Dear Parents,

 As your child’s Spanish teacher for the year I would like to say “hello”, give you a “heads up” on what to expect this year in Elementary Spanish and explain a bit of the philosophy of our program.  As many of you already know, here at Whitinsville Christian School, Elementary Spanish is taught from 3rd Grade through 5th Grade.  Our curriculum, which incorporates a lot of music games, silliness and fun, is designed to give the children a simple exposure to the language and Hispanic culture in hopes of generating excitement for more focused study once they reach middle school.

 You will notice that as your child progresses through the elementary curriculum from one year to the next there is a lot of repetition from year to year.  This is intentional as we have to bring all new students up to speed with the rest, and it reinforces to the others those things that they were taught previously.  So even though you may recognize common things from one year to the next, rest assured, the students are learning new things and adding new vocabulary to that they know from previous years.

 While if I had my way, there would be no homework, alas, I have found that weekly homework assignments are critical to the success of the program.  Being that we meet only once per week, it would be difficult for the children to remember our material from one week to the next without it.  Not to fret though.  Spanish homework assignments should take no more than 15 minutes or so.  Optimally, the homework should be done about half way to our next meeting time from one week to the next (e.g.  If your child meets with me on Monday, Thursday would be the best day for them to get their homework done).

 One more important note with regards to homework, I have let the children know that, when it comes to Spanish homework, if for some reason he or she can not remember the vocabulary or is struggling with the paper, it is perfectly okay to look in his or her Spanish folder for other papers that may be of help.  If he or she still can’t get it, they may ask for help from an older sibling or parent or consult a Spanish dictionary or the internet.  The point is that they give it a strong attempt as much can be learned in the pursuit itself.  However if it is apparent to you that they have given it a strong try and are still stumped, he or she should just come in with the paper and a note from you. Should your child fail to bring back a homework assignment, bring it back incomplete or if it is apparent they did not give it a good try, he or she will be given a homework check that will be added to any he or she may have from the classroom teacher.  While there are not grades given for Spanish on the report card, there will be a test each quarter so that I can assess whether the class as a whole is catching on.  Report card evaluation is given on attitude, class participation and effort.

 I am hoping for another great year in Spanish.  I am looking forward to all the fun your child and I will be having together as we explore the Spanish language and the Spanish-speaking world together.  If you have any questions or concerns regarding Spanish, please feel free to get in touch with me.     

                                                                                                                                                Sra.  Spear