Woodland Primary School Program Options for Kindergarten

Welcome! Stacey Anderson-Principal Elizabeth Burgess-Assistant Principal/Special Education Supervisor and Elizabeth Szepesi-Coordinator of Bilingual Education and Dual Language

Welcome! PTA Get involved! This organization supports our students and our school district. Parent Liason Tiffany Soler

Hooray for Full Day Kindergarten! Woodland Strategic Plan 2012 Feasibility Study Approved by the Board of Education on August 26, 2014 to implement for the school year.

Kindergarten Programs What is best for your child? Full Day Kindergarten or Dual Language Kindergarten

Primary Information for both programs Times: 9:20-3:30 p.m. Transportation Breakfast and Lunch Programs Special area classes Recess Common Core State Standards Socialization and Academic Growth

Full Day Kindergarten Balanced Curriculum: Direct instruction Workshop instruction Projects, learning centers, student centered activities Integration of art, music, physical education, technology and library media Development of Whole Child: Comprehensive program that honors the social/emotional development. Discovery, exploration, active learning, structured and unstructured play. All faucets of our planning are enhanced by the extension of our day.

Save the Date! March 7 th -Kindergarten Registration at the Primary School (8:00-2:00 p.m.) April 27 th -Incoming Kindergarten Information Night at the Primary School (6:00 p.m.) May 2 nd -Sneek Peak! Primary School (10:00-12:00 p.m.)

Contact Information Stacey Anderson Principal (847) Elizabeth Burgess Assistant Principal/Special Education Supervisor (847)

Woodland School District 50 Jan. 27, 2015 Dual Language Program

 Students learn two languages simultaneously  50-60% of students speak the minority language (Spanish)  40-50% of the students speak the majority language (English  Both groups are immersed in each others language (Two Way Immersion)  Students learn content based on the Common Core State Standards  Students also learn in both English and Spanish WHAT IS DUAL LANGUAGE?

 Develop high levels of bilingualism, biliteracy, and academic achievement in both languages for all students in the program.  Our program is for all students that have a wide range of academic and language abilities.  Achieve at or above grade level academic performance for both language groups by the end of 5 th grade.  Demonstrate positive cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors.  Develop a strong home-school partnership. PROGRAM GOALS

 Students have partner teachers  Teacher A will be a Spanish speaker and  Teacher B will be an English speaker  Teachers will be native speakers if possible. If the teacher is not a native speaker. He or she will have an excellent command of the language they are teaching.  Both teachers teacher content and language.  There is a strict separation of language unless a “bridging” lesson is taught.  Bridging connects the two languages and allows students to compare and contrast the languages. This aids in the acquisition of both languages. Woodland’s Dual Language Program

GradeEnglishSpanish KindergartenEnglish Language Arts Social Studies Spanish Language Arts Science Math 1 st gradeEnglish Language Arts Social Studies Spanish Language Arts Science Math 2 nd gradeEnglish Language Arts Social Studies Spanish Language Arts Science Math 3 rd gradeEnglish Language Arts Math Spanish Language Arts Science Social Studies 4 th gradeEnglish Language Arts Math Spanish Language Arts Science Social Studies 5 th gradeEnglish Language Arts Math Spanish Language Arts Science Social Studies

 Our program is a 50/50 content model taught by partner teachers.  The class will be composed of 50-60% of students who qualify for bilingual services and the other 40-50% will be English speakers or students who speak a non-Spanish language at home.  Teachers will maintain a strict separation of languages when teaching content in their respective classrooms.  Teachers will bridge major concepts and vocabulary learned in the target language after units of study.  Metalinguistics must be taught during and after bridging to explore the nuances of the language.  Cognate walls will be used.  Students will engage in simultaneous literacy. Every day the students will have English language arts and Spanish language arts. NON NEGOTIABLES

 Both native English speakers and native Spanish speakers benefit from becoming bilingual and bi-literate.  By the end of the program (minimum of six years) the dual language student will be able to read, write, speak and listen in both English and Spanish.  “Studies show that a multilingual brain is nimbler, quicker, better able to deal with ambiguities, resolve conflicts and even resist Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia longer.” bilingual/#ixzz2vDKq0LAW bilingual/#ixzz2vDKq0LAW  Higher scores on standardized tests.  Results from SAT test show students who studied a foreign language for four or more years outperformed their peers on verbal and math portions of the test (The College Board SAT, 2003).  Learning another language enhances your knowledge of your native language (Curtain & Dahlberg, 2004).  Increased demand for bilingual employees in all career fields.  Being bilingual can positively impact one’s income potential by up to 20%.  More apt to travel abroad. Spanish is spoken in 21 countries worldwide. BENEFITS OF BILINGUALISM

 Kindergarten Registration and Dual Language Lottery Registration  Date: Saturday, Mar. 7 th, 2015  Location: Primary Building  Time: 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.  Purpose: Kindergarten Registration. All families interested in the Dual Language Program must complete a preregistration form. This is the only way to get a number. Parents will be given a registration form. That form will get you a number for the lottery. Lottery numbers will be assigned and mailed home via USPS after the information night on March 11 th. See below. The lottery will be held on April 8 th. See below. Dual Information Night  Date: Wednesday, Mar. 11 th, 2015  Location: Primary Building  Time: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Purpose: At this meeting you will learn about Language Acquisition, Biliteracy, and more specifics of Woodland’s Dual Language Program. Both new parent and current parents of dual language students are encouraged to attend this meeting. Those families that did not complete a preregistration form on Sat., Mar. 7 th, 2015 can complete one this evening. Lottery numbers will be assigned and mailed home via USPS after the information night. IMPORTANT DATES

 Dual Language Lottery Drawing  Date: Wednesday, Apr. 8th, 2015  Location: Educational Support Center  Purpose: Parents who have a lottery number can be present as the numbers are drawn, but it is not necessary. The district uses a random number generator program to conduct the lottery. All results will be posted on the district website at  Lottery Confirmation Letter  Date: Letters will be mailed on Friday, April 24 th  Purpose: This letter is a confirmation letter. It will indicate if your child is placed into the Dual Language Program or general education. Parents must accept or reject the Dual Language placement, in writing, by May 15, A self addressed, stamped envelope will be provided to you. If this letter is not received by May 15, 2015 your child’s spot in the Dual Language spot will be lost and the next person on the wait list will be added. Please note that after first grade English-speaking students are not eligible to enter the Dual Language Program. IMPORTANT DATES

Contact Information Elizabeth A. Szepesi Coordinator of Bilingual Education & Dual Language Coordinadora del Programa de Inmersión Recíproca y Bilingüe Woodland School District N. Hunt Club Rd. Gurnee, IL THANK YOU