ISA Newsletter. Issue No 5, September 2021

Education Office of the Embassy of Spain

ISA Newsletter Issue No. 5| September 2021

Welcome to the fifth issue of the ISA newsletter!

The Education Office of the Embassy of Spain and the ISA program are very excited to launch this new issue of the ISA Newsletter. We aim at informing you about the activities other schools in the network are carrying out, as well as stating the most relevant events organized by the Education Office. We also hope that it inspires you to keep on doing the wonderful job you have already been doing. Enjoy it!

La Consejería de Educación de la Embajada de España y el programa ISA están muy contentos con la publicación de este nuevo número del boletín de noticas ISA. El objetivo de este boletín es dar a conocer aquellas actividades que los centros de la red están realizando, así como poner de relieve las actividades organizadas por la Consejería de Educación. Esperamos que sirva como inspiración para que sigáis haciendo la magnífica labor que lleváis años realizando. Esperamos que lo disfrutéis.

Sections in this issue

A word by the Counselor for Education News from the Education Office News from the ISA network Interviews Resources and material for DLI/ Bilingual education.

The ISA program is endorsed by

Education Office of the Embassy of Spain

ISA Newsletter Issue No. 5| September 2021

Our most sincere appreciation Nuestro más sincero agradecimiento

By Jesús Fernández González Counselor for Education- Consejero de Educación

It was at the beginning of the 21st century when the International Spanish Academy program was launched in Alberta, Canada, and Illinoi, Indiana and Florida, in the US, when a group of schools became interested in teaching the Spanish language and culture with the support of the Embassy of Spain.

Later on, in 2005, this program took a step further when the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain and the schools involved in the project signed a memorandum of understanding, in Seville, making this educational relationship an official reality. As of today, in 2021, there is a whole ISA network, made up of 121 schools that are spread around the US and Canada. Their motto is “Proud to be an ISA.” Fue a principios del siglo XXI cuando el programa International Spanish Academies se abrió camino en suelo americano, concretamente en Alberta (Canadá), y en Illinois, Indiana y Florida, (EE. UU.), con una serie de escuelas interesadas en que su alumnado aprendiera la lengua española y la cultura de todos aquellos países de habla hispana, con el apoyo de la Embajada de España.

En 2005, este programa de la Consejería de Educación en Estados Unidos y Canadá da un paso más. Se hace oficial con la firma, en Sevilla, de aquellos primeros centros que formaban parte de este proyecto.

En la actualidad, la red de escuelas ISA se extiende por Estados Unidos y Canadá con un total de 121. Su lema es “Orgullosos de ser ISA”.

Read more

News from the Education Office: The International Spanish Academies Program ISA Institute From

November

12th

to

December

8th,

2020,

the

Education Office at the Embassy of Spain held the ISA Institute A New Pathway for new Times . It was organized in six sessions, including the opening remarks and the Institute presentation. It featured well known experts in the field of Dual-Language Education.

Del 12 de noviembre al 8 de diciembre de 2020 se celebró el Seminario ISA: A New Pathway for new Times para administradores de escuelas ISA.

Organizado por la Consejería de Educación de la

Embajada de España, se dividió en seis sesiones y contó con la participación de expertos de reconocido prestigio en el campo de la educación bilingüe.

Read more

1st Video Contest for ISA Students In this 2020-21 academic year, the Education Office launched this new initiative aimed at the students of ISA schools, with the objective of motivating students to learn the Spanish language and at the same time enriching the bilingual experience. The theme of this edition is “Laughing in English and Spanish”.

En este curso 2020-21 la Consejería de Educación lanzó esta nueva iniciativa dirigida al alumnado de las escuelas ISA, con el objetivo de motivar a los estudiantes en el aprendizaje de la lengua española y a su vez enriquecer la experiencia bilingüe. El tema de esta edición es “Reír en bilingüe”.

