Spanish Immersion

Stillwater Area Public Schools is proud to offer a dual language Spanish immersion program - Amigos Unidos - for students in elementary and middle school. (Note: The program currently serves grades K-6 and will expand to include grades 7-8 and the high school in future years).

The elementary program is housed at Lake Elmo Elementary School and the middle school program is housed at Oak-Land Middle, but is open to students from across the district through alternate enrollment.

Students develop fluency in a two languages with the help of a bilingual teacher. Elementary students spend the majority of their day immersed in the Spanish language. A typical day looks just like a regular classroom except academic instruction is delivered in Spanish. The four core subjects of math, science, language arts and social studies are taught in Spanish, while specialist time in music, media, art and physical education is provided in English. At the middle school level, students follow a typical schedule but have one or two classes instructed in Spanish.

English instruction by grade level: 

• Kindergarten: 10%
• Grade 1: 10%
• Grade 2: 20%
• Grade 3: 30%
• Grades 4 & 5: 50%
• Middle School: 70-80%

Dual immersion is a great fit for both English and native-Spanish speaking students. Students can learn from one another in their native languages, while also learning from a bilingual instructor. 

Research consistently demonstrates that the dual immersion experience actually enhances language development in both languages. It should be noted that in full immersion students’ English development may lag temporarily in reading, word knowledge, and spelling while instruction is occurring exclusively in Spanish. However, this lag is temporary and to be expected. Research indicates that by the end of fifth grade students generally score noticeably higher in math and literacy on standardized tests than students in traditional programs.

Applications open on Nov. 1, 2024 for the 2025-26 school year.

Lottery Process for Acceptance Into Program

The Amigos Unidos (Friends United) Spanish Dual Language Program follows a model of dual language immersion where 40-50 percent of the students are heritage or native Spanish speakers, ensuring bicultural, biliterate, and bilingual experiences for all students. This includes students who first learned Spanish (or Spanish and English), have consistent interactions in Spanish, or whose parent/guardian identifies as a native Spanish speaker. Space in our Amigos Unidos program is limited to 50 students at each grade level, so students are chosen through a tiered lottery process. 

Tier 1: Students who have another household member enrolled in the Amigos Unidos program
Tier 2: Students living within the Stillwater Area Public School District boundary
Tier 3: Students living outside the Stillwater Area Public School District boundary
Tier 4: Students who have been accepted into Early Entrance Kindergarten
Tier 5: Applications received after the deadline.

Heritage or native Spanish students receive selection priority. If less than 50% of the class is composed of heritage Spanish speakers, then students will be selected according to the following dates and fill rates:

• March 15 - fill class to 80% by tiered lottery order
• May 15 - fill class to 90% by tiered lottery order
• August 1 - fill class to 100% by tiered lottery order 

* If you are originally placed on the waitlist and later are notified of an opening, you have three business days after the date of initial contact to respond with your intent. If we do not hear from you by the end of the third business day, your invitation expires and the next student on the waitlist will be invited.

The lottery date for Amigos Unidos will coincide with the district’s Enrollment Office lottery for alternate enrollment.

PLEASE NOTE: Transportation is ONLY provided to students living within the Lake Elmo Elementary attendance boundary. Hub Stops are available for families living outside of the Lake Elmo Elementary attendance boundary to drop their children off, and pick them up, at a location closer to home to catch a shuttle to and from school. 

Enrollment questions? Contact our Enrollment Office at 651-351-8412 or enrollment@stillwaterschools.org

