Hello Friends and Family,

I can hardly believe I’m starting my 3rd year of teaching! A few updates: this past spring, I graduated with my Master's in Bilingual Elementary Education. After two years of teaching full-time during the day and attending grad school at night, I can finally say I'm a fully licensed teacher.

While I'm proud of myself, I know I couldn't have done it without the support of my community.

The start of the new school year means I'm getting ready to welcome a brand new class of kindergartners. And I need your help to make sure they feel welcome and have the supplies they need to become confident and curious readers.

Over the past two years, I've learned so much about how to teach kids to read and write in two languages. One of my favorite moments this year was watching a student go from struggling to recognize a single letter to reading his first decodable book. Another student, who never spoke in class, eventually was able to share her inner thoughts with me through her writing, showing me just how much she’d truly grown.

This year, I'm setting my sights even higher. My students won't just learn pencil grip, letter formation, and numbers 1-10, they'll learn it all in two languages, from day one. I'm raising the bar for myself too, teaching from a brand new Spanish phonics curriculum and building my skills as a Spanish phonics teacher right alongside them.

None of this happens without the right materials. This is why I'm raising money again this year, to stock my classroom with the books, supplies, and hands-on tools my students need to learn, explore, and grow. A big part of that is building a bilingual library, one that includes both fun decodable readers and stories where my students can see themselves.

Here's how you can help:

You can donate directly, or if you'd rather shop, check out our Amazon wish list. Help us stay healthy with Lysol wipes and hand sanitizer. Help us get organized with pencil boxes and timers. Help kids fall in love with reading by donating a reading teddy bear. Every little bit helps!

Here's the link to our Amazon wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/8EVYHXZ6S39S?ref_=wl_share

Thank you for believing in my students and me, year after year. I can't wait to share updates with you throughout the year.

With love,

Ms. Guzman