Read more

News from the Education Office Banners The Education Office of the Embassy of Spain is committed to the improvement and strengthening of the ISA Network. As part of this continuous effort, wen have created a new banner to increase the program's visibility and to enhance the sense of community among ISA network members.

Con la idea de fomentar la imagen de las ISA y a la vez reforzar su visibilidad hemos elaborado un banner para que las escuelas podáis insertarlo en vuestras páginas web y también se pueda usar en vuestra publicidad.

Read more

Advisory Group ISA advisory group As of May this year, our ISA network has the honor and fortune to have a new advisory group and the wealth of knowledge and expertise of its four members. They are ISA school and district administrators from both Canada and the USA -- namely, Mr. Robert Crawford, Principal at Maxwell Escuela de Inmersión en Español, Lexington, KY; Dr. Nancy Hong, Coordinator of Dual Language and Magnet Programs at Glendale USD, Glendale, CA; Ms. Elizabeth Morales, Principal at Okeeheelee Middle School, West Palm Beach, FL​; and Mr. Andrés Sánchez, Consultant at Edmonton Catholic Schools, Edmonton, AB. The Education Office of the Embassy of Spain sincerely thanks them for their enthusiasm, dedication and excellent ideas; our whole ISA network will benefit from them.

Grupo asesor ISA Desde mayo de este año la red ISA tiene el honor y la suerte de contar con el conocimiento y experiencia de un nuevo grupo asesor formado por cuatro administradores del programa en escuelas y distritos de Canadá y Estados Unidos: D. Robert Crawford, Director de Maxwell Escuela de Inmersión en Español, Lexington (KY); Dra. Nancy Hong, Coordinadora de Dual Language and

Magnet Programs de Glendale USD, Glendale (CA); Dª. Elizabeth Morales, Directora de Okeeheelee Middle School, West Palm Beach (FL)​; y D. Andrés Sánchez, Consultor de Edmonton Catholic Schools, Edmonton (AB). La Consejería de Educación les agradece sinceramente su entusiasmo, dedicación y excelentes ideas, de los que se beneficiará toda nuestra red ISA.

News from the Education Office The Education Office of the Embassy of Spain- School of the Year Award

11th Annual School of the Year Award Awarded For Excellence in Education The annual Education Office of the Embassy of Spain - School of the Year Award is a prestigious educational recognition granted by the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain in the United States.

The ISA Paradise Canyon Elementary School in Washington County School District, Utah, has been awarded School of the Year 2021 in the Elementary School category.

XI Certamen Colegio del Año Premio a la excelencia académica en español El prestigioso certamen "Colegio del Año" lo concede la Consejería de Educación de la Embajada de España en Estados Unidos.

La escuela vencedora del certamen del año 2021 en la categoría de escuela primaria ha sido la ISA Paradise Canyon Elementary School, del distrito escolar de Washington County, en el estado de Utah.

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News from the Education Office School of the Year Award 2021: Paradise Canyon The ISA Paradise Canyon is one of the premier sites who model the Dual Language Immersion program in the State of Utah. They have been working in the Dual Language Immersion program since 2005 and are providing an exemplary educational experience to 549 students from 1st through 5th grade.

They are totally committed to providing instruction totally in the Spanish language through a strong cultural emphasis within their pedagogy. They have very strong community support, valuing them as professionals in the field of education.

The school currently has 10 teachers in the Spanish immersion/bilingual program, 3 of them belong to our Visiting Teachers Program, and had a Spanish Language Assistant last year.

Becas USAL-MEFP The University of Salamanca has granted the Education Office of Spain in USA and Canada 50 scholarships for 4 online-courses. These scholarships are aimed to provide professional development for American and Canadian teachers of Spanish. Courses will take place between May 31, 2021 and February 21, 2022.

La Universidad de Salamanca ha ofrecido a la Consejería de Educación en Estado Unidos y Canadá un total de 50 becas para cuatro de sus cursos en línea. Estas becas se corresponden a cursos de formación de profesores de español como lengua extranjera y se han repartido entre profesores de español de Estado Unidos y Canadá. Los cursos tendrán lugar entre el 31 de mayo de 2021 y el 21 de febrero de 2022.

