Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • Orange County, Calif. Mandarin immersion school’s “choice enrollment” period open

    Capistrano Unified School District’s
    Mandarin Immersion Program
    2014/15 Kindergarten Enrollment
    School of Choice Enrollment  •  February 3-28, 2014

    Bergeson Elementary School and Capistrano Unified School District are proud to provide the first publicly offered (no cost) Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program in Orange County.  It is a well-proven educational model that provides academic instruction in English and Mandarin Chinese during the 6-year elementary period. The specific goals of this language immersion program after the 6th year are for students to develop high levels of language proficiency and literacy in both program languages, to demonstrate high levels of academic achievement, and to develop an appreciation for and an understanding of diverse cultures.Children must be 5 years old by September 1, 2014, in order to apply for the 2014-15 school year.

    School of Choice Enrollment will be done on a Lottery System. Notification of acceptance into the program will begin in early March.

    For Out of District Families:
    1.  Obtain Home district approval and get released FIRST
    2.  Complete Inter-District application through CUSD

    Tours and Information: This is a very popular program and space is limited. For more information please attend one of the required informational meetings. For more information contact Bergeson Elementary School at 949/643-1540 orCapistrano Unified School District


    Tour Dates

    • Friday, February 7, 2014  •  8:00 – 9:00am
    • Friday, February 21, 2014  •  8:00 – 9:00am
    • Monday, February 24, 2014  •  8:00 – 9:00am

    All meetings will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room at Bergeson Elementary, 25302 Rancho Niguel Road, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
    For more information, please send your inquires to info@friendsofmip.com.

  • Portland, Ore. to (finally) get a second Mandarin immersion school

    Portland Public Schools has multiple language immerse programs. On Jan. 27 the school board voted to add four more:

    LANGUAGE IMMERSION: Portland Public Schools next year will see four new language immersion programs, including the state’s first Vietnamese program.

    Language immersion involves teaching core subjects in both English and another language to help foster bilingualism. The expansion will be one of the largest in Oregon, where Portland Public Schools has long been a leader in language immersion.

    From the Oregonian:

    The board on Monday unanimously voted to establish programs at four schools:

    • A Mandarin immersion program at King School, which will begin with two kindergarten and two first grade classrooms and expand until eighth grade.
    • A Vietnamese dual language immersion program at Roseway Heights, which will begin with two kindergarten classrooms and expand until eighth grade.
    • A Spanish immersion program at James John, which will begin with two kindergarten classes.
    • A Spanish immersion classroom Sitton, which will begin with two kindergarten classes.

     

    The new Mandarin program will be in the northern part of the city. The current school, Woodstock, is in the city’s southeast. King school is K – 8 and also is an IB school.

  • First California Mandarin immersion school gains IB status

    SHU REN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL AUTHORIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

    First Mandarin immersion school in California to be named official IB
    World School

    Berkeley/Kensington– The International Baccalaureate (IB) has
    authorized Shu Ren International School to offer the IB Primary Years
    Programme (PYP), an internationally-recognized academic framework for
    Pre-K and elementary level students. With this authorization, Shu Ren
    becomes the first Mandarin immersion IB World School in California –
    and one of only very few such schools in the U.S.. Shu Ren would like
    to thank all the teachers, administrators, students and parents who
    have worked hard over the past five years to help the school reach
    this milestone.

    Shu Ren joins more than 3600 other IB World Schools in 146 countries
    to offer a coherent, broad-based international curriculum in which
    students develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that prepare them to
    live, work and lead in a constantly changing world.

    About Shu Ren

    Shu Ren International School was founded in 2008 in Berkeley, CA and
    offers a Mandarin-English dual immersion curriculum for Pre-K through
    8th grade (currently through 5th grade). In Fall 2013, we opened a
    second campus for our elementary classes in Kensington, CA. Shu Ren
    was founded by Jie Moore, Ph.D., on the belief that children should be
    equipped with the knowledge, skills, and values to be engaged global
    citizens in an increasingly interconnected world.  For more
    information about Shu Ren: http://shurenschool.org

    About IB

    The International Baccalaureate is a non-profit educational
    foundation. The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring,
    knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and
    more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
    The IB Primary Years Programme focuses on the development of the whole
    child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside.
    It is defined by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance,
    explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subject areas,
    with a powerful emphasis on inquiry-based learning. For more
    information about the IB: www.ibo.org

    Contacts: Ms. Jie Moore, Founder and President

    Tel: 510-981-0320 / email: jie.moore@shurenschool.org

  • Wilmington, NC adding Mandarin immersion

    Exciting Opportunity for Upcoming Kindergarten Students to Enter
    Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program at Forest Hills Global Elementary Schools

    Did you know that China is the second largest economy in the world or that many U.S. companies do business in China and have long-term investments there? International businesses prefer to hire people who speak more than one language. With China being such a huge market, business leaders are looking for people who can speak Chinese and operate successfully in a Chinese cultural context.

