MIR

🌟 Today we are excited to spotlight one of our Russian Immersion alumni, Nora Houston-Speckman! 🌟

Nora first walked through the doors of Turnagain as a curious little kindergartener and graduated from our Russian Immersion Program in 2025, earning the Seal of Biliteracy. She is now continuing her journey by studying Russian in college.

What makes us especially proud is that, even with a busy college schedule, Nora always finds time to return to Turnagain during her school breaks. She volunteers in our K–1 classrooms and has been an incredible help at our Russian Immersion Summer Camp.

Nora, thank you for your enthusiasm, patience, and genuine love for sharing the Russian language with our newest generation of learners. Your kindness, dedication, and willingness to give back to the program inspire our students and teachers every day.

We are so proud of everything you have accomplished and grateful that you continue to be such an important part of our Russian Immersion family!

🤩 Wow! What a wonderful day! 🤩

Today was the last day of our Russian Language Summer Camp, and what a special day it was!

🌎 We spent part of the day learning about North America, and guess what? We went on a field trip to the Alaska Zoo! A huge thank you to Maria Belozertseva for organizing this amazing trip. This was the first time our summer camp has ever visited the zoo, making it an especially exciting experience for everyone.

🚌 The children were thrilled to ride on a comfortable tour bus. During the ride, we sang Russian songs together, laughed, and enjoyed the journey. Everyone was happy and excited!
When we arrived at the zoo, we stopped by the gift shop and had a short conversation about souvenir stores in different countries, and the various types of money people use around the world.

🐅 The zoo was full of fun! We enjoyed seeing the animals, chatting with friends, and sharing our excitement throughout the day.

🌼 After returning to camp, we explored dandelions. Many of the bright yellow flowers had already transformed into round seed heads. The children delighted in blowing the seeds into the air, creating light and beautiful clouds floating in the breeze.

🗺️ To wrap up our day, we revisited our discussion about continents and created colorful flower crafts to help us remember them.

We enjoyed many more activities today, and we can’t wait to share them with you in our next post! Stay tuned! 📢 👀

Today We Traveled to Australia 🇦🇺

What an incredible day at our Russian Summer Camp! Our campers embarked on an exciting adventure to Australia, discovering the beauty, wildlife, culture, and traditions of this amazing continent.

🐨 The children were fascinated as they learned about Australia's unique animals, their habitats, and the sounds they make. One of the highlights of the day was our delightful puppet theater performance, presented by our wonderful helpers (вожатые). Through storytelling, music, and laughter, the children explored the fascinating world of Australian wildlife in a fun and engaging way.

🤩 The day was filled with dancing, singing, games, and joyful learning. Smiles and excitement could be seen everywhere!

🌼 During our nature walk to the park, campers collected sticks, flowers, leaves, grass, and other natural treasures. Back at camp, they eagerly transformed their discoveries into beautiful Australian-inspired walking sticks. Along the way, we carefully observed tiny creatures in nature, turning every moment into an opportunity for exploration and discovery.

🪼 To end our adventure, the children created adorable jumping jellyfish crafts that brought lots of laughter and creativity to the day. They were so proud of their colorful creations!
It was a wonderful day full of imagination, hands-on learning, friendship, happiness, and joy.

🗺️ 🎒 Tomorrow, our adventure continues as we travel to the Alaska Zoo! We are excited to meet amazing animals, learn about wildlife, and create even more wonderful memories together.

Our Summer Group Camp is around the corner. Camp will be at the Eklutna Lake Campground. We are looking forward to an amazing get together at the end of the school year!

School's out for summer! ☀️ Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic year. Go enjoy every second of your break!