Announcements

PARENTS, STUDENTS: Costumes for the Posadas program must be in by Monday, December 17th, for our dress rehearsal. The actual program is on Friday, December 21st in the morning. Costumes should stay in Ms. Marshall's room from the 17th until the program.

SPANISH CHRISTMAS MASS: A Spanish Christmas Mass (Our Lady of Guadalupe) will be held on Wednesday, December 12th, at St. Paul's Cathedral in Oakland. The actual Mass begins at 7:00, but I recommend getting there by 6:30 to hear the special Mariachi band music. The Mass is wonderful - very lively, in both Spanish and English, there are costumes and flags from all of the 21 Spanish speaking countries, very colorful. It will make you feel like you are in another country for the evening. Our students know the prayers and some of the songs that will be used in the Mass and will be able to participate in Spanish. Also, our students are often asked to join the procession and carry flags from the countries. This Mass is so special that I offer a test grade of an 'A' to the students who attend the entire Mass as I feel the experience is worth it. If your child would like to attend, but doesn't have transportation, please contact me as I can often find someone willing to transport students.

PARENTS: HANDWRITING GRADES: The handwriting grades for grades 5-8 is for ALL writing done in the classroom, whether in cursive or print. Students are graded on legibility and correct cursive/print strokes. The handwriting grade DOES NOT COUNT AGAINST THE GPA OR HONOR ROLL GRADES.

 PARENTS: PLEASE SEND AN INDEX CARD ALONG WITH WHATEVER DISH YOU PREPARE FOR CINCO DE MAYO STATING THE NAME OF THE DISH AND REHEATING INSTRUCTIONS. ALSO, PLEASE LABEL YOUR DISHES AND SERVING SPOONS SO THAT THEY CAN BE RETURNED TO YOU. THANK YOU!

PARENTS AND STUDENTS: PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO FIND THE RECIPES FOR CINCO DE MAYO. ALL OF THE RECIPES ARE SIMPLE! WE ARE GOING TO MAKE: GAZPACHO, YEMAS DE SANTA TERESA, SPANISH RICE, CHICKEN ENCHILADAS, SAN JACOBO, AND FLAN. PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD LET ME KNOW WHICH RECIPE WILL BE MADE FOR MONDAY, MAY 7TH'S CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION. (IF YOU HAVE CLEARANCES AND WOULD LIKE TO HELP WITH THE CELEBRATION, PLEASE CONTACT ME BY EMAIL AT: nmarshall@spsangelway.org  )

Some time soon, the 6th grade will be watching a 60 Minutes documentary on bullfighting. This is an opportunity for students to learn about the history of bullfighting in Spain, its importance in the Spanish culture, why some see it as an art but others see it as cruelty, and why public opinion is changing the course of the "sport." I am "pro-animal" but I think it is important for students to understand the "sport" and be able to form and express their own opinions about bullfighting. I will need a note or email from you giving your permission for your child to view the documentary. If you would prefer that your child not see the film, I will make arrangements for your child to be out of the room and to do other Spanish work on the two days that we watch and discuss the film, then write about it. This is a 60 Minutes production, so it was heavily edited for television; I will further "edit" some clips that I feel may be a little much for young children. Please contact me ASAP through email or note, either giving or rejecting permission for your child to see the documentary. Thank you.

Contact information for Ms. Marshall:
	nmarshall@spsangelway.org,       
School number: 412-928-2742, extension 4 (Please leave a message, and I will
return the call when I am able to do so.)
Spanish homework page is the 6A classroom homework page on the classroom
websites at: spsangelway.org


PARENTS: Please be certain that your child has a Spanish/English dictionary
for school. The one I recommend is the Webster Spanish English dictionary 
withthe green cover in the mid size. It has all of the words that the 
students will need. Some of the other dictionaries, including the Webster
dictionary with the yellow cover, have a limited source of vocabulary and are
insufficient for student use.

