Miercoles 17 de diciembre

Estimados Padres,

 

Our last day before Winter Break was busy, productive, and fun!

 

We practiced the words for body parts and related them to the story of the gingerbread man.

 

The children made gingerbread men puppets and took home gingerbread cookies from their teacher.

 

We played the telephone game, Veo, Veo, which is "I Spy" and we practiced the phrases "Yo Soy"  "Tu Eres" "El, ella Es", which are fundamental phrases in any language, meaning "I am", "You are", "He, she is".

 

Until we meet the first Wednesday after the break, please look at your child's notebook and play the CD for them. It will keep Spanish fresher and they will be happy to share with you. I know everyone is busy, but just a suggestion.

 

Gracias, Lucy  331-6050

Miércoles 3 de Diciembre, 2014

Buenos días,

     I want to update your family on our class activities for Wednesday, December 3rd, 2014. Lucy Ruggles was out of town due to family matters and asked if I could sub for her. My birth name is Gabriel Wolff, however, while teaching the Los Chicos group last year it was changed to Señor Lobo, by popular consent. 

     Coming back to teach one of the groups was a real treat. You have adorable children, willing to be linguistically challenged and motivated to learn in a fun environment.

     We begun our class on the 3rd with a round of introductions. Each scholar was asked to introduce themselves, as well as their classmates using the following format:

Yo Soy .....(I am....)

Tú eres.....(You are....)

Ella es.....(She is....)

Él es.....(He is....)

Some chose to use their real names, others their middle names, and some, even used both. I, and they, stuck with Señor Lobo for me.  Ask them to go around the table introducing your family at dinner time.

After this round of introductions, we moved on to an all time favorite game of mine which I played with my four brothers without realizing I was learning anything. It is called Veo, Veo.........(I see, I see........), and goes something like this:

Person #1 - Veo, Veo...                           (I see, I see...)

Person #2 - ¿Qué Vés?                          (What do you see?)

Person #1 - Una cosa                              (A thing)

Person #2 - ¿Qué cosa?                         (Which thing?)

Person #1 - ¡Una cosa maravillosa!       (A marvellous thing!)

Person #2 - ¿De qué color?                    (Of which color?)

Person #1 - Color.....                                (Color.....)

Person #1 chooses (very discreetly) the marvelous non-moving object, then tells the rest of the group it's color. The group (Player #2) takes turns guessing which object it is. The player guessing the right object starts the game again by choosing their own object.

This is a great game for expanding vocabulary and learning colors. Remind the children they can always point at an object if they are unfamiliar with the name and say - Eso (That), Esto (This), Aquello (That, over there).

Your child should have a handout which covers the basics of the game as well as color names.

Hasta la próxima,

Señor Lobo

December 10

We reviewed the game  "Veo, veo". Your chiquito has a paper with the words. The children might enjoy playing it at home. It is like the game "I Spy", using color names in Spanish for the object he/she is "spying".

 

Also, the kids alternate the phrases, call and response. We will play it again on this next Wednesday.

The children colored the body part sheet and said the words of the parts of the body in Spanish. We are trying to learn the song " Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in Spanish. I gave each child a copy of the song lyrics.

 

The kids so love the "Telephone" game that we played it again at the end of the school day. We also read "The Gingerbread Man" , which references body parts.

 

I hope the children are enjoying their CD's at home and/or in the car. Repetition is key.

I think we will be back in our same room this Wednesday, since we only changed for parent/teacher conferences this one time on the 10th.

 

Thanks for the privilege of working and playing with your chiquitos.

Senora Lucy

19 de Noviembre

Our last meeting before Thanksgiving the chiquitos learned how to say Happy Thanksgiving in Spanish ( Feliz Dia de Accion de Gracias). The colroing sheets of turkeys gave an opportunity to talk about colors again. I bring books in Spanish and in English themed to what we are learning in class. I think the children were very excited to receive CD's with songs they can listen to in the car and at home. I hope you all enjoy learning the Spanish words together! We practice writing some words of things we are grateful for, such as: mi familia, mi comida, etc. The children have showed great enthusiasm for learning more numbers, so they are writing the words and saying the words for numbers up to ten. We will continue to practice those and more!

