SANTA PAULA : Program to Teach Bilingual Fluency

Officials at Glen City Elementary School in Santa Paula will hold a meeting tonight for parents interested in enrolling their children in a program that helps students become fluent in English and Spanish.

Enrollment in the program, which will enter its second year in the fall, is open to kindergarten and first-grade students who speak either English or Spanish, said program administrator Marsha de la O.

The program teaches English to Spanish-speaking children and offers English-speaking children a chance to learn to read and write Spanish, De la O said.

Children are taught in both languages, with a heavy emphasis on Spanish in the early grades, De la O said. Officials hope that students who enroll in the program will continue in it for five years, she said.

Bilingual teacher Avelina Ramirez and students from her class will give a demonstration at the meeting of how the classes are taught. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the school, 141 S. Steckel Drive.