Introduction to Aldama Dual

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

What I Love about the Dual Program!

Current families: Please feel free to share something that makes you really happy about having your child enrolled in the dual language program.  To share, click on the "comment" button below this post, type what you'd like to share, choose "anonymous" or sign in with your gmail account, and then press "post" and voilĂ ! Thank you!

19 comments:

  1. My boy can speak, read and write in Spanish! Couldn't do that before kindergarten. I am so happy. So are his grandparents. Amir's Father - 1st grade.

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  2. I love that my kids can speak with our Spanish speaking neighbors better than I can already. I love that my son likes to count in Spanish when he is practicing the piano. I really don't love that Leo is cheating and has aced me out of the acapella performance :-)

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  3. What do I love about DL???? Maybe it's that my kids are singing sweet songs in espanol all the time. Maybe it's because I know that they are challenged in school and that they have the support to rise to the occasion. Maybe it's because the teachers are phenomenal. Maybe it's because the Principal is remarkably good. Maybe it's because the kids will have a second language (something that I DON'T) and I know that this will help them in everything they do. Maybe it's because I love the community we have -- (AldamaMama night is always fun). Maybe it's because I feel so much more a part of my neighborhood. I guess it's all of these... though I am sure I'll think of more reasons as soon as I finish this posting.

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  4. Yes, I remember... I love DL because the kids are great! I mean, really, Ava in her amazing accessories, Evelyn in her kindness to let Lulu sit in the middle, Xoelt in his broccoli-devouring, and on and on. My kids' friends are wonderful and I am thrilled that this will be their community for a long time to come.

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  5. I love that it assumes that kids are smart enough to learn and speak a language other than their own. As a multilingual person, I very much value the ability to think in more than one language; it makes so many other efforts easier. I am trying to teach my kids Ukrainian at home but can totally appreciate the greater efficiency of learning a language in a classroom setting. I only hope that the kids don't use their Spanish to talk about me in front of me...

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  6. Everything about it! The amazing, dedicated and hardworking teachers who text and email me at 10:00pm to let me know how my kids' day was and who know my kids and adapt their learning environment to meet their needs, the remarkable principal who is one of the most professional, efficient and fair people I have ever met (and who could easily run the country), the caring valet parents who dedicate every morning to greeting my kids (in both English and Spanish) and help them as they stumble out of my car, the supportive community that has grown around these kids and of course the fabulous Sra. Saenz who runs the program with fierce love and dedication... our family couldn't be happier!

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  8. I love DLP cuz: (1) Celeste is learning a language that makes her abuelitos proud; (2) we love to hear her sing all these new songs en Espanol (I got it all on video); (3) parents learn Spanish w/ their kids = brings them closer together; (4) whenever I pick her up @ school, I can feel the enthusiasm in the air by smiling kids, caring/intelligent teachers, supportive parents and a friendly principal.. Progress!

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  10. I love that our daughter all on her own made her great grandmother a birthday card in Spanish last week. She signed it with such endearing Spanish closures. Con Carino and drew a picture of her and wrote te amo on the front and wrote her whole birthday message in Spanish. My grandmother smiled brighter than I've ever seen her smile. Out of her 23 grandchildren, none of them could speak to her in Spanish. I love that my daughter is able to do something I can not. I love that she is closing a bridge. I love that her world is all ready bigger than ours because she can speak, read and write in two languages. From fighting us in kinder with not wanting to continue at a "spanish school", Ava is all ready planning out her next language to learn. This program is remarkable. Thank you for it.

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  11. and how hard was it to get all those kids sitting in one place for a picture?!?

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  12. I love how welcoming the school community has been to my son and our family. Rafa came to the Dual Language Program as a second grader--he left behind many friends and wonderful teachers at his former school, so I wondered if we were making a ridiculous mistake--if it ain't broke, don't fix it kind of thing. Plus, he only knew a handful of Spanish words.

    Four months into the program, Rafa is now reading Doctor Seuss books en espanol, singing Jose Luis Orozco songs, and coming home excited to tell me all about the things he did in school that day. I am grateful for his dedicated, hardworking teachers, his impressive principal, all the resourceful and involved parents, and all the friendly kids who played with Rafa from day one. I am also thankful to Ms. Saenz, director of the program, who visited us at home over the summer just so she could get to know Rafa better, allay our concerns, and help us with the transition.

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  13. I love how when my blonde-haired, blue-eyed 2nd grade daughter speaks in Spanish to the ice cream guy outside the school, his eyes open wide and, sizing us up, asks, "You are from Argentina?"

    NO! Aldama Dual Language!!

    That's how native her accent is.

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  14. Goodness, what to add to all the superlative--but true!--stuff that has already been posted? Just this: My daughter is really, really happy. And engaged and learning new stuff every day. This school offers a host of things that are hard to find, and to find them all together in one place-- you kind of have to pinch yourself. A partial list: incredible, committed teachers, a miraculous principal, devoted, creative parents, and an amazing group of kids. Plus art and science and ...

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  15. The community involved in the Aldama Dual Language program is what makes it stand out from other school experiences. We are all neighbors and we see each other around town. Parents are in discussion with one another (and of course with teachers) via email and even better-- we hang out in real time! There are potlucks at the park, cocktail parties, coffee dates, you name it.
    When you get involved in a community like this, the whole family benefits. What develops is deeper than a sense of pride or entitlement. We are nurturing a big, loving family.

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  16. Our shy daughter has blossomed in the Aldama Dual Language program. She is happy, confident, and proud of herself, and she just started kindergarten in September! The teachers and principal are amazing at what they do and we feel so lucky to have found this program.

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  17. I agree with all the above, and would just reiterate that the quality of the teachers is uniformly excellent. Beyond the great benefit of learning another language, Aldama also guarantees your child will have fantastic teachers all through elementary school. I also appreciate that the admissions process is effort-based rather than a luck-based lottery. If you get in line early enough, you're in.

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  18. I love the kids, I love the teachers, I love the principal, I love the parents! I
    The influence of my daughter's schooling has gone well beyond the classroom and I have loved watching my once timid kindergartener explode with confidence in almost everything she does. I credit her teachers and this program for showing her that she is smarter than she realized.
    The principal, Ms. Naval, genuinely knows each child and is so great.
    I really love how we have this great school, right here in my neighborhood, so on glorious mornings, we can walk!
    I love how all the parents in dual-immersion act as a team, to take care of our kids. I remember the first week of school, meeting the kids who were to be transported by van to an after school program to make sure they got on the bus, and every parent that was there made sure all the kids were accounted for and knew where they were going, regardless of if they were 'in charge' of that child.
    There's a strong sense of community in the dual classrooms, while being part of a larger public school, so you get the best of both worlds. Small community setting, big school functions!
    And the parents I know are all very cool, down to earth, and willing to support each other in school and personal endeavors.

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  19. I am a bilingual parent who has tried raising a bilingual child and had almost given up when my Sophia refused to speak Spanish. Last night for the 1st time ever, Sophia asked me to read her Brown Bear Brown Bear and Good Night Moon in Spanish!! She even repeated the words with me and my eyes started to tear up. What a proud Momma moment it was for me! And she was so proud of herself too. Thank you so much Aldama and Ms. Jung & Maestra Saenz!

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