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Science & Imagination Fair

The 2024 PSI Science & Imagination Fair will be held on Monday, January 8th, 2024 from 6:00-7:30pm at the Middle School Field House. The new venue is a big change from previous years, and being at the Middle School Field House should give us a lot more room for the event!

The goal of the Science and Imagination Fair is to encourage all families to participate and nurture our children’s love of science and imagination! Keep in mind that projects do not have to be a traditional “science project”. Past projects have included catapults, observations of neighborhood birds, and sculptures, to name a few. Winter break is a great time for your child to begin working on their project. Each child will have half of a standard folding table to display their project projects on. The goal of the fair is to encourage all families to participate and nurture our children’s love of science and imagination!

Registration is open! Please fill it out at this link!



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Leer-a-ton!

Leer-a-ton Starts FRIDAY the 13th!!!!

It’s that time of the year again… Leer-a-ton!  This is PSI PTO’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and a fun way to celebrate the joy of reading. This year we are hoping to raise a record $25,000 which will help support all of the PTOs events and our wonderful Amity Intern Program. Check your childs’ backpacks today for the Leer-a-ton flier to track the minutes your student reads, is read to, or listens to audiobooks.  Then ask family, friends and neighbors to sponsor their reading with a donation to the PTO. Prizes will be given to top readers in each grade and classes with the most minutes read. Be sure to join us for Amity Storytime and Cozy Reading on Thursday, October 26th, from 5:30-7:30. Bring your own books, or grab a few at the book fair, which will be open that night! Check out the flier in English here or in Spanish here



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Meet Mariana

Mariana OspinalMy name is Mariana Ospinal. I’m 22 years old and I’m from Lima, Perú. Before coming to Minnesota I was working in an American school in my hometown as a substitute teacher. I have just graduated with a bachelor’s degree and I have my teaching license in Early Childhood Education. In Lima, I lived with my mom and two of my siblings. We usually hang out in our house, go to the cinema or take mini road trips around our town. I also have a younger brother that I love spending time with.

Some of my favorite hobbies are reading, baking, listening to music, watching movies, and doing all kinds of crafts. I’m really looking forward to starting this new adventure in Minnesota, getting to know all the teachers and students of PSI, and getting to know more about education in the US.



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Meet Monica

Monica SebastianI am Monica and I am 23 years old and I am Spanish. I live in a beautiful city called Barcelona. This last year I finished my studies as a teacher at the University of Barcelona and I have always worked surrounded by children.

My family is made up of my mother Mercedes, my father Alberto and my older sister Patricia. The four of us have always been very close and we love spending time together. We find ourselves laughing at everything!

I am a very friendly person and I love spending time with my friends. I love going to the cinema, listening to music and going to concerts. I really like traveling and getting to know different cultures. I also like to walk, play sports, excursions, etc…

Since I was little I have liked the artistic world. I love going to the theater and seeing musicals. Since I was little I have practiced synchronized swimming and I like everything that has to do with water. I like sports and trying everything, which is why I specialized in physical education at my university.

I am very excited to be able to live this experience in this school. I believe that I can provide many things and continue to grow as a teacher.

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Meet Andrés

Juan Andrés Ruiz GarzónMy name is Juan Andrés Ruiz Garzón and I am a 23-year old Colombian guy who loves to learn, meet people, and teach. I come from Bogotá D.C., abig, crowded, chaotic, but charming, and terrific city. There, I was studying the last semester of a Bachelor degree in Bilingual Education – English & Spanish at Institución Universitaria Colombo Americana – ÚNICA. Meanwhile, I was working at the Centro Colombo Americano as a Junior Teacher. I used to spend most of my time studying, working, and sharing time with my family and my friends.

I come from a loving family who, during all my lifetime, have taught me lots of values that have helped me thrive and succeed in different aspects of life. My mother is a housewife with the biggest, and sweetest heart in the world; my father is a taxi driver who, with his love and dedication to our family, has teamed-up with my mom to provide, care, and build an exemplary home. I am the second of four brothers. My oldest brother is currently living and studying in Australia, my younger brother is in tenth grade at school, and my youngest brother passed away five years ago.