Maestra Lucy

12 de Noviembre

Buenos Dias, Repetition is so important in learning a language, so we review words and phrases from previous weeks each class session. Your young artists enjoyed coloring Autumn leaves and trees. We began to name parts of the body, which we will revisit frequently. The telephone game was well-receeived again. The kids love writing on white board in a large format, but they understand we are using a teacher's classroom and are showing respect for the space. When they are drawing and coloring, I use Spanish words to describe what it is they are drawing, which accustoms them to the sounds of Spanish words. They are a fun group!

5 de Noviembre

Hola, Padres, Your students are learning greetings and polite phrases. They are also tackling "My name is". They enjoyed coloring a rainbow and naming the colors in Spanish, along with a song about the colors. We played the game "Telephone", in which they whisper a word in Spanish, going around the circle and ending up with the last person saying the word aloud. This can strengthen attention and focus, listening skills, and whimsy! They really had fun with this! Check your student's notebook to see what they have been doing and to reinforce at home what they are working on in the class. Thanks for the privilege of working with your bright youngsters. Sincerely, Senora Lucy Ruggles

May 28, 2014

Hi, Parents, Buenos Dias,

Today we made beautiful books about ourselves, our likes and dislikes, and basic personal information!
The children really enjoyed the colorful pages and worked very hard to fill in their vital information. They all did their very best.

We would like to thank you for entrusting your precious children to us for this year. It has been challenging and fun for the children and they will benefit from practicing with the CD, their notebooks, and books with CD's to accompany them. It has been a delight getting to know their different personalities and learning styles.

They are so full of life! They have formed a bond as a group, it seems.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: This coming Wednesday will be our last day of class together. We will be having a small PARTY with Fabrice's and Gabriel's classes where we will celebrate Summer birthdays and will give "diplomas" of completion to the children. There will be refreshements provided by Valerie. It will be held in Room 2, the classroom of Gabriel and Fabrice, and will begin at approximately 2 P.M. WE SINCERELY HOPE YOU WILL ATTEND! It will be a casual time to play games and perhaps we will be treated to a song or two by the children!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Hola, Padres,

Today was an interesting day because we combined El Cinco de Mayo, Mexican "Independence Day" with El Dia de las Madres, Mother's Day. We cut out sombreros and colored them and made cards for our mamas.
It was a very busy day and we hardly spent any time outside because of the extreme heat and sun. It was touching to see how the children expressed their love for their madres. The fun songs on the CD about different themes in Spanish set to different familiar songs in English were a big hit! We continue to learn theme-appropriate phrases and words. We hope you check your students' cuadernos to see what they have been learning. But, remember, practice makes all the difference in learning. Repetition is key, and children like it!

Maestra Lucy

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Dear Parents,

Good news: we will back in our original classroom this coming Wednesday. See you there!

Last week in Room 11 we listened to a CD about different kinds of weather in Spanish and in English.  We also worked on number sheets, used playing cards to reinforce the names of the numbers. Poker chips also were another medium that we used.  Whenever your children do work they branch out from it in their own individual ways: some add art, some write the words out on the reverse side of the worksheet, some do both!  We read some stories, too, in Spanish. Some of Rocio's kids worked on numbers, also and started to practice shapes in Spanish. We will continue numbers and shapes next week, and will learn some short songs about them. We have really enjoyed listening to the new Spring CD and hope that you have, too. Your car and your home are good places to listen to the songs. Due to the "hace mucho calor" weather conditions, we stayed inside out of the sun. 

Maestra Lucy

MAY 7 and MAY 14

Dear Parents,

Please note that we will meet in classroom Nr 11 on

MAY 7

and

MAY 14

Classroom Nr 11 is by the "big kids" playground.

Cheers,
Valerie

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

There were big changes today! It went very well.
The children divided into two groups, First Graders in one, Kindergardners in the other.
This change is meant to help the older children get ready to transition to the "los Chicos" group (2nd to 5th graders students) in the Fall !

The Kindergartners:
Lucy's chiquitos talked about Spring, used special vocabulary, and decorated paper eggs. It was our way of celebrating La Pascua, Easter and Spring!  As always, your creative children turned an ordinary art project into something very special!  They have their new Spring CD's and we are working our way through some of the songs. We continue to reinforce words they have learned before and will continue to do so. We have been reading stories, which we translate into Spanish. We celebrated Kenny's birthday with the birthday song in Spanish and he wore the birthday crown! Then, Mercedes was the birthday queen, since her birthday fell on Good Friday. The children have really enjoyed each other's company and seem to love getting together to speak Spanish.
They really have nice pronunciations: an advantage to learning a language when young!
Have a good week !