News from the ISA Network: The International Spanish Academies Program ISA Symposium in Palm Beach International Spanish Academies on Full Display During Annual Symposium On April 15, the School District of Palm Beach County held its fifth annual International Spanish Academy (ISA) symposium in a virtual setting, a first since the event originally began in 2016. The Symposium provides a platform to highlight the skills and talents of students enrolled in dual language programs.

Academias Internacionales de Español en Plena Exhibición Durante el Simposio Anual El 15 de abril, el Distrito Escolar del Condado de Palm Beach celebró su quinto simposio anual de la Academia Española Internacional (ISA) en un entorno virtual, el primero desde que el evento comenzó originalmente en el 2016. El Simposio proporciona una plataforma para destacar las habilidades y talentos de los estudiantes inscritos en programas bilingües.

Read more

New Horizons Elementary School New Horizons Elementary School became the first International Spanish Academy in the school district of Palm Beach County in 2003. In 2017-2018 New Horizons Elementary was ranked 3rd as the best ISA school in North America.

New Horizons' dual language immersion program continues to grow. In 2019, a VPK dual language class was added. We now offer a full immersion program for students in VPK through fifth grade and are looking ahead to add additional VPK units in the future. Students in the Dual Language Program follow a 50/50 model which means they spend half of their day learning reading, writing and math in English, and the other half of their day learning reading, writing, science and social studies in Spanish.

Read more

News from the ISA Network Liberty Elementary COVID-19 pandemic has definitely changed multiple aspects of our lives, however, the DLI program at Liberty has managed to adapt to the new reality and keep celebrating culture and diversity. The Liberty team tried and succeeded offering our students the best possible cultural experiences.

Here are some of the cultural events we celebrated virtually: Día de la Paz Hispanic Heritage Day New Year Celebration Día de los muertos Cooking Traditional Foods Special visits Parades, home visits and drive-throughs Read more

Mckernan School EDMONTON PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD McKernan School Spanish bilingual students at McKernan School had a special virtual visit last month. Jamie Elizondo, coach of the @EdmFootballTeam, stopped by to speak to students and tell them about his experience being bilingual. Thank you coach Elizondo for connecting with #EPSB students!

More info here.

Magellan International School Like so many of our fellow ISA schools around the world, Magellan has been lucky to rely on the values and cultural framework of the Spanish language to help us to adapt and grow to a higher level through sorrow, through discovery, through community.

MIS implemented a remote learning model during the first months of the pandemic and then we transitioned in the fall into a hybrid model. In upper primary and middle school, students worked from home for one week and in physically distanced classes the next throughout the year. As in other years, Spanish continued to be students’ main vehicle for learning: they created videos, conversed in open dialogues, and wrote stories full of imagination. Magellan is grateful to be a part of ISA and for its resilient community of students, parents and teachers.

News from the ISA Network Maxwell Elementary One of the challenges of this very different school year was to keep the school together and instill a sense of belonging while our students were learning at home. At Maxwell Elementary School we maintained our sense of community through "WMAX, ¿Qué pasa en Maxwell?", a weekly Spanish newscast. Through the segment "La pregunta de esta semana" the students worked on aspects of language, maintaining contact with other students both in their classes and throughout the school.

The program also had a cooking section that motivated many of them to try dishes and foods from other countries.

Herrera Elementary School

Students at Herrera Elementary celebrated Cinco de Mayo with each student doing research and coming up with activities, videos, and games for the students to participate in to celebrate this historic day.

They took ‘tours’ around the building to visit both

Regular

and

Bilingual

classroom

presentations, then had journaling time where they wrote about what they learned.

They finished the day with a parade where they were able to show off their traditional costumes.