Also, if your child attended St. Philip middle school Spanish previously, he
or she should have made a picture dictionary (and a verb tense binder if in 
7th or 8th grade) and should bring those materials to class with them this 
year.

PARENTS AND STUDENTS: Please utilize the 6A homework page for Spanish
assignments. I try to list most of the vocabulary, prayers, and assignments
there. The format isn't the best, so it can be a little difficult to read, 
but scroll down to see the work listed for each week. If you can't find what 
you are searching for, scroll down until you find the week in which it was
assigned. Check it often, please, to stay current with your assignments. 


PARENTS: PLEASE DO NOT USE MY EMAIL ON YAHOO!!! (spsnmarshall@yahoo.com)
I am having MAJOR problems with it, both at home and at school. Please 
contact me at: nmarshall@spsangelway.org     Thank you.

PARENTS: If your child is absent or tardy, you must send in an excuse on the
school's form, which is available on SPS Angel Way website. Please include 
theactual date of the absences or tardies. Please be aware that morning
detentions will be given if your child is arriving tardy 5 times within a
9-week period.
























PARENTS: Please be aware that the handwriting grade does not count in the 
Grade Point Average (GPA), Principal's Award, or honor roll for your child. 
It is simply an assessment of all handwriting over the quarter, including
printing, cursive, neatness of all writing in assignments and classwork. 
Also,the assessments of Satisfactory and Needs Improvement are supposed to 
beentered with 100 and 70 points, but it does not mean that your child has 
an "A" or "D" equivalent in handwriting; the scores are simply converted to 
S or NI. We hope to see handwriting improve over the year. I believe that 
you willsee improvement reflected in improved skills or in assessment scores 
moving from NI to S. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact 
me. Thank you.




PARENTS: QUIZLET IS A WONDERFUL STUDY TOOL FOR YOUR CHILD. I HAVE PURCHASED 
MYACCOUNT WITH QUIZLET AND HAVE OPENED IT UP TO YOUR CHILD. PLEASE MAKE SURE
THAT YOUR CHILD FOLLOWS ALL OF THE DIRECTIONS LISTED BELOW. DIRECTIONS: ALL
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS: PLEASE GO TO QUIZLET.COM AND SIGN UP FOR A NEW 
ACCOUNTFOR SPANISH UNDER YOUR GROUP NUMBER. SIGN UP FOR STAMARSHALL CLASSES 
UNDERYOUR GROUP. CHOOSE A USER NAME THAT I WILL RECOGNIZE, I.E. NMARSHALL OR
NANCYM (YOUR FIRST INITIAL AND LAST NAME OR FIRST NAME AND LAST INITIAL). IF
SOMEONE ALREADY HAS THAT NAME, PUT YOUR CLASS NUMBER AFTER IT. IF I
DON'T RECOGNIZE YOUR ACCOUNT AND WHO YOU ARE, YOU WON'T GET CREDIT FOR YOUR
WORK.YOU MAY CHOOSE ANY ICON (THAT'S THE FUN PART) BUT I MUST KNOW WHO YOU
ARE. SEND ME A REQUEST, AND I WILL ACCEPT YOU INTO THE CLASS. WRITE YOUR 
USER
NAME AND PASSWORD, ALONG WITH YOUR NAME ON A FULL SIZE SHEET OF LOOSE LEAF 
AND
TURN IT IN TO ME. 




PARENTS: Please supervise your child's study of Spanish. Much of the time, 
it will be reviewing the words we are working with in class. Even after 
students are tested on the words, they must continue to study them so that 
they  don'tforget them. These are the basic vocabulary words that they will be 
working with for three years in middle school, as language skills "build" on 
each other. Thank you for your help with this. 
















RECIPES FOR CINCO DE MAYO:



PUERTO RICAN FLAN: (quick and easy!)