I am fascinated to be in the United States. This is my first time in this country, and I couldn’t be happier that I was chosen to be in Minnesota! It has lots of forested lands and nature, over 10.000 lakes(!), and guess what…one of the best education systems in the United States. I am coming to learn, share, and grow as a teacher and as a person. I want to become more culturally aware, and to give the PSI community a bit of the Bogotan, and Colombian culture.

I would like to add that I am into sports, I like to try any new sport, and I love going to the gym. I also like social & emotional skills, critical thinking and philosophy. What a combination, eh? Then, I love any kind of plan that collects at least one of the aforementioned topics, for instance, cinema, theater plays, jogging, attending sport events, food crawling among many others.

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Meet Nicole

Nicole AguilarMy name is Nicole Aguilar and I’m 23 years old and from El Salvador. I was born in the department of San Salvador, but I grew up in a neighborhood called Reparto España which is located in the department of La Libertad. I currently still live there. It is very quiet and I enjoy it.

There are a lot of trees and flowers in everyone’s yards and I like the fact that we’re close to the beach. I live with my parents. My mom’s name is Gloria and she is an internal auditor and my dad’s name is Erick and he is a sales executive. I am an only child.

This is my first formal job because my parents gave me the opportunity to dedicate myself 100% to my university studies. However, in 2016 I volunteered as an English teacher for children from 5 to 14 years old in a project carried out by the mayor’s office and the church where I live. In addition, I have had the opportunity to participate as a teacher in the program called “English for a better future” sponsored by the Ministry of Education of my country and the U.S. Embassy. The career I am currently studying is a degree in applied linguistics with a specialization in English.

With this new experience I am sure that I will have the opportunity to share all my knowledge about the culture of El Salvador and get to know the lifestyle of the PSI community, as well as share with all the elementary school students. Besides that, I would like you to know about my favorite hobbies which are listening to music, dancing, reading romantic and horror books, watching TV series, movies, playing volleyball, exercising. Lately an interesting fact is that I have wanted to start learning how to cook. In summary, I thank the PSI school for this opportunity to share and learn with you both cultures, I know I will enjoy it very much.

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Meet Alexandra

Alexandra PozoMy name is Alexandra Pozo. I am 22 years old, and I am from San Salvador, El Salvador. I am a 5th applied linguistics student at Instituto Centro Cultural Salvadoreño Americano.

My past experiences include volunteering as a kindergarten assistant. I have also had the opportunity to teach English to 4 to 17-year-old kids, and some adults too. My hobbies are listening to music, watching movies and series, and sports, but my favorite is basketball since I played when I was 14 years old.

My family includes my mom Emilia Montano, and my younger sister Elizabeth Pozo. The three of us live in Soyapango, El Salvador. My dad Rodolfo Pozo lives in Santa Ana with his wife and my sister and I come to visit them.

I am so excited to be an amity and very much looking forward to learning and getting so much experience in this new culture and its different ways of teaching here at PSI.

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Meet Victor

Victor MartinezMy name is Victor Martinez. I was born in Spain, in the city of Soria in 2001. I live there with my parents Luis and Paz, and my sister Blanca, who is 26 years old. My parents are from Soria too. I studied at a university in Segovia and finished my degree. I studied to be a physical education teacher. I have not worked in a school until now because I finished my degree last year. Interestingly though, for the past two summers, I worked as a postman.

I love all the sports. When I was a child I played soccer, swimming, and volleyball. Most recently I was a soccer player, playing as goalkeeper. Also, I like to ride my bike with my family, go to my village to see my friends, hang out with my friends and travel. I am very excited about my future experiences in Minnesota because I want to teach the customs of my country, my language and the things that I learned in the university. Also I want to know about life in the USA, learn about the education system, travel around the country and improve my English.

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Meet Marely

Ruth Marely Cruz RomeroMy name is Ruth Marely Cruz Romero but I prefer to be called Marely. I am an Amity intern from El Salvador. Before coming to Minnesota, I finished my college degree in Modern Languages with a major in English and French with a focus on teaching.

