Papa Wauke

We’ve been discussing the book, Ron’s Big Mission, by Rose Blue and Corinne J. Naden.  Some of the words that came up in our discussions are POWER (who has it?  how do they get it?), MONEY, FAIR  (is this the same as “equal?”) and CHANGE.  Ron felt so strongly about his mission that he stood up to adults, including police officers, to complete it. Is there any “mission” (real or imagined) you feel that strongly about? Please explain.  You may also comment on our class discussions about this topic.

At our first ‘Ohana service this school year, Kahu Cathy talked about this year’s theme, which was presented at Convocation. DIG DEEP. REACH HIGH. What does it mean to you?

Today we talked about the tragic events of 9/11/2001.  We talked about HISTORY and its importance.  What are some things that you remember from your past that you think are important to look back upon. Why?  What did you learn from these experiences?

Today we explored the Polynesian Hall and the newly renovated Hawaiian Hall at the Bishop Museum. What did you learn? What artifacts surprised you? Which ones were most interesting to you? Do you have any questions about what you saw? Why do you think this was an important field trip for us?

In his Education speech today Barack Obama asked you, “What’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make?” If you could answer him in person, what would you say? What other thoughts do you have about his speech?

Wow!  What a “climb!”  We learned a lot about our families last week.  What was most surprising to you?  Why?  What made you wonder?  Did your questions start any new discussions at home?

Can you believe itʻs September? Weʻve been in school now for 3 weeks! So, what do you think? How does it feel being in 2nd grade? Please share your thoughts about your first 3 weeks as 2nd graders.

Pinduli was teased by animals who were teased by other animals who were also first teased by the same animals. Did you make any personal connections to the text? Have you ever been teased? If so, how did you feel? Have you ever teased anyone? If so, how did you feel afterward?

This week President Obama called on ALL Americans (young and older) to serve their communities in some way this summer.  More information is provided at serve.gov (there is a link on our blog roll).  The program is called United We Serve and is running from June 22 to September 11.  Our President is asking us to find ways to volunteer in areas such as education, health, energy and the environment.  Any thoughts on what you might do?  Let us know if you have ideas or if you do provide a service, tell us all about it.

Please share your comments about our Multicultural Festival. Did you learn anything new about the cultures represented? What did you enjoy most? Do you have any questions?

Last week we attended a wonderful play performed by the fifth grade classes. The different performances described the events leading to Hawai’i’s statehood. What did you learn? What information surprised you?

Today we learned about the true story of Sadako Sasaki and how she was affected by the atom bomb on Hiroshima during World War II. We also learned about the significance of the origami cranes that are created and brought to her statue in Hiroshima every year. What are your thoughts about the story? Your feelings? Any questions?

Aloha!

We heard you are studying Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and are learning about the different animals there. This is a picture of a Nene, which was taken on the island of Molokai last year. The Nene is our state bird and one of the few places it can be found in the wild is in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. It is one of the animals on the federal endangered species list. We would love to “blog” with you about other animals in Hawaii and learn about the animals in Oregon. Have you ever seen a Nene? What is your favorite wild animal?

How fortunate we were to have a presentation by Aunty Pua and Uncle Hoku today!  How did you feel when you learned about the many uses of the coconut?  Do you have any other ideas for its use?  How about the process of making the broom?  How did that make you feel about people who make things like this without the use of machines?

We went on a field trip to Byodo-In Temple today. Write about your experience. What did you enjoy? What did you notice? How did you feel in the meditation area?