21-25 de marzo

 ¡Hola Familias!

This was definitely not a typical week for me--I'm not used to missing so much school, and the kids are not used to me being gone either! I am thankful, however, for the willingness of Maestra Van Wolde and Maestra Rodriguez to step in and take over the class while I was out--and to be honest, I really enjoyed being able to spend some special quality time with my own children. :)

Speaking of sickness and absences, we just HAD to take a class picture this week, because it was the first time we had the entire class in school in a long time--probably since January! It is a gift to be your child's teacher every day, and we are SO happy when we all get to be learning together!

Here is an update for the week:

Reading / Lectura: This week we reviewed the syllables with k, which are mostly English words translated into Spanish, such as koala, kiwi, kayak, karate, etc. We have also been working on talking with our reading partner about what we have been learning from nonfiction books, by reading the words and looking at the pictures. 

Writing / Escritura: We have been continuing to work on instructivos, or how-to books. We brainstormed topics that we know how to do--for example, making a s'more, a snowman, a fruit salad, or a paper airplane. Each child chose a topic, brainstormed the steps, and is working on writing their own how-to book.

Math / Matemáticas: This week we have been reviewing the numbers from 11-20 as a group of 10 with extra 1s. We put together a mini-book representing these numbers. Also, we've been working on writing and counting by 1s, 2s, 5s, and 10s to 100!

Bible / Biblia: We wrapped up our study of el Antiguo Testamento--the Old Testament--this week by learning the stories of Jonás and the great fish! We also learned how the entire Old Testament is woven together with references of a coming King, who would save His people from the bondage of sin and suffering--and how we know who this King is! Finally, we are beginning our Easter project of making resurrection eggs and learning the story of la Pascua, or Easter. 

Science / Ciencias: This week we made cute tulip crafts to celebrate la primavera and las plantas that we are seeing starting to grow everywhere. We praise God for new life in spring!

Immersion Tip of the Week

When your child brings home work from school (from any subject), ask him/her to be the "teacher" and tell you about it. Ask questions and let your child be the expert! Show your child how proud and impressed you are by his/her growing language skills. 

Reading Tip of the Week

You already know that reading to your child is critically important, but did you also know that talking to your child is just as important? When we engage in conversation, we model language, taking turns, eye contact, listening behaviors, comprehension, and good manners. Take some time to talk to your child this weekend. Ask about his/her favorite activities in school, games to play on the playground, or just play together!

P/T Conferences

I look forward to the opportunity to connect with you next Monday or Wednesday evening! Please let me know if anything changes with your scheduled conference time. We have much to celebrate!

Spring Break

...is right around the corner! Remember that we have no school next Friday, April 1st, and we will resume class on Monday, April 11th. Also, a big THANK YOU for all of the school supply donations for my mission trip to Guadalajara! It will be a huge blessing to the school we are visiting!

Have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to another full week next week with your child!