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!

30 de mayo - 2 de junio

¡Hola Familias! 

It is definitely with bittersweet emotions that I write out our final blog post! We had an AMAZING year of kindergarten together, and I am beyond thankful for the opportunity I have had to teach your child. We had a beautiful classroom community this year, and I have seen such wonderful growth--socially, academically, and spiritually. I will truly miss teaching these sweet kids, but I am excited as they move on to be first graders next year!

This week was full of exciting activities, such as:

-reflecting on our favorite part of Kindergarten together

-spending a morning with the goats and chickens and cleaning up our garden bed from the year

-finishing our writing presentations and taking home our writing portfolios (check them out!)

-signing yearbooks and playing games with friends from the other SI classes

-our piñata celebration for reaching our Spanish goal (our piñata actually lasted for two rounds of hitting!)

-celebrating 5th grade graduation and giving thanks to God for a great school year at our final chapel

Batons

At Holland Christian, we have a tradition at the end of each year to "pass the baton" to our kids and families. Your child received a special baton today with a message from me. (It's in Spanish, but I'm happy to translate if you need it!) Please hold on to it over the summer, and you will then pass it on to Maestra Cupery at the beginning of next year. 

SI Summer Picnic

Join us for a picnic with our SI community from Rose Park! Mark your calendars for Thursday, July 27th at Kollen Park from 5:30-7:30pm. Bring a blanket, a picnic dinner for your family, and an outdoor game if you'd like! We look forward to spending time together as a community and celebrating summer together!

Summer Spanish & Culture Opportunities 

I encourage you to continue giving your child opportunities to hear, read, and practice Spanish throughout the summer! Here are a few ideas for you...

-SI Summer Camp at Rose Park! (I know many of you have already signed up and I can't wait to see your child again soon!)

-Attend the LAUP Fiesta on July 15! There will be performances, dancing, music, food, and more!

-Re-visit Ramirez Bakery or Taquería Azteca with your child, where we attended cultural field trips.

-Grab some delicious snacks, ice creams & treats at La Michoacana or Jhomary's Paradise! If you're feeling adventurous, try a mangonada--mango ice cream with chili powder and chamoy (a sweet/spicy sauce). It's one of my favorites!

-Enjoy some tacos at El Huarache, Taquería Arandas, Tacos El Cuñado or another place in the area!

-Visit a Hispanic grocery store! Some of them even sell tacos or other meals made to order. We like Mi Favorita, Supermercado Rosie, and La Reina (previously La Consentida).

-Try some delicious pan dulce or a tres leches cake from Colin's Bakery (or Ramirez Bakery, listed above!)

-Come to my church! Our family attends Engedi Español, along with quite a few other Rose Park SI families. We'd love to see you! We worship on Sundays at 11:00AM.

Whatever you and your family do this summer, I pray that you will enjoy a wonderful time of rest, recuperation, celebration, and family. I sure will miss our sweet class, but I am thankful for how far we have come together! I look forward to seeing these kids walk the halls as first graders next year!

Here are a bunch of photos from this past week. Enjoy!