News from the ISA Network Schaumburg School District Schaumburg School District 54 and the Spanish Dual Language Program located in Schaumburg, Illinois is proud to announce that Ms. Angélica Fernández Bullón, a visiting teacher from Spain, who teaches in one of the district’s International Spanish Academies, recently published a book in Spanish, titled Las aventuras de Coco.

Read more

Okeeheelee Middle School ISA LEADERSHIP MEETINGS

Okeeheelee Middle School organized and held the three Annual Leadership Meetings (one per trimester) with the attendance of the other four ISA Schools in the School District of Palm Beach County and the rest of the Dual Language Schools within the District.

School District members and Education Advisors from the Spanish Education Office were also among the attendees.

Read more

News from the ISA Network Castelar Elementary School Our 4th graders are writing letters to military members at Offutt AFB to practice our formal letter writing. The students share what they have learned and then ask the service members questions to learn more. The military members are then writing back to answer their questions.

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Omaha South High In these photos, students from Omaha South High Magnet are looking for contrast in the art colors and look for conflicts that were easily spotted, like death or sadness. They then had to write about the conflict and why they perceived it as conflict in a PowerPoint with a photo of the painting they chose.

John I. Leonard High School Lecture Series Emphasizes Value of Bilingual Skills in School and Career The International Spanish Academy (ISA) at John I. Leonard High School (Palm Beach, Florida) recently hosted a series of presentations by several multilingual professionals, as part of a Women’s History Month celebration.

Read more

News from the ISA Network John I. Leonard High School The International Spanish Academy at John I. Leonard High School presents La Bomba, a Puerto Rican dance The mission of the International Spanish Academy is to promote the Spanish language as well as the histories and cultures of Latin America. With that in mind, under the leadership of Rosa Curbelo, a Puerto Rican teacher at the Academy, it was decided to introduce La Bomba to a wider audience.

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Key Elementary School

La Sociedad secreta del club de la patata La creación del club se remonta al año 2019 en la Escuela Key. El principal objetivo que movió a la biblioteca para organizar esta actividad fue contribuir y aumentar el hábito de la lectura en español de una manera divertida e informal.

Más sobre esta noticia

Tillicum Middle School En Tillicum Middle School (Bellevue, WA), nuestros alumnos aprenden español a través de la cultura y la literatura. Nuestros alumnos de octavo grado aprenden

sobre

los

principales

movimientos

artísticos, los artistas hispanos más famosos, y los fundamentos del análisis del arte.

Más sobre esta noticia

Interviews The ISA program interviews the Advisory Group Robert Crawford, Principal at Maxwell Escuela de Inmersión en Español Nancy Hong, DL and Magnet Program Coordinator at USD.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What is your relationship with the ISA program?

1.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What is your relationship with the ISA program?

As the lead district administrator for all seven dual

I am celebrating my 5th year as the principal at Maxwell Escuela de

language immersion programs in the Glendale Unified

Inmersión en Español. Previously, I have served as a state

School District, I support the four schools that are part

coordinator for WL and an assistant director of federal programs. I

of the ISA network. I am also a parent of two children

began my educational career as a Spanish teacher. My relationship

enrolled in dual language immersion programs.

with ISA extends from my role as the principal of Maxwell. Our

school has been a standing member of the ISA network and we

2. Do you speak other languages apart from English?

value the opportunity to be connected with schools from across

How have you benefited from them?

North America. In 2019, Maxwell was honored with receiving the

I speak Korean, my heritage language, and some French which I studied through my schooling.

3. What two improvements would you incorporate to the ISA program? We have a wonderful relationship with the Education Office of Spain, but it would be great if we had closer relationships within the network to other ISA schools and districts. The ability to learn from one another's practices would help all of us strengthen our programs.

4. What question concerning the ISA program would you like to be asked? Could you answer it?

Q- How can parents and the community know about ISA schools? A- As advised by the Education Office of Spain, display the ISA logo on the school's website, on the school's letterhead, and on murals on campus. Also, inform those who attend program/school tours about being an ISA school and share program highlights and accomplishments throughout the year through regular communication.

