Three curriculums being piloted:

1)Benchmark Adelante (English & Spanish)

2)Amplify (English & Spanish)

3) Saavas (Spanish)/Emerge McGraw-Hill (English)

Hi, my name is Allison Joe. My daughter, Izzy, is in 5th grade with Maestro Hector Gonzalez and part of the curriculum pilot for the bilingual Juntos program. When I was logging in for this curriculum meeting from my car on our way back from dance class, she groaned and said in her pre-teen voice, “Another curriculum meeting? I’m so sick of these. Can’t we just stay with Amplify? It’s fun, interactive, and clearly the best curriculum, especially the way Maestro Gonzalez teaches it.” She especially liked the Spanish units on the Aztec, Maya, and Inca civilizations and the English unit on oceans was “really fun.” She also liked the “freedom” to go ahead in some areas and come back to other parts at her pace. These comments were unprompted and representative only of my child’s opinion, not meant to replace scientific review or others’ experiences. Being in one of the curriculum pilot classrooms, I have had a chance to explore the curriculums and hear back from teachers, parents, and students. Some feedback is that they like that Amplify is thematic rather than unit based (which was how Benchmark Adelante was organized), e.g. a survival theme that connects concepts across different units and builds on previous knowledge. Their experience is that Amplify is rigorous. The English unit on oceans inspired students’ writing and wanting to become marine biologists. I heard positive feedback on how the Amplify curriculum is integrated and cohesive. It gets away from guided reading to a format that is integrated into the whole class and uses the science of reading. This way it addresses rather than exacerbates the knowledge gap, giving students earlier access to knowledge regardless of their reading level. I would also like to add that our bilingual teachers do a lot of extra work to support bilingual learning. Having a cohesive and integrated curriculum supports teachers, reduces potential for burnout, and helps retain strong teachers with the students that need them. Finally, I want to comment that for students who are part of the piloting project – what a unique and empowering experience for the students to be able to make change and have a sense of ownership over the content and methods of their education. Thank you!

Thank you to San Miguel and Columbia Middle School. The Juntos program has been life-changing for my whole family. I’m incredibly grateful for this educational opportunity. It has been a journey. I want to encourage ongoing collaboration between the Sunnyvale School District and Fremont Union High School District. The email from Katherine Armstrong from SSD earlier this week was very informative. Please continue collaborating with Fremont Union High School District to address the trajectory of students and the impact beyond elementary and middle school, on to high school and beyond, for those lives of joy and purpose. Please consider more opportunities for Spanish-centered and Latin American-centered opportunities in high school. There are opportunities to engage historically marginalized students and support academic achievement for all students. Consider high school courses like AP Spanish literature, class for Spanish interpreters, or Latin American history, there is so much potential to center and celebrate students who make up a large demographic of that school. This could benefit both Spanish speakers, non-Spanish speakers, Latino, non-Latino, Juntos and non-Juntos students, and many other students coming from other feeder schools. There is potential for students to feel seen and to feel like they belong, to feel engaged, and to build cultural understanding amongst various student groups. Thank you for all the work you’ve done with the Juntos program. It’s a really special school, and all of our schools are really special. It has been a unique learning experience for my family. I want to also continue to advocate for the Juntos Parent Advisory Committee. Beyond Juntos students, there’s also potential for how this can impact other students that may have similar backgrounds or histories and for closing achievement and opportunity gaps while celebrating the strengths of our community. Thank you very much. 

~7:38pm

 

As part of the Asian Pacific Islander American Leadership Institute’s Civic Leadership Program, we developed our authentic leadership style, built civic insight, gained experience in public policy, participated in a candidate/campaign workshop, and designed our personal civic visions and roadmaps

APALI’s mission is to build a multigenerational, Asian American & Pacific Islander leadership pipeline through training and community building to collectively empower grassroots and grasstops change in government, nonprofit, education, and business. APALI is a champion for leadership representation and influential participation in American political and civic life.  APALI combines culturally-informed, innovative leadership training with a strong community-building foundation to nurture an impactful civic leadership community committed to social justice and sustainability.

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