Rozalija and her class
Dear Marsha!
I have just visited your site. Congratulations!!! Wonderful!!! I cordially thank you for choosing me to take part in this amazing work. I've recently visited some sites from Israel because I've always been very interested in your country and the history of your people. As a young teacher I read all books I could find about Israel. Today I'm an experienced teacher; I've been teaching for 30 years now. I'm not really sure why I'm feeling younger than I am, but I like my job more and more.
I teach English in the elementary school in Slavonski Brod, Croatia and my pupils are 7-14 years old. Many of them are really gifted in English and so far, we have participated in various international and national projects.In the year of 2000 we won the first prize for the European project in Portugal creating a paper called NOON for the 50th Anniversary of the Schuman's Declaration. That was the beginning of our school magazine in English STAGE which is now becoming an international publication because there will be articles from Japan, Australia, the USA, Italy, Poland, Ghana, New Zealand in it. The paper should be published at the end of May and it is not too late to participate. Please send some information about your school as soon as possible, a photo would be great.
My students are planning to organize a press conference and promote the STAGE and country participants. Our Ministry for Science and Education supports our project as well as the Ministry of European Integrations.
My school is the oldest school in Slavonski Brod. In 2003 we received the acknowledgment for quality work from the Ministry.Students' chapter against violence was announced as the chapter of the year in the USA. I like talking about my school, as you can see...
But the most exciting thing for me and my students is the international cooperation. We are just about to finish the IEARN project "Learning Circle" and your dreamy invitation has come in the perfect time. The school year lasts till 18th June but I believe we can make some work for you. And next school year we'll try to do our best so you can consider me, my school and my students as your new partner. If you mail me you school or home address, I'll post you 2 CDs and STAGE No.2 and 3.
Thank you again.
Warm wishes from Rozalija
Dear Marsha!
Everything has arrived and I don't know what to see first. THANK YOU!!! I'm impressed by your excellent work and by your pupils' willingness to spend so much time on such demanding work, but the final products are great.I can hardly wait to present everything to my students. I believe it will be hard to choose what to publish. Probably everything!
I have Internet access in three different places. Right now I am at my home computer. I have one at school ( Ministry award for being the Chapter of the Year in USA), one in the NGO Our Children where I run the evening English classes. The address is the same so we can communicate more often than by one Internet access.I must tell you that I'm not an expert in computers, I'm learning from my students, but improving my abilities all the time. All teachers in my school are now attending the ICT classes (80 classes) with the support of the Ministry and so am I.
Dear Marsha, how about participating in the press conference on-line? There will be local and national journalists there and the local TV, local community representatives as well as the student-reporters, fotographers and video-recording pupils.Let's organize a video-conference! What do you think?
I have so much to say! How about organizing a visit?! The NGO Our Children owns a summer resort for children on the island of Hvar in the southern part of the Adriatic Sea. Hundreds of primary school children spend 10 days there in July and August.I talked to Mr Kokanovic, the president, and he supported the idea to try to make the holiday international. You are the first I invite so please, let me know your opinion and then we can discuss the details.We can establish a project with children. I've been thinking about lavanda fields, olive trees, local choir singing which is special on that island, history, tourism...Three years ago we made a video film "The Island" and promoted tolerance, understanding and equality among different people.I'll post you the tape.
My students have already written articles about dreams. In fact, each generations of eighth graders do that during the school year inspired by MLK's speech, you'll see in the STAGE. If you want to, use them for the project.These days the pupils will write new esseys, you'll get them soon.
I'll mail some information about my school and country, please visit:
There aren't many pieces in English, but we are working on it.
On-line exercises might be very exciting to our pupils. We can do it any time because I'm at school more than at home so here's my school address:
Rozalija Baricevic
OS "Ivan Goran Kovacic", Badaliceva 8
35 000 Slavonski Brod
Croatia
Welcome package? Mmmm... Very curious!