Lucy

The 1st graders:

Rocio's chiquitos group learn to say "Yo te quiero" we read the book "Como te quiero". We review animals names and practiced greetings and introduction: "Hola, como te llamas? Hola Yo me llamo ...." you are welcome to try practicing that with your kid. By now they have a good understanding of colors, we review them as well as bodies name parts and to finish we learn spring words: el huevo, el pollito, el conejo, la oveja. You can find all this new vocabulary at your kid binder.

See you next week !

 

Gracias

Rocio

Wednesday, April 16th, 2014

We had a wonderful Spring Break and hope that you did, too.  Today, even though it was the Wednesday before Easter, we celebrated Earth Day, El Dia de la Tierra!  The children made beautiful water color paper towel earths on black background. Some children even put stars in the universe. We gave them lists of words that have significance with Earth Day, such as reciclar, guardar, tierra, etc. When you look in their cuadernos, as we hope you do every week, you will see the appropriate Spanish vocabulary, along with the English translations.
We played a while outside in the fine Spring Day. We sing songs that we have learned, and practice the words, also. Some parents wonder what their children are learning. We encourage you to review at home and listen to the CD's we have given your children. Remember that children can be shy, even when they know something or are around people they know, especially when they are asked to perform in front of a group. Hang in there, with them, since they are proud of what they can do, but need to have learning reinforced at home or in the car!

miércoles 26 de marzo

As usual, we began our class with reviews of songs and words.
The occasional rain showers and a rainbow sighting by the teacher inspired us to practice the names of the colors of the rainbow and the order in which they appear on the color spectrum; as always the children loved to color their worksheets and write the names in Spanish:
"rojo - anaranjado - amarillo - verde - celeste - azul - morado"
We then read stories about rainbows (arco-iris), about the weather and rain.
The children were so involved with their tasks and they stayed focus and enjoyed the day.
Maestras Lucy y Rocio.

Class of Wednesday March 12

Buenos Dias,

During last class, we talked about "comida", food, and did our worksheets with Spanish food words, a picture, and the English words that correspond. They have brought them home to share with you all.

We practiced saying the words aloud and continue to add to our vocabularies. We sand "Bate, Bate, Chocolate", which is rhymic and fun. 

We reviewed our parts of the body words and played various games using parts of our bodies.

The children played a bit differently outside, in that they were examining nature closely. They were very fascinated with pods, pine needles, bark, and insects. We may build vocabulary on those interests, also.

Have a good week and Hasta miercoles,

Lucy and Rocio

Class of Wednesday March 5

Buenos Dias,

During last class, la clase aprendio ropa, clothing words in Spanish. They had little worksheets, too.

We sang about clothing, body parts, colors, etc.

We continue our review of previous vocabulary themes.

We are using charts to convey the words and objects, as well as worksheets and flash cards.

The children, as always, were full of high spirits outside and enjoyed finger plays and dances also... Remember the "Hokey Pokey".

 

Have a good week and see you next week.
Lucy and Rocio

26 de febrero, 2014

Hola, Padres,

Our last class was inside on a rainy day. We worked on review songs and the names of the parts of the body. The children, los chiquitos wrote words referring to body parts and decorated their body outlines. We gave them a sheet to copy and we said the words together. We sang Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes in Spanish and did the Hokey Pokey inside because the rain was so strong. Our story of the Little Mermaid entranced them. We also looked at the Peruvian and U.S. flags, since Mexico had its Flag Day a few days before our class. They will see it next time. Some children reviewed letters and sounds. When you cannot get here on time because of weather or an accident, please call me on my cell phone so we know what is happening. It is 831-331-6050. I will have it on.  Please re-read the EFMB policy about lateness. Of course, if there are major extenuating circumstances, we understand, but still need to know since we are the responsible parties, not BrookKnoll. Thanks for your cooperation. We have to leave for other commitments after the class, so need to know what is happening so we can arrange things accordingly.  Looking forward to being with your beautiful children this Wednesday.

Warmly, Maestra Lucy y Maestra Rocio.

