BCWLA Connections
May 2016
¡Cinco de mayo!
BCWLA Funding
Last day of Spanish classes
Reminder about BCWLA Library Books:
BCWLA at "Spring Fest"! -- Saturday, May 7th @ 11am-3pm
Happy Hour Fundraiser
Join us for a fun night out, in support of foreign language education for our elementary school students!
Click HERE to view the online invitation. ***Please share this Evite invitation link with any friends or family who may be interested in attending! We need your help and it's for a great cause!***
Saturday, May 21, 2016, 05:00 PM
The Doylestown Inn, West State Street, Doylestown, PA, United States
Help needed for last day of class!
2016-17 Parent Class Reps
* Acts as a liaison between parents and the class teacher.
* Provides an additional link between parents and BCWLA program director.
* Helps keep parents informed about social gatherings and fundraising events.
* Maintains a class contact list (to be used only for school matters).
* Promotes the BCWLA program in the school community and through social media.
Parent class representatives do not help other parents express concerns about their own children. This should be done directly between the parents themselves and the teacher.
If you are interested in becoming a BCWLA parent class rep, please contact Melissa at infobcwla@gmail.com
Curious about Arctic whales and how to catch a tarantula...
Ever since I was a child, I have been filled with a sense of wonder and curiosity for other people and places. I thank my parents and my teachers for allowing me to travel (whether literally or figuratively) to new places and explore the world. Knowing another language has helped me to fuel this curiosity by making it possible for me to easily adapt in new countries and form friendships with those who I may not have otherwise.
I hope that through the BCWLA program, more children will continue to connect and communicate with one another, forming positive relationships and experiences in this amazing world we live in, letting their curiosity and appreciation for the unknown lead the way.
Please join me in supporting the BCWLA by attending our evening event on Saturday, May 21st! If you are unable to attend, ask a friend or family member to go in your place, or feel free to send a tax-deductible donation. Every bit helps as we try to remain a self-sustaining, non-profit organization, dedicated to cultivating "awareness, curiosity and appreciation for world cultures" (from our mission statement, available HERE). Thank you!
Students' Creativity Shines!
- Barclay -- Students created an original play :-)
- Buckingham -- Shared odes on their favorite things!
- Cold Spring -- Shared odes on their favorite things & created tri-fold presentations!
- Kutz -- Most students shared odes on favorite animals (one person even brought in his pet iguana) and one student created a presentation on the planets!
- Linden -- Shared odes on nature and had a rockin' musical presentation about the seasons!
¡Fantástico trabajo! / Fantastic work!
BCWLA Crossing Borders: New Pen-Pal Project
World Language Academy teachers and students are excited to see what the responses will be, and what new friendships will be made through the process!
"Cinco de Mayo: What it is, history and why it's not Mexican Independence Day"
By Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/05/cinco_de_mayo_what_it_is_histo.html
Cinco de Mayo – celebrated the fifth of May – means Mexican food, drinks and lots of fun this week. But the history of the holiday isn't known to many in America.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army's 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War that took place from 1861-1867. Specifically, it marks the day when General Ignacio Zaragoza and a group of 2,000 ill-supplied Mexican soldiers defeated Charles Ferdinand Latrille, Comte de Lorence after French forces attack Puebla de Los Angeles, a small town in east-central Mexico. Five hundred French soldiers were killed in the battle; fewer than 100 Mexican soldiers were killed. The victory became a rallying cry for Mexican forces.
The celebration later spread to California as Mexican immigrants arrived in the state. It grew from there to the rest of the country in the 1940s. In Mexico, it is most often called "El Día de la Batalla de Puebla" or the Day of the Battle of Puebla. Puebla still celebrates the day with a reenactment of the battle.
Today, the holiday is celebrated more in America than Mexico, complete with traditional foods, music and festivals. Many Americans, however, confuse May 5 with Mexican Independence Day though in fact Mexican independence was declared 50 years before the Battle of Puebla. Mexican Independence Day is commemorated on Sept. 16.
The largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the U.S. is held in Los Angeles.
(Photo -below- by Press-Register, Mike Kittrell): Fourth grade P.A.C.E. (Pursuing Academics Through Creativity and Excellence) gifted program students Chance Kimbrough, 10, left with back to camera, and Keith Law, 10, right, perform a Mexican hat dance during a Cinco de Mayo festival at Dunbar Magnet School organized by fourth and fifth grade P.A.C.E. students at the school on Monday, May 5, 2008, in downtown Mobile, Ala.
1) Mole Poblano
Mole Poblano is the iconic dish of Puebla. (Photo courtesy of Chantal Martineau).
2) Chalupas
3) Chiles en Nogada
Read more about these traditional cinco de mayo foods at Smithsonianmag.org
About BCWLA
Email: infobcwla@gmail.com
Website: www.buckscountywla.org
Location: PO BOX 527, Furlong, PA 18925
Phone: (267) 225-1587
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCWLA