Before continuing with this application, here is a little more about what you or your child might expect from an immersion learning classroom.
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Immersion education is not the same as a foreign language program. Immersion is a method of instruction in which the regular school curriculum is taught through the use of a foreign language. The immersion language is simply the vehicle for content instruction; it is not the subject of instruction as it is in a traditional foreign language program.
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La Belle Aire’s Dual Language Immersion Program is a variation of the Two-Way Immersion model. Kindergarten students in our elementary immersion program spend 90% of their content class time (Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies) in Spanish and 10% of their content class time in English. In first grade the time allotment shifts to 80% of the content class time in Spanish and 20% in English. Each year the amount of time in Spanish will continue to drop while the amount of time in English will increase until in 3rd-5th grade, the students experience 50% of their day in Spanish and 50% of their day in English. One important thing to remember is that the Spanish teacher and the English teacher will divide up which subjects each will teach. This means that students will not repeat the same lessons in both languages.
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In kindergarten through 2nd grade, the main teacher of the class will be a native Spanish speaking teacher and he/she will only speak Spanish in the classroom while teaching. A native English speaking teacher will visit the class each day to teach during the English Language portion of the day. This teacher will only speak in English with the students and will teach foundational English Language skills.
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Be prepared for the fact that your child may initially be confused, frustrated or tired because of the effort and energy it takes to learn in the immersion classroom. Your child will likely be very tired at the end of the day, because language learning is cognitively demanding. This reaction is very normal for first-time immersion learners and can last from two weeks to two months depending on the child’s age and basic language ability. However, children are generally very resilient and will soon feel comfortable with the second language.
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Since students will be learning primarily in Spanish for the majority of kindergarten through 2nd grade, you will likely see a lag in their English reading, speaking, and writing ability. This is normal since they are learning these skills in Spanish. As the students reach upper elementary, around 4th grade (around age 9), this gap will decrease. At this age students are better able to transfer the skills they have learned across the "language barrier", and are often more successful academically than their non-immersion peers. This is why we ask for you to commit to seeing this program through for the duration of your child's time in elementary school. We understand that sometimes that is not possible due to a move or extenuating circumstance, but we will work with you to support your family in continuing your child's education through immersion learning.
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Please carefully consider these things as you make the decision to apply.