Hi -
She also seems to have an aptitude for learning languages and is fascinated by different cultures. I'm not fluent in Spanish or French, but have been teaching her what I can and she has absorbed it all; she's also very interested in learning Chinese (since the Olympics!) and Russian. In addition to the gifted school, we will also be applying to a dual-language immersion program and an IB program in our area.
My eldest (8) attended a French immersion school for 4 years. He's now fluent enough to succeed in an after-school program designed for native speakers. Immersion schools are a good option for gifted kids for 3-4 years. They present a huge challenge at first. After that, the work can become easy. Mine was offered a grade skip but we changed to another school and now do the after-school program instead.
If you're thinking seriously about the immersion route, you might want to look around for after-school programs for your DD in the event that you change schools after a while.
Don't assume that you won't change schools after a while! Thing is, your child will invest a lot of time and effort into learning the language and then lose a lot of it if she stops using it.
I find that learning to speak a second language is best done via immersion--- either at home, on the playground, or at school. My son can think in French and has a flawless accent. An advantage of an immersion school, if it has a strong program, is that your child will learn to read and write in the language in addition to speaking it. Plus, there's the cultural immersion, too.
Immersion schools that follow a national curriculum tend to teach the language very, very well.
I could go on and on about this topic: send me a private message if you want some more information.
Re: the 145+ school. I suggest asking very specific questions about their policies. Do they offer compacted courses (ie two years of spelling science done in one) in addition to acceleration (skipping a grade)? Are they big into subject mastery (ie you have to take all the tests for a subject before you can move up)? How do they feel about non-linear approaches to learning (ie skipping ahead to algebra and learning stuff like decimals and fractions in parallel)? How do they feel about "gaps in learning?" Are these to be avoided at all costs (IMHO, you do not want to hear this answer) or can they be good challenges if used wisely?
Hope this helps?
Val
