We've made the decision to have Anne start at Alta View Elementary in their Spanish / English Immersion Program in August. They are just starting the program this year in 1st and 2nd grade. As the kids advance to 3rd grade, and so on, the program will grow to all the grade levels. Kindergarten will not be starting it this year, yet Jane will attend at Alta View Elementary with Anne and then begin the program in 2010-11 school year as a 1st grader.
We are tremendously excited to have them do this. We met with Ms. Shaw, the principle, this morning and we felt very good about the program, her, and the school in general. Anne and Jane were excited about it when we spoke to them about it last night. They both agreed last night that it was something that they would like to do yet we hadn't really push it. We just discussed it as an idea. After our visit with Ms. Shaw we came home and said a prayer together and all felt that this was the right move for our family. We are very excited.
We are thrilled that our girls will be learning Spanish. And as we continue in the program Kate and Hope will learn as well. What a blessing in their lives! Thinking back it took me, and still is taking me, so long to learn Spanish. This will be a revival for me and Liz as well to speak more often. (And those Spanish speakers in the family.)
The program schedule functions this way:
-Half day in Arts, Reading, Social Studies, music, etc. in English
-Half day in Math, Reading, Science, etc. in Spanish
They will have a English speaking teacher for part of the day and then a native Spanish speaking teacher for the second half.
The Canyons District is doing two other immersion programs in French and Mandarin Chinese. These two programs are being funded by a grant specified for immersion in the schools. The interesting part is that the Spanish/ English program at Alta View Elementary is NOT being funded by these same grants. The principle has sought and twisted other sources of funding to work for this. When the grants were funded there was NO allocation made for Spanish/English Immersion on the East Side of the Salt Lake Valley- it all went to the West Side of the valley. Its that just the funniest thing you've ever heard! I understand that there is a predominance on the West Side, but not a tremendous amount once you look at those that lay on the East Side of the I-15 corridor (Sandy, Murray, South Salt Lake, Holliday).
We are sad to leave Peruvian Park Elementary as we have loved Ms. Bond and also Ms. Prescott who taught Anne. Ms. Finlinson, the principle, is amazing and we will be sad to go. Additionally, I am going to be really sad to leave the school and the PTA. I don't know if I've mentioned it but in 2008-09 I served (just resigned this morning, bummer) as the Legislative VP and the Meet the Master Coordinator in the schools PTA. I learned so much and really was so happy to participate in the schools happenings. It was a real pleasure and honor. I am sad to leave Diana Bennett, our PTA President, behind with this spot vacated. I did let them know I'd continue to fill it until someone else was able to fill the role. Liz is sad not to do more with Meet the Masters, a program teaching students about the art masters (Escher, Homer, etc.), this next year-she was taking over as the Coordinator to fix my mistakes and would have done wonderful things with the program.
All in all this is a change and we love change in this family!
Viva Espanol (or better said Castellano!)
2 comments:
That sounds awesome! I wish we had that kind of opportunity down here in the land of a billion kids. :( We looked in to the charter school, but decided against it.
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