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May, 2008

What to Expect Come End of Term
By Professor Ripley

We are nearing our 6th term, and many of you this is your first end of term, and some of you, it will be your second. So I thought I would just cover a few things here so everyone knows what to expect and since we have the new house being formed for the beginning of the summer term, you will see it is the prefect time to start Paddington.

One thing we do is take applications in each house for �house staff� and unlike J.K.�s Hogwarts, we have a Senior Prefect, two Prefects, and anywhere from two to three Assistant Prefects, depending on the size of the house and its activity. Also introduced this year was the Assistant Head of House. All these positions will be very useful this summer due to vacations and such, so everything is covered. Another reason is because of the size of the school; in general, we could use all the help we can get! So, some house staff will remain the same, and some new members will be welcomed into the fold.

Another thing and I am sure you saw this already, we suspend all normal classes. One big reason for this is the professors have Muggle lives too and many have families or are part of one and go on vacations, besides, they could use the break. Many revise their classes, add to them, re-arrange them, or even build new ones. By not having the classes during the summer, it gives them time to do these things.

One of the biggest things come end of term, is the total clean-out of the common rooms. A chance to start fresh, many houses will �save� all the games, by writing down the titles and the rules of them and then after the clean-out, put them back up. Many of the RPGs are also saved on Word, and then put back up, this applies to discussions and personal threads that anyone wants to save and bring back. Often the house staff does this and if you cannot do the copy & paste, the staff will start a thread and have the students list what they want brought back. All rules posted in the �intro� area, lockers, dorms, and RPG area are deleted and started anew also. Part of this is re-set the post counter on the board and also, for the influxes of new students we get in the summer don�t feel like they are far behind in joining up things like games and all.

Usually there are summer activities to join for points, like the Summer Club which has a combination of �make the caption� contests, word finds, puzzles, and mini-lessons. Some staff members hold special classes, like Professor Snape and his Summer Potions RPG classes. All clubs will remain open including the Art Club, Poetry, Writing, and Dueling Club. We hope to have Broomstick going again this summer, and other things to be announced, we may even have Language classes, but not sure, so watch for any announcements regarding them.

And finally�The End of Term Feast!!! This will include a contest of some sort, and each Head of House makes a speech and of course our Headmistress�s speech. They all usually include a summary of the term, thoughts on how the term went and what they hope to see next term. PAD usually makes some important announcements in her�s like staff changes and any other things she deems important to say. Of course there is the dance! Held in the Great Hall chat room and will go all weekend. It is always a lot of fun, a great way to start the summer!

So, that is pretty much what you can expect and some reasons why we do what we do. I hope everyone has a great summer, and sticks around! We are only going to get better and better!

The Results Are In!
By Summer Raine

After a week of extreme posting, the Bulletin Board Post-a-Thon has come to end! Here are the results!
Coming in 8th place is Team Snow White, which consisted of Eileen, Vicktor Krum, Harmony Hilly, DJ Diggory and Serverus Snape! They had 137 posts!
In 7th place came Team Mulan which consisted of Professor Ripley, Riley Jake, Will Potter, Viktor, and Billy Raven. They had 490 posts!
In 6th place is Team The Little Mermaid! In this team there was Professor Snape, Hilary Stevens, Teagan Kincade, Jenii Chang, & Ava Black, who earned 509 posts!
In 5th place was Team Beauty and the Beast. The members in this team were Professor Simbi, Arya Drottningu, Kristin Johnson, Bryony Casten and Gabriella Murphy! They earned 704 posts!
In 4th place is Team Cinderella, who consisted of Beonca Aims, yours truly, Makayla Malfoy, Amanda, & Erica. They posted 763 posts!
In 3rd place is Team Aladdin! This team had Professor O'Connell, Keato Abbot, Gred Weasly, Ariene Callahan, and Avery Montana in it! This group had 1,883 posts!
In 2nd place came Team The Lion King, who consisted of Professor Opal, Samuel Craft, Luna Lovegood, Jess Dark Wing, Rose Granger. They had 2,576 posts!
And in 1st place was Team Alice in Wonderland! This winning team got 10,322 posts! The team consisted of Professor Lockhart, Evelyn Fueture, Emily Bond, Summer Levy, and Riley West!

Congrats Team Alice in Wonderland!
And Congrats to whoever took part in the BB Post-a-Thon!

Application Time!
By Beonca Aims

It�s that time of year where the house staff is open for applications, be it to re-apply or a new student applying for the first time. This is always exciting and this year we have the advent of the new house needing not only staff but students. What all is at stake? Well, each house has a Senior Prefect, a coveted spot on any house staff; they are the students directly under the Assistant Head of House who is under the Head of House! Senior Prefects should know their stuff, be a cheerleader for the house, post, do lessons, and have their �face� out there so most students not only in the house, but in other houses, know who they are.

Next come the Prefects. Each house has two who work closely with the Senior Prefect and should also be around and post, points make, and be involved with their house. Both the SP and the Prefects should know how to register and take classes, how to make shops, and if not make them, at least what you do to get them approved and up and running. Library books questions are also something they should know about, avatars, siggies, and loads of information as to where to find what. In order to help out, we also have Assistant Prefects who should be familiar with a lot of this and handle things when no one else is around, or work with the Prefects and SP to run the house.

These house positions are vital in making the house run smoothly and they all should have determination, people skills, knowledge of how the school works, being respectful of people�s feelings and also support the staff in all decisions. The should be setting an example at all times because they are looked up to and should be making the house proud to have them and they should be proud to be part of the staff.

Not directly affected any particular house are the positions of Head Boy and Girl, both important especially when classes are open. These two have to be out there for everyone student, no matter what house and both should be looked up to and respected.

With the new house coming, not only are applications being taken for the house positions, but also for students. Choices are make an MP, move one MP over, or just plain transfer, all very exciting!

I will say this, I have been Head Girl, Prefect (twice) and Assistant Prefect (twice), I stepped down each time come end of term as I felt others deserved a chance. Another time I reapplied. It�s all in how my Muggle life goes. I am proud to have served and serve, and am looking to see if I make it again this year. If you are interested and maybe not make it this time, don�t give up! The staff is always looking for active, responsible students who care about there house, the school, do lessons, write articles and are around. Get your face out there, get your name out there! Trust me, all applications are taken seriously and good luck to everyone who sent one in! NO house is successful with just an active staff, it NEEDS active students!