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Sounds like the now magnet dual language Spanish program in the elementary schools. (It used to be non-magnet.) It's about 50% native Spanish speakers and 50% native English speakers. Those kids go on to McDougle Middle I believe. My kids' elementary school is roughly 50% white, 25% Hispanic, and the remaining 25% is African American, Burmese, other Asian, other other. At least half the teachers and the principal are bilingual, so no need for translators. Sometimes there is a translator for Karen/Burmese at the PTA meetings, but that's more for the parents than the kids.
Sounds like an awesome school! I imagine it has a long waiting list, bit it is exactly where I would want my youngest if we moved to Chapel Hill. My kids and I are trying to learn Spanish right now via an audio tape in the car, but it's a slow process and immersion is obviously the way to go. Sociey is rapidly changing, and it's essential our oids are bilingual. Selective colleges are seeking it out, too.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Originally Posted by west seattle gal
Sounds like an awesome school! I imagine it has a long waiting list, bit it is exactly where I would want my youngest if we moved to Chapel Hill. My kids and I are trying to learn Spanish right now via an audio tape in the car, but it's a slow process and immersion is obviously the way to go. Sociey is rapidly changing, and it's essential our oids are bilingual. Selective colleges are seeking it out, too.
The magnet program is new so there was no waiting list this year - they were actually trying to recruit children there. My son was on the list and they contacted him twice to try to get him to go, but we ultimately decided not to. I have heard good things about the program this year. I have several friends with kids there. There were a few rough beginnings, which is understandable, but I think they are all happy there. I believe you can only enter the Spanish immersion at Kindergarten or 1st grade at FPG unless you have some Spanish fluency or were in a similar program elsewhere.
We have a dual Spanish/Japanese school here that is an assignment school, but it's in a very expensive neighborhood and thus not available to most kids. Does Durham have language immersion schools? Or do they offer languages for elementary and middle school kids?
I think most middle schools offer languages and they have Spanish as a "special" in elementary school in the traditional track, but my kids never learned very much in it. I know our districted middle school offers Spanish, and French, and maybe German — not sure on that. I'm not sure on Durham, but I would think they would offer languages in middle school, too.
There are two elementary Spanish language magnet programs in CHCCS. One entire school is all dual language - Frank Porter Graham, and Carrboro Elementary has a dual language track which is magnet and a traditional track. There is also a Mandarin Chinese dual language program at another school.
I don't really know about Durham schools and languages, but it's a big system with a lot of different magnets and options so I imagine there must be some schools that offer foreign language electives in middle school even if they don't have a dual language program.
Here's a link to the middle school course listing in CHCCS. The foreign languages they offer are Spanish, French, Latin and then dual language Mandarin and dual language Spanish progress at McDougle Middle. http://www.chccs.k12.nc.us/www/CHCCS...Book_CHCCS.pdf
I just got a chance to read the other replys. THANK YOU all! I have some great areas to look at. Thank you for the specific elementary schools and areas. I think my husband and I will take a trip out to the area in May and look at a bunch of schools and areas.
We are relocating to the chapel hill area in June 2014. My husband will be working at UNC medical center and we have been looking for housing in the surrounding areas. We have 4 kids ages 7-0, 2 of which are school-aged. Chapel Hill seems nice, but expensive (we are looking for rent around $1500 - which seems to get you an apartment or really old duplex or house), Cary seems like a very family friendly suburb (which we are totally in favor of) but quite a commute for my husband, and South Durham (Woodcroft area) seems like a happy medium. Except for the fact that GoodSchools.com rates all the Durham elementary schools at a 2 or a 3. Are they really that bad?
There seems to be a good charter school in the area, but we won't have moved early enough for the lottery. It's worth it for my husband to commute from West Cary or Morrisville if that's the only way to get into good schools, but we have heard great things about the Woodcroft area - I am just concerned about the school situation.
I seriously doubt those ratings ... yes maybe for some not not for all. My kids went to Pearsontown Elementary and I know that is not the case.
In addition, how is anywhere near the Southpoint area including even Briar Creek, parts of Cary (closer to Hwy 55) and Morrisville could possibly be considered far from UNC Chapel Hill? Some folks here are very spoiled when it comes to what's considered far. You want far, try Durham to Wilson, NC everyday for 4 years .... now that is a haul.
Funny thing, as a parent, you aren't sending a county to school. You're sending your kid. And that kid isn't attending every school. *My* Durham kid did quite well on his first set of EOGs, and, in fact, blew one of them out of the water. Achievement and learning without being forced through a pressure cooker. Being able to wear nice, practical sweatpants in the winter and Target tennis shoes, without being looked down on. Parents comfortable with the cost of housing, commute, and all the other variables that make S. Durham awesome.
But that is ok, stay away. Traffic is already getting to be a pain.
We've lived in Southern Durham for almost 20 years now and have a 7th grade son. We'd lived in North Raleigh and Morrisville before and purposefully chose Durham even though I was working in downtown Raleigh at the time. Our son has been in charter schools since kindergarten, not because of any concerns over public schools but because he lotteried in both times. We would have gladly attended our districted elementary school or the year-round option that we had if he had not gotten into Central Park. For middle school, our districted school is not great (Lowe's Grove) and we applied to both magnet and charter schools. He got in to Kestrel Heights (which is now a K-12 charter school) and has loved it. It has been academically rigorous for our AIG kid which has pleased us. Yes, there are some challenging schools in Durham, just as there are in Raleigh & Cary & Orange County & even - gasp - Chapel Hill. But as many have been saying, any school is what you make it. We wouldn't live anywhere else in the Triangle. The schools, the ease of getting to anywhere in the Triangle, the shopping, and the community feel is why we chose Southern Durham.
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