A new language opens doors for children academically and socially, providing them with an appreciation of culture which is outside of their mother tongue. The best foundation for language learning starts young, but can be picked up at any age. Our World Language Program offers 3 of the world’s most spoken languages – Mandarin, Spanish and English. Students may choose from daily instruction in Mandarin or Spanish, bilingual Mandarin/English, or specialist English learning where English is not the first language. Our aim is to develop children to become bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.
Daily Mandarin or Spanish from 18 months
Each child joining us in the Early Years or Elementary receives daily Mandarin or Spanish lessons as part of the curriculum starting from 18 months to Grade 5. In Secondary, this extends to 80-minute sessions every other day and as the program increases in intensity, students progress through 9 levels in Spanish and 7 in Mandarin. Children are grouped in classes aligned to their proficiency levels and assessed using STAMP – Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency.
Bilingual Mandarin/English from 3 to 10 years
We recognize that some students have increased ability or commitment beyond daily instruction, so they have the option to be part of our Bilingual Program from age 3 at no additional cost. Our Bilingual Program offers 50/50 exposure to both Mandarin and English within the grade level subject and concept areas. Each Bilingual class is taught by one truly bilingual teacher, who models bilingualism and allows them to be fully engaged with each student’s progress and ability.
