Dear RGS Families, I hope this message finds you well and that you had a wonderful winter break filled with joy and relaxation. As we prepare to welcome our students back to school, I want to remind you that classes will resume on January 6th, 2025, and we are excited to embark on the second half of the school year together! Our teachers and staff have been busy planning engaging lessons and activities to ensure our students continue to thrive in their learning. We are also preparing for big events like the Community Resource Fair on January 14th, 2025, and the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) this March.

Please take a moment to talk with your child about their goals for the upcoming semester, as fostering this dialogue helps them feel more connected to their education. As always, we encourage open communication between home and school too!

If you have any questions or concerns as we transition back, please feel free to reach out to us. We are here to support you and your children in any way we can. Thank you for your continued partnership, and we can't wait to see all the smiling faces back at RGS!

Warm regards,

Mrs. Taubery and Mrs. Johnson

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is having a wonderful break.

In the library this month 5th graders will be concentrating on research skills, including skimming and scanning for information, paraphrasing, finding and citing sources, all in preparation to complete a small research project in the library.

4th grade will be learning about what media is and how to use media responsibly.

3rd Grade will be participating in the A to Z Geo Challenge. A fun activity where they find the answers to geography questions using atlases and maps.

Grades 1, 2 and kindergarten will be reading about the traditions of the new year celebrated here in the United States based on the solar calendar; as well as the Lunar New Year celebrated in China.

¡Felíz Año Nuevo! As 2024 wound down to a close, so did most of our grade level projects in Spanish. During the month of December, all of the students spent some time exploring the different holiday customs in Mexico. From Las Posadas to the origins of our Poinsettia, many topics and customs were discussed and enjoyed by all.

With the start of 2025, all classes are revving up with new topics and vocabulary in the New Year. Our focus will be getting down to the basics of the Spanish language.

Fifth Graders will be continuing their ongoing study of Spanish vocabulary with their Palabras de Invierno. The emphasis this month will be on the review of weather words and winter clothing vocabulary that they have learned in earlier grades. We will also be reviewing the vocabulary words for the days of the week and the months of the year.

Fourth Graders will begin learning the basic vocabulary for the parts of the body. We will start by working toward memorization of the vocabulary. Then students will focus on being able to correctly label a diagram of the body at the end of the unit. A variety of activities will be used to help students attain both of these goals.

Third Graders will begin learning the Spanish Alphabet. We will focus on the letters that are unique to the Spanish language, as well as the different sounds made by each vowel and consonant.

**With the coming of winter comes the inevitable seasonal rise in illness. Please note that if your child is in Third, Fourth, or Fifth Grade and misses their weekly Spanish Class, they will be receiving homework to cover their missed assignments. Please be sure to watch for these activities to come home, and be sure that your child brings them back to school when they are completed. They may also be given an assignment to do that was completed on Google Classroom during their absence. A page with directions will be sent with their homework.

Second Graders will begin the New Year learning the Spanish vocabulary words for El invierno, or the season of winter. This is a continuation of our year long weather unit. We will be learning the words for the weather features of winter, as well as some vocabulary for activities that are unique to those weather conditions.

First Graders are beginning the year with a unit on the family. Basic Spanish vocabulary for the members of the family will be taught. We will be working on many fun activities to give us practice with these important vocabulary words.

Kindergarteners have learned their colors for red and blue, and are on to the color yellow. We will continue our exploration of colors throughout the month. We have also learned the words for circle and square. We will be learning the triangle next. We will continue exploring the basic shapes in conjunction with our colors.

I hope that the new year brings us all good health and prosperity! I also hope that your children are enjoying learning the language of Spanish.

Let’s fight the cold and flu season together!

We've pretty much made it through the strep throat season and we are now entering the flu season. Influenza is a contagious virus of the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs) that can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia and the worsening of other chronic health conditions. Flu symptoms may include fever, headache, extreme tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, and muscle aches. The best way to protect your family from influenza is to get vaccinated each year.

Follow good health guidelines to help prevent the spread of viruses:

Eat right, drink plenty of water, exercise, and get plenty of rest to help boost your immunity to fight the effects of colds and flu.

Wash hands frequently, do the elbow cough, and disinfect hot spots at school, work, and home.

The top five most virus-contaminated areas in the home are:

Telephones (have you cleaned your cell phone lately)

Appliances such as the refrigerator and microwave

Faucets

Light switches and door handles

TV remotes

Treat the symptoms and stay home from school or work so you don’t spread it to others.

Enjoy a healthy holiday season!

January 9, 2025 at Noon and 7 PM (CST) - Dr. Ellen Braaten, “Bright Kids Who Couldn't Care a

Less: Tools for Tackling Motivation.”

January 15, 2025 at Noon and 7 PM (CST) - Bruce Perry, MD., “What Happened to You; A Shift

from ‘What is Wrong With You?’”