Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
ATLMom, will you please DM me. I have some important information to share with you re Atlanta Trilingual.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ATLMom2012
I've registered my daughter for enrollment in the Atlanta Trilingual Academy but she has not started yet and will not until she is 3 years of age. However, I have attended an open house for OMNI International Academy and will compare both programs again respectively. I know that ATL Trilingual Academy has future goals of becoming an IB Programme school and I am sure the Georgia Tuition Scholarships will follow once the elementary school is completely formed. Also, I think it is note worthy to compare both schools by their language tracks overall. OMNI offers Japanese or Mandarin (Chinese) and Spanish as a supplement. ATL Trilingual offers Mandarin (Chinese) and Spanish as part of their daily curriculum. OMNI infuses elements of Christianity and ATL Trilingual is secular. Both offer quality afterschool programs and both are comparatively and competively priced.
Also, you may want to look into the Little Davinci International Preschool and Lyndon Academy (Woodstock) as both offer daily language instruction in Mandarin and Spanish. However, Little Davinci also offers French and they are centrally located in Atlanta on the Blue Heron nature preserve. They are a bit pricey but it's worth looking into. Don't forget the Seigakuin Japanese School (SAINTS). The SAINTS tuition is priced extremely well and all textbooks (except for English and American History) are taught w/Japanese books. Typically, their students excel higher than the average American school in math and science and the Japanese have a unique teaching methodology that I am sure you will find impressive. It will take you some time to tour all of the schools and make a decision, so until you wrap things up I will encourage you to enroll your child at Mandarin Busy Bee Academy to learn the basics and build a foundation for learning Chinese. Busy Bee Academy is reasonably priced at about $50 & up a month depending on how many classes, days, hours, & so on.
You may also want to check out the Smyrna Bilingual Academy (English & Spanish only) and Vinings Academy which offers Spanish and French and some Mandarin "enrichment" programs. However, you will need to "BEWARE" of language enrichment/supplement programs because you may not really have as many language hours taught to your child as you would like. If your child has daily instruction in a foreign language it is much better than 1 or 2 days per week. Personally, I stress having your child learn an Asian language as a priority because it will take roughly 1500 hours of instruction for comprehensive understanding and the Romance languages (Spanish & French) will only require roughly 800 or so hours for comprehension. Make your money work for you and take the time to really compare the differences in tuition cost, services rendered and overall environment that you desire for your child. Good Luck!
I am very concerned about any issues you have learned and would like to share about Atlanta Trilingual. Please respond as soon as possible and let me know as many details as you can about what you have learned. Thank you!
Last edited by ATLMom2012; 12-06-2012 at 12:38 PM..
Reason: Wrong Verbage
Hello,
My child is 5 and has attended Atlanta Trilingual Academy since they first opened in April. I am thrilled with having my daughter attend ONE full day program, with all content instruction in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. We are native Spanish-speakers, and the year prior, I drove her 40 miles roundtrip to Dr. Lang's Bilingual Chinese School in Dunwoody! She also attended Tabula Rasa (Spanish) her 2nd year, and we enjoyed it as well (it was also a hike!) We attended those schools while waiting for ONE location that could provide BOTH languages. Honestly, It will all depend on which languages you place the highest priority on, and how far you are willing to travel. My priority is Chinese first, because I cannot provide it at home and Spanish is a strong second. I want her to gain the academic command of the Spanish language that I never received growing up in the States. I live close to both Omni and ATA, so those were the two I considered, because we wanted a full academic day in order to give each language the time necessary for fluency. The areas surrounding both schools leave much to be desired, but they are MY neighborhoods... Like a lot of Atlanta communities, you can go from awesome to bad in a couple blocks. Atlanta Trilingual is a small and growing school. I cannot speak to the 2yr old class, but I do know they are constantly reviewing and parental input is welcome.
Our K class has 5 children presently, and will grow a grade each year. They use an advanced curriculum and three of the children are reading across the board in all three languages. We have high parental involvement and we love getting together on weekends for playdates and cultural events. They do have English language arts instruction about 20 mins per day (which I could do without, personally, since English is the community majority language, I prefer to wait til 1st or even 2nd until formal English to give Spanish and Chinese more time to build foundation. Majority of what is learned in the other languages will easily transfer.)
At ATA, they do say grace before meals and incorporate some religious beliefs (They learn the meaning of Christmas and other religious holidays that families around the world uphold.) ATA is a Certified childcare center through state of Georgia. They weave Science and Social Studies throughout the curriculum in the target languages, as evidenced in our first field trip to the Fernbank Museum a couple weeks ago. They are planning one field trip per month starting December (K class only.) They are presently seeking accreditation as a private school. We are thrilled with the close-knit community at ATA, and the personal attention my child receives, and we will be with them for the long haul.
All in all, it comes down to which languages you desire most, age-range, whether you want a full day, what location, etc. If you'd like to discuss more, message me privately and I'll be happy to discuss!
We will be in attendance at the next Open House, so maybe will see you there! Hope I have helped!
