MCPS Spanish immersion schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gosh I wish they could expand these programs to whole school. It seems like the school within a school model is less than ideal for those in the English program, especially since many more want immersion than can lottery in.

I wish there were more dual immersion programs. Staffing is a limiting factor IIRC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's get real. You have families trying to get into RCF immersion just to go to Westland MS. Driving their kid or their kid taking two buses to go to a West county predominantly white MS (Westland) is not a big deal for families trying to escape their "diverse" home middle school.

I'm sure they exist but I haven't met these people. I live in a "diverse" neighborhood and we know lots of people who have lotteried for immersion (some get it, some don't). Missing out on the neighborhood school and the sense of the community that goes with it has been seen as a "con" by everyone I've talked to -- although of course the foreign language aspect is a strong plus.

Given our location, people I know are disappointed by the Westland articulation and loss of SSIMS as a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's get real. You have families trying to get into RCF immersion just to go to Westland MS. Driving their kid or their kid taking two buses to go to a West county predominantly white MS (Westland) is not a big deal for families trying to escape their "diverse" home middle school.

I'm sure they exist but I haven't met these people. I live in a "diverse" neighborhood and we know lots of people who have lotteried for immersion (some get it, some don't). Missing out on the neighborhood school and the sense of the community that goes with it has been seen as a "con" by everyone I've talked to -- although of course the foreign language aspect is a strong plus.

Given our location, people I know are disappointed by the Westland articulation and loss of SSIMS as a choice.

Why not simply go back to the middle school your kid is zoned based on where you live? Middle school world language classes start in 6th grade. From speaking to immersion families, kids start off with Spanish 1 in 6th. So just go back to your neighborhood MS when finished with 5th grade at a Spanish immersion school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's get real. You have families trying to get into RCF immersion just to go to Westland MS. Driving their kid or their kid taking two buses to go to a West county predominantly white MS (Westland) is not a big deal for families trying to escape their "diverse" home middle school.

I'm sure they exist but I haven't met these people. I live in a "diverse" neighborhood and we know lots of people who have lotteried for immersion (some get it, some don't). Missing out on the neighborhood school and the sense of the community that goes with it has been seen as a "con" by everyone I've talked to -- although of course the foreign language aspect is a strong plus.

Given our location, people I know are disappointed by the Westland articulation and loss of SSIMS as a choice.

Why not simply go back to the middle school your kid is zoned based on where you live? Middle school world language classes start in 6th grade. From speaking to immersion families, kids start off with Spanish 1 in 6th. So just go back to your neighborhood MS when finished with 5th grade at a Spanish immersion school.

The benefit of going to an immersion middle school is to continue with the language at the appropriate level. They take 2 periods of immersion Spanish and then do world history in Spanish. My oldest is at SSIMS and it is going well, we feel lucky that there was an east side alternative to Westland.
Almost everyone we know from the east side of the county from her RCF class is either at SSIMS or their home middle school; a couple go to Westland. Our youngest, still at RCF, will go to our home east side middle since SSIMS is no longer an option, and we aren't interested in Westland.

[Anonymous]

Why any of you relying on MCPS information that can change in an instant is beyond me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why any of you relying on MCPS information that can change in an instant is beyond me.

And information that is nebulous. Budget your kid's MCPS years wisely and hire an attorney or someone to find information for you. But know even folks who work at CO don't even know what is what.

[Anonymous]

Will they continue Spanish immersion at Westland MS under a new Principal?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have kids in two different immersion programs. The first six months of kindergarten is ROUGH. Teachers start from day one in the target language. So get ready for a lot of meltdowns.

My kids both read in English later than their peers but caught up easily.

Teachers and programs have been great to us.

They take Spanish 1 in middle school (the same curriculum that high schoolers take).

Look at the various schools as some do give preference to the neighborhood. For example I think William Tyler Page holds about half the spots for neighborhood. During K orientation they were asking if anyone else from the neighborhood wanted to get into Spanish otherwise they were opening it up to the out of bounds waiting list.

Does this mean that, assuming the one-way immersion students take all three years of Spanish in MS, that they will take Spanish 4 as their first Spanish class in HS?

