In case you are looking for some gift ideas for the pre-school classroom, here are some suggestions that we are still in need of:

Toys/Activities
1. Spanish Alphabet in blocks
2. Spanish Magnetic Letters
3. Spanish Letter Rubber Stamps
4. Art Easel
5. Mirror for Dress Up
6. Any Spanish Audio Books
7. Portable CD players or MP3 players for audio books
8. Hula Hoops
9. Bean Bags
10. A Bowling Set
11. Puppet Theatre

Books
1. Los juguetes by:Beaton, Claire
2. Olivia y el juguete desparecido by: Falconer, Jan
3. Fuera de aqui, horrible monstruo verde! by: Emberly, Ed
4. Cultivamos sopa de verduras by:Ehlert, Lois
5. El supermercado by:Leeper, Angela
6. El miton by:Brett, Jan
7. Vamos a cozar un oso by:Rosen, Michael
8. Ricitos de oro y las tres osos by:Lomba, Ana
9. Pedro es una pizza by:Steig, William
10. Caperucita Roja by:Lomba, Ana
11. Que muchas ruedas! by:Handwerker, Stephanie
12. La primera luna llena de gatita by:Henkes, Kevin
13. Tu mama es una llama? by:Guarino, Deborah
14. El canguro tiene mama? by:Carle, Eric
15. Hola mar by:Munoz Ryan, Pam
16. El cerdito va a la playa by:VanGenechten, Guido

We praise God for the increasing interest in our Spanish Immersion program!

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Please see the attached sign up sheet for further details!

The sign up form and your check (payable to Kalamazoo Christian Elementary School) will reserve your spot.

Spanish Immersion Summer Program

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.html?_r=2

While my husband and I were pleased for our daughter to have this option (based on the many advantages it offers children who become bilingual at a young age), we were naturally curious to see how the children would acclimate, and learn, in a foreign language environment. Any reservations we had have been put to rest. What a treat to see my daughter and the other children in the program learn to speak, read, and write in two languages.

Many studies have shown that people benefit the most from a second language if they learn it young and learn it well. Some of the benefits include: improved ability to process important information (discerning what they “need to know” and tuning out the rest); better performance on standardized tests in English, math, and social studies; greatly multiplied job opportunities; much greater ease of learning the language due to their young age, and recently, it was discovered that those who are bilingual have a delayed onset of memory-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s. It is also estimated that between 60 and 75 percent of the world is bilingual. Isn’t it time for our children to have this same advantage?

For more specific information about the program, please contact Mark VerKaik at Kalamazoo Christian Elementary School at 544-2332.

Ruth Layne/Parchment

Here’s a link to the letter.

http://www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/bilingual_immersion_program_a.html

Please feel free to share it with your Facebook friends and keep the conversation going about KCES Spanish Immersion!

During Art Hop, the Kalamazoo Public Library will be hosting a “Reading Together” event.

Who: Parents and Students
What: Artwork on display by KPS Students from El Sol Elementary with mariachi music
Where: Central Library

Here’s a link to more information about the event.

http://www.kpl.gov/reading-together/2012/rt-art-hop.aspx

Attached is a flyer for you to print and distribute to anyone who might be interested in our program!

March 6 Flyer

Fact:  Actually, becoming bilingual/biliterate in a second language allows children to have a better understanding of their own native language.  National research records the fact that immersion students typically score higher on standardized tests in the areas of math and reading.  add.a.lingua’s own research shows that raising the language expectations in Spanish (see the Spanish Only Time Line in the Parent Handbook) has a direct correlation with higher reading scores in English!  Most immersion students are reading at or above grade level in both Spanish and English by the end of second grade.  They may misspell words in English, but even this tendency eventually lessens as the students move through the program.  Your immersion student children are not behind, but rather they are acquiring literacy in two different languages.  At times, students will focus more on one language than another and it may seem, to an outsider looking in, as if they are “behind….” But we promise, they are NOT!

Misconception #1:
Myth:  Our children cannot tell us what they are learning when they come home from school; therefore they must not be learning anything.

