Puente Sophomores

I am always so excited to welcome back my Puente family for the sophomore year of learning, growing, exploring, and achieving! As we reflect on our journey together last year, I am always filled with pride and exhilaration for all that our students accomplished and experienced during their freshmen year. The following is a brief reminder regarding the Puente Program.

Students enrolled in the Puente program stay with the same Puente-trained English teacher for both their 9th and 10th grade college-preparatory Honors English classes. Students are immersed in a pedagogy that builds on their experiences, bridging academics, family, and community.

Puente classes function as families, or familias, with students acquiring competency in various genres including autobiography, reflection, research, persuasion, literary analysis, expressive, and community-based writing. Students are taught techniques for collaborative peer review and create portfolios of polished assignments. Puente’s writing program not only builds language arts skills, but also teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, all of which are key to enabling college enrollment and success.

The Puente model provides students with field trips and informational sessions focusing on college, as well as mentors, guest speakers, and role models who meet with students and assist them in their educational endeavors.