How is Kent Gardens if you opt out of French Immersion

[Anonymous]

I know it's highly regarded for French immersion, but we are not interested in that program for many reasons specific to DC. We are zoned for KG and just wondering how families have found the program if you don't do French immersion classes. TIA.

[Anonymous]

The regular school is excellent. The teachers are very responsive and caring, and the kids are challenge. In fact, this year they have started an engineering program. Very strong PTA. No worries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The regular school is excellent. The teachers are very responsive and caring, and the kids are challenge. In fact, this year they have started an engineering program. Very strong PTA. No worries.

I heard second class citizens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The regular school is excellent. The teachers are very responsive and caring, and the kids are challenge. In fact, this year they have started an engineering program. Very strong PTA. No worries.

I heard second class citizens.

What you "heard" is not what I know.

[Anonymous]

I have heard the "second class citizen" thing too.

[Anonymous]

OP...what are your dc's issues that you think the FLES program wouldn't be a good fit?

[Anonymous]

Immersion and FLES are different programs.

My DD is an AAP Center, and I think that any time there is a "center" or "special" program in a school, there can sometimes be an us vs. them mentality with some parents. FWIW, my DD's best friend at our school is not in the center, so the kids don't always feel this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard the "second class citizen" thing too.

What does this mean? The students are treated as 2nd class citizens for not being in immersion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard the "second class citizen" thing too.

What does this mean? The students are treated as 2nd class citizens for not being in immersion?

I have known parents who felt this way at KG...they felt like the non immersion classes were a dumping ground for behavior problems. I think some of the parents of non immersion feel like the admin gives preferential treatment to the immersion parents. But who knows...every year you are going to have some behavior problems. I also know of friends in the french program who have been bullied so the behavior problems go both ways.

[Anonymous]

can't see why anyone would want to speak french anyway.
Maybe Spanish, Latin, & of course Chinese is becoming important. Japanese, German I can see, they're important countries. But French? What the heck is it good for, really?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have heard the "second class citizen" thing too.

What does this mean? The students are treated as 2nd class citizens for not being in immersion?

I have known parents who felt this way at KG...they felt like the non immersion classes were a dumping ground for behavior problems. I think some of the parents of non immersion feel like the admin gives preferential treatment to the immersion parents. But who knows...every year you are going to have some behavior problems. I also know of friends in the french program who have been bullied so the behavior problems go both ways.

Kent Gardens has a principal that glories in the French immersion. It is in a very nice neighborhood in Mclean. No demographics such as poverty that would require extra resources beyond those given to a neighboring school like Franklin Sherman. Yet FCPS gave Kent Gardens FLES for French plus other extra funding. FLES went in to help ammeliorate some of the intense highlighting of the French program. Note the FLES now can go to the annual trip to France:
http://twitter.com/KentGardens

Not all French Immersion students are in-boundary and the AAP kids in-boundary get bussed to Churchill. Haycock GTC was the relief valve for Kent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:can't see why anyone would want to speak french anyway.
Maybe Spanish, Latin, & of course Chinese is becoming important. Japanese, German I can see, they're important countries. But French? What the heck is it good for, really?

LOL. My thoughts exactly. With these types of FCPS programs, it's probably besides the point whether it continues to make sense to have a French immersion program, as opposed to a Chinese or Spanish program. It's more about whether there's a program that provides a school with extra funding, or allows staff to travel to fun places, or just makes people at the school feel special.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:can't see why anyone would want to speak french anyway.
Maybe Spanish, Latin, & of course Chinese is becoming important. Japanese, German I can see, they're important countries. But French? What the heck is it good for, really?

LOL. My thoughts exactly. With these types of FCPS programs, it's probably besides the point whether it continues to make sense to have a French immersion program, as opposed to a Chinese or Spanish program. It's more about whether there's a program that provides a school with extra funding, or allows staff to travel to fun places, or just makes people at the school feel special.

The bigger problem with the immersion programs (at least the French and German, don't know about the Spanish) is that the kids come out of it without being able to speak French. So much for immersion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:can't see why anyone would want to speak french anyway.
Maybe Spanish, Latin, & of course Chinese is becoming important. Japanese, German I can see, they're important countries. But French? What the heck is it good for, really?

LOL. My thoughts exactly. With these types of FCPS programs, it's probably besides the point whether it continues to make sense to have a French immersion program, as opposed to a Chinese or Spanish program. It's more about whether there's a program that provides a school with extra funding, or allows staff to travel to fun places, or just makes people at the school feel special.

The bigger problem with the immersion programs (at least the French and German, don't know about the Spanish) is that the kids come out of it without being able to speak French. So much for immersion.

Is this true? I didn't see that one coming. What are they doing with their time over there if not learning to speak the language?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:can't see why anyone would want to speak french anyway.
Maybe Spanish, Latin, & of course Chinese is becoming important. Japanese, German I can see, they're important countries. But French? What the heck is it good for, really?

LOL. My thoughts exactly. With these types of FCPS programs, it's probably besides the point whether it continues to make sense to have a French immersion program, as opposed to a Chinese or Spanish program. It's more about whether there's a program that provides a school with extra funding, or allows staff to travel to fun places, or just makes people at the school feel special.

The bigger problem with the immersion programs (at least the French and German, don't know about the Spanish) is that the kids come out of it without being able to speak French. So much for immersion.

Is this true? I didn't see that one coming. What are they doing with their time over there if not learning to speak the language?

Yes, it is true! I know that some kids from KG that struggled when they got to Longfellow.