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

2B will be studying Cuba for the International Festival

Hello again!! I wanted to get a headstart on preparations for our annual International Festival here at PASB. This school year's celebration will be held in March 2008.

Oi, mais uma vez! Queria dar início aos preparativos para o nosso Festival Internacional, aqui na EPABA. Neste ano letivo, o festival será em março de 2008.

The kids will learn a lot about this special Caribbean country. I am very excited and have begun planning for both our studies as well as the musical presentation. I would like to ask you to keep your eye out for anything you think might be of interest to the class. This can be anything from pictures or informational materials to artifacts or objects related to Cuba.

As crianças aprenderão muitas coisas sobre este país especial do Caribe. Estou ansioso e já comecei a planejar, tanto atividades de aprendizagem como uma apresentação musical. Gostaria de pedir-lhes para ficarem atentos a qualquer coisa que imaginem ser interessante para a sala de aula. Pode ser fotos, posters, materiais informativos ou objetos naturais de Cuba.

I am positive that with a lot of preparation, organization and good will, this year's study and celebration of Cuba will rank amongst the best!!

Talk to you all again soon,

George

Estou certo de que, com muita preparação, organização e um grande desejo, o estudo e a apresentação deste ano, sobre Cuba, serão os melhores!!

Em breve falarei com todos vocês de novo,

George