22-25 de agosto

¡Hola Familias!

We have had an AMAZING first week of school! I have so enjoyed starting to get to know each child in our class! We have spent a lot of the first week learning behavior expectations and practicing our daily routine, in addition to singing songs, coloring, playing, and doing crafts together! I am so thankful for the opportunity to teach your child this year, and I pray that in my class he/she will learn how great is God's love for each one of us.

In our weekly blogs, I will give you a synopsis of what we have learned this week, give some classroom and school updates/reminders, and post photos. Additionally, most weeks I will include an Immersion Tip of the Week and a Reading Tip of the Week with some practical ideas for you to do with your child at home.

We have started getting a little bit into our curriculum, so here is what we have done this week:

Reading / Lectura: We are beginning the year learning ALL letter names and sounds in Spanish with a letra del día, or letter of the day. This week we started learning about letter A. You may have noticed a half-finished "A" tracing worksheet--check out the HOMEWORK section below!

Writing / Escritura: We are starting to learn how we are all writers and can share our stories and ideas.

Math / Matemáticas: We have been starting our Math routine by counting on our fingers and identifying numbers. We are also working on a libro de números (number book) and have finished number 1.

Bible / Biblia: We have been starting to sing Bible songs together to practice our Bible routine. We also learned how Jesus loves children and invites us all to have "faith like a child"--fe como un niño.

Immersion Tip of the Week

Over the next few weeks, please don't worry if your child comes home saying that he/she learned nothing or didn't understand what was going on in school that day. This is VERY normal! Children this age often aren't able to process or verbalize what they are learning, but their little brains are busy making TONS of connections! Expect your child to be exhausted over the next few weeks, so make sure he/she is getting lots of rest! Above all, keep being a cheerleader for your child! It is a lot of work to learn a new language, but it is an incredible gift!

Reading Tip of the Week

When reading aloud to your child, "track" with your finger under the words as you read. This helps build print awareness and reinforces the concept that we read from right to left. This is an example of the "common underlying proficiency" (third paragraph), a theory stating that skills learned in one language naturally transfer to the second.

Homework

While we have no "formal" homework in Kindergarten, please READ every day with your child! Also, while we practice our letter of the day, I strongly suggest that you have your child finish the letter tracing page (both capital and lower-case). He/she should start letters from the top. This will GREATLY help your child strengthen his/her fine motor skills and get familiarized with the letters!

Take-Home Folders

Your child should have taken their folder home today. Please make sure you empty it out daily. We will have LOTS of papers every day in Spanish Immersion Kindergarten, and I try to write feedback when needed--so please make sure you're checking every day!

Labor Day Weekend

There will be no school on Friday, September 1st and Monday, September 4th. Enjoy the long weekend!

All-School Convocation

We will have our all-school convocation on Wednesday, August 30th from 9:00-9:30 at the Holland Christian High School stadium (weather permitting). We will gather in the classroom at the normal time and then take a bus to the high school. Parents are welcome to join us!

Parent Volunteers

Would you like to help out in (or outside) our classroom this year? Here is a form for you to fill out! Also, one of the options is to come in on Wednesdays as a lunch helper. You can find that link at the top right-hand corner of our blog, and it is also available HERE. 

Whew, that is a lot of information for the first week! I appreciate you taking the time to read everything through! Hope you have a wonderful and relaxing weekend, and I look forward to seeing your child again on Monday morning!

Getting Ready for the First Day!

¡Hola Familias!

What a special time last night! I absolutely LOVED being able to meet (or see again) each of the sweet kids who will be in our classroom this year! If there had been more time, I would have loved to chat more with each one of you. I look forward to building a great classroom community this year!

I have a few pieces of information that I thought I would share to help prepare you for next week...

Drop-off / Dismissal

A lot of people have wondered about drop-off and pick-up procedures. Great question! For drop-off, students can arrive anytime after 7:55. There is a morning recess from 7:55-8:10. At 8:10 students come inside and go to their classrooms. Students are expected to arrive by 8:15 and be in class. I am hoping to start our learning on time, although of course the first few days will take some getting used to for sure! :)

For pick-up, we will exit out of Door B (next to small gym) in a line between 3:10-3:15. Many parents will park and wait for their child in the grassy area next to this door. Each child must let me know when they see their parent/guardian and tell me "adiós Maestra" before going with them. Other parents stay in the carpool lane, and I will take the students in a line to find their cars. Students will be loaded up until the white line. Most parents leave their hazards on until their child has been delivered to their vehicle. If you are behind the line, we will wait until the first cars leave and then prepare for "round 2" of loading. Students riding the South Side shuttle will wait with me until the shuttle arrives, at which point I will dismiss them to load. 

I know, this all sounds very confusing, but it will make sense after the first week--I promise!

Treats for First Week

Would you like to sign up to provide some surprise treats during our first week of school? Here is a link--thank you in advance! 

Classroom Allergies

Speaking of treats, we have a few friends with allergies in our class this year. In order to keep every child safe, our classroom will be nut- and egg-safe. This means that the following items will not be permitted in the classroom:

    -Peanuts or any kind of raw nut

    -Bars or sandwiches with any kind of peanut or nut butter

    -Hard-boiled or scrambled eggs (eggs baked into things is ok)

Thank you for your understanding as we work hard to make our learning environment safe for everyone!

No Immersion? No problem!

If your child has not been in an immersion classroom before, don't worry! While I do speak in Spanish 100% of the time to the class, I give kids lots of opportunities to practice and feel successful as they learn a new language! It will be tiring, and of course it can feel overwhelming at times, but I promise that your child will get into our routine quickly--and have fun!

Materials

I went through the materials this morning at school (thank you!) and found a few students missing their pencil boxes. If your child does not have one in his/her desk, could you please have it ready to go for Tuesday morning? It should contain:

    -5 pencils

    -3 glue sticks

    -pair of scissors

    -crayon box

Also, if you have forgotten to send in headphones and/or your child's art shirt, please do so during the first week!

My apologies for not specifying to label your child's composition notebook! It is a new item this year. If you recognize items you sent in the photo below, please let me know so I can label them with your child's name! 

Parent Information Night

...will be on Thursday, August 24th from 6:00-7:00pm! I look forward to giving you a little more information about our upcoming year together.

Whew! That's a LOT of information! I know that the first days of school can be very overwhelming, but we will be in a routine before you know it!

I wish you and your family a very happy weekend, and I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday morning! If between now and then you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to reach out! 

 

Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos!

 ¡Hola Familias! 

My name is Hillary Klipp Lopez, and I am excited to introduce myself as your child’s Spanish Immersion kindergarten teacher at Rose Park this coming year! 

My family at Niagara Falls this summer

About Me

I am originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, but I’ve lived in several different areas of the country, including 8 years in the Texas/Mexico border region where my husband Miguel is from. I hold a BA in English and Spanish from Grove City College, a Master’s degree from Plymouth State University in Language Education (TESOL), and 14+ years of teaching experience, most of which were spent teaching in my students’ non-native language. Teaching content through language is my passion, and I LOVE the formative year of Kindergarten!

Miguel and I have been married for 14 years and have 2 wonderful children, Anaiah (10) and Isaac (8). Both of our children are in the Spanish immersion program at Rose Park--Anaiah is in Rose Park’s founding SI class and will be entering fifth grade, and Isaac will be in third grade. We love the SI community that has grown and developed here at Rose Park. 

Our family loves living in Holland, which has been our home since 2017. We attend Engedi Español and enjoy serving and loving our community there. We also love to travel and explore new places. 

Proud to be part of the SI program at Rose Park!

Spanish Immersion

I am proud to be entering my 6th year as a Kindergarten teacher in our Spanish Immersion program at Rose Park. Our program started 6 years ago and continues to grow! Our team is innovative, creative, and passionate about immersion education and helping students become global learners, critical thinkers, and compassionate ambassadors of Christ. Throughout our journey together, I will give you lots of information on how you can support your immersion student at home. If at any point you have questions about the immersion model or would like more information, please don't hesitate to let me know!

School Supply List

I often have parents asking for our school supply list. Here is the link!

Google Form

Would you mind taking a few minutes to fill out some helpful back-to-school information for me? Here is the form! 

Upcoming Dates

Our Ice Cream Social will be on Thursday, August 17th from 6:00-7:00pm. You and your child will be able to visit the classroom, meet some new friends, and (of course) enjoy some ice cream! Your child will be receiving a letter from me in the mail with an invitation to this event.

Our first day of school will be Tuesday, August 22nd. Please note that it will be a full day with dismissal at 3:15pm.

Parent Information Night will take place on Thursday, August 24th at 6:30pm! It will be a night for just parents to come and hear a little more about Rose Park, our classroom, and our year together!

Wow, can you believe the big day is almost here? It may be filled with mixed emotions, both for you and your child, but that's ok! I am here to walk with you and support you as we start the kindergarten journey together, and I am praying for each one of the little ones coming into my class this year. 

I can't wait to meet you and your child! Like I said, please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions about the upcoming school year. We are going to have a great year together!