When San Bernardino City Unified School District (SBCUSD) put out a call for innovative proposals, Delila Vasquez, President of the San Bernardino Catholic Elementary Schools, proposed a full immersion summer program for third graders where students would practice third grade standards in Spanish and begin exploring their Hispanic heritage.
The idea was welcomed by the selection committee and Vasquez was awarded $30,000 to implement the immersion program at Holy Rosary Academy. The program will run for five weeks and will be offered free of charge to third graders attending Holy Rosary Academy, Our Lady of Assumption and public school third graders who live in the area surrounding Holy Rosary Academy. It will serve a maximum of 60 students and it will include literature, math, visual and other arts. Funds will be channeled through the SBCUSD Office of Community Partnerships with the intent to make this the beginning of a long lasting relationship.
This private-public partnership supports the need to have educational institutions collaborate to increase academic success for all students. Third grade was targeted to support the philosophy that students learn to read from kindergarten through third grade and read to learn from third grade on.
This immersion program is an effort to target various needs in the City of San Bernardino and specifically areas surrounding Catholic Schools without drastically changing the core of the Catholic School values or curriculum. The summer program is an extension of Catholic values by supporting bilingualism and self-identity. The Catholic community is largely formed by families who will benefit and welcome the opportunity to foster Hispanic heritage experiences in a supportive academic environment.