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*NEW* Treska Trivia - A Slice of Life
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Home
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| Donna has four stories in the Scholastic Press Literacy Place 2000 anthology. These books are found in classrooms all over the United States as supplementary materials which compliment the reading programs. The third grade titles are A Star Wish, and Miss Emma Gets Her Way. The story in the fourth grade book is called The Legend of the Silver Birch, and Never Going to Grow Up can be read in the book for fifth graders. Donna has also published an activity called Snowflake Snippets in MAILBOX magazine, which focuses on teacher classroom interests. |
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Flowers Around the World
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Hope you liked all of my brothers and sisters!
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Fotos of Phrends
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AARON MITCHELL and DAVID
March 2006
Here is David with a professor friend of his, Dr. Aaron Mitchell. Aaron is the Department Chairman for the Microbiology Department at Columbia University.
This picture was taken on March 7, 2006, which was David's first day back to work after the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) he suffered on January 13, 2005. It was a long-awaited day. It was a happy day!
David and Aaron are outside the office of Dr. Gerald D. Fischbach, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for the College of Physicians and Surgeons. David was officially welcomed back by both Aaron and the Dean. An article and a picture can be seen at IN VIVO The Newsletter of Columbia University Medical Center. (scroll down)
When David was an inpatient at Kessler Institute of Rehabilitation, Aaron visited David at least once a week, but more often twice, or three times. He was a welcome face at the door. I loved his quirky sense of humor and his quick smile. David and Aaron discussed scientific research and the goings-on in the labs at Columbia, but mostly Aaron kept David apprised of his students' progress. Aaron's visits continued at our home after David was released from Kessler until his return to his lab.
Before David's trauma, I hadn't know Aaron well. Sure, we met at dinners to honor retirees or at parties to celebrate a student's successful thesis defense. I was occasionally invited to a dinner in Manhattan with other professors and their spouses when the department was hosting a speaker, but at the end of the day, the professors scattered to the edges of the tri-state area. Columbia's position in the northwest corner of Manhattan did not make socializing easy. Though the circumstances were unfortunate through which I got to know Aaron, I am very glad I did. He is an intelligent, kind, and sensitive man and I am so glad that he has become a good friend to both David and me.
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Random Stuff
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History was made that night on November 4th, 2008.
American voices were heard and change is on the way. Obama, with more than 349 electoral votes to McCain's 163  overtook the vote early in the evening.
Florida, New Mexico, Virginia and my home state of Pennsylvania who, usually, vote Republican . . . went blue.
Victory is Sweet!
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On Teaching
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KIDS COMMENT in 2007-2008
Mrs. Figurski's class is the best class in the whole wide world. My favorite game is Race for a Flat.
Michael
My teacher is a nice teacher. You can have fun in 1st grade.
Devi
First grade can be difficult. My teacher is fun. My teacher makes projects. My teacher likes me. She is the best teacher. My teacher can do anything.
Barry
I like first grade because we write a lot. I like projects. I like when Mrs. Figurski reads Meish Goldish.
Matty
First grade is fun. I play games. I made a book, too. Mrs. Figurski is a nice teacher. Mrs. Figurski made first grade fun.
Carlo
It was fun in first grade, but it's time for an end. Mrs. Figurski made a lot of fun things like Alpha Dice and Alpha Patterns. Mrs. Figurski likes frogs. Mrs. Figurski is the best teacher in the whole wide world.
Kev
I love first grade. First grade is not like kindergarten. Our favorite teacher is Mrs. Figurski.
Cait
I like my teacher. My teacher is cool. My teacher teaches. My teacher likes kids.
Jeremy
In first grade you learn how to read.
Chris
You need a backpack in first grade.
Nicky
First grade is fun. You do projects. You play games. You do stuff and you don't know that you are learning. If you are in Mrs. Figurski's class, you are in the right class. When you are done with first grade, you go to second grade.
Jen
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My Family Album
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Here's Kiersten -- weighing in a brand new baby who she just delivered. Kiersten is a home birth midwife and she loves it! February 2009
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My Writing Life
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| BOOKS ABOUT the CRAFT of WRITING |
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Children\'s Writers Workshop
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Vision for the Children's Writers Workshop
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Student Memories
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| "I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!" said my little engine, Nicole. And I knew she could. And she did! |
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KINDLING WORDS: the RETREAT 2005
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| MEMORIES of KINDLING WORDS 2004 |
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Teacher/Book Reviewer
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| SOME of MY FAVORITE BOOKS |
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*NEW* TBI Traumatic Brain Injury - A Living Nightmare
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Terryn & David
Always trying new things. |
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Terryn & David
TA-DA!!!!!
Showing Off Again
I Love It! |
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Terryn and David working on the computer.
Looking at scientific slides
and practicing giving a talk. |
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This is TERRYN!
She is AMAZING!
His Occupational Therapist, Terryn Davis’, dynamic personality and her passion and exuberance for her profession was so apparent as she worked with David. She went above and beyond and her laughter is a medicine all its own. She is AMAZING. We couldn't stop laughing. Her giggles resounded from the walls of the gym as she coaxed David through some pretty difficult and sometimes funny contortions, while trying to improve his fine motor skills and balance. Terryn made coming to the gym so much fun and I very rarely missed a session. |
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*NEW* Strange Happenings
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 | Donna's
Starter
Bead |
| |  | Monique
with
Diamond Gem
Donna
with
Stainless Steel
Starter Bead |
| |  | Monique's
Sparkly
Gem |
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| So, of course, I wanted one, too. If you look closely, you can see the little bead that rests on my teeth. Monique has a tiny diamond, which tips the top of her teeth, too. Unfortunately, as a starter, I can only get the stainless steel bead, until the piercing heals, but at least it matches my nose bead. Oh, the nose bead is another story . . . |
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Fotos of Phrends
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RON and LIZ LEAVITT
June 2006
Liz and Ron Leavitt have been our friends for many, many years. David and Ron were both in Dr. Donald Helinski’s laboratory during the mid 1970s at the University of California at San Diego. UCSD
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Though the years have passed, and though we don’t see each other often,
our friendship has endured. So, that when we all got together in San
Diego in June of 2006 to honor Dr. Donald Helinski (David's and Ron's mentor) in his retirement,
it was just like yesterday. So many things have changed in all of our
lives, but our friendship remains the same.
