Thanks to all the families that donated soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes for my trip to Guatemala this summer.  We were able to provide 300 families with hygiene items and vitamins.  Our team helped build a preschool for the village of San Miguel.  It was a wonderful experience and I loved the people, culture and beautiful, lush, green mountains.  Since Guatemala is considered the heart of the Maya world, this was a perfect trip for our school-wide topic of Maya, Aztec, and Inca.  Students are enjoying integrating this study with their Spanish language acquisition.  Look for more posts during this exciting unit.

Younger and Middle kids made máscaras for carnaval.  They learned about different celebrations in various parts of the world such as Colombia, Brazil and Puerto Rico.  Some chose the’ La Marimonda’ mask from the Carnaval de Barranquilla, Colombia.  This mask has become a traditional symbol in Colombia.  It combines an elephant (elefante) and a monkey (mono).  They also enjoyed dancing the conga. Did you know the word carnival means ‘good-by to meat’ and mardi gras means “Fat Tuesday” in French.

The MK and OK made traditional Mexican bird rattles to celebrate the New Year.  The rattles are shaken to welcome generous spirits of the new year and to drive away any unhappy spirits remaining from the past.

The Older kids are busy preparing crafts for the Latin American market on Thursday, November 17th.  This is a great opportunity for the entire school to practice their Spanish and enjoy the culture.   The fifth graders will be presenting a Spanish skit on Wednesday, November 16th in the commons.

All students enjoyed celebrating Dia de los Muertos and learning about the customs of Mexico.

The Latin American market was a huge success.  The older kids sold delicious treats, created amazing crafts and practiced their Spanish.  Everyone enjoyed the festive atmosphere and cultural experience.  The fifth grade skit set the tone for the market and sharpened their language skills.  Students’ Spanish pronunciations and fluency was impressive.  Thanks to parents for their encouragement, support and help enabling students to participate in this fun learning opportunity.

Students enjoyed learning about Day of the Dead and making name skeletons and calaveras.

Preschoolers pretend to be trees dropping their leaves in fall!

Older kids are busy preparing their crafts for the Latin American market on Thursday, November 19th.  The entire school will visit the ‘mercado’ shopping with pesos.  This is a great opportunity for students to practice their Spanish conversational skills.  Fifth and sixth graders will be presenting a skit in Spanish on Wednesday, November 18th.  This event is a highlight at Rivendell.

Middle and Older kids made bird ornaments to celebrate the holiday season.  All students compared and contrasted various winter fiestas.  They discovered a common theme of lights, family and food.  Literature, songs and crafts helped students to explore the many customs and traditions.  

The middle and older kids created bird ornaments to celebrate the season.  They compared and contrasted traditions and customs for various winter fiestas.  They found a common theme in lights, food and families.  Literature, songs and crafts helped students explore the holiday.