Philosophy

We believe that every Oyster Bilingual School student has an inherent right to an education that will enhance the development of that student's maximum capability, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic level. We believe that every child has the ability to learn, and it is our task to fully develop this ability. We believe that every child has an inalienable right to the tools which facilitate the achievement of personal goals as well as the fulfillment of obligations to society.

We believe that every child's learning ability, employment potential, and cultural interests are enriched by achieving competency in a language beyond his/her own, in a classroom where children from various cultures learn and share together. We believe that native Spanish speaking children will learn to perform better in an environment that respects their native language and provides continued growth in their native language. In addition, we believe that the education of English speaking children will be enriched by achieving competency in a second language at an age when achieving such competency is easiest.

We believe that the bilingual program at Oyster must provide an environment in which all students are afforded the opportunity to obtain the knowledge and skills that will enable them to succeed both as individuals and members of society. We believe that racial and ethnic richness and diversity form the bases through which we enrich and promote the goals of building a culturally pluralistic society.

To this end, we, the Oyster school staff, are committed to provide a comprehensive bilingual program in an atmosphere that is open, concerned, and responsive to the needs of both the students and the community. We are also committed to the establishment of practices and programs that will ensure the intellectual, physical, emotional, and aesthetic well being of all the students at Oyster Bilingual Elementary School.