9-13 de septiembre

¡Hola Familias!

Whew, what a week! I'm so happy to see the kids progressing in their knowledge of our daily routines, the letters and numbers, and of course, mucho español! At this point all of the students are expected to say certain common phrases ("I'm finished", "Can I go outside?", "Can I go to the bathroom?", "Can you open this?") in Spanish, and they are doing an amazing job!

Since there are LOTS of announcements for this week, I'm going to put them first, followed by a quick summary of what we've been doing in class:

Día de Independencia: Come celebrate Mexico's (and other countries') Independence Day with us! Join us in the small gym (note change of location) on Monday after dropping off your child. At 8:45, we'll put on a special presentation along with the 1st grade and preschool SI classes. ¡Viva!

Picture Day: This coming Wednesday! Please turn in your picture day forms on on before that day.

Walk-A-Thon Packets: Thank you to those who have already turned them in! Please make sure to turn in your packet by Tuesday if you are raising money for this event! (Our Walk-A-Thon will be on Wednesday, September 25th from 1:00 until approximately 2:15pm at the High School.)

Hispanic Heritage Month: There are lots of cultural events in the community around this time of year! Check out the calendar to the right to see some events happening near you. 

Parent Volunteers/Field Trips: Interested in volunteering? We have lots of open spaces for lunch duty coverage, which takes place every Wednesday. Please sign up here if you are able! Also, we have 2 upcoming field trips (listed below). Please send me an email if you would like to chaperone. Do so ASAP, as space is limited!
       *Monday, September 23rd: Beach Cleanup at Holland State Park (time approximately 10:45-12:15pm)
       *Monday, September 30th: Field trip to Crane's (time approximately 11:45-3:00pm)

Here is an update from this week:

Bible: We learned the story of Noé (Noah) and the arca. We made puppets and practiced telling the Bible story together. Check out the video below to hear some of the story. :)

Reading: We practiced letters L, M, N, Ñ (pronounced en-yay), and O this week. We also focused on the vowel "o" and looked for it around the classroom, in poems, and in words. Finally, we practiced noticing the words el and la (meaning "the", depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine).

Writing: We've been learning vocabulary for "mi cuerpo" (my body) and writing about it.

Math: We are practicing matching numbers with the correct quantities using manipulatives, as well as noticing and drawing escenas (scenes) with groups of numbers.

Science: We continued our unit of Mis Cinco Sentidos by learning about the sense of hearing and how we use our oídos para escuchar! We went on a listening walk around school and played some games to guess the mystery sound!

Immersion Tip of the Week
Singing is a powerful way to learn a language! I'm sure 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 already, check out our Spanish Language Resources page (in the list of links to the right) 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. :)

Reading Tip of the Week
Play a game with your child by segmenting words. Try something like this: "Base - ball. What does that say?" (baseball) Continue with compound words, such as snowman, football, bookcase, etc. Then, break down words into syllables, for example: "ta - ble". Finally, you can do sounds in the words, like "c - a - t". You can do this while running errands together, while driving somewhere in the car, while getting ready for bed, or really anytime!

That's all for now. Enjoy the weekend and hope to see you all tonight at the game! 

3-6 de septiembre

¡Hola Familias!

We had another great week of fun, playing, and learning together! Here is a brief update on what we've been learning:

Bible: We finished "Mi Libro de la Creación", which your child took home on Wednesday. We also started learning about Adán y Eva and how they brought sin into the world. We are so thankful that Jesús paid the price for all our sins!

Reading: This week we learned the letters H, I, J, and K. We also practiced differentiating between un lugar (a place) and una persona.

Writing: We continued to write about our familias this week, adding more words to our vocabulary as we worked to strengthen our stamina and our writing and sharing routines.

Math: This week we finished up our number poems with 7, 8, 9, and 0. We also played some math games. Next week we'll start using our math workbooks, so you'll see some of the pages starting to come home with your child!

Science: We started our unit about Mis 5 Sentidos (My 5 Senses) by learning about how we use our manos (hands) to tocar (touch). We learned lots of great vocabulary while exploring mystery objects!

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!

Announcements / Upcoming Dates to Remember

Homecoming Football Game: I'm looking forward to seeing you this coming Friday, September 13th, at our Preschool & Kindergarten Homecoming Night! The activities are from 5-7pm and the football game begins at 7:00. Come and enjoy games, fellowship, and free dinner! Please RSVP to me if you would like free tickets for your family!

Celebración de Independencia: September 16th is Independence Day in Mexico! Many other Spanish-speaking countries also celebrate their independence days in September, including Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Chile. To celebrate this event, the Spanish Immersion first grade, kindergarten, and preschool 4’s classes would like to invite you to a Celebración de Independencia! After dropping your child off on Monday, September 16th, please join parents in the library for some authentic refreshments. Then, at 8:45, gather with other students in the Intersection for a short presentation given by the Spanish Immersion students. Come and enjoy the colors, flavors, music, and dancing of Latinoamérica! 

Grandparents Day: Our Rose Park community would like to celebrate ALL of our children and ALL of our families/friends, preschool through sixth grade. We would like to invite our preschool grandparents/friends to celebrate and participate with our entire Rose Park community this upcoming Grandparents/friends Day. This is a new format for us and we're excited about the program with children, preschool through sixth grade worshipping and singing together. Your child's grandparents/friends are invited to our program on October 3 for the program in the gym at 9:30. Following the program, children will host their grandparents/friends in classrooms in an open house format from 10:15-11:15. During this time, children will be prepared to lead their grandparent/friend through activities for as long as they are able to stay. We hope this format accommodates both grandparents who have multiple children to visit by popping in for a bit as well as grandparents/friends who have one child to visit with. More details will be forthcoming as the date approaches.

Parent/Teacher Conferences Date Update: Parent/teacher conferences will be held from 4:00-8:00 on October 21 and 22. Sign up notification will be forthcoming. October 23 is a half-day of school. We will NOT hold parent/teacher conferences on the 23rd.

That's all for now! Here are some more pictures from our week:

26-29 de agosto

¡Hola Familias!

We had an excellent second week of school! The kids have been comfortably getting into routines and are able to answer more and more questions in Spanish. We also had a wonderful opening Convocation ceremony to celebrate the new school year--it was great seeing so many of you there!

Here are some highlights from our week:

Bible: We are continuing to study the seven days of la creación, including el sol, la luna, las estrellas, los pájaros, y los peces (sun, moon, stars, birds, and fish)! 

Reading: This week we studied the letters and sounds made by D, E, F, and G. We also learned about las vocales (a, e, i, o, and u) and the difference between una persona and una cosa (person vs. thing).

Writing: We learned how letters are everywhere! Help your child spot letters in your house, in the car, and everywhere you go. We also drew and wrote about our familias.

Math: This week we practiced writing and saying poems for numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6, as well as new math games and activities.

Science: We are starting to learn about mis cinco sentidos, or my five senses. This week we did some introduction activities, and next week we'll learn about the sense of touch!

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. (For more great information, check out the "Myth vs. Fact" infograph on the right!)

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!

Announcements/Upcoming Dates to Remember:

Volunteer Background Check - To ensure the safety of our students at all times and in all places at Rose Park we ask that all adults be granted clearance prior to having access to students. Anyone who desires to assist students, chaperone a field trip or supervise in a classroom at Rose Park must stop in the school office and fill out a short background check form.  Mrs. Steenwyk and Mrs. Chase have that form for you. Please also have your driver's license as they will need to make a copy of it.  Mrs. Rynsburger is happy to answer any questions you have about the process or results. All results remain confidential. Thank you!

Homecoming 2019 Family Event 

We love seeing as many of you possible back here on campus for our annual Homecoming Event, this year on Friday, September 13. It’s an all-ages community event, from high school students, elementary and preschool kids, young parents and grandparents, all gathering together to share a meal together, enjoy each others’ company, and then cheering the football team on. Just like before, the picnic dinner and children’s activities, including bouncy houses, lawn games and crafts, start at 5 pm, then the varsity football game against Unity Christian begins at 7 pm. Can't get enough of the HC love? Tickets also include admission to the Varsity Volleyball game vs. Unity at 4:30. The cost is $8 per person in advance, including both dinner and game, and tickets are available online at hollandchristian.org/homecoming-tickets, or at the HCS administration office. Or it’s $10 per person  on the day of the event. Note: Preschool & kindergarten families, look for an email from our Preschool Director on how you can join us for free as our way to welcome you to the HC community!

Adios for now! Check out more fotos below: