001Ok, let me know when I can give access to the families. Okay. Something I Oh, I put it in preview. I'm so sorry. Ok, I think we're No, I'm doing is to on nonstoping. Mar, you can let them in. I'm just trying to see why it's not. Okay, I'm going to go ahead. Okay. Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for being here. Thank you all for being here. We'll start in 2 minutes. That's all right. Are we going to get is everyone in? We are good to go. Yes, MissG. Yes, I am here. Good evening everyone. Thank you for joining us today to learn more about our dual language immersion program. I'm Miss Freer. I'm the director of couns here at Gunson Middle School. Um I have the rest of the school team um introduced himself.
002Slim. Hi everyone, Mrs. Delgado. I work with programs and community engagement. Dr. Sanchez. Hello everyone, welcome. My name is Erika Sanchez, I am the assistant principal of Gaston's school and I work with the eighth grade students. Hello everyone, my name is Erica Sánchez. I am the assistant principal for E grade at GT middle school and I oversee the ion program. Thank you, Misson. My name is Sharon. I'm the counelor for the Dunston Middle School program. Hello everyone in English. How are you? Good afternoon. I am the counselor for students learning English in grades 6, 7, and 8. Hello everyone, my name is Maria Romero, and I am from the bilingual family liaison. Hi everyone, my name is Romero. Family specialist language service. Marta here interpreter. Good afternoon. I am Marta Thompson and I will be
003here serving as an interpreter. Thank you very much for the language section, an informative section of the investment program at Gunsten School. Agenda free to along with English. This is what we do best is do language. We're going to explain what the immersion program is and what it is . So you will be able to know what it is about. What is that looks in Gun and how you can apply for this program. We're going to talk about the investment program, which is the most important thing, and how the program works at Gunsten School and how you, if interested, can also apply. Let's begin. Why is dual language so good and so important and what is du language that is 50% 50% of English other be in the target language that in this case Spanish.
004Ah, we have the opportunity in the immersion program to teach students in a bilingual model, 50% and 50%, 50 in English, 50 in Spanish, and it also gives students the opportunity to develop reading, writing, and listening comprehension in both languages. You will have the student will have the opportunity to develop those high levels in speaking, reading, writing, listening in both English and Spanish. The good thing is both resumes either in the traditional as in the immersion program, follow the APS curriculum content standards in both. I want to let you know that both the teachers and the county are teaching the class following this curriculum in classrooms in both languages. Also the objectives of the program, the objectives of the program to provide bilingual, academic and cultural competence. The three pillars of the program, the strongest
005objectives are to create bilingual and biliterate students, academic achievement and sociocultural competence. We have multiple schools in the district. We have two schools in the elementary school and we have only one in the middle school and one continues to the high school. The great thing about this is that you can see that route all the way to the end on that high school level having that opportunity here at GL school. The great thing about immersion schools is that we have two schools in elementary school, one in middle school, but this also continues and keeps growing all the way to high school in Wakefield. Here middle school, we have our principal Dr. Carol Jackson and principal that you just do Erica Sánchez. Here at Gunston School we have our principal Caroline Jackson and we also have
006our principal assistant who you just met, Dr. Erica Sanchez. We have a great support system. You will have the immersion program has their own counsel and department and their own support in addition with María Romero who is our bilingual families specialist. The immersion program has additional support. We have specialized advisors for the immersion program and for students who are learning the English language. And we also have our bilingual family specialist, Mrs. Maria Romeros, whom you have already had the opportunity to meet. to meet them at the beginning of the session. What do we have in our program? I I was telling you a little bit about that is a um model and the program is design of course to continue that Spanish language proficiency. Um it has to be in mind that the student is
007coming into the middle school understanding and learning certain amount of certain level of proficiency in reading, speaking, writing and listening all in Spanish. The program is designed to further develop that Spanish proficiency and is open, of course, to students who demonstrate adequate proficiency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening comprehension, all in Spanish. The enrollment like I explain before, it requires the students to have three courses in Spanish. The courses that we have in here in the three level six and e science, social studies and of course Spanish language arts. Enrollment in the program requires our students to take three courses in Spanish, which are science, social studies, and language arts. And those at all three levels: sixth grade, seventh grade, and eighth grade. to consider all the students that participate um of course is a
008partial immersion program like I explain before because 50 and 50 but it is the same curriculum of all the Arleton metal school so very competitive. All high school students participating in the partial Spanish immersion program follow the same core curriculum as those at each of the high schools in Arlington. I also want to let you know that bus transportation is provided for those who live within a mile and a half of Gen. So, transportation will be provided for those students. It doesn't matter how far you are or how close you are. Um, if you are further out of 1.5 miles, you will have transportation. more in depth into how is the life of a sixth grader if you're joining in sixth grade this is how it's going to look like and this is the schedule
009is a little bit different than the elementary school because the school hours start at 7 a and the school day is going to be all the way until 2:35 pm of course it is open the doors in here at 7:20 20 for those students who need that breakfast and of course lunch is provided and at what time they eat they eat a little bit early and they will have the opportunity to have either teacher office hours to get support they can also join sports and clubs and if you can see it is a little bit different on on the natural or the elementary school it is every other day they will have those periods and we call them purple days until days. Once the week in this case is on Wednesday they will be able
