World Languages
Week of January 5, 2026
Spanish Language and Culture (Mr. Fontalvo, Ms. Gonzalez)
Last week, students completed a formative reading assessment on traditional foods from Peru, followed by a formative speaking activity to practice describing and discussing what they learned.
When we return in January, students will apply their knowledge about foods in the Spanish-speaking world to begin a creative project: designing a menu for their own Hispanic restaurant. We are excited to see their creativity and language skills come together!
We wish all our students and families a wonderful winter break and happy holidays! ❄️🎉
Spanish I (Mr. Donaldson, Ms. Cuffee)
This week, students will engage in a series of interactive activities, including a reading and drawing exercise exploring clothing in different contexts.
Spanish II (Ms. Wooten, Ms. Henderson, Mr. Almanza)
This week we wrapped up our unit on the past tense. Students took their summative assessment on Wednesday (grades are available in Aspen), and we ended the week with a fun look at recent advertisements for El sorteo extraordinario de Navidad in Spain. When we return from winter break, students will apply what they’ve learned about the past tense as we begin reading and responding to a novel about a family traveling to Peru. The upcoming unit places a strong emphasis on speaking, so I encourage students to take advantage of any opportunities to practice their Spanish over the break.
Wishing everyone Felices fiestas y próspero Año Nuevo. ¡Hasta 2026!
Spanish Humanities, grade 6 (Ms. Balestra)
Students took a Summative on Chapters 1-7 of Esperanza Renace. No work over break - rest and enjoy!
We will finish Esperanza Renace in January.
French Language & Culture (Ms. Bullock, Mr. Almanza)
We wish all our students and families a wonderful winter break and happy holidays! ❄️🎉
French I (Ms. Balestra, Mr. Osei)
French II (Dr. Mbayu & Mr. Osei)
🌸 Week 8 – Projet culturel: Les modes de vie francophones
Students research health and lifestyle practices in a Francophone country (e.g., Morocco, Belgium, Senegal).
They prepare presentations connecting culture, geography, and well-being.
🧠 Global connection: How do different cultures define and value “health”?
Chinese (Ms. Liang)
GGrade 6
Last week we completed the topic of family members, grade levels, schools, extended families, and basic occupations in Chinese. Students completed a summative written test and received individualized feedback on their summative presentational speaking test. We celebrated their accomplishments in class last week! We started learning lesson 5 Chinese Zodiacs. One week after our winter break, we will have a formative quiz in class on Chinese zodiacs.
Grade 7
Last week, our Grade 7 Chinese class started describing tops, pants, skirts, shoes and accessories. Students worked hard to describe their outfits in Chinese, focusing on details like colors, specific measures words, and specific verbs. In this lesson, students are learning essential vocabulary for diverse types of clothing, accessories, and colors. They’re also practicing how to describe clothing styles and appearances, focusing on measure words “件，” “条,” “双,” “戴,” and words like "长裙(long dress)," "短裤 (shorts)," and "穿了(wear)." They also learned how to comment on the outfit by using “肥,” “瘦,” “好看,” “合身.” This topic helps students apply descriptive language in fun and practical ways. We will have a review session the week when we are back. We will have a summative written test the week after the break and a summative oral test.
Grade 8
In Grade 8 Chinese class, we completed the written summative - describing their weekend and Thanksgiving - by applying the key sentence structures we learned in L1-3 and started learning lesson 6 Seeing doctors. Next week we will continue learning the new lesson and have a quiz on Wednesday.