Rm. 113 • Mrs. Diaz • Kindergarten

You may have seen students in the schoolyard practicing Tai-Chi. Our kindergarten class has been working under the guidance of instructors from the Tai-Chi Academy of San Francisco. The students are very excited about presenting the first 10 movements they have learned, on Friday, May 21. Roger (dance teacher Roger Dillahunty) has graciously invited us to be a part of his Culminating Event on that date. This is how the students feel about the benefits of Tai-Chi:
Chris H: I get warm with the warm-up.
Nicole S: I learn something new.
Richard W: To be healthy.
Violet Y: It's beautiful movements.
Vadim I: It makes me a good person.
Mrs. Kwong: It's good for children to develop coordination in a peaceful manner.
Mrs. Diaz: Tai-Chi has improved their focus and attention span as learners.

Rm. 115 • Mrs. Cheung • K

We have been busy learning about seeds and plants. Students observed seeds and examined the inside of a lima bean. We read stories and did math problems related to plants, fruits and vegetables. Children had fun estimating and counting watermelon seeds. They measured the circumference of a watermelon. The best part was eating it at the end of the course, yum! We all had fun working on the thematic plant unit and here is what the students learned ...

Nicholas Y: Some seeds you can eat. You can eat banana seeds. Strawberries have many seeds on the outside.
Samuel F: Plants have stems. Plants have seeds. Plants have roots. Plants have flowers. We can eat pumpkin seeds.
Evelyn C: ... Seeds will make flowers grow. When the flowers crack open, the seeds will come out.
Chris C: Carrots grow underground. Broccoli is a stem. Rice is a seed.

Rm. 204 • Mrs. Wong • Gr. 1

The children have composed short poems reflecting personal self-expressions inspired by Mrs. Claudia Dudley, California Poets In The Schools. They were excited in sharing their "reflections" from our collective book With All These Things The World is Sweet. Rooms 204 and C-1 went on a fantastic field trip to Underwater World at Pier 39. Both classes, as well as parent-chaperones, were generously treated to a delicious Mickey D's lunch hosted by Mrs. Sandy Eng-Feifer, our para-professional. Thanks, Sandy! We will now look forward to our next field trip to Marine Mammal Center with Mrs. Mar's 2nd grade class. We're moving up!

Rm. 211 • Mrs. Lennard • Gr. 3

In Room 211 we have a new boy. His name is Danny. He is from Mexico ... On April 29, we will go on a field trip to the Academy of Science.
Ka Lok L

In the back of the school building there are lots of blossoms on the trees.
Emily Y

Outside and after school some kids are writing on the walls and breaking bottles and making a mess. I wish they would stop. They are very mean and we can't walk in to our classroom because there have been broken bottles.
Marilyn C

Rm. 214 • Mrs. Lui • Gr. 3

We went to the Josephine Randall Museum. I liked the hawk alot because it was eye catching. I liked its brown and white feathers. I learned that hawks stand on top of each other like a totem pole on a prickly cactus.
Sidney S

The University High students presented two plays to our class - "The Raja's Rice" and "The Monkey and the Crocodile." The plays were funny and taught us a lesson. Soon we will act in plays about Anansi, the spider.
Mrs. Lui and Rm. 214

Rm. 213 • Mr. Ng • Gr. 4

For five weeks, our class has planted and nurtured lilies which will be brought to senior residents at Little Sisters of the Poor. The plants will be presented to the seniors along with handmade cards by the children. The students have worked in coordination with USF's Leadership Dynamics class and Planter Pals, an organization that works to connect school children and senior citizens through the exchange of flowers.

Rm. 202 • Mrs. Zanotti • Gr. 5

My class has had a chance to earn credits for class work and behavior. We need to complete our work and listen and follow directions. When we get the credits, we will be able to buy something from the classroom store.
Anna T

On April 14, we went to the Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. We went to listen to Yolanda Rhodes, a storyteller. The story was called The Nkula Tree. It's about a girl who climbed a tree. Whoever got her to come down without using tools would become her husband. A young man tricked her into coming down from the tree.
William C