Semester Coming to A Close!! O Fin do Semestre Chegando!!

The children opened their end-of-semester Animal Research Project presentations with a little Holiday cheer. They sang a lively version of the American Christmas song classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was very well-done. The children practiced singing with emotion and energy and I must say that I loved their performance. Not only had they prepared amazing research projects but they invested themselves into adding something fun and attention-grabbing for their parents and peers to enjoy. Needless to say, I was soooooo proud of them!!

As criancas abriram as suas apresentacoes dos seus Projetos de Pesquisas de Animais do fim do ano com um pouquinho de animacao natalina. Eles cantaram uma versao bem animada do cancao classico natalino americano, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Foi super bem feito. As criancas ensaiaram cantando com emocao e energia e eu preciso declarar que eu amei o desempenho deles. Nao so que eles tinha preparado projetos de pesquisas fantasticas mas que tambem eles se comprometeram para acrescentar algo divertido e que chamava a atencao para que os seus pais e colegas disfrutassem. Nao precisa dizer que eu fiquei muuuiiitto orgulhoso deles!!

As criancas trabalharam bastante para preparar os seus projetos. Eles pesquisavam e escreviam varios tipos de informacao sobre o animal que cada um deles escolheu. Esa informacao incluia a dieta ou caracteristicas fisicas por exemplo. Logo depois eles levavam essa informacao escrita e organizada para sua aula de computacao na qual o profesor deles ajudou eles a criar e formatar um Powerpoint slideshow das informacoes.

The children worked hard to prepare their projects. They researched and wrotpe about the animal they had chosen to learn more about. This information included diet or physical characteristics, for example. After writing and organizing this information in the regular classroom, they took it to their computer class where their teacher there helped them to create and format a PowerPoint slideshow of their findings.

Todo mundo ficou contente com o desempenho dos alunos. Os pais, os profesores e os colegas tambem!!!

Que maneira bacana de fechar o semestre!!

Everyone was pleased with the children's skills. Parents, teachers and peers alike!!!

What a great way to end the semester!!

Um

Abraco,

George

Johnny Appleseed! An American Legend!! Johnny Appleseed! Uma Lenda Americana!!

As criancas atuaram numa peca sobre a vida de uma personagem lendaria do pasado colonial dos Estados Unidos, o Johnny Appleseed. O nome verdadeiro de Johnny era John Chapman e ele viveu em meados do seculo 19 e era um homem de fe que adorava a natureza e andava descalzo pela frontera dos Estados Unidos plantando sementes de arvores de maca. Tudo isso para ajudar as familias que ainda nao tinha chegado para estabelecer casas e comunidades. Seguindo a lenda, ele era muito amigo dos animais e andava com uma panela na cabeca que ele usava para cozinhar e tembem para que nao se molhasse na chuva.

The children performed a play about the life of a historic figure of America's colonial past: Johnny Appleseed. Johnny's real name was John Chapman and he lived sometime in the early to mid eighteenth century. He was a man of God who loved nature and wandered barefoot throughout young America's frontier planting apple tree seeds. He did all this in order to help pioneer families that were just settling in these new parts of the country. According to legend, he was a great friend of wild animals and he walked around with a stew pot on his head which he used to cook in as well as keep his head dry.

Clayton fez o papel do Johnny jovem. Marina segurou a panela que ameacava cair a toda hora!! Andrea fez o papel da filha de uma familia chegando na fronteira e Alice foi a mae.

Clayton played the young Johnny. Marina had to hold the pot on his head because it threatened to fall the whole time. Andrea played the part of the frontier family daughter and Alice played the pioneer mother.

O verdadeiro Johnny dedicou-se a vida inteira a plantar sementes de maca. Ainda existe arvores que vieram de sementes de frutas de arvores que ele plantou!!

The real Johnny dedicated his whole life to planting apple tree seeds. There are still apple trees that were started from seeds grown on trees that he planted!!

Eike fez o papel do velho Johnny e Marina continuo de assistente!!

Eike played the old Johnny and Marina was still needed to hold the pot!!