Anybody know anything about Atlanta Trilingual Academy, Spanish Academy, OMNI International School and/or Little Linguists? These seem to be the only immersion schools in town for ages 2-4 (or am I missing any that you recommend or know anything about)? Also, Little Linguists appears to be at least twice the price of the other schools. Anybody know why?
In 2012, I toured and considered Atlanta Trilingual Academy (ATA), OMNI International School, and Little Linguists. In the end we chose OMNI and have been very happy with our decision. I’ll start byexplaining the major factors that prevented us from choosing the other two schools and end by highlighting anecdotally why we liked/like OMNI. I want to emphasize that I am writing from the perspective of our family and will share the details of our family that influenced our decision. While I had no previous affiliation with OMNI or its founders or staff, now that I am a satisfied parent I am very biased. (However, I am not being compensated to share my favorable experience with OMNI.)
I knew immediately by the end of the tour that Little Linguists was not the right school for our family. We had two children at the time and knew we wanted more so it was well beyond what we could afford. However, even if money had not been a factor, their approach to “discipline” was not congruent with our own. Specifically, if it was circle time but a child wanted to play with blocks instead, the school did not believe in redirecting the child to participate in circle time with his/her peers. While I understood the desire to give children the freedom to explore and gain mastery in their areas of interest, I was concerned this approach would not prepare a student for more structured environments, which are the norm rather than the exception in life. And indeed when I asked how the kindergarten-aged children fared, the tour guide informed me that they had opened up a class for students who were the appropriate age for kindergarten but were not ready for the structure. Additionally, I was concerned about the unspoken message sent to thechildren who did participate in the scheduled activity when their peers were allowed to wander away from the group.
ATA was much closer to what we were looking for, but we still had some misgivings. Our daughter was 4 at the time and loved/loves to communicate. We were concerned that she would be very frustrated in a new environment where she could only speak English an hour or less a day. Furthermore, we were concerned that if we moved and she needed to change schools, she would be lagging in English. Also, our son was just beginning to speak, and we did not want to set back his ability to communicate with us. (His class would have had no English instruction, and my husband and I only speak English.) Of course we recognized that we could teach English skills at home, but given how much time the kids spend at school, we did not feel it was fair to have to teach them new concepts when they came home as well. (Our children are in before- and after-school care.) With that said, I did tell one of my co-workers about ATA because she and her husband are native Spanish-speakers. I can clearly see how the focus on Mandarin and Spanish immersion at the expense of English would be ideal for some families, but it was not the best model for us.
We were very close to choosing ATA, but because of our misgivings I made one last search and discovered OMNI. I studied chemical engineering and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology from MIT, and I am currently an MD/PhD student. My husband is a software developer. Therefore, OMNI’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) focus drew us immediately. Also, we are Christians; so although OMNI is not officially a Christian school, we welcomed the infusion of Christian principles. We were originally concerned about the dated facility and playground when we did an impromptu drive-by, but because everything else was so ideal we took a tour and discovered that the classrooms are nicely renovated inside and the playground looks better close up. We laughed to ourselves on our daughter’s first day at OMNI because she told us her favorite thing about her new school was the playground. Her current favorite thing is that she learns “lots of important things at OMNI” compared to her old school where she “only learned some important things”. In further contrast, our children’s old school was a for-profit business with a brand new building and mortgage to go along with it. OMNI is a not-for-profit (501(c)(3)) which offers an incredible value. It has been “accredited with quality” by the Georgia Accrediting Commission. Our children are performing 2-grade levels above their ages in English class and are constantly teaching us new words and singing songs in Mandarin. It’s amazing to observe a Mandarin class and see the children responding appropriately in Mandarin while I have no idea what is going on or to see my daughter reading and writing Chinese characters for homework. And now that she is in kindergarten she alsohas Spanish immersion two days a week. OMNI’s perspective is that it takes native English speakers fewer hours to learn Spanish than an Asian language; it is for this reason and to preserve their ability to test well in English that OMNI students spend less time in Spanish.
In short, OMNI is a special place, and I am truly grateful that it is part of our community. Many days my children don’t want to leave school because they are having so much fun.
I am anxious to hear from (or communicate directly with) anyone who enrolled their children in Atlanta Trilingual Academy, OMNI and other schools in the metro-Atlanta area. Are you still satisfied with your decision (in 2014) or did you make changes? Can you please provide an update with your feedback on this post or to me directly?
My daughter is turning 3 and I am seriously considering one of these schools in lieu of a local charter school...but I want to make the right decision. Have there been any issues with the staff, safety, or other items?
English is my second language and was reading your post and dont understand what you mean by this.
"(it was also a hike!)", what do you mean by this in your statements below.
also could you tell me more about your Tabula Raso experience?
Thanks.
Hello,
My child is 5 and has attended Atlanta Trilingual Academy since they first opened in April. I am thrilled with having my daughter attend ONE full day program, with all content instruction in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. We are native Spanish-speakers, and the year prior, I drove her 40 miles roundtrip to Dr. Lang's Bilingual Chinese School in Dunwoody! She also attended Tabula Rasa (Spanish) her 2nd year, and we enjoyed it as well (it was also a hike!)
