By Callie Buys
When Maria Thurston moved to the United States from Argentina 15 years ago, she could not speak English. Now she speaks fluently enough to help Spanish-speaking parents navigate an English-speaking school system.
Thurston, a secretary at Joaquin Elementary School in Provo, recently worked with the Provo City School District to help translate the district''s 'Standards and Benchmarks' booklet into Spanish.
The booklet, first distributed in English last fall, explains district policies, expectations and objectives for each grade level, said Randy Merrill assistant superintendent of the Provo City School District
'The booklet summarizes what our expectations are for students,' Merrill said. 'It''s an effort to communicate with parents about what we are trying to achieve with their children.'
The district distributed approximately 2,500 copies of the Spanish translation of the booklet to school principals last week. That is enough for every Spanish-speaking family in the Provo School District, Merrill said.
'I think the critical thing with ''Standards and Benchmarks'' is that if a person doesn''t know what is expected, then how can you hold them to what''s expected,' said Don Dowdle, principal of Joaquin Elementary School.
Thurston understands the confusion many Spanish-speaking parents in Provo face as they struggle to help their children succeed in school.
By the time her children began school, Thurston had learned only limited English.
Many parents cannot read their children''s homework, and may not understand the school requirements.
Thurston said the information in the packet would help families know the district''s requirements and how to meet them.
'Any questions they have, they have all the answers right there,' she said.
Thurston estimates she spent about 25 hours translating the document, both while working at Joaquin and at home on her own time.
'I love this school and the kids at Joaquin, and that is one of the reasons I did it,' Thurston said. 'It gives the chance for everyone to be equal. If I can help with this, why not do it?'
At Joaquin, between 50 and 55 percent of the students speak Spanish at home, Dowdle said.
Most notes sent to parents from the school are in both English and Spanish, he said. The school will be distributing the Spanish 'Standards and Benchmarks' at parent teacher conferences next week.
'Spanish-speaking parents are wonderful parents, and when they know what is expected of their children, we know they will support and encourage the boys and girls to reach those goals,' Dowdle said.
The district is currently working to translate kindergarten orientation information into Spanish as well, Merrill said.