THE LEARNING SUMMITA C A D E M I C H I G H L I G H T S P R E S E N T E D B Y T H E

O F F I C E O F C U R R I C U L U M A N D I N S T R U C T I O N

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 9 • I S S U E 2 • V O L U M E 1

D I STR I CT SPOTL IGHT :

THE SUMM I T PUBL I C SCHOOLS CELEBRATE

NAT IONAL H I SPAN IC HER I TAGE MONTH

T h i s m o n t h , w e c o n t i n u e t o c e l e b r a t e t h e c u l t u r e , t r a d i t i o n s , a n d a c c o m p l i s h m e n t so f t h e H i s p a n i c a n d L a t i n x c o m m u n i t i e s .

,

The Summit Public Schools are committed tointegrating authentic, culturally-responsivelearning experiences throughout every unit andcontent area, year-round. With September 15-October 15 designated as National HispanicHeritage Month, schools throughout Summit havecontinued to pay tribute to generations ofHispanic and Latinx people who have enrichedour community and society.

Summit High School:Aurora Hermo's Spanish 3 class interviewed SilviaVicente's Heritage Spanish students on the topicof friendships. Afterwards, Spanish 3 studentswrote about what they learned. As Ms. Hermonoted, "This is not a Hispanic Heritage lesson, butan opportunity for learners of Spanish to engagewith native speakers, and where awareness ofcultural backgrounds and various perspectivesare gained through collaboration andcommunication."

In Siliva Vicente's Spanish 4 class, studentsexplored the growing influence of the Spanishlanguage in the United States. Students studiedcommon American terms adapted from Spanish.They also researched influential Hispanic andLatinx Americans such as reporter Jorge Ramos,actress America Ferrera, architect César Pelli,governor Bill Richardson, writer Julia Alvarez,designer Narciso Rodriguez, and painter CarmenLomas Garza.

Lawton C. Johnson Summit MiddleSchoolLast month, LCJSMS's SAC (Student AssistantCounselor), Sasha Hicks, organized a very specialevent for Hispanic Heritage Month. According toMs. Hicks, "...the students completed a FamousFaces Scavenger Hunt, in which they learnedabout the accomplishments of famous Hispanic-Americans and the impact and influence theyhave had throughout history." Many studentsparticipated, and prizes were awarded at theevent's conclusion.

• THE LEARNING SUMMIT •

ABOUT US . . .T h e L e a r n i n g S u m m i t i s a n e w s l e t t e r d e d i c a t e d t o s h a r i n g a c a d e m i c h i g h l i g h t s a n d i n f o r m a t i o n r e l a t e d t oc u r r i c u l u m a n d i n s t r u c t i o n i n t h e S u m m i t P u b l i c S c h o o l s .

S i n c e r e l y , J e n n i f e r M c C a n n a n d T a n y a L o p e z

E a c h m o n t h , w e w i l l s u g g e s t a w a y i nw h i c h y o u c a n s u p p o r t a g r o w t h

m i n d s e t a t h o m e :

T i p # 1 (Sep t embe r ) :

T a l k Abou t I t

A s k y o u r c h i l d , " W h a t m i s t a k e s d i d y o um a k e t o d a y ? W h a t d i d y o u l e a r n ? " T i p #2 (Oc t obe r ) : E n c o u r a g e F a i l u r eY o u r c h i l d n e e d s t o k n o w t h a t f a i l u r ec a n ( a n d o f t e n d o e s ) h a p p e n a n d i t i so k a y ! R e m i n d y o u r c h i l d t h a t e a c h t i m ef a i l u r e o c c u r s , t h e b r a i n i s g r o w i n gs t r o n g e r . A v o i d s t e p p i n g i n t o p r e v e n tf a i l u r e ; i t i s a n i m p o r t a n t s t e p t ol e a r n i n g p e r s e v e r a n c e i n t h e f a c e o fc h a l l e n g e s .

Summit Elementary Schools At Brayton School, students learned about theaccomplishments and contributions of HispanicAmericans during morning announcements.Students shared the biographies of famousscientists, authors, and artists with the entireschool community! Special thanks to Brayton'sSpanish and ESL teachers Awilda Jerez, WilliamSanchez, Susan Harden and Naomi Tucker forworking alongside students to research andpresent this information. This year Washington School celebrated its 10thyear of Hispanic Heritage Day! According to ESLteacher Anna Gomez, "It is an afternoon ofenrichment through culture, language, and song." Washington families were invited to presentfamily heirlooms and cultural items to thecommunity. Students, teachers, and parents alsoperformed songs and dances that reflected theirheritage.  Finally, the fifth grade leadership group,Olé Olé, closed the celebration with a school-wide unifying song. It was an incredible learningexperience for all!