There’s no high school component to the program. I don’t think that’s right about Spanish 1 in MS if the students continue the program. There are immersion middle schools with special classes. Not everyone continues however.

Yeah.. Spanish 1 is beginning Spanish. I would hope immersion kids would be above that.

[Anonymous]

Is this true? Can folks who have older immersion kids verify? Do you really enter in level 1?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's get real. You have families trying to get into RCF immersion just to go to Westland MS. Driving their kid or their kid taking two buses to go to a West county predominantly white MS (Westland) is not a big deal for families trying to escape their "diverse" home middle school.

I'm sure they exist but I haven't met these people. I live in a "diverse" neighborhood and we know lots of people who have lotteried for immersion (some get it, some don't). Missing out on the neighborhood school and the sense of the community that goes with it has been seen as a "con" by everyone I've talked to -- although of course the foreign language aspect is a strong plus.

Given our location, people I know are disappointed by the Westland articulation and loss of SSIMS as a choice.

Why not simply go back to the middle school your kid is zoned based on where you live? Middle school world language classes start in 6th grade. From speaking to immersion families, kids start off with Spanish 1 in 6th. So just go back to your neighborhood MS when finished with 5th grade at a Spanish immersion school.

This such a stupid comment. It’s almost laughable, if it weren’t so dumb. No way you have a kid in immersion or you’ve even talked to immersion families. Why don’t you just sit this one out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is this true? Can folks who have older immersion kids verify? Do you really enter in level 1?

Know a student who started in Spanish 2 in 6th at another MCP MS. They may have to test in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's get real. You have families trying to get into RCF immersion just to go to Westland MS. Driving their kid or their kid taking two buses to go to a West county predominantly white MS (Westland) is not a big deal for families trying to escape their "diverse" home middle school.

I'm sure they exist but I haven't met these people. I live in a "diverse" neighborhood and we know lots of people who have lotteried for immersion (some get it, some don't). Missing out on the neighborhood school and the sense of the community that goes with it has been seen as a "con" by everyone I've talked to -- although of course the foreign language aspect is a strong plus.

Given our location, people I know are disappointed by the Westland articulation and loss of SSIMS as a choice.

Why not simply go back to the middle school your kid is zoned based on where you live? Middle school world language classes start in 6th grade. From speaking to immersion families, kids start off with Spanish 1 in 6th. So just go back to your neighborhood MS when finished with 5th grade at a Spanish immersion school.

This such a stupid comment. It’s almost laughable, if it weren’t so dumb. No way you have a kid in immersion or you’ve even talked to immersion families. Why don’t you just sit this one out.

Why don't YOU!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this true? Can folks who have older immersion kids verify? Do you really enter in level 1?

Know a student who started in Spanish 2 in 6th at another MCP MS. They may have to test in?[/quot


By the time students finish the immersion program, they are pretty fluent in the language. I cannot imagine going into Spanish 1, 2, or even 3 at a non-immersion school after going through the immersion program.

I taught Spanish at the HS & MS levels and my kids, who are in full immersion elementary programs in MCPS, have better fluency & understanding than the students I taught in upper level Spanish classes at the high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's get real. You have families trying to get into RCF immersion just to go to Westland MS. Driving their kid or their kid taking two buses to go to a West county predominantly white MS (Westland) is not a big deal for families trying to escape their "diverse" home middle school.

I'm sure they exist but I haven't met these people. I live in a "diverse" neighborhood and we know lots of people who have lotteried for immersion (some get it, some don't). Missing out on the neighborhood school and the sense of the community that goes with it has been seen as a "con" by everyone I've talked to -- although of course the foreign language aspect is a strong plus.

Given our location, people I know are disappointed by the Westland articulation and loss of SSIMS as a choice.

Why not simply go back to the middle school your kid is zoned based on where you live? Middle school world language classes start in 6th grade. From speaking to immersion families, kids start off with Spanish 1 in 6th. So just go back to your neighborhood MS when finished with 5th grade at a Spanish immersion school.

I think more people will do this if the middle school (Westland) is inconveniently located. But if your kid is thriving with the foreign language that would be a disappointment if it didn’t work to continue language at the right level.

[Anonymous]

Why isn’t there a Two-Way French or Chinese immersion program?