Immersion Results

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you already there w sibling? Tell me more--I'm so excited!

We are - my daughter is in 3rd grade and we have had a fantastic experience. Loved the teachers, gorgeous new building, the principal is awesome, and she has learned so much. She can fluently speak Spanish at this point. It's pretty amazing.

[Anonymous]

The stress over this every year really makes me question why they don't put emphasis on creating more classrooms. Obviously there is huge demand. There must be a reason, but I wish they would share it. When you've got 300+ person waiting lists for every program, there is clearly demand for more.

[Anonymous]

I am 100% sure it is due to budget issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure it is due to budget issues.

100% sure? How can say that? We shouldn't be left to guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The stress over this every year really makes me question why they don't put emphasis on creating more classrooms. Obviously there is huge demand. There must be a reason, but I wish they would share it. When you've got 300+ person waiting lists for every program, there is clearly demand for more.

How do you know how long the wait list is for each program ? Did you call the immersion office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure it is due to budget issues.

100% sure? How can say that? We shouldn't be left to guess.

Well, bussing the kids all around the county don't come cheap.

Also, it adds to crowding in schools with the programs and drains lower performing schools of students, creating an imbalance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure it is due to budget issues.

100% sure? How can say that? We shouldn't be left to guess.

Well, bussing the kids all around the county don't come cheap.

Also, it adds to crowding in schools with the programs and drains lower performing schools of students, creating an imbalance.

NP, if there were more programs distributed around the county presumably there would be less need to bus long distances...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The stress over this every year really makes me question why they don't put emphasis on creating more classrooms. Obviously there is huge demand. There must be a reason, but I wish they would share it. When you've got 300+ person waiting lists for every program, there is clearly demand for more.

How do you know how long the wait list is for each program ? Did you call the immersion office?

No, but every year there are people with numbers in the 300s, especially for RCF and Sligo Creek.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure it is due to budget issues.

100% sure? How can say that? We shouldn't be left to guess.

Well, bussing the kids all around the county don't come cheap.

Also, it adds to crowding in schools with the programs and drains lower performing schools of students, creating an imbalance.

They should be opening more of these language immersion programs exclusively in Title 1 schools. That would really have am impact across the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waitlisted for Sligo Creek #11 for 1st grade. What are the chances of getting in?

Not sure about 1st, k, I would say -yes. I'd call immersion office to get more insight.

First grade is even tougher to get into. There are fewer applicants, than K and but VERY few spots open up- 1 or 2 in each class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure it is due to budget issues.

100% sure? How can say that? We shouldn't be left to guess.

Well, bussing the kids all around the county don't come cheap.

Also, it adds to crowding in schools with the programs and drains lower performing schools of students, creating an imbalance.

They should be opening more of these language immersion programs exclusively in Title 1 schools. That would really have am impact across the board.

Not necessarily. Then many of those schools would no longer be Title I and would lose federal funding for resources. But it would be a false assessment of the school as a whole, since these non-FARMs kids would be the immersion students who don't live there. This of course is based on the reality that parents who apply for immersion are by and large not eligible for FARMs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 100% sure it is due to budget issues.

100% sure? How can say that? We shouldn't be left to guess.

Well, bussing the kids all around the county don't come cheap.

Also, it adds to crowding in schools with the programs and drains lower performing schools of students, creating an imbalance.

They should be opening more of these language immersion programs exclusively in Title 1 schools. That would really have am impact across the board.

Not necessarily. Then many of those schools would no longer be Title I and would lose federal funding for resources. But it would be a false assessment of the school as a whole, since these non-FARMs kids would be the immersion students who don't live there. This of course is based on the reality that parents who apply for immersion are by and large not eligible for FARMs.

Two of the immersion schools are currently title 1 schools- Burnt Mills and Rolling Terrace- I guess news of immersion programs has reached the "poor".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waitlisted for Sligo Creek #11 for 1st grade. What are the chances of getting in?

Not sure about 1st, k, I would say -yes. I'd call immersion office to get more insight.

First grade is even tougher to get into. There are fewer applicants, than K and but VERY few spots open up- 1 or 2 in each class.

Do you have specific data from which you make this statement and if so, can you please share? I'm asking because I'm trying to get specific historical information year by year about how many spots open up for 1st grade after the lottery results have been released. I saw somewhere else how far down the waitlist they've gone the past 5 years but that doesn't speak to how many spots opened up. Knowing they got into the 20s one year doesn't help if the first 19 people on the wait list passed on the spot. I've tried calling the immersion office but everything is going to voicemail and my calls have not been returned yet, which is understandable. Trying to tamper my excitement at being #2 on the 1st grade WL and set expectations based on historical data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Waitlisted for Sligo Creek #11 for 1st grade. What are the chances of getting in?

Not sure about 1st, k, I would say -yes. I'd call immersion office to get more insight.

First grade is even tougher to get into. There are fewer applicants, than K and but VERY few spots open up- 1 or 2 in each class.

Do you have specific data from which you make this statement and if so, can you please share? I'm asking because I'm trying to get specific historical information year by year about how many spots open up for 1st grade after the lottery results have been released. I saw somewhere else how far down the waitlist they've gone the past 5 years but that doesn't speak to how many spots opened up. Knowing they got into the 20s one year doesn't help if the first 19 people on the wait list passed on the spot. I've tried calling the immersion office but everything is going to voicemail and my calls have not been returned yet, which is understandable. Trying to tamper my excitement at being #2 on the 1st grade WL and set expectations based on historical data.

The K class sizes are at 25 and they go up by one for first grade, so that means there is always 1 spot that opens up in each class- that's a fact. I said 1 or 2 because sometimes you will have someone who transfers out for whatever reason, but not always.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you already there w sibling? Tell me more--I'm so excited!

We are - my daughter is in 3rd grade and we have had a fantastic experience. Loved the teachers, gorgeous new building, the principal is awesome, and she has learned so much. She can fluently speak Spanish at this point. It's pretty amazing.

Is it likely that siblings also get a space for K?