¡Bienvenidos a la clase de español! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Señorita Nuzzi and I will be teaching Spanish to all students in grades K-5. This is my third year teaching at Roland Park and my fourth year teaching Spanish. I look forward to working with all the students from previous years as well as the students who are new to the Roland Park family. This letter is for your reference and my aim is to provide you with some more information about the elementary Spanish program and my expectations. Please feel free to e-mail me at cenuzzi@bcps.k12.md.us with any questions you may have.        

Homework: Students will not have regular homework in the Spanish classroom. Throughout the year there will be a handful of assignments for students to complete at home. Usually this occurs when we are working on a project, so that students come to class prepared with certain materials therefore we can make the most of the precious time they have in the Spanish classroom. Along with alerting the students to any homework assignments, I also usually send an additional reminder to parents via Classroom Parent.

Supplies Needed: Students in all grades are asked to bring in supplies for Spanish. All of these supplies will remain in the classroom. If you would like to see their work, you can contact me to schedule a time to meet. Students should bring these supplies with them to their next Spanish class  (if they haven’t already) with their name on the back of the supplies.

• Each student in grades 3-5 is asked to bring in a Spanish notebook with two pockets so that they can complete their Spanish class work and keep all worksheets organized in their notebook. There will be notebook checks throughout the year which will count toward their Spanish grade. I would prefer no binders, but spiral and composition notebooks as well as pocket folders with three-prongs are acceptable. 
  

• Students in grades K-2 are asked to bring in one two-pocket folder.
• Tissues: I am still looking for boxes of tissues for the Spanish classroom. I appreciate all your donations and help. 

Parent Volunteers: Throughout the year I will ask if parent volunteers can come in and help out with hands-on projects. With these projects, it’s really helpful to have the extra assistance to ensure all the students get the help they need. Thank you to all the parents who have helped in years prior; I hope you all can come back again this year!

Projects: I will send home information about upcoming projects, but I want you to know that all projects will be completed IN-CLASS. The only exception would be if students missed a class or didn’t finish a portion of the project in-class. In that case, students would be asked to complete that part of the project at home and return it to me PRIOR to the next Spanish class.

Grades: Students will be given various grades in the Spanish classroom as I assess their speaking, listening, reading and writing in Spanish as well as their knowledge of Spanish culture. Students’ grades will be broken down into categories – oral participation, class work, tests/quizzes and projects.

Content: Each grade level will focus on different content as students will review and build off of the Spanish foundation they have established from previous years. I will work to keep parents informed of what we are learning as well as upcoming units. Below there is an overview of the different thematic units broken down by grade level.

• Kindergarten: Greetings at different times of day – Buenos días, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches • Classroom Commands • Day of the Dead • Calendario (Calendar) • Days of the Week • School – classes in Spanish & what days they have those classes.

• 1^st Grade: Review—Classroom Commands • Days of the Week • Day of the Dead • Familia (Family)—family tree project, identifying family members in Spanish • La Navidad (Christmas)—Christmas in a Spanish-speaking country.

• 2^nd Grade: Review—Greetings at different times of day • Colores (Colors) • Números (Numbers) • Day of the Dead—making masks, comparing it to American holidays, Mexican celebrations and traditions • Thanksgiving—learning how to say “we are thankful for” and things we are thankful for in Spanish • Animales (Animals) – identifying animals in Spanish and basic sentences describing animals in Spanish

• 3^rd Grade: Review— Greetings, Colors & Numbers • Alphabet—singing alphabet song in Spanish, correct pronunciation of letters and words in Spanish • Why it’s important to learn a foreign language • La Ropa (Clothing) – how to say what they and others are wearing in Spanish, forming sentences to describe clothing in Spanish, completing a project in which they decorate a doll and put together an oral presentation for the class describing the doll’s clothing in Spanish.

• 4^th Grade: Review—alphabet & pronunciation of letters • Descriptions – What are adjectives, Identifying adjectives in Spanish, describing themselves and others, completing a collage project and oral presentation which describes who they are • Identifying Spanish-speaking countries • Spanish holidays – What is Cinco de Mayo, and the importance of certain Mexican holidays.
  

• 5^th Grade: Review—Identifying where Spanish is spoken in the world and the U.S., • Hispanic Americans—complete research project about famous Hispanic American • Community – learning how to say different places in the community in Spanish • Professions – learning how to say different jobs in Spanish • La Casa (House)

I look forward to a wonderful school year. Thank you for all your help in making it a success!

                                                                                                            Señorita Nuzz