Immersion Data and Research

• Top Ten Answers for Parents about Language Immersion 

• Top Ten Most Consistent Findings from Research on Foreign Language Immersion

• Immersion Research at CARLA and the University of Minnesota

• National Network for Early Language Learning

Supplemental Learning at Home

• Bilingual Balance: Created by Amigos Unidos parent Jenna Vislisel, Bilingual Balance offers resource lists, ideas, and activities for helping kids learn Spanish.  It includes free resources and printables related to language learning and learning to read, a pronunciation guide for parents who don’t speak Spanish, and encouragement for raising bilingual kids. Bilingual Balance offers a fantastic, detailed list of YouTube channels for kids learning Spanish, along with a helpful description of each channel.
• The Spanish Experiment: FREE Spanish lessons (for example: Spanish greetings, question words, telling time, directions in Spanish) and Children's Stories in Spanish.
• Spanish Playground: Offers Spanish materials, activities, games, poems, songs and jokes.
• Exploraciones PBS: Exploraciones is a collection of resources for teaching Spanish in the elementary grades.  The collection includes the ¡Arte y más! Video series, as well as themed units featuring a variety of video segments, animations, lesson plans, activity ideas, and other materials for teaching students at the novice-mid to novice-high level.
• Spanish Mama
• ROCKALINGUA: Music-based Spanish learning.  The website offers videos, games, songs, worksheets and picture dictionaries.  Several items are free, but others require a subscription.  Full access subscriptions start at $20.

YOUTUBE Channels

• Baila Baila
• Basho & Friends 
• Smile and Learn Español  
• Super Simple Español  

Resources For Non-Spanish Speaking Parents  

Note: Many items listed under "Supplemental Learning at Home" contain excellent support and resources for non-native speaking parents, including Spanish Playground and Spanish Mama.

• Bilingual Kidspot: Resources, support, and advice for parents raising bilingual kids, including improving the minority language and even Spanish resources for kids
• Colorin Colorado: A bilingual site for families helping their kids learn English or Spanish, full of reading and language ideas and tips
• Duolingo App: FREE language learning through “bite-sized lessons.”  
• FluentU
• Bilingual Avenue Podcast

Summer Program 

• Bilingual Balance offers a comprehensive list of FREE online summer classes and camps: 
• Virtual Village Online of Concordia Language Villages
• Bilingual Childcare And Centro De Educacion Spanish Immersion School-Age Summer Program
• Concordia Language Villages
• The International School Of Minnesota Discovery Summer Camp
• Casa De Corazon Intercultural Learning Center SPANISH IMMERSION 
• Sally Manzara Interpretive Nature Center

Exploring Hispanic/Latino Culture

MARKETS

• District del Sol, West Side of St. Paul - Along Wabasha/Cesar Chavez
• El Burrito Mercado (in the District del Sol), 175 Cesar Chavez Street, St. Paul
• Supermercado La Palma, 655 Payne Avenue, St. Paul
• Mercado Central, 1515 E Lake Street, Minneapolis
• Midtown Global Market, 920 E Lake Street, Minneapolis

EVENTS

• Cinco De Mayo West Side Saint Paul:The Saint Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation (St. Paul Winter Carnival) hosts a day of festivities with Cinco de Mayo West Side Saint Paul.  Touted as one of the biggest Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the U.S.
• NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH SEPTEMBER 15 - OCTOBER 15. There are a variety of events and activities offered in the Twin Cities throughout the month to celebrate.  
• Mexican Independence Day Celebration On Lake Street. Mexican Independence Day is September 16. Mexican Independence day Festival features Parade, Mexican music, folkloric dancers, carnival rides, prize drawings, children's activities, community resources exhibit, information booths, crafts, food, merchandise, and much more! 

ART STUDIOS

Ricardo Levins Morales Art Studio, 3260 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis. Artwork with a focus on social justice created by Ricardo Levins Morales over years to encourage the laughter, hope, love and anger that move us toward a better world. The shop also produces custom buttons at bulk prices – your design or ours!

Electric Machete Studios: Twin Cities artist-run art & music collective production house featuring the work of Latinx and Xicanx artists Indigenous to las Ámericas.

Zinnia Folk Arts of Mexico, 826 West 50th Street, Minneapolis. A treasure trove of artisan creations, including Otomi textiles, Mexican silver jewelry, party decorations, and handmade clothing, from seven different regions in Mexico. The Minneapolis store also has a collection of Frida Kahlo-themed items, and one-of-a-kind pieces of folk art.