Bilingual/ESL Department E-Newsletter Bilingual/ESL Department E-Newsletter Above the Bilingual/ESL Department surprised Ms. Fabiola Avena, Bilingual/ESL kindergarten teacher at Hopper Primary. Ms. Avena was the winner of the district HAABE (Houston Area Association for Bilingual/ESL Education) elementary bilingual teacher of the year competition. More information on the HAABE district and campus Bilingual/ESL teachers of the year competition on pages 2-4. Congratulations Bilingual and ESL Teachers of the Year! Message from the Director of Bilingual/ESL Education Dear Administrators and Teachers: Welcome to the third issue of the Bilingual/ESL department E-newsletter. March has been a short, but eventful month. As our bilingual/esl team visits campuses, we continue to notice the outstanding tasks students are engaged in. This month s newsletter showcases the winners of the campus and district HAABE (Houston Area Association for Bilingual Education) bilingual/esl teacher of the year competition. Congratulations to all of you! We are excited about the cadres of bilingual/esl teachers who are working to create the curriculum scope and sequence for Spanish Language Arts and English as a Second Language. Thank you to the principals for sharing pictures of best practices they observe in the classrooms. Issue # 3, March 2015 Teachers, Thank you for all you do for our ELLs!! Save the Dates: April 16 th Bilingual/ESL PLC at Travis Elementary 4:00-5:00 p.m. We will recognize all bilingual and ESL HAABE campus teachers of the year. April 1 st -May 23 rd PK-12 th OLPT testing window. Pilar Moreno-Recio
Elementary Gold Medals to all Campus Bilingual/ESL Teachers of the Year Secondary Campus Bañuelos Harlem Teacher Christopher Padron-5th Sandra Lewis-5th Campus GCM TEACHER Lesley Crawford-10th Highlands Elem. Hopper Victoria Walker Bowie Crockett DeZavala Myrna DeAvila 4th Fabiola Avena-K Violeta Hernandez-3rd Tania Reinecke-K Sonia Ojeda-3rd Cynthia Chavez-3 rd Angela Arabie-ESL Sterling LEE Highlands Jr. Cedar Bayou Natalie Heckman,-9 th - 12 th Kayla Logan-10th Nancy Bonds-6th Anissa Cantin-8th Alamo Austin Mariana Bailey-4th Sobeida Rodriguez-2nd Gentry Angela Putnam-7th Clark San Jacinto Travis Maria De Leon-PK Soledad Hardin C.-2nd Perla Reyes-K Kristi Warren- ESL Baytown Jr. Horace Mann Emilee Morales-6th, 7th, 8th Kaley Jagnanan-6th Ashbel Smith Maria Fierro-1st Lamar Blanca Valerio-3rd Carver Ana Garcia-2nd Pilar Moreno-Recio, Director of Bilingual/ESL Education; Ginger McKay, Director of Federal Programs; Jazhel Méndez, Bilingual Elementary Specialists; Leslie Ramírez, ESL Secondary Specialist met to review and rate campus bilingual/esl teachers of the year portfolios. 2
DISTRICT HAABE ESL SECONDARY TEACHER OF THE YEAR Ms. NaTALIA HECKMAN ESL ELAR TeaCHER Ross Sterling high school As a secondary ESL teacher, I am responsible for developing my students language skills in all domains: reading, writing, speaking, and listening I always consider the needs of my students when I build my lessons. Working with students of different levels and needs made it clear that planning has to be done with the end result in mind I believe that with proper instruction and commitment to success, no goal is unreachable. I believe perseverance and persistence are the necessary qualities for learning and teaching When the students may feel overwhelmed and ready to give up, my job is to make them see the light at the end of the tunnel Being mindful of the students proficiency levels and backgrounds prevents stress for both the student and the teacher and lowers the affective filter, another crucial concept in teaching ELLs. Having realistic expectations and adjusting the teaching style to the students mode of learning creates a climate of understanding. Natalia Heckman Goose Creek CISD ESL Secondary Teacher of the Year Above, the Bilingual/ESL Department Team at the surprise bash for Natalia Heckman. ESL Secondary Teacher of the Year. The Bilingual/ESL Department team presented Ms. Heckman with a certificate and a bouquet of flowers. Thank you Ms. Julie Mcreynolds, Sterling High School Dean of Instruction for your support. Thank you to Black Orchid Flower Shop for the beautiful bouquets of flowers donated for our district Bilingual Elementary and ESL Secondary Teachers of the Year!
DISTRICT HAABE ELEMENTARY BILINGUAL TEACHER OF THE YEAR Ms. FABIOLA AVENA Bilingual kindergarten TEACHER HOPPER PRIMARY SCHOOL As a teacher, I participate every day in the creation and preparation of a group of individuals that will give back to our community, and in the near future, back to our country. As a bilingual teacher, I believe every child has the potential to learn, the right to explore, the right to dream and reach their goals As an educator, I have to constantly remind my students to keep two words out of their vocabulary and most important out of their minds, I cannot. I want them to learn to be stronger and to keep on trying until they reach their goal. Fabiola Avena, GCCISD Bilingual Teacher of the Year Ms. Pilar Morenor-Recio, Director of Bilingual/ESL Education, providing Ms. Avena with a certificate and a bouquet of flowers. Congratulations Ms. Avena! Thank you Ms. Beatrice Baca, principal at Hopper Primary School for your support. 4
Bilingual/ESL Teachers Curriculum Cadres Jessica Amezcua Gallegos Lilia Vasquez Blanca Valerio Maricruz Rodríguez Wendy Madrid Adriana Cortez Zenteno Esmeralda Cantu Fabiola Avena Adelaida Gonzalez Myrna DeAvila Perla Reyes Claudia Ovalle Orlando Arellano Maria Reyna Norma Dominguez Coral De Alba Helen Beltrán Chica Jessica Hernandez Martha Pacheco Kimberly Velasquez Zulay Trujillo Gabriela Llamas Araceli Garcia Kimberly Velasquez Araceli Garcia Thank you curriculum writers for helping build the Spanish Language Arts and the ESL scope and sequence for the district. Your commitment and work is appreciated! 5
. At Austin Elementary, Ms. Arellano s bilingual class recognizes the importance of using anchor charts to remind students of learning. Mr. Ojeda s bilingual class at Austin Elementary uses hands-on learning during language arts. Students sort simple and compound sentences and then get to create their own sentences. At Bowie Elementary, Bilingual PPCD teacher, Eva Gonzalez, along with one of her students enjoy the promethean board. She is utilizing the Unique Learning Systems that our special education department provided. Ms. Vega s classroom at alamo elementary uses hands-on learning. STUDENTS apply adjectives to a winter activity. At Victoria Walker the Extraordinary Explainers Wall located in the school main entrance is a testimony to the importance of writing. Students have to explain what they write and get to display their work at the school main entrance. Work is changed regularly to allow different students to show and explain what they write. 6