Reply to Spanish Immersion Parents in APS: will you keep your kid in the Immersion?

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Reply to "Spanish Immersion Parents in APS: will you keep your kid in the Immersion?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hi, I would really appreciate your feedback on the below questions.  This is for Spanish Immersion in APS.  We have one child at the Spanish immersion elementary school (rising 5th), and we just learnt that we might be moving out of APS/NOVA.  This could be a temporary, like 2 years and returning to APS (kid will be in middle school), or could be permanent, we just dont know the duration yet.  SO, my questions are:

1. We have seen the family of State Dept. moving in/out of the APS.  If your kid is in the Spanish immersion APS, do you plan to keep the kids in the immersion in the assigned city (if the assigned city? has a compatible program)?

2. Even if there is a compatible program in the assigned city, you decide not to pursue Spanish immersion, may I know why?

3. Do you think it would be somewhat easier for a kid to get back into the middle school crowd (Gunston) after few years away from APS (this assuming the kid kept up Spanish immersion else where before returning to APS).  We hope that some of my kid’s friends from elementary would be at Gunston, so it is not like being thrown into a group of total new faces.

4. If we move now, we will be gone from APS Spanish immersion for 5th/6th grades and coming back for the 7th grade and up.  This will leave only 2 years at Gunston before HS.  Alternatively, it is negotiable to delay our move until finishing elementary school, then move to a new place.  Or, delay until finishing Gunston then start HS in a new place (wouldn’t as the kid gets older, harder to fit in?). Would it be better to move now while still younger-ish and see if our family can adapt to the new place (if kid is able to adjust we might make it a permanent move), if not, coming back as soon as possible where kid knows most families faces/friends?

For the timing wise, we have a somewhat of a free choice, and this is making our decision even harder…(if kid is early elementary, we’d move right away).  
What would you do?  Appreciate your reply very much.  TIA

[/quote]

My advice is to base your decision on how important you find immersion.  The last thing to base your decision on is a few elementary school friends who might continue at Gunston if you return.  Returning doesn't guarantee the friendships resume. Those "familiar faces" change a lot from 4th to 7th grade and will already be in their 2nd-year of middle school friendships.  If you return and plan to continue, you may need to demonstrate your child's ability to return to the middle school program - so you would want to continue immersion or Spanish instruction wherever you move to if you want to resume when you come back to APS.

I've been around a long time now and I've learned that parents are trying to control and plan far too much and far beyond what they can realistically prepare for.  There is no way of knowing what the situation will be 2 years from now - and you don't even know if you'll be coming back.  You're making your decision more complicated than you need to.  If you really want immersion, then continue it if you can while you're gone and you'll be prepared if you do return to APS.  If it's not a priority or you're just trying to ensure a few familiar faces if you return, don't bother.  [/quote]

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