World Languages

Spanish Language and Culture (Mr. Fontalvo, Ms. Gonzalez)

Last week, our Spanish students successfully wrapped up their weather vocabulary. To culminate the topic, students completed a final project in which they described the weather forecast for a Spanish-speaking city, applying new vocabulary and communication skills in a creative and meaningful way.

Next week, students will begin learning vocabulary related to food and meals. As we move forward in this second term, they will continue strengthening their reading and speaking skills through interactive activities, guided practice, and real-world language tasks.

We are excited to see their progress as they expand their ability to communicate in Spanish!

Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)

The retake and makeup deadline for the first half of Term 2 is Tue., Dec. 9. On that date, no makeups or retakes for work given on or prior to December 9 will be accepted.

This week, students will continue to deepen their understanding of clothing descriptions and related vocabulary. They will complete new SpanishDict.com homework assignments on describing clothing, which are due Fri., Dec. 12.

The week begins with a reading comprehension formative on Mon., Dec. 8.

On Tue., Dec. 9, students will have their first speaking formative of the term, and they will describe what different people are wearing.

On Wednesday, students will work on a close reading activity focused on clothing, enhancing their reading and analytical skills.

On Thursday, students will engage in a series of interactive activities, including a reading and drawing exercise and a video-based activity exploring clothing in different contexts.

The week concludes on Friday with oral practice (in the form of a live fashion show! ) and Spanish games ahead of the speaking summative, which will take place on Fri., Dec. 19.

Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson, Mr. Almanza)

This week we wrapped up our second week of our Past Tense unit. Students have been working hard to distinguish between the preterite and the imperfect by looking at how each tense functions in storytelling. It’s challenging work, but mastering this concept will lead to a significant leap in their overall Spanish proficiency. Next week, we’ll continue practicing with new stories as we move toward our summative assessment on the 17th, just before winter break. A quick reminder: December 8th is the midpoint of the advisory. All missing work for the first half of Term 2 should be submitted by then.

Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)

We are moving quickly and smoothly through our reading of Esperanza Renace. Students are engaged and are understanding the book. We also have focused specifically on the verb "gustar," which is a difficult verb for English-speakers to grasp.

Next week we will continue with our study of Esperanza Renace and compare it to Cajas de Carton.

Spanish Humanities, grade 7 (Ms. Henderson)

English:
I very much enjoyed watching students’ videos as they recorded their letter from Lázaro to his mother. If your student has not yet turned in that project, please have them do so as soon as possible. This week, we have been following Lázaro as he leaves his first master (after getting his well-deserved revenge!) and begins working for his new amo. Students are learning about the different ways the author uses humor for various purposes, all while continuing to build their vocabulary and strengthen their reading skills. Next week, we will move forward with the story as we prepare for our summative assessment on Friday, December 12th.

Español:
He disfrutado muchísimo viendo los videos de los estudiantes mientras grababan su carta de Lázaro a su madre. Si su hijo/a todavía no ha entregado este proyecto, por favor pídanle que lo haga lo antes posible. Esta semana hemos seguido a Lázaro mientras deja a su primer amo (después de vengarse, por supuesto) y comienza a trabajar para su nuevo amo. Estamos aprendiendo las distintas formas en que el autor utiliza el humor con diferentes propósitos, a la vez que ampliamos nuestro vocabulario y fortalecemos nuestras habilidades de lectura. La próxima semana continuaremos con la historia mientras nos preparamos para la evaluación sumativa el viernes, 12 de diciembre.

Spanish Humanities, grade 8 (Ms. Wooten)

This week in 8th grade humanities, students read the vignettes "La familia de pies pequeños," "un sándwich de arroz," and "chanclas." We focused on identifying which theme was most evident in each viñeta and selecting quotes that show how Cisnero's further developed that theme. Next week we will take a moment to review all of the characters and events in the book and continue to analyze the next few vignettes before starting to plan our summative essay writing assignment.

Don't forget that all first half of advisory 2 work is due Monday.

Also don't forget to register for the Costa Rica humanities trip if you are interested. Everyone must be enrolled BEFORE WINTER BREAK. The link is here: https://walkingtree.org/programs/2026-alice-deal-costa-rica-humanities-program/

French Language & Culture (Ms. Bullock, Mr. Almanza)

Last week students had fun learning about food vocabulary in French. This week, we will continue unit 2 by learning drinks vocabulary and how to order in a Francophone café or restaurat. Hopefully you have been hearing our new vocabulary at home. Challenge your student to teach you what they are learning! Students should be reviewing their vocabulary nightly. After all, students will not be able to apply our vocabulary unless they have a basic understanding of what the words mean. A helpful resources of digital study resources is available here.

A quick reminder: December 8th is the midpoint of the advisory. All missing work for the first half of Term 2 should be submitted by then.

French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)

Students have worked on food vocabulary, partitive articles, and negative sentences. This past week they focused on preparing for a speaking Formative.

Next week, students will focus on Reading Comprehension. Their Reading Comprehension Summative will be the week of December 15th. Their Speaking Summative will be upon our return from Winter Break.

French II (Dr. Mbayu & Mr. Osei)

🌸 Week 6 – La santé mentale et les émotions

Students explore emotional health, stress management, and expressions of feeling.
They learn to use avoir + expressions (avoir mal à, avoir sommeil, avoir faim) and se sentir.
🧠 Thinking strategy: How does vocabulary help me express my emotions with nuance?

Chinese (Ms. Liang)

Grade 6

In Lesson 4, we explored the topic of family members in Chinese, helping students learn to describe their family structure. This week, students practiced asking and answering questions such as:

你家有几口人? (Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén?) – How many people are there in your family?
他们是谁？(Tāmen shì shéi?) – Who are they?
你有几个兄弟姐妹? (Nǐ yǒu jǐ gè xiōngdì jiěmèi?) – How many siblings do you have?
他们几岁？(Tāmen jǐ suì?) – How old are they?

Through these questions, students learned vocabulary related to family members, numbers, and ages. They also practiced introducing their families and describing family dynamics in Chinese, enhancing both their speaking and comprehension skills. Next week, we will continue building on this theme by introducing grade levels and occupations. Students will learn how to say their school grade and talk about family members' jobs.

Grade 7

Last week, our Grade 7 Chinese class completed their summative oral presentations on the topic of “My Dream House.” Students worked hard to describe their ideal homes in Chinese, focusing on details like rooms, furniture, and surroundings. Each student showcased their creativity and language skills, helping to build their confidence in oral expression. We’ve begun a new unit on clothing! In this lesson, students are learning essential vocabulary for different types of clothing, accessories, and colors. They’re also practicing how to describe clothing styles and appearances, focusing on measure words “件，” “条,” and “双”and phrases like "长裙(long dress)," "短裤 (shorts)," and "穿了(wear)." This topic helps students apply descriptive language in fun and practical ways. Next week we will continue our learning and will have a formative assessment on Friday.

Grade 8

In Grade 8 Chinese class, we have been exploring the topics of extracurricular activities and different types of films. Students have learned vocabulary through etymology related to their hobbies outside school, such as sports, music, and clubs, and have been practicing how to discuss their interests. This week, we introduced various film genres, like "喜剧 (xǐjù - comedy)," "侦探片 (zhēn tàn piàn - detective)," and "科幻片 (kēhuàn piàn - sci-fi)," and sharing their opinions on each type. We began our movie-watching experience by analyzing scenes, plots (剧情 jù qíng), and characters (人物 rén wù) to understand how to talk about movies in Chinese. Next Friday, we will have a formative assessment to check students' understanding so far. Afterward, we’ll continue with more in-depth activities to build on this exciting unit.