International Students Newsletter
Welcome! This is a cool project the students at Landakotsskóli International Department created during CodeWeek 2015. Take a look at the photo album, too.
In this newsletter we cover some of the fun things we’ve been up to.
Movie Review: Fantastic Mr. Fox
We went to see Fantastic Mr. Fox in Bíó Paradís. The story is about a family of foxes and their friends. We sure had a great time.
Maya and Tomas
Last week, the International Department from Landakot School went to an awesome movie called Fantastic Mr. Fox. Fantastic Mr. Fox is about a fox that lied to his wife and began to steal chickens, apple cider and geese. He endangered his family and other animals by stealing from the most dangerous farmers in town. Our favorite part is when Mr. Fox saw the wolf because it was so funny: both the wolf and Mr. Fox were waving their hands! This movie is great because kids can learn from it. We learned that it is bad to steal and it is bad to lie. Because if you steal or lie you can endanger others. We would recommend this movie and give it five stars (the maximum)!
Caroline
Fantastic Mr.Fox is about a fox that steals chicken, duck and cider from three farmers: Boggis, Bunce and Bean. He endangers his family by stealing food from the three farmers and making them angry. My favorite part of the film was when Mr. Fox gave a blueberry to the dog and it fell asleep. This movie is fantastic because Mr. Fox is fantastic.
Noah
Fantastic Mr. Fox is about a fox that lied to his wife and whent and stole chickens, cider and geese. He endangers his family by stealing from three farmers. My favorite part of the film was when the dog with rabies chased the three farmers. This movie is awesome because fantastic Mr. Fox has to run asway from the farmers because they are going to dig up theire house and shoot fantastic Mr Fox's family.
Lego Competition
Leo Nackmayr
Students in the 5th-8th grade are taking part in and ´LEGO COMPETITION'. There is a theme. The theme is recycling! The students have to make a lego robot and program them to recycle blocks, sound like FUN!
Having a robot sounds cool, maby you can also try, because the robots that are being used are called 'MINDSTORM'.
Thanks for reading. Maybe you could check out some of our other articles.
Visit to CCP
We went to visit CCP, a company that creates computer games.
We saw amazing spaceships like these:
CCP is a video game company. CCP stands for Crowd Control Productions. They use coding languages like C++. They made EVE online and Dust. EVE online is a game with over 20 remakes. You fly around in a space ship and shoot enimies. You play with everyone around the world. In EVE you have infinite lives because of the clones used to re-create you. Dust is like EVE but on ground.
Why Did We Go?
Our class and the 7th and 8th graders went to CCP to learn about the process of making video games. The designer makes a plan about the video game and what it is supposed to be. The engineers then make the objects in the game. When their done, they make the program for the game itself and put the objects they made before in the game.
Adopt a Gorilla
We hosted two movie nights to raise money to adopt a gorilla through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
Elsa and Svava
We are from the 5th and 6th grade of the International Department in Landakots School. Last month we read an amazing book called the One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. It is based on a true story about a lonely gorilla that lived in a small room, in a shopping center for over twenty-seven years. Luckily in the end the gorilla got to live in a zoo for a year before he died. The gorilla´s name was Ivan. Ivan was a silverback, a silverback is a mighty male gorilla that is often in charge of their troop.
We were inspired to adopt a gorilla because we learned that the gorillas in the Congo are endangered because there is a civil war going on and because the local people are threaghting the park rangers by killing the gorillas.
We saved up money by having two movie nights. We sold tickets for 500kr to go to either the teenage movie, King Kong or the childrens movie Snowflake the White gorilla. We also sold popcorn, candy, drinks and pizza at the movies.
We raised 70,000 kr and we were able to adopt three gorillas. We had so much change that we were able to sponsor a child in Africa.
Teddy and Matthias
On Friday 18th of September the joint international 5th and 6th grade of Landakotsskoli hosted a movie night to raise money for their gorilla fundraising project.
