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Date: 12/6/2022
SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield School Committee approved a pilot program that would teach students in both English and Spanish.
The program, which would start with the 2023-2024 school year at the Gerena School, would be for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. The goal, if successful, is to bring that program to other schools.
Rosa Rodriguez-Pion, supervisor of multilingual learners, told the School Committee, the process to develop the pilot program started in 2019. While the coronavirus pandemic slowed the planning process, she noted, it gave those involved more time to put the program together.
She explained the students in the program receive 50 percent of their school day receiving instruction in English and Spanish each. The benefits are that children become bilingual and learn of different cultures
During the next school year there will be two pre-K classes and two kindergarten classrooms in the program. The program will be a two-way immersion model with one third of the students English speakers, one third Spanish speakers and one third bilingual.
Each class would have two teachers, one proficient in Spanish, while the other in English. Students would swap classroom midday.
Rodriguez-Pion said the team at the school are making final decision about the curriculum.
School Committee member Josiah Gonzalez asked about family engagement during the planning. Rodriguez-Pion said parents will be asked to attend a meeting and there will be a lottery process to select students.
Gonzalez also asked why Gerena was selected. School Superintendent Daniel Warwick answered that Gerena is large enough to offer options for parents who do not want to participate in the program.
In other business the School Committee heard the annual report from Roger Weger, the resident district manager for Sodexo, the company that prepares meals for Springfield students.
Last school year, the company prepared 7,453,632 meals. This year, Weger predicted the amount would be more, coming back to pre-pandemic levels.
Many new meal options for students have been added, he said.
The company has a goal to buy locally produced food products. Last year they had a goal of 22 percent and reached 25.2 percent with fresh local food coming from Massachusetts and neighboring states.
The company has “taken student engagement to a new level” with 221,000 students reached through social media platforms as well as such as a feedback booth at the World’s Largest Pancake Breakfast.
Weger noted that Sodexo has kept 216,000 pounds of food waste out of landfills by working with Vanguard Renewables of Hadley. The food waste is used to generate electricity for 1,600 homes as well as fertilizer.
Weger noted there will be a new “Room Service” pilot program in the spring in which students can order their personalized breakfast the day ahead. There will be a tour of the Culinary Nutrition center for parents and students on March 3, 2023.
The company is facing challenges including double digit inflation for healthy fresh food options; making sure students have enough time to eat their breakfasts and lunches; and problems stemming from supply chain issues.
For more information go to www.homegrownspringfield.com.