new PE concepts and days of the week, months of the year

Hola padres! This week we returned to some of our old games in PE, but to give the scholars something to think about, I asked them what virtues they could think of that we could apply to the games. I could see their minds turning as they talked about responsibility, honesty, integrity, etc. I want them to realize that the virtues can be applied to all aspects of their life, not just to their life inside the classroom.

In first grade Spanish this week, I decided to cover our days of the week and months of the year. Class will now begin with the scholars saying "la fecha" or the date for me which will help them practice these concepts as well as help them work on their numbers. In order to have them practice this as well in PE, their squads will now be named by a day of the week in Spanish. This will greatly help as we create teams and do different activities in class as it is a quick way to divide them all up. It is fun practicing this with them. Next week we will do a fun dice rolling game that will help them draw a turkey and also help them work on their colors. We'll see how this goes with them.

Have a wonderful rest of your week and a restful Thanksgiving break!
Sra. Hamilton

weather and feeling drawing, counting jar and Bolivia

Hola padres! We have had a great week working on a new game in PE and practicing our feeling and weather vocabulary. First off, last Friday in first grade Spanish, I had the classes write a sentence and complete a drawing that stated how they were feeling (cold and hot) and what about the weather was making them feel this way. In other words, they could write (in Spanish) "I am hot because it is sunny". Another example is, "I am cold because it is cloudy". I put all the words up on the board for them, but they had to make sure it all made sense and that their drawing was an accurate depiction of their sentence. I checked their sentence before they proceeded with their drawing and was really blown away by their creativity. They had such vivid ways of showing why they were cold or hot! I was so proud of them! I encouraged them to show you what they did and hope they took the time to do that. I am so excited to have them writing their own sentences and plan to find other ways for them to practice this skill.

In terms of PE for kindergarten, class is first thing in the morning and it has gotten chilly. We will now be outside for the next few months, so I encourage you to have them bring a sweater or sweatshirt to class. I try to get each class running as soon as I can, but it always helps if they are warm to begin with. Thank you!

I have decided that I would like to work more with the first grade in learning to count. Mrs. Baird has an estimation jar and I am following her lead with a counting jar. It is a jar that I will fill with various items that we will then count in Spanish and then discuss. What shape are the items? What color are they? How many are there of a certain color, etc? I am hoping this will get them to be able to count with fluidity past 15! They are very capable of doing so, its just a matter of practice. Hopefully, this will get us there.

Our Spanish speaking country this month is Bolivia and it is such an interesting country! Please ask your scholar about it; I bet there is quite a bit they would like to share with you. Have a wonderful week!

Sra. Hamilton

papel picado, feelings, the weather and PE notes

Hola padres! This week in Spanish we have reviewed the feelings vocabulary and have started learning weather vocabulary. The scholars really enjoyed our flyswatter review game!

Last Friday, in Ms. Lavant's class we were able to make papel picado, which is a decorative tissue paper that is used during celebrations and parties in Mexico. It was the first time that I've tried this with a class and they turned out really well! Hopefully, throughout the year, I will get a chance to try it with all the classes.

In terms of PE, I have been getting different complaints from the scholars about how they are feeling, or that they're tired or hot. What I tell them is that unless I have a note from their parents or the nurse, that they have to give PE their best try. I cannot let everyone sit out because they have a slight ache or pain. So if your scholar has a valid reason to miss PE, please write a note and send it in with them. I want to make sure that those that can't participate don't, but that being tired or a bit uncomfortable is not an excuse to sit out. Thank you for your support in this!

Next week in Spanish, we will continue with our weather vocabulary and begin learning words having to do with the calendar: days of the week and months of the year.

Have a wonderful week!
Sra. Hamilton