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    Christi Offline OP
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    Hi all,

    What was once fairly clear has now become confusing! I have been planning to pursue a grade skip for DS5, who is in kindy this year and is working very quickly through 2nd grade EPGY math at home (he started EPGY three weeks ago at the kindergarten level), reads fluently, and seems to be working above 3rd grade level right now in language arts without instruction. He gets 2nd grade language arts homework sent home, and it's more like busy work to him.

    I know the grade skip wouldn't be a permanent fix, since he keeps surging ahead faster and faster. I suppose he'll be done with the curriculum at his elementary school within the next year or so and then I'll be wondering what else to do with him. I have a feeling it's going to be expensive, LOL.

    But now, our district has announced a new Dual Language Immersion program starting next year for kindy and first graders, then adding a new grade level each year. In this program, the students will be taught all English one day and all Spanish the next. I have heard that this can be a good option for gifted children.

    Is anyone familiar with this type of arrangement? How does this compare to a grade skip? I'm hesitant, to say the least.

    None of us speak Spanish at home, so I would have to learn a new language to help DS with his homework. And would this really be enough of a long-term challenge? What kind of child does best in this scenario?

    Thanks so much for any advice!

    Christi




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    I am not familiar with the program, but have kids who are fluent in two languages and are currently learning third by immersion. I would pick immersion option. IMO it is much easier to work extra on math and language than to teach a child a second language. Plus you never know what options as far as subject acceleration might open up in a future...
    My kids are fantastic in their Spanish and I do not speak the language :-)

    Ania

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    Christi,

    This sounds like a very good opportunity! It might work well for the next year or two. Consider it �subject acceleration�. I would jump at that opportunity and then take my time to consider the next step!

    Diana

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    The only caution I would have about the immersion program is what type of kids would be in the program. Would the program be mainly English speaking children? If there would be a mix of English speaking and Spanish speaking children you would have to be aware that many new immigrant Spanish speaking children tend to track severly behind English speaking children. As a result, the class may function at an extremely slow pace.
    I haven't really seen a lot a research regarding immersion programs for the long term.
    As long as the class will function at a good pace, doing the language immersion might be good. I am not sure I would hold my child back academically for the language though. Especially Spanish as it is relatively easy for English speaking children to become fluent in Spanish. My son (16 months) recieves Spanish language instruction twice a week for one hour and is already pretty good. If it were an immersion program for Mandarin, German, French, or another language a little less familiar to English speaking kids I would definitely consider it though.

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    Christi Offline OP
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    Thank you everyone for the opinions and feedback! I guess I was hoping that this program would provide an outlet for DS to learn something new without moving him so far ahead of grade level that he would need lots of grade skips.

    One of my questions would be about admission, and what criteria they are looking for. That is the big unknown, although I think it's a pretty safe bet that there would be a lot of new immigrant children, and stbmom, I definitely see the point of your questions. If DS is having trouble with the pace of his current class, where he is ability-grouped and enriched (although not very effectively), then how will he feel with children who are possibly behind the learning curve.

    I will probably ask for more about the program after spring break, and I'll everyone updated.

    Thanks!

    Christi

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    Hi Christi,
    My 2nd grade daughter is in her third year in a Spanish immersion program. The first two years were great. There is plenty of challenge in learning to speak, read, and write in a new language, even considering Spanish is an easy language. My daughter is almost fluent in Spanish, but still has some vocabulary development and grammar improvement to master.

    Every immersion program is different. My daughter is in a 90/10 immersion program. The children are taught in Spanish 90% of the time in K & 1st, then each year English is increased by 10%. By 5th, the children are taught in 50% Spanish and 50% English. In our program, the class is made up of half native English speakers and half native Spanish speakers. The children learn a great deal from each other. Many of the children are recent immigrants, which I feel adds to the cultural experience. Yes, the English speakers tend to be at the top of the class, partly because of the type of parents that are willing to place their children in an immersion program. My daughter has one other gifted child in her class and several other borderline gifted children that participate in the "challenge" classes with the GT specialist.

    I have been very pleased with the immersion program. My daughter is in the top reading group and probably reads at least at a third grade level in Spanish (if not higher). Second grade has been the beginning of my gifted advocacy. I have been working to get my daughter accelerated in math. Also, since the increase in English language instruction this year, she goes to her GT specialist during English time since she reads and writes many grade levels higher than the rest of her class. If my daughter were not in an immersion program, she would have probably already been accelerated twice or be home schooled. My daughter's GT specialist has recommended that my daughter skip 5th grade since she is in the first immersion class and acceleration would mean that she would have to leave the program. We have not made any decisions regarding future acceleration. My daughter has enjoyed and I think been challenged by the program. The only major deficiency we have encountered is math. The only real benefit my daughter has gained during math instruction has been the language aspects of immersion and math vocabulary. We mainly work on math at home though I am hoping to get some subject acceleration for her at school soon.