5. What message would you like to transmit to the ISA community? With everyone's newfound aptitude and comfort with technology, we have the unique ability to bring the network closer together. I hope we can find opportunities to connect teachers and administrators together to pool our collective expertise towards continued improvement and excellence.

designation of Colegio del Año through the ISA network.

2. Which two benefits of a DLI program would you highlight?

There are many benefits. Students are able to develop their language proficiency in multiple languages while acquiring key academic content. Through the program students develop a confidence that enables them to communicate effectively with others. Most importantly, DLI education fosters global dispositions in which students recognize that they are part of a greater global community and that they can use their language skills and cultural knowledge to positively impact the world.

3. How do you envision a robust ISA network? The power of the ISA network resides in the interconnectivity of the member schools who value a common goal. I would love to see increased opportunities for our schools to meet and to collaborate in order to be able to share promising practice and to collectively problem solve common issues and concerns. Our collective efficacy serves as a strength that has great opportunity to evolve.

4. What question concerning the ISA program would you like to be asked? Could you answer it? What services have you found beneficial through the program? Our school has benefited greatly from the expertise of the Visiting Teachers from Spain and the Cultural & Language Assistants. These two program components have enabled our students to enhance their learning experiences in an authentic way.

5. What message would you like to transmit to the ISA community? To the ISA community I would share that I am proud to be connected to you through our shared important work, that I would suspect for many of us represents the value proposition of our individual schools. I am looking forward to new opportunities to collaborate and to learn from each other.

Interviews The ISA program interviews the Advisory Group

Andrés Sánchez, Consultor en Edmonton Catholic

Elizabeth Morales, Principal at

Schools, Alberta (Canadá).

Okeeheelee Middle School, FL. 1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What is

1.

¿Nos puedes contar un poco sobre ti? ¿Cuál es tu relación con el programa ISA?

your relationship with the ISA program?

I am the very proud principal of Okeeheelee Middle

Soy International Languages Consultant en el Distrito Católico de

School. I have been an educator for 23 years and

Edmonton. Llevo trabajando en educación 30 años, como profesor

counting. I have a passion for education and for helping

de lenguas o asesor. Nací en España pero llevo ya 15 años en Alberta

others. Fortunately, I am able to fulfill both of those

y aquí he trabajado de profesor en una ISA y como asesor que

passions as a principal.

coordina los programas bilingües en mi distrito.

2. Which two benefits of a DLI program would you highlight?

Biliterate students have an academic advantage over monoliterate students. Knowing more than one

2.

Un programa bilingüe ofrece tantos beneficios que es difícil subrayar solo dos. Aunque los beneficios para entrar en el mercado laboral son muy importantes yo destacaría todos los beneficios cognitivos que el conocimiento de dos o más lenguas aporta a

language increases the executive function of the brain and strengthens cognitive abilities. Once students enter the job market they have a competitive edge that is not available to monoliterates.

¿Qué dos beneficios resaltarías de un programa bilingüe?

nuestro cerebro. En segundo lugar, destacaría los beneficios multiculturales, creo que conocer otras lenguas y culturas nos hace tener una visión mucha más integradora frente a las diferencias que puedan existir entre países y culturas.

3. How do you envision a robust ISA network?

I envision a robust ISA network as one where educators have strong communication and system for sharing best practices.

4. What question concerning the ISA program would you like to be asked? Could you answer it?

ISA schools have a direct relationship with the Spain’s Ministry of Education, have access to educational resources, various professional development opportunities and the prestige of belonging to a

3.

Sería importante crear una red de trabajo donde las experiencias educativas en las ISAs se compartan entre los educadores. Conocer las experiencias educativas que se hacen en otras ISAs y colaborar es como me gustaría ver el futuro en nuestras escuelas bilingües.

