Pine Ridge 3rd Grade Thanksgiving Video

The third graders at Pine Ridge have begun a relationship with a bilingual third grade in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Our students "introduced" themselves by telling their new friends what they are thankful for. You can watch the video by clicking here.

Espantapájaros 2009

Once again 1st grade students at Rose Park celebrated Scarecrow Day! We continued the celebration in Spanish class by reading the "Scarecrow's Adventure" book in Spanish!!

Visit this post to hear Sra. Brouwer read the story.

4TH AND 5TH GRADE GAMES

Hi fourth and fifth graders! Click here for some fun new games!

THIRD GRADE GAMES

Hi third grade! Play some games on a new web site I made for you! Click here.

Hi 5th Graders!!

We have a Quia (pronounced KEY-ah) site set up for you!! What is Quia? It's a website where you can go to play games to practice what we're learning in class!

Check it out!

http://www.quia.com/pages/abrouwer/page9

Videos for Luis' Mom and More!

Hey Pine Ridge 4th and 5th graders, want to see your videos for Luis' mom? Want to finally meet Paco? You can find those videos and other fun ones by clicking here. Once you're there, click on the "2" box on the bottom to see more...like the tragic patatas video! Enjoy.

Scholastic Book Order in Spanish!

Click here to find out how to place your Scholastic book order! You can order from two different book orders anytime before October 13. There are many familiar children's books, bilingual books, and CD's to choose from!

Spanish Songs Link

Here is the link to the Spanish songs we've been singing in class. E-mail your teacher for the password or ask her in class! Have fun singing along at home! (You can also find this link in the right-hand side column under "Links to Videos...")

September 22 Hispanic Festivals and New Restaurant

In honor of Mexican Independence Day on September 16, and to kick off fall programs, two churches invite you to their Hispanic Festival nights on Tuesday, September 22:

Faith CRC (85 W. 26th St)

• 6:30-8:30
• Food
• Games

Allendale Community Church (6375 Winans, Allendale)

• 6:15-??
• Food
• Games and prizes (HC high-school students will run these)
• Bouncing tent
• Piñatas

Also, there is a new authentic Mexican restuarant in Holland called Tulipanes Mexican Grill. On Tuesday evenings kids eat free when they order in Spanish! Check it out on 16th St. between Harrison and Ottawa.

Hispanic Festival in GR

Friday, September 11 - Sunday, September 13 is the Hispanic Festival in downtown Grand Rapids (at the Calder). Enjoy delicious food from many different countries, shop at the market, and listen and dance to live music! See you there!

New Site to Learn Spanish

Do you have a Herrick District Library Card? Then you can use the new Mango software to learn Spanish! Go to the Herrick District Library website and click on the big ad on the top of the homepage. Go to Mango, and you will be able to learn lots of Spanish words and phrases as soon as you login with your library card barcode! Have fun!

Great Cultural Event Before School Starts!

Grand Rapids Sister Cities International is excited to bring Paco Padilla and his group, from Tlaquepaque, Mexico and the Pre-Columbian dancers from the Basilica of Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, as part of the Sister Cities International global outreach program.

This historic event marks the beginning of promoting and expanding cultural exchanges with Grand Rapids newest Sister City, Zapopan, Mexico.

A renowned Mexican musician and artist, Paco Padilla is a native son of Tlaquepaque, in the Mexican state of Jalisco. Born into a family of potters and introduced to the craft of pottery through his father’s shop, Paco Padilla is also an internationally acclaimed composer and performer of the modern Mexican folk music-inspired genre known as "nueva cancion"--"new song."

Padilla has been with his two lead guitarists, Raul Rodriguez and Enrique Ortiz, for 25 years. The other band members have been with him for a decade. With performances around the world, Padilla’s art keeps alive this unique form of Spanish-language.

The Pre-Columbian dancers from the Basilica, perform traditional ancient dances of their ancestors from Mexico. Their culture and dances have survived through the Conquistadors and the many revolutions in Mexico. The dances are presented in the colorful native costumes.