    I speak very little Spanish even though I took 2 years in high school. I have learned some Spanish since my daughter has been in the program, but she surpassed me in kindergarten. It has rarely been a problem with homework and her school sends almost everything home on in Spanish and English.

    Please let me know if you have any questions.

    Summer

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    acs Offline
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    If there would be a mix of English speaking and Spanish speaking children you would have to be aware that many new immigrant Spanish speaking children tend to track severly behind English speaking children. [/quote]

    I have been lurking on the list for a while now, trying to hold my tongue. But I just couldn't ignore this comment, which I found rather troubling. My son goes to a school with many Spanish speaking children who come from new immigrant families. Many are quite bright and most very hard working. They do not appear different in their abilites than the English speaking children. Some are gifted but do not do well on the qualifying tests because they are still working on learning English. It seems to me that many of these very bright children would really be able to show their true abilities in a dual-immersion program.

    I am a strong proponant of exposing our children to people from a variety of backgrounds. I think it prepares them to work in the diverse world that they will eventually end up in. And struggling with a new language while other students are fluent can increase empathy and understanding of the difficulties that new immigrants face. I do not want my child to just be smart, I want him to be kind, compassionate, and an active participant in the global community.

    So I say go for the dual-immersion. What a great opportunity to meet people and make new friends that he might not otherwise have a chance to meet and learn a skill he would not otherwise have. I have never been able to lose my American accent when speaking Spanish and I am jealous of folks who learn while they are still young.

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    ACS wrote:[/quote]I have never been able to lose my American accent when speaking Spanish and I am jealous of folks who learn while they are still young. [/quote]

    I forgot to mention that, ACS. All the native Spanish speakers with whom my daughter has spoken have said that she sounds like a native speaker.

    Also, I consider it a benefit that my daughter goes to a culturally and economically diverse school. We live in a very middle-class, upper-middle-class suburban area. One of the problems in raising children in this area is they grow up with a misconception of reality. They tend to think that they deserve to have the world handed to them on a silver platter. One of the children in my daughter's class is from El Salvador. He explained to her a little of the poverty he experienced back in his native country. It made enough of an impression on her that she shared the story with me.

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    We have a volunteer (mom) teach Spanish to my kids' class, but I think it's only once a week. My sons love it and have picked it up a bit. I wish it were more often (every day or every other day), because I would love my kids to learn Spanish well. I don't understand why language requirement is reserved for high school level (at least here) when we've already missed their best ages for picking it up. What a valuable skill!

    My family has found that the earlier the kid grade-skips, the easier it is for them. I had one skip K, one skip 2nd, one skip 4th, and one skip 5th. The K was seam-less, 2nd was pretty easy,...5th was definitely the hardest (it's the bridging grade here between elementary and middle school). I recommend as early as you can (now).

    Good Luck!

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    Christi Offline OP
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    Texas Summer, thank you for the recommendations!

    ACS, I'm sorry that that you felt troubled by some aspects of this discussion. I appreciate the candid opinions from stbmom, especially since she pinpoints a very real issue in our district. My mother is a teacher here, and I know that our teachers struggle to accommodate the new immigrants. That is not to isolate the Spanish-speaking immigrants, since my mother's own class has children from all over the world. I think that's a wonderful plus to our community, but I also see the frustrations of the teachers who specialize in ESL.

    I have to consider that when it has the potential to be a major factor in DS's education. I don't feel that immigrant students learn slower than non-immigrant students at all. What I know for a fact though, is that the teachers in our district are really struggling to help the immigrant students catch up. Much of our district's resources are focused on getting additional help to them, and I wonder if there will be sufficient resources left to help my son.

    Aside from that, one of my biggest concerns with the language immersion program is math. We have struggled to get DS the math he needs for a long time. Since he started EPGY a few weeks ago, he has finally been able to progess at his own rate, and it has been a huge burden lifted off my shoulders. But shouldn't DS receive appropriate accelerated instruction in math at school? I don't think he'll want to stop exploring advanced math concepts just because he's learning Spanish.

    So I guess I need to find out if DS would still be able to receive accelerated instruction in addition to the language immersion. Would it be feasible to pull him out for that, or would he miss critical instruction time? Also, since they will be adding one year at a time to the program, that would prevent a grade skip within the next few years. (They want long-term commitment to the language immersion program).

