Ms. Cheung's Connection

Welcome to a new  school year!  It’s already October but still feels like spring or summer with temperatures in the 70′s and 80′s.  I am so grateful to be teaching for my 12th year at David Reese.  I work with a wonderful and talented staff, and I am so thankful to be a part of the team.  I am also grateful to have a fabulous  group of students.  They keep me busy, amused, and on my toes!

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, it reminds me of what I am thankful for.  Everyday, I try to think of at least one thing I am thankful for.  It might simply be a smile on someone’s face.  What are you thankful for?  Please let us know.

After our month long break, we continue recording our family stories.  Today, we are featuring three more interviews, conducted by the following students:

Jacob – An interview with his grandfather

Maylyn – Una entrevista con su madre

Rose – An interview with her mother

Tai – An interview with his grandfather

Wendi – Una entrevista con su padre

We are from various parts of the globe, but  our stories are interwoven like a patchwork quilt.  How similar yet different we all are–from Vietnam to China to Biloxi Mississippi–from walks in the park to jumprope to tetherball! Please listen to our family stories and tell us what you think.

Today’s interviews were conducted by the following students:

Ethan – An interview with his father

Ivan – An interview with his mother

Joyce – An interview with her mother

Rajanae – An interview with her mother

As we continue working on our family stories, we are learning so much about each other and how we have so much in common.  We are also learning about how diverse our stories are and how important it is to listen to one another.  As David Isay, the founder of National Public Radio’s StoryCorps says, “listening is an act of love”. 

Thank you for listening!

Today’s featured interviews were conducted by:

• Angelo: una entrevista con su madre
• Chase: an interview with his mother
• Matthew – an interview with our bilingual associate, Ms. Vue

We are calling our interviews “Stories from the Heart.”  We want to share these personal stories and hope you will enjoy them.  Keep looking for more interviews as we upload them to this blog!  Thank you for listening!

Anthony and his mother (photo)

Today’s featured interviews were conducted by the following students:

• Javier – An interview with his grandmother
• Louis – An interview with his father
• Sangeeta – An interview with her father
• Anthony – An interview with his mom

Please tell us what you think!

The students are busy editing their audio recorded interviews…cutting, pasting, and adding final touches.  Others continue working on written interviews and will soon be ready to upload to this blog.  We are discovering the richness and diversity in our family stories.   Priceless!

Jose with his dad (photo)

Today’s featured interviews were conducted  by:

•  Devina – An Interview with her grandmother
• Jose – An interview with his dad
• Ronshal – An interview with her father, part 1
• Ronshal – An interview with her father, part 2

Please tell us what you think!

We are up and running!  Welcome to another exciting year of fourth grade!  We start each Monday with a goal for the week, followed by a daily Project Wisdom  message, and then to a full schedule of reading, writing, math, social studies, science, and more. 

One of this week’s Project Wisdom messages was simple but very important…  BE KIND, BE KIND, BE KIND.  We talk about the message throughout the day and really try to practice it.  What can you do to show kindness at school, at home, or in your community?

We ended the year with sunny days and happy smiles!  We excitedly made many colorful bracelets for the children in Haiti.  We will send them to Miss Leisa as she plans another trip in July to deliver much needed supplies.  

The sunshine also provided us with delicious foods cooked in the sun…pizza, fruit crisp, and brownies!  We enjoyed our fabulous cooking while using free energy from the sun! 

Just how peaceful is our earth?  With the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico spewing millions of gallons of oil into our delicate ecosystems, how can we say earth is peaceful and safe for our fine feathered friends and all the other creatures of the earth who live in that part of the world?  What do you think? 

DON’T FORGET HAITI…important words from Miss Leisa…