Hurley Elementary Receives State CABE Seal of Excellence Award for Bilingual Education
Hurley Elementary is one of only three schools in the state that will receive the Bilingual Education Seal of Excellence Award. Pictured: Hurley Elementary students in action! Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher Heidemarie West with parents (above).
Hurley Elementary is one of only three schools in the state to receive the 2020 Seal of Excellence Award  by the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE).  This award honors exemplary bilingual education programs that have implemented outstanding opportunities to serve the needs of English learners. Hurley Elementary will be recognized for this honor at the annual CABE state conference in April.

“It is truly an honor that one of our schools has received this coveted award,”  said Silvia Rivas, Director of Special Projects for the Rowland Unified School District.  “We are proud of the Hurley students, staff and parents who work hard every day allowing our students to become the future bilingual scientists, engineers, doctors and teachers of tomorrow. ¡Felicitaciones Hurley Hawks, estamos orgullosos de sus logros!”

The Seal of Excellence is one of the highest awards CABE has to recognize schools for their vision of biliteracy, their commitment towards educational excellence for all students, and their focus on providing students with the skills they will need to be successful. Hurley Elementary is being recognized for its outstanding commitment to biliteracy with its Spanish Dual Language Immersion program as well as the overall academic growth of English Learners, in both the dual and English only programs.
“Our staff is remarkably dedicated to closing the achievement gap for our English Learners and we believe it is our moral imperative to provide our students with an exceptional 21st century elementary education,”  said Hurley Elementary Principal, Dr. Yesenia Alvararez.  “This award reflects the hard work and commitment of our teachers, staff, students and parents."  

In order for a school to receive the CABE Seal of Excellence Award, certain rigorous criteria must be met:
● Substantial evidence of the bilingual language proficiency (English and other language) and academic achievement for students in the program.
●  A description of the comprehensive and enriched instructional program that includes English Language Development, primary language instruction, and English instruction.
● A description of the professional development plan for certificated staff and how staff use effective, evidence-based instructional strategies.
2019-20 RUSD Teacher of the Year, Dolores Gonzalez, Third Grade Teacher at Hurley Elementary with students.
●   A description, with examples, of how the comprehensive curriculum for English Learners is aligned to the standards at all grade levels.
●  An effective school-home-community collaboration that empowers parents to become active participants in their children’s education.
The Hurley Team pictured at RUSD's Welcome Back event!
Hurley Elementary is located at 535 S. Dora Guzman Ave. in La Puente www.hurleyelemschool.org
For more information please contact Hurley Elementary Principal Dr. Yesenia Alvarez at (626)965-2429.
Shelyn Elementary Hosts Lunar
New Year Celebraton
Shelyn Elementary Teacher Mrs. Gallegos and her students created a red dragon made of recycled red plastic cups for the Shelyn Lunar New Year Celebration on
January 22, 2020.
ShaoLin Master Yan Yue and his crew performed authentic ShaoLin Kung Fu at the event. Shelyn students enjoyed making handcrafts and the parade.
By Kevin Chou, Shelyn Elementary Teacher

Shelyn Elementary hosted their annual schoolwide Lunar New Year Parade on January 22 nd to welcome the Year of the Rat. The celebration began with the ceremonial lighting of a firecracker (now electronic for safety!) by Superintendent Dr. Julie Mitchell and Board of Education Clerk Lynne Ebenkamp, as it is said the ancient legendary creature named Nian (year) is scared of the color red and loud noises.

Many students dressed in beautiful traditional Chinese New Year clothes and marched with handcrafted items such as paper lanterns or headbands. Mrs. Gallego’s First Grade class created a showy red dragon using recycled red plastic cups (pictured above). Upper grade students also raised up and swayed their dragon heads in a wavy motion to bring joy and good fortune wishes to every attendee.

“Aside from studying Chinese language, authentic cultural experiences are an important part our students must experience,” said Sarah Opatkiewicz, Principal of Shelyn Elementary. “This year, we were so lucky and thankful to receive community support such as from the ShoaLin Kung Fu Chan Academy that performed traditional ShaoLin Kung Fu during the celebration. It is through hosting a parade like this that helps enrich and deepen our students’ understanding about this ancient language and its culture.”

Shelyn Elementary is the first school in the District to offer a Mandarin Chinese Dual Language Immersion Program. The program launched last year and expands one grade level every year, where students learn to read, write and speak in English and Chinese beginning in Kindergarten. Students who will turn 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2020 can enroll now for Kindergarten and for the Mandarin Chinese Program for the 2020-2021 school year. Shelyn also offers a weekly Mandarin Chinese enrichment class for students in the non-dual program to provide an opportunity for learning conversational Mandarin Chinese and exposing them to Chinese cultural experiences.

For more information please contact Shelyn Elementary Principal Sarah Opatkiewicz at (909)444-0584 or visit www. shelynschool.org

Videos About RUSD Spanish and Chinese Dual Language Immersion Programs Offered
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February 20, 2020 Issue Questions? Contact RUSD News Editor gward@rowlandschools.org
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