2005-2006 was a great year at ARCS in Spanish class! I cannot wait to continue building on the bases that we worked on last year. Your children are definately capable, and excitement helps learning.

I believe Spanish is a very important foreign language in our day and age in the United States of America and in Statesville, North Carolina. I am encouraging not only routine vocabulary memorization, but more than that oral comprehension and use of the language. It is nice to be able to read and write in another language, but to speak and understand Spanish is extremely useful! So, I ask you to encourage the use of Spanish in your homes, when you're at the store or in the park, etc... Whereever your family may be and you see persons speaking Spanish, encourage your children to say "hola" and use what they know.
 

Please remember, there are 21 Spanish-speaking countries, and nearly all of them are represented in this small community.Therefore, we must not assume that everyone who speaks Spanish is from MEXICO! Ask the people where they are from. They could be from Central America, South America, the Carribean Islands, or even from Spain! Iredell County is extremely rich in Hispanic culture, and we will be exploring that throughout the school year at ARCS.

OLE! (Hooray!) Our Spanish class has also moved from the garage at the Davie Avenue facility into the house. I am excited about the move, and I am sure that we will have a wonderful, new experience in our new room(s).

On a personal note, I am thrilled to announce that my husband, Israel, and I are about to be parents! We are in the process of adopting two sibling boys from Guatemala. Within the next few months, we will be travleing anew to Guatemala City to sign the final papers and bring the boys home with us. Their names are Josue Angel (9 years old) and Caleb Wilmer (6 years old). When they arrive, they will both attend ARCS as students and you will all have the opportunity to meet them. My husband and I are both ordained ministers and we have been pastoring at a local Hispanic Christian congregation for the past 9 years,
Iglesia Luz de Vida.

I am very happy to be beginning my second year at ARCS, and I have high expectations. Plan on having fun with your children and foreign language!