O'FARRELL Falcons
FAMILY A
EXCEEDERS
TEACHERS
Cindy Feeney - Physical Education
The O'Farrell Physical Education Department welcomes you! I became a teacher because I enjoy working with kids. All students are required to dress out and participate in activities. Students will be participating in individual and team sports this schoo l year, as well as an All-School Olympics towards the end of the year. The students will be doing fitness testing 3 times during the school year. They will be working towards achieving the California Best and Presidential Fitness award. In my free time I enjoy going to the beach, playing tennis and golf.
Ronnie Stewart- Social Studies
Hello and welcome. I decided to enter the field of education because I wanted to give
back to society. I enjoy working at O'Farrell because of the team of teachers
in a family. I also like the leeway that O'Farrell gives me in planning my
curriculum. I am able to prepare my students to be successful citizens of the
Twentieth First century. I do this by stressing goal setting and having the students
develop a sense of responsibilty by constructing their own criteria of rewards and consequences. In class we will be working on a family tree. We will also be focusing on skills development to help students study better, improve critical reading skills and take tests more effciently. I enjoy my free time by playing jazz drums, playing tennis and billiards, cooking, and raising my children.
Amy Bermudes- Language Arts
Welcome to O'Farrell! In my free time I enjoy spending my time reading, working out, and shopping for shoes. I decided to become a teacher because I believe reading and
writing skills are the key to student success. We lose too many bright, promising
high-risk students between sixth and ninth grade. I want to have a hand in lowering this number and encouraging a higher education for all of my students. I like working at O'Farrell because I have a much closer connection to the lives of my students than I ever experienced working in a more traditional school and I enjoy being a student advocate. I plan to pursue my masters soon and perhaps eventually become a
student counselor. Our goal in Language Arts is to become better readers, writers,
thinkers and speakers! The readers/writers workshop as described in Atwell's
In the Middle , is the main part of our class. Large blocks of time are spent reading, working on written drafts, conferencing and sharing work. Students are always reading a novel and working on a draft of writing. Your support as a positive caring teacher will help your students become a better reader, writer, speaker and
thinker!
Don Beck - Computers
Welcome to the computer labs! In this class we will work on several skills: 1. word processing, 2. data base, 3. spreadsheet, and 4. desktop publishing. In addition,
we will work on other projects such as assembling and illlustrating books and biographies. Students are expected to take and keep class notes through the week
for grading on Fridays. In my spare time I enjoy walking, gardening, swimming and hiking. I spent some time teaching English with the Peace Corps in Bolivia. When I came back to the states, it seemed a natural step to get my California credential and become a teacher.
Chris Bachofer - Math
O'Farrell's educational philosophy is based upon an advanced acedemic curriculum. Students graduate with the potential to enter college prep algebra in high school. Instruction is fast-paced and challenging. One interesting project that students
are cur rently engaged in is a simulated stock market activity. In my spare time I volunteer at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego's Balboa Park. I love to cook, work with wood and play golf.
FAMILY SUPPORT TEACHER/CLUSTER SUBSTITUTE
John Cirina
I became a teacher because I love kids and I want to help society. I enjoy the kids and staff at O'Farrell. I especially enjoy O'Farrell's inventiveness and willingness to try new and different things with students and curriculum. I like the communal feeling
of the school. In my spare time I enjoy exercising, reading and eating.
STUDENT TEACHERS:
I pursued a career in teaching because I hoped to kindle the same love and appreciation of literature in my students that my teachers inspired in me. Teaching is an amazing profession. It never ceases to astound me how much I
learn from the students I am there to teach. This exchange of knowledge and mutual learning is one of the most gratifying aspects I've encountered. It promotes an incredible connection between scholar and educator. As you may have suspected from my content area, I love to read books in the little free time I seem to have. I also play ball with my Labradors, bake yummy desserts and collect antiques and first editions.
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I decided to become a teacher because I wanted to combine my love of social studies with my love of children. I have found the challenge of working with pre-adolescents to be fun, yet exhausting. I spend my time outside of school reading, cooking, travelling, and enjoying my family. I hope to continue my education in a couple of years. I plan to pursue a Masters Degree in Twentieth Century History. I believe that as an educator, it is important always to continue my quest for knowledge.
Lisa Alvarado - Physical Education
I chose to teach because I have a fondness of children and I see teaching as a way to develop these young Americans into responsible, educated, and healthy adults. I am currently preparing to become a certified personal trainer. In my free time I enjoy playing my guitar, reading, swimming, rock climbing, hiking, water aerobics and dancing.
FAMILY A - CLUBS
Homework Club
The purpose of this club is give students extra academic help. The students are encouraged to bring homework they need to complete or homework they need a little extra help with. After they think they have mastered a certain amount of work, they
are encouraged to still come to Homework Club and to help other students. The
teachers, student teachers, and Teacher's Assistants all take turns facilitating
the club. Homework Club meets every Tuesday-Thursday from 7:45-8:45am.
The O'Farrell Way Club
The faculty supervisors of this club are Ronnie Stewart and Chris Bachofer. This club is to encourage students to follow all points of the O'Farrell Way, the guidelines of the school. The club has had many fundraisers, such as a jewelry sale. The funds
made from this sale are to be used by the entire family to go on field trips to places
around San Diego.
The club encourages its members and the other students of Family A to perform community service. They organize activities where students can earn hours of
community service.
DISCOVERY CLASSES - STUDENT SECTION
Art
I'm Brandi Davis and this class touches different types of art from free drawing, to painting to landscapes. I enjoy art because it develops my drawing skills. I've improved and feel that I can do anything if I put my mind to it.
My name is Kham Mounmanivong. Art is fun. I don't really like to draw, but if I really concentrate on it, I can probably to a good job. In art we draw, paint, and do other activities. We create our own drawings and patterns. Sometimes I'm so much in art, I forget to look at the clock for clean up time!
Spanish
I'm Thomas Van and this class is a combination of learning the language and dancing. I enjoy the class because I learn more about a new culture.
Music
Hi! My name is Jeffry Ferrer. My discovery at O'Farrell is Advanced Chorus.
My choir director is funny and she teaches us a lot about music and to have
the best posture and to let your rib cage flow so you can sing properly. She would
also tell us that you get sound from your stomach and not your throat. Every
day we get into class, take out our folders and review our songs and every
year we have two concerts. I enjoy Advanced Chorus very much because it helps
my voice get better and we get to show off our talents. I think O'Farrell's Advanced Choir is the best!
Keyboarding
I'm Antonio Ocasio and this class teaches us how to type. We practice
skills by doing typing drills. This class is important to learn how to type,
but sometimes it can be kind of boring.
Graphic Arts
My name is Alpha Scott and I'm in graphic arts. We are in the beginning
of the semester, and we are just getting basic stuff down now like taking notes
and tests. Later on in the semester, we are going to do a lot of other things
like taking and processing pictures. We also might be making T-shirt designs
and a lot of different fun stuff.
Wood
I'm Amber Roberson and well, woodshop is like before you can work on wood, you have to read books and take worksheets and then take a test. All that stuff was boring, but then when you pass the test, you get to make a wooden llama, and after you make that, then you get to go on to a different piece. Overall, I like being in woodshop. We have a nice teacher and lots of fun things to do.
ASB/Publications/Service Learning
Richard Vongsawat is my name and I am in Service Learning working for a teacher. Working for a teacher is just like being an assistant for a high-ranking emplorer. All
you really have to do is file this, do that, send this, help him, help her, work that and all those other 'in-charge' words!
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