ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Liberal’s Prairie View Elementary School has seen much success in its dual language program since its inception and soon, the staff will be looking to continue that success.
Prairie View Elementary School will be hosting its annual dual language lottery mandatory meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday for students who will be entering kindergarten in August 2024. The meeting is for parents living outside of the school’s boundaries and are interested in the dual language program, since parents already living inside the school’s boundaries will automatically be enrolled for next year. Parents who live outside of the boundary MUST attend this mandatory meeting to be entered into the lottery.
“Prairie View Elementary School will only accept 20 kindergarten students from outside of the boundary this year to be a part of the six-year program. The 20 students will start kindergarten at Prairie View and continue the dual language program until they move to 6th grade,” Prairie View Elementary School Principal Kendra Haskell said. “The goal of the dual language program is to teach each student in both English and Spanish so they become biliterate and bilingual by the end of 5th grade. The mission of Prairie View Elementary is to create a positive, multicultural environment to develop leaders with bilingual excellence. At the meeting, we will discuss the benefits of the dual language program, what a typical day looks like in our kindergarten program, the specific details of the lottery process, and how to best prepare your child for kindergarten.”
Haskell said there are many benefits to being part of the dual language program.
“Providing your child with the opportunity to become both bilingual and biliterate by the end of 5th grade gives children benefits that will last a lifetime. The dual language program builds strong social connections and cultural awareness,” Haskell said. “Both English and Spanish learners succeed while maintaining their native language. When students become biliterate and bilingual they increase cultural awareness and experience extended job opportunities as they grow. Our staff believes in the importance of creating a culturally aware school atmosphere where students learn about and appreciate the languages, differences, and similarities we all share. Our mission is to create a positive multicultural environment to create leaders with bilingual excellence. We love watching our students grow to be strong readers and writers in two languages by 5th grade. We value the child's native language and work diligently to strengthen and maintain their home language while also teaching them to read and write in a second language.”
Haskell added there is a lot to be excited about for this year’s program after seeing so much success already.
“The 2024-2025 school year will be our first year as a complete K-5 Dual Language School where every child in the school will receive bilingual instruction,” Haskell said. “After starting dual school-wide five years ago, we are excited to finally reach our goal of providing a completely bilingual education to all students. We have gradually increased our dual model by one grade level each year, and this coming August, all K-5 students at Prairie View Elementary School will receive instruction in both English and Spanish. Bilingual education is increasing across the nation. We have implemented a new dual language framework in the past two years called the Gomez & Gomez model. In this new model students learn math in English daily, science and social studies in Spanish daily, and they read and write in both English and Spanish every day. Students are exposed to word walls, rich vocabulary, and extensive writing daily in our new Gomez & Gomez model. This new change has been extremely beneficial for our students in staff. Staff members receive on-going training specifically for dual language instruction so we can continue to provide our students with the best bilingual learning environment possible.”
Haskell said there is also a lot to be excited about for the future of the program.
“I believe the Dual Language program will continue to grow and succeed. Liberal High School now offers the students the opportunity to receive the National Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma,” Haskell said. “As we continue to implement the program, USD 480 students will have the opportunity to strengthen their Spanish skills and add this incredible seal to their graduation accomplishments. This year we are encouraging parents to bring their upcoming kindergarteners with them to the meeting. Our kindergarten teachers will provide childcare during the meeting so that the students have the opportunity to explore our kindergarten classrooms, meet staff, and play with new friends.”