Place 1/2 cup of white sugar dry into a pan without any oil or liquid. Over a 
medium high heat, allow the sugar to begin to melt and liquefy. As soon as it 
begins to liquefy, begin stirring it and don't stop until it becomes a light 
caramel shade. Pour into the bottom of a pan (I use a glass baking dish, 
8x8.) Tilt the pan to allow the hot sugar syrup to coat the bottom of the 
pan.

Next, in a blender on high for 2 minutes, combine the following:
1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, a teaspoon of 
vanilla, 3 or 4 level tablespoons of flour, 4 eggs, and 1 cup of cottage 
cheese or ricotta cheese.

Pour the contents of the blender over the caramelized sugar. Carefully place 
the pan in a larger pan with about an inch to an inch and a half of water. 
Cover with foil and put into a cool oven and turn the temperature to 400 
degrees. 

Bake for 1 hour until the center becomes a firm pudding consistency. After 
cooling, refrigerate well. Serve cold. Scoop out the pudding and top with 
some of the syrup from the pan. Enjoy!





Yemas de Santa Teresa (Spanish yemas soft cookie/candy) (THEY ARE YELLOW AND 
A 
BIT GOOEY; IT'S NOT A MISTAKE!)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6-8 balls
Ingredients:

    3 oz (75 ml) water
    1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar
    peel from 1/2 lemon
    6 egg yolks
    1 cup approximately, powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)

Preparation:

Make the syrup. First, measure the water and sugar into a medium sauce pan.
Dissolve the sugar, while bringing the water to a boil. (Add the lemon peel 
if
using.) Continue to simmer until the mixture is a thick syrup, stirring 
often.
Remove from heat, and remove peel.

Separate the yolks from the whites and reserve the whites to make Rioja Wine
Sorbet or another recipe. Using a whisk, lightly beat the egg yolks.

Pour the beaten egg yolks into the sauce pan with the syrup. Put the heat on
the lowest setting, and stir the mixture slowly and continuously for 3-4
minutes with a whisk, until the yolks begin to solidify. (The mixture will
start to pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan as it cooks.) Remove
from heat and spoon onto a plate. Allow to cool.

Once mixture is cool, sprinkle powdered sugar through a sieve onto a
countertop or stone. Place yolk mixture on top and roll it to cover in 
sugar.
Pinch off a small bit of yolks (about the size of a golf ball or walnut). 
Use
your hands to roll it into a ball, covering it in powdered sugar. Roll all 
the
mixture into balls, adding more powdered sugar if needed. Place yemas on a
plate and chill in refrigerator. The powdered sugar on the outside will form 
a
small crust as the balls cool. Serve on a platter, or place in candy cup
papers (1-1/4" base, 3/4" wall).
More Traditional Spanish Sweets





San Jacobo
A "San Jacobo" is a popular "merienda" (afternoon snack) or tapa in Spain. 
It consists of a slice of cheese between 2 slices of cooked ham, which is 
breaded and then fried. It is delicious when the outside is crispy, while the 
cheese inside melts between the slices of ham. Could the "San Jacobo" be 
Spanish fast food? It's delicious, easy to prepare and economical. Sounds 
like 
the perfect snack for beginning cooks or college students looking to prepare 
something different.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
•	8 slices (about 4" x 4") of cooked ham 
•	4 thin slices cheese
•	1/2 cup unbleached white flour 
•	1/2 cup bread crumbs
•	2 eggs 
•	2 Tbsp water 
•	8 oz (1/4 liter) olive oil for frying 
Preparation:
This San Jacobo tapa recipe makes 4 servings as an appetizer or snack.
Ingredient Notes: Ham slices should not be paper thin. The slices should be
thick enough to handle without tearing while handling. Use any soft cheese
that melts easily, such as Swiss, etc.)
Lay 4 slices of ham on clean work area or counter. Lay a cheese slice on 
each
ham slice and another slice of ham on top.
Break the eggs into a medium size bowl or a small, open baking dish with a
flat bottom. Add water to eggs and beat with a wire whip.
Put flour and bread crumbs onto a dinner plate and mix together.
Pour enough oil into a medium frying pan to completely cover the bottom. 
Heat
on medium. When oil is hot, bread the ham and cheese: Dip the ham and cheese
into the beaten egg and then dredge in the flour and bread crumb mixture. 
Fry the San Jacobo in the oil until golden brown and turn over and fry on
second side. Remove from the frying pan and place on a paper towel to drain.
Repeat the breading and frying with each of the other 3 San Jacobos. Serve 
hot
accompanied by bread.



