Ms. Montgomery earlier sent us the following: "Yes to foreign languages, starting for 6th graders. At this point, I can say absolutely Spanish and Japanese due in large part to preparing students for high school. I will need to see the number of current 6th graders in French before making a decision."
Choosing the languages won't be easy -- there are continuity issues for students transferring to JAMS from Eckstein, Hamilton, and Jane Addams K-8, as well as issues of preparing students for language study at the high school level at Nathan Hale, Garfield, and Ingraham.
JA K-8
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Eckstein
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Hamilton
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Hale
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Garfield
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Ingraham
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Chinese
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X
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maybe in the works?
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Japanese
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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Spanish
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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X
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French
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X
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X
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X
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X
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Eckstein offers three languages starting in 7th grade. Hamilton has only 2 languages, but offers them for three years.
KM pointed out in a comment: "From what I understand, two years of a World Language taken in middle school counts towards one year of high-school level World Language, so a student who has taken a World Language, for two years, in middle school could enter at the second year level in high school."
Spanish: Definitely will be offered
Paula Montgomery has stated that Spanish will definitely be offered at JAMS.
French: On the fence
As noted above, Ms. Montgomery will need to see how many kids would be interested in French before a decision is made about whether to offer French. L. A. emailed us:
My son is a current seventh grader at Eckstein. Students are not able to begin a foreign language at Eckstein until 7th grade so if Ms. Montgomery is counting current 6th grade students taking French then Eckstein would have zero or none. I'm worried this will impact her decision on whether or not to offer second year French to incoming eight graders.
For Nathan Hale, two years of middle school foreign language classes allows a freshman student to start the same language at a second year high school level. My son would need to continue French in eighth grade in order to qualify for this two year deal. French is offered at Nathan Hale.
He loves his current French teacher at Eckstein, wants to continue French next year (and at the high school level), and is very disappointed to hear he may not have that opportunity at the new JAMS.Lori had previously commented and pointed out that this might be a place to use mitigation funds:
I'm curious how languages will be handled with kids coming in from Eckstein and Hamilton, which have slightly different offerings. Both have Spanish and Japanese, but only Eckstein has French. Seems those kids already studying French should be able to continue, but will there be enough to support a teacher? I hope this an area where the district can provide mitigation funds. That is, even if it's only a handful of kids, and such a low number generally wouldn't justify a position, they'll make a "hardship" exception so children can continue their chosen language. A school with 700 kids probably wouldn't normally offer 3 different languages, but this one should have to, given the circumstances.
Japanese: Continued from HIMS and Eckstein but possibly phased out
Wedgwood Family commented: "Paula also mentioned three years of language being offered to every student and phasing out Japanese for new langauge learners and adding Mandarin. Will JAMS become an international school?"
Shannon commented: "For the Japanese Language program at HIMS they have an exchange program and end of the year trip for 8th graders who have had 2 years of Japanese. My son was looking forward to participating."
Ms.Montgomery has indicated that Japanese will be offered at JAMS; however, she has stated that Japanese might be offered only temporarily, until the 7th and 8th graders coming from Eckstein and Hamilton have moved on to high school.
Mandarin Chinese: A Possibility
At her meeting with Sacajawea parents, Paula Montgomery mentioned that Hale is actually encouraging her to offer Mandarin Chinese at JAMS. It sounded as though Hale was considering or instituting a Mandarin track.
Z. X. emailed us:
"I would very much like to see that Chinese is offered as an option for foreign language at the new JAM middle school. Many students would have liked to taken it if it were offered at HIMS (or at least their parents would have liked their kids to take it). In fact, many parents lobbied the principle at HIMS, but it was not possible because the foreign language teachers were already hired there. Since JAM is starting new, this will be a golden opportunity to start to offer Chinese. It would be a strategically smart move."
KM commented: "JA K-8 offers Spanish and Chinese/Mandarin (Mandarin is new this year). Historically, languages at the K-8 were only available for 7th and 8th graders, but I'm not sure if that still applied to this year's (large) 6th grade class."
As mentioned above, Ms. Montgomery has mentioned the possibility that JAMS and Hale could institute a continuous track for Mandarin Chinese.
Language travel opportunities?
A few commenters have written about how much their Eckstein or Hamilton students have been looking forward to traveling with their language classes in their 8th grade year. These do indeed sound like amazing opportunities that would be really hard for these kids to give up.
Shannon commented: "For the Japanese Language program at HIMS they have an exchange program and end of the year trip for 8th graders who have had 2 years of Japanese. My son was looking forward to participating"
JoRo commented: "Please offer French. I hope you are able to pull together a language travel program for language students. That is the #1 thing my kid was looking forward to - for her 8th grade at eckstein."
Leanne G. commented:
For the Spanish program, Eckstein students travel to Costa Rica after the end of school each year...it is typically a combination of tourism and service projects, as well as home stays with host families. Ihave only heard good things about it...my daughter would have participated next year after her 8th grade year. I think the best way to learn about these programs is to have language leads/Paula schedule some time with the coordinating teachers at Eckstein or Hamilton. Apollonia Guerra is the Eckstein Spanish teacher who coordinates the Costa Rica trip.