010to see all the teachers catch up do some work with those teachers on one day a week that they will have the opportunity to see all the teachers. What does a day in the life of a sixth-grade student look like? The school is a little different from elementary school because school starts at 7:50 in the morning and continues until 2:35 in the afternoon. Now our doors will be open at 7:20 in the morning with an early lunch for those sixth-grade students. If it can be fixed, we also have from 2:40 to 4:10. Students have the opportunity to see their teachers for office hours, they can play sports, or they can join any club. Our schedule is a little different. So, we have one day every other day you can see your classes and we call
011them purple days and blue- green days. And these days, the students can see one class one day, the other class the next day, but one day a week, which in our case is Wednesdays, they will have the opportunity to see all of our teachers. And here they can do it, right? In other words , check your grades, see if you need to improve in any class; this is also a time when you can talk to your teachers. The Spanish program, the core classes, you will have the opportunity to choose either from sixth grade you can choose intensified classes. So this is going to be uh very good if you are planning your student is planning to continue in high school a very strong curriculum or having some specific rigor starting with English and if you
012see you can also have that class English and intensified at that level like I mentioned before you will have those three classes in Spanish you will have um health op and one of the math class. matalebra intensi mathes from according to what that student is going to be placed at nuestro currículo o nuestras clases de contenido en el programa puedes tener el oportunidad de elegir un programa o una ruta eh de clases intensivodas. You can take those intensified classes starting with English, and as I explained earlier, you have those three investment classes that are in Spanish. You also have the opportunity for physical education or health and mathematics, whether it's math six or a math that can be a little intensified like pre-algebra. You could also have the opportunity to have two choices or two
013options for elective classes. We have one that is called the wheel. And it's good to know that the students take each class only for n weeks. So or one quarter they will rotate. So it gives the opportunity to the students to check what they're interested in and then they can take that class again in the future. However, within that year the classes cannot be repeated and the order of the electives cannot be chosen. It is just if I choose the will then you will be in that will. In the classes that you will be able to be in here is business and information. Family and consumer science, journalism that is amazing class, TED eg theater or drama and visual arts. We have two possibilities or two options for classes that are choice or electives and
014one we call the wheel and it is important to know that if you decide to take the wheel every 9 weeks or every term you can choose another other elective class. You also have to understand that they cannot be repeated and that you won't be able to choose the order of those selective ones, but you will have the opportunity to explore other classes you can have, business, singing, you can also work with family and consumer science, uh journalism, theater, drama or maybe even art. And our second option it is the full year. And this is more into you could see it into the music as well. But very important to know you can only choose one option and it's a full year elective and you cannot combine it with the class on the wheel. So
015you can choose one or the other. However, here you have orchestra, you have then beginning choir that you can also join. Our second option would be all year round, but it's important to know that you can only choose one option and it has to be all year round and it can't be combined with the ones we talked about earlier regarding the wheel, the music, right?, where you can have an orchestra, a band or even the beginning of a choir. You can use it or you can sign up for these classes. The front part is the after school activities and what we have offer for you. We call it PM1 and we call it as well PM2 because the students can join in either the after school classes, the clubs like I mentioned before and we
016call them PM1 and that is the schedule 242 315 and you can join either another club a sport see a teacher from also from PM2 that is 3:15 all the way to 409. bus is going to be available for the students all the way to 420. They will have that opportunity to go home on that lay bus. However, they have to be here at the school and they will be supervised by an adult. The most fun part for me is the after-school activities, we call them PM1 and PM2. And here we have the schedules from 2:40 to 3:15 and PM2 which is from 3:15 to 4:09. Students may have the opportunity to see their teachers, to practice sports, to also join any club, and they will have the opportunity to have or use the transportation
017that comes, which we call a bus that comes late at 4:20, and they may also have that opportunity to get home. It is important for the student to understand that they have to stay here at school and that they have to be supervised by one of those activities in order to be able to take that transport at 4:20. So, what do we have to offer? What clubs and organizations? We have many opportunities. We can have academics, skill development, community and student connections. And one of the ones that you could be is Latinas Leading Tomorrow, National Junior Honor Society, Journalism, Dungeons and Dragons, Cookie Club, Music Club, Sheer, Many Opportunities for our students to join. We also have many organizations and clubs where students can participate, not only for academic purposes, but also for developing skills
018or if they want to connect with other students and their community. We have Latinas leading tomorrow, we have the national honor society, we also have photojournalism, Dungeons and Dragons, the Cookie Club, and we also have a Cheerleading Club, but we have many more as well. Very important. How do we apply into the immersion program and how are we going to be able to do that? How to apply to the immersion program starting in either sixth, seventh, or eighth grade? How we are going to apply either is starting in sixth grade, seven or eight grade. For applications you have to submit into the option schools between November 10th that is um they're started and January 16th all the way to January 16 by 4 we need that uh application submitted. For secondary acceptance is based on
019space ability. So you will be placed on a waiting list and according to how you move you will receive that phone call or that invitation to come and receive new application. So there is always that opportunity on that waiting list. You will complete the online application, which can be started from November 10th to January 16th. We must receive your application for high schools before 4 p.m. To enter the program, you need to be inseparable from the space and pass a Spanish assessment. New applications will be placed on a waiting list and we will contact you to make that contact. Please take a moment, take a screenshot. How can we use the portal? Families must apply online into the school. Um the families will have to create if you do not have an existing schoolment account.
