Anonymous wrote:I would never choose a city school over a county school. Baltimore City schools have a LOT of issues and no immersion program is worth those problems. There is a French immersion program in Balt. County schools.


http://wellwoodes.bcps.org/

Thank you. Will check it out!

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:Thank you PPs, that's very helpful. The child in question is currently in K at a great school in VA so this would be a big change and the family will need to move to Baltimore. Do you think that the French immersion program would be worth the move? For the one who sent her kid to BIA, would you send her somewhere else if you had the option?

I'm the first poster (the one whose kid did not go to BIA). Just curious: Is there something else in pulling the family to Baltimore besides BIA? I probably wouldn't move just for that school (or any school for that matter), but perhaps if the family really put a priority on learning the language, it might be worth it. Do the parents work in or around Baltimore, or would they be commuting back to DC/VA? That could get old fast.

The family has the option to move and work in the Baltimore area of need be and the immersion program is a big plus. Applied for the same program in VA but didn't get in and also looking for a different scenery. There isn't a lot of info available about this school online though, so might just sit tight in Vs For now. Thank you!

I would never choose a city school over a county school. Baltimore City schools have a LOT of issues and no immersion program is worth those problems. There is a French immersion program in Balt. County schools.


http://wellwoodes.bcps.org/

Muslima wrote:Thank you PPs, that's very helpful. The child in question is currently in K at a great school in VA so this would be a big change and the family will need to move to Baltimore. Do you think that the French immersion program would be worth the move? For the one who sent her kid to BIA, would you send her somewhere else if you had the option?

I'm the first poster (the one whose kid did not go to BIA). Just curious: Is there something else in pulling the family to Baltimore besides BIA? I probably wouldn't move just for that school (or any school for that matter), but perhaps if the family really put a priority on learning the language, it might be worth it. Do the parents work in or around Baltimore, or would they be commuting back to DC/VA? That could get old fast.

Thank you PPs, that's very helpful. The child in question is currently in K at a great school in VA so this would be a big change and the family will need to move to Baltimore. Do you think that the French immersion program would be worth the move? For the one who sent her kid to BIA, would you send her somewhere else if you had the option?

I have a child in BIA French Immersion. The other commenter is right that the school is not very organized and not everyone there is invested in a bi-lingual education, but there is a growing contingent of engaged parents supporting the teachers and the kids and things are moving in a positive direction. Despite funding cuts in Baltimore City, the school refused to cut art or music, since they consider them critical to learning both language and math. The kids do take-home projects and the teachers are willing to sit down and discuss your child all the time. It is important that the family reads at home in English every night, because the kids don't have English classes until second grade.

I do not have direct experience with BIA (child not enrolled there), but I toured the school a few years back when it was located on Taylor Ave and I have experience with their lottery. I am a big proponent of bilingual education, so I like that the school exists. We nearly sent our first child there for their French program when DC1 was heading to kindergarten. As it happened, a spot opened up at a different, more established charter school for DC1, so we took that spot instead.

Why we didn't send DC1 to BIA for French: While I get the sense that the school does a great job of teaching kids the target language, I felt that the school seemed a little chaotic and is not great with dealing with the "whole" child -- i.e. not much emphasis on arts or creativity vs. academic instruction. Also, I'm not convinced that all the families who are enrolled at BIA are really very interested in bilingual education. When DH went to one info session, it seemed like most of the questions were along the lines of "When do they learn English?" I think immersion works best when the majority of families are on board.

Also as a side note: I have heard anecdotally that the school is not very organized. We entered my 2nd child into BIA's lottery this year, for instance, they claimed not to have received my email application (I have a copy of it in my sent email).

Any parent has first hand experience with this school? Especially the French or arabic immersion programs? Would appreciate any feedback/reviews. Thanks