- Rotary InterCountry Teacher Exchange

Silvia Colombo wrote:

Dear Ralph and Armida:
                                          I have good news. I´m travelling to your country next Monday. On Wednesday, I´m going to tell you about the timetable and the flight number.
 
                                          Fortunately, I could solve all the problems with my passport and visa. Tomorrow, I will receive the visa. I´ve been admitted to travel to the U.S.A without any problem.
 
                                         I would like to know where I´m going to stay and what schools I´m going to visit. I would also like to know about the students I´m going to teach. I´d be very happy to know about that to plan my lessons.
 
                                           I hope you are well. Thanks again for everything. I´m looking forward to your answer.
Love,
 Silvia
 

Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 21:23:43 -0600
From: "Ralph and Armida Hight"
To: "Silvia Colombo"
Subject: Re: My trip is a fact




Hola Silvia,

We are delighted to get the news that everything has worked out for your visa and passport and are all eager to get to know you.

Your first host family is planning to greet you at the airport and are ready to take you home with them for your first week here. They will need to receive your email with your flight itinerary details because they will be greeting you at the airport.  Ralph and I are leaving early Wednesday morning for his home state of Ohio (tomorrow) and plan to be back from our trip to  in time to greet you too, but just in case we should run into any weather delay, we know Tom and Peggy will be there for sure. So please include them in your email (as well as the other email addresses on the recipient list):
Tom and Peggy Church
Home Address:
Home Phone:


The name of the school where you will be based is:

Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet Elementary School
Grades: Kindergarten through 7th (or 8th grade by this year)
Principal: Mrs. Connie Quintanilla
Their are two teachers at Horace Mann who participated in the RITE program July 2003 in Panama - Niki Gresham and Jannea Smuck. Another former Panama RITE program participant, Nancy Johnson is our school RITE Coordinator. Irving Elementary School . She is our school RITE Coordinator and will have you visit her school and is responsible for planning your entire schedule.

In our last email to you, we included some the following remarks that explain what you will be doing professionally during your stay with us. We believe it is a general overview of what you will do in the schools and how a couple of days per week, you will teach Spanish after school to selected Rotarians from your two host Rotary Clubs... (you may want to bring some of your favorite teaching materials for this).

This outline included below is our RITE program we have had in place in Wichita since our first year of hosting a RITE teacher (we believe this will be our eighth year).
With this format, you will have opportunity to...

        1. Observe and participate in school/s where English is taught to speakers of other languages who have recently immigrated to the United States and also in a special dual language program school (where students learn English and Spanish through the curriculum).
        2. Participate in seminars provided by our school district for the teaching of language through literature.
        3. Participation in special in-service sessions for all Wichita teachers.
        4. Share your culture with many of the students in the school/s you will visit. You will need to have visuals, posters,  music, videos (VHS format), articles that can be shown that are representative of  your culture. An album of pictures of you with your family, you with your students, your school, your home, etc.... a way to share your life in Argentina with not only the students in the schools, but just as important with your host families.
        5. You will be assigned to a beautiful new school where all the students are taught two languages through the curriculum (English and Spanish). It is called a "dual language magnet" school. We will explain that more in detail after you're here.
        6. A special opportunity to visit our school district teacher support department (“parent/teacher resource room) where they may have an entire day to select and make materials and supplies which will support your curriculum (all at no charge to you). Interesting note: our past RITE teachers have needed to pack an extra suitcase in order to take home their newly acquired supplies!
        7. A chance to teach Spanish to a select fun group of Rotarians and spouses who wish to improve their Spanish speaking skills (most of them have had some exposure to Spanish lessons).
        8. To improve your English fluency and proficiency through immersion not only by exposure in the schools, but also by living in the homes of Rotarians and through the many possible excursions provided for  you.

Please direct any questions you might have to your first host family - Tom and Peggy Church - since Ralph and I will not have access to our computer from Wednesday the 14th through Monday the 19th.
May your trip be an easy one!
Buen Viaje... hasta el martes,
Armida and Ralph

 

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Last updated on 02-16-2001

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