Spanish/PE Program
Update from Mrs. Hanson
Dear Caleb Families,
Our 2019 PYP Evaluation Report included the recommendation that we bring our single subjects, PE and Spanish, into better alignment with our Program of Inquiry. As such, I would like to share and explain some upcoming changes that are needed in order for us to actualize this vision.
Effective for the 2020-21 school year, the content taught during teacher prep time (two 45-minute sessions per week by contract) will be Spanish rather than PE. Classroom teachers in first through sixth grades will absorb the 100 minutes of required weekly PE instruction, providing physical education and movement opportunities for their own students with a special focus on alignment with IB elements. This decision was made by our staff based on the belief that our classroom teachers, with their deep knowledge of IB Standards and Practices and their grade level units of study, are best positioned to provide the kind of alignment needed to grow our program and prepare for our next IB PYP evaluation in 2024.
Our current model for Spanish is as an enrichment program, rather than teacher prep model, meaning Spanish is led by Señora Miller, who is a paraprofessional, and teachers attend Spanish with their classes. Effective next year, students will receive Spanish instruction from a teacher with a bilingual multiple-subjects credential in two 45-minute sessions per week while their teacher has their weekly prep time. This decision was made by our staff based on the knowledge that in order to continue to grow our Spanish program and align it with our Program of Inquiry, we need to leverage the qualifications and experience a credentialed bilingual teacher will possess.
These shifts in our current practices will impact our PE teachers and Señora Miller. Coach Wardlaw and Coach Roybal will be reassigned to teach PE at other sites within the district for the upcoming 2020-21 school year. As a paraprofessional, Señora Miller will retain her position at Caleb Greenwood for the 2020-21 school year. However, the scope of her work will shift to support of IB PYP and our full inclusion model.
Because this is a considerable shift for Señora Miller, our teachers and our students, we are using the final trimester of this year to pilot Señora Miller’s new role. As such, we are suspending our current Spanish model effective Friday, March 6, to be reconvened in September 2020 with a credentialed Spanish teacher. For the remainder of this school year, teachers will continue to support Spanish language development in their classrooms through the reinforcement of already acquired skills and vocabulary. Señora Miller will continue to be a valuable member of our learning community, yet the scope of her work will focus on IB PYP and full inclusion support.
Students in kindergarten will continue to receive weekly Spanish language learning opportunities with Señora Miller and their classroom teachers for the remainder of this year and next. Our Art and Music models remain unchanged.
As I’m sure you can imagine, these decisions have been difficult for our staff. While we get to keep Señora Miller at Caleb next year, her role will change, and we will have to say goodbye to Coach Wardlaw and Coach Roybal. I hope you join me in wishing them all the best and sharing your gratitude for all they have done for our students.
Sincerely,
Erin Hanson
Principal, Caleb Greenwood Elementary School
An International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program World School
916-395-4515