CSB NewsflashOctober 26, 2007Volume 1, Issue 1The student newspaper of the California School for the BlindProduced by the students in Claire Becker’s class

Table of Contents

News.....................................................3White Cane Day..................................3Sense View..........................................4Talking Bus, Auditory Pedestrian Signal, and Braille Note G.P.S............5The Victor Reader Stream...................6The PAC Mate.....................................7New Students on Campus...................8

Sports....................................................9Try Out for Goal Ball............................9How to Play Goal Ball........................10

Gossip.................................................11

Question of the Week........................11Survey.................................................11Taco Bell............................................11

Advice..................................................12Write in with Your Questions.............12

Announcements – Things Happening at CSB.....................................................13Word of the Day................................13

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News

White Cane Day

This year the White Cane Day had different electronic devices made for the blind. The students from the California School for The Blind liked some of the skits that the school has brought up in the past. CSB student Ashley said, “The skits for last year’s White Cane Day were fun, and I couldn’t wait for this year’s White Cane Day.”

White Cane Day was on October 15, 2007. Class and dorm wings were invited to put on displays of Electronic Devices for students at the California School for the Blind. Children who enjoy writing were invited to write a poem for White Cane Day. The winner could read his or her poem on October 15. Ashley

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thought it was cool. Elvia likes the skits our school does for normally for this day. Amanda says, “This day represents something to help the blind, and it was fun.” While Stuart says, “It was interesting and exciting.” Evelyn thinks it is fun too.

In the next few pages, you will find several articles describing different technology students got a chance to try out during White Cane Day.

Sense View By Samantha

On White Cane Day, there were a lot of really nice things to see, such as a thing called a Sense View. The Sense View is like a CCTV, except that it can fit in your pocket or purse. It is not heavy at

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all. On the Sense View, you can change the font and the contrast.

Talking Bus, Auditory Pedestrian Signal, and Braille Note G.P.S.By Travis

On Monday, October 15, 2007, the California School for the Blind invited vendors of technology for the blind to our campus for White Cane Day. The vendors set up their products in different parts of the campus. Students were allowed to walk around the campus to look at different products during the day. The students could see a bus that said what number it was and where it was going. It also announced the stop when a passenger pulled the yellow cord to get off. The students also could see a traffic signal that announced when the pedestrian could cross. It gave a count down to let the pedestrian know how

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long he or she had to cross the street. The students could also try out the Braille Note G.P.S. It was a smaller version of the Braille Note that could find any place on the map of California. Students got to try it out by setting a destination on the campus, and the Braille Note G.P.S. would tell them if they were getting colder or warmer, so to speak.

The Victor Reader Stream By Jot

On White Cane Day, the Vendors brought something really cool called the Victor Reader Stream. This piece of technology is cool because you can listen to music and books in Daisy Format. Daisy Format is something that let’s you mark your place when you stop

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reading. It is like an iPod, and it has the same functions, but it looks like a cell phone. The reason this is cool is because some people have never seen something like this before, and it is good to know there is something in the world like this.

The PAC Mate By Leo

For White Cane Day, there were something called a PAC Mate. It is like a Braille Note, but it is smaller. You can attach a Braille display on it because it does not come with one like a Braille Note does. It would cost around the same amount as a Braille Note would cost.

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New Students on Campus By Jot

A lot of new students have been coming to our school this year. Please welcome our new students: Angelica, Peter, Kaitlyn (Katie), Heather, Theresa, Angelique, Lucy, Kevin, and Amy. It is a good thing for these students to be at CSB especially because of what they will learn between now and when they graduate. It is good because when or if they get their own apartment they will know what to do. Also, they won’t need to ask for help all the time, and people who think that blind people can’t do anything will be proved wrong even though they already are.

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Sports

Try Out for Goal Ball By Samantha

This year, people have been waiting for the gym to get done. Well now it is, so come and try out for the team. Get involved in a school activity. Have fun and build muscles. Goal ball is a sport that you work hard at. When you accomplish your goal, it feels really good. So try something new. Try out for the team. Practice is held in the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:10 after school. We hope to see you at practice. You need permission from your counselor; you also need to have good grades in order to try out.

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How to Play Goal BallBy Leo

Goal Ball is a sport that involves wearing blindfolds. There are three people on each team. You have to throw the ball fast to score. You have to pass the ball to your teammate after throwing twice in a row or you will get a penalty. It is a very hard sport to play because you have to know how to block a ball at any speed. It has a lot of rules, such as you can’t make fun of the other team. When you play you should not talk back to a coach; you can get kicked off the team. Every year we take six people to the tournament, so to get on the team you have to follow all the rules. Our school logo is a Cheetah, so that is what we go by to represent our school. Also, we have our own cool team uniforms to wear.

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Gossip Question of the Week By SamanthaAre the phrases, “I’m fat,” or “You’re old” outdated?

Survey Taco Bell Jot

I did a survey of 28 people at our school. It was to see how many of these people liked Taco Bell, and how many people said no. I got pretty good amount of people saying that they did like Taco Bell and a little amount of people that said they don’t like it. So here is the percent of how many people who said yes and how many people who said no: 79 percent of the people surveyed liked

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Taco Bell while 21 percent surveyed did not like Taco Bell.

AdviceWrite in with Your Questions

In future issues of the newspaper, there will be an advice column. If you want advice on any topic, please write in or call with your question. Some requests for advice will be answered in the newspaper. Please call Ext. 231 or leave your question in Claire Becker’s mailbox in the Education Office. You can put your name on your question or leave it off if you want to remain anonymous.

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Announcements – Things Happening at CSBWord of the Day

Every day a Word of the Day is announced during the morning announcements. If a student is heard using the current Word of the Day, they will get a card that reads, “Caught Using the Word!” Students with several cards will receive an award. So far this year, the following words have been announced to the school and discussed in classes: Energy, Environment, Recycle, Reusable, Organic, SustainableClimate, Global Warming, Solar Power, Riddle, Rhyme, Proverb, Joke, Accessibility, Human Rights, Accommodation, Advocacy, Independence, Bully, Target, Bystander, Harassment, Intervention

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