Week 20: January 3-7

 In ASL I, ASL II, Spanish I, Spanish II

Happy New Year Families! Parents, I just wanted to start the New Year off by saying thank you to all of you for sharing your wonderful children with me and trusting me to educate them. I feel blessed and honored to be given that privilege. Working with your children gives me purpose in my life and I love what I do. Thank you also to students for the wonderful gifts of chocolate, coffee mugs and Starbucks cards. You know how to keep a teacher going!

ASL 1: This week in ASL 1 students wrote five sentences in Topic/Comment form about what they did over the holiday break and they signed their sentences with other students. We also learned the vocabulary for lesson 16 and students need to sign the practice sentences by no later than the end of the period on Monday. I spoke to students this week about having a growth mindset and reminded them that I don’t expect them to be perfect, but I do expect them to try. Next week we will be working on lesson 17 and students will need to sign the practice sentences by no later than Friday.

ASL 2: This week in ASL 2 students studied lesson 46. There were a lot of numbers and fractions involved in this weeks lesson and five additional practice sentences, so it was particularly challenging. Students have until Monday at the end of the period to sign the practice sentences for full credit. Students in ASL 2 also participated in two college and career activities this week. One was a New Year’s Resoloution assignment and the other was to write a letter of advice to a junior or a freshman. I loved hearing the advice that students offered to their younger counterparts! Next week students will complete lesson 47 and five more country sentences.

Spanish 1 & 2: This week in class we learned about El Día de Los Tres Reyes Magos. This holiday is celebrated in many Spanish speaking countries and is often even more important in the Hispanic culture than Christmas. This holiday commemorates the trip that the three Wisemen make to Bethlehem to bring gifts to the baby Jesus. It is celebrated by having a family dinner on January 5th and sharing a Rosca de Reyes, putting shoes or a shoe box, stuffed with hay, for the camels next to the bed or nativity scene and writing a letter to one or all of the three kings. Students had the opportunity to have a piece of the Rosca de Reyes, compare cultural practices, and complete a quizizz to test their knowledge about Three Kings Day. Next week in classes we will be working on vocabulary in context and begin the grammar concepts for the respective chapters.

Have a wonderful weekend! Stay healthy and happy!