Fact:  Because immersion students acquire their second language in a similar way in which children acquire their first language, they move through well-researched stages of acquisition.  Remember, just because toddlers just learning to speak cannot verbalize what they are experiencing and learning, it does NOT mean they are not learning.  Immersion students take in the meaning of their second language through classroom content and meaningful interaction with their teacher.  They are not learning Spanish by translation, but rather through communication – making connections with a concept through USE of the language.  Preschool students may not be able to directly translate that a “cuadrado azúl” is a “blue square,” but they can point to the object when their teacher asks them to in Spanish!  So, remember, just because your student cannot tell you exactly what they are learning about at school, they ARE INDEED LEARNING ALL the same content as their peers in the traditional program!  We’re explaining, because they are not yet able to.

Misconception #2:
Myth: Struggling learners (children with ADD, dyslexia, etc.) should NOT be in an immersion program.

Fact: Unless there is a severe auditory processing disorder, ALL types of students can be successful in an immersion program.  Traditionally in the United States, the education system has begun Foreign Language instruction in high school.  This type of Foreign Language instruction in which students were learning ABOUT a second language was typically reserved for those following a college track and therefore successful academically.  Immersion education, however, seeks to give students the opportunity to learn not only about language but also through language in a situation more like that of first language acquisition.  The fact that immersion students learn content through a second language does NOT ultimately impact their academic success.  A student who struggles will do so in a traditional or immersion program.  Ultimate, though, the struggling learner who remains in an immersion program will be bilingual.

Thanks for joining us for this series on Straight Talk about Spanish Immersion. We are so excited about this program – and the benefits our students are seeing. If you have questions about this opportunity for you, or your child, please contact us!

Kalamazoo Christian Elementary
Marc Verkaik, Principal
(269) 544-2332
or email at mverkaik@kcsa.org

“So far our experience has been good.  I am very encouraged with the progress I have seen so far this semester in our son.  A challenge that I struggle with is our son being behind in his “English” reading skills.  I know that will come and I have to be patient, but I love that when we are reading, he will say, ‘I don’t know what the word is in English, but I know it in Spanish.’”

“Challenge:  I think he is extra tired at the end of the day because he is learning another language on top of the standard first grade curriculum.”

A challenge, though, has been getting her to use Spanish at home.  She often says “I don’t know”, when we suspect that she probably does know. Last year was a big challenge at the start of the year, too, as she adjusted to the challenges of all-day kindergarten and learning in Spanish.  The start of this year has been much more rewarding for all of us.”

“One challenge that we are currently struggling with is reading.  Both of the kids know how to read in English and are having difficulty in reading Spanish, simply because some of the letters are pronounced differently.  They are reading some sort of Spanglish, and it’s a bit frustrating.  However, we realize that this is only temporary and that they will–even very soon–move past this.  Spanish is actually much easier to read, and probably an easier language to learn how to read in because of the consistency of its pronunciation.”

“We struggle with two things on an ongoing basis: 1. the girls don’t want us to use Spanish at home-that’s for school! they say. We’re working on that. 2. We wrestle with the ongoing stuff involved in school in general: establishing a homework routine, ‘liking’ school, being tired and complaining of the regular stuff like friend squabbles and why do I have to wear the same shoes everyday. Stuff not related to Span Immersion, I don’t think”

“Our Challenge: The only challenge we have experienced is the lack of “openness” of some parents and grandparents (and teachers) of traditionally schooled “English” speaking kids. Many have questioned the appropriateness of our choice to enroll her in an immersion class. I have chalked that up to their own lack of education in this area and try not to question my choice. The hardest thing is when others demean it to me in front of my daughter.”

** As a side note, since both challenges and benefits were included in the same question, we will list challenges AND benefits as they are brought up (in the exact words of the responding parents). Thus, sometimes there are no challenges (this is not by omission on our part, simply that there were no challenges given by that particular responder).

Day 1 – Benefits:
” One concern that we had that did not turn out to be valid is that she might be delayed in her reading because she was learning to do so in a second language.  She has learned to read just as quickly as her older brother, who learned in a traditional classroom, and she can read well in both languages; we are really pleased with that.  We are not experiencing any challenges with the curriculum at all and have been very happy with the skills acquisition which seems overall comparable to the rate her sibling acquired them in a traditional class.”

Here they are performing with all their friends from the first grade.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - in Spanish

Did you dread book reports when you were in school? What if the report had to be done on a  book written in Spanish? All of a sudden your book report seems easy right? The KCES Spanish Immersion first graders shared some of their favorites in Spanish. Nice work kids!