November brings peacocks

November has Americans thinking of Thanksgiving and turkey.  The Romans did not know about turkeys, as they are a North American bird.  They did, however, enjoy peacock as a special entree for fine dining.  Our 3rd and 4th graders will be working on a "Thanksgiving peacock" and the myth about the metamorphosis the peacock underwent to gain the spots in its tail feathers.

I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of more wintery weather, as it will bring with Christmas and the chance to sing songs and carols in Latin!

It's almost Halloween

Just in time for Halloween and dress-up time, the pre-K and K students are learning about the clothing that the ancient Romans wore.  Some students had a chance to try on nn toga this week, and others will have an opportunity next week.

Our lessons on the Trojan horse in first and second grades has given way to the travels of Odysseus.  We are meeting many strange and wonderful creatures as we follow the route of the Odyssey.

Minimus readers are exploring the ways in which verbs change to make different meanings, and we are continuing to have fun tracking the activities of the Flavian family.

Caecilius has ventured out of his Pompeiian villa, and we are now exploring the Forum and all of the jobs and other aspects of first century Roman life.

During the week of Oct. 14 we will begin to explore a variety of new topics with in Latin.  We will build on our counting by adding colors.  Students will not only identify numbers of animals but also colors.  First and second graders will continue with the story of the Trojan War, following Odysseus and Aeneas on their respective journeys.  Aeneas will carry his customs to Italy, and his descendants, Romulus and Remus, will establish the great city we now call Rome.

Minimus followers will see grammar concepts expanding and will begin composing sentences of their own. We will also explore food and dining customs of the ancient Romans.

Our Cambridge readers will be following Caecilius and his family as they welcome a dinner guest.

Typing, typing, typing!  Students in grades 2 through 8 learned (or were reminded) how to log in to the  typing tutorial program we are utilizing.  This web-based service is free, and students can log in anywhere they have internet access.  We will utilize the program in class several times throughout the year, but I would also love to see students practicing on their own time as well.  Please encourage your child(ren) to sit up properly in their chairs and to practice proper hand position.  The tutorial program also reminds them each time they log in to work on exercises.  You can access the program at www.typingweb.com.  Please e-mail me if you have questions about usernames or passwords.

In Latin classes we have covered a variety of topics.  Children in pre-K and K learned about Pegasus and the Chimera as well as how to count to 10 in Latin.  First and second grades have begun to study Hercules and his 12 Labors, while the Flavius family and their interactions in Roman Britain continue to guide grades three and four.  Middle and Junior High students had a lot of practice this week in listening to and testing their comprehension spoken Latin.

Computers classes were quiet this week with the holiday on Monday, but Latin is roaring ahead at full steam.

Next week, look for your Pre-K and Kindergarten students to be talking about days of the week and about Hercules and his 12 labors.  First and second grade students will begin to discuss the founding of Rome and its roots in ancient Troy.  While third graders will continue to get to know the family of Flavius and their life in Roman Britain, fourth grade will explore sentence structure and the Roman household.  Fifth through eighth grades will continue exploring types of Roman housing and will focus on the roles of the pater familias and his wife.

Week one of Latin and Computers classes has come and gone.  I had a great time getting to meet the new additions to the OLV family, and the returning students seemed to pick up right where we left off last year.

All of your students should have come home and said, "Salve!" (Hello!).  If they did not, ask them what they learned in Latin class this week.

Salvete!

Welcome back to what I know will be another great year at OLV!  I hope that you enjoyed your summer.  Mine was filled with family, fun, and plenty of opportunities to attend professional conferences.  I relaxed and refreshed, but I also learned many new ways to enhance my classes and made connections with colleagues from across the country.

This year the computers classes will see the students with plenty of opportunities to sharpen their skills, and I hope to make more frequent use of the iPad lab.

Latin classes will continue studies of ancient Rome and its people, language, and traditions.  Grades 3 through 8 will notice new textbooks to introduce a more solid structure of the course work, and many grades will also have an opportunity to learn a little bit of ancient Greek.  I will also be starting a local chapter of the National Junior Classical League.  More information will come home soon.

I hope that you are as excited as I am to begin this next year of studies!