020If you do, it is easier. If you don't, I recommend you to do it just in case for the future as well because once you have the application, one application is enough. To apply through the portal, families must complete their online application at schoolmen.net. And families with an existing Schumen account from the previous year don't need to create a new one. If you don't have one, I recommend you create a new account. And I know it's optional, but also thinking about the future, how you could also have that opportunity to apply to other schools. Take a moment. This is the phone number as 703228000. Or you can just send an email and ask for more information into the welcome center. For the phone number, call 703 22800. You can also email options@apse. It is important
021to consider that new students in the county public school have or must take a language proficiency test and must take an entrance exam for the program. Students who pass and meet the requirements will receive a letter of acceptance. So, students new to Arlington publish schools or to the dual language immersion must demonstrate the Spanish language skill needed for entry into the program. And students who pass and the requirement criteria they will receive a letter of a substance. It is important to know that if you all the students who have completed Arlington public school do a languageion program don't have to worry about it because it will be automatically they can be admitted to the immersion program at the next level after applying. So, I also need you to take into consideration that students who have
022already been in a public school in Arlington in the immersion program will automatically be admitted to the program at the next level where they apply. Here are some important dates that I recommend you to take a picture just in case you want to refer them back in the future. So important day again January 16th is the deadline for applications and that is all the way until 4:00. March applications reopen to give you an opportunity for those late applicants and will be on that waiting list. important dates they should have. I recommend that if you can, take a photo on January 16th, which is the deadline to apply and you have until 4 pm. We also have March 2nd when applications reopen, and then the student might have a chance on the waiting list. Again the
023phone number is 703 or you can send an email to school options apsva.us US again if you would like to apply you need more questions go to the APS welcome center you can make a phone call at 703228800 or send an email to school options atsba.us US. We have a video for everyone to join. I told viewers that the road to artificial general intelligence was already bringing massive and disrupting industries around for the commercials. ag we were sitting right where you are wondering what the immersion program at Gunston was like. We were excited to be part of the hor family. Making friends and taking classes in Spanish seems like a great opportunity. Two years ago, we were in these very seats sharing our first thoughts about Gunston Middle School. Let's watch a video and we'll
024see you on the other side. Hello, I am Miss Molina and I am here to welcome you to the sixth grade immersion round table so you can learn about what it is to be a six grader at Gunston. Hi, I'm and I went to Clarmont. Hi, I'm Jordan and I went to Key. Hi, I'm and I went to Clarmont. Hi, I'm And I want to Hi, I'm And I want to key. All right, so let's start with our first question. What is the best part about being in the immersion program at Gunson? The best part about being in the immersion program at Gunson is you get to meet new people. You also get to have different classes in Spanish that you did in elementary school like science, history, and Spanish. I like that we get
025to learn so much quicker because we have more than one class in Spanish versus people in traditional who only have one class in Spanish. Thank you Jordan and Kara. Now to question number two. What would you like to say specifically about the immersion teacher? Who is your favorite and why? All the immersion teachers are amazing. My favorite immersion teacher is our history teacher, Mr. Gore. He is very funny while teaching. He uses riddles, songs, and puzzles to help us learn. All the teachers here at Gunson are kind and caring about you and your grads. Personally, my favorite teacher Sam because she's kind and really helping me become the best team you can possibly be. Thank you, Asha. Now, for a third important question, how do you think the immersion program will help you in the
026future? Theion program could help me in when I'm older, when I'm looking for jobs and companies because companies want people that could talk other languages with our customers. I think it's so cool that I can go to Spanish speaking countries and know their language. It also helps with college applications like do. Thank you and for answering that question. Now for question number four, what do you like about going to school at Gunson with traditional and monetary students? What I like about going to school with traditional Monosaur kids is that it makes our school very diverse. It also means that we can talk to people from different schools that are in traditional and monos. That's right, Jordan. I've made some new friends of Adridge. Thank you, Jordan and Asha. I really do like the diversity in
027our school. Now, let's go to our next question. Next question is, what do you think about our build? I like the library here at Gun. So many different types of boxes. I like the lockers here at Gunston because you can decorate them however you want. theater because very big and has a lot of I have the same thing and purple I like our athletic fields. Thank you everyone. And now to our next question in Spanish so we can show off everyone Spanish skills. What would you say to elementary student who is thinking about coming to theion program? You're not afraid to come to Gansen. Those in the building will help you. Gansen is a school where you can be yourself. Gansen is a very fun and safe school. I like that Gunen has many clubs
