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The Herricks Public Schools greatly values diversity and strives to provide enriching educational experiences that foster cultural awareness and enthusiasm for all students. To that end, the district has been forward-thinking in its opportunities and initiatives for world language studies that maximize students’ abilities to flourish naturally, and from an early age, setting the stage for future success by allowing them to reach the highest levels of proficiency.

The Herricks Spanish Language Immersion program model is unique in New York State and has been recognized by the State Education Department as a model of excellence. Due to its reputation, Herricks is the only district in the state to have been invited

to participate in the National Dual Language Research Alliance, a group of districts across the nation that come together to help establish clear criteria,

based on research, for

immersion programs. “Through our program, language is taught in the

most natural way,” said Francesco Fratto, Director of World Languages, Language Immersion and English as a New Language. “There is no dependence on students’ first language. The proficiency we see on assessments and observe firsthand means that the magic that’s taking place in the classroom is really pushing our students to the highest level.” In addition to crediting the teachers, he acknowledges the support of parents and students, which motivates the team to think differently each day.

The immersion team collaborates to create lesson plans and activities that help achieve the goals of the program, as well as deliver content and maintain grade-level standards while balancing language needs. All students in Herricks achieve the same goals, but the immersion students add an additional layer by learning content in Spanish.

The language programs in Herricks prepare students to thrive in a global community while cultivating 21st-century skills. The district was one of the first to add Mandarin Chinese to its list of world language sequence courses, which also include French, Italian and Spanish. Language Immersion was launched eight years ago as an option for first-graders, and through Board of Education support, it was expanded to include kindergartners. As students moved up over the years, the district extended the program to the middle school. The pioneer group is now in eighth grade and preparing to enter the high school in September, meaning that for the first time,

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From Fundamentals to Proficiency

the program will be represented at all three school levels. The team has grown the program over the years by

researching best practices, working with internationally recognized consultants, attending conferences, participating in professional development and raising the level of expectations for all.

ElEmEntary SchoolThe elementary-level program is housed at Denton

Avenue School and includes students from Center Street and Searingtown as well. An elementary immersion student’s typical school day is just like that of any other student, but with a 50/50 model in which half the day is conducted in Spanish and the other half in English. Teachers work in teams, with the subjects of math and science conducted in Spanish and reading and writing in English. Social studies is split equally between the two. Kindergarten students, the youngest learners, quickly adapt.

According to Denton Avenue School Principal Mary Louise Haley, “Teaming is key to the success of the program.” Mr. Fratto agreed and added that “the team is constantly coming together to reflect, refine, build and

move the program forward.” They both attribute the positive experiences, high

levels of academic achievement and proficiency to the way teachers communicate with each other, students and parents. They ensure that there is a smooth transition between classes and languages. Teachers check in with their English- or Spanish-speaking counterparts daily to adhere to the curriculum, share ideas and monitor students’ progress.

Each grade learns the same content in Spanish that their peers are covering in solely English-speaking classrooms. They use the same books and resources as other classes in the elementary buildings but translated or printed in Spanish. All elementary classrooms have mini-libraries of books and other reading materials in the Spanish language. The Spanish immersion classrooms look like any English language classroom, but the posters and student work are all in Spanish. Lessons, conversations and assignments are explained and conducted entirely in Spanish, and students work together to complete science projects, math problems and more, without reverting to the English language. The back-and-forth translation is discouraged and not used in the program. It is through collaboration and risk-taking among students and teachers that fluency and proficiency are enhanced in the language-rich classrooms.

Teachers use many instructional tools to promote language learning and comprehension; at the heart of the classroom is the need to communicate clearly and accurately on any given topic. Though mistakes are accepted and considered part of the learning process, grammar is taught indirectly through modeling. Teachers use visuals, total-physical response (acting), videos, flipped classrooms and other strategies to model correct language usage.

Kindergarten focuses heavily on repetition, through which students learn to produce vocabulary words and memorize phrases that they then build upon. “The children are exposed right away and feel comfortable learning the language,” said teacher Mildred Loman. “Once they get into the rhythm, they are able to flow and get into routines naturally.” She teaches everything, including classroom rules and procedures, in Spanish and makes use of songs for everything from days of the week to walking in the hallway.

When students move up through the grades and delve deeper into the subject areas, they are on the same path as their English-speaking peers, but they learn the various concepts in Spanish.

“At the beginning, students can speak isolated words and have some phrases memorized,” said second-grade teacher Veronica Carbajal. “By the end, they are able to express what they want in unrehearsed language and are able to decode more.”

“Math and science lessons provide great ways to model correct language usage and to help students expand their acquisition of vocabulary words; math, science and social studies are very rich in literacy,” said fourth-grade teacher Emilio Gonzalez. His class recently

conducted experiments on measuring volume by working in pairs; students communicated in Spanish throughout the experiment, even when their teacher was working with other groups. Students know when to speak which language given the setting.

“I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot in learning the language and understanding what everything means,” said fifth-grader Patrick Nolan.

The Project Lead the Way curriculum is also carried out in Spanish. Fifth-graders create and explain the design of robots, fourth-grade classes explore and write about magnetism, and second-grade students develop their own math word problems, all in the second language.

“I like it a lot. It helps us learn a second language so that later on, we already have a head start,” said fifth-grader Allison Visconti.

“I like the program because when I get older it will give me an opportunity to communicate with more people,” said fifth-grader Ava Nissen. Teachers note that because they have been together for so long, the students in the program are very much like siblings and support each other.

middlE SchoolHerricks Middle School welcomed the first group

of immersion students three years ago. At this level, social studies classes are taught in Spanish and there is a specially designed Spanish course for the immersion students. Students who are not in the immersion program start their formal study of a language beginning in grade six. The program changes slightly and reflects other programs nationally. Currently, eighth-grade students take the first half of the Spanish 4 Honors curriculum that is normally covered at Herricks High School by juniors. The immersion Spanish classes deal with Advanced Placement topics such as human rights, cultural issues and political movements, but the activities are age- and level-appropriate. They complete in-depth, comprehensive assignments that will prepare them to deal with these topics beyond the AP course in grade 10. “Our goal is to encourage our students to continue their study of language beyond the AP assessment,” said Principal Joan Keegan.

In the sixth-grade social studies class, students study ancient civilizations and then present their findings based on research. Grade seven students debate the United States’ involvement in World War I, but in Spanish. Seventh-grade Spanish immersion students are collaborating on projects with 11th-grade honors students. Just like other middle school students, those in the immersion program take part in intense dialogues, write essays and conduct research. All work, from studying to note-taking to presenting, is done in Spanish. The students are reaching the highest levels of proficiency based on recent data when compared to similar programs nationwide. Besides all the intense focus and work, this close-knit group is even able to share and comprehend humor when speaking the

language, which demonstrates one of the highest levels of comprehension.

“I think it’s a great time in life to know another language and go into college already having taken an AP exam,” said eighth-grader Maria Defex.

“We’ve grown a lot through the years and learned a lot about the language,” eighth-grader said Josh Darr.

high SchoolWhen the pioneer immersion group arrives at the

high school, they will take a Spanish class that is being created specifically for them to further their language and to take them to the next level. Ninth-graders will take the second half of the Spanish 4 Honors course, and in 10th grade, they will take the AP exam. The district is exploring the possibility of a partnership with a university to offer advanced-level college courses in grades 11 and 12. These advanced-level courses will be a first for high school students; colleges generally do not offer upper-level language courses above the intermediate level. It will take a special university to partner with Herricks.

“We are now educating the universities on the uniqueness of the program and the high levels of proficiency our immersion students will achieve by graduation,” Mr. Fratto said. “Stay tuned — the team is developing something special that will not only impact the immersion program, but the district overall. Our [district’s] ability to think outside of the box is what makes Herricks so special!”

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DistrictNews

Goals of the Language Immersion Program:• Ensure that children are truly bilingual.• Develop strong literacy skills in both English and

Spanish.• Develop greater cross-cultural understanding and

acceptance.• Provide students with the academic language to

clearly communicate their thoughts and opinions.• Prepare students to live, work and thrive in a global

community. • Develop the 21st-century skills of communication,

collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.

From Fundamentals to ProficiencyCapital Projects UpdatE

The district has been awarded more than $400,000 in state grants this year for work that will be completed by September. Legislative grants for approximately $200,000 and $76,000 will be used to resurface the parking lots in the front and side of the Community Center as well as asphalt behind the building in April and May. A $125,000 grant went to the districtwide replacement of fencing, which is currently underway. Also in progress is the replacement of the high school auditorium’s stage curtain and sound system, funded through a $25,000 bullet aid grant.

The bond work is moving according to schedule, albeit with a slight delay in the high school field completion due to weather conditions. Spring sports teams will use the Community Center fields temporarily, with the finished product being ready for the end of the school year and graduation. This summer, bleachers and a press box will be installed and the high school cafeteria and courtyard renovations will commence.

Next school year, the district will roll out a new elementary school report card that is better aligned with the curriculum. A committee has been at work on this initiative for the past two years and the result will be a more standards-based report card that will provide specific information and feedback on student progress, reflect specific skills and knowledge so that academic strenghts and challenges can be identified. “We are excited for this change, as it represents our desire to provide meaningful feedback to parents and students in a positive and clear format,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Fino Celano.

New Elementary Report Cards

HERRICKS UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT999B Herricks RoadNew Hyde Park, NY 11040

Board of Education:Brian Hassan, PresidentJuleigh Chin, Vice PresidentTrustees: Nancy FeinsteinJim GounarisHenry Zanetti

Dr. Fino M. CelanoSuperintendent of SchoolsElizabeth GuercinAssistant Superintendent for InstructionLisa Rutkoske, CPAAssistant Superintendent for Business

NON-PROFIT ORgaNIzaTION

PaID FLUSHINg, NY

PERmIT NO. 1491

ofPoints PrideRead our winter Points of Pride! Visit www.herricks.org for a full list of the most recent student achievements and awards.

All seven seniors that were recognized as National Merit semifinalists this past fall have advanced to earn finalist titles in the 63rd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. This distinction, presented by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, honors students for their academic success.

Aashna Brahmbhatt, Caitlin Chou, Nicole Garcia, Jonathan Lum, Nicolas Ryan, Brian Yang and Andrea Yeung are among approximately 16,000 students who have reached the finalist level after first being named semifinalists based on their Preliminary SAT scores. All are active in their school and community.

7National Merit Finalists

Visit www.herricks.org for more district news and information!

New PriNciPalsfor 2018-19

Loren Borgese will join Denton Avenue as principal and Diana DeGiorgio will take the principal role at

Searingtown, beginning July 1. Visit www.herricks.org for more information about them!