¡Bienvenidos a Orange County Preparatory Academy!
Dear Parents and Guardians,
¡Bienvenidos!
I would like to welcome both you and your student to Sixth Grade Spanish for the year 2014-2015. My name is Señorita Earnest and I look forward to teaching your student all of the wonderful things that the Spanish language and culture have to offer. This is my second year teaching at Orange County Preparatory Academy; however, before coming to OCPA, I have previously taught in many K-12 schools throughout Michigan and I most recently taught 9th-12th grade Spanish in South Carolina for a year. I am currently working on a Master’s of Arts in Educational Technology through Michigan State University and in 2011 I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Michigan State University. With my background in education and after traveling to over 14 different countries and living in Spain for a summer, I am extremely passionate about Spanish and am excited to explore Spanish in the forms of language, music, art, literature, film, and much more with all of my students this coming year.
What you and your student can expect:
By the end of the year, students will be able to hold short conversations with other speakers, which will include introducing themselves, asking basic questions about the weather and their day, using common vocabulary about characteristics of a person, their house, their school, a city, and much more. The students will also learn important grammatical forms, begin to write in Spanish, and be exposed to important Spanish figures, art, literature and music throughout the year. The focus of this course is not only to introduce the student to the Spanish language and culture but also to better their communication skills. We will be accomplishing this task by incorporating speaking, listening, reading and writing into their everyday activities. At the beginning of each class, the students will start with ¿Pa qué esperas? This is a warm up activity in order for the students to review the previous day's lesson and also allow the students to warm up and begin thinking in the Spanish language, as the class will be conducted in all Spanish and adapted with the help of visuals to maximize the students' exposure to the language.
The students themselves will also learn basic classroom language and questions on the first day of class, which they will be expected to use throughout the entire year. The best way to learn a language is to use it! In addition to in-class activities after the initial ¿Pa qué esperas?, the students will also have daily homework assignments, scheduled quizzes as well as pop quizzes, unit exams and both individual and group projects. There will also be a midterm exam at the end of the first semester and a final exam at the end of the year. Although these aspects of the class are very important, participation and attendance are also extremely important and are what I look for first and foremost. A student must be in class in order to get the most out of it and the more a student is able to participate, the more opportunities he or she has to better their knowledge about the language and culture.
I encourage all parents and guardians to be a part of this wonderful learning experience! Even if you do not know how to speak the language, I encourage you to be a support system for your student and ask questions about their homework assignments or projects. The students are always encouraged to use the language outside of the classroom as much as possible as well and please don't hesitate to be a part of this. If a student is struggling with something or has any questions at all, I strongly suggest that the student comes to me sooner rather than later, as asking questions will only improve the students' abilities and I will always be available to help and support your student.
Keep in Contact!
If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! Feel free to email me at anytime at learnest@orangecountyprep.com during regular school hours. My professional teaching website can be found at http://lindsaycearnest.wix.com/portfolio, and you can also visit https://lindsaycearnest.com to view my portfolio for my master’s program. Please feel free to check out my EdLine website as well to stay up to date on your student’s homework, classroom announcements, and more. Also, email, conferences, and appointments are also welcomed and encouraged first and foremost.
These websites are also a way for you, as parents and guardians, to see what your student is doing in class on a daily basis and also one way for you to contact me if you have any questions as well. It is absolutely not a problem if your student does not have access to a computer at home. If this is the case, simply let me know and I will make sure that your student will be able to use one of the computers at the school or find an alternative way to accomplish the task at hand. However, students will receive a hardcopy calendar of their homework, it will be posted in the classroom daily and there will also be a monthly homework board in the classroom that the students can check. I also strongly encourage parents to schedule appointments with me either in person or by phone in order to talk about your students' classroom experience and improvement. Lastly, I also ask that you either sign the bottom of this form and return it with your student or send me a short email letting me know that you have received this information and please feel free to let me know if there are any questions that you or your student may have at this point in the course. I look forward to getting to know you and your student throughout this coming year and I am very excited to start this enjoyable learning experience together as we explore the wonderful world of Español! ¡Qué fantástico!
Atentamente,
Señorita Lindsay C. Earnest
Orange County Preparatory Academy
10250 University Blvd.
Orlando, FL 32827
P: 407-440-9293
F: 407-289-4093
learnest@orangecountyprep.com
Assignment: Please share this WELCOME LETTER with your PARENT(S)/GUARDIAN(S).
Keep the Welcome Letter at home for reference; JUST RETURN THIS CUT OUT PORTION
La Clase de ESPAÑOL con Srta. Earnest, Orange County Preparatory Academy
Student/Parent(Guardian) Signature Form
Due: ________________
**We have read and understand the Welcome Letter and we know how to contact you if we have any additional questions, comments, or concerns.**
Student’s Full Name (Please Print): __________________________________
Student’s Signature: __________________________________
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Signature(s): _________________________________
Parent(s)/Guardian(s) email: ____________________________________
Date:_____/_____ /_____
