Halfway done with 3rd trimester!

     It's hard to believe we are almost halfway done with 3rd trimester! In English, we are in the middle of our novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It has been fun to explore the allegory of Christ through this wonderful story. The students have been able to work on visualizing the rich descriptions of the setting of Narnia, as well as honing their creative writing skills as they write narratives for different characters in the story. We will finish our novel in a couple weeks and move on to our poetry unit.

     In PE, we are almost finished with our basketball tournament. The girls have really learned a lot about the game of basketball and have been able to practice different skills and techniques of the game. It has been fun watching them put all their skills to use as they battle each other in the tournament for a coveted mile pass.

     At the end of March, my yearbook staff completed the yearbook and sent it off to print. It was such a huge undertaking and I am so proud of all the hard work that went in to making it a reality. I can't wait until they come in to see the final copy!

Digging Ourselves Out of Second Trimester

     This week in English, we will finish our novel Holes! It has been such a fun book to read and I really think the kids have enjoyed it. We will finish off second trimester by finishing the book, writing an opinion essay, and completing a fun project. Of course, we will also watch the movie.

     In PE we have just started our dance unit, which is always so much fun! Over the next month, the students will be learning the basics of swing dancing in preparation for our Spring Banquet coming on March 24. It is a blast to see the kids trying something new and having fun with it.

     Our yearbook is coming along nicely as well. If you want to purchase a recognition ad for your student, there is still time! You just need to e-mail me the pictures you want included, along with a special message for your student to ucajhyearbook@gmail.com by Friday, March 4 to reserve your space.

     As always, I am praying for our students and their families and looking forward to celebrating the Easter season with them! It's coming up so fast that it's hard to believe we're almost 2/3 of the way done with the school year!

God bless!

On to 2nd Trimester!

     Here we are, 1/3 of the way through the school year! We finished up first trimester and our short story unit with a basic literary analysis paper. The students chose a short story that we had read in class and analyzed the plot, characterization, and theme of that story. They were also introduced to the beauty of MLA format for typing their papers.  

     This week, we read "The Dying Detective," which is a play adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work about Sherlock Holmes. The students had fun acting out their parts and getting into character. 

     In PE, we finished our volleyball unit awhile back. The girls seemed to really enjoy it. We have since moved on to something a little different before Christmas break. The students are currently working in groups to create their own game that we will play after the new year. So far, the games seem inventive and fun. I can't wait to play them!  

     It's hard to believe that the Christmas season is upon us. I'm praying for each and every one of these students to know and understand the true meaning of Christmas as we move closer to the holidays. 

God bless! 

We're off to a great start!

     I have had so much fun getting to know all our wonderful new students this year! Teaching English is such a fun change, and I hope the kids are having fun, too. We have already done some reading and writing, as well as learned about the story elements of plot and setting.

All in all, a great start to a new school year!

¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

   Our elementary students are having a blast learning lots of Spanish vocabulary! We kicked off the New Year with kindergarten and first graders learning how to talk about their immediate family members. Second graders are having fun learning about clothing, while third grade has just started a fun project using their body vocabulary words to create their very own "monstruo". Fourth grade is wrapping up learning about days, months, and weather, and fifth grade has just begun their unit on food. 

   In jr. high, the 6th graders just finished learning about weather and are starting to learn about clothing. Next week they will start a fun project that will tie both of these units together. 

   As always, the students are learning a lot and having fun doing it! 

¡Feliz Otoño!

Happy autumn to all! We've been having a great year so far! 

In elementary Spanish, we are finishing up el alfabeto and beginning with números y colores. The kids have all been doing great! We're having lots of fun and learning lots of new songs, as well as interacting with new words in class. 

In junior high Spanish, we have already finished our first block. 6 weeks went really quickly! We're starting all over again with the second group of students, just finishing the alphabet and getting started with colors. 

PE is going well. The girls are looking forward to the Powder Puff football game coming up soon. We've been having fun learning some football basics! 

In 6th grade Bible, we are just about finished learning about different worldviews and how important it is to develop our own worldview. Pretty soon, we'll start studying the Old Testament. 

All in all, it has been a great start to the year! 

¡Feliz Día de Pascua!

Happy Easter to everyone! We have been working hard en la clase de español. Elementary students have completed several different projects, presentations, and skits.

    In 3rd grade, students learned about lots of different places in our community and completed a project in which they were able to create their ideal ciudad. The students got very creative and their presentations were fun to watch. 

   4th graders recently performed a skit with a partner utilizing their escuela vocabulary words. It was fun to see how far the students have come in their Spanish pronunciation! 

   The 5th graders used their creativity and comida vocabulary to create a menu for their very own restaurant. They turned out great!

   In jr. high, 7th grade students got to use the iPad cart for a day to create a collage for a Spanish-speaking country of their choice. They looked amazing and the students learned a lot! 

   That's just a quick update as to what we have been working on lately. I hope you all enjoy your vacation!