Welcome to the 2009-2010 School Year!

 

For both returning and new families to the El Marino Community, it is truly my pleasure to welcome you to this new school year. I hope you enjoyed a wonderful summer seeing family and friends, learning new things and relaxing together.

 

As always, our teachers and parents have joined together to plan an exciting year for our students. Building on our great successes of the past year, we will continue to provide an excellent immersion education which enables our students to master California state standards as they learn Japanese or Spanish. At the same time, students will participate in many enrichment opportunities both within the school day, including Art Odyssey instruction and artists-in-residency, and outside the school day, including after-school Japanese Taiko drumming and Spanish Flamenco dancing. With the school’s emphasis on proficiency in the state standards, proficiency in a second language, and enriched cultural activities, El Marino students truly receive a unique educational experience that helped our school garner a 2008 California Distinguished School honor.

 

We are now entering our second year of a 5-year federal Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant to improve and expand our current K-12 Japanese Program. We will continue our efforts in training teachers, enhancing instruction through updated technology, and establishing a long-range implementation plan that will result in more Culver City High School students graduating with advanced levels of Japanese proficiency.

 

Our focus on excellence in immersion education functions as the direct result of the desire of Culver City families like you who choose to have your children become bilingual, biliterate and culturally aware. Your support and involvement in your child’s education reflects this commitment, which contributes to the success of your child. This year, please continue to strengthen the home-school partnership by communicating with your child’s teacher and by contributing your time and resources to the classroom and to our parent organizations, the PTA and ALL-EM. By providing the resources for arts instruction, computer lab, monthly Music Center assemblies, field trips and native language adjunct paraprofessionals in every classroom, our parent organizations are an integral part of the success of El Marino Language School.

 

We have planned diligently this summer to provide an enriched and rigorous instructional program for your child this year. Please check back on our website frequently as we update information to keep you informed. Our staff and I look forward to seeing you on the first day of school, September 2, 2009.

 

Sincerely,

 

Tracy Pumilia, Principal

(310) 842-4241

tracypumilia@ccusd.org