    Thanks again!

    Christi

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    ACS - I only deal in facts and numbers. The most resent numbers available are from 2005 which state that nationally, new immigrant children are ranking proficient in grades 3 - 6 at just 10%
    The numbers are not great for African American children (of which I am) either - with just 23% being proficient in their grade area. No one said these children aren't bright, but adjusting to a new environment with a new education system is not easy, not even for a bright child.
    Ignoring issues by saying "everyone is the same" simply makes those that need additional help sink further and further behind. That is why I am so troubled by the numbers for African American children. Instead of people saying, what can we do to make the education system work for these wonderful children people are instead saying "no, everyone is the same". But guess what, in my state over 50% of AFrican American children drop out of high school. How does ignoring the problem help them? It doesn't. They are lost and they have no hope for a bright future because no one chose to look at the situation and say, "what can we do to help these children be the best that God created them to be". No one is saying "these children deserve a shot and we are failing them, lets change something".
    So sorry, I am okay with offense as long as it gets people looking at the real issue. Children are not succeeding in our schools. I would rather someone be offended by my comments and something change than my kid have just a 1 in 2 shot of graduating high school - let alone even attending college.
    Yes, that is right. For every 2 African Americans that start school here, 1 isn't going to make it out. The number is WORSE for new immigrant children with over 60% not making it out the other side. I will not put my head in the sand and let political correctness continue to destroy these kids.

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    Christi -
    I want to point out that your son's school already seems to take providing above level instruction to your child as a matter of course. (sends home 2nd grade LA)

    this is a very positive sign, as the past provided the surest projection of the future - perhaps the immersion class WITH individualized study -EPGY math and LA from upper level classes, or even EPGY's language arts classes on the "English Language Days."

    Or perhaps they will allow you to send your son on the Spanish Days and homeschool on the English Days? This might be the best of both worlds, as the immersion Spanish seems too good to at least try.

    I do like to say yes to gradeskips as early as possible, but I think Spanish immersion is worth staying for, at least for a year or two. Here's an idea: Spanish Immersion on the Spanish days, and 2nd or third grade on the English days. That way your child get the considerable advantage of a 2nd language plus the social benifits of making friends with a group that may be more likely to be intellectual peers. This would be very taxing from an organizational point of view, but, depending on the personality of your child, a teacher who is comfortable with individualizing the curricula through compacting may be able to make it work.

    Sad news is that Elementary school isn't a good fit for many of our kids, but there are skills that need to be gained, sooner or later.

    My main advice is to forget about the grand plan - try to find something that works for the next 6 to 12 months. Look for flexabilty from school personel. Take as good care of your family finances as possible - you are right about these kids being expensive! Remember that it's not your fault that your child has different needs AND it's not your fault that there isn't any clearly marked path for you to follow. You are a pioneer here.

    Best Wishes,
    Trinity


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    acs Offline
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    Stbmom, I will happily believe that you meant no harm by your comments. In addition, I see that we agree on a lot of issues. I worry a lot about the new immigrant children in my son's school. I see how bright they are and yet they get discouraged because they are not able to show what they know because of the language and cultural barriers. (The standardized tests have so much cultural bias, it is truly appalling, which I think accounts for some of the discouraging data you quote.) And when they get discouraged and frustrated they drop out.

    That is why I love the idea of the dual-immersion programs; it allows the immigrant children to ease into American school, while allowing them to learn academic content, instead of waiting until they get fluent in English before they can really learn and show what they know. It also allows English speaking children to learn a new language and culture (and I hope appreciate differences, as you said). Although, I have not seen the data, I would hope that this approach would allow the immigrant children to "track" higher. I think that by putting our children in such a program, whenever we can, we are not only supporting our children, but also other children in our community who need us.

    Frankly, I have my son in a mixed level, ethnically diverse, public school primarily because we do value differences. I feel that he has much to learn and much to contribute in that envirnoment, even if it does mean that he has less academic challenge. We just try to make up for the difference at home.

    Cheers!

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    Originally Posted by acs
    That is why I love the idea of the dual-immersion programs; it allows the immigrant children to ease into American school, while allowing them to learn academic content, instead of waiting until they get fluent in English before they can really learn and show what they know. It also allows English speaking children to learn a new language and culture (and I hope appreciate differences, as you said). Although, I have not seen the data, I would hope that this approach would allow the immigrant children to "track" higher. I think that by putting our children in such a program, whenever we can, we are not only supporting our children, but also other children in our community who need us.

