Hi everybody,

I'm one of a group of parents who are trying to start a Dual immersion (English-Spanish) program at Bernard Elementary school in Petaluma. The program with allow students to be taught in both English and Spanish, so
that upon graduation the children are completely bilingual in both the
written and spoken languages. There are many of these programs in the Bay area and throughout California and most are extremely popular with waiting lists to get in. The benefits of these programs are numerous
and very beneficial for children growing up in a multi-cultural society. This is our opportunity to bring such a program to Petaluma.

The Old Adobe Union School District gave us a goal of obtaining 15 English speaking families and 15 Spanish speaking families who plan to
enroll starting in the Fall in order for the program to be approved. The good news is we have come close enough to that goal that the
superintendent Diane Zimmerman and the principal Andi Stubbs have scheduled us to make a presentation to the board on January 22nd.

If you are interested in such a program and have a child who will begin
Kindergarten or the First grade in the Fall please contact us so that your signature can be added to the list of interested parents. You can also attend the meeting on January 22nd. Parents will be able to make
brief statements in support of the program.

It is our understanding that the board is supportive of the project and
that if we have the required number of English and Spanish speaking
children/families that the program will be a go.

Here are the meeting details, date and time:

When: Thursday, January 22

Meeting begins 7:00 p.m. the superintendent's presentation is scheduled towards the end and she recommends getting there about 8:15 so you don't have to sit
through the whole meeting.

Where: *La Tercera Elementary School
1600 Albin Way
Petaluma, CA 94954*


If you would like to know more about dual immersion programs or have any
other questions please contact me at 415-884-2747 or respond to this email.

Many thanks!

Tia