler Clark
Therapy Curriculum
Muttigrees
Introduction
Soon a new therapy dog named Mighty will be joining our school! Mighty will assist the students in many ways. He will not be assisting with math or homework, but other ways that will help us grow as students. Mr. Crozier thought it would be a great idea to write about the therapy curriculum! This article will include the following,
1. Curriculum
2. How it helps
3. Why it works
4. Where it will work at H.C.J.
Curriculum
According to the Muttigrees website, the Muttigrees curriculum is a “social emotional learning program using canine-themed activities to promote academic success and positive social behaviors.” Muttigrees uses dogs to teach kids how to sharpen social behavior. Ms. Hogan states, “Muttigrees uses different strategies to reach every learner. Lessons and community service projects help to sharpen social skills.” Ms. Hogan also says, “This program will benefit all members of our Johnson School community.”
Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole.
-Therapy dog quote
Fun fact- 39 percent of U.S households live with at least 1 dog!
A therapy dog can help students/kids with confidence, social skills, and anxiety. Even if you are scared of dogs or you are not a dog person, Mighty will make you adore him and get over your fears! Mighty is a calm, gentle, caring dog. Mighty can help you through various ways. For example, he can help when you are in hard times or when you feel stressed, scared, not confident, or even if you just need a friend! Mrs Hogan states, “ Mighty can help people in the school calm down, smile more, and help students and teachers get rid of their stress!” The Muttigrees curriculum that is linked to Yale says, “having a therapy dog in a classroom means a happier learning community and creates better focused and more socialized students!” This shows that when Mighty comes we may be able to have a much calmer, and happier learning community!
How It Helps
Did you know: Dogs can lower your heart rate?
Did you know having a therapy dog can work very well for kids and adults in various ways? Having Mighty in our school can make kids happy. In other words, pets make people happy, so it makes learning more enjoyable. Mighty is going to work with kids/adults because, therapy dogs help kids/adults stay focused, increases patience, relieves stress, has a calming effect on people, and MUCH more. Therapy dogs are considered as “Miracle Workers”. Mighty can have physical, social, cognitive, emotional, and mental health benefits. Mighty will be working with all members of the H.C.J. Elementary School. Many people have asked; how is having a therapy dog helpful to our school? Ms. Hogan simply answered that Mighty will “give students and teachers a chance to have a timeout and connect with another living thing in a way that speaks to their hearts.”
Why It Works
Where It Will Work At H.C.J
Where is Mighty’s classroom at H.C.J.? His room is in the music trailer. The music trailer was a calm environment where you can feel safe and relaxed. As Mrs. O’Keeffe says the classroom is almost like a “sensory classroom”. The room is plain and not loaded with posters, because Mrs. O’Keeffe wants the room to have NO distractions. The walls are painted an ombre blue. This is important because the ombre blue sets a calming mood. For music the room should be light, while for mighty the room should be dark. That's why Mrs. O’Keeffe chose to do an ombre, so we can have a little bit of both sides. The carpet is a very important part of the classroom because it’s soft for Mighty. The lights in the music room are not fluorescent. Mrs. O’Keeffe made this decision because fluorescent lights can potentially give kids and teachers headaches and she wants them to be as calm as possible. The cushions at first were hard and stiff. Mrs. O’Keeffe bought new cushions and they are flexible and easy to move.
This is a picture of Mighty
Sum Up The Therapy Curriculum
As a result, we learned many things about Mighty and his therapy curriculum. Undoubtedly, Mighty will have a positive impact on the students at H.C.J. In fact, he already has. Mighty inspired 5th Grade WIN Literacy students to write a special edition just for him. Mr. Crozier says, “I can clearly see their excitement, motivation and desire to research and write about topics related to Mighty.” Mr. Crozier explains, “it is evident to me that in time Mighty will have a profound impact on the students and staff at H.C.J.” A therapy dog can help us at home, school, and community places with things we struggle with and make us feel loved even more!
Conclusion
Overall, the Johnson School students and staff are ecstatic about Mighty’s arrival! We are looking forward to making great memories with him! We would also like to thank Ms. Hogan and Mrs. O’Keeffe for bringing Mighty to our school! We hope you enjoyed the Volume 2 Second Edition of Johnson Journal!