Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • Didn’t Get Mandarin Immersion? Try Again!

    Did you apply to a Mandarin immersion school in Round I and not get  in? Try again in Round II- here’s why.

    As Mandarin immersion programs are dual immersion program, the  district reserved 50% of the slots for Mandarin speaking families.  Historically neither MI school has filled those Mandarin speaking slots, so the district leaves them open after Round I.

    However, in Round 2 the computer checks for Mandarin speaking  students that have applied to Starr King or Jose Ortega first and those students get in.  Any available slots left then go to children who speak English or  other languages.  So there are in excess of 20 seats still open at both schools.

    Because waitlist schools are run before the Round Two lists, families  who really want Starr King or Jose Ortega should make it their waitlist school, not just put it on their Round Two list.

    If you have more questions, call the school or contact the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council miparentscouncil@gmail.com.

  • 2nd and 3rd Grade Mandarin Immersion Spots Available for Fall 2009

    Jose Ortega Elementary School, in the Ingleside neighborhood, has several openings in its 2nd grade Mandarin Immersion program for Fall 2009.

    Starr King Elementary School, on top of San Francisco’s Potrero hill, has several openings in its 3rd grade Mandarin Immersion program for Fall 2009.

    This would be an excellent opportunity for children who come from families where Mandarin is spoken in the home, or who have been attending Chinese school.

    There may also be a limited number of first grade (at Jose Ortega) and first and second grade (at Starr King) slots available as well.

    Children joining in immersion programs after first grade will be tested for language competency by the San Francisco Unified School District’s Educational Placement Office.

    If you have questions about the Mandarin Immersion Program, feel free to contact Beth Weise, the president of the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council at weise@well.com. For information about testing in, you’ll need to contact the District’s Educational Placement Center.

  • Mandarin Immersion Placements for 2009-2010

    The San Francisco public school Mandarin Immersion programs just keep getting more popular!  Here are the statistics for the number of Kindergarten students enrolled in the programs since their creation…

    Source: Five Year Comparison of Round 1 Demand

    Starr King

    Starr King Elementary School Mandarin Immersion Program, Kindergarten Capacity: 44

    Total Requests

    • 2006-07: 33
    • 2007-08: 45
    • 2008-09: 80
    • 2009-10: 84

    1st Choice Requests

    • 2006-07: 13
    • 2007-08: 20
    • 2008-08: 25
    • 2009-10: 30

    Jose Ortega

    Jose Ortega Elementary School Mandarin Immersion Program, Kindergarten Capacity: 22

    Total Requests

    • 2007-08 : 22
    • 2008-09: 23
    • 2009-10: 79

    1st Choice Requests

    • 2007-08: 5
    • 2008-08: 8
    • 2009-10: 19

     

  • 沉浸式教育 – 一位家長的觀點

    中文版見內頁

  • English at Home – Chinese at School

    Signing your kids up for language immersion education is a leap of faith, especially if you don’t understand the language they’re going to be spending the better part of the day speaking at school.

    Read the whole article by Beth Weise here…

    http://portal.sfusd.edu/data/news/pdf/School%20Times%20-%20Winter%2009%20ENGLISH%20final.pdf

  • A Request from Tammy Radmer, SFAME

    From Tammy Radmer,

    SF/Advocates for Multilingual Excellence, Monroe Elementary and James Lick Middle School Spanish Immersion Parent

    To my listservs & blind carbon copied folks,

    Okay, I know some of you are flinching at the thought of yet another evening meeting, and have no tolerance for another dry presentation on the merits of immersion, but you have to go to this one! I’ve seen perfectly sane SFUSD district staff & teachers practically melt as they discuss Dr. Myriam Met.  They froth at the mouth as they discuss her interactive style of presenting, & expound on the fact that she knows everything there is to know about immersion.

    I can only imagine that the evening would be of interest to everybody, but especially to principals, teachers, & staff, as well as parents with kids already in immersion, or prospective parents & community members wanting to learn more about it (please forward this email to whomever you think might be interested). before i go furthur, i want to acknowledge Elizabeth Weise (Mandarin Immersion Parents Council, SF/AME, & Starr King parent), and Margaret Peterson and Maria Martinez (SFUSD’s Multilingual Education/World Language Department) for helping make this happen.  Sorry if I left someone out.

    We’re at an important crossroads, right now, with the new SFUSD administration mapping out their strategies for improving & expanding language programs throughout san francisco.  I encourage parents, principals, & staff to continually learn more about language programs such as immersion (as well as biliteracy programs for english learners & FLES programs for target language learners), & to be sure their opinions are heard as the district creates & rolls out it’s plans. the more information we have, the better we can advocate for whatever it is that we believe in.

    -Tammy

  • Immersion Night with Dr. Met

    Monday, March 16, 2009 – 6:00-7:30pm James Lick Middle School

    1220 Noe Street, 25th Street and Noe Street

    An interactive and inspirational evening with Dr. Myriam Met

    Dr. Myriam Met, an international speaker and educator, is a renowned expert on foreign language programs with an emphasis on immersion programs.

    • How fluent do students become?
    • Does a second language come at a cost?
    • How do programs in other states compare with SFUSD immersion programs?
    • What can parents do to support their children in immersion?

    These questions and more will be addressed by Dr. Met at an exclusive Immersion Night for SFUSD parents and teachers.

    Sponsored by:
    sfusdlogo

    The SFUSD Multilingual Education Program

    Also sponsored by the SF Advocates for Multilingual Excellence and the Mandarin Immersion Parents Council.

    Funded by a generous grant from the Mayor’s Office
    For childcare call 241-6053 or email miparentscouncil@gmail.com

    NOTE: LIMITED CHILDCARE SPACE  AVAILABLE. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED

    Dr. Myriam Met

    miriammet

    Dr. Myriam Met is the former Director and Senior Researcher of the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland. Her previous positions include supervisor of foreign language programs and bilingual education for major urban school districts, including responsibility for designing, implementing, and supervising a variety of immersion program models.