Our 4 year old daughter started at this school (Japanese track) one year ago. I am now writing the review because the proof is in the pudding after a year. A year ago we knew we wanted a true immersion language program that she could continue with until graduation (since we speak only English at home) and this school is one of a kind in Atlanta. Finding this school has been such a blessing as the caring teachers and their teaching skills have WOWED us since day 1. We continue to be impressed with the curriculum and the teachers at Omni. When we drop our child off in the morning, we know she is not only learning at an impressive rate but is also well looked after by the faculty and staff. I like that my child has homework (even when she was 3) and is challenged with the task of being taught to speak, read & write in an Asian language, all the while still covering the core curriculum. Her teachers send us pictures of her class working on projects and playing which confirms that she is not only learning but having fun.
It is obvious that Mrs. Marks, the founder, has developed this school’s program with extreme devotion and care and it shows in the low attrition rate of the student body. People are surprised that our daughter has homework in pre-school, but we want her to be exposed to as much as possible at a young age so she will be prepared for kindergarten and beyond. I recommend reading the school’s handbook (available online) as that is what first sold our family on the school. After touring the school we decided it was the best immersion program for our daughter (the building is great inside-lots of natural light). We like that the school encourages parents to participate (and actually requires some volunteer hours). Since the school is small, we feel our opinion counts. The school regularly asks parents for feedback and then makes accommodations/changes as needed.
We respect that the school teaches to each child’s individual level. Our daughter is reading and spelling somewhere at the kindergarten-1st grade level (b/c when I buy the Prek-1st grade books she can do almost everything in them including telling time). We see her progress in Japanese as well (she knows most of the Hiragana) and is learning to write, add and subtract in Japanese just as if she were in school in Japan. We are looking forward to her being able to read children’s books in Japanese, as well as having conversations with native speakers. The fact she will also begin learning Spanish in kindergarten is a bonus because it is my personal belief the earlier the exposure to a foreign language, the better. We wish we’d known about the school when our child was two-and-half years old. So after a year, we think the school is great and feel confident we are providing our child with the best education. The day before yesterday, I went to pick her up and she pushed me out of the room saying “go home mommy, I am not done, I want to stay.” When I picked her up today, she wanted to stay at school again.
Yes, OMNI is an excellent school. It was a bit far for us to travel but the director/owner has obviously produced an amazing product that I believe to be on par with the best of the best in our city. The religion part I think the school could do without but the academics, class size and everything else are beyond impressive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 404Atlanta
Our 4 year old daughter started at this school (Japanese track) one year ago. I am now writing the review because the proof is in the pudding after a year. A year ago we knew we wanted a true immersion language program that she could continue with until graduation (since we speak only English at home) and this school is one of a kind in Atlanta. Finding this school has been such a blessing as the caring teachers and their teaching skills have WOWED us since day 1. We continue to be impressed with the curriculum and the teachers at Omni. When we drop our child off in the morning, we know she is not only learning at an impressive rate but is also well looked after by the faculty and staff. I like that my child has homework (even when she was 3) and is challenged with the task of being taught to speak, read & write in an Asian language, all the while still covering the core curriculum. Her teachers send us pictures of her class working on projects and playing which confirms that she is not only learning but having fun.
It is obvious that Mrs. Marks, the founder, has developed this school’s program with extreme devotion and care and it shows in the low attrition rate of the student body. People are surprised that our daughter has homework in pre-school, but we want her to be exposed to as much as possible at a young age so she will be prepared for kindergarten and beyond. I recommend reading the school’s handbook (available online) as that is what first sold our family on the school. After touring the school we decided it was the best immersion program for our daughter (the building is great inside-lots of natural light). We like that the school encourages parents to participate (and actually requires some volunteer hours). Since the school is small, we feel our opinion counts. The school regularly asks parents for feedback and then makes accommodations/changes as needed.
We respect that the school teaches to each child’s individual level. Our daughter is reading and spelling somewhere at the kindergarten-1st grade level (b/c when I buy the Prek-1st grade books she can do almost everything in them including telling time). We see her progress in Japanese as well (she knows most of the Hiragana) and is learning to write, add and subtract in Japanese just as if she were in school in Japan. We are looking forward to her being able to read children’s books in Japanese, as well as having conversations with native speakers. The fact she will also begin learning Spanish in kindergarten is a bonus because it is my personal belief the earlier the exposure to a foreign language, the better. We wish we’d known about the school when our child was two-and-half years old. So after a year, we think the school is great and feel confident we are providing our child with the best education. The day before yesterday, I went to pick her up and she pushed me out of the room saying “go home mommy, I am not done, I want to stay.” When I picked her up today, she wanted to stay at school again.
Thanks so much for all of the wonderful information on this thread. I am looking for an immersion school for my artsy 4yo daughter as we are relocating to ATL from NYC (Spanish, French or Mandarin). I am hoping that the information shared is still valid in 2015 and wanted to see if there were any thoughts about how some of these schools may have evolved for better or worse over the past couple of years. We have not yet decided what part of town we will live in so we are open to schools in different areas. Thanks for any input you have to share.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
OMNI parent and enthusiast
Undecided - Need help in making decision
Our daughter currently attends Omni
