Mission

Our mission is to increase student achievement by effectively addressing the academic, linguistic and social needs of English language learners through Bilingual/ESL programs that are research-based and celebratory of student diversity.

Vision

At the Bilingual/ESL Department, our vision is to foster a culture of collaboration that advocates and ensures educational equity for the academic, linguistic and social success of all language

• To develop high levels of communicative and academic second language proficiency
• To maintain and develop primary language skills
• To develop superior progress in all curricular areas
• To develop understanding, positive attitudes and acceptance of one-self as well as the diversity of the languages and cultures represented in the community

STAAR and TELPAS Report Cards will be arriving home soon. To learn more on how to understand your child’s score, visit the Texas Assessment Family Portal. You will need a six-digit access code. If you are unable to locate the access code, you can reach out to your child’s school for the access code.

CONGRATULATIONS to Travis Primary for having the highest preliminary accountability rating for all campuses in SSISD.

There is a certain amount of excitement and nervousness that each school year brings. We want you to know that we are here to support you during this time. This year stands out because our first group of students that started at Travis Primary have completed all 5 years of the DLE program and will be beginning their first year of middle school.

If you have any questions or need support, feel free to reach out to our team members, their contact information can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.

English Learners are the fastest growing population in the state of Texas. In Sulphur Springs ISD, we service more than 700 students and families.

In order to provide support for families, teachers, leaders, and the community; the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has created a website of resources in which parents can translate into 6 different languages ( Arabic, Chinese, Burmese, Spanish, Urdu, & Vietnamese).

We are extremely excited to welcome you to another school year! As you begin your great work and impact the lives of our students, remember how much you are valued by our department and appreciated for the premiere educational experience you provide to your students!

• “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” – Margaret Fuller

• Reading is not just important for acquiring knowledge, it will help you build your vocabulary and range in English, too.

• “It doesn’t matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

• Learning a skill such as a new language can take a long time. If you feel like your progress is slow, bear in mind these wise words from Confucius. The important thing is to keep going and you will get there in the end.

• “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” – Benjamin Franklin

• Travis Primary
• Michelle Wallace- Principal
• mwallace@ssisd.net
• Ana Ramirez- Academic Specialist
• aramirez@ssisd.net

• Sulphur Springs Elementary School
• Holly Folmar- Principal
• hfolmar@ssisd.net
• Shara Roden- Academic Specialist
• sroden@ssisd.net
• Jodi Goodman- Academic Specialist
• jgoodman@ssisd.net

• Sulphur Springs ISD
• Jeremy Lopez- Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education & Bilingual/ESL Services
• jlopez@ssisd.net
• Patty Garcia- Administrative Assistant of Elementary Education & Bilingual/ESL Services
• pgarcia@ssisd.net