Welcome to the 2024-25 school year here at Bonita Unified School District! As we welcome our students, we cannot help but to celebrate the diversity that our students bring to our classrooms and our campuses. When we get to know our students' stories, we will know that they come from so many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Our District's core values include EQUITY, which means we give students what they need to be successful. Our data show that some students need a little more than others to be successful. Some students have more tailwinds than others. Historically, English learners need more support to be successful. However, this does not mean there is a deficit. In fact, English learners bring with them prior knowledge, experiences, and strengths related to language and learning that educators must find ways to identify and build upon.
The purpose of this newsletter is to inform staff about information and updates regarding our English Language Development (ELD) Program, to support staff in helping ALL students especially our English learners, and to share teaching tips and ideas on how to support our English learners. We look forward to the sharing of best practices among our educators throughout the year!
Sincerely,
Kim Lawe, Ed.D.
On behalf of Curriculum & Instruction
Educational Services Division
New ELD Support
We would like to welcome Marlyn Casillas who is now our District ELD Clerk supporting our English learners and their families. She comes to Educational Services from Human Resources. Prior to that, she supported students at Chaparral High School. She can be reached at Ext. 5326 or at macasillas@bonita.k12.ca.us.
Many thanks to Sharlyne Rawman for her past support with our English learners and the ELD Program. She is now supporting Specialized Services, and we are grateful she is still a part of the Educational Services Team.
Additional EL Support
We are thankful for the additional support provided by our Bilingual Instructional Aides (BIAs) and Primary Language Assistants (PLAs). When you see them on your campus, know that they are here to support our EL students and our teachers.
- Denise Atallah at Shull and Allen Elementary
- Ghada Afif at San Dimas HS
- Gwen Ponce at Roynon Elementary
- Hana Farraj at Bonita High School
- Irene Martinez at Ekstrand Elementary
- Mercedes De La Cruz at Oak Mesa and Grace Miller Elementary
- Mercedes Romero at Gladstone and La Verne Heights Elementary
- Sofia Alba at Lone Hill Middle School
For questions regarding ELD at the elementary schools, please contact Dr. Jaymi Abusham. For questions regarding ELD at the secondary schools, please contact Dr. Kim Lawe.
English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC)
This is the time of year that site principals are starting to compile their School Site Council (SSC) through elections. We also encourage you to think about assembling your English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) if your site has twenty-one (21) or more English learners enrolled.
In accordance with the California Education Code, section 52176(b), all schools with twenty-one (21) or more English Learner (EL) students, not including Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) students, are required to establish an English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC).
Schools are required to form the ELAC at any time during the school year when the number of identified EL students reaches 21 or more.
All parents with students attending the school in which the ELAC is established are eligible and should be encouraged to participate in the ELAC. The principal must ensure that ELAC members receive appropriate training.
The responsibilities of the ELAC include:
- Advising the School Site Council (SSC) on the development of the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA), especially those sections related to English learner
- Assisting in the development of the school’s Needs assessment, Language census.
- Making efforts to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance.
- Advising the principal and staff on the school’s program for English learners.
- Assisting the District ELAC in the dissemination of information and materials related to all aspects of the Master Plan for English Learners
- Advising in the development of and approval of the school’s Title III and Economic Impact Aid-Limited English Proficient (EIA-LEP) budgets. (California Department of Education)
Curriculum and Instruction is happy to assist with the training process and is providing an ELAC training slide presentation here for all principals to present to their ELAC. Feel free to make a copy and modify it for your site. We will also ask that each site send at least 1 representative and one alternative to be a part of the District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC) if you have not already done so. We will need names of your ELAC members who will be a part of DELAC by September 27, 2024, by the end of the day. That gives me time to send out a draft of our District EL Master Plan for their preview before our first DELAC meeting on October 16, 2024.
DELAC Meeting dates are listed below. All DELAC Meetings will be held at 5:00pm at the District Office Board Room.
October 16, 2024
January 15, 2025
March 19, 2025
May 21, 2025
