Omaha South High Magnet School

Dual Language

About Dual Language
Acerca de Dos Idiomas
Course Information
Teachers

Omaha South High Magnet Dual Language

Students at South High Magnet have the unique opportunity to participate in the Omaha Public Schools Dual Language Program. This program focuses on nurturing bilingualism in our students while preparing them for the transition to post-secondary education. Omaha Public Schools is one of only a handful of K through 12^th grade Dual Language programs in the nation. Omaha South Magnet is the only Dual Language High School in the district and offers a major in Dual Language. Students who participate in Dual Language program receive instruction in both English and Spanish.

To enroll in a dual language class a student must be enrolled in the Dual Language program or have the approval of the dual language coordinator and a recommendation from a teacher/counselor or the ESL department head. Enrollment in the Dual Language program is dependent on the ability to complete a class that is taught in both English and Spanish.

The Dual Language Agreement ensures transparency regarding expectations of the program for the students, parents and the DL Team of Omaha South High.

Click here to see the Dual Language Agreement. Agreement DL 2018.pdf

Omaha South High's Dual Language Program has been recognized as the Dual Language High School of the Year by the International Spanish Academies. This recognition comes from the hard work and dedication of the DL Staff and families. Omaha South High is proud of the linguistic and cultural connections made through the Dual Language Program while emphasizing and enforcing high academic achievement for our Dual Language students.

Click here to learn more about our ISA affiliation with the Embassy of Spain

Los estudiantes de la escuela South High Magnet tienen la oportunidad única de participar en el programa de Dos Idiomas en las Escuelas Públicas de Omaha. Este programa se centra en fomentar el bilingüismo en nuestros estudiantes mientras se preparan para la transición a la educación post-secundaria. Las Escuelas Públicas de Omaha es una de sólo un puñado de escuelas de los grados de Kindergarten a grado 12 con programa de Dos Idiomas en toda la nación. La escuela South High Magnet es la única escuela con programa de Dos Idiomas en el distrito que ofrece una especialización en dos idiomas. Los estudiantes que participan en las clases de Dos Idiomas reciben instrucción en inglés y en español.

Para registrarse en clases de Dos Idiomas el estudiante debe estar registrado en el Programa de Dos Idiomas y tener la aprobación del coordinador y una recomendación de un maestro/consejero o del director del departamento de Inglés como Segunda Lengua. La inscripción en el programa de Dos Idiomas depende de la posibilidad de completar un curso que se imparte en inglés y en español.

El Acuerdo de Dos Idiomas da información según acerca de las expectativas del programa de parte de la escuela, los estudiantes y los padres. Haz clic aquí para ver el Acerdo de Dos Idiomas. Agreement DL 2018.pdf

The school promises to provide a wide range of Dual Language courses in Math, Science and Social Studies. Currently Omaha South offers 31 dual language courses. All DL students must take a minimum of 12 DL credits before they graduate. They must also agree to take Spanish for four years. The courses offered are listed below:

DL American History H DL American History

DL Human Geography H DL Human Geography

DL World History

DL Government AP DL Government*

DL Algebra 1-2 H DL Algebra 1-2

DL Geometry H DL Geometry

DL Algebra 3-4 H DL Algebra 3-4

DL Pre-Algebra DL Probability and Stats

DL Pre Calc Trig 1-2 H DL Pre Calc Trig 1-2 AP DL Calculus

DL Biology 1-2 H DL Biology 1-2

DL Chemistry H DL Chemistry

DL Physics H DL Physics H DL Anatomy Physiology

DL Physical Science H DL Physical Science H DL Latin American Studies DL FIT H DL FIT

* Indicates the class is Dual Enrolled with University of Nebraska Omaha

H Indicates an Honors course

All Dual Language classes are taught in Spanish with English review and vocabulary instruction. The materials are offered in English and Spanish when available. Dual Language classes meet all the state standards for honors and regular courses. The only difference is the language of instruction.

In addition to Dual Language classes, the students are required to take 4 years of Spanish or complete AP Spanish Language or AP Spanish Literature. Nearly all Dual Language students who start in Kindergarten qualify for Spanish for Spanish Speakers courses. The Spanish courses are as follows:

Spanish for Spanish Speakers 1-2	Honors Spanish for Spanish Speakers 3-4
Spanish for Spanish Speakers 3-4	Honors Spanish for Spanish Speakers 5-6
Spanish for Spanish Speakers 5-6	Spanish Literary Strategies
*AP Spanish Language	*AP Spanish Literature
* Indicates the class is a Dual Enrollment class with the University of Nebraska Omaha	H Indicates an Honors course

Teachers

One of the major challenges of the DL program at Omaha South High Magnet is finding sufficient bilingual teachers for the program. The ideal teacher candidate for DL at Omaha South High Magnet is bilingual in Spanish and English and also has a master degree in their area of specialization. The master degree allows teachers to teach as adjuncts for the local universities and allows DL to offer more dual enrollment college credit opportunities.
In order to fill the need for high quality bilingual teachers, Omaha Public Schools works in conjunction with the Spanish Embassy to sponsor teachers in their specialized content area. We currently have two teachers from Spain, two from Cuba, and one from Colombia to add to our incredibly diverse group of teachers.
Additionally, many Spanish speaking teachers from Omaha and around the USA have joined our staff to work towards supporting the bilingual development of our Dual Language student population.

Contact Information

Mary Espinosa
Instructional Facilitator
mary.espinosa@ops.org
531-299-7714

Leticia Rojas
Bilingual Liaison
Dual Language and ESL
leticia.rojas@ops.org
531-299-7676

Ana Myers
Bilingual Liaison
Dual Language and ESL
ana.myers@ops.org
531-299-9036