Dear Parents,
My name is Mariela Berrocal. I am the full-time ESL teacher at Alston Ridge Middle school. I am excited to be working with students who speak another language at home. I love this position and the opportunity to work so closely with students from all over the world! I, as many of you do, also speak Spanish. That is my native language. Thus, English is also my second language. I was born in Costa Rica and attended college pursuing an English as a Second language major. After getting married to my wonderful husband William, I came to the United States in 1997. I obtained my undergraduate degree in Psychology at Worcester State College in Massachusetts. Since my husband and I love the warm weather, we decided to move to North Carolina. I then attended North Carolina State University where I obtained my Master’s in English as a Second Language. Together, we have two wonderful young adults, Maria and Diego, who are twins and in college. We also have a Yorkie mix dog Mimi, who loves to be pampered all the time. Support I will be provided in two different ways: in-class support (I will be going into students’ classrooms to assist them with the language and scaffold materials) and ESL-scheduled classes to work with students who need a little extra assistance with the English language. The objective of the ESL program is to support students’ language needs, so that they can eventually stay in the regular classroom with little to no extra outside help. Every English language learner is classified as either Comprehensive, Moderate, or Transitional. I use the scores from either the ACCESS test given in the spring or the W-APT scores given by the Center of International Enrollment (CIE) at initial registration. Students who are Comprehensive are seen the most often and those who are Transitional are not pulled out as I monitor their progress through constant communication with the classroom teachers. These groups are very fluid and may change often depending on the needs of students. I look forward to meeting you and supporting your child’s language domains to help her/him succeed and attain their academic goals. I also invite you to become involved in our English Language Learners’ program. One idea can be having families who share traditional holiday celebrations from their home country in our classroom. I have been involved in schools that have had students dress in their traditional garb and share some basic facts about their home country as a celebration of the cultures represented within the school. Again, I welcome suggestions and volunteers willing to help in any way. Please feel free to email me anytime: [email protected] Alston Ridge Middle School Room: 2303 Thank you very much, Mariela Berrocal ESL Teacher |
Estimados Padres de Familia,
Mi nombre es Mariela Berrocal. Yo soy la maestra de Ingles como Segundo Idioma (ESL) en Alston Ridge Middle school. Me encanta esta posicion porque tengo la oportunidad de trabajar cercanamente con estudiantes de todo el mundo! Mi idioma nativo, como el de mucho de sus hijos es Espanol. Naci en Costa Rica y vine a los Estados Unidos en 1997. Soy casada y tengo un hijo y una hija que estan en la Universidad. El objetivo del programa de Ingles como Segundo Idioma es de brindar ayuda a las necesidades de los estudiantes para que asi eventualmente se puedan quedar en sus salones con poco o zero apoyo. Cada estudiante es clasificado como Comprensivo, Moderado, o Transicional. Yo uso las calificaciones que obtuvieron en el examen que se llama ACCESS y se da cada Febrero y tambien las calificaciones que obtuvieron en el examen de colocacion dado por el Centro de Matricula Internacional (CIE) al principio de la matricula en las escuelas. Los estudiantes Comprensivos necesitan mas ayuda, los Moderados pueden recibir servicios en sus salones y en mi clase, y normalmente, los Transicionales no son sacados de sus salones, se les supervisa el progreso academico. Estos grupos pueden cambiar dependiendo de las necesidades y progreso de cada estudiante. Sin embargo, todos tienen que tomar el examen ACCESS para determinar el progreso y si pueden salir de los servicios de este programa (dependiendo de las calificaciones). Si quisiera participar en alguna actividad en mi clase, por favor comuniquese conmigo. Me encantaria si pudiera ser voluntario (a) cuando pueda. Si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor mande un correo electronico a mi direccion del trabajo: [email protected] Alston Ridge Middle School Salon: 2303 Muchas gracias, Mariela Berrocal Maestra de Ingles Como Segundo Idioma |