Their aim was to adopt three gorillas: a mother, her child, and a silverback gorilla. The money required to foster the gorillas was 52,000 Icelandic Krona (roughly 400 US dollars). The students raised over 70,000 Krona, easily enough to foster the gorillas.
The students of 5th and 6th grade were inspired by a popular childrens book called The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. The book revolves around a gorilla named Ivan who lived his whole life in a small cage in a shopping mall. Later on in the book Ivan go's to a zoo. There, he has a large amount of space and natural phenomenons such as tree´s. The book was an inspiring tale for the 5th and 6th grade and it shone light on the issues of gorilla endangerment.
An article was published in the Morgunblaðið newspaper, a popular newspaper in Iceland and next to it a picture of the two classes was shown.
Health Section: Muscles
We’ve been learning a lot about the muscles in our body. Check out how many they are:
Health Advice
Zoe: Without your muscles you could not move!!!
Lucius: Get some exercise, for example, go to the gym!!!
Emma: Get sunshine, for example, go to the beach!!!
Benjamin: If you eat too much butter you will get fat!!!
All: Eat healthy food like peanut butter, egg, meat, fish and tofu!!!
Sports in Iceland:
- Basketball
- Football
- Handball
- Athletics
- Golf
- Volleyball
- Tennis
- Archery
- Horseback Riding
- Swimming
- Chess
Essay: Cecil the Lion
Teddy Farmer
On July 1st 2015, popular tourist attraction and global phenomenon Cecil the lion was shot and killed.
Cecil was lured out of his sanctuary and shot with an arrow from a compound bow during a game hunt in Zimbabwe. The culprit, big time game hunting enthusiast and owner of a dental practice, Dr Walter J. Palmer, paid at least $50,000 US dollars to get into the game hunt. In a statement, Dr Palmer claimed that he did not know that the lion he was taking was in fact Cecil: “I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”
Experts had said that the shooting of Cecil could cause a ‘cascade of deaths,’ as cubs are usually killed by the next lion in the hierarchy so that they can insert their bloodline into the females in the pride.
After word got out that Dr Palmer was the one to blame for Cecil’s death, social media erupted, filling the Yelp page for his dental practice in Bloomington, Minnesota with angry reviews and celebrities like Sharon Osbourne shaming the dentist. “I hope that #WalterPalmer loses his home, his practice & his money,” tweeted Osbourne, “he has already lost his soul.”
In response to the hate mail being posted on social media websites, Dr Palmer was forced to close his dental practice and shut down the website for his business, River Bluff Dental. Palmer said that the media, along with “a substantial number of comments and calls from people who are angered by this situation and by the practice of hunting in general,” has disrupted his ability to see his patients. “I apologize profoundly for this inconvenience and promise you that we will do our best to resume normal operations as soon as possible.”
The Cecil incident doesn’t seem to be the first time Walter had hunted illegally. According to court documents, a man by the same name, age and from the same town killed a black bear illegally in Wisconsin a couple of years ago. That individual made false statements to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and was sentenced to one year on probation and a fine of 3000 US dollars.
Cecil’s death was a tragic incident, and poachers are a large issue for the world, killing off many of the worlds endangered species. But what makes Cecil’s death so tragic for many is perhaps that animals are so very innocent, in a way that humans never can be.
Looking back on the incident 3 months later we see that the killing of Cecil the lion has faded into the infinite news cycle, becoming another temporary play-thing of the press.
Making Friends at Landakotsskoli
I have been in Iceland for just over 2 months and it feels like 2 years. It was an organic transition in terms of me fitting in. I can't believe anyone else couldn't!
My first friend, Isafold, I met coincidentally via her mother. Since then, we have become awfully close. I see her every day and we really enjoy each others company. When she introduced me to her friends, they accepted me immediately and always involve me in what they are doing and saying by speaking in English.
On my first day I was a little frightened, as you often are, but was also intimidated by the Icelandic barrier between me and the rest of the school. Two girls stepped infront of me and introduced themselves as Teresa and Arora. I am so grateful for these best friends for welcoming me into their friendship. In additon to that, for also easing me into this school environment.
