Popular San Francisco-area Mandarin program won’t have to move
College Park Elementary in San Mateo, Calif (in Silicon Valley) began its Mandarin immersion program in 2007, an outgrowth of the Mandarin classes it began offering in 2004. It’s a Gifted and Talented Magnet School as well, though all students are able to attend. In 4th and 5th grade the school has special day classes for gifted children:
“The San Mateo-Foster City School District offers a special-day class for gifted students. This program is located at College Park. A careful screening is done for all SMFC third grades students. Those that have scored well on state exams and have their teacher’s recommendation are invited to take an additional problem solving assessment to determine their aptitude for the GATE program. Invitations to the GATE program at College Park are issued by the GATE department at the SMFC School District.
In addition to meeting the social and emotional needs of gifted students, the core curriculum is compacted and introduced at a highly accelerated pace so that learning experiences are developmentally appropriate to the special needs, interests, and abilities of students in the program. The differentiated curriculum includes instructional strategies that promote inquiry, self-directed learning, discussion, debate, metacognition, and other appropriate modes of learning. Additionally, it includes depth, complexity, novelty, and rigor, reinforcing abstract thinking, big ideas, and cross-curricular connections of the content area.”
New leader selected for San Mateo-Foster City: Joan Rosas will take charge of San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District as superintendent, pending school board approval |
June 02, 2015, 05:00 AM By Austin Walsh Daily Journal |
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Officials have selected Joan Rosas as a finalist to take control of the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District, replacing outgoing Superintendent Cynthia Simms. Rosas currently serves as the assistant superintendent of Student Services in the San Mateo County Office of Education, where she has worked since 2011. The district Board of Trustees is expected to ratify a contract for Rosas, and officially name her superintendent, at the upcoming board meeting Thursday, June 4. Rosas has more than three decades of experience working in education, including serving previously as a teacher and administrator in the San Mateo-Foster City district. Board President Audrey Ng said Rosas’ institutional knowledge of the district granted her a leg up when the board was considering candidates to replace Simms, who will retire at the end of the school year. “She knows the people she will be working with and she has the network to take us to the next level,” Ng said. During her previous tenure in the district, Rosas founded Fiesta Gardens International School, the Spanish immersion school in San Mateo, as well as serving as director of Education Services, the assistant superintendent of Student Services and the assistant superintendent of Human Resources. |
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Mandarin Immersion Parents Council 