    We don't have any standardized test scores for our district yet because children do not take them until 3rd grade. Although we have noticed that the Spanish speaking children in the dual-immersion program learn English much faster than the children in the bilingual classes. It will be interesting to see results next year when they take the standardized test. We have a good school to evaluate the differences because each grade has (on average) 2 dual-immersion classes, 2 English-speaking classes, and 2 bilingual classes.

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    ACS -
    I think it's important to keep in mind that each child is different and has a unique personality and that the different flavors of giftedness play a role as well.

    For example, although I applaud your perspective that your son is in an environment where he gets to learn about differences, I am guessing that if he stopped being willing to Afterschool with you,
    (as in- Why should I do extra work? I wanna playdate!) or stopped being "able" to stay well behaved in an environment where he is bored out of his gourd, you might suddenly re-evaluate your priorities.

    It isn't that I'm saying your son is "less gifted" than other kids here, although I do get plenty of flack from parents of "more normally gifted" kids who don't get it that we've had to make the choices we have, it may be that your son is "more unusually gifted" than mine, but that his strengths are being ideally stimulated by being in this mixed environment! After all, you like it, and the Apple doesn't fall far from the Tree.

    Or you may come from a whole family of relaxed, enjoy the moment kind of people, including your son - which is wonderful! I just want to point out that there are plenty of kids for whom the diverse classroom that leaves their parents dewy-eyed (like me) leaves them with important needs not met.

    Love and More Love,
    Trinity


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    Originally Posted by cym
    My family has found that the earlier the kid grade-skips, the easier it is for them.

    Cym, thanks for that advice! I have read that earlier skips are easier, so I'm trying to take that into account. If we put DS into this language immersion program, he would miss out on the early skip.

    And then, I'm afraid that even if we do an early skip now, he'll still need at least one skip later on, then we'll need to look at completely different options for middle school. The older he gets, the more apparent this becomes, and the more "different" he seems than most kids his age.

    But as Trinity just advised, I should look at what fits right now. Thanks for that advice, Trinity, because I have been completely stressed about what's coming later on down the road. Yikes! So it's okay to plan for "now" and leave the rest for later?

    Also Trinity, you gave some good ideas for partial acceleration within the language immersion program. That would be essential, I think. I'll just have to ask more questions about it, and the possibilities. Unfortunately, he'd have to change schools for this program and I don't know the principal at the other school. Our principal has been accommodating to DS's needs, and if he passes the test for a grade skip, she's willing.

    While I'm far from happy with the school's progress this year, they really have stepped up the acceleration in the last half of the year. I wish they did more of the acceleration IN CLASS rather than sending it as homework, but at least in kindergarten there is a lot of "work at your own pace" opportunity.

    On another note, we are having out of level testing done on DS this year, so we'll be able to complete the Iowa Scale. We partially did the scale last year but didn't have the out of level tests (however, he was still a good candidate even without those tests). I ~know~ in my heart that a grade skip is needed. I'm still really unsure about the language immersion. I so appreciate all the good comments about it and I will keep those in mind.

    It seems that the success of the language immersion program hinges on how the program is run, and whether it allows for any flexibility.

    Christi

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    Could someone please explain the difference between the bilingual and dual-immersion classes?

    Also, what month (or season)is your son's B-day? Is he already young for his grade?

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    Trinity, you are right on all counts, except probably level of giftedness (I am guessing he's a Ruf 4). I will start a new thread on public school so you can see the cirmcumstances that have allowed us to make make things work (so far, fingers crossed) in public school.

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    christi wrote "I'm afraid that even if we do an early skip now, he'll still need at least one skip later on, then we'll need to look at completely different options for middle school. The older he gets, the more apparent this becomes, and the more "different" he seems than most kids his age."

    It is usually easier to skip the lower grade(s) but it is also possible to skip at middle school level. My two daughters were young in their class to begin with, then they skipped 6th grade. So now they are sometimes 2-3 years younger than their peers. But that did not cause any big issue both in middle and high school. Especially in high school, kids are used to the idea that students of different grade/age are in same class.

    Although they look suspiciously young, they fit in quite nicely. Other kids just shrug off when they eventually find out about their age. Both girls take pride of the fact that they are the youngest in their grade and many kids who are much older ask them for help. Occasionally they do complain that their friends are driving and they have to wait until the senior year.

    It may sound like a bit sexist, but things may be different for boys. A girl who is 2 year younger is no big deal; a boy in similar position may not be that cool. I read some book saying that a boy skipped 3 grades and complained that he can not find a date. All girls who he went to school with were older and he did not know any girl of his own age. But I guess that is more a temporary problem, things will work out once he hits graduate school :-).


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    Originally Posted by delbows
    Also, what month (or season)is your son's B-day? Is he already young for his grade?