19 de febrero, 2014

Buenos Dias, Padres,

In keeping with the concept of love, friendship, and favorite people in our lives, we worked on a practice sheet about family members names. The children needed to circle the picture that corresponded best to the Spanish words for family members.  We always review songs and words and alphabet names and sounds, since practice makes a language more embedded in our brains. We have discovered a larger area in which to play our outdoor games which now include Luz Verde, Luz Roja, El Lobo, Madre, Puedo?, and Shadow Tag and Freeze Tag. They have so much energy that they need the variety of activities in the fresh air. As the weather is nicer, we may do more activities outside. Meanwhile, will you look through your children’s binders and ask them about some of the activities and vocabulary?  We try to have each child get their take home handout every time  and  occasionally they leave without our getting it to them.  We will be having a new spring CD very soon, with new songs.  Hasta miercoles!

Senoras  Lucy y Rocio

12 de febrero, 2014

Buenos Dias, Padres, Love and friendship were main topics and vocabulary leading up to Valentine’s Day. Your children industriously and creatively crafted Valentine’s messages using a variety of materials. They enjoyed outdoor time as well. They also made some valentine cards for friends in the class who were their “secret pals”. At the end of the day we passed out the cards they made, as well as special valentine pencils for each child. We ended late this time, and are sorry for any inconvenience to you. We will have your children ready to go at 2:30. A reminder to everyone: we begin at 1 P.M. and end at 2:30, just in case there are other people who are transporting your child that day. Will you remind them of the class hours? Thanks so much. Hasta miercoles, until Wednesday. Las senoras Lucy y Rocio

5 de febrero, 2014

Hola y Buenos tardes, padres,

“The Gingerbread Man” has long been a well-loved children’s tale with a cute and repetitive song to go with it. Do you remember it?   We are reading the story in Spanish and English! Your kids made gingerbread puppets with tongue depressors and a cut-out and colored little guy. We practiced the Spanish words for parts of the head and face. A fun joke that makes them laugh and know they are smart, is to call out the wrong word for the body or face part.

Two important activities which you can practice at home: names of the parts of the head and face and the little song that accompanies the puppet and his story.

Corre, corre,
Rapido, rapido

No me puedes atrapar

Soy el hombre de pan!

Vocabulary to practice: pelo o cabello ( hair ), ojos ( eyes ), oídos ( ears ) nariz ( nose ), boca ( mouth ), rodillas ( knees ), piernas ( legs ) and brazos ( arms )!

Announcement: The Migration Festival for Monarch butterflies and other animals is Schedule for this Saturday, February 8, from 11:00 to 4:00 at Natural Bridges State Park.   Weather permitting; it will be a great event for kids and their families.

******VALENTINE’S DAY news******

We will celebrate love, friendship, and family this coming Wednesday, the 12th. Some of your children came home with a little folded slip of paper with a classmates name on it. Your “student” can make a Valentine for that person and chose to make it from a secret pal or sign their name. If you and your child did not receive one to take home or one got lost, please make a Valentine or buy one, if you prefer, and we will help your child sign the name of another who doesn’t have a Valentine made for him yet.  Also, feel free to bring Valentine’s for the entire class of 13, if you like. Here are names: Ava, Caitlyn, Dylan, Kate,  Kenny, Lili,  Mercedes, Mia, Noah, Olivia,  Rylee, Salma, Taylor!  We will spend most of our time talking about the concept of Valentine’s Day and will make surprise Valentine’s for our familiar loved ones.

 

29 de enero, 2014

Hola, Padres y Chiquitos,                                        

During our last meeting we sang songs we know using common and popular phrases, did work sheets with pictures and words, and practiced the alphabet song. They are getting it!! We also played games with finding alphabet letters. Outside, the children played “LUZ ROJA, LUZ VERDE” and “Madre, Puedo?” They can show you how to play those games.  We have noticed how fond they are of one another, they seem like one big family after being together for awhile now. It is a joy to see their bonding. If you would like, they make bring Valentine’s on Wednesday, the 12^th. We do ask that they make them for everyone in the class of 13. We will also be making “surprise Valentines” for family at class that day. I will work on a class list of first names so you know how to address them. They are so much fun to make by hand!  We will be practicing more about family and relatives and phrases of fondness and love. It is the most fun being with your kids! Thank you.

