July 20, 2023
On Wednesday, July 19, 2023, for the first time, I had the pleasure of visiting Bilingual Center #33, located in the Park District. This is another pre-k to 8 building serving approximately 350 students, during the school year.
Principal Lisa Lovallo-Coyle gave me a tour of the summer programming. Mrs. Lovallo-Coyle just completed her first school year as principal of Bilingual Center. It was evident that she is responsive to the cultural and language needs of her students and families. I learned how this dual language program operates with all core subjects having an English and Spanish speaking teacher for each grade level. The English and Spanish teachers alternate days of teaching in each language, so students receive 50% of instruction in each language. Special education self-contained classrooms are also dual language. Assistant Principal Madeleine Fierstein, the school social worker, and several aides and assistants are Spanish speaking.
Mrs. Coyle-Lovallo indicated that attendance was low in the first week of summer school, but has improved in the second week. She indicated that the Attendance Teacher has begun going to the homes of those students who have not attended thus far.
I had the opportunity to visit multiple classrooms of various grade levels. Students appeared happy and engaged in their learning tasks. Many students voluntarily greeted me eager to engage in conversation and share their experiences in summer school so far. It was also great to see several students unwinding in a beautiful play area outside in the center of the building, as seen in the image above.
Mrs. Coyle-Lovallo boasted about the positive behavior of her students, citing very few student suspensions, last school year.
This seems like another wonderful school in BPS- small and intimate with a unique dual language program, one that our community needs to hear more about!
Below are additional images from my visit:
Larry Scott
Vice President of Student Achievement
Buffalo Board of Education