Birch Lane's Multilingual Department


Birch Lane’s Multilingual department supports students and families who enter school with their heritage language, and we guide each student’s learning opportunities as they acquire English. The power of multiple languages allows students to connect and experience diverse perspectives while navigating meaning making in all of the languages they speak. Our work offers a structed English language program constructed with thematic learning through key connections to learning in context. Students receive dedicated English Language Lessons in their classrooms as well as through the Multilingual Language Lab in room #34. Our work centers around creating a safe environment that fosters belonging and culturally sustaining experiences for each student. We guide our language learning and anchor it to the context of their classrooms when available. We nurture opportunities for collaborative meaning-making by designing lessons that take both context and comprehensible inputs to drive learning. We offer language resources through out visible learning charts, graphic organizers, curriculum support materials, and adaptive computer programs. In addition, we monitor our students’ learning needs and design responsive intervention and supports while collaborating with site teachers and specialists.

Our connection to families includes supporting their needs through our English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC). With regular meetings by our ELAC team, we share key topics for learning supports and resources, while seeking parent input on their child’s and family’s needs. This team shares their suggestions with each other, the District ELAC committee, Principal Walsh, and the Birch Lane Site Council. Our program realizes and supports the close link of families to school and seeks to strengthen this work and expand the ties that connect us with each other as well as outreach through parent/teacher conferencing. We continually seek ways to improve our programing, and we are thrilled to partner with parents.



Kellie SequeriaBLE’s Multilingual team is supported by the work of Kellie Sequeira our English Language Specialist who designs program, lessons, and long-term planning; collaborates with students, teachers, and families; facilities intervention design with progress monitoring; and ensures compliance with state and federal guidelines.








Guadalupe Sanchez

Paraeducator Guadalupe Sanchez supports student learning in small groups and pushes into classrooms to scaffold learning.





DJUSD Vision/Mission within our English Learner Master Plan (6-25-20)


Vision: To ignite a love of learning to equip students with the knowledge, skills, character, and well-being to thrive and contribute to an evolving and increasingly connected world.

Mission: DJUSD teams of educators work collaboratively to ensure the vision is realized for our students learning English as an additional language.

Guiding Principles:

As a district community, we value:

1. Culturally Sustaining and Strengths-Based Education We value students’ backgrounds, cultures & languages. We build upon these assets. We cultivate positive attitudes among students toward their own and others’ diverse identities.

2. Needs-Responsive Approaches We address the variety of needs of our English learners and their families. We actively engage with families to support students’ academic, social, and emotional development. We provide an environment where students feel safe and supported.

3. Bilingualism and Biliteracy We value bilingualism and biliteracy in our society. We support opportunities for students to learn content and language skills in two or more languages. We encourage families to continue developing their child’s primary language skills.

4. Rigor and Equity We engage English learners in academically rich and developmentally appropriate learning experiences. We provide English learners with equitable access to a standards-based and culturally relevant curriculum.

5. Shared Responsibility and Collaboration We have a system of leaders and educators who are knowledgeable of and responsive to the strengths and needs of English learners. We work together and collectively share responsibility for educating and monitoring the progress of English learners.

6. Alignment and Coherence We provide English learners with a coherent, articulated, and aligned set of practices and pathways throughout their entire education. We foster skills, language

Bilingual is my Superpower