6th Grade Spanish Immersion Schedule & Curriculum Update

Dear 6th grade Ríos Families,

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, we want to share an important schedule and curriculum update for our 6th grade Ríos students.

Beginning this school year, 6th grade Ríos students will receive their daily Spanish instruction through Math, rather than Social Studies. The Ríos program progression is designed for 6th grade students to receive approximately 30% of their instructional day in Spanish. Because Math is a daily class, moving the Spanish content to Math will help us more consistently meet that intended percentage of Spanish instruction throughout the school year. Previously, Social Studies met every other day, which made it more challenging to consistently reach the program's 30% target.

In addition, 6th grade Ríos students will receive Spanish Language Arts in place of Hawk Hour. This will provide students with dedicated time for continued development of their Spanish language skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

We recognize that changes to the Ríos schedule and curriculum are significant, and this was not an easy decision. We carefully considered the impact on students, the Ríos program progression, instructional time, and our ability to provide students with the Spanish-language experiences the program is designed to offer. Teacher licensure and our ability to appropriately staff and provide instruction within licensure requirements were also important factors in the decision-making process.

Our goal is to continue providing a strong and meaningful Spanish Immersion experience while ensuring that our 6th grade students receive consistent Spanish instruction and continue progressing toward the expectations of the Ríos program.

We appreciate your support and understanding as we make this adjustment to strengthen the Spanish immersion experience for our students.

Sincerely,

Winona Middle School Administration