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German Immersion Summer Camps in California for Summer 2013

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Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool
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Summer is just a couple of weeks away. Have you planned for your children’s summer camp experience yet? If you are still looking for a cool camp in California, where children not only have fun but can also improve their (foreign) language skills, go over the list of German Immersion Summer Camps we have compiled for you below!

We hope you find the perfect camp for your child and would love to hear about your experience!

GERMAN IMMERSION SUMMER CAMPS FOR CHILDREN IN CALIFORNIA.

Southern California offers camps in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Big Bear. Northern California has camps in Oakland, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Berkeley.

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Big Bear – (offered through the German-American School Association of SoCal) 7 Days German Immersion Overnight Camp

  • Dates: 23 June – 29 June, 2013
  • Minimum age: 7 years
  • Fun Activities include: archery, swimming, rock climbing, nature hikes, baking & much more.
  • All activities are in German
  • Cost: $575.00
  • Location: Presbyterian Conference Center, Big Bear
  • Contact: Email for enrollment forms, gasa54@aol.com

Los Angeles – (offered by Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool – Regenbogen Kindergarten )    – “Spiel, Spass und Sommer-Aktivitäten”  –

San Diego – (offered by Enrichment4Kids – 3 Sessions available )

  • Dates:  Session 1: July 29th-2nd;  Session 2: Aug 5th-9th;  Session 3: Aug 19th-23rd
  • Age Groups: Pre-K to Elementary Age
  • Activities: “Enrichment for the Head, Heart and Body”. Math & reading, both in German will be taught for the first 3 hours each day before activities like swimming, piano, field sports, tumbling, skateboarding, etc.
  • Cost: Call for info
  • Contact: Kimberley@ReCenter.org
  • Website: https://www.facebook.com/Enrichment4Kids?ref=ts&fref=ts

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA:

Oakland – (Organized by BAKS plus – 2 Sessions available )

  • Dates:  Session 1: June 17th-28th; Session 2: July 1st -12th
  • Age Groups: 4-14 years
  • Activities: Session 1 – ”Wer waren die alten Germanen? – Who were the Germanic tribes?   Session 2  – “Klaus Stoertebeker & CO. – A Pirate’s Life for Me! “
  • The whole program is in German Immersion. Prior knowledge of German is advisable.
  • Hours: Sessions run from 9-1pm daily. Extended Care is available until 5pm
  • Cost: Session 1 – $400; Session 2 – $360 (Discounts available for siblings, Combination of session 1 & 2, and early bird sign ups )
  • Location: Archway Lower School, 250 41st Street, Oakland, CA 94611
  • Contact: sommerschule@kinderstube.org
  • Website:http://www.kinderstube.org/plus/plusprogram.html#summercamp

Menlo Park – (organized by GASPA-German American School of Palo Alto)     One 4-week full immersion summer camp session .                                    “Gedanken in den Wolken…Füsse im Matsch!”

  • Dates:  One session from June 24th – July 19th, 2013 (9am- 2pm Mo-Fri; extended time 2-6pm available)
  • Age Groups: 3-12 years ( no prior language knowledge required!)
  • Activities: music, art, cooking, crafts, sports games, dancing & much more
  • Cost: Early bird – $995 and Regular – $1095
  • Location: GAIS School Campus, 275 Elliot Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94303
  • Contact: office@gaspa-ca.org;
  • Website: http://www.gaspa-ca.org/summer-school-program/overview
  • Note: Earl Bird Tuition valid through March 31st & non-refundable $150 registration fee for all registrations per child!

