Dear Arco Iris Community,

Welcome to Arco Iris! I am beyond excited to be part of the Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School Community, as your Executive Director. 

At Arco Iris, we are committed to developing a culture of learning where diversity is valued, collaboration and teamwork are regular practices, and student learning is at the forefront of everything we do.  Arco Iris feels like a home to me, and I love the opportunity I have to guide our students in a true multicultural environment. I feel honored and privileged to be here.

To our returning families, thank you for your continuous vote of confidence and for your invaluable support. To our new families, welcome to our wonderful Arco Iris community!  I invite you all to participate in various school and PTO sponsored events that help bring our community together. Each and every one of you have gifts and talents to share. I invite you to help me lead Arco Iris. 

My goal continues to get to know, collaborate, and provide leadership to our team, students, and families in order to continue recognizing strengths and opportunities so that we can build upon them. I want to continue learning and exploring ways to meet the needs of our students, team, and community - all of this, in alignment with our core values, mission, and vision.

Our Arco Iris team is prepared to support our students in joyful and caring ways, and support them academically and with their social and emotional needs. We come to this year, and every year, with flexibility and experience from our past learnings. As your Executive Director, it is important to me that everyone who steps through our doors - team, students, and families - are excited about being a part of the Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School community!

Let’s make this and the years to follow extraordinary!

In partnership,

-Jesús Urdiales

Bio:

Jesús Urdiales comes to us with more than 25 years of experience in the field of education, including twelve years teaching in elementary settings, and more than a decade in administrative positions in different states, as well as abroad. 

Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Jesús has always loved supporting diverse communities through education.  While living in Mexico, Jesús supported adults and children who needed to learn English as a Second Language as they prepared to emigrate to the United States in the pursuit of better living opportunities. Hearing these courageous stories of immigration, Jesús relocated to Houston, TX and became a teacher there, continuing his support of  communities in need of learning English as a Second Language. It was in Houston, TX that he received his Master’s in Administration in Education and Supervision from the University of Houston, eventually moving to the East Coast in 2012 to join a cohort of educators that spearheaded opening different charter schools in partnership with the Delaware Dept of Education (DDOE). 

While working in partnership with the DDOE, Jesús opened a dual language school in Wilmington, DE.  He then assumed different administrative roles with ASPIRA, an organization with close ties to the Hispanic community in Delaware.  He then joined two different communities in Philadelphia, and New Jersey before relocating to Los Angeles in 2019 as the principal for Citizens of the World Charter School in Mar Vista. These valuable experiences helped Jesús understand the educational panorama in the United States more thoroughly.  His focus is not only to support students in learning a second language (Spanish); but, also providing opportunities for students to thrive in their social and emotional growth as well as ensuring the communities he serves operate with an awareness of the values of diversity, inclusivity, and belonging in schools.

Most recently, Jesús joined Arco Iris Spanish Immersion School in Beaverton, OR, in 2023 where he serves as the Executive Director there. Jesús is excited to continue supporting communities who are excited about teaching and seeing students as a whole: supporting them to obtain a multicultural education, aligned with social and emotional development as well as social justice practices.

Outside of work, Jesús enjoys traveling to explore new places and volunteering whenever possible. He enjoys listening to music on vinyl, as well as practicing yoga in his free time.