World Languages
Week of October 26, 2026
Spanish Language and Culture (Mr. Fontalvo, Ms. Gonzalez)
This past week, our students learned how to tell time in Spanish, focusing on expressing time before and after the half-hour. They participated in a variety of fun, interactive activities that helped them practice their new vocabulary and use it in real-life situations!
Next week, students will work on an exciting in-class project that will bring together everything they have learned throughout the unit. We are also looking forward to celebrating the Mexican tradition of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) a little early on October 29! Through this special celebration, students will have the opportunity to explore the rich cultural traditions and meaning behind this beautiful holiday.
We are excited for another week of learning, creativity, and cultural discovery in Spanish class!
Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)
We made it to Week 10, the last week of Term 1! Students will continue to focus on practicing directions through in-class activities.
To retake a summative in which a student scored 69% or below, they must complete a summative retake review. All retakes and makeup assignments must be scheduled in advance. Thursday, October 29, the last day of the term, is the last day for retakes (only one retake per assignment up to 76%), makeup work (-10% if after excused absence deadline), or to turn in missing work not turned in on time (-10%) given between September 24 and October 29. For Profe. Donaldson, students can use the form at the top of his Canvas page. For Sra. Cuffee, students must use the format she provided to send her a message on Canvas.
Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson, Mr. Almanza)
This week in Spanish 2 students learned about historical inequalities in Guatemala and the civil war. They analyzed several videoclips from "when we were young there was a war," interpreting interviews of children during the war and then later in life, reflecting on how it impacted them. Students practiced their reaction vocab "me hace pensar, me hace sentir" in written responses to the videoclips. Then we dove more deeply into other aspects of Guatemalan culture- learning about the geography, foods and desserts, culture of weaving and embroidery, mayan languages, and of course- music! Students learned about 3 Guatemalan women musicians- Gaby Moreno, Rebeca Lane, and Sara Curruchich - and had the opportunity to listen to and interpret a few lyrics from their songs "Ave que emigra" "Lucha como mujer" and "mujer indígena." If a song ever sparks an interest, please encourage your students to spend more time with it on Roxxem at home, as there are many different activities on the site to further engage with the music.
Next week, students will watch some clips from the documentary "which way home," portraying several young people who make the choice to come to the United States unaccompanied. We will supplement it with readings and other resources such as the "unaccompanied" photo and video series from the Washington Post, profiling young students in DC who came here on their own. The grades from next week will go onto the 2nd advisory- so after this week's culture stations grade, the 1st advisory grades are final. Please contact your student's teacher if they are missing work and need assistance in completing it before next Thursday, the deadline and end of the advisory.
Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)
This past week, students engaged in group activities to practice expressing themselves correctly using past tenses.
Next week students will create a paper doll to illustrate their narrative about a favorite childhood memory. Please see here if you'd like to contribute to the materials we need for the project! Any fabric scraps you may have at home are most welcome! Thank you!
French Language & Culture (Ms. Bullock, Mr. Almanza)
This week, students will be reviewing concepts based on class needs. This includes concepts like large numbers in French and accents. This is also an opportunity for students to strengthen their areas of weakness. Language learning is cumulative, so everything we learn builds on a foundation! A weak foundation makes learning difficult. A strong foundation helps students soar. Term 2 is right around the corner!!
The easiest way to learn French is to practice a little every day. Encourage your student to review regularly! Madame Bullock's students can use Match or online flashcards to review. (For data privacy, students do NOT need a quizlet account to practice!)
French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)
This past week students finished any outstanding work for Term 1. We also continued to review question words and took a closer look at possessive adjectives.
Next week, students will create a map or a diagram of a house and complete a writing activity to accompany the art project.
French II (Dr. Mbayu & Mr. Osei)
French II – Unit 1: Qui suis-je ?Students explored personality traits and strengthened their adjective agreement skills. They learned descriptive adjectives, listened to interviews about friends, and wrote paragraphs describing their best friend. Roleplay games encouraged guessing personalities, while reflections centered on choosing the correct adjective forms.
Chinese (Ms. Liang)
Grade 6
Last week our students learned how to ask and answer dates and each other’s birthday in Chinese. Students sing happy birthday songs in class! We had so much fun learning Chinese. Next week we will work on summative assessment and start learning lesson 3 School Supplies. We are excited to see their progress as they build their foundational communication skills in Chinese.
Grade 7
Last week our students had an oral presentation describing their daily schedules and will have a written summative assessment on Lesson II Time and Activities next week. We will learn Lesson 3 My house. We are excited to see their progress as they build their speaking and writing skills in Chinese.
Grade 8
Last week our students continued exploring how to ask for directions, describe popular cities in China, plan vacation itineraries, decide activities for summer breaks and explain why. Students will prepare for the speaking summative assessment on Dream China Trip project next week and one written summative assessment the following week. We are excited to see their progress as they build their presentational speaking skills in Chinese.