Spanish Immersion vs Gifted and Talented Program

[Anonymous]

I am torn to make a decision for my child next year. Currently, she is in Spanish Immersion program. However, she is qualified to go to another school for AAP Level 4 in Fairfax County. Both elementary schools are great but I just don't know what to choose. My child does not want to switch schools mainly because of her friends. I'll love to hear any comments or others' experience. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

If she doesn't want to switch, leave her in the immersion program. You can always move into the aap program later if her desires change, but you can't go back into immersion after leaving it.

[Anonymous]

I have the same decision to make. I feel like the AAP is too great of an opportunity to pass up, even for a year. I'd rather have dc change schools now and enter with everyone else rather than be the new kid in a year or whenever we made the switch. Socially, many of our dc's friends will be in the same sports teams, etc...and in our case they will all feed into the same middle school (our base middle is also the center GT).

It's a tough call.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am torn to make a decision for my child next year. Currently, she is in Spanish Immersion program. However, she is qualified to go to another school for AAP Level 4 in Fairfax County. Both elementary schools are great but I just don't know what to choose. My child does not want to switch schools mainly because of her friends. I'll love to hear any comments or others' experience. Thanks.

Listen to your child and don't switch. If she's happy, let her stay where she is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have the same decision to make. I feel like the AAP is too great of an opportunity to pass up, even for a year. I'd rather have dc change schools now and enter with everyone else rather than be the new kid in a year or whenever we made the switch. Socially, many of our dc's friends will be in the same sports teams, etc...and in our case they will all feed into the same middle school (our base middle is also the center GT).

It's a tough call.

Wise advice! It's much easier to switch at grade 3 then at grade 4 (or later) after friendship groups have already been formed at the AAP Center.

[Anonymous]

Listen to your child and follow their lead.

[Anonymous]

thats crap about "friendship groups." when you are the "new" kid, the kids are instantly interested in you go out of their way to help you at the center and the teachers at the center are very good at integrating kids that come in in 4th, 5th and 6th and helping them fit in. Two of my daughters friends are not kids that she entered the center with, but are kids that came later.

[Anonymous]

Speak with the AAP teacher at the immersion school to see what types of Level III things are taking place. Ask specifically how they challenge children who are qualified for Level IV, but chose to stay for a language immersion program. Do you feel your child is adequately challenged at the immersion school? I think seeing what is happening might help you decide. If I had chosen a language immersion program, and felt strongly about the decision to be there, and had committed to that, I think I might be hard pressed to move too. Knowing your child is eligible for Level IV will also help her future teacher differentiate for her needs in a general education classroom. There are many places, where differentiation within a class is the preferred method for reaching gifted students,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:thats crap about "friendship groups." when you are the "new" kid, the kids are instantly interested in you go out of their way to help you at the center and the teachers at the center are very good at integrating kids that come in in 4th, 5th and 6th and helping them fit in. Two of my daughters friends are not kids that she entered the center with, but are kids that came later.

NP here. Not "crap" based on our experience. DC entered in 4th grade. The academics are a great fit, but it's been really hard for DC to make friends (and DC was a well-liked kid at former school, who is outgoing and makes friends easily in any other situation.) The school did not help DC make friends at all, and does not stop groups of kids from excluding others....Teacher allows party invitations to be passed out in class, even if not everyone is invited, etc. We wish we'd started in 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:thats crap about "friendship groups."

Hardly "crap" according to the AAP Center teachers at two separate orientations I attended this week

[Anonymous]

why did you even post? you have no experience with this issue

[Anonymous]

We switched our child from immersion to gt a couple years ago. For our child, it ended up being a mistake. She didn't like the school, none of her friends were there and she cried alot. This is where it got worse. When we agreed that she could go back the next year, she wasn't able to go back to the immersion school. She was left with the decision to either stay at the gt center or to go back to our base school where she hardly knew anyone. She ended up staying at the center but its been a pretty miserable experience for her.

You really just have to weigh everything and make the best choice you can for your child. If I could do it all again, I would have probably made a different choice, but then I would still be second guessing myself all the time...so I'm probably no help here...lol.

Whats that saying "damned if you do, damned if you don't..." Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We switched our child from immersion to aap center. We based our decision on what academic support was available at the immersion school. Our child was already bored with the supplemental work the teacher was giving and frustrated with being pulled out at recess and art - we couldn't imagine another 4 years of the same. For our child (now in 6th) it worked out wonderfully and am so glad she had this opportunity available to her. She has really blossomed both academically and socially at the center.

As for the friends issue: We joined the school's scout troop and a few of the other after-school activities like Mad Science to meet others the first year there. The rest flowed naturally. Every year a few leave the center and a few come in. By the end of each year, it's hard to remember they were ever "new" to the circle of friends.

[Anonymous]

11:36 here

I have to add that dc was very positive about the prospect of changing schools especially wh

[Anonymous]

11:36 here

I have to add that dc was very positive about the prospect of changing schools especially when dc saw friends at the orientation. This definitely helped in our decision to go for it. We still have an older child in immersion (and school based services) and is thriving and very much bilingual.