Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School
Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School
Description
Our mission: To develop life-long, multilingual learners with the cultural background and problem-solving skills to succeed in an ever-changing world.
Sonia Sotomayor Elementary School houses the District’s only full Spanish language immersion program which began in the SFSD in 2008. Our current enrollment is just under 700 students PreK - 5th grade with a waiting list of over 90 students wishing to enter kindergarten next year.
Since 2008, the Sioux Falls School District Spanish Immersion Program has been teaching native English speaking students a second language by immersing them in a classroom with a Spanish speaking teacher. All of the classroom instruction occurs in Spanish beginning in kindergarten. Students read, write, and speak Spanish as they go through their daily lessons. Art, music, and physical education being delivered in English. Our librarian is bilingual, therefore our library lessons rotate between delivery in English and Spanish. Students learn through the same curriculum as students in a traditional English classroom in the Sioux Falls School District, however the curriculum is in Spanish. Students whose first language is not English must demonstrate proficiency in English prior to enrollment at Sonia Sotomayor.
Starting in 3rd grade and continuing through 5th grade, students receive 45 minutes of English Specific Skills focusing on vocabulary development, grammar, and sentence structure. Students are required to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment each spring in English as well as the Measure of Academic Progress in English in the fall, winter and spring.
Our highly diverse staff are natives of 11 different countries including: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, United States and Venezuela. Each teacher brings their unique customs, traditions, dialects, and culture to our school to provide students with a learning environment that is rich in various cultures and experiences.
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