MV parent here. I've also been impressed with the instruction! And my kid went to DCPS prior to this. To be fair, the DCPS teachers were also excellent. |
| I second the quality. I’ve been thoroughly impressed so far with MV8. The aftercare needs are being addressed and my student is happy, engaged and absorbing the language extremely quickly. We have had new students starting each week so the lists are definitely moving. |
| What grades are these? People have concerns with middle and upper elementary at MV, not pre-K to first or so (aside from the literacy curriculum). As has been said, ECE is solid across the District. |
+1. It's normal for MV parents to think everything is hunky-dory for the first few years. I live in the area with elementary age kids and can never, ever recall a prior year with an announcement like this that there are open spots. |
There has also never been a past 18 months with a pandemic. Lots of kids have not been in the classroom for the whole time or 1 day a week of hybrid if that for the last 2 months. So many kids are behind, don’t know school routines or structure, never logged on, etc… Why would you put your kid in a new full immersion environment stressor in addition to learning how to go back to school and not knowing any classmates? Why would you add another challenge of language when your kid is already behind in math or reading? Immersion schools waitlist will move more because of the things above. There are a few spots in K and 1st at P St I think. I doubt there are spots in ECE. And if your kid knows no Spanish in K and 1st and school doesn’t come easy, send your kid to Stokes or DCB where the Spanish is lite and the expectations are lower. Our DC is in 2nd grade at MV8, above grade level in everything, at grade level in Spanish and doing just fine. The teachers have all been great in K and 1st. I’ll get back to you later our 2nd grade experience but I don’t expect anything different. The challenge of another language and the high expectations of it has been great for our child who didn’t know any Spanish going into K. But DC picks things up easily and school comes easily. He wasn’t overwhelmed when we threw him into full immersion at K and it’s incredible how much kids pick up and absorb in the full immersion environment. It’s been an amazing journey so far. If you have a kid with similar profile, go for it. If you have a kid struggling in school, has anxiety especially in new environments, doesn’t pick things up easily, then no, starting them part ECE is not a good fit. |
Oh and to add posters who say MV was slow to start back to school is BS all the way. Every family in 1st grade last year who wanted hybrid got it and it was 4 full days a week. BTW, MV is testing 90% of the school on a weekly basis now. |
Typo past not part ECE |
I wish MV boosters would stop with the myth that MV has the strongest Spanish program and all others are “lite” in comparison. Please cite the stats that support that claim or just stop. |
I am not pp, but do you know the difference between full immersion and dual immersion? That is your answer. |
I'm not PP either, but I do know that the Spanish at some of the other schools is actually lighter than MV. At MV they expect the kids to be able to converse and function in Spanish. They hire teachers that speak little English, so kids really are thrown in the deep end until they gain some basic understanding. From a fluency standpoint, that's a good thing, but it does make it harder for kids who are struggling. DCB, LAMB, and Stokes take a much slower and more relaxed approach to Spanish exposure. As a result, ON AVERAGE, your typical second grader from Mundo Verde speaks better Spanish than at the other immersion HRCS. I know many kids at all of these schools, and saw virtual classes from all of these schools last year. They just have different approaches and priorities, and that's fine depending on what you want for your child. If you aren't able to support the language outside of the classroom, somewhere like DCB is a much better fit. Your child will learn some Spanish (some will learn a lot!) and you'll be able to help them with schoolwork much better. Full immersion, even if just pre-K and K, is a lot for kids and really limits parents ability to support their kids if they don't speak the language as well. |
PP at MV8 above. This is our 3rd year at the school. It seems like almost every family we have met since we have been here, either 1 parent is Spanish speaking or 1 parent is totally fluent in spanish. We feel like we are the outliers, with no spanish background, not the norm. The parents here are serious about the Spanish. This is a good thing if you are committed to Spanish. |
From the MV website: At Mundo Verde we offer two bilingualism models. Grades PreK 3/4 and Kinder are full immersion in Spanish. This means that at least 90% of their instruction, exploration and play time is spent immersed in Spanish. Grades 1st to 5th are dual immersion in English and Spanish. This means that students spend half their time learning in English and half in Spanish. |
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The shortwait list data is now updated. For those wondering about numbers, here are MV's short lists:
MV8: K: 7 1: 0 2: 2 MVP: 1: 0 2: 0 3: 7 4: 0 |
MV is hardly unique in this regard. I bet you Raymond, which isn’t even an Spanish immersion school, has way more Spanish-speaking parents. |
Now go to the other schools website. |