3-7 de diciembre

¡Hola Familias!

It's been an exciting week in the classroom! We have enjoyed looking for a mischievous little duende (elf) who hides in different places every day and leaves messages for the kids! We've also spent time working, playing, acting, and praying together as we celebrate diciembre and the birth of Jesus. Please read below for an update on our week, and make sure to check out ALL of our important announcements and upcoming events!

Our Week

Bible
In Biblia, we have started to learn about the main characters in the Christmas story--María, José, el ángel, and el bebé Jesús. We made puppets and acted out some of the parts of the story, imagining how María felt when she was visited by el ángel and remembering how María y José looked and looked for a place to stay until they finally found el establo. It is amazing and humbling to imagine our almighty God coming to earth to be born in the lowest of circumstances, in the form of a tiny, helpless baby. Our God is awesome!

Reading
This week we learned the syllables da, de, di, do, du. We learn and practice new words each week that begin with these syllables, and it's been exciting to see students already knowing the words as they build their vocabulary! We practiced writing syllables and words as well as reading in small groups. We are also enjoying using our iPads in a listening center to read along with our books.

Writing
In writing, we've been practicing using adjetivos (adjectives) and sustantivos (nouns). We read funny stories and wrote our own sentences imitating the book. We've also been practicing using our sound chart to write words and using spaces between our words so we can read what we've written.

Math
This week we focused a lot on menos uno, or minus one. We enjoy singing a song similar to this one in which we practice subtracting one. In addition to practicing menos uno, we did some fun activities making paper chains, creating patterns with blocks, and sorting and classifying objects. The kids are so proud of themselves when they can speak Spanish as they play together!

Reading Tip of the Week
Make reading time fun by having a puppet read to your child, or read with a favorite stuffed animal or while cuddling in a blanket. This is especially fun on cold, gray December days!

Immersion Tip of the Week
Remember that your child's reading skills WILL develop in English, even though there is no English reading instruction in the classroom. Help your child do this by reading a lot at home and engaging your child in conversation!

Upcoming Events/Announcements:

*Cookie Sale: Our annual Kindergarten cookie sale is this Thursday, December 13th at 10:15am! We have begun to prepare by making posters and putting them around the school (a fun activity with our buddy class). We've also talked about the organization we're raising money for, Love Sews, and how the people from this ministry show Jesus's love by providing quilts to those who are sick, hurting, or in need. THANK YOU to those of you who have volunteered to help. I will send a reminder this week of what you will be helping with. If you are still interested in helping out with this project, please let me know! And if you'd like to buy some cookies, come visit us on Thursday morning! :)

*Class Christmas Party: Our class party will be on Thursday, December 20th from 2-3pm. In addition to the food we will enjoy together as families, please have your child bring in a wrapped, $3 gift for a gift exchange. (Boys will give to boys and girls will give to girls.) I look forward to this time of fun and fellowship together!

*Lunch Duty Signup: If you are available on Wednesdays during lunchtime, please consider helping with lunch duty so I can attend my weekly grade-level meetings. Our calendar is looking a little empty for the weeks after Christmas!

*Christmas Gifts: I am beyond thankful for all of my students and for you, my SI families--you're an amazing group! If you were thinking of giving me a Christmas gift, I would like to suggest that you check out my Amazon wish list, donate books to our classroom, or give a Teachers Pay Teachers gift card to help me continue to do my best in developing our SI program. ¡Muchas gracias!

Enjoy our photos below. Have a fantastic weekend. ¡Adios!

27-30 de noviembre

¡Buenas Noches, y feliz diciembre!

Another great week is in the books! Despite our snow day on Monday (what a wonderful gift!), it feels like we were so busy--and I know this won't stop for the whole month of December! During this busy time, try to stop and reflect on the reason for this Christmas season. Isn't it amazing that God loved us so much that He came down to earth in the form of a child--a helpless baby? Every year there is something special to reflect on as we celebrate Jesus's birth.

Here's an update on our week at school.

Our Week

Bible
This week we talked more about Moisés and how he led the Israelitas into the desierto after they were finally set free. We learned about how God provided for them in many ways--by parting el mar rojo, by leading them in a cloud (nube) by day and a pillar of fire (fuego) by night, and by giving them the miracles of maná, codornices, and agua de la roca. We talked about how God always provides for our needs and how we can pray to Him when we need something. Next week we'll get into the season of Advent and start learning the Christmas story!

On the note of God providing, remember to encourage your child to give his/her blessing bag (bolsa de bendición) to a person that might need or appreciate it. I'm excited to hear about their stories!

Reading
This week we studied the syllables la, le, li, lo, lu. The students are getting more and more confident as they decode, read, and write words and phrases. Please continue reading and working on your child's book bag at home. I stapled them into the kids' folders so they wouldn't get lost under all the snow stuff in their backpacks! 

Writing
This week we've been working on understanding the difference between sustantivos (nouns) and adjetivos (adjectives). We also read a book about sueños (dreams) and wrote about a funny dream we had, incorporating adjectives and nouns into our writing. We're also working on using skills like capital letters at the beginning, periods at the end, and spaces between our words.

Math
For several weeks now, we've been practicing the concept of más uno (plus one). Now, we've started learning menos uno (minus one). We've learned songs to remember the equations, and we're starting to practice writing them. Also, we did some shape sorts, learned about hexágonos, and made paper Christmas trees with different shapes and colors. 

Coding
We continued talking about coding this week, remembering how stories follow a sequence--una secuencia. Similarly, when we code, we need to follow a series of steps in the correct order. The kids practiced taking pictures of sequence cards with their iPads, ordering them, and using the coding app Tynker.

Reading Tip of the Week

Encourage your child to make connections to a book you are reading together. Ask questions like, "What would you do if... (fill in with something that happened in the book)?" "Do you think _____ did the right/wrong thing? Why?" If your child is reluctant to share, you can always answer the questions yourself!

Immersion Tip of the Week
Remind your child what a great job he/she is doing by learning a second language! Keep up the positive encouragement!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

*Thursday, December 13th: Cookie Sale at 10:15am! Thanks for all who volunteered to help out!

*Thursday, December 20th: Class Party from 2-3pm. Don't forget to sign up if you haven't already!

Hmmm, I think that's all for now--at least all I can think of on a Friday evening. ;) Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy time with la familia!

¡Bendiciones!