11-13 de febrero

¡Hola Familias!

We had a fun and exciting week celebrating el amor and el día de San Valentín! On Thursday, we enjoyed making crafts, eating snacks, exchanging valentine cards, and doing a special activity with our buddies (take a look in our hallway to see what we made!). The rest of the week we were busy too! Here's what we've been up to:

Bible / Biblia: This week we learned about how los israelitas were captive in Babylon. We talked about how sometimes sad things happen in our lives, but God is always in control and can work out His plan even though difficulty. We also learned about the heroes Sadrac, Mesac, y Abednego and how they refused to bow to a false God even when everyone else was.

Reading / Lectura: We've been learning about the syllables ña, ñe, ñi, ño, ñu. The Spanish letter ñ (en-yay) makes the sound "ny" as in the word "niño". This week we practiced reading and sorting words with this sound. We also continued our study of los verbos, or verbs.

Writing / Escritura: Continuing our "how-to" unit, this week we brainstormed things that we know how to do and can teach others. The students each picked a topic and wrote a short "how-to" piece about it. Ideas included making cookies, playing soccer, making a paper airplane, and drawing a house. It was exciting to see the kids share their work with others!

Math / Matemáticas: This week we continued practicing seeing tens in teen numbers as well as dividing numbers into parts. We've also worked on story problems using vocabulary from a grocery store.

Immersion Tip of the Week

Are you as amazed and excited about your child's learning journey as I am? Tell a friend! Spread the word to help our program continue to grow and thrive in the coming years. We are still accepting students for kindergarten next year!

Reading Tip of the Week

When reading with your child this week, ask him/her to retell the story to you in order after you finish it. Or, ask: "What happened at the beginning? The middle? The end?" Sequencing and retelling stories are important reading comprehension skills for your child to practice in English AND Spanish!

Announcements / Upcoming Dates to Remember

*Friday, February 21st: Fun Fridays: Pajama Day

*Blessing Bags: We are still in need of a few more items. Would you look at the signup here and consider something you can bring in? We are excited about this project to show God's great love to others! The deadline for bringing in items has been extended to next Tuesday, February 25th.

*SI Summer Experience: If you have not filled out an interest form, please do so here! Thank you for those who have already filled them out. We have received your questions and hope to answer them and provide with you with more information once we have gotten details back from the administrative end. :)

*How to be a Living Testimony in February: This month students at Rose Park are participating in a shoe drive through an organization called Soles 4 Souls. They collect shoes then redistribute the shoes in places of greatest need such as refugee camps and places of disaster. Did you know shoes can help kids go to school, prevent disease, and provide jobs? Please watch this short video with your child and help find a pair of shoes to donate this month.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwhjFmquyS0 

¡Gracias, familias! Enjoy your weekends and see you on Tuesday!

3-5 de febrero

¡Hola Familias!

This past week was definitely different than usual--I've never missed 3 consecutive days of teaching due to illness, and it was definitely not ideal. However, whenever I am sick and not feeling the greatest, I try to intentionally reflect on all that I do have to be thankful for. I'm thankful to have my health, and to have family and friends who support me. I'm thankful for doctors and medicines that we have access to where we live. We truly have so many things to be thankful for!

This is a nice segue into our upcoming Kindergarten service project of creating Blessing Bags. These bags will be filled with items listed on this sign-up genius.  In addition, a Bible verse and personal note will be added.  Each kindergarten child will receive a Blessing Bag to give out.  Then prayer will be very important.  Who does God desire to receive each Blessing Bag?  It may be a mom you find in the parking lot at Meijer who appears overwhelmed with life.  It may be someone you see holding a sign asking for food.  It may be a person who just needs to know they are loved.  God will place someone in your path that He desires you to give this gift.  It may be within a couple weeks or it may be a year from now.  Allow God to lead. 

Please take a look at the signup and think about what you can contribute to this special project we'll be working on together. Please note that items should be sent in by Tuesday, February 18th.

Even though our week was definitely abbreviated by absences, here are some of the highlights of what we've been up to:

*We had a fantastic field trip to Taqueria Azteca on Thursday! We learned about some of the products you can find at the store, ate some delicious tacos and quesadillas, and tried 3 types of aguas frescas: horchata, jamaica, and tamarindo. Please note that your follow-up activity should be completed by next Friday, February 21st!

*After our field trip, we came back to school and had fun playing with and constructing tacos out of felt using different "ingredients", including queso, crema, pollo, salsa, lechuga, y tomate. We also created paper tacos and wrote about them. It was a fun-filled day!

*In Writing, we are starting to learn about how to create "How-To" writing. In addition to writing about tacos, we also had fun making some limonada (a traditional refreshing drink in many Spanish-speaking countries where lime trees are common). We had fun squeezing the limes with the exprimidor and writing about each step!

*In Bible, we learned about el rey Josías and la reina Ester and how God used them both to be brave and to lead his people back to him. 

*In Math, we continued practicing teen numbers, making posters by tracing our fingers so we could practice seeing the quantity.

*In Reading, we learned about words with the syllables ya, ye, yi, yo, yu, and we continued to practice verb forms in Spanish.

*In Social Studies, we talked about nuestra tierra--our Earth--and how it is round like a globe, not flat like a map. We also spent some time using Google Earth to explore different parts of the world and to see just how big God's world is!

Immersion Tip of the Week

Be intentional about helping your child hear Spanish in our community. Try something new when you visit Taqueria Azteca! Remind your child how amazing it is that she/he is learning two languages!


Reading Tip of the Week

Count out the syllables in words as you read them this week. Clap for each syllable, or ask your child how we count syllables in class using our whole body. Segmenting words is an important skill in both English and Spanish as children learn how to read!

Upcoming Dates to Remember

*Thursday, February 13th: We will celebrate el día del amor y la amistad (aka el día de San Valentín). We will do some special Valentine's Day activities. Your child is welcome to bring valentines to exchange with his/her classmates. You may help your child write our classmates' names if he/she is able to read them. If not, feel free to just write "De/From: (your child's name)". 

*Friday, February 14th: No school: Staff Development

*Monday, February 17th: No school: Winter Break

Summer Camps

It may seem crazy to think about summer sports camps already, but Holland Christian Summer Sports Camps are ready for registration!  From basketball to volleyball and kindergarteners to seniors, there are a variety of Christ centered sports offerings for all ages.  We invite you to click on this blog post for more information about summer sports camps and how to register!  (www.hollandchristian.org/summer-sports-camp-registration/)