11-15 de septiembre

¡Hola Familias! 

We have had a great week in kindergarten! The kids have been doing a great job getting used to our routines, using more Spanish phrases, and working together in small groups! This week we got to play on our beautiful new playscape for the first time--it is amazing!! 

Here are more details about our week and what we've been learning...

Reading / Lectura: We are continuing to work our way through el alfabeto! This week we learned the letters J, K, L, M, and N. We have also been focusing on the vowel O and studying the difference between el and la (Spanish for "the", depending on whether the word is masculine or feminine). Finally, in our Reader's Workshop time, we are learning how to find a quiet spot to read in the classroom and look for letters and words as we read.

Writing / Escritura: This week we continued to use words from la familia in our writing. We have been working on adding more to our work and on sharing with our classmates.

Math / Matemáticas: We are diving into our new math books! We looked at a counting book together and noticed groups of different numbers. The kids also took home some flash cards; you are welcome to keep them and study them as we start to learn new math vocabulary together!

Bible / Biblia: This week we learned the story of Adán y Eva, or Adam and Eve. We also started to learn about el arca de Noé, or Noah's ark. Most kids are familiar with these stories and can make connections with what they have learned at home or in church. My favorite part of these story is connecting them to our need for a Savior, who is awaited throughout the entire Old Testament!

Science / Ciencias: We continued learning about los cinco sentidos (the five senses) this week as we studied los oídos (ears). We played a few "guess that sound" games with musical instruments, which was a lot of fun!

Immersion Tip of the Week

Singing is a powerful way to learn a language! I bet you have probably heard your child singing songs in Spanish at home (we do a lot of that!). Ask your child if he/she remembers the song for "can you open this please?", the song for getting in line ("silencio"), or the song for washing their hands ("el agua y el jabón"). 

*If you haven't seen it already, check out our Spanish Language Resources page with info about songs that I use a lot in class, in case you're interested in downloading them and playing them at home...on repeat...over...and...over. :)

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 Friday, September 29th, we will be teaching our friends about six new countries—Bolivia, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay.  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!

Kindergarten Family Night: Thursday, September 28th

There is still time to register for our Kindergarten Family Night if you would like to join us! If your family is planning on coming, please send your CASH-ONLY payment to your child's teacher by next Friday, September 22nd. As a reminder, your kindergartener will attend for free, and all other children (2+) and adults are $10 each. Don't miss this great opportunity to build community with other Rose Park Kindergarten families!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

I am excited to share with you that I have been given the opportunity to participate in a mission trip to Guatemala from October 17-21! Due to this, I will not be able to offer parent/teacher conferences at the regularly scheduled time. However, I would like to offer the alternative dates of Tuesday, October 10th and Wednesday, October 11th to meet with you and celebrate your child’s progress. For parents of children in Maestra Cantú’s class, she is also participating in a mission trip that week and will schedule her conferences for the same dates. Please see this link to schedule your conference. If neither of these dates work for you, please let me know so we can work out an alternative. Thank you so much for your flexibility!

WANT TO TRAVEL WITH OTHER SPANISH IMMERSION FAMILIES? You're invited to a brief informational meeting about opportunities available through EdConnect Immersive Travel - a new company owned by two Spanish Immersion moms. Find out more about traveling abroad, in community while engaging with the language and culture for a meaningful experience. September 21 Online at 7:00 PM. Please RSVP HERE.

Moms In Prayer - Preschool through fifth grade parents, you are invited to join Moms In Prayer! Every Monday morning at 8:35 in the conference room at the front office, please come as you are and join other parents who are passionate about praying over our children, staff and program! Come casual (workout clothes & messy buns welcome), leave fervent!

Walkathon Forms

Our Walkathon will be the afternoon of September 27th! If your child has his/her Walkathon forms (in the brown envelope), please return to school this coming week.

Have a wonderful weekend, familias! Here are some more photos from our week:

5-8 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!

This week we met with the other 2 kindergarten classes to learn about two of our Discipleship Practices here at Holland Christian: Glorificar a Dios (God-glorifying) and Crecer en Comunidad (Community-growing). It was a joyful time of singing, learning, and thanking God for our community!

Here is what else 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 use quiet voices when we read 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 6, 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 las manos para tocar (hands for touching).

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! 

Picture Day

...will be next Wednesday, September 13th. 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!)

Kindergarten Family Night

Come join us for a night of fun and community at our Kindergarten Family Night! Join us at Crane’s Orchard on Thursday, September 28th from 5:30-7:30pm for hay rides, the corn maze, and lots of fun and fellowship as we get to know each other better! We will cover each kindergartener’s ticket, and each additional family member’s ticket is $10 per person. Will you please fill out this form to help us get a head count for the evening? Thank you; we can’t wait! 

-Mrs. Brouwer, Mrs. Bos, and Maestra Klipp Lopez

Spirit Week is next week - a flier should be coming home with your students soon!

HC Homecoming is next week Friday, September 15 at 7pm - you’re invited, tickets here!

Parent/Guardian Volunteers - If you are interested in volunteering and joining for any school events we need an ichat form and a copy of your drivers license previous to your attendance at events. This can be filled out and e-mailed to rp@hollandchristian.org or dropped off at Rose Park at your earliest convenience - a new form must be filled out each school year!

Carpool edits are still underway you may have noticed we are giving the carpool lane the right of way as soon as they start moving - if you’re in the parking lot or on the sidewalk please wait until all three lanes have cleared before you attempt to walk to your cars or pull out of the parking lot! Thanks!

Walkathon packets went home this week. Please bring them back by September 20th! 

A Note from our Immersion Coordinator (below):

I think that's all for now! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy your weekends! Lots of photos below from our week: