17-21 de septiembre

¡Hola a todos! 

It's been a great, full week again! We enjoyed beautiful weather while picking up trash at Holland State Park on Wednesday, had our pictures taken, and had fun using a parachute on Friday afternoon! I have really enjoyed seeing the children work, play, and be silly together this week, as they continue soaking up new language skills and gain more confidence. Here are some highlights from our week:

Our Week

Bible
In Bible class this week, we have learned about Noé (Noah) and the arca (ark). The students made puppets of Noé, el arca, el agua (the water), and el arcoiris (the rainbow) to tell this Bible story. Using pictures and gestures, we practiced telling the story of Noé and learning about how Dios cumple sus promesas (God keeps his promises). What a great reminder! 

Reading
The letter U was our focus in reading this week. We made books for the letter U, noticed and highlighted vowels A, O, and U in words, and did other activities with letters. We also read a fun book about Clifford's first day at school while listening for the indefinite articles un/una and unos/unas! Our grammar focus was distinguishing between singular and plural words with these articles. The kids have also been working on recognizing their first sight words in Spanish, including no, la, el, un, and una. More info on these to come!

Writing
Thank you to those who sent in family photos! We used those photos as inspiration this week as we wrote about our families, labeled them, described them, and drew our families in different places. We also worked on going back and editing our work to add more details, pictures, and punctuation.

Math
In math this week, we compared numbers using manipulative cubes using phrases such as más grande (bigger) and más pequeño (smaller). The students also practiced stories with sumas (sums/addition) and restas (subtraction). Finally, we sorted shapes and noticed how they are similar and different, focusing on círculos (circles), cuadrados (squares), and rectángulos (rectangles).

Science
We had a fun time in science this week as we learned about los ojos (the eyes) which we use to see (mirar). We painted special binoculares and then took a walk around the school playing Veo, Veo (I Spy) with colors. We also played Memoria to practice using our eyes and our memories!

Immersion Tip of the Week
You may be wondering about the "sorting" pages your child brings home every week (usually we do them on Tuesdays or Wednesdays). As part of the add.a.lingua curriculum, we highlight second-language-specific points that are not the same in English. We build on those skills each week and touch on them in all subject areas so they are taught in context--one of the most crucial ways to teach a language.

Reading Tip of the Week
Using a favorite picture book (i.e. any book with pictures), have your child "read" you the story by telling you what happens. Ask questions like, "What's happening here?" "How does (character) feel? How can you tell?" Retelling a story helps your child build his/her oral language skills.

Important Dates to Remember

*This Wednesday, September 26th is our Walk-A-Thon! We will walk as a class from 1-2:15 at the HCHS track. Feel free to join and cheer us on!

*NO SCHOOL on Friday, September 28th (Staff Development).

*Thursday, October 4th is Grandparent's Day from 1:00-3:00pm. Your child is welcome to bring special grandparents/grandfriends to share this afternoon together.

Being a Friend / Ser Amigos
As we are in the fifth week of school already, the kids have gotten very comfortable around each other. Since our class size is small, this can sometimes lead to conflict between friends. There have been a few incidents on the playground this week where issues have come up between classmates. Please, remind your child that everyone can be a friend, and to use kind words with one another. When issues come up, they should always talk to a recess monitor for help. Thank you for your support!

New Behavior System
To promote positive classroom behavior and to continue to hold students to high expectations, I will begin using a "traffic light" behavior management system with my students every day. In your child's folder next week, look for a calendar where we will record his/her daily "color". Please make sure you initial and return it in his/her folder EVERY DAY. I appreciate your help in creating a positive, successful learning environment!

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoy your weekend! More pictures of this week below.