El Ministerio de Educación ha creado una red de escuelas con prestigio y que ofrecen un programa bilingüe de calidad. Además la escuelas se benefician de otros programas educativos del ministerio, de recursos educativos y de los cursos de formación de profesores.

Estos son algunos de los beneficios que hacen que las ISAs sean escuelas bilingües diferentes.

network of high performing dual language immersion schools.

5. What message would you like to transmit to the ISA community?

These last couple of years have been difficult for all schools. Now is the time to focus on the future of the ISA programs. We have a unique opportunity to refocus the vision and increase our efforts. Giving students the opportunity to become fully biliterate is a life changing, worthwhile cause.

¿Cómo visualizas una red ISA consolidada?

4.

¿Qué mensaje te gustaría transmitir a la comunidad ISA?

Llevamos dos años con una situación muy difícil en las escuelas y con especial dificultad en las escuelas que ofrecen programas bilingües. Crear una red interconectada donde recursos, ideas, proyectos e intercambios sería importantísimo para que las ISAs sigan creciendo y sean la elección de muchos estudiantes en nuestras comunidades.

Resources for DL/ Bilingual programs Flippity Flippity is a free online resource for teachers to create flashcards, matching games, word clouds, quizzes, connecto games, scavenger hunts, crosswords, bingos, spelling games, and so many other fun online activities to use in class. It’s very easy to use and you will find examples, instructions, and templates for each activity. The only requirement for the teacher is to be signed in into your Google account because the application automatically makes a copy of the templates in your Google Drive and turns Google spreadsheets into interactive online activities.

You will only have to insert the clues, hints and correct answers in the templates you choose.

Once the activity is created, you simply publish it to the web and share the link with the students. Your students don’t have to register. And you can always make changes and keep customizing your spreadsheets in your Google Drive.

This is the link to the application: https://www.flippity.net We have created two activities for you to try out: Spelling games for the youngest students: https://bit.ly/3xL3n2z Scavenger hunt for ISA teachers: https://bit.ly/3rfIsSF We would love to read your feedback. If you create some activities you would like to share with our ISA network, please let us know on isa@educacion.gob.es We hope you like Flippity!

Aprendo en casa and REAL Aprendo en casa and REAL (Recursos educativos, Apredizaje en línea) are two websites sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of Spain, where you will find many educational resources. These resources are graded according to different learning levels (elementary, middle/ junior high and high school), which will make your search easier.

Read more

Resourcesfor DL/ Bilingual programs Feliz en la comunidad: Feliz en Glendale Feliz en la comunidad is a community outreach program of the Department of Latin American and Iberian Cultures at the University of Southern California Los Angeles (USC). On its website you will find lots of educational resources for your Spanish classes.

USC has implemented the program in different schools. Feliz en Glendale, carried out in John Muir Elementary, an ISA school of Glendale Unified School District in California, is one of the examples.

The program allows students enrolled in Spanish as a second language at USC to voluntarily collaborate with the teachers of Spanish at John Muir ES. They assess individual students in specific tasks, support students with special needs or help students carry out their activities. As part of the program, students create material that you can find on this link.

The International Spanish Academies Program Social Media Check out our social media for more information about the program: Instagram Facebook Twitter Youtube If you post activities or news on your social media about your ISA school, please don't forget to include our hashtag #ProudtoBeISA and/or #OrgullososdeSerISA.

ISA INSTITUTE in the fall 2021, the Education Office of Spain and the ISA program are hosting the second edition of the ISA Institute.

Please check out our social media for more information.

Coming soon!

2nd Video Constest for ISA students We have everything ready for the 2nd Video

ISA Calendar If you want to keep updated about the activities

Contest for ISA students. We will publish all the information about it on our social media and website in the fall.

the ISA program organizes and get to know about other events from the Education Office of the Embassy of Spain, check out our calendar.

ISA website for more information about our

#OrgullososdeSerISA #ProudtoBeISA

isa@educacion.gob.es

program, please visit our website.