Sincerely yours, Rozalija
Dear Marsha!
It sounds very exciting! Of course we'll join this project. Thank you for including my school on your site. My collegue Zeljko is proud,too, and we'll use this site to inform you and others what's going on.The site will be changed as soon as possible.
The bead chain project will be performed by my 5th graders, there are 30 pupils very active and willing to try new activities. So, you can send information, lesson plan and other details.
Our ICT teacher promised to help in press conference meeting and 3-5 students will be on-line with yours that day, I'll try to organize your direct contact with one of the journalist so you could inform our public about your work and our cooperation. STAGE is in its final stage, it should be ready to print in 5-6 days, I hope.
I received a packet from Japan today. A Japanese teacher sent me a video tape and some materials for the magazine. I didn't manage to post the CDs today, I'll do it tomorrow.
Every day I overview your site. What a hard and great work you are doing! Some of the teachers saw it, too, including the Principal. We all congratulate you! Bravo!
Lots of love, Rozalija
Dear Marsha, dear everyone in Dream a Dream!
I wish to bring you into the depth of our souls in order to understand Marsha's important message.It is not a vision, it is not somebody's imagination, it is not a science fiction. I'm having in my mind all those childrens' dreams, all those tender words which come out from their mouths and their hearts. This message is the truth and I feel desperation when I think about today's children in Israel as future soldiers. And not only in Israel.
Dear Marsha, you have been invited not to abandon your dreams, you have been chosen to lead children into the land of dreams and we are following you because we believe you that even most fantastic dreams can turn into reality.
So, let's pray in silence! Let's pray for peace! I wish you courage, Marsha, to go on. The powers which we all need are within us!
Here is a speach created by my student Ivo Strizic (14) and published in our school magazine, titled " A Letter to the World":
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and everyone listening to me today! I would like to say something to you and to the whole world.
I wish to live in the world which is fair to all nations. Is it normal that I, as an elementary school pupil, have already experienced wars, misery, hunger, injustice and difficulties? Is it possible to solve the conflicts peacefully? Who can answer me to these questions? I can't wait too long!
Love, Rozalija
I DREAM A DREAM
I think that dreams are another way of living, but more exciting. I believe when we die it is like a dream when the time is not important. In your dreams you can do things that you could just dream about in reality: you can fly, do extreme sports, stay under the water as long as you want to, and everything can be very realistic.
I'd like to tell you about a dream I had one night. I was in a glass house and there was no way out. I could see my family and some of my friends outside, but they couldn't see me. I called them but but they couldn't hear me. Then I realized that I might stay there for ever and that was awful. I started slamming the glass walls...I had a feeling that I was in there for days and days.
When I broke all walls, I woke up. Was it a kind of a nightmare?
Every dream is an adventure!
Jakov M.
Slavonski Brod, Croatia
Dear friends in Ein-Ganim school, dear teacher Marsha!
My name is Marta Z. I'm 12 years old. I live in Slavonski Brod, Croatia. My family is very big. I have god five brothers and four sisters, so my parents have got 10 children! We are all excellent pupils and good people. I'm in class 5B.
I play basketball actively in the club ?Brod?.
I've been learning English for 2 years now. My English teacher Rozalija teaches us many interesting things, but the best thing is to write a letter to friends and learn English for useful purpose. English is, of course, my favourite subject, but I like all school subjects.
My classmates are writing about Croatia and Slavonski Brod. I won't write much about it because all letters will be the same.
The project ?Dream a Dream...? is wonderful! I'm so happy we are a part of it. Our teacher Rozalija let us visit the web-site every day. You teacher Marsha is great! It would be great to meet you all one day!
I dream every night and I usually have sweet dreams. They are about my family, my friends...
Now i daydream about my new friends in Israel.
Dear friends, I wish you peace! I know you love your country. Israel is beautiful, I saw many pictures. Here is a photo from Croatia for you!
Best regards from Marta
We are here!
