2016-2017 Mid-Year Edition
Spotlight ONE A Publication of Richland County School District One
A Message from the
Superintendent
As we reach the halfway mark of the 20162017 school year, we can pause and reflect with pride on our accomplishments in Richland One. Most importantly among them is increasing student performance and outcomes. We want you to be informed about all the great things happening in the district, so you can help us share the good news. In this new publication, Spotlight ONE, we provide updates on academic progress in the district, honors and awards received by our students and staff, our language immersion program, our expanded Montessori program offerings and the upgrades being made to our athletics facilities. Although we have several months to go in this school year, we’re already looking ahead to next year and beyond. For example, we will be exploring the creation of a virtual school at the secondary level as we continue to expand options for students and parents in the district. We want you to stay connected to Richland One. Follow district news on our website (www.richlandone.org), Facebook (www.facebook.com/richlandone), Twitter (@RichlandOne), Richland One TV (Time Warner Cable channel 12) and Richland One TV On Demand on our website. Also, be sure to sign up for our weekly Spotlight ONE e-newsletter by clicking the logo on our home page. As always, we thank you for your support of Richland One as we work together to transform the lives of our students through education. Craig Witherspoon, Ed.D. Superintendent
Language Immersion in Richland One
When you enter the language immersion classrooms at Carver-Lyon Elementary School, you can see and hear the pride, joy and progress students have made since the program started in August. The Richland One Language Immersion Program at Carver-Lyon, which currently serves pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students, will expand by one grade level each year through fifth grade. About half of the students’ instructional time is taught in English and the other half is taught in either Mandarin Chinese or Spanish. Principal Dr. Teresa Turner, her staff, parents and supporters are thrilled at how quickly the students have learned to speak, read and learn various subjects in Spanish or Mandarin Chinese, as well as English. “Parents tell me that when they visit a Spanish or Chinese restaurant, our students talk to the servers and order their meals in Spanish or Chinese,” said Dr. Turner. “When they go home from school, they are teaching their parents and siblings to speak another language. Already, they’re using what they’re learning in the classroom.” Parent Dr. Virginie Daguise is amazed at how quickly her 6-year-old daughter, Sophie, a kindergarten student, is learning Spanish. “Sophie is adding, subtracting, reading and speaking Spanish in only three or four months into the school year,” she said. “I’m very impressed.” Right now, there are 98 students in the language immersion program, which is divided into eight classes – four in Spanish and four in Mandarin Chinese. Next year, when first-grade classes are added to the program, there will be 14 classes. Dr. Turner says being bilingual instills
confidence in students and they feel pride in being able to speak more than one language. She said when the students get older, being bilingual will make them more marketable and give them a competitive edge in college and the workplace. “They already know there’s something special about being able to speak more than one language,” she said. “To them, speaking two languages has become second nature. They ask their parents why they only know how to speak one language!” The district will hold a series of information sessions in January and February for parents to learn more about the Richland One Language Immersion Program at Carver-Lyon Elementary School.
For More Information,
go to www.richlandone.org or contact Dr. Teresa Turner at 343-2900 or teresa.turner @richlandone.org.
Inside: Points of Pride · Program Updates · F.Y.I. · Key Dates