Mrs. Vela

Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion - Spanish

Welcome to Mrs. Vela's Homepage!

I am very excited about being this year's Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion - Spanish teacher at Potowmack Elementary.  This will be my 6th year at Potowmack, where I previously worked as an English Learners (EL) teacher for 5 years.  Before that, I worked as an EL teacher in Prince William County.  Prior to moving to Northern Virginia, I worked as a Bilingual teacher in Texas.  I have a graduate degree in Bilingual Education from Southern Methodist University and a Post-Master's Certificate in Educational Leadership and Administration from George Washington University.  My endorsements include Administration and Supervision PreK-12, Elementary Education PreK-6, English as a Second Language PreK-12, and Spanish PreK-12.  

Spanish was my first language! I was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Texas at the age of 10, where I lived for 20 years before moving to Northern Virginia.  I have also spent some years outside of the United States living in Caracas, Venezuela & Mexico City, Mexico. I currently live in Sterling with my husband and two daughters.  

I am looking forward to a great year in our Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion Program!

Classroom Amazon Wish List

How DLI Students Progress Toward Language Proficiency

What does research show about the benefits of language learning?

Top Ten Answers for Parents about Immersion Education

Spanish Online Resources for Parents:

Spanish Mama - Spanish resources by topic for all ages

The Spanish Experiment - Online Children's Stories

Calico Spanish Videos - Spanish for Kids

PBS Spanish Lessons

Spanish Songs

El Mundo Divertido de Peep - Math and Science

Mama Llama Linguist - FREE Spanish resources