Tambem tinha um coro feito das irmas e irmaos de Johnny. Haviam cinco irmas: Aila, Daniela, Beatriz e Maria (Marianna faltou no dia) e cinco irmaos: Pietro, Leonardo, Pedro Neto, Pedro Henrique e Pedro Luiz.

There was also a chorus made up of Johnny's ten brothers and sisters. There were five sisters: Aila, Daniela, Beatriz and Maria (Marianna was absent on the day of the performance) and five brothers: Pietro, Leonardo, Pedro Neto, Pedro Henrique and Pedro Luiz.

Nos Estados Unidos a maca eh uma fruta historicamente significante. Tem muitas variedades.
In the United States the apple is an emblematic fruit. There are many different varieties.

Tem algo mais americana que torta de maca?!?!

Is there anything more American than apple pie?!?!

Eu lembro que fiquei impressionado, ao mudarme ao Brasil, que nao conseguia facilmente achar e comprar suco de maca. Sinto falta do sabor mais tambem curto bastante os sucos que se encontra aqui!!

I remember being surprised when I moved to Brazil to find that you could not easily find and buy apple juice. I miss it a lot but I love all the fruit juices that you can find here!!

Tem tambem apple cider que eh tipo suco de maca um pouco fermentado. Delicioso servido frio ou quente com especiarias!!!!

There's apple cider which is like slightly fermented apple juice. It's delicious served cold or spicy & hot!!!!

Macas caramelizados e enfeitados com nozes!!!! Delicia!!!

Caramel Apples!!!! Yummmm!!!

Gente eu nao sei com traduzir Apple Dumplings mas da pra ver que eh especial!!

I don't know how to translate apple dumplings but it's easy to see that they are something else!!

Apple Danish!!

Maca Frita!!! Eu amo com paixao!!!!!!!!!

Apple Fritters!!! I love these!!!!!!!!!

Apple Betty eh maca com chantilly e canela e acucar e nozes asado no forno. Eh otimo como sobremesa ou para um cafe de manha servida quentinha!

Apple Betty is whipped cream, cinnamon, sugar and nuts served hot from the oven for dessert or for breakfast!

A maca eh um simbolo cultural dos Estados Unidos e eh algo que se ve em toda parte.

The apple is an American cultural symbol and you will find it everywhere you go in the U.S.

Ate mais,

See you,

George

(Por favor se eu errei na parte de portugues, nao se incomodem por favor!)

2B's Celebration of the Day of the Dead!! A Celebracao de 2B do Dia dos Finados!!

A celebracao foi realmente alegre e divertida. As criancas se animaram para desfilar e depois pra comer todas as comidas deliciosas que foram preparadas. O esqueleto Arthus e sua noiva lideraram nosso desfile. Pietro e Pedro Luiz trouxeram bouquets de flores e Leonardo carregou nossa caveira. As outras criancas carregavam bandeirolas de papel picado, bandejas de comida e lapides enfeitados com as fotos dos finados.

The celebration was really fun and spirited. The kids were excited to parade and were anxious to try all the delicious foods that were prepared. Skeleton Arthus and his bride led the parade. Pietro and Pedro Luiz carried floral bouquets and Leonardo held our classroom skull. The other children held up garlands of papel picado, trays of food and paper tombstones decorated with photos of departed friends and family.

Algumas criancas tambem seguravam velas para mostrar o caminho da festa para os espiritos.

Some of the children held lit candles to show the spirits the way to the party.

Foi um dia lindo para a celebracao!!

It was a beautiful day for a party!!

E contamos com a presenca de muitos...

We had a lot of...

pais e maes!!!
moms and dads!!!

As criancas se deliciaram com el pan de los muertos (pao delicia rsrs!), as frutas...

The kids enjoyed eating el pan de los muertos (pao delicia lol!), the fruits...

a cana doce, churros (rabanada rsrs!! Mais uma vez obrigado Yara!!!) e...

the sugarcane, the churros (cinnamon french toast lol!! Once again thank you Yara!!!) and...

os biscoitos em forma de caveira que as criancas fizeram (Mais uma vez obrigado para Rebecca Sidelko por preparar a massa dos biscoitos)

the skull cookies that the children made in class (Thanks again to Rebecca Sidelko for preparing the cookie dough)

Arthus e sua mulher...que casal lindo!!!
Arthus and his wife...what an attractive couple!!!