GISSV – German International School of Silicon Valley offers German Summer Camps in 3 different locations in NoCal: San Francisco, Berkeley & Mountain View. ( www.gissv.org/summerprogram )

San Francisco – (Organized by GISSV – 4 one-week sessions available)

  • Dates: June 17th – July 12th 2013 (Four sessions)
  • Ages: 4.9 -7 years
  • Activities: Indoor & Outdoor Adventures. Per session children will discover one of the four elements, air, earth, fire & water.
  • Hours: 9am-4pm
  • Cost: $395/Full Day Session
  • Location: San Francisco Campus, 4 Funston Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94129
  • Contact: office@gissv.org, phone: 650-254 0748
  • website: www.gissv.org/summerprogram

Berkeley – (Organized by GISSV – 5 one-week sessions available)

  • Dates: June 17th – July 19th 2013
  • Ages: 3-6 and 7-12
  • Activities: Explore the world with topics like Ocean, Circus, Space, and Fairy Tales from Around the World!
  • Hours: 9am-2pm
  • Cost: $247/Half Day Session
  • Location: Berkeley Campus, 1581 Le Roy Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94708
  • Contact:  office@gissv.org, phone: 650-254 0748,
  • website: www.gissv.org/summerprogram

Mountain View – (Organized by GISSV – 4 sessions available)

  • Dates: June 24, 2013 to July 19, 2013
  • Ages: Ages 3-4, ages 5-14, and adult classes
  • Activities: Students will be exposed to German throughout the day. Music, Art, Art History, Soccer, Basketball and much more. For further information on our program
  • Hours: 9am – 12pm/ Half day, Afternoon activities available from 12pm – 4pm
  • Cost: $375 – $750
  • Location:  Mountain View Campus, 310 Easy Street, Mountain View, CA 94043
  • Contact:  office@gissv.org, phone: 650-254 0748,
  • website: www.gissv.org/summerprogram
  • SPECIAL Website: http://www.gissv.org/podium/default.aspx?t=151553&rc=0
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German Language Immersion in the Summer – German Summer Camps In CA

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Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool
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Spring is just starting today and we are already  talking summer! In fact now is the perfect time to think about a camp that your child will not only enjoy but that will help him/her strengthen his German language skills during summer!

Growing up in a multilingual family offers many advantages, but often it can also be challenging, especially in regards to the second language, the language that is not spoken as frequently. To help your child with this process experts recommend to find different ways to get him/her immersed into the non-dominant language as often as possible. This gives the child the opportunity to connect to that language and become more familiar with its usage as well as its particular culture.

In the case of many CaliforniaGermans this ‘second’ language is German. Once children are in school they speak English for most of the day. Back home again they might hear some German, and if lucky also speak some German with their mother or father.

Spend Summer in California Attending a German Immersion Camp

Many expat families plan on going back  home to Germany, Austria or Switzerland during the summer months to visit family. This of course proofs to be the perfect solution for giving your children a firsthand experience and immersion into the German language and culture. But that’s of course a perfect scenario.  What if work or other factors don’t allow for a European vacation?

Wouldn’t a German language camp in somewhat close vicinity to your home in CA be a great alternative for your child to still benefit from speaking, hearing and learning German all day long for the duration of a fun summer camp?

That’s exactly what we thought and put together this compilation of German Language Immersion Summer Camps throughout California. We hope you find the perfect one for your child and would love to get your feedback on your experience.

German Immersion Summer Camps for Children in California.

Southern California offers camps in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Big Bear. Northern California has camps in Oakland, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Mountain View and Berkeley.

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool

Southern California:

Big Bear – (offered through the German-American School Association of SoCal) 7 Days German Immersion Overnight Camp

  • Dates: 23 June – 29 June, 2013
  • Minimum age: 7 years
  • Fun Activities include: archery, swimming, rock climbing, nature hikes, baking & much more.
  • All activities are in German
  • Cost: $575.00
  • Location: Presbyterian Conference Center, Big Bear
  • Contact: Email for enrollment forms, gasa54@aol.com

Los Angeles – (offered by Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool – Regenbogen Kindergarten )    – “Spiel, Spass und Sommer-Aktivitäten”  –

San Diego – (offered by Enrichment4Kids – 3 Sessions available )

  • Dates:  Session 1: July 29th-2nd;  Session 2: Aug 5th-9th;  Session 3: Aug 19th-23rd
  • Age Groups: Pre-K to Elementary Age
  • Activities: “Enrichment for the Head, Heart and Body”. Math & reading, both in German will be taught for the first 3 hours each day before activities like swimming, piano, field sports, tumbling, skateboarding, etc.
  • Cost: Call for info
  • Contact: Kimberley@ReCenter.org
  • Website: https://www.facebook.com/Enrichment4Kids?ref=ts&fref=ts