Teacher Lucy and Teacher Rocio

22 de enero, 2014

Buenos Dias, Padres y parientes, Today was very busy. We started our day with singing in Spanish, counting, practicing the alphabet and its special song, sounds and names of letters, matching pairs of flashcards that have words and pictures, and learning new words of direction: “Arriba, abajo, derecho” ( up, down, straight ). Ursula, the beloved unicorn is back after a stint on Lucy’s Christmas tree, and she was a key player in a game of hide and seek. This time, the children helped us make flash cards for our new letter which is “r”. The put their minds to the new words that use the letters and reviewed previous flash cards. They completed their worksheets, too. “Cabeza, Hombros, Rodillas, y Pies”, “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” is sung with body movements that accompany it! Outside, the children enjoyed “Luz Roja, Luz Verde”, which you may recognize as “Red Light, Green Light”. We really appreciate children staying home when they don’t feel well. It keeps all of us healthier and is especially good for them. Gracias. Some of you ask about your child’s progress with Spanish. One way to learn more about what we are doing with this beautiful and important language is to read the blogs and to have your child show you his/her notebook and the projects they have worked on. I again recommend books from the library with side by side Spanish/English and Tumblebooks from the Santa Cruz Public Library website, so you can listen to the Spanish with your children while expanding their vocabularies and speaking abilities. Hasta miercoles, until Wednesday.

15 de enero, 2014

Estimados padres de los Chiquitos,

We have enjoyed having a new student joining our class. We  are now up to 13 students, all of whom are delightful.  Olivia is fitting right in and is making friends quickly. We continue learning letters, their names and sounds, using work sheets and pairs of cards with pictures on one side, words on the reverse. Our new letters and words build on our previous letters, too. N The kids are very industrious and studious and focus so well! We just have to be careful to not put the crayons, pens, and pencils out too soon, since they pounce on them! Some of their drawings and colorings are extremely creative. We will be learning some new songs with a new CD for Spring.  We start our days with greetings and names and practice the alphabet, too. If you take a look at your child’s notebook, you will see amazing work and play.  Hasta pronto, see you soon!  

8 de enero, 2014!!

Feliz Ano Nuevo, padres y parientes, We were all excited to be back together after a long break! We started our class reviewing songs we know, which we will do each week to reinforce the memory. We also started naming alphabet letters aloud as a group. We sang the Alphabet song, another fun way to strengthen our memories of the alphabet. We added to new letters and worked on our worksheets with letters and words. The new letters are G and O. New words are gota (drop), gato (cat), goma (gum), tio (uncle) and tipo (guy, slang). Our outside time was especially fun and the children played the Lobo game, danced La Raspa (AKA Mexican Hat Dance), and Cabeza, Hombros, Piernas, y Pies, which you all know as Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. The time flew by, and everyone felt happy and satisfied at the end of our first day back in the new year!! We had a new visitor to the class, and we hope she returns.

18 de diciebre,2013

Estimados padres, Today was a big day practicing our song for La Navidad. The children wanted to do a great job and were excited about having a performance and party with Los Chicos I and II. Rocio and I were very proud of the way they gave it their all with joy and enthusiasm. I think they were proud of themselves and loved getting the recognition and appreciation from older kids and teachers.

Valerie brought wonderful treats for us to share. It was a true fiesta!! I hope that the next time we have a special gathering of the class and the important people in your childrens’ lives, you will try to join us if at all possible. The mothers and grandmothers who came had a good time, I think, and were able to see the progress their special children had made. We wished everyone a happy holiday and a Feliz Navidad. Until next year, Senora Lucy and Senora Rocio

11 de diciembre, 2013

11 de diciembre, 2013 Queridos Papas, We have continued our learning of letter names and sounds. Our new letters are: I and T and are new words are tia, pata, papa, and pita. We try to use only new words that use letters we have learned and whatever new letters we add. Each class we review cumulative letters and words, while adding new ones.The children practiced writing and saying the new letters and words. We talked about the upcoming holidays and the vacation break. We like to bring new books in when we talk about a new theme: Thanksgiving, parts of the body, Winter holidays, etc. Some are in Spanish, some in English, and some are bilingual. We have started to learn another new song named Blanca Navidad. We also like to listen to our CD of songs in Spanish. Next week will be special since we will have a party and a performance with the older classes. Hasta pronto!