The school year 2014-15 is coming to an end and we are making the final preparations for the closing of our building this June 2015. We have been slowly transitioning the Ericsson families to their new home school, Lincoln Irving. Our Kindergarteners have joined their new friends this school year and many of the Ericsson families that were ready, have already made the move “up the hill.”
Though the decision to close Ericsson was a difficult one, we have come to see the advantages the change will create. Our students will be a part of the Dual Language Academy at Lincoln Irving, learning in English and Spanish from Kindergarten through their high school years, no matter what language is spoken in the home. They will be better prepared for the 21st Century as true bilingual, biliterate students. Students will be a part of a larger, more diverse population making friends outside of their culture at a much younger age. Our hope is that they build long lasting relationships that will help them be successful when they move on to John Deere Middle School. We also know that at a larger school, our teachers will have colleagues to collaborate with at their own grade level because there will be 2 or 3 sections of each grade. With the increase in collaboration, articulation and planning between teachers, our students will be better served. There will also be an increase in nursing, counseling, social worker, and psychologists hours at the larger school where families can get the help or referrals needed. We are also happy to announce that Lincoln Irving will be led by a bilingual principal, Mrs. Blanca Leal.
You have been an important part of the Ericsson School Community. Throughout the years, you have helped our students and their families in numerous, very generous ways. You have given of your time, money and it is because of you that we have worked to level the playing field between “the haves and have not’s.” When I asked for winter coats, hat, gloves, etc. you answered “how many?,” when I asked for mid-year school supplies, you said “sure, here they are”, when a family needed help with food, clothing or shelter, you told me “you’d find a way,” when I asked for laptops or iPads to help our students compete in a global society, you said “how much do you need?” These are but a few examples of the tremendous outpouring of support I have had as the administrator of a school where basic needs had to be met before learning could happen.
The school doors may be closing soon here at Ericsson, but the students and their families will continue to need your help. Please consider continuing your support at Lincoln Irving Elementary, located at 1015 16th Avenue, 309-743-1612. Mrs. Leal and staff would appreciate your help.
I would like to personally invite you to stop by our Open House/Fiesta on Friday, May 22, 2015 from 3:30pm to 7pm.
It’s been an honor to have served as a teacher and principal at Ericsson for 23 years. I will be retiring at the end of the school year, but will always hold dear to my heart the great Ericsson Family/Community.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Juanita Terronez , Principal Ericsson School
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