6-9 de septiembre

¡Hola Familias! 

It was a short, but very busy, week here in Kindergarten! It has been so exciting to see friendships building and kids getting more comfortable with each other. We have also been getting used to our routines and building more confidence en español every day!

Here is what we've been learning this week...

Reading / Lectura: We have been learning more letters and sounds--F, G, H, and I. We also focused on the vowel (vocal) A this week and practiced identifying it in the classroom and in books. We are also learning the difference between una persona y un lugar (a person and a place), as well as how to find a quiet reading spot and look at books for longer periods of time.

Writing / Escritura: This week we have continued to learn vocabulary of la familia as we practice the writing process. We have also been enjoying sharing our work with each other!

Math / Matemáticas: We finished our number book! This week we learned numbers 7, 8, 9 and 0. We have been practicing identifying numbers 1-5 and counting objects.

Bible / Biblia: This week we finished the story of la creación--the Creation story. We learned how God created pájaros y peces (birds and fish), animales y personas (you can figure that one out!), and how on the 7th day, God rested (Dios descansó). We are so thankful for the amazing creation of God we can see every day!

Science / Ciencias: As we continue learning about los cinco sentidos (the five senses), this week we learned about los oídos para escuchar (ears for listening). We went on a walk through the school and outside trying to identify different sounds.

Immersion Tip of the Week

One reason we don't use translation in a Spanish Immersion class is because we want the students to make immediate connections between the action, object, or concept to the Spanish word. If we translate into English, they pay less attention to the Spanish word and just wait for the translation. In the coming weeks, we'll be practicing an important skill called circumlocution in which the students learn how to describe unknown words using vocabulary they already know. 

Reading Tip of the Week

When reading a book this week, try to think of words that rhyme with words in the book. For example, "This word says 'house'. What words rhyme with house? Can you think of any?" This kind of activity will increase your child's phonemic awareness, a critical skill for reading in any language!

Hispanic Heritage Month!

We are excited to be able to offer once again an experience for our Rose Park friends in celebration of Hispanic Heritage month! On Thursday, September 29th, we will be teaching our friends about six new countries--Puerto Rico, Spain, Dominican Republic, Panama, Ecuador, and Colombia.  Your child will work in a small group to learn about and then present a specific country to their Rose Park peers.

We would love your assistance with some items that will be made special for that day. We will have 3 food stations and 3 game/activity stations for ALL Rose Park students to participate in! 

Please see this sign-up link for some items we need to put together this event. Thank you for being an important part of our Spanish Immersion community at Rose Park!

Half Day next Friday!

Just a reminder that next Friday, September 16th, is a half day at school. Dismissal will be at 11:30am.

Lunch in Classrooms

Starting today, we will be having lunch inside the classrooms. Unfortunately, this means that I can't heat up food for your child anymore. Please keep this in mind when packing your child's lunch. Thanks!

Picture Day

...will be next Wednesday, September 14th. Please make sure you have turned in your child's photo form by that day. (Also--I encourage every family to order a yearbook picture so that everyone will get a yearbook at the end of the year!)

HC’s Homecoming Event is coming soon!

Friday, September 23rd from 5-6:30 pm

Kickoff is 7:00 pm

Our Homecoming event includes dinner, bounce houses/inflatables, and a dunk tank.

 

**All preschool and kindergarten families are invited to attend for FREE through the RSVP form.**  RSVP HERE

 

Families with children in 1st-12th grade can purchase Homecoming tickets through our Athletics link - EVENTLINK - tickets include the meal, activities, and Varsity Football game at 7:00 pm. (Online: $8/ticket)

 

We hope to see you out at this fun, family event! GO MAROONS! 

Basketball Camp

We are excited to send out the dates for the 2022-2023 Little Maroons BASKETBALL Camp!

The dates for the practice sessions before Christmas break will be the 3 Saturdays in December. All sessions at Holland Christian HS-

December 4, 11, and 18- 

3-4 8:30-10:00

k-2 10:30- 12:00

5-6 12:30-2:00

These sessions will be teaching, skill work and a practice type atmosphere.

Please sign up for all levels on active!

https://campscui.active.com/orgs/HollandChristianSchool?orglink=camps-registration#/selectSessions/3100533

After Christmas Break we will have our game session for the 3-4 grade groups- These dates will be as follows- January 7, 14, 21, and 28- Teams will be made and games will be played- We are going to do things a little different than in years past as we want to develop our players skills and game play. We will build up to 5 on 5, but sessions will be a 3 v 3, 4 v 4 and then 5 v 5 tournament play-

Our 5th and 6th graders will play games through Holland Rec. You will need to additionally sign up through their website-  (link below) (registration is not open yet, but will be asap)

https://teamsideline.com/sites/cityofholland/content/138/Youth-Basketball

If you could sign up ASAP to ensure we get shirts and jerseys ordered that would be great!

