Kindergarten Spanish Immersion

Friday, September 5, 2025

2-5 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 our Discipleship Practice of the month: Creciendo 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 about using the pronouns el and la in Spanish (both mean "the"), 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!

Hi from Mrs. Short

I got the chance to visit each classroom this week to (re)introduce myself to the Rose Park students! During our time together, I got to share a little bit about my job as the School Counselor. The big takeaway I wanted students to remember is that I am a helper person at school. I get to help in big ways and small ways at school. It is a gift to be here working with the Rose Park students and staff!

From the Office

Caring for the Rose Park Ranch: Do you love animals? Do your kids come home talking about loving their days in the barn at school? If you and your family would be interested in caring for our ranch on the weekends would you send an e-mail to Ms. Roskamp at kroskamp@hollandchristian.org. We are going to set up training this Fall to get more families involved in our weekend barn chores!
School pictures coming soon! School photos will happen on September 10 & 11 - please see the attached schedule for when your childs class photo will be taken!
Rose Park Fall Fest is coming up on September 25 from 5:30-7pm. This is an incredibly fun community event, Please sign your family up here!
Grandparents Day is coming up on October 2, we would love to bless our Grandparents with some treats, if you are able would you sign up to provide something HERE.
Upcoming Dates:
September 10 & 11: School Photos
September 24: Walkathon
September 25: Fall Fest 5:30-7pm
October 2: Grandparents Day (morning)

Thursday, August 28, 2025

25-28 de agosto

¡Hola Familias!

We have had a wonderful second week of kindergarten! I can tell we are all settling into a comfortable routine, and the kids are doing a fantastic job getting used to our routine and schedule. We had a great time riding the bus to Convocation on Wednesday, and it was beautiful to be able to worship together as an entire student body (with many parents too!).

This week we have been starting to use more common phrases and questions, such as "¿Puedo ir afuera?" (Can I go outside?), "¿Me lo abres?" (Can you open it?) and "¡Ya terminé!" (I'm finished!).

Here are more details about what we are learning...

Reading / Lectura: This week we have learned and practiced the letters B, C, D, and E. All of the consonant sounds we've learned so far have almost exactly the same sounds as they have in English. We have also been learning about las vocales--the vowels (see here for a video of the pronunciation)--as well as the difference between una persona (a person) and una cosa (a thing).

Writing / Escritura: We have started our unit focusing on la familia, or the family. We have been learning and practicing family vocabulary words and drawing pictures of moments with our families. It is exciting to see the kids start to share their work with each other!

Math / Matemáticas: This week we have practiced counting and writing the numbers 4, 5, 6, and 7. We are also having fun counting on our fingers, exploring manipulatives, and sorting objects.

Bible / Biblia: We are starting to learn about the 7 days of creation. On day 1, God created la luz (light) and la oscuridad (darkness). On day 2, God created el cielo y el agua (sky and water). On day 3, God created las plantas (plants). On day 4, God created el sol, la luna, y las estrellas (the sun, moon, and stars). The kids have been enjoying pulling things out of the "surprise bag" every day to discover more about God's creation!

Science / Ciencias: We are learning about los cinco sentidos, or the five senses! We will continue to dive into each sense while learning important vocabulary at the same time.

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.