THE TEACHER TIME RAFFLE IS HERE!
Sponsored by the Spanish Education Fund, the beloved Teacher Time Raffle (TTR) gives students a unique opportunity to win a special activity or event donated by our generous EHSI teachers and administrators. Imagine a pizza lunch with the principal or an afternoon of board games with a favorite teacher!
Why Participate?
Money raised directly funds our amazing International Intern Teaching Program. Your support helps bring talented future educators from around the world to our classrooms, enriching the experience for all of our students.
Important Dates & Details:
Raffle Packets Go Home: Keep an eye out for the packets with activity descriptions, which will be sent home with your child the week of Thanksgiving.
Digital Tickets: We've made it easier than ever! Fill out this digital raffle form. No paper tickets to cut!
Raffle Closes: The last day to purchase tickets is Friday, December 12.
Thank you for participating in the Teacher Time Raffle! Best of luck to you and your students!
Welcome to the Spanish Education Fund
Our Mission
Support the Eden Prairie Spanish immersion program, through sustainable funding, to host the best volunteer international Spanish speaking interns and provide other educational and cultural resources.
Who is SEF?
The Spanish Education Fund (SEF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2009. Our purpose is to raise money and recruit parent volunteers to support the International Teaching Intern Program at Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion School (K-5), Central Middle School (6-8) and Eden Prairie High School (9-12).
Interns from Spanish speaking countries around the world assist teachers and students in classrooms at these schools, providing a unique educational resource that has proven to be extremely valuable to language acquisition, by bringing their language and cultures to life. As a result, students become more confident in their ability to communicate in Spanish and create connections to people and places outside of their own world.
In addition to fundraising, we work with school staff to review and select intern candidates, recruit host and buddy families for the interns from our parent community for the duration of their stay, collect donations of winter clothing, organize parent volunteers to provide transportation for interns, and many other things to ensure interns have a positive experience while in the U.S. gaining valuable experience in the field of education.
Why do we have interns?
Interns bring their languages and cultures to life, and as a result, students become more confident in their ability to communicate in Spanish across dialects.
Research indicates that native speakers are a best practice component to a successful immersion program. They model conversational Spanish and expose students to native pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary. This cross-cultural exchange benefits both the students and the interns by creating a connection to people and places outside of their own world.
As a school community, we value hosting international interns so they can learn about American culture, improve their English, and gain valuable experience through their interactions with students, staff and host/buddy families. They are also an incredibly valuable asset to our teachers in the classrooms and beyond!