Proposed Boston Chinese Immersion Charter School

" I am writing to tell you about a proposed new public charter school which is currently accepting applications of Kindergarten and First Grade students for the Fall of 2011. The proposed Boston Chinese Immersion Charter School (BCICS) is a public charter school which will serve students throughout Massachusetts, with a preference for those who live in the City of Boston. We plan for the school to be centrally located in downtown Boston.** We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and tell you more about our proposed school. We specifically believe that our public, tuition-free school affords unique opportunities for all students (ability to learn a language critical to our global economy, extended school day and year, rigorous academic program), including those who are English Language Learners and otherwise feel their school choices are limited. We ask that you help us by making our application and information available to the families that utilize your resources. We could also send you something that you could send to your email list.
More information is available at BostonChineseImmersion.org. All applications may be submitted on line or mailed and are due March 4, 2011. A lottery will be held in the event that applications exceed available seats.
Please contact Tara Gohlmann, BCICS Founder who is heading up Outreach efforts. Tara can be reached at (917) 566-4512 or tgohlmann@verizon.net.
We look forward to hearing from you
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BCICS Mission
Through an academically rigorous curriculum using Mandarin Chinese as the medium of instruction, the Boston Chinese Immersion Charter School (BCICS) will prepare a diverse body of students in kindergarten through 8th grade to become fluent and literate in Mandarin Chinese and English and who will graduate from the school poised for academic success in high school and beyond. BCICS will leverage the benefits of language immersion and immersion methodology for acquiring subject matter mastery, engaging family involvement, developing oral language skills as a base for literacy, expanding literacy and vocabulary skills across two languages, creating a respectful community of learners, assessing student performance through a broad range of measures and developing culturally and globally diverse perspectives.

BCICS Vision
Boston Chinese Immersion Charter School will be a respectful community of learners, including not only the students in kindergarten through 8th grade but also the faculty and families, all of whom will engage in learning and participate in school activities with BCICS as their center. BCICS students will learn and demonstrate academic success in all core subjects: math, language arts, social studies, arts and sciences—as measured in both English and in Mandarin Chinese, a language designated as critical for learning by the US government. Staff will participate in professional development weekly and during the summer. Families will be offered classes in Mandarin, ESL and technology. Through innovative immersion instruction from teachers with native language skills, BCICS will serve as a model for other language programs around the state, nation and world. BCICS will build on the demonstrated success of language immersion programs for Boston area children eager to develop multilingual and multicultural skills that will serve them throughout their lifetimes.
** proposed BCICS is subject to granting of a charter by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Charter final decisions are expected February 28, 2011.