The rest of my Icelandic classmates are all extreamly friendly. Even those who don't speak English always try to help and involve me as best they can. All of my classmates are forgiving of my lack of Icelandic and invite me to play games and join conversations.
Finally, there are my international classmates. Even as the only girl in the group, I always feel a part of the friendship circle. They make me laugh, always wait for me and challenge me in all aspects in the best way.They see me as an equal to their male companions and treat me as if I am one of them. I am extreamly thankful and I know they'll be my friends for life.
Interview with Icelandic Coast Guard helicopter pilot Sigurdur Asgeirsson
by Lukas
On the 23rd October 2015 I have done an interview with the Coast Guard helicopter pilot Sigurdur Asgeirsson at the Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter landing site at Reykjavik airport. I was invited with my dad on a SAR training mission. The aim of the mission was to save 15 people out of the sea. The SAR team used a winch to transport the people from the boat to the helicopter and flew them to an island near the capital of Iceland. After the mission I had a chance to ask the chief pilot of the mission three questions.
Lukas: Hello my name is Lukas from the International School of Landakot. I am in 7th grade I would like to ask you questions. Have you ever saved lives in actual action?
Sigurdur: Yes many times. Actually, probably several hundred.
Lukas: How does it feel to be a pilot?
Sigurdur: It is a lifelong dream for me. I have been wanting this since I was young boy, I wanted to be an astronaut but we didn’t have a space program so I became a helicopter pilot instead.
Lukas: How did you become a helicopter pilot here in Iceland?
Sigurdur: Well when I was learning back in the days there was a flight school here. I learned at that flight school and later on I became an instructor.
Lukas: Thank you for your time.
If my class would like to visit the SAR hangar and meet pilots and crew it would be my pleasure to organize the field trip.
Scary Story
by Lukas
It was the year 2000, the year I was born. I was a small child growing up in a small town. The town was cheerful all the time. Everyone knew each other and they all were nice. It was October and the town was getting ready for something big. The people were putting food on the tables, beer inside the casks and so much more. All the older boys were helping the adults to set up the tables. All the other kids had no idea what was happening. And there I was, a small skinny boy named Tom who was 10 years old who was looking at the adults preparing the party. I wanted to know what was happening so I went to my home to ask my mom. My mom was cooking food for the party. I asked her what everyone was doing. My mom told me that the food and drinks were not for the town. I was confused, so I asked why the food was not for the town. My mom stopped and turned around, she told me a story about the event. She said that every 10 years a monster came to eat food and if it did not get the food the monster will eat one of the town members. She also said that the monster would come at night and that it could not be disturbed while eating. I then got a cookie and then he went back outside. I walked over to his dad who was taking a break from preparing the party. I asked if he knew anything about the monster. His dad only said that the monster could become your biggest fears. I then left his dad to work and he went to his room to play video games. I played for the rest of the day until he had to go eat and sleep. Before the lights went out, my mom told him not to wake up or the monster will eat him. Tom did not believe his mom and dad. Tom tried to sleep but he could not because he was thinking about the monster and if it exists. I just waited for something to happen. It was 1:20 am and I started to hear something moving, something big moving. I got out of his bed and he looked outside his window. I quickly ran away from his window and in to his bed. I hid under the blanket for about a minute or two. When he poked his head out of the blanket he could not believe my eyes. I saw someone, something alone eating the entire food on the tables. He went back to the window to see the person eating the food. When I looked back outside I only saw plates of the food and the beer casks destroyed with no beer inside. I wanted to find out why one person would stand outside and eat the food and how the food for 100 people was gone in the matter of minutes. I got out of his bed put his clothes on and he also took a flashlight. He quietly went downstairs so he would not wake his parents up. I went outside to the tables. I was looking for some clues on where the person went. He looked until he saw some foot prints. Tom went off following the foot prints.