Easy chicken enchiladas
Ingredients
•	3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
•	2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
•	2 cups chopped cooked chicken
•	2 cups sour cream
•	1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
•	1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
•	2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
•	1/4 teaspoon pepper
•	1/8 teaspoon salt
•	10 (8 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
Directions
1.	In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack 
cheese,
chicken, sour cream, soup, chilies, onion, pepper and salt. Spoon about 1/2
cup off center on each tortilla; roll up. Place seam side down in a greased
13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. 
2.	Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle 
with
remaining cheddar cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. 
Let
stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

(optional for the enchiladas) Fresh salsa for enchiladas 
Ingredients
•	4 large tomatoes, diced
•	1/2 large onion, minced
•	3 cloves garlic, chopped
•	2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
•	1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
•	2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
•	salt to taste
Directions
1.	In a small mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro 
and 
lime
juice. Add jalapenos 2 teaspoons at a time, tasting after each addition to 
see
how hot the salsa has become. Jalapeno peppers vary in heat, so it is
important to taste the salsa to ensure you do not make it too hot to handle.
Salt to taste. Enjoy! 




Easy Gazpacho soup recipe
•	6 -8 tomatoes , chopped (Roma or plum are best Don't lose the 
juice!) 
•	1/2 large white onion , chopped finely (red is a nice alternative) 
•	1/2 large white onion , chopped in 1/4 inch chunks 
•	2 small cucumbers or 1 large cucumber , chopped 
•	salt (preferably sea salt) 
•	fresh ground black pepper 
•	virgin olive oil 
•	1 lemon, juice of 
•	chopped basil or cilantro (preferably fresh) 
•	2 cloves garlic (or a tablespoon of diced garlic from a jar) 
Directions:
1.	Dump 1/3 cup olive oil and lemon juice into a blender or food 
processor.
2.	Add the vegetables, then the seasonings.
3.	I start w/ a little add more after I've mixed it all up.
4.	Use the"chop" or"grate" function until the gazpacho is soupy but 
still has
some good sized chunks.
5.	Taste and then add more salt, pepper, oil or basil to your 
preference.
6.	I usually serve this*very* cold as a summer appetizer or meal w/ 
tabasco
and parmesean cheese on the side, and some good crostini or bread.


EASY SPANISH RICE

Cook 3/4 cup of rice in 1 1/2 cup of water.

Saute together: 3/4 cup of chopped onion and 1/2 cup of green pepper

1 LARGE can of Dei Fratelli seasoned diced tomatoes (they have mild green chile peppers in them)

1/2 or 1 pound of smoked sausage sliced and fried (Eckeridge is good for this recipe)

After cooking rice, sauteeing onion and pepper, and frying sausage, combine them all with the can of tomatoes, let them come to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Salt and pepper if desired. 


PLEASE DO NOT USE RECIPES BELOW




































Easy chicken mole
Ingredients
•	2 tablespoons olive oil
•	1 onion, chopped
•	3 cloves garlic, chopped
•	2 tablespoons chili powder
•	1 teaspoon ground cumin
•	1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•	1 can diced tomatoes, drained
•	1 bell pepper, chopped
•	2 chipotle peppers, roughly chopped
•	1 (10-ounce) can chicken broth
•	2 tablespoons peanut butter
•	2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
•	1 (5-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
•	Toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), for garnish
•	White rice, for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until
translucent. Add garlic and spices and continue to saute to toast and 
develop
flavor. Add diced tomatoes, peppers, chipotles, broth, peanut butter, and
chocolate. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain and puree until smooth.
Sear the chicken in a heavy bottomed hot saute pan over medium-high heat 
until
browned on both sides. Add to casserole dish, cover with sauce and braise 
the
oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Garnish with pepitas and serve with white 
rice.

