Lake Hills Elementary recently welcomed Washington State Senator, Lisa Wellman (WA-41) who came to meet with students, staff and district leaders to learn more about the Bellevue School District’s Dual Language Program. The visit was led by Superintendent Kelly Aramaki, Chitra Bhardwaj, Director of Multilingual Programs, and Lake Hills Principal, Erin Hagan (nee King).
The visit afforded Senator Wellman an opportunity to learn about the needs of the district, experience the culture and climate of the Lake Hills community, and visit classrooms in session. It also provided an opportunity for constituents to connect with their legislator and advocate for dual language programs. Lake Hills families shared how investment in dual language has benefited their students and how continued investment in programs, teacher training and more comprehensive assessments could expand and grow dual language programs not only in Bellevue but across the state.
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction connected district staff with staff at OneAmerica, an organization leading a campaign for multilingualism and dual language across the state. OneAmerica builds leadership and organizes grassroots leaders to push for policy change, mobilizes civic engagement in our communities, and advocates for systems that welcome and include immigrants at every level. The goal of the Lake Hills visit was to showcase our Multilingual Learners English-Language Development (ELD) instruction through Dual Language pedagogy.
Coming Soon: Applications for Dual Language Programs
Bellevue School District offers students the opportunity to take part in Spanish Dual Language Programs. Students from a variety of language backgrounds learn together while instruction is systematically delivered in both Spanish and English languages. Students read, write, listen and speak in both languages, becoming bilingual, biliterate and bicultural while working towards grade level academic achievement.
Interested students are invited to attend an upcoming open house to learn more about Dual Language options. School open house dates will be posted to the district website near the end of October. Most dual language students begin in kindergarten. Lottery applications for Spanish Dual Language are accepted during the Open Transfer and Choice School and Programs application period. The Open Transfer and Choice School and Programs application period for the 2024-2025 school year will take place from December 11, 2023, through January 19, 2024.