ISLA Los Sábados is a weekly educational heritage language immersion program for children ages 3 to 17 that aims to close the opportunity gap and open doors for Hispanic/Latino youth, their families and community.
1
A heritage language refers to the language of one's ancestry or culture and is often taught in the home by someone's family or learned in addition to a person's primary language.
2
Maintaining a heritage language is important for children and grandchildren of immigrants to connect them culturally and linguistically to their ancestors/family history.
3
Studies have shown that literacy skills gained in a student's home language are actually transferable to English and any other language a child speaks.
A TYPICAL DAY AT ISLA
CULTURAL
EDUCATION
Our goal is to foster a sense of pride and love for Hispanic/Latino culture in our free, Spanish heritage language classes. The curriculum includes strategies based on the Hispanic/Latin American educational model that incorporates the stories, traditions and geography of Spanish-speaking countries into each lesson.
INQUIRY AND EXPLORATION
We believe we all learn best when we are actively experiencing the world. ISLA's classes are inquiry-based and guided by our students' interests and curiosity. We also believe that students acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems through project based learning.
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
ISLA uses an integrated interdisciplinary approach to teach language, while supporting students’ development of their cultural identities. We work across disciplines to draw upon literacy, arts and STEM as students work through authentic, real-world learning experiences.
Maria Lucia Bernal Quintero
Pre-K (3) Lead Teacher
Marianella Benites
Pre-K (3) Assistant
Andrea Hernandez
Pre-K (4) Lead Teacher
Miriam Guerrero
Pre-K (4) Assistant
Maria Jaime-Ledesma
Kindergarten Lead Teacher
Yanis Ramírez
Kindergarten Assistant
Julia S. Arriaga
1st Grade Lead Teacher
Ingrid Stephanie Petrovich
1st Grade Assistant
Cristina Rodriguez
2nd Grade Lead Teacher
Patricia Gómez
3rd Grade Lead Teacher
Marcela Calderon
3rd Grade Assistant
Evelia Brenis Escamilla
4th Grade Lead Teacher
Maria Guadalupe Franco
4th Grade Assistant
Indira Crespo-Bautista
5th Grade Lead Teacher
Blanca de Fatima Gonzalez
5th Grade Assistant
Veronica Lisset Garcia
6th & 7th Grade Lead Teacher
Jacqueline Salazar
6th & 7th Grade Assistant
Melissa Smolski
8th & 9th Grade Lead Teacher
Jacqueline Salazar
8th & 9th Grade Assistant
How is the sign up process for my kid?
Where are the classes held?
Once I register my child(ren), does that mean that they have been admitted to the program?
My child does not speak Spanish but does understand it. Does he/she qualify for ISLA Los Sábados?
I'm on the waitlist, what does that mean?
Is there a cost to this program?
My child is not 3 yet, but can I go ahead and put him/her on the waitlist?