World Languages

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

Last week, students practiced vocabulary related to the seasons and the weather. They also completed a reading formative and a speaking formative to check their understanding.

This upcoming week will be a short, two-day week. Students will watch short videos in class and answer comprehension questions to continue building their listening skills and reviewing vocabulary of the seasons and weather.

Wishing all our families a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving break! 🦃🍁

Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)

To start the short Thanksgiving week, students will continue to practice demonstrative adjectives and will practice applying them in sentences, including a video-based exercise. There will be no homework. Homework will resume 12/8/25.

Please note that the first grading deadline, after which assignments completed before that date will not be accepted late or for retakes, is Tuesday, December 9. The reading comprehension summative assessment, worth 20% of the term grade, will be on December 5.

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

This week we wrapped up our unit on immigration with a listening assessment. Today we launched our new unit, where students will begin learning rich new vocabulary and practicing the past tense through storytelling. Everyone is excited for the time off as we head into Thanksgiving break, however, it’s also a great opportunity to make up any missing assignments before the midpoint of the advisory. Please remember to check Aspen regularly and reach out with any questions.

Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)

Last week students learned about the immigration waves to the United States beginning in the 1600's. We talked about how the waves were similar and different. We also talked about how they are similar and different from immigration today.

Next week we will begin our reading of Esperanza Renace.

Spanish Humanities, grade 7 (Ms. Henderson)

English:
We are continuing to expand our vocabulary as we read Lazarillo de Tormes. Next week, students will complete a summative assignment in which they will write a letter from Lázaro’s perspective to his mother. The only problem is that poor Lázaro can’t write! So, over the break, students will be asked to film their letter and upload the video to Canvas. More detailed instructions will be shared soon. For now, please remember to stay up to date with grades in Aspen and reach out with any questions.

Español:
Seguimos ampliando nuestro vocabulario mientras leemos Lazarillo de Tormes. La próxima semana los estudiantes completarán una evaluación sumativa en la que escribirán una carta desde la perspectiva de Lázaro dirigida a su madre. ¡El único problema es que el pobre Lázaro no sabe escribir! Por eso, durante las vacaciones, los estudiantes deberán grabar un video de su carta y subirlo a Canvas. Pronto compartiré instrucciones más detalladas. Por ahora, recuerden revisar las calificaciones en Aspen y comunicarse con cualquier pregunta.

Spanish Humanities, grade 8 (Ms. Wooten)

This week students continued to read House on Mango Street and practice finding evidence of themes in the vignettes, as we build towards writing an essay analyzing how Cisnero's develops on of the 4 themes of the book. Over the weekend, students have homework to read and annotate 4 (very short!) vignettes page p 51-59. Full instructions and expectations are on canvas. Next week is a short week, but a great opportunity to work on any missed assignments as we approach the midpoint of the second advisory. Please be sure to check ASPEN, then look for the assignment on CANVAS if your student has any WS grades.

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

Last week students learned how to talk about the weather and completed our reading and speaking formative. Students created a weather report to show all they have learned. This week we will use those weather reports. After the break, we will begin the next stage of unit 2--food and drinks. To prepare, students should spend at least 5 minutes reviewing every night to ensure a strong start to unit 2! Students have resources from class and/or on Canvas.

French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)

Last week students practiced their speaking abilities. On Thursday they took a Speaking Formative.

Next week students will work on the importance of partitive articles with food items and also negative sentences. The Friday Formative will be a Reading Comprehension with a Speaking component for answering the questions.

French II (Dr. Mbayu & Mr. Osei)

🌸 Week 4 – Les sports et les loisirs actifs

Students talk about sports, exercise, and how people stay active in Francophone cultures.
They use faire de / jouer à correctly and learn sports idioms.
🧠 Reflection prompt: How do I choose which verb pattern fits the activity I describe?

Chinese (Ms. Liang)

Grade 6

In Lesson 4, we explored the topic of family members, grade levels, and schools in Chinese, helping students learn to describe their family structure, which grade they are in and what school they attend. 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?
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?
你上几年级？(nǐ shàng jǐ nián jí?) – Which grade do they attend?
你上哪个学校？（nǐ shàng nǎ ge xué xiào）-- Which school do you attend?

Through these questions, students learned vocabulary related to family members, grades, occupations, and schools. They also practiced asking their grades and describing grades in Chinese, enhancing both their speaking and comprehension skills. Next week, we will continue building on this theme by introducing extended family members. Students will learn how to say their school, grades and talk about extended family members.

Grade 7

Last week, our students continued expanding their vocabulary by learning about different types of furniture and rooms, and they practiced interpersonal speaking skills to strengthen their conversational abilities. Next week, we will hold an oral summative assessment covering Lesson 3, followed by the introduction of Lesson 4. We’re thrilled to see the progress they’re making as they build their reading and writing skills in Chinese!

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 had a summary of the whole lesson 3 last Thursday and Friday. We will have a summative written test on Lesson 3 next week on Monday before Thanksgiving.