MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – Updated Story:
Montgomery County Public School leaders are looking to take the next step in language education for our region.
“Our proposal to the board is that we would start a Spanish immersion academy starting in kindergarten next August,” said Helen Fotinos, administrator of the Gifted Program for Montgomery County Public Schools.
As part of the regular school day, students in the program would come to school like normal, but all of their core subjects would not be in English.
“Students would come to school and learn almost exclusively in Spanish for the first two years,” Fotinos said.
The students would then continue the immersion through fifth grade.
She said there are countless pros to kids learning another language at an early age like brain development and future opportunities post school.
“I think it 100% set them a part in that they would be so much more marketable with their job skills,” said Fotinos. “They’re building their brain to grow their vocabulary but also their decoding skills and figuring out I have to be able to communicate with my teacher, I’ve got to be able to answer her and be able to understand what she’s asking me to do.”
I then talked to one mom who lives in the county and speaks another language. She said learning new languages does more than just help us communicate.
“It gives you a broader view and makes you less arrogant because you know there is a whole group of people who speak a completely different language have lived a different way of living and they’re people too,” said Khristina Tyhurst.
She said if the program gets approved, she plans on signing her kids up for it.
Leaders with Montgomery County Public Schools said they are hopeful that if this is approved, the next steps are to find teachers for the program.
Original Story:
Leaders in Montgomery County are looking at the possibility of a dual language school for students in the county.
Starting in kindergarten, kids would go to school with the same curriculum as other kids in the state, but during the day, they would learn 90% of their time in Spanish and 10% of their time in English.
In the presentation, it lists the goals of biliteracy and bilingual, intercultural competence, and grade-level academic achievement.
Tonight on 10 News, we are talking to the County’s administrator of Gifted Programs, Helen Fotinos, on the all the details of how this will work for students if approved.
Montgomery County Public School leaders are looking to take the next step in language education for our region.
“Our proposal to the board is that we would start a Spanish immersion academy starting in kindergarten next August,” said Helen Fotinos, administrator of the Gifted Program for Montgomery County Public Schools.
As part of the regular school day, students in the program would come to school like normal, but all of their core subjects would not be in English.
“Students would come to school and learn almost exclusively in Spanish for the first two years,” Fotinos said.
The students would then continue the immersion through fifth grade.
She said there are countless pros to kids learning another language at an early age like brain development and future opportunities post school.
“I think it 100% set them a part in that they would be so much more marketable with their job skills,” said Fotinos. “They’re building their brain to grow their vocabulary but also their decoding skills and figuring out I have to be able to communicate with my teacher, I’ve got to be able to answer her and be able to understand what she’s asking me to do.”
I then talked to one mom who lives in the county and speaks another language. She said learning new languages does more than just help us communicate.
“It gives you a broader view and makes you less arrogant because you know there is a whole group of people who speak a completely different language have lived a different way of living and they’re people too,” said Khristina Tyhurst.
She said if the program gets approved, she plans on signing her kids up for it.
Leaders with Montgomery County Public Schools said they are hopeful that if this is approved, the next steps are to find teachers for the program.