This family entertaining event will take place on Monday, August 24, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Rapids Community College Spectrum Theatre at

160 Fountain Ave. NE

Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Cost:

Adults - $20.00

Grand Rapids Sister Cities International Members - $15.00

Students with ID - $10.00

Children under the age of 5 - FREE

Tickets may be purchased by contacting:

Arturo Armijo

(616) 878-6154

aarmijo@grcc.edu

Spanish Lessons

Anyone interested in learning more Spanish over the summer?

The Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance has announced registration for their summer Spanish classes!

Classes for fourth graders and younger will be offered on Wednesdays from 9-10 am, July 15-August 19. ($40 per student)

Classes for 5th-8th graders will be offered on Tuesdays from 9-10 am, July 14-August 18. ($40 per student)

Conversational Spanish classes for adults will be offered Tuesdays from 3-5 pm, July 14-August 18. ($50 per student)

Classes will be held at the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance office (665 136th Ave)

For details and registration, call Sarah Saiguera at (616) 846-9074.

VERANO (Summer)

Summer vacation is coming! We'd love to encourage you to take some time over vacation to speak Spanish! Whether you have travel plans, or you're just staying in Holland, there are always opportunities...you just have to look for them. We've added a new Community list on the sidebar to the right to help you start your search!

Bilingual Baby-sitters: Febe Gomez (a preschool teacher for El Puente, ZCS) and her daughter Betsi (an HC student) will provide childcare in Spanish. They speak both Spanish and English. Call them at 394-5671.

Community: Organizations

Parents, are you interested in getting involved in your community and possibly learning some Spanish at the same time? Check out these organizations!

• Buen Pastor has a childcare program in which you can volunteer to take care of the children of migrant workers in our area. Volunteer while learning Spanish: 796-3498
• LAUP is Latin Americans United for Progress. This non-profit organization assists with the needs of the Hispanic community in our area: www.laup.org
• LLOC is the Lakeshore Latino Outreach Center. This community outreach center helps the Hispanic community with information and aid for housing, immigration, food, and other resources: www.latinooutreach.org
• Alliance for Cultural and Ethnic Harmony makes connections among many cultures in the Holland area. Their newsletter advertises multicultural events around Holland: http://www.harmonyalliance.org

Community: Events

Keep checking back! If there's a community event that is related to Spanish or the cultures of the Spanish speaking world, we'll let you know about it here!

Community: Supermercados

Visit one of these local supermercados! You'll see lots of stuff you recognize, and lots of new stuff too!

• La Consentida (676 Michigan Ave, near 26th)
• Santa Fe (977 Butternut Dr)
• Mi Favorita (408 Columbia, near 17th)
• La Providencia (372 W. 16th)

Community: Restaurants

Try some authentic Mexican food. Be adventurous...don't just order the tacos or quesadillas...try something new!

• Taqueria Azteca (2027 N. Park Dr)
• Margarita’s (495 W. 17th)
• Taco Fiesta (11972 E. Lakewood Blvd)
• El Paraíso (11190 Chicago Dr, near 112th Ave)
• La Gu (12059 Felch St.)
• Don Miguel (11975 E. Lakewood, near 120th)
• Fat Burrito (3013 W. Shore Dr, near US-31 and Riley)
• Su Casa (306 W Main St, Fennville)

Community: Churches in Holland

Here's a partial list of Spanish speaking/Bilingual churches in Holland.

We recommend calling the church ahead of time to double check the service time.

• Iglesia Alas de Aguila (Headphones available for English; 11am- Riley/136th)
• Resurrection Life Iglesia Vida (12pm- 1006 S. Washington Ave)
• Macedonia Baptist Church (11am and 3pm- 101 W. 17th)
• La Roca (11am- Butternut/Riley)
• St. Francis de Sales (12:30pm- 171 W. 13th)
• Crossroads Chapel (Bilingual)
• Templo Sinai Asambleas de Dios
• Ebenezer Assembly of God

3rd/4th Bible Verse and Prayer Due

3rd and 4th Graders:
Don't forget that you need to know your Bible memory verse and prayer for Tuesday (May 26). You can practice both if you scroll down. Que tengan un buen fin de semana, chicos.