I attended both the Dec 11th and Dec 18th JAMS community meetings. At the Dec 18th meeting, Paula mentioned that French would be offered (to 7th and 8th graders, for sure). Also, Japanese to 7th and 8th graders and Spanish for 6th, 7th, and 8th. I got the impression that she heard from parents who requested French. She also said that students (what they want) drive the elective choices, and that there were families interested in Mandarin. She also mentioned that Hale was interested in offering Mandarin.
ReplyDeleteFrom a budget standpoint, she is looking into the possibility of sharing World Language teachers with Hale (i.e. a teacher may be 0.5-time at Hale and 0.5-time at JAMS.
- KM
In case anyone is interested, I looked up what is offered at other area middle schools (besides Eckstein and Hamilton). Whitman and Washington both offer Spanish, French, and Japanese. According to their school website, McClure offers "foreign language." I don't know which language, or if there is more than one language, offered at McClure. McClure is a small middle school, with only about 500 students, which would limit, budget-wise, what they can offer.
ReplyDelete- KM
Since Hale, Roosevelt, Ingraham, and Garfield - the neighborhood or pathway schools for future JAMS students - offer French, shouldn't it be strongly considered as an offering at JAMS? Our child would have liked to have taken French in middle school, but it was not offered at Hamilton International. Our current 6th grader would prefer French as well, so I hope the preferences of current 6th graders are taken into consideration.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I would like to see happen prior to course selection forms being sent to future JAMS students in the spring:
For each school feeding into JAMS - from the 5th graders at Sacajawea, John Rogers, Lincoln...etc. to the current 6th and 7th graders at Eckstein, Hamilton, and JAK8, give students the opportunity to provide feedback on what they would like to have as electives. Have a form both in their school office and posted on their school's website. If students are going to be driving elective choices, then they all need a voice. It can't be limited to those who attended the meeting, and not everyone will know to look at the JAMS website. How can we go about making that happen?
CS
Garfield also has a high caliber Latin progam - up through AP, as does Roosevelt.
ReplyDeletesidneyd
My child would be interested in Latin, but I thought that might be asking for the moon...
ReplyDelete@ CS
ReplyDeleteThere were forms like that circulated at John Rogers this past month, with questions about what electives, after school activities, etc... that families wanted at JAMS. I don't know if the same or similar forms were distributed at other schools.
- KM
Latin would be fabulous.
ReplyDelete-Latin loving 7th grader
Why in the world would Chinese be offered if STUDENTS CANNOT CONTINUE IT IN HIGH SCHOOL???? Offer what the kids will be able to confine with....FRENCH, JAPANESE & SPANISH.
ReplyDeleteI believe the idea is that Hale is looking at instituting Mandarin. I don't get the impression that JAMS would offer Mandarin otherwise. Most if not all GenEd kids from JAMS will continue to Hale.
DeleteRH
Okay...but there are also many students that won't have a pathway to Hale.
Delete@Anonymous@6:14, that is very true. There are also many kids who won't have a path to Garfield or Roosevelt, but that doesn't mean JAMS shouldn't consider offering Latin as discussed above. My response to Anonymous@12:18 was to point out why we might consider Chinese. Don't know whether you are the same person, as neither comment uses a posting name as requested in the blog guidelines.
DeleteRH
Chinese and Spanish are the two most spoken "foreign " Language in the world and WA state has a lot of trades with China. In addition, Chinese language is used (or partially used) by many Asia countries other than China. So why wouldn't JAM consider offer Chinese? Why only stay the same path with only those being offered in the past? If JAM offers Chinese now, maybe Garfield and Roosevelt will consider offering Chinese too in the near future! Even if they don't, those who have some exposure to Chinese in middle school will do much better to learn Chinese in college or later in life.
DeleteI have an incoming 6th grader who would definitely choose French if offered to 6th graders! Please explore how many other incoming 6th graders would feel the same way. Please don't limit French to 7th and 8th graders!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
From a high school course selection description:
ReplyDelete"The study of French is important because, other than English, French is the only global language spoken on five continents and worldwide. It is the second most frequently taught language after English. French is considered the third most important language for business, after English and Chinese."
I am guessing there are also current 6th graders at Hamilton that would switch to French if given the opportunity (French is not offered at HIMS).
-French please
The sun is setting on French. Besides, many, many Europeans learn English. The East will own this next century. The Chinese language, Mandarin, is the language of the future. Unlike French or Spanish, Madarin is not 'easily' learned as an adult. Travel 2.5 hours north by car and see the economic impact. Please offer Mandarin. Hale will do it, and the other high schools, Roosevelt, Ingraham, and Garfeild, will catch up! It behooves our State to prepare our children for the global economy, and that means Mandarin.
ReplyDeleteI bet the attractiveness of Mandarin alone will make families choose JAMS over Eckstein; families from norther Wedgwood or Viewridge will seek to gain a lottery seat into JAMS just to get access to Chinese! That will help distribute demographics, plus, offering Mandarin will contribute to boost JAMS into the ranks of the best middle school of all of Seattle!
Plus, there are plenty of native speakers in the northeast of Seattle, a community that JAMS could tap in to to foster a cultural component.
Let's get this right, right at the start: MANDARIN, and Spanish; those are the two essential languages to BUILD a middle school program on (obviously, having Japanese and French to service the students pulled from Eckstein and Hamilton is necessary until they age out).
signed,
Madarin = future