Georgia gets its first public Mandarin immersion program

Georgia currently has three Mandarin immersion programs: Atlanta Trilingual Academy and Omni International School are private and GLOBE Academy is a charter. All are in Atlanta. The new school, Dutchtown Elementary School in Hampton is about 30 miles south of Atlanta.

Photo by Johnny Jackson Kindergarten teacher Kim Moss helps her student Addyson Ahern, 5, with an in-class science project at Dutchtown Elementary School.

Dutchtown to open Chinese dual-immersion program

State awards $15,000 start-up grant

HAMPTON — School officials will begin Monday taking roll for the state’s only Chinese dual language immersion program at Dutchtown Elementary School.

#Principal Dr. Winnie Johnson said the program kicks off in the fall but registration begins next week.

#She said parents can sign their rising kindergartners up at http://www.henry.k12.ga.us/de, starting April 29 at 8 a.m. until May 10 at 4 p.m. She said there are only 40 slots and those slots will be filled on a first come, first served basis.

#“This is not an activity-based program,” she said. “It is not a supplemental program. The teacher is teaching the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards (curriculum) in Mandarin Chinese.”

#The program is being facilitated through the Georgia Department of Education’s World Languages and Global Initiatives Unit, which helped the school secure a $15,000 start-up grant for materials and staff training.

Please read more here.