Affirming Canyons’ commitment to Dual-Language Immersion programs in the coming school year and beyond, the Canyons Board of Education has approved a two-school expansion of the Spanish-English DLI program.
Members of the Board of Education on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020 unanimously endorsed a proposal to launch Spanish-English DLI classes at Altara and Midvalley elementary schools in fall 2020. The decision comes after a public-input process to gauge the interest of parents and teachers in both communities.
Altara Principal Nicole Svee-Magann and Midvalley Principal Tamra Baker held meetings with faculty, members of their School Community Councils, and Parent-Teacher Associations to discuss whether the program would be welcome. The feedback from all groups, both say, was overwhelmingly positive.
“Our faculty and community are so excited for this opportunity,” says Svee-Magann. “We believe that it will strengthen our academics and infuse new energy into our school. We can’t wait to welcome new students to our Altara family.”
Baker says the Midvalley community is “unified around the common goal of nurturing scholars who are ready for the most rigorous courses.”
“In a community rich with over a dozen languages,” she says, “our Midvalley community embraces the academic excellence that the Spanish DLI program will continue for all of our students, not just those in the DLI program.”
Canyons District’s central-office staff is working on the tasks that need to be done in order to provide the first- and second-grade DLI classes for the Kittyhawks and Jr. Huskies in the fall.
The CSD Instructional Supports Department will start the process to hire teachers and conduct a special application window. Children from all parts of Canyons District may apply, but some spots will be reserved for in-boundary children at both schools.
Children entering first-grade and second-grade in the coming year are eligible to apply for both the Altara and Midvalley programs.
Canyons expects the demand to exceed the available space at both sites. A lottery will be held to determine the students who are placed.
Students who have already received a placement in another DLI program or are on the waitlist may apply for these two programs without risking their placement or status on the current waitlist. A family that ends up with two placements as a result of the special lottery can select their placement of choice.
Current first-grade DLI students at any other Canyons school, regardless of the target language, may apply for a placement at Altara or Midvalley.
Parents who want their children to be considered for a placement in either program can submit an online application March 2-20.
CSD will begin taking applications via an online portal at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 2. Parents will be able to access a live link to the portal on the Canyons website on Friday, Feb. 28.
Placement notifications will be sent electronically to parents on Friday, April 3. Acceptance letters from families will be due Friday, April 17.