Northern California:

Oakland – (Organized by BAKS plus – 2 Sessions available )

  • Dates:  Session 1: June 17th-28th; Session 2: July 1st -12th
  • Age Groups: 4-14 years
  • Activities: Session 1 – ”Wer waren die alten Germanen? – Who were the Germanic tribes?   Session 2  – “Klaus Stoertebeker & CO. – A Pirate’s Life for Me! “
  • The whole program is in German Immersion. Prior knowledge of German is advisable.
  • Hours: Sessions run from 9-1pm daily. Extended Care is available until 5pm
  • Cost: Session 1 – $400; Session 2 – $360 (Discounts available for siblings, Combination of session 1 & 2, and early bird sign ups )
  • Location: Archway Lower School, 250 41st Street, Oakland, CA 94611
  • Contact: sommerschule@kinderstube.org
  • Website:http://www.kinderstube.org/plus/plusprogram.html#summercamp

Menlo Park – (organized by GASPA-German American School of Palo Alto)     One 4-week full immersion summer camp session .                                    “Gedanken in den Wolken…Füsse im Matsch!”

  • Dates:  One session from June 24th – July 19th, 2013 (9am- 2pm Mo-Fri; extended time 2-6pm available)
  • Age Groups: 3-12 years ( no prior language knowledge required!)
  • Activities: music, art, cooking, crafts, sports games, dancing & much more
  • Cost: Early bird – $995 and Regular – $1095
  • Location: GAIS School Campus, 275 Elliot Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94303
  • Contact: office@gaspa-ca.org;
  • Website: http://www.gaspa-ca.org/summer-school-program/overview
  • Note: Earl Bird Tuition valid through March 31st & non-refundable $150 registration fee for all registrations per child!

GISSV – German International School of Silicon Valley offers German Summer Camps in 3 different locations in NoCal: San Francisco, Berkeley & Mountain View. ( www.gissv.org/summerprogram )

San Francisco – (Organized by GISSV – 4 one-week sessions available)

  • Dates: June 17th – July 12th 2013 (Four sessions)
  • Ages: 4.9 -7 years
  • Activities: Indoor & Outdoor Adventures. Per session children will discover one of the four elements, air, earth, fire & water.
  • Hours: 9am-4pm
  • Cost: $395/Full Day Session
  • Location: San Francisco Campus, 4 Funston Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94129
  • Contact: office@gissv.org, phone: 650-254 0748
  • website: www.gissv.org/summerprogram

Berkeley – (Organized by GISSV – 5 one-week sessions available)

  • Dates: June 17th – July 19th 2013
  • Ages: 3-6 and 7-12
  • Activities: Explore the world with topics like Ocean, Circus, Space, and Fairy Tales from Around the World!
  • Hours: 9am-2pm
  • Cost: $247/Half Day Session
  • Location: Berkeley Campus, 1581 Le Roy Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94708
  • Contact:  office@gissv.org, phone: 650-254 0748,
  • website: www.gissv.org/summerprogram

Mountain View – (Organized by GISSV – 4 sessions available)

  • Dates: June 24, 2013 to July 19, 2013
  • Ages: Ages 3-4, ages 5-14, and adult classes
  • Activities: Students will be exposed to German throughout the day. Music, Art, Art History, Soccer, Basketball and much more. For further information on our program
  • Hours: 9am – 12pm/ Half day, Afternoon activities available from 12pm – 4pm
  • Cost: $375 – $750
  • Location:  Mountain View Campus, 310 Easy Street, Mountain View, CA 94043
  • Contact:  office@gissv.org, phone: 650-254 0748,
  • website: www.gissv.org/summerprogram
  • SPECIAL Website: http://www.gissv.org/podium/default.aspx?t=151553&rc=0

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Related Articles:

Hilfe, mein Kind spricht Kauderwelsch! – http://www.bibernetz.de/wws/interview-rosemarie-tracy.php

Wie lernen Kleinkinder sprechen? Prof. Rosemarie Tracy, Sprachwissenschaftlerin an der Universität Mannheim, im Interview mit Leslie Rowe über Spracherwerb und Mehrsprachigkeit – http://www.br.de/radio/bayern2/sendungen/radiowissen/gespraech-rosemarie-tracy-100.html

German Schools in California – Plan Ahead for School Year 2013/14

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German Schools in CALifornia – Send in your Application 

As the new year kicks off many schools are starting their application processes or are already in the midst of it. Language Immersion Schools are very sought after these days and its advisable to send in your application as soon as possible, or at least get your name on the waiting list.  If you have in mind for your child to attend a German language immersion school make sure you find out if there is a separate application procedure for native speakers.

At some immersion schools native speakers might have a slight advantage and a better chance to get a space since the school needs to have a certain percentage of  native speakers to offer a well-functioning language immersion program.

Apart from January’s application season many schools host also open houses for parents and students to check out their program and to see if it’s the right choice for them.

A Language Magnet School in Glendale

It’s nice to see that some parent groups are really active out there and engaged to keep German language programs going. One of these schools that can call itself lucky to have such an engaged parent volunteer body is the Franklin Magnet School in Glendale.

Franklin Magnet School – The International Foreign Language Academy of25 Glendale is offering several language immersion programs, German is one of them. Before the holidays the school had the honor of  German Deputy Consul General Stefan Biedermann visiting the students and presenting them with a check of nearly $6000 to support the German language program.

Anyone who is interested in applying to Franklin Magnet School’s immersion program is advised to send in applications immediately. The cut off date is January 25 at 4:30pm.

IF YOUR CHILD SPEAKS GERMAN, SCHEDULE A TIME FOR THE EXAM! WHERE: GUSD Magnet Office at 223 N. Jackson St., Glendale, CA 91206, PH:(818) 241-3111 ext 649.

For more information on the school and the application process see the following links:
Main GUSD Magnet Page: gusdelementarymagnet.org
Direct link to the application page: gusdmagnetandflag.com
Applications MUST be RECEIVED by the Glendale Unified School District (GUSD)  by January 25 at 4:30 p.m. !

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California’s Southland

Orange County International Academy  (OCI Academy) in Ladera Ranch has been introduced in our previous article on German Schools in CA. The school opened its doors not too long ago, and because of the high demand in its various immersion programs established a popular German immersion program in South County for grades Pre-K to K.

On January 7th  and 12th, 2013 from 10pm-1pm  OCI Academy’s Open House invites parents and students to check out the school and its academic program. Parents can meet the teachers, find out more about the curriculum and tour the school.  For questions please call the school at (949)-545-7487

The Albert Einstein Academies in San Diego had announced that the lottery process for applying to their school’s K – 8 grade has already started. The application deadline for K-5 is Feb 28, 2013 but for grades 6-8 it is already Jan 31, 2013. More information about the application procedure can be found at www.aeacs.org . Middle school has its new separate website at http://aeacms.org

Northern California Schools

GISSV – German International School of Silicon Valley offering a bilingual education from Preschool to University opened up a new campus in November 2012. The historic Hillside School of Berkeley became the school’s 3rd campus in the San Francisco Area. GISSV, which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges” (WASC), offers the German International Abitur (DIAP), and the CA High School Diploma, which qualifies students for acceptance into European and American universities.

noname“The GISSV Berkeley campus, currently housing a mixed-age Kindergarten and grades 1 through 5, to be extended through grade 8 over time, is honored to make its permanent East Bay home in Berkeley.” The Grand Opening  Ceremonies were quite impressive with theGISSV Orchestra, performing “Music for the Royal Fireworks” by George Frideric Handel.