Please reach out if you have any questions!

Go Maroons!

Coach Jansen

That's all for now! Have a great weekend and I'm excited to see your child back on Monday! 

29 de agosto - 1 de septiembre

¡Hola Familias!

We have had a wonderful second week of kindergarten! I can tell we are all settling into a comfortable routine, and the kids are doing a fantastic job getting used to our routine and schedule. This week we have been starting to use more common phrases and questions, such as "¿Puedo ir afuera?" (Can I go outside?), "¿Me lo abres?" (Can you open it?) and "¡Ya terminé!" (I'm finished!). Here are more details about what we are learning...

Reading / Lectura: This week we have learned and practiced the letters B, C, D, and E. All of the consonant sounds we've learned so far have almost exactly the same sounds as they have in English. We have also been learning about las vocales--the vowels (see here for a video of the pronunciation)--as well as the difference between una persona (a person) and una cosa (a thing). Additionally, we have been learning how to build our reading músculos (muscles) by reading for longer stretches of time.

Writing / Escritura: We have started our unit focusing on la familia, or the family. We have been learning and practicing family vocabulary words and drawing pictures of moments with our families. It is exciting to see the kids start to share their work with each other!

Math / Matemáticas: This week we have practiced counting and writing the numbers 4, 5, 6, and 7. We are also having fun counting on our fingers, exploring manipulatives, and sorting objects.

Bible / Biblia: We are continuing to learn about the 7 days of creation. On day 2, God created el cielo y el agua (sky and water). On day 3, God created las plantas (plants). On day 4, God created el sol, la luna, y las estrellas (the sun, moon, and stars), and on day 5, He created los pájaros y los peces (birds and fish). The kids have been enjoying pulling things out of the "surprise bag" every day to discover more about God's creation!

Science / Ciencias: We are learning about los cinco sentidos, or the five senses! This week we started practicing vocabulary for all of the senses. We have also been exploring the sense of touch using las manos (hands). We played some games trying to guess the mystery object and learned vocabulary such as caliente/frío (hot/cold) and suave/duro (soft/hard).

Immersion Tip of the Week

One technique I use to encourage students to produce language, even when their vocabulary is limited, is called "circling". For example, I'll ask "sí-no" questions, such as: "Is this ball big?" "Is this a pencil?" Then, I'll ask "either-or" questions, such as: "Is this a Bible or a notebook?" "Is this book red or blue?" "Is the boy happy or sad?" This helps students hear more vocabulary and feel successful because they can understand and answer questions correctly. 

Reading Tip of the Week

When you're reading a new book to your child this weekend, talk about the pictures you see on the title page. Ask, "What do you think this book will be about? Why do you think that?" Make predictions together. Most of all, have fun!

Lunch Duty

My grade-level colleagues and I would love to be able to meet once a week to be able to collaborate together. Would you like to come and have lunch with a fun group of kindergarteners so we can do this? We will meet every Thursday, so if you are available around lunchtime to help out, please sign up here!

In Your Child's Folder

Please make sure you check your child's folder daily. This week, you received your child's Walkathon packet (to raise funds for our school) and school picture form (coming home today). If you have any questions about either form, please let me know!

Donations? 

We are in need of paper towels, paper plates, and Kleenex if you would like to donate any to our classroom this year! Muchas gracias!

Holland Christian Girls Cheer Clinic!  

The HC Alumni Cheerleaders have an opportunity PK-5th girls interested in cheer with an upcoming clinic on Saturday, September 17 and at the Homecoming football game on Friday, September 23.  Please register soon to get the early bird rate!  For more information and registration: 

https://campscui.active.com/orgs/HollandChristianSchool?orglink=camps-registration#/selectSessions/3100533

Pokemon Cards

Watching our children play hard and re enter school after recess with big smiles and cheeks full of fresh air makes our hearts sing! But could I lift something to you early in the year and hope to suggest a solution? We've noted a change in this healthy play for some kids at the launch of this school year and this change is brought on by Pokemon cards. We LOVE the creativity, the storyline, the potential math each card offers. But, what's not included on a warning label of pokemon packages is the trades that are regretted and bring about tears, the damage that can happen to a pristine collectable, the lost cards, the 'who stole my card?', the inactive play at recess. 

We're proposing a solution! Check this out! Our kind parent team has created an active outdoor play kit for every classroom! 

These will be brand new and ready to rock on Tuesday! How about we save all trading card fun for home and playdates and we'll keep our children actively playing with playground balls AND? we'll have the ranch ready for our ranch hands chores soon! Thank you for keeping all trading cards at home. 

Thank you for understanding and partnership! We LOVE our busy kids,

Miska 

Have a wonderful long weekend, and see you on Tuesday!