I was walking for an hour until he found a big cave that he never saw in his life. I slowly went into the cave. It was dark but I had a flashlight with me. I walked deeper and deeper into the dark cave. I was walking down and then he slipped and I fell on the ground. I got up and he picked up his flashlight. When I picked the flashlight up I started looking at a row of pictures. I have seen these pictures before in school. At school my teacher said that these pictures where the first ways to write. So I started to find out what all the pictures meant. The beginning showed a tall monster fighting with people. The people won and they locked the monster in a prison. The monster was locked up for hundreds of years until one person freed him. The monster killed every one but two. The monster told the two people that every 10 years he wants food for himself. So the tradition passed on and on until now. I have finished reading the story and I wanted to kill the monster. But before I left I found another picture of the monster turning into the biggest fears of it enemy. I thought again about the monster asking myself if the it actually exists or if it is a myth. I only could think of the monster and if it is real so I decided to go. So I went on down the cave. I stopped again thinking about the monster turning into the worst fears of a person. I had a lot of fears like clowns being buried to death torture and so much more. I had to get these fears of my head if the monster was real. I kept walking down until I saw a lit room. I went in the room and I saw a person in the middle of it. I asked who the person is. The person slowly turned around. It was a clown holding a knife. I stood there scared waiting for the clown to do something. The clown started walking saying I will kill you Tom. I stood in the same spot waiting for something to happen. The clown came closer and closer to me. The clown was about one meter away from me. I stood on the spot waiting. The clown tried to stab me but I dodged and he ran to the other side of the room. When I was at the other side of the room I turned around and the room behind me became a torture room with working torture equipment. The clown was still there saying that he will torture and kill him. I wanted to get out but the only way I could do that is by going past the clown. I was getting ready to run and punch the clown. The clown was walking to me doing tricks with his knife at the same time. I got into a running position. I waited a bit longer then I started running at the clown. I tried to punch the clown but I missed and I fell on my face. When I got up I noticed that I was in a pit of dirt. The clown was getting a shovel to bury me. I was trying to get out but he kept slipping back on the ground. More dirt was coming down to the hole and then I had an idea. I waited for the correct height to jump. When the hole was half full I jumped to the top with no problem. The clown picked me up and he threw me around the room. At one point I saw a vase that was glowing so I picked it up. The clown saw me. And he said to stop it. At that point I knew the vase was something special. So I trough the vase on the ground. The clown walked over to stab me but he evaporated before he could. I saw the monster dead and I ran out of the cave to the town. When I was at the middle I screamed that the monster was dead. Everyone got up and they started screaming at me saying that it is not true. I told everyone if they do not believe they shall see it in the next 10 years.
10 years passed and I was 20. It was the day of the monster and everyone was getting the food ready. I did not help them. The next day the food was still there. All the people were surprised. Then one person said that Tom told them the truth. The monster was dead. Everyone was happy and they all started eating the food on the tables. And every next 10 years they celebrate the biggest party at the town.
German hunter killed one of Africa's biggest elephants
Teddy Farmer
On 7th October one of the biggest elephants recorded in Africa for 30 years was shot and killed during a paid hunting excursion in Zimbabwe.
Three seperate sources identified the hunter as German real estate CEO Rainer Schorr.
Schorr supposedly paid 60,000$ to go on the 21 day hunting trip, where he hunted a variety of animals, including elephants, leopards, lions, rhinoceros´, and buffalo Schorr was accompanied by an unnamed esteemed professional hunter famous in the hunting community for finding his clients exceptionally large elephants.
Schorr reportedly had the required permits to hunt the elephant, so he did not engage in any illegal conduct, but this did not stop various wildlife conservation associations from wanting to ruin him. In a statement to The Guardian the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force chairperson Johnny Rodrigues said this: “The authorities and the hunters’ association are trying to protect him, but we’ve got his photograph, We will identify him, and when we do we’ll leave the public to do what they did to Walter Palmer. People like that deserve it.”
Zimbabwe has an increasingly severe elephant poaching problem, with 26 elephants found dead by cyanide poisoning last week, and 14 poisoned elephants found two weeks ago.
According to wildlife conservation advocates African elephants could be extinct in 20 years if the poaching of elephants continues at its present rate.