WOOHOO Summer Vacation .. NOT

So, yes technically summer vacation has arrived! School ended for (almost) all the girls 2 weeks ago, except University girls and OVER 15 GIRLS WHO ARE IN REFORCAMIENTO!

reforcamiento = 2 weeks of summer school = YOU FAILED CLASSES.
This is like 1/4 of the girls in our hogar ! completely unacceptable, oh they got an earful from the hermana and those who failed had to stand in front of everyone while hermana lectured them on why they are here.-to study. One girl said so they can be better than their parents (which really struck me) and to make a future for themselves so they can support themselves after hogar life. So, they have homework time each day like normal and at the end of the 2 weeks, they have exams in these classes and if they pass they get to move on to the next grade, but if not, they have to repeat their whole year!!

3 girls have to repeat their whole year:
   1 is repeating again because she´s learning challenged so Ang and I have made it our goal to get her to pass this year and work more with her one on one. I´ll write a blog about her later, her story is interesting...
    The other, it´s her first year at the hogar, so when they come from a school out in the campo, they do not learn as much as others their age and sometimes need to repeat a year to catch up, she´s determined though I´ve worked with her in math, she´s getting really good.
     The third really frustrates me, she is in 6th grade. This coming year will be here THIRD year in 6th grade. She fools around during homework time and takes no responsibilty during class. I ask her what she learned today (they only have 3 classes a day ) and she can´t even tell me that. She never learned how to study, which is a problem, and with all the girls the tutors can´t spend one on one time teaching her how to study, so that´s another goal of ours, to work with her and get her to focus!! SHE FAILED ALL OF HER CLASSES, INCLUDING GYM!! HOW DO YOU FAIL GYM????? she´s gonna be a piece of work!

So, if you would like to read more about the education system here, check out my friend´s blog on education (angelamarierossi.com). She talks about how they go to school half a day and do homework we have to give them and how caligraphy = copying stories (which is fine to practice, but not all the time and they don´t even read what they are writing, except for every once in awhile. Those in 3rd and 4th read like they are in kinder, sounding out every letter).

Kinder graduation was 2 weeks ago and it was cute. All 3 of our girls are going to Kinder in Jan, they were actually in pre-kinder this year.
Confirmation for three of our older girls was this past Sunday at the big church. It was really nice.
High School Graduation is the 10th (we have 2 girls graduating, both leaving the hogar in Jan...talk more about that in another blog)

So yes, end of the school year is a little hectic, but it ends with a big early Christmas celebration with all of the girls before they leave for vacation, so I´m looking forward to that! Happy December everyone and Happy Advent.! God Bless!