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Hózhó Academy Newsletter
For the Week of January 8th-12th, 2024
Weekly Updates
Dear Hózhó Families,
As a reminder, we have an early start/release day this Friday (7:45-1:15) and no school on Monday the 15th.
Clothing Donations - We are accepting any new/used children's clothing for ages 2-12, to donate to local foster families. If you would like to donate, please bring them to the front office at Hózhó. Please check that they are clean with no stains or holes. Thank you for helping out our community.
Uniform Sweatshirt - See the flyer below to order a uniform-approved sweatshirt.
Important Dates
January 12th - Early Start/Early Release Day
January 15th - No School (MLK Jr. Day)
January 19th - Mid-School Winter Formal Dance
January 20th - High School Winter Formal Dance
February 19th - No School (President's Day)
Important Links
Literacy Corner by Elise Farrel
An intricate part of our literacy curriculum is the dictated sentences. The core of Access Literacy is teaching our students to read through writing. In teaching our students to write beautiful, complete, and complex sentences we are reinforcing literacy skills, building cross-curricular knowledge, and most importantly, teaching our students how to put a thought to words.
Through dictated sentences, students put into practice their literacy skills. They can see their spelling words used in multiple contexts. Often, words can be used in multiple types of speech (a noun can sometimes function as an adjective...etc.) so our students practice applying the word in different contexts to understand its uses.
For example;
She tripped on a rock. (noun)
I climbed a rock wall. (adjective).
They are also able to distinguish similar words such as homophones (words that sound similar but are spelled differently and have different meanings) such as;
Weather can be cold, warm or hot.
You must complete your homework whether you like it or not.
Dictated sentences also provide our students the opportunity to modify words for things such as point of view or verb tense (past present or future);
I need to do my homework. (First person present tense)
He needs to do his homework. (Second person, present tense)
He needed to do his homework. (Second person, past tense).
When used in other subjects, such as history or science, dictating sentences can reinforce facts we want our students to learn.
The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773.
George Washington was the first president of the United States of America.
The metamorphosis of a butterfly into a caterpillar is a fascinating process.
Lastly, and possibly the most important aspect of dictated sentences, we are teaching our students how to put a thought into words. Every child deserves to be heard and understood, however, we need to teach them how to express their thoughts clearly. If you think about it, there are a lot of steps that going into writing a sentence that has since become second nature for us adults. Writing a sentence requires...
Discerning the appropriate words for the thought
Forming the words into a structurally sound sentence
Maintain that thought while writing the sentence
Sounding out spelling and discerning punctuation all while still keeping that thought and sentence in your head and not losing it
And for our youngest students, they have the added step of having to recall letter formation
Dictated sentences model how to utilize all of those skills, skills that must be practiced so our students can confidently put their thinking to words, and their words to paper.
Book of the Week
Aesop's Fables
Not exactly a book, Aesop's Fables is a collection of short stories usually centered around animal characters. These stories are engaging for all ages while addressing many moral themes and presenting lessons every child should learn. Very little is known of Aesop himself. It is said the ancient Greek writer was a slave who earned his freedom through telling stories. Many of the stories attributed to Aesop were passed down through oral tradition.
There are many versions out there of varying reading levels. The image below is from the Great Illustrated Classics collection.
Hózhó Academy 2023-2024 School Calendar
Hózhó Academy Charter School
Email: office@hozhoacademy.org
Website: https://hozhoacademy.org/
Location: 515 Park Ave, Gallup, NM, USA
Phone: (505) 722-8922
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hozhoacademy
Twitter: @HozhoA
Transportation Department: (505) 458-4923 or email khillock@hozhoacademy.org
Afterschool (After 4 PM): (505) 488-8758