The Following Open House Dates for GISSV are offered:
Berkeley Campus, Preschool and Grades K-6
Upcoming Open House:
January 12, 2013 – 11am to 1pm
San Francisco Campus, Grades K-3
Group School Tours:
Every Tuesday from 9:30am to 10:30am during our enrollment season. Please contact admissions@gissv.org to register (registration required).
Upcoming tour dates for 2012/2013:
January 8 / January 15
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The German American International Schools (GAIS), another German immersion School in Silicon Valley which offers preschool through 8th grade,  has an information night on all sections of the school on January 8th at 8pm . The deadline to apply to the German American International School is already on Jan 14, 2013 (for new students only). To read their latest news, check out their online magazine .   

 
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Get a College Education for Free – Study in Germany

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High School & Beyond

If you have a high school student in your family you are sooner or later confronted with the topic  “What about College?”

As a good parent you attend all the informational meetings at your student’s high school and get acquainted with all the special steps that will finally lead to your child attending university. You might even visit some colleges and check them out. But at one point you will just freeze… That’s when you have reached the “Cost of Attendance” part online or during a college presentation.

Free University Education in Germany –  Plan Ahead & Be Prepared

While still gazing in disbelief at these mesmerizing numbers that make up only one year of the college attendance fee, a little thought suddenly pops up in the back of your mind and with a sigh of great relief, you remember: “Hey, my son/daughter is German. We send him/her to university in Germany!”

Nice thought. But not so easily executed… [Read more…] about Get a College Education for Free – Study in Germany

‘Exploratorium’ in San Francisco – A Modern Version of the ‘Deutsches Museum’

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Exploratorium
Exploratorium (Photo credit: rvr)

Having spent a lot of time during my childhood at the “world’s largest museum of technology and science”, the Deutsches Museum in Munich,  I had memories revisit me when I saw my son exploring and investigating at the San Francisco Exploratorium, named “ Best Science Center in the World” by the 4th science center  world congress in Rio de Janeiro.

Located within San Francisco’s historic Palace of Fine Arts, close to the Golden Gate Park this “…museum of science, art, and human perception was founded in 1969” by physicist Frank Oppenheimer, brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer (known to some as the “father” of the atomic bomb)

The Exploratorium is an absolute treasure for young and old, and just makes you want to go ahead and explore by touching and interacting with the “…475 interactive exhibits, displays and artworks that are currently on view”. The various hands-on exhibits study the fields of biology, physics, listening, cognition, and visual perception in a very unique way and in captivating presentations.

Even if one is not born with the ‘science gene’, a visit to the Exploratorium might just awaken your natural sense of curiosity and make you not want to leave this interactive museum. We spent almost a full day here and still felt there was so much more we needed to see.

And there will be even more to explore, learn and see in the near future. The Exploratorium is moving and will have a new home by spring 2013. The new space on Pier 15 will house a nine-acre campus right on San Francisco’s historic Embarcadero.

Information for your next visit:

  • Tickets are $25 for adults, $19 for youth and children under 5 years of age are free.
  • First Wednesdays of the month are free.
  • Location: 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco,  CA 94123

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It’s Time for School – German Preschools in California

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As my older son is preparing to going back to university and all of us are getting ready for our last trip this summer to drop him off in northern California, I realize another summer has come to an end!   It’s ‘Back to School‘ for so many children in California! While my eight year old still has a few weeks left to enjoy the beaches before his new school year starts, many California school districts are starting their new school year already this week.

For many students a new year just means moving up to a higher grade, but for some of the youngest ones it means starting a completely new stage of life as they prepare for their first day of elementary school!

This made us take a look at some of the German preschools & Kindergarten available in California.

Last year we had introduced BAKS, the Bay Area Kinderstube with an interview of its director Sybille Cohen. It is a full immersion German language preschool that started out as a parent initiative in 1994 and became a private preschool in 1997. BAKS is a very charming pre-school in a quiet neighborhood in Albany right next to Berkeley. It is the perfect place to send your little ones to slowly ease them into a new way of life – the life of a student. The school feels like a home away from home with an inviting playground and yard where the children grow plants and have a lot of space to run around. At BAKS children enjoy a lot of different activities while ‘living the German language’ through reading, singing, doing arts, nature explorations and also cooking and baking together with the teachers. Since last year the children are even offered martial art lessons and yoga. BAKS is for children 2.5  to 5 years old. Many children who have started at BAKS continue their German school education at the Berkeley campus of the GISSV (German International Schools of Silicon Valley).