Todo mundo queria uma foto com a nossa noiva linda e magerrima!!!
Everybody wanted to appear in a photo with our beautiful and slender bride!!!

Acima Yara Barbosa e seu filho Rodrigo.

Yara Barbosa and her son Rodrigo.

Flavia Quadros e a filha Alice.
Flavia Quadros and her daughter Alice.

Foi realmente uma linda celebracao e todo mundo aproveitou.

It was a really great celebration and a good time was had by everyone.

Ate mais,

See you soon,

George

Day of the Dead!! Dia dos Finados!!

2B completed a short unit on the Mexican Day of the Dead holiday this week.

It is a special holiday that unites the sometimes sad themes of death and passing with

satire and comedy. There are parades, rituals and ceremonies that allow people to treat death not as something to be feared but as something to be accepted and even celebrated.

Besides being a beautiful holiday with distinctive artwork and decorations, it is a special time for many families who get together to remember loved ones who have passed. Children receive special treats and sweets and delicious food is enjoyed by all.

I taught the children how to make "papel picado", a popular form of decorating homes. We made garlands to use in the classroom and for our own parade.

The children saw many examples of the fancy and beautiful skulls and skeletons that are found everywhere in Mexican cities and villages. They made their own versions in Art class as well as making Sugar Skull cookies in class. Special thanks to Rebecca Sidelko for helping us by preparing the cookie dough. And special thanks to Yara Barbosa for making "churros", a popular Mexican cinnamon sugar breadstick for our classroom celebration.

They read about "calaveras de azucar", the sugar skulls that children look forward to receiving and eating during the festivities.

They learned about the "zenzúchitles", beautiful orange flowers commonly called Marigolds in the U.S.A. They symbolize the warmth of the sun which the families take with them to decorate and beautify gravesites.

They also learned about "pan de los muertos", the bread of the dead.

And saw many examples of how people celebrate the holiday with funny skeletons and parades. We will be having our own parade Thursday morning, Nov. 1st, at 8:00 am. We hope to see parents and friends there but if not I will definitely be posting photos and information about it on the blog.

See you all soon,

George

Halloween!! O Dia das Bruxas!!

2B 's costumed cheerleaders!!

Os torcedores de 2B fantasiados !!

Rodrigo's costume was fantastic!! He really played the part!

A fantasia de Rodrigo ficou fantastico!!

Ele realmente encorporou muito bem seu personagem !

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. A little more than half of our

students came to the party. I would have liked to have seen everybody.

Our classroom pumpkin was very special. It became a part of my costume.

O Dia das Bruxas foi muito divertido este ano. Pouco mais da mitade dos

nossos alunos foram para a festa. Eu tivesse gostado de ter visto todo mundo.

A nossa abobora foi muito especial. Virou parte da minha fantasia.

I became the Hamburglar!!!

Virei o Ladrao de Hamburguer!!

Scary Elementary School Principal Joe Miller and his sweet wife Susan.

O diretor da escola primaria Joe Miller estava assustador accompanhado da sua meiga esposa , Susan.

Me & my buddies

Eu e os meus amigoes

Children's Day - A Week of Celebrations!!! Dia da Crianca - Uma Semana de Celebracoes!!!

Hello!! This was an amazing week of fun and excitement for the children. There were all sorts of things going on to help the children enjoy their day (week!!! lol!!). The children came to school in pajamas on Tuesday and in costumes on Thursday. Here are some of the costumes:

Oi!! Esta foi uma semana deslumbrante para as criancas, cheia de diversao e animacao. Houve muitas coisas para ajudar as crincas curtirem seu dia (semana!!! rsrs). As criancas vieram para a escola de pijama terca-feira e fantasiadas na quinta-feira. Aqui voces podem ver algumas delas:

Pedro Luiz was flying around the classroom making his cape fly out behind him. I could tell that he really enjoyed dressing up.

