Reply to CMI vs YY for PK3?

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Reply to "CMI vs YY for PK3?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Sure, happy to help the school by answering your questions.

Only Cantonese before age 10 or 11, then Mandarin-Cantonese mix. Mandarin program isn't well established yet (few kids over age 10 yet; program only in its 5th year) and some families switch to Mandarin heritage schools for MS age. But a good crop of 8-9 year olds is coming up to fill Mandarin classes eventually.

Classes focus more on writing/reading than speaking, because almost all the kids speak some Cantonese at home, but ABC parents often are not literate, or at least not very. Homework is fun  - often YouTube based.  Teachers and high school-age assistants speak little English in classes and will gladly have long conversations with kids who speak well. Interestingly, there are families who tried Mandarin programs abut bailed because kids did not make good progress and/or rebelled (with family unable to reinforce language learning) and parents feared kids wouldn't learn either dialect.  There are a couple of kids in each class who speak as well as Hong Kongese peers. Parents generally plan for kids to study Mandarin as teenagers in MoCo schools.

Kids are divided by a combination of level and age, so a 7 year old who speaks well might be placed in same class as a 9 or 10 year old who speaks haltingly, and vice versa. Classes are 8-12 kids. Immigrant teachers are lovely, firm but sweet and the community feel is strong.  Parents tend to hang around during classes chatting. Some attended a traditional Cantonese school in Rockville (which closed) as kids, have unpleasant memories, and don't want kill and drill. Kids like going and get along well. Most families come back every year.

I'm not on the school's board, but will suggest that more info is put on the web site.

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