Newcomers Newsletter – Issue 19

a group K of smiling students on the bleachers for the soccer game.

KLIP Students Return to Classrooms 

Kalamazoo College students are looking forward to attending newcomer classrooms at Lincoln Elementary, Milwood Middle School, Phoenix High School, Oakwood Community Center, Loy Norrix and Kalamazoo Central. Both KPS and K College students have diverse backgrounds and speak many languages. It is fun to meet new people and learn about language and culture in the classroom. K College students will be at school, on field trips, at soccer games, and at events. There are more than 40 K College students in the Kalamazoo Language & Intercultural Partners or KLIP.  They will participate in Newcomer activities throughout the community taking pictures, assisting teachers, and writing articles for this newsletter. We hope you have fun getting to know KLIP while we get to know you! 


Headlines

Soccer Night at K Central

On Monday, September 30th, Phoenix High School played soccer vs Kalamazoo Central High School (KC) and Phoenix High school. There were loud cheers, and the crowd held colorful signs from Ms. Samit’s 4th hr at Phoenix.

Kalamazoo Central got an early lead. Phoenix fought hard to get two goals, but the game ran out of time before the guys could catch KC’s four. The game was well played, and the fans got a good show. The weather was beautiful, and it was a great night of family fun at the soccer game. Thanks for playing hard and way to go, team!  

two teams playing soccer. One team is wearing maroon jerseys while the other is wearing white jerseys.
A player looking up.

a group of students making posters.

players embracing each other on a soccer field.


Headlines

Soccer Vocabulary

  • Goal: a point in soccer 
    • EX: I scored a goal! 
  • Pass: to kick or throw a ball to a teammate 
    • EX: He passed the ball to Mohammed. 
  • Goalie: the player who stops the ball from going into the net for a score 
    • EX: The goalie blocked the shot and saved the game! 
  • Dribble: Move the ball down the field with short kicks 
    • EX: They dribbled from midfield to the goal. 
  • Yellow Card: a call from the referee that a player has done something wrong 
    • EX: The players fell and the ref called a yellow card on the defender. 
a player dribbling the ball.

a player shooting to the goal.

a player making a long pass during a soccer game.

a player dribbling the ball with their teammate running beside them.


Weather

Happy Fall!

The weather is starting to get colder in Kalamazoo! It’s time to start wearing warm sweatshirts, make hot tea, and get cozy on the couch to watch a fall movie or a sports game. There are plenty of fun things to do during the fall. Lincoln is going to the pumpkin patch on Oct 24 to pick apples, drink cider, and eat tasty doughnuts. Fall sports including soccer, football, and volleyball are great to watch during Fall, but also to play! Fall is also a time when Kalamazoo is its most beautiful with colorful leaves, cool air, and bright sunsets. Later this month, kids have Halloween and trick-or-treating and next month brings Thanksgiving. Fall is full of fun! 

a group of students standing behind a giant pumpkin.
students looking through a picture cutout of a Gull Meadow Farms barn while pretending to be farm animals.

a group of students pulling a rope.

a group of students playing "Barnyard Basketball" at Gull Meadow Farms.


School

Get ready for Gull Meadows!

Lincoln is going on a fall field trip on October 24. Students will ride buses with their teachers. They will spend the day learning outside! Gull Meadows is a farm outside of Kalamazoo. At the farm, children can pick apples and pumpkins and pet farm animals. It is not an ordinary farm, though! Gull Meadows also has fun activities for children. They can play on slides, dig in a corn bin, ride a children’s train, and climb on hay bales and tractors. After a fun day of play, they may get a special treat – Gull Meadows has donuts and apple cider!

Gull Meadow Farms website
students in waterproof ponchos walking to the Gull Meadow Farms store.

students in waterproof ponchos walking to the Gull Meadow Farms store.

a goat standing on a fence in the Gull Meadow Farms barn.


Around Town

Trick or Treat! 

Many students will celebrate their first Halloween in the United States this year! 

Halloween is a fun holiday where kids wear costumes and go trick-or-treating in the evening. Trick-or-treating is fun for the whole family, whether you go out in a costume or stay home to hand out treats. 

Important Information: 

  • Trick-or-treating starts around 6 p.m. 
  • Knock on doors with lights 
  • Stay together and watch for cars 
  • Don’t forget to say thank you! 
a teacher reading a story to a group of students while in costume for Halloween.
two students, one dressed as a mermaid and the other is dressed as the character, Ladybug from a children's show.

a student wearing a black panther suit playing with a motorcycle toy.

a teacher at the front of the class wearing a butterfly costume.


Ads and Resources

Looking for more high school sports?

Michigan High School Athletic Association logo

Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) has sports schedules for all our local Teams!

Phoenix logo
Kalamazoo Central logo
Loy Norrix logo

Kalamazoo Public Schools Calendar

DateActivities
October 10K-8 half day
October 11K-5 half day
October 21K-12 half day
October 24Lincoln Field Trip to Gull Meadows
October 31Halloween
November 1PK-12 no school

Contact and Acknowledgements

A picture of the KPS teachers

Lincoln Lower Elementary

Austyn Sabin
sabinA@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Lincoln Upper Elementary

Prajakta Apte
aptePS@KalamazoopPublicSchools.net

Lincoln Kindergarten

Courtney Horn
hornCB@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Milwood Middle

Kawther Mohammed
mohammedKS@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Phoenix High School

Mariam Samit
samitM@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Melissa Ottensen
ottesenMA@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Kalamazoo Central High School

Ayat Rizeq
rizeqAN@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Loy Norrix High School

Bright Egwim
egwimBO@Kalam9zooPublicSchools.net

Jen Kruger
krugerJL@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Julie Zabik
zabikJA@KalamazooPublicSchoofs.net

Oakwood Adult ESL

Maria Garcia
garciaMD@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Coordinator of Multilingual Services and World Languages

Dr. Wessam Abdelaziz
abdelazizWi@KalamazooPublicSchools.net

Acknowledgements

Teaching Volunteers

  • Elizabeth Aquino Lopez
  • Courtney Joaquin Martinez
  • Ali Armin
  • Martha Diaz Chavez
  • Inma Melon Dominguez
  • Sa’Niyah Bedell
  • Madyson Groth
  • Jerry Menez
  • Camila Benavides
  • Gus Horvath
  • Alex Mungai
  • Sotirios Bougioukos
  • Macy Ivins
  • Mary Oduor
  • Eleni Bougioukou


  • Kamani Jones Jr.
  • Mauricio Posey
  • Matthew Butterly
  • Braeden Lavis
  • Lisa Raddatz
  • Chris Cayton
  • Malick Lo
  • Sara Reathaford
  • Savannah Chapie
  • Alondra Lopez
  • Micahaia Reynolds
  • Josee Cooke
  • Dasia Lopez
  • Jaycee Rider
  • Nicklaus Coseo
  • Allan Martinez
  • Morgan Shearer


Instructor

Candace Bailey Combs

Design Director

Kathryn Lightcap

Layout

Calia Scivally

Editor

Mphumelelo Khaba

Kalamazoo College Center of Civic Engagement logo