School District of Manatee County Dual Language Program

¡Les presento a la maestra Messer!

A special thank you to Mrs. Sánchez and Mrs. Melillo, our wonderful 3rd grade dual language teachers at Braden River Elementary for organizing another beautiful Mother’s Day celebration! Students and teachers came together to honor and celebrate the amazing mothers and mother figures who support and inspire our children every day.

The event was filled with love, appreciation, smiles, and meaningful moments that truly reflected the strong family connections within our dual language program. Thank you, Mrs. Sánchez and Mrs. Melillo for always going above and beyond to create memorable experiences for our students and families!

Congratulations, Mrs. Karlsson!!!

The Dual Language Salsa Competition results are here and these are the proud winners! What a great opportunity for a home-school connection! It surely spiced up the entire school!

The Palmetto Elementary School Dual Language and Fine Arts Teams organized an incredible cultural event celebrating language, diversity, and community. More than 300 parents and family members attended, making it a truly special evening filled with beautiful displays of culture, traditions, and multilingual learning.

Thank you to our dedicated teachers: Mayte Ruipérez, Gonzalo Villadangos, Alicia Vargas, Adriana Corona and Arlette Alanis and administrators for your support and commitment to creating meaningful experiences for our students and families. We are proud to celebrate the richness of our diverse community together!

Cultural awareness is one of the pillars of our Dual Language program. Great job, Prine DL team!

The Dual Language Program in the School District of Manatee County proudly celebrates the achievements of our students and the dedication of our exceptional teachers and administrators.

Dual language is a research-based educational model in which students learn academic content in two languages. Our district has adopted a 50/50 model, meaning instruction is intentionally balanced between English and Spanish. Mathematics is taught in Spanish, while reading and writing are developed in both languages to ensure strong literacy foundations aligned with our state standards across the curriculum.

Who Benefits from Dual Language?

Our program is intentionally designed to serve and empower diverse learners:

- English-dominant students (emergent bilinguals) who are adding Spanish as a second language, developing bilingual skills that mirror what students in many countries around the world experience as part of a strong academic education.

- Spanish-dominant students (emergent bilinguals) who are adding English while continuing to strengthen their Spanish allowing them to excel academically while gaining the English proficiency necessary to thrive in our English-dominant society.

- Simultaneous bilingual students, who already speak both languages and seek to grow academically in each with the important goal of maintaining their heritage language.

This program aligns directly with the vision of the School District of Manatee County, which strives to be an exemplary, student-focused school system that fosters lifelong learners who are globally competitive.

We are grateful for our partnership with the Education Office of Spain - USA whose collaboration strengthens our Dual Language Program through the Visiting Teachers Program. The visiting teachers bring not only strong pedagogical expertise, but also promote global awareness.

Muchas gracias a todos los que hacen de este programa un programa de excelencia.

Our Dual Language team at R. H. Prine Elementary School hosted a great parent meeting!

Families received important program updates and celebrated the continued growth of our bilingual community. We were especially excited to introduce two new teachers joining us this year from Spain, who bring rich cultural experiences to our students.

A special thank you to Mr. Sander, Principal, and Mrs. Cooke, Assistant Principal, for their support and presence, as well as to our DL team organizing the event. We are also grateful to our families for your ongoing partnership.

Together, we continue building strong, confident bilingual learners!

¡Juntos somos más fuertes!

In our dual language classrooms in School District of Manatee County students access content through language and language through content. In Mrs. Sánchez’s 3rd grade class, students solve problems and apply critical thinking skills all in Spanish. This immersive approach strengthens academic understanding and deepens language proficiency.

It takes a dedicated teacher to make this happen. One who remains in the target language and skillfully uses strategies such as scaffolding, visual supports, collaborative learning, and intentional questioning. ¡Muchas gracias Sra. Sánchez!

Sra. Sánchez, 3rd grade Dual Language- Braden River ES Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.