Frequently Asked Questions
Mountain View
Q: What is the Global Immersion Academy?
A: Burke County Public Schools is partnering with an international teacher recruiting and placement firm, Participate, to bring this dual language program to students. Students will learn their grade level curriculum 50 percent of the time in English and 50 percent of the time in Spanish. This is known as a Dual Language 50/50 program; students learn from the Spanish teacher for half of the day and then switch classes and go to the English teacher for the other half of the day.
Q: Is this a two-way dual language program?
A: Yes, two-way refers to the make-up of the student cohorts in the Global Immersion Academy. Half of the accepted Kindergarten students are native Spanish speakers, and half are native English speakers.
Q: Who is eligible for the Global Immersion Academy?
A: The Global Immersion Academy starts with students in kindergarten and follows them through the fifth grade. Students entering kindergarten in August 2018 were the first two classes accepted into the Global Immersion Academy. Two kindergarten classes are added each year as the first cohort advances to first grade, and so on.
Q: How are students accepted into the Global Immersion Academy program?
A: There is an application window every spring for the following school year. Applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Preference will first be given to rising Kindergarten siblings of students already enrolled in the dual language immersion program. Preference will next be given to Burke County Public Schools students.
Q: How will I know when the application window occurs?
A: Burke County Public Schools holds a prospective Kindergarten parent meeting for the Global Immersion Academy every year toward the end of February/first of March. The Burke County Schools website will announce the application window and the date of the prospective parent Kindergarten meeting. Applications will be available on the school website and paper applications will be available in the office of Mountain View Elementary. The application window typically lasts about a month.
Q: Where will the Global Immersion Academy be housed?
A: At Mountain View Elementary School, 805 Bouchelle Street, Morganton
Q: What if I do not live in the Mountain View Elementary School district?
A: Any Burke County Public School rising kindergarten student is eligible to apply for the Global Immersion Academy. If accepted and you do not live in the Mountain View district, you must provide transportation for your child.
Q: Can you apply to the Global Immersion Academy after Kindergarten?
A: If there is space available, a bilingual student may enroll as late as the end of first semester, first grade. If a student is bilingual and biliterate (can read and write in Spanish) and demonstrates these skills on a standardized Spanish test, then they may be able to be placed in the program after the first semester, first grade. Cases would be decided on an individual basis.
Q: Why should I enroll my kindergarten student in the Global Immersion Academy and how will my child benefit?
A: Studies show a dual language immersion(DL/I) program can close the achievement gap for non-native English speaking students and ALL groups of students. The achievement gap is closed by the end of elementary school, and students in dual language surpass students not in DL/I by middle school. Students who speak more than one language are better at speaking and reading English by the time they reach middle school, and dual language students can better understand concepts, such as in math or science, on a broader, deeper level when they learn the concepts in different languages. Also, students are expected to develop Intermediate-low levels of proficiency in the partner language and in the language domains of listening, reading, speaking, and writing by the end of elementary school.
Q: What if I have older children?
A: Other siblings may enroll at Mountain View Elementary School and all fees associated with their transfer will be waived.
Q: Will the program go through 5th grade?
A: Students will continue in the program from year to year up through the end of elementary school, unless you and the principal decide that the program is not a good fit for your child.
Q: Does the program go beyond 5th grade?
A: Yes, the dual language program in middle school is known as a continuation program. The 2024-25 school year is the inaugural year for the 6th grade students who previously attended the GIA elementary program. Each grade level will be added as the inaugural GIA students enroll in successive grade levels.
Q: What if I am not happy with the program?
A: We encourage feedback from families involved in the program. Parents can certainly opt out of the program if they believe that the program has not been a good fit for his/her student.
Q: How will it be different from a regular kindergarten classroom?
A: Your child will have all of the same experiences of a regular kindergarten class and in a regular school setting. The difference will be in the classroom as the students will learn continuously in both languages.
Q: Which subjects are taught in Spanish and which subjects are taught in English?
A: Content and language allocation for grades K-2:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A: Content and language allocation for Grades 3-5:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Who will teach my child?
A: Teachers in the Global Immersion Academy are selected through Participate, a firm that specializes in recruiting, training, placing and supporting high-quality international teachers in K-12 schools across North Carolina. Your child’s teacher will be certified in North Carolina teacher licensure. Your child’s teacher may also be a Burke County Public Schools elementary teacher who also is bilingual and biliterate and previously taught in the regular classroom.
Q: What type of curriculum will be taught in the GIA classroom?
A: The standard course of study for NC will be taught in the GIA classroom, just the same as it is taught in other kindergarten classrooms. The curriculum will be in both Spanish and English. Sample curriculum materials are available for you to review and are housed at the ESL Office on West Concord Street. If you would like to come by, call the ESL Office at 828-438-2941.
For more information, please contact:Dr. Christie McMahon, Principal
Mountain View Elementary School
cmcmahon@burke.k12.nc.us
Or
Dr. Lannie Simpson, English Learner Director
Olive Hill Resource Center
hsimpson@burke.k12.nc.us