In El Salvador I live with my mom.  My house is in the rural area of El Salvador. It is surrounded by many trees and small mountains. My grandfather lives near my house and I always visited him every afternoon. My mom is a teacher is one of the motivations I have to be a teacher too.

My favorite hobbies are going for walks, reading, watching movies and playing family games indoors and outdoors. One of my goals is always that children see me as a friend and family. I like to build a bond of trust with each one of them and always be there when they need me.

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Meet Josue

Josue Avileo Ramirez MartinezMy name is Josue Avileo Ramirez Martinez. I am from El Salvador and it will be a pleasure to stay at your school and in your country. I hope to learn a lot about you.

Before I was selected as a candidate of the amity program, I was studying for my Bachelor’s degree in English at the University UNIVO, and working in my free time. I have a great family which is composed of my parents, 3 sisters, a nephew and a niece. My favorite activities are: to play soccer, to study, to work as a hairdresser and my hobbies are: to draw, to paint, to ride my motorcycle, to watch anime, to practice extreme sports. Other important things about me are that I like to learn new things, I like to share with other people, and I am friendly, respectful and responsible.

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Kicking off the 2023-24 School Year (and a quick look back on last year!)

Hello PSI Community! We hope you all had a great summer, it’s hard to believe that school will officially start next week!

Mark your calendars for our 2nd annual PSI PTO Kick-off Party at Oak Hill. It will be on Tuesday, September 26th from 5-7pm. The event was a huge success last year, with great turnout and we’ll have even more food trucks and more fun this year! The entire school is invited, it’s a great way to meet other families and this year’s new amity interns. The kick-off is also the best way to hear about all of the PTO volunteer opportunities available for the year and sign up for those that interest you.

The PTO was busy over the summer and you might notice at drop-off that we were able to purchase and install four new picnic tables in the grassy area outside the kiss-and-ride doors. Our teachers have already used them while enjoying a PTO-sponsored lunch for their first prep day back at school this week. Check out the picture!

Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how tremendously successful our fundraising efforts were last year. Thanks to the entire Park Spanish community, we blew our fundraising goals out of the water. At the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, we set a goal to raise $54,000 and your extraordinary generosity resulted in us raising over $70,000! As you well know, costs everywhere are increasing, and this fundraising puts us on firm financial footing. Our amity program has seen the largest inflation in costs, but we are well-funded to sponsor 8 interns this year. You’ll see them in the school and at events all year long! We plan to offer a full slate of PTO-sponsored events this coming year as well, so thank you again for all your generosity.

Keep an eye on psiparents.com, La Prensa, and the ‘PSI Parents’ Facebook page for PTO updates throughout the year. We’re looking forward to making this a great year with you!

PSI Teachers enjoying the PTO sponsored lunch on the new picnic tables.

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Staff Appreciation Week is May 1-5

Let’s say a big “thank you” to the staff at Park Spanish Immersion Elementary School by participating in Staff Appreciation Week!  Staff Appreciation Week will be held on May 1-5. The theme of this week will be “Self Care”. We plan on showering the staff with special treats, meals, and self-care items throughout the whole week.

Donations for food items are requested here in this Sign Up Genius link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4babaf28a57-staff#/

Please make note of the date and time your donation is needed. There are 75 staff members in the building to treat each day. If you are unable to donate a food item but would still like to contribute, please contribute to the PTO fund using this link: PSI PTO PayPal. Please note “Staff Appreciation Week” in the comments.

Thanks everyone for thinking of our wonderful PSI staff!

For any questions, please reach out to one of the parent organizers:

Katie (katienewton_2@hotmail.com)

Melissa (melhoag@yahoo.com)

Molly (mollycarpenter76@gmail.com)

Sally (sjhagen3@gmail.com)

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PSI Yearbook Order Deadline – March 31!

The 2022-23 edition of the PSI Yearbook is on sale now!

Order online at https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/ (yearbook ID code is 3271923). Cost is $15/book.

Order deadline is March 31, with yearbooks delivered towards the end of the school year. Order now so you don’t forget!

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WOW! THANK YOU! $23,000 Raised! 

The PTO silent auction was a huge success!

All thanks to our amazing PSI community who raised over $23,000 to support the Amity Intern Program and other PTO offerings at PSI.  THANK YOU!

