I am excited for my nineteenth year of teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in Urbandale. I consider it a real privilege to work with our EL families and their families. Our diverse group of English language learners bring to Valerius the richness of their cultures.  Our students speak in more than a dozen languages – Spanish, Burmese, Falam Chin,  Hakha Chin,  Karen, Swahili,  Kinyarwanda, Kinyamulenge, Arabic, Vietnamese, Russian,  Senthang,  Bosnian and others.  I am looking forward to another great year of helping our EL students learn!

Communication:

Please feel free to call or e-mail me whenever you have a question or a concern. You can also call our interpreters:

Spanish:     Silvia Amador – (515) 559-3962

Burmese/Hakha Chin/Falam Chin: Dar Lian – (515) 210-9141

Burmese/Hakha Chin/Falam Chin: Ngun Vang – (515) 333-7424

Swahili/Kinyarwanda/Kinyamulenge – 515-681-5207

Arabic/Nuer/Dinka: Jam Duany – (515) 559-7116

Homework:

Students get most of their grade-specific homework in the general education classroom. However, I regularly send reading materials home with my students at their reading level.  Please encourage your child to read at home for a few minutes every night.