7-11 de enero

¡Feliz Año 2019!

I trust and pray that you all enjoyed wonderful breaks spent with family and friends! I must say, I was so impressed and excited when the kids came in Monday morning and immediately started speaking in Spanish--without missing a beat! It is great to be back together again, and we have enjoyed a great first week together. Here is an update with some important announcements for the upcoming weeks!

Our Week

El Día de Reyes
In many Spanish-speaking countries, January 6th is "El día de los Reyes Magos", or Three Kings' Day. We celebrated this on Tuesday with our friends from SI Threeschool by singing songs, learning about the three kings, and eating a Rosca de Reyes! This is a traditional sweet bread in a circle shape that usually has a small plastic niño Jesús inside. We also left our shoes at the door for the three kings to leave us a treat!

Bible
Since our Spanish Immersion chapel service is coming up on January 23rd, we have started to learn and practice a story we will act out. We're learning about the parable of the sower from Matthew 13, in which Jesus describes how our hearts can be like different types of soil. We have been reading the story, talking about the vocabulary, and starting to read our parts (kids also took them home, so please keep practicing them!). 

Reading
This week we learned about the syllables fa, fe, fi, fo, fu. We are continuing to practice decoding words, building our vocabulary, and reading with fluency. Soon, I will be assessing the students' reading levels. Please remember to read every day with your child!  Reading in ANY language, whether English OR Spanish, is crucial to your child's literacy development!

*Note: I am also beginning to assess the students in their high frequency words over the next week or so. Expect to receive your child's results, as well as the words he/she needs to work on. (The high frequency words are the ones on colored paper on a key ring that you were given in the fall.)

Writing
As we enter into a new year, I am starting to push students to use their memories and experiences to tell stories. We started this week by simply writing about what we did at recess--emphasizing the word hoy (today). In recalling this one event, we are practicing taking a "small moment" and expanding upon it. I really enjoy seeing students taking the vocabulary they know and incorporating it into their writing--they have made so much progress!

Math 
This week we have been working on manipulating formas (shapes) into new ones, such as making a cuadrado (square) out of dos triángulos. We've also been practicing our addition facts, counting by 10s and 5s, writing numbers to 100 (cien), and classifying and sorting objects.

Social Studies
We have started a new social studies unit this year in which we learn about our different roles (papeles), such as being a son/daughter, student, or sibling. We are also learning and talking about what makes us unique and special!

Reading Tip of the Week
Try introducing your child to a new book series. Some of our favorites are Henry and Mudge, the Berenstain Bears, or the Magic Tree House books. If you aren't sure where to start, visit the library and try out some different ones!

Immersion Tip of the Week
Do you have Netflix or Hulu? Does your child have a favorite show or series? Try changing the language to Spanish this week! Or, search for some videos in Spanish on YouTube. Peppa Pig en español or Pocoyo is a great place to start.


Upcoming Dates to Remember

*Friday, January 18th: Desayuno con la Maestra! Drop off your child at my house at 8:00am (I'll send info/directions a couple days before)! We'll have breakfast together, play some games, and then take the bus back to school at 10:00. If you would like to come and help out with games/breakfast/cleaning, please let me know! Parents are more than welcome! 

*Monday, January 21st: NO SCHOOL: Martin Luther King Day

*Wednesday, January 23rd: Our chapel service, 10:35am (you are welcome to attend!)

*Thursday, January 24th: Preschool and Kindergarten Discovery Night (if you have a child entering preschool and/or kindergarten next year)

Have a great weekend! Here are a few pictures from the week.