SPANISH FOODS RECIPES:  ENJOY!  :)

SPANISH YEMAS DE SANTA TERESA:

Yield: 6-8 balls

Ingredients:
•3 oz (75 ml) water
•1/2 cup (100 gr) granulated sugar
•peel from 1/2 lemon
•6 egg yolks
•1 cup approximately, powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)

Preparation:


Make the syrup. First, measure the water and sugar into a medium sauce pan. 
Dissolve the sugar, while bringing the water to a boil. (Add the lemon peel 
if using.) Continue to simmer until the mixture is a thick syrup, stirring 
often. Remove from heat, and remove peel.

Separate the yolks from the whites and reserve the whites to make Rioja Wine 
Sorbet or another recipe. Using a whisk, lightly beat the egg yolks. 

Pour the beaten egg yolks into the sauce pan with the syrup. Put the heat on 
the lowest setting, and stir the mixture slowly and continuously for 3-4 
minutes with a whisk, until the yolks begin to solidify. (The mixture will 
start to pull away from the sides and bottom of the pan as it cooks.) Remove 
from heat and spoon onto a plate. Allow to cool. 

Once mixture is cool, sprinkle powdered sugar through a sieve onto a 
countertop or stone. Place yolk mixture on top and roll it to cover in 
sugar. 
Pinch off a small bit of yolks (about the size of a golf ball or walnut). 
Use your hands to roll it into a ball, covering it in powdered sugar. Roll 
all 
the mixture into balls, adding more powdered sugar if needed. Place yemas on 
a plate and chill in refrigerator. The powdered sugar on the outside will 
form a small crust as the balls cool. Serve on a platter, or place in candy 
cup papers (1-1/4" base, 3/4" wall).  (THESE ARE YELLOW AND GOOEY; IT'S NOT A 
MISTAKE!)



SPANISH WEDDING COOKIES: 

Original Recipe Yield 3 dozen
 
Ingredients

    1 cup butter
    1/2 cup white sugar
    2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    2 teaspoons water
    2 cups all-purpose flour
    1 cup chopped almonds
    1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

    In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla and water.
Add the flour and almonds, mix until blended. Cover and chill for 3 hours.
    Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
    Shape dough into balls or crescents. Place on an unprepared cookie sheet
and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool
on wire racks. When cookies are cool, roll in confectioners' sugar. Store at
room temperature in an airtight container.



MEXICAN SWIZZLE STICKS

    1 (1 ounce) envelope premelted chocolate
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 cup confectioners' sugar
    1 ounce premelted chocolate
    4 teaspoons milk
    1/4 cup colored crystal sugar or 1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles or 1/4 cup
finely chopped nuts

Directions:

    1
    BASIC COOKIE 

    1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine , softened
    1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
    1 egg
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour



    2
    Cream butter and sugar.
    3
    Beat in egg and vanilla.
    4
    Add flour slowly, and mix well.
    5
    Divide in two. (Then follow the next steps #15-24 for the Mexican 
Swizzle
Sticks)
    
   
    15
    MEXICAN SWIZZLE STICKS.
    16
    Preheat oven to 375.
    17
    Mix into 1/2 basic cookie dough- premelted chocolate and cinnamon.
    18
    Using star plate cookie press, for 4 inch fingers on ungreased baking 
sheet.
    19
    Bake 5-7 minutes, or until set.
    20
    Cool.
    21
    Drizzle with chocolate glaze made as follows.
    22
    blend confectioners sugar, premelted chocolate, and milk.
    23
    Sprinkle with colored shot, chocolate shot or nuts.
    24
    Or, if desired, dip ends in or dust with Cinnamon/sugar made by blending
1/4 cup confectioners sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.