¡Bienvenidos familia, amigas, y amigos!

Our Spanish Program for the 2018-19 school year got off to a great start! My most important objective en la clase de español is to provide a nurturing environment where everyone feels comfortable learning a second language and to encourage all to develop an openness, understanding and appreciation for other cultures. Since the start of the school year, everyone has enthusiastically expressed their joy in Spanish class as they, thus far, engaged in playing games, listening to storybooks, and singing. Here’s a synopsis of each grade’s happenings.

As an introduction to the Spanish program that is new to many of our youngest learners, the early childhood classes have been enjoying listening and practicing our traditional morning song, Buenos días amigos, buenos días (Good morning friends, good morning) and the ending of class song, ¡Adios, hasta luego! (Good-bye, until later). 

In el Jardín de Infancia (kindergarten) the students have been learning and/or reviewing greeting words as well as reading the calendar; número, día de la semana (day of the week), mes (month) and año (year).

To review and reinforce previous year’s learning, in Primer (1º) Grado the students have been practicing their feeling words during our start of class greeting routine.  They have also been learning basic words related with school such as escuela (school), leer (read) and escribir (write).  

The students in Segundo (2º) Grado began their year engaging in getting to know you, or re-know you, activities such as a crossword puzzle where they had to fill in each other's apellido (last name).

In Tercer (3º) Grado the students have been introduced/reminded of the 21 countries where Spanish is the official language. A beginning of class routine is for a student to pick a country and tell us its capital and región. The students have also joyfully engaged in activities that required them to get-to-now each other or learn something new about each other. One fun activity was going around and busca a alguien que ______ durante el verano (find someone who __________ during the summer).

And, in Cuarto (4º) Grado the students have begun conducting research for the well-known assembly game, ¿Dónde vamo hoy? At the beginning of the school year, fourth graders chose a Spanish speaking country to research and determine what they feel are the three best possible fun facts about that country. Before each assembly, one country will be chosen and the fourth grade students will state the clues, in English and español, to the Lower School community.  Then, all are invited to figure out the mystery Spanish-speaking country by filling out a form and slipping it in a box located outside the Spanish office, El Palacio. During the following assembly, the name of the country will be revealed.

We have definitely gotten off to a wonderful start! I am looking forward to the many, many adventures and experiences that lie ahead. Hasta nuestra próxima noticias (until our next news), ¡Adiós!