FUSD offers bilingual education in two modalities: as a 50/50 Spanish and English dual language immersion program and as a Diné/English language revitalization program, both housed at Puente de Hózhó Elementary School (PdH). Bilingual education provides multiple benefits; it nurtures students’ heritage language, strengthens cultural identity and promotes academic abilities through biliteracy and awareness within a diverse global citizenship.

Puente de Hózhó's Vision and Mission

Our vision and mission are to build a “bridge of beauty” between speakers and learners of Diné (Navajo), Spanish, and English and empower children to be multicultural and multilingual stewards of the world. Our mission is to provide an educational environment where students can pursue the following goals:

Academic excellence: Students will meet or exceed state, national, and international academic standards.

Bilingualism: Students will become proficient speakers, readers, and writers of Spanish, Diné, and English.

Culture: Students will affirm their cultural identity, explore other cultures and cultural issues, and develop a multicultural and pluralistic vision of the world.

Diversity: Students will experience the power and beauty of diversity and recognize its potential to enrich, enlighten, and ameliorate classrooms, communities, and the world around them.

Language Overview

Language is life. Language is sacred. It is the bridge to hózhó (the Beauty Way). Language both distinguishes and connects us as human beings. By learning to listen, speak, read, and write, children can reconnect with their culture and heritage, or they can explore a new world that is a window to their own.

Our goal is that PdH is an educational environment where students of different linguistic and cultural backgrounds can learn harmoniously together while pursuing “the Power of Two,” or the ability to listen, speak, read, and write proficiently in two languages. On a grander scale, the vision was to create a school where each child’s language and culture was regarded not as a problem to be solved but as an indispensable resource, the very heart, and soul of the school itself.

Philosophy and Roles and Responsibilities

At Puente de Hózhó we believe:

· in the power of language to build mutual understanding, stewardship, and leadership at home and around the world.

· Every student is capable of Language proficiency in more than one language.

· Celebrating, sustaining, and revitalizing the fabric of culture embedded in language.

· Language and knowledge transfer across languages.

· Programs provide challenging linguistic environments that aim toward biliteracy, upholding the value of global citizenship.

Learn more about Puente de Hózhó: https://www.fusd1.org/PDH