028and I am a member of Dung Dragons. Din is a very fun school and you can learn more Spanish. people. We hope they learn something great gun and we will see you next year. Right. What do you think? Are you ready to be a gun middle school hornet? Are you ready to meet the new six graders? All right, let's go. Here are some amazing six version students. Hi, my name is Emy and I went to Hi, my name's Valentina and I went to Key and to Cl. Hi, my name is Kennedy and I went to Clar. Hello, my name is next year. Thank you for being so patient. I've been trying to make sure it's that I could um share that with you. Let me see if I can go back into there into the
029presentation of course. I will continue to share our presentation. Do we have any questions? Yes. In the chat. What level of writing and reading do you need? The question is, what level of writing and reading do children need? The reading and writing level should be that of sixth grade. If they are entering sixth grade, the level should be six grade level entering sixth grade level. However, if there are if you have a fifth grade or fifth grade or sixth grade, you still be able to join. The levels are a little bit different, so I want you to be aware of that. We do a testing with the self assessment and the students will be tested with the coordinator Windy Bermúdez. The students are going to have the test with Miss Bermúdez and the program we
030use to measure the student's level of understanding is a reading program. So there's a little bit of flexibility. Sorry, I miss how many students are in the Gunston dual language programming program. Students accept or enroll in the Gunston immersion program at all levels. Right now we have about 323 students across all levels of sixth, seventh and eighth grade. We have a good program. I don't see any more questions. We have some other amazing people here from Gunston Middle School who have also had a very good experience with the program. If you would like to share your experience or something about the program, we have an excellent group, an excellent team here in the investment program, and if you want to share something, any experience, you can share it right now as well. As the immersion
031counselor, I'll share that it is a wonderful program. I'm super excited that students have the opportunity to learn in multiple languages. I also love the diversity of the program, the all of the opportunities that available to the students. I would like to say that this is an excellent program. Uh, I love seeing how the students are learning in different languages. There is a lot of diversity, they work hard. If you're thinking about this program, it's actually a very good program. Also, if you need information I want you to again this is a good way to take a picture of this. I already This is kind of the telephone number I was providing you and how to go through the process. If you need a little more information or a little more support, I recommend that
032you please call this number, take a photograph, or verify how the lottery process works. So I highly recommend that you check this out if you have any doubts or questions. And of course, if you have any doubts or questions, you can go to the Welcome Center and speak with Miss Wendy Bermúdez so she can give you a little more information, or you can call Ganson Mer School here and ask for Dr. Sánchez or me, Mrs. Delgado. If you need any more information regarding the program, the progress, how to apply, you can also contact this person here, Mrs. Delgado, you can contact me as well. Marelgado as Miss Colodi of Señora Colodi is our councelor and miss lamb. Mrs. Romero, ouringalist. minutes spare. Any others? Hello, can I ask the question orally? Sure, of course. Well,
033in my case, my two daughters are in school here and since I'm from Argentina, although they were raised here, they are completely bilingual. And my question is, since they have that advantage of speaking very well and already reading and writing very well, what happens to students who have a more advanced level than average? students being able to write well. Spanish question. That's an excellent question. Our students go through a process where our teachers identify those students and also differentiate the content, or rather the curriculum, which, although it is the same, has a different rigor for those students who are at that level. You also have to keep in mind that these investment classes have a very good level of rigor, where the student will indeed receive that academic push, right? Okay, thank you very much.
034So um I will let you know that our teachers are amazing and they identified and they differentiated our students that have a higher understanding in the target language and they will be put um into that rigor. So regardless of where they are or the level that they are the rigor and the work that they will have it will be for that student in particular they are very good differentiating educational needs for all our students. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. Thank you uh to the immersion team. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much for translating. If you have any questions again, we are here to support you. We hope to see you next year. Slim. Yes. The presentation information will be available on the APS website. Ok, I don't see more
035questions. Thank you so much. Thank you for coming. See you next school year. Thank