17-20 de febrero

¡Hola Familias!

Wow, it felt like springtime for a few days, but now we're back to February! We had a wonderful week together of learning and fun. 

Here is what we have been up to this week...

Reading / Lectura: We learned the syllables va, ve, vi, vo, vu this week. We've also been learning about verbs in different forms, such as yo (I), tú (informal you), and él/ella/usted (he/she/formal you). As we read, we have been working on summarizing a story into beginning, middle, and end, as well as talking about how characters feel.

Writing / Escritura: This week we continued talking about los sentimientos, or feelings. The kids drew and wrote about different feelings they've had, describing why they felt that way. It is so fun to hear them express themselves and talk about moments in their lives! We are going to expand on one of their ideas next week.

Math / Matemáticas: We have been working on breaking numbers into parts, especially the number 10. The kids have done a great job learning to write and solve equations!

Bible / Biblia: This week we learned more about David, who had un corazón de Dios. We learned how even though David was small, he was brave because he knew that God was by his side. God gave David the ability to defeat the giant Goliat!

Science / Ciencias: We are learning more about force and motion, exploring how when we push an object harder, the object goes faster and farther. We also spent time this week cleaning out our greenhouse bed and planting new seeds--we'll see how many grow! 

Social Studies / Estudios Sociales: We learned about George Washington and el día de los presidentes (Presidents' Day).

Immersion Tip of the Week

Ask your child to tell you about his/her favorite thing from school today, or any day next week! Talking about what he/she learned with you in English helps reinforce the concepts. Ask questions to encourage your child to provide details!

Reading Tip of the Week

Create a special "reading place" for your child at home with some big pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals. Build a "reading time" into your family routine, both reading with your child or encouraging him/her to read alone!

Desayuno con la Maestra

I'm so excited for breakfast at mi casa next Friday! On Friday, February 27th, you will drop off your child at my house (357 Wildwood Dr., Holland 49423) at 8:30 (I live on the south side of Holland, about 10 minutes away from Rose Park). We will have breakfast, play games, have centers, and then take a bus back to Rose Park at 10:30. Please send in any items you signed up for (or plan on being there to help out) this coming week!

Library Materials

We have had a few mix-ups with library returns, and I have sent a few notices home about overdue books. Would you please double check at home and send back ALL library books for me? I'd like to figure out how many are actually missing. Thank you in advance for your help!

SI Summer Camp!

From the Office

• Upcoming Dates:

• March 16: No School

• March 20: Reports Card Live

• March 26 + 30: Parent Teacher Conferences

• Community Opportunities: 

• The below list of organizations are not necessarily affiliated with Holland Christian Schools but have requested the sharing of these community opportunities.

         

That's all I have for now--have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy more photos from our week below (and on Smugmug).

 

9-12 de febrero

¡Hola Familias!

We had another great week in Spanish Immersion Kindergarten! This week we enjoyed learning about el Día del Amor y la Amistad on February 14th, which translates to "Day of Love and Friendship". We talked about all of the people we love, and celebrated how much God loves us! We also learned about  Respirando la Gracia (Grace Breathing), which is our discipleship practice this month, with our other Kindergarten friends.

We've also been learning Salmo (Psalm) 121 this week with Sing, Move, and Memorize. It is beautiful to see so many students learning to love God's word as they hide it in their hearts!

This is a really great time of the school year; I am seeing so much growth in every area--reading, writing math, and especially in the Spanish language!

Here is a summary of what we've been up to in the classroom...

Reading / Lectura: We learned about the syllables fa, fe, fi, fo, fu this week. We have also been studying different forms of verbs (the endings change depending on the person) and talking about characters' feelings in the books we read together.

Writing / Escritura: We are starting a new unit on small moments. To give the students some context and vocabulary, we are focusing on los sentimiemtos (feelings) to give them a springboard to draw and write about their own experiences. We are going beyond words like "sad" and "happy" and using words like "excited", "ashamed", "nervous", and "grumpy" (all in Spanish, of course!). We will continue this over the next weeks by developing an idea to write a story.

Math / Matemáticas: We have been working on solving story problems and finding parts of 10.

Bible / Biblia: This week we learned about el Rey Saúl, who was chosen by God and named by el profeta Samuel as Israel's first king. We learned how Israel's true king was Dios, but el Rey Saúl started to disobey him after a while. 

Science / Ciencias: We are beginning a new unit on force and motion. We explored how we can make objects move on the playground, especially focusing on los columpios (the swings) and el tobogán (the slide). We are starting to use new vocabulary such as empujar y jalar (push and pull) to describe motion, and we're figuring out how we can make objects move farther and longer.

Immersion Tip of the Week 

Your child may be starting to decode words using Spanish pronunciation, even if the words are in English! This can be fun to listen to, but don't worry about "fixing" your child's pronunciation. You can simply say, "Wow! That's exactly how you'd say it in Spanish! In English we say the sounds like this: ____". Your child will start to unconsciously separate English from Spanish as you continue to read at home and as he/she continues to grow in reading skills. 

Reading Tip of the Week

Speaking of reading, make sure you are reading every day at home! If you do not have a regular "reading routine" (e.g. before bedtime, right after school, etc.), make it a point to establish one--and stick to it! Life can get hectic, but I have to say, as a parent I really enjoy slowing down to read with my kids. Even though they are older (13 and 10), we still enjoy reading together as a family.

123Andrés In Concert!

123Andrés is coming to Grand Rapids with the Grand Rapids Symphony! Andrés and Christina, a Latin Grammy-winning duo, write and perform bilingual, bicultural, and educational children's music, and they are awesome! If you'd like more information about their upcoming show and to buy tickets, check out their website or click here!

From the Office

• Upcoming Dates:

• February 13 & 16: No School

  
  

• Running Club! It's time to think about Spring activities again! Rose Park will again have a Rose Park Running Club for 3rd - 5th graders this spring. The program will run from February 17 - May 2. Runners must be signed up to participate, click here!

• Community Opportunities: 

• The below list of organizations are not necessarily affiliated with Holland Christian Schools but have requested the sharing of these community opportunities.

         

Hope you have a wonderful long weekend! See you back at school on Tuesday! Here are some more photos (you can also view them on Smugmug):