Pedro Luiz ficou voando pela sala fazendo a capa dele se extender atras dele. Deu pra ver que ele curtiu muito se fantasiar.

Pedro Henrique came as Batman and Eike was Scooby Doo.

Pedro Henrique veio de Batman e Eike foi o Scooby Doo.

Beatriz was Snow White and Daniela came as Jasmine from the Disney film, Aladdin. Dani was very proud of the fact that her mother had made her costume especially for her.

Beatriz veio de Branca de Neve e Daniela veio de Jasmine do filme Disney Aladdin. Dani mostrou muito orgulho do fato de que a mae dela foi quem fez a fantasia especialmente pra ela.


Maria came dressed as Tia Socorro!!! Very cute!!!

Maria se fantasio de Tia Socorro!!! Muito fofa!!!
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The children also watched a movie that is an old favorite of mine, The Goonies. I was really hopeful that they would like it and they applauded at the end which made me super happy. It is a great film about a group of kids who have a fantastic adventure looking for pirate's treasure. Ask your children about Sloth and Chunk.

As criancas tambem assistiram um filme que e um velho favorite meu chamado The Goonies. Eu quis muito que eles gostassem e no final, eles todos aplaudiram que me deixou super contente. Eh um filme legal sobre um grupo de amigos que vao atras do tesouro de uma pirata. Pergunte os seus filhos sobre o Sloth e o Bolao

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We also visited the Jorge Amado Theater to see the play Sera Que O Lobo Eh Mau?

There was a long wait for the bus but we were finally on our way. We sang songs on the bus and had a great trip. The kids were very patient and super happy despite all the waiting we had to do. They deserve our congratulations for their great behavior on the trip. They were wonderful representatives of our school.

Tambem visitamos Teatro Jorge Amado para assistir a peca Sera Que O Lobo Eh Mau? Houve uma espera longa para o onibus chegar mas finalmente estavamos ao caminho. A gente cantou cancoes no onibus e a viagem foi otima. As criancas foram muito pacientes e super felizes a pesar da espera. Eles merecem nossos parabens pelo seu comportamento fantastico. Eles foram excelentes representantes da nossa escola.

Leonardo and Jorge having a laugh!!

Leonardo e Jorge dando risada!!

Maria and Luanna...All smiles!!

Maria e Luanna...as duas sorridentes!!

Alice and Aila have very beautiful smiles.

Alice e Aila tem sorrisos lindos.

Arthus and Clayton...clowning around.

Arthus e Clayton...fazendo palhacadas.

Sweet Carol and Andrea were excited about the field trip.

A doce Carol e Andrea estavam animadas sobre a excursao.

We finally got to the theater and found out that we had to wait some more!! Pedro Neto went a little crazy!! Lol!

Finalmente chegamos ao teatro e descobrimos que iamos esperar ainda mais!! Pedro Neto ficou doido!! Rsrs!

We finally entered and were able to sit down inside the theater!!

Finalmente entramos e conseguimos sentar dentro do teatro!!

Lucky Eike was invited onstage to watch the show up close!!

Eike, o sortudo, foi convidado para o palco para assistir a peca de perto!!

The show was really well-done and we all enjoyed the amazing costumes and great actors.

A peca foi super bem feito e a gente curtiu bastante as fantasias fantasticas e as artistas talentosas.
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The children were also treated to a local dance school's renditions of several High School Musical songs. They were really spectacular. It made me feel good to see these young talented people enjoying themselves. Two of my former students were dancing with them. A great time was had by all. It was a wonderful end to a funfilled week.

As criancas tambem curtiram uma apresentacao de uma escola de danca aqui de Salvador fazendo rendicoes de musicas do filme High School Musical. Foi realmente espetacular. Eu me senti muito bem vendo esses jovens talentosos dancando e se divertindo tanto. Duas ex-alunas estavam dancando com eles. Todo mundo se divertiu. Foi um fim maravilhoso para uma semana cheia de diversao.

Marina and Gianpaolo having a good time at the show.

Marina e Gianpaolo curtindo as dancas e as musicas.

Talk to you all again soon,

Ate breve,

George