    Delbows, my son has a summer birthday, so he's young for his grade. Especially since there are a few kids who are already turning seven in kindy. Yikes! He's 90th percentile for height though (and he has a hugh head, LOL), so he doesn't look small by any means.

    My only concerns for him developmentally have been handwriting and creative writing. When I compared his handwriting to my mother's former rural first grade class, it looked great. But compared to his suburban age-mates it didn't look great. Also, his writing wasn't what his teacher expected from him.

    However, we recently started Handwriting Without Tears and !!!!!HIS HANDWRITING IS WONDERFUL!!!!!! So that's no longer a concern. And we also started the "Four Square Writing Method" at home and he is all of a sudden a great writer. Yay!! I recently looked at some of the work on display at his school, and his writing easily compares to work the 2nd graders had on display.

    Christi

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    Christi -
    Excellent news about the handwriting and the crative writing. You have hit the nail on the head as for as "the usual culprits." and you've solved them. Yippee!
    My DS10 also is tall with a giant head!
    Yes, Yes, do what works for now, don't worry about the future - UNLESS - you are going to be heavily dependent on College Scholarships or want your child to be dominant in sports or academic contests. Those are the only cautions - really!
    As for boys dating, there is no reason in the world for a child to lose touch socially with their age mates through afterschool activities.

    Flexability for the new Principle is the main key to making school work for these kids! Ask away! Ask your principle to send a letter of introduction for you to the immersion Principle.

    ACS -
    So glad you didn't take offense. I'm looking forward to hearing more about how you've made it work. Thumbs - up!

    Yippee!
    Trinity


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    Quote
    However, we recently started Handwriting Without Tears and !!!!!HIS HANDWRITING IS WONDERFUL!!!!!! So that's no longer a concern. And we also started the "Four Square Writing Method" at home and he is all of a sudden a great writer. Yay!! I recently looked at some of the work on display at his school, and his writing easily compares to work the 2nd graders had on display.

    Ooh! Can someone point me to info regarding this handwriting miracle cure?! laugh

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    Here is the HW Tears website.
    http://www.hwtears.com/

    DS's favorite part is the "Wet Dry Try". You use a little slate chalkboard and tiny sponge pieces. You write the letter with chalk, then the child erases it with a wet sponge, then dries it with a cloth or tissue, then tries it himself with the chalk. This has made proper letter formation very fun. After the first session, his letter reversals were gone.

    I ordered just about everything there was to order for DS at 1st & 2nd grade level, and it was only about $34 for a box full of stuff. Much cheaper than the $300+ handwriting workshop we were considering!

    Christi

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    Originally Posted by Christi
    Here is the HW Tears website.
    http://www.hwtears.com/

    DS's favorite part is the "Wet Dry Try". You use a little slate chalkboard and tiny sponge pieces. You write the letter with chalk, then the child erases it with a wet sponge, then dries it with a cloth or tissue, then tries it himself with the chalk. This has made proper letter formation very fun. After the first session, his letter reversals were gone.

    I ordered just about everything there was to order for DS at 1st & 2nd grade level, and it was only about $34 for a box full of stuff. Much cheaper than the $300+ handwriting workshop we were considering!

    Christi

    Thank you so much Christi!

    I feel really bad whenever my son gets notations from his teacher about his handwriting...she makes it sound like he's being careless all the time.

    Thanks again for the tip!

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    Originally Posted by delbows
    Could someone please explain the difference between the bilingual and dual-immersion classes?

    In general, a bilingual class is made up of children who speak a non-dominant language (usually Spanish). They are taught in their native language and transitioned to English. The objective is to get them into an English speaking class as soon as possible. A dual-immersion program values both languages and the objective is to develop bilingual and biliterate students. Generally, a dual-immersion program will have native speakers in both languages.

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    I am trying to convince my husband to put our son in a French immersion program out here in Washington. He's not interested in Spanish. He is gifted, but an under achiever and at the age of 7 is already bored with regular school. He's in 2nd grade and has been in series of private schools and those aren't perfect for him for they are not meeting his emotional needs. We are at our wits end.

    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 7,207
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    Joined: Dec 2005
    Posts: 7,207
    What's is your husband's concerns or alternatives?
    What exactly do you mean by the private schools not meeting your son's needs? I suspect that you believe that the immersion program would do a better job, why?

    sorry it's been going rough - check the old posts and have a look at what's been going on around here.

    BTW - have you'll been through testing? do you have a professional to lean on and guide you?

    Best Wishes,
    Trinity


    Coaching available, at SchoolSuccessSolutions.com
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