Newsletter #11&12 

This week was also a busy and special week as I wrapped up assessments so that I can share the children’s progress with you this coming Monday and Tuesday. We also had a special visitor, Ruth who is a missionary that lives in China. She brought a picture book that consist photos of life in China and I think it’s such an eye opening experience for the children as they meet someone that was born and raised in Michigan and now lives in China and speaks some Mandarin as well!

It was quite a significant week for us as we switch to a full Mandarin classroom! The children are excited and even though some of them hesitate to speak in Mandarin because they are worried that it doesn’t sound right and/or it will make no sense, but we are encouraging each other to speak more! Please continue to encourage the children to try their best and not to be afraid to try speaking and communicating in Mandarin, it is when they try out the language that learning happens! You can help the children review the tools that can help them communicate as listed below.

Here are the tools that can help them communicate:

1) Words that we already know (describe it, tell me colors/shape/place/etc.) 2) Motions (use your hand: point at it, show it to me 3) Draw it out  4) Try anything BUT NOT speak in English. We have a Mandarin line at our doorway, and the children know – when they cross the line, it means Mandarin is what we should say/hear. Please also help me keep the Mandarin only environment – if you need to speak to me and/or the children in English, the hallway is a good place to go.

Because we have only 2 days next week this week’s newsletter will be combined with next week. I hope and pray that you enjoy your Thanksgiving break with your family, and I look forward to meeting with you this coming Monday and Tuesday!

Thanksgiving Plan: In honor of Thanksgiving we will be trading (like the Pilgrims and Indians did) pictures on November 22nd. Please send in 10 individual pictures of your child to trade with their friends on Tuesday – You may send it in on Monday as well and I can help keep it save till Tuesday! This can be a 4X6 or a wallet photo. Li Laoshi is also going to prepare snack mixes to symbolize sharing and friendships as we celebrate how we are thankful for friendships (and the different gifts that each child bring) to our class. So you do not need to pack snack for November 22nd.

What did we learn and What will we learn?

Mandarin/Language Arts: We are working intentionally to not only try to say the characters as we write them so we remember better, but also trying to understand the meaning through visuals, actions and/or making sentences. We also continue to explore our weekly framework (poetry, word wall words, high frequency words, grammar, read aloud/shared reading, culture). This coming week we take a break from framework and will focus on reviewing things we have learned so far, and week of Nov 28 we resume back to usual framework learning.

Bible: We learned about Moses and talked about how God had a plan for Moses even when he was just a baby! We talk about how Moses was scared and didn’t think he can achieve the job God has given Him, but we know that God will prepare Moses to fulfill His plan. We will continue to talk about Moses’ stories – ten plagues, crossing the red sea, etc.

Memory Verse/Fruit of the Spirit:  We continue to practice our November Bible Memory Verse, and started talking about our November Fruit of the Spirit – Peace. 5你要专心仰赖耶和华， 不可倚靠自己的聪明， 6在你一切所行的事上都 要认定他， 他必指引你 的路。 (箴言 3:5-6)

Math: We continue to explore addition and subtraction, and making sense of the concept. We talk about how adding gives us more, and subtraction is like taking things away. We are learning to see numbers as 5 and then some more, for example 7 is 5 and 2 more. We will continue to explore these concepts and learn to write some more numbers as well.

Exploring God’s World (Sci/SocStu): We started talking more about our earth and the different earth materials. We played a game to see if our hand landed more on water or land on the globe and it landed more on water! We also took a classroom tour to gather some earth materials from outside and we will explore the earth materials the next coming science lessons.

Writing: We continue to talk about how story has a beginning, middle and end. We focus on writing our family book and make sure we include our family members in the book.

Play: The children continue to enjoy play time and learn to problem solve and share along the way! This week I hear quite some Mandarin vocabularies when the children is playing 🙂 I think they are excited about the switch as well!

Featured Friend: 安文廉 Will was featured this week – we learned many things about Will especially as he is one of the new friends that just joined us this year, and Will’s family came and join him for lunch on Friday and shared some of Will’s stories and his favorite book.

Things to Note:

Towel and Water Bottle: Towel and water bottle will be send home the Friday of Week of Nov 28th since next week is a short 2 days week!

Featured Friend: Just a reminder that I send home featured friend pages 2 weeks prior to the week your child is featured, as well as a 1 week reminder email. Please make sure their pages are turned in latest by Friday before the week that they are featured – so I can have time to translate things, because it is part of our Monday morning to go through the book together (It is an opportunity for the children to learn new Mandarin vocabularies that is personally related to their interests! – Please provide drawings for all the things so going through the pages in Mandarin will be easier!) Here is the page of Featured Friend: https://blogs.zcs.org/ssulayman/featured-friend-schedule/

Mandarin Homework&Flashcard: I am not sending home homework and flashcard this coming week. The following week (Nov 28) Homework and flashcard will resume to normal on Framework U2W3 🙂

Specials: Monday – Spanish, Art, Tuesday – Music, Spanish.

Parent Teacher Conferences: November 21 and 22.

Thanksgiving Chapel: November 21, 10:30AM.

Thanksgiving Celebration: Friendship Snack and Picture Trading

Thankgiving Break: November 23 – 27.

Featured Friend: Alina 何雅明 is featured on the week of November 28!

Love Letters to God Book Order DUE: December 7 (I will be sending home the flying this coming week!)

NO PM busing and NO Hot Lunch: December 9

Prayer Request:

Please continue to pray for adjustments toward the switch – motivation and patience towards learning in another language and attempting to speak it   The next couple of weeks can potentially be tough and exhausting, but hopefully soon we will get to see more “clicks” and connections make that the process will be easier 🙂 <For the children to understand it is a part of a learning process that things are challenging at first, and they will make mistakes – which is okay! But they have to try at least :)>

My prayer is that you and your family and friends can enjoy the thanksgiving break – I can’t wait to hear all about it from the children and I am thankful for your children and you!

谢谢！

－ 黎老师