Looks like we are going to have a bilingual kid on our hands in a few years! We applied to two magnet schools in the area- one that focuses on science/engineering/arts (SEA) and Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion (RSI). There is a lottery system and we got a seat in the Spanish Immersion school. We attended both Open House nights for these magnet schools and were pretty disappointed that we didn’t get into SEA. We were taken back by the idea of immersion and how kids could succeed if only spoken to in Spanish right off the bat when they didn’t know the language. Initially we thought we would decline the invitation. Luckily, we sat on it. We stewed it over. We talked to friends whose kids have gone through immersion. We talked to our daycare providers. We went online. We did lots of research and the bottom line is that Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion is a fantastic school. The student test scores are higher in all subjects than the public school he would be attending (and tests are given in English – same tests for state). The public school is actually getting federal funding because it is failing and over populated.
Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion ranks 8 out of 10
Forest Elementary ranks 4 out of 10
We have some reservations about this decision – is Spanish practical to learn; is it marketable? Will he retain the information? Will he have an interest/aptitude for Spanish? Will we be able to help him with homework? All of that being said, why would we send him willingly to a school that is failing when he has the opportunity to attend a school that is excelling?
Alex will be starting kindergarten in Fall 2014. He is growing up. It’s our job as parents to make the best possible decisions for him. Anna will be going to RSI as well thanks to a sibling clause. This was a tough decision, but a no brainer based on the statistics alone. Alex is a bright, fun, kind boy who deserves the very best life can offer. So… time for mom and dad to brush up on Spanish!
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