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*NEW* WIND RIVER Prokaryotic Biology
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 | Lily Lake
nestled between the mountains |
| |  | Donna & Trish
nestled between views of
LilyLake
We strolled around this mile round lake
talking talking talking |
| |  | Lily Lake tucked between
Longs Peak
and
Twin Sisters Peaks |
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 | Bare Naked Tree
Silent Inhabitant of Lily Lake |
| |  | Rather Noisy
Inhabitant of Lily Lake
He came right up to be photographed.
No shyness here. |
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*NEW* Treska Trivia - A Slice of Life
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 | Treska at the Dumont Library
She loves to read, read, read. |
| |  | Treska at Giovanni's Pizza Shop
waiting and reading
I told you she loved to read.
Giovanni's has the best pizza. YUM! |
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 | Treska reading outside
the hairdressers. |
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Home
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| As a 1st and 3rd grade teacher, Donna has an enthusiastic audience for her stories, and she draws many story ideas from her students. Donna’s passion for writing parallels her enthusiasm for teaching and she feels very fortunate that each complements the other. |
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Random Stuff
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They say to bring in the new and . . . oops, I think they meant "RING."
Too late!
Since I thought the saying went to "BRING" in the new, I did! I brought a new car into to my life and into my driveway. A Ford ESCAPE!
It's Tungsten Gray - so pretty!
AND . . . here it
is.
It was sad to see my TRIBUTE go.
I had it for six years and it never
gave me any trouble, but it was time to smell new leather. Nothing like
a new car smell!
So, farewell to my TRIBUTE.
I hope someone else will
love it as much as I did.
I KNOW THEY WILL! 
______________________________________________________________________
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My Family Album
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BROTHERS' BREAKFAST
July 1, 2008
It happens once a month in Erie Pennsylvania. Six brothers, a few cousins and many wives, all more than 70 years of age, converge on Peggy's, a storefront restaurant in the Liberty Plaza. They meet to talk politics. They talk about their children and grandchildren. They talk about their latest surgeries and who has the newest knee or hip. They talk about days gone by and days to come. They share brotherly comaraderie for two hours, then promise to meet again the following month.
Eggs and bacon, cheese omelettes, short stacks and high stacks of pancakes with butter and hot maple syrup, and hash browns and toast, glasses of orange juice and tomato juice cover the table. YUM!
I'm talking about the Figurski Brothers and here you can meet some of them.
Here are Ben & Phyllis Ferguson.
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On Teaching
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I decided to go back to school.
I registered for three graduate courses this summer through the Regional Training Center of the College of New Jersey.
The first course I took was called Expanding Student Thinking in the Classroom. Two fantastic instructors named, Nina and Margaret, taught it. That duo made each day so much fun while they shared so many strategies and techniques. It was almost as if they had the course choreographed. Nina easily finished Margaret’s thoughts while Margaret quickly slipped her ideas in without missing a beat.
The teachers/students who took the course ranged from first grade (me) through high school. Special teachers like music teachers and guidance counselors rounded out the class. It was a fun group.
We worked together devising learning situations. We planned a variety of lessons. My favorite was when my group had to sell a dingle-hopper. Yep . . . a dingle-hopper! It not only feeds your pet rabbit, it cleans up after him, too. Don’t wait! If you call 888-876-5432 in the next five minutes you will also receive a giant dingle-hopper for your pet elephant. (If you have one, it’s a great deal.) Let me tell you, I’ll never look at a melon scooper in the same way again.
That may not seem like graduate course work, but it was. It demonstrated how to steer students to think out of the box. It showed how to guide students to expand their thinking both in and out of the classroom.
For my final project I wrote four lesson plans with four rationale papers to support the lessons. These lessons were designed for third grade level, but can easily be adapted for grades K through five. I can’t wait to try them in my own classroom this fall. 
The best part of all is that out of 25 possible points for the class, I earned 25. That’s an “A!” YEAH!
Below are some of my fellow classmates.
Ross, Deborah, Bill, Marcia,
Rebekah, and Gail
We had so much fun.
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My Writing Life
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Elements of Fiction Writing: Conflict, Action & Suspense by William Noble
Elements of Fiction Writing: Plot by Ansen Dibell
Writing the Novel From Plot to Print by Lawrence Block
On Writing by Stephen King |
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Children\'s Writers Workshop
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I expect the chat will start out slowly as Sue and I get the lay of the new land. We will be in the workshop room each Thursday evening from 9pm until 10pm EST to greet you and to spend time talking the business of children's publishing. It will be an informal setting. So, feel free to drop in and remember you can bring a friend.
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My Family Album
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 | My Best Friend!
Jared's House in Santa Cruz, California |
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David and I met when I was 16 years old. I won't even tell you how many years ago that was. He is my husband and best friend. We have lived in may places across this nation, including Erie, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Rochester, NY; and my absolute favorite, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA. I would follow him to the ends of the earth. Oh . . . I already did. We live in New Jersey.
Maybe, someday we will move back to California, or move to Mexico, or to New Zealand, or Spain, or Portugal, or Scotland, or Wales, or England, or Italy, or France. I love them all. |
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