¡Feliz Fin de Semana! Happy Weekend!
Is it really possible that we only had 3 days of school this week? Despite the day off on Monday for MLK Day, a 2-hour delay on Wednesday, and our snow day on Friday, we were so busy!
We had a couple of special activities we did this week. First, we spent time learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his life's work to end la segregación and to promote la igualdad. We watched a video of Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches (en español, of course), in which these silly creatures think they are better than others because they have stars on their bellies. The kids were very quick to identify that this attitude was wrong, and that we should love all people just as Jesus has loved us. We used King's famous speech, Tengo un Sueño, to write about our own dreams to make the world a better place. You can check out our work in the hallway!
And--our chapel service! I can only say, WOW! The kids did such a fantastic job, and I am so immensely proud of them. They were so excited to speak in el micrófono and show what they are learning en español to the rest of the school and to our community. Gracias to those who were able to make it, and if you didn't, be sure to check out our pictures below!
Here's a quick update on what we've been working on this week:
Our Week
Bible: After finishing our chapel preparation, now we will go back to Moisés and his travels with los israelitas in el desierto! Stay tuned for more next week...
Reading: We're working on the sound /k/, which is produced with the letters c, k, and q(u) in Spanish. Since some of these combinations and syllables are tricky, we will repeat this focus again next week.
Writing: We have been continuing to practice writing about events from hoy (today) or ayer (yesterday). We've also focused on los verbos in their different forms, which is a unique component of the Spanish language. In the picture to the left, we are walking in a circle admiring each other's writing and practicing saying what our classmates did well.
Math: Our focus has continued to be los números del 11-20 (teen numbers). We worked on grouping objects into a 10 and then some more--for example, 14 is 10 + 4. We used lots of different objects to do this, like cubes, buttons, and counters.
Social Studies: This week we talked about how la amistad (friendship) and how we can be good friends, include others, and resolve conflicts.
Report Cards
Just a note that your child's report card will go home next week. Please look it over and, as always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns. You will see that your child has received a number from 1-3 in each area. A 3 means that your child is generally proficient (which is the goal for the end of the year in Kindergarten). A 2 means that your child is progressing towards proficiency (you may see many 2's at this point in the year). A 1 means that your child needs some work on that area, and you may consider reinforcing the concept at home. Please, let me know if you have questions on how you can further support your child's development!
Immersion Tip of the Week
Your child brought home some writing samples this week. Ask your child to read one or two to you and to talk about what he/she wrote and drew. I hope you will be impressed with how far your child has come in the area of writing!
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!
Upcoming Dates to Remember
*Monday, January 28th: Día de Peluches! Your child may bring 1-2 stuffed animals/dolls to spend the day at school. We'll do some fun activities with our "stuffies"!
*Tuesday, January 29th: Field Trip to Grand Rapids Symphony performance at Hudsonville Fine Arts Auditorium. We will leave by 8:50am, so please arrive early that day!
*Monday, February 18th: No School: Presidents' Day
*Week of February 19-22: Makers' Week: More details to come!
Enjoy your snowy weekends! ¡Hasta el lunes!
¡Hola a todos!
Our January has been so busy, and I can't believe how it has flown by! We had a great week, filled with birthday celebrations, a few reading and math assessments, cold playtimes outside, and of course Friday's desayuno con Maestra! I just loved having the class over to my house. It was exciting for them and a nice way to break our routine, not to mention a delicious start to our day! :) Here is an update on our week and a few important notes for the weeks ahead:
Our Week
Bible
We have continued working on our skit of La parábola del sembrador, or the parable of the sower. As a reminder, you are welcome to accompany us this coming Wednesday when we lead our school chapel. The kids are so excited to use the micrófonos and to share all of their Spanish with the school. They brought tears to my eyes the other day when we were practicing the song Rey de Mi Corazón and were just belting it out! Oh, to have the excitement and passion of kindergarten students--it's a great reminder for me every day. :)
Reading
In reading this week, we have studied the syllables va, ve, vi, vo, vu--these syllables are similar to the English sound /b/, but a little softer. I am pleased to see the students growing in confidence as they read new books and practice their sight words. As a reminder, I will continue to be assessing your child in high frequency words and reading level for their upcoming report cards. Please, don't hesitate to ask me if you have any questions!
Writing
This week we've continued talking about pequeños momentos, or small moments, when writing. We have been practicing the time words hoy, ayer, y mañana (today, yesterday, and tomorrow) as we wrote, and the focus this week was ayer. The kids are getting better and better at distinguishing between different times and days and verbalizing their activities. I have really enjoyed seeing them express themselves in writing!
Math
We've been working a lot on teen numbers, especially with the pattern 10 + x (for example, 17 = 10 + 7). It is important for children to recognize a teen number as a group of ten plus some more. We used cards to play a matching game, cubes to build numbers, and played partner games where we hid the part of a number.
Social Studies
Our theme of "Soy una Persona Especial" continued this week as we talked about how we have a past (un pasado). This tied into our study of time words from writing, and we also included words like el reloj (clock) and el calendario. We talked and wrote about what we were like when we were bebés and how we are different now because we can do so many things. Through this study, I hope that the students will be reminded how God created them to be unique and to have special gifts that they can use to glorify him.
Immersion Tip of the Week
We have been practicing simple addition and subtraction problems in math (mostly with numbers 1-5 and occasionally 1-10). This skill should easily transfer over into English. For fun, use a white board and write out a few problems. Ask your child how to do them--in either English or Spanish!
Reading Tip of the Week
When you are reading to your child this week, spice things up by reading with lots of expression. We have talked about some punctuation marks like puntos (.), signos de exclamación (!), signos de interrogación (?) and comas (,), so exaggerate them when you see them--or ask your child, "What does this symbol mean?"
Upcoming Dates to Remember
*Monday, January 21st: NO SCHOOL: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
*Wednesday, January 23rd: Spanish Immersion Chapel service (10:35am)
*Thursday, January 24th: Discovery Night for Preschool-Kindergarten Families
Do you know a family considering Spanish Immersion for preschool or Kindergarten, or would you like more information for your younger child? Join us on Thursday at 6:00pm to learn more! Childcare is provided.
*Friday, January 25th: Report Cards sent home (Stay tuned for more information!)
*Tuesday, January 29th: Field Trip to see GR Symphony (Lollipop concert)
Whew, I think that's all! Enjoy some pictures below!
¡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.
We had a couple of special activities we did this week. First, we spent time learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and his life's work to end la segregación and to promote la igualdad. We watched a video of Dr. Seuss's The Sneetches (en español, of course), in which these silly creatures think they are better than others because they have stars on their bellies. The kids were very quick to identify that this attitude was wrong, and that we should love all people just as Jesus has loved us. We used King's famous speech, Tengo un Sueño, to write about our own dreams to make the world a better place. You can check out our work in the hallway!