Lots of community-building to come as the buy-in events happen throughout the spring.

And a special thank you to the amazing silent auction team that worked so hard to put it all together, Sandy Western, Jana Christian, Sean Keene, Alexis Gibb, Ashley Reina, Vanessa Crosley, Emily Barker, Meg Schauer, Molly Carpenter, Caitlin Lietzau, Viviana Rivas, Erin Rath, Melissa Murray, Stephanie Phan, and Shelby Strauss.

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Thank you Host Families!

We’d like to take a moment to send a HUGE THANK YOU to our wonderful Spring Host Families! Thanks to all of you for opening your homes and hearts to this great group of people and for being positive ambassadors for the Amity Intern program. Muchas gracias!!

  • Betsy & Josh Howe – María Carazo, España
  • Emily & Joel Barker – Franklin Díaz, El Salvador
  • Jen & Rich Benson – Daniel Ferrero, España
  • Lisa & Jesse Valley – Pilar Hinojosa – España
  • Angie & Chris Johnson – Chris Martínez, Colombia
  • Laurie Swabey & Andrew Keith – Adrián Simonetti, España
  • Jodi & Eric Lindskog – Joaquin Vilas, España
  • Stacey & Chad Stewart – Lisbeth Villalobos, El Salvador

Is your family interested in hosting next year? Please contact us at psiamity@gmail.com!

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PSI Family Movie Night and Free Pizza Dinner – Thursday, April 13

Come together with other PSI families to dig into identity and racial equity topics in a family-friendly environment.

We’ll meet in the middle school cafeteria for a free pizza dinner at 5pm and then move into the middle school auditorium to watch Zootopia at 5:45.  After the movie we’ll discuss questions together about themes presented in the movie.

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Volunteer Opportunity!

Looking for an easy way to volunteer at PSI?   Two volunteers are needed to assist with Spring Picture Day on Wednesday, April 12 from 8-11AM. Sign up here if you can help!
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Save the Date for Spring Carnival!

Mark your calendars for the El Carnaval de PSI on Saturday, May 13, 12:00-2:30PM. More details to come!

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PSI Silent Auction!

It’s time for the

Park Spanish Immersion PTO Silent Auction

All proceeds support the PSI Amity Program and other PTO sponsored events.

We a have an incredible line of items available this year.  Bidding opens at 12pm CST on Saturday March 11th and ends at 10pm on Friday March 17th

Student Activities:

  • Ride to school in a fire truck
  • Ride to school in a police car
  • Twin Cities Tennis Camp
  • Movie and Game party with teachers
  • Crafts and Sports Parties with Amities

 

Tickets:

  • Minnesota Twins
  • Vikings and Gophers Football
  • Hyland Hills
  • Chanhassen Dinner Theater
  • Orange Theory
  • ValleyFair
  • Minnesota Children’s Theater

 

Family Activities:

  • Kickball Parties
  • Donuts at a Playground
  • Adult Wine Tasting
  • Hotel Ivy Getaway
  • Ladies Dodgeball and Pizza

 

Gift Cards

  • Murray’s Steakhouse
  • La Bodega
  • Honey & Rye
  • JJ’s Clubhouse
  • Parkway Pizza
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Support Our Amity Intern Program as a Cousin Family!

Amity intern Daniel Ferrero with his cousin family, the Christians.

Not able to host an intern?

Interested in supporting the Amity program in another way?

Become a cousin family.

Each cousin family is assigned to one intern for the school year. Cousin families invite the intern along on family outings such as apple-picking, ice skating, or simply dinner at home. You are an extension of the host family and support both the intern and their host families throughout the intern’s stay. This brings an important sense of consistency and community to the intern. The more involved the cousin family is with the intern, the greater the opportunity is for language learning, cultural exchange, and lasting relationships for all!

Click HERE to read more about the cousin family role, or fill out your Cousin Family Application today! If you would like to speak to a current or former cousin family to learn more, email psiamity@gmail.com.

PTO is still looking for families willing to host a 2023/24 intern for either Fall or Spring semester next year. Please consider this amazing opportunity and apply HERE today!