January 7, 2009

This week, our Community Education department is distributing its 2009 Winter/Spring youth enrichment catalog. Among the offerings, you’ll notice a variety of language classes for elementary school students.

It is important to note that this enrichment program is not the outcome of the School Board’s current work towards investigating options for introducing a language to our elementary and middle schools next year. Here are some important distinctions:

The Community Education language program will:
* Serve students who choose to participate in kindergarten through fifth grade
* Require a fee for participation
* Offer multiple languages
* Hold classes before and after school and on Saturdays
* Supplement classroom instruction

As currently proposed, a World Language program next year would:
* Require all students in grades 4 – 8 to take one consistent language
* Incorporate classes into unit studies time in elementary schools and into Allied Arts offerings in middle schools
* Be cost neutral because classes would be taught by classroom teachers who are also licensed to teach the language
* Move students to progressively higher levels of skill

I encourage you to learn more about the World Language program proposals by attending the January 12 World Language subcommittee meeting of the Curriculum Advisory Committee. It will be held at 6 p.m. at Snail Lake Education Center. The meeting will feature proposal updates, lesson demonstrations, and a Q & A with District teachers about how language is taught to younger students. Learn more at www.moundsviewschools.org/taskforces.asp.

To learn more about the new Community Education language classes or to browse other course offerings, please visit www.moundsviewschools.org/pdf07/cc09.pdf.