    Deborah Greenwood knows these facts. As principal of Forest Hills Global Elementary School, she is looking out for the future opportunities for students to be successful in the global careers of the future. Starting with the 2014-2015 school year, Forest Hills is looking to offer a Mandarin Chinese Immersion program. In order for the Mandarin class to take place, they need to have at least 20 kindergarten students enrolled. The slots will be filled on a first come, first serve basis. Students in the Forest Hills district will be given priority, but students from other areas have the opportunity to apply to the program.

    “We are such a global world now and China is a major influence in the world marketplace. A Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program will offer an excellent opportunity for our students to get a jump start on preparing for the careers of the future, Mrs. Greenwood said. “This will give our students a great advantage,” she added.

    Mrs. Greenwood explained the study of the Chinese language opens the way to many important fields such as Chinese politics, economy, history or archaeology. Forest Hills already has a highly successful Spanish Immersion Program in which current students are excelling academically while they become fluent in the language.

    Immersion program applications are available online at www.nhcs.net  under “Items of Interest” or for pick up at Forest Hills, 602 Colonial Drive. The application deadline is March 1, 2014. If you are the parent of an upcoming kindergarten student and would like more information about the Mandarin Chinese Immersion program, contact Forest Hill Global Elementary School at (910) 251-6190 or email Mrs. Greenwood atdeborah.greenwood@nhcs.net.

    More here.

  • New book in Chinese for middle schoolers

    Jeremy Lin

    There are so few books in Chinese that middle schoolers can read and find interesting that I wanted to highlight a new one which came out recently.

    The Chinese Biographies series by Cheng and Tsui has just published a biography of basketball star Jeremy Lin. More about it here.

    The blurb reads:

    “Discover the story of “Linsanity”. Jeremy Lin knew from childhood that he wanted to play professional basketball and broke significant barriers to become the first Chinese-American NBA player. Readers will learn how this contemporary cultural icon overcame the challenges on his path to fame and developed his inspiring strength of character.”

    The books in the series use between 300 and 750 characters and come with audio files you can get from the website so students and listen and read along. Many times students can understand a much higher level of spoken Chinese than written Chinese, so hearing the words as they read means they can read texts that are at a higher level than they could easily read on their own.

    The blurb about the series:

    “These engaging biographies of Chinese cultural icons were specifically designed for students who have mastered 350-700 characters. Pinyin annotation facilitates the reading process, making Chinese character texts accessible at the earliest stages of learning. Touching on contemporary cultural issues, these biographies and their related online activities encourage students to think, speak and write in Chinese as they learn about Jeremy Lin, Yao Ming, and others. Perfect for classroom instruction or independent reading.”

  • South Carolina adds a German immersion school

    They’ve already got Spanish, Mandarin and French. I’ve seen several German schools go up recently. Interesting. A resurgence in the language?

    Lexington One schools offer language immersion program for kindergartners

    January 2, 2014 By 

    ColaDaily.com is your source for free news and information in Columbia and the Midlands.

    Parents of rising kindergartners in Lexington One School District are invited to learn more about district offerings that give kids a jump-start on learning new languages.

    Lexington One’s Partial-Immersion World Languages Program allows children to learn an foreign language while also being taught subjects like math and science. Students can join partial-immersion in kindergarten and continue through fifth grade.

    During a partial-immersion world language class, teachers spend half of the day instructing in French, German, Mandarin Chinese or Spanish. The district’s new school opening in the fall, Deerfield Elementary, will be the first to offer German.

    Please read more here.

  • Immersion schools booming in Colorado Springs

    photo - Students hold lanterns for St. Martin's eve, or Martinsfeuer, during a performance for German International Day at Global Village Academy Charter School in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Friday, November 22, 2013. (Kent Nishimura, The Gazette)
    Students hold lanterns for St. Martin’s eve, or Martinsfeuer, during a performance for German International Day at Global Village Academy Charter School in Colorado Springs, Colorado on Friday, November 22, 2013. (Kent Nishimura, The Gazette)

    There’s foreign language class, and then there’s foreign language immersion.

    There’s a big difference.

    At most schools, students learn to speak, read and write in a second language for one class period a few times a week.

    At Global Village Academy, up to 95 percent of a student’s day is spent learning about reading, writing, math, history, science and other subjects in a second language.

    Students comprehend the material quickly, said the assistant principal of the Colorado Springs campus, Alicia Welch, because teachers use demonstrative gestures, facial expressions, intonation, photos and other nontraditional and engaging actions.

    “It is amazing to see how well the kids do with the program,” she said.

    Read more at http://gazette.com/colorado-springs-charter-school-touts-foreign-language-immersion/article/1511971#bbX8JWkoxrRAEJPv.99