We are pleased to welcome 11 new staff members to Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School this year. Our new staff hail from Spain, Mexico, Venezuela and the US and their bios have been added to the map on the wall at school. Make sure to take a moment and say hello to our new staff, some of whom are also settling into life in Oregon for the first time.
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Patricia Ruiz 2nd Grade Teacher Barcelona, Spain “My family and I have come to the United States to learn about a new culture and the American educational system. For us it is a great experience and a great opportunity to enjoy this country.” “Mi familia y yo hemos venido a Estados Unidos a conocer una nueva cultura y el sistema educativo americano. Para nosotros es una gran experiencia y una gran oportunidad poder disfrutar de este país.” |
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Kathy McKenna Middle School & 5th Grade ELA Teacher Salt Lake City, Utah “I come to Arco Iris from a research science background. My main discipline was biomedical engineering which built a foundation across all areas of science, math and engineering. I have two daughters in high school and we try to balance doing well in school with sports (softball) and trips to unique environments such as Zion National Park.” |
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Donna Anderson Reading Intervention Specialist Portland, Oregon “I love helping our students build their reading and language skills in a multicultural environment. I am an active community member in both Beaverton and Tigard areas with a strong focus to build literacy and inclusion.” |
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Nancy Delgado Instructional Assistant Venezuela “I like working with the children in Kindergarten. I hope we can get to know each other a little more this school year.” “Me gusta trabajar con los niños en el Área de kinder. Espero que nos podamos conocer un poco más en este ciclo escolar.” |
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Ana Flores Castro Instructional Assistant México “I love getting to work with different age groups and how diverse the school is. In my free time I enjoy going on hikes and exploring Oregon.” |
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Mario Arturo Orozco Gonzalez 5th Grade Teacher México “I like having the opportunity to share my culture and my native language with our students. My favorite pastime is riding a bicycle, and I am very happy being a part of the Arco Iris family.” “Me gusta tener la oportunidad de compartir mi cultura y mi lengua materna con los estudiantes. Mi pasatiempos favorito es andar en bicicleta y estoy muy contento en la familia Arco Iris.” |
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Stephanie Rankin Seattle, Washington, but I have been in Portland since 2009 Physical Education Teacher “I love teaching the students my favorite games and activities, watching them have fun, and enjoy movement. This is my 22nd year doing my dream job of teaching PE. I can't imagine doing anything else!” |
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Laura Lagarde Apodaca First Grade Teacher México “I love teaching students and gathering new experiences. In my free time, I love spending time in nature and reading.” |
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Tamara Gomez First Grade Teacher Burgos, Spain “I really enjoy storytelling with the little ones and I love outdoor sports.” |
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Maria Gonzalez Fourth Grade Teacher Spain “I was born in Talavera de la Reina, a town just 100 km away from Madrid. I lived in Kenya and South Africa for 11 years and my 2 children were born in Johannesburg. I love nature and outdoors activities, reading and movies. I also enjoy cooking new flavours and recipes.”
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Andrea Silva Instructional Assistant
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Welcome to the team everybody! We’re so glad you are here. If you are interested in knowing more about our tuition-free K-5 Spanish immersion school, contact us or visit our website.
About Arco Iris
Arco Iris Spanish Immersion is a small tuition-free public charter school providing a rich, immersive Spanish language experience and robust academics in a true multicultural setting. Centrally located off 217, between SW Portland and Tigard, we serve K-5 students in the greater Beaverton area to become bilingual and biliterate leaders of the future. We’re enrolling for Fall 2023-24.