BAKS has grown very popular over the last few years and it is advisable to put your name on the waiting list early on.

Across the Bay one can find three German immersion pre-schools

One is KinderHaus right in San Francisco. Similar to BAKS it is a smaller preschool but is run as a parent co-op. KinderHaus, a German international preschool, started out in 2005 and is located in the heart of the Mission District. The school follows the Piaget’s approach to childhood eduction. “This developmentally appropriate program is based on children’s intellectual, social, and physical needs and designed to encourage child-initiated learning activities within a supportive environment.” (Kinderhaus) . To learn more about KinderHaus visit them at their next Open House on Saturday October 15th from 10:00am – 12:00pm.

The other two preschools are part of the two international schools, which are both located in Silicon Valley. One in Mountain View , the other in Menlo Park.

The German International School of Silicon Valley (GISSV) has campuses in 3 different locations. Bilingual preschool programs are offered at both, the Mountain View and the Berkeley campuses, but only the main campus in Mountain View features the programs preschool through High School (GISSV is the only school offering a High School Diploma as well as the German Abitur on the West Coast). “The language concept of the GISSV Kindergarten and Preschool is based on the Principle of the Dual Immersion Method… [This ] offers the children an effortless, natural language acquisition in both languages.” (GISSV website)

The German American International School in Menlo Park offers a preschool and the grades 1 through 8. While GISSV’s focus lays on a dual immersion program, GAIS concentrates on a German language immersion program . The school is a certified IB (International Baccalaureate)  school offering the “Primary Years IB programme” from preschool on. “The content of our academic curriculum from preschool trough grade 8 compares to the California, German, and Swiss standards.” (GAIS website)

Preschools in Los Angeles County 

Going south we find two preschools with German language immersion programs.  Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool is a small quaint preschool with a very central location in L.A. The school has a daily program for up to 12 children in a mixed age group from 2 1/2 years old to Kindergarten age. Kigala Preschool in Santa Monica on the other hand is a much bigger preschool in comparison offering children not only German language immersion but also Spanish immersion programs. Parents can enroll their potty trained toddlers in morning, afternoon, and also full day sessions.

German Preschools beyond Los Angeles

As we move more south along the coast it seems German schools have become more scarce. Orange County for example has no dedicated German language immersion preschools or elementary schools despite a quite extensive local German community. The closest one with some German infused education is Anneliese School with its three campuses in Laguna Beach. Here children are exposed to a variety of languages from preschool on and receive formalized instruction in both, German and Spanish, from Kindergarten through sixth grade.

A fairly new school in Orange County that we just have learned about is OCI Academy (Orange County International Academy) in Ladera Ranch, which offers language immersion programs for children ages 2-9 in six different languages including German.

San Diego as our last destination on our search for German preschools has one full German language immersion preschool called Die Rasselbande. Founded in 2003 with only 12 children the school has grown into serving over 80 students to date. There are five preschool classes grouped by age and one mixed age class to choose from. The school follows a play-based program that nurtures the whole child. The language during school operation (9am-2pm) is exclusively German. Many children who went through the program of ‘Die Rasselbande’ continue their German school education at the Albert Einstein Academies, a German immersion elementary school (K-8) that CaliforniaGermans had portrayed in July.

‘Schultüten’ – Following a German tradition

A Geman tradition is to celebrate your child’s first day of elementary school with a ‘Schultüte’ . This day marks the transition from playful preschool days into the structured life of elementary school education and beyond.

CaliforniaGermans wants to celebrate this special day with you and teamed up with KinderCone, the first company to introduce this German tradition to America through a line of custom designed Schultüten called KinderCones.

Check out CaliforniaGermans Facebook page to find out how you can win one of three KinderCone First Grade Editions sponsored by KinderCone.

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Albert Einstein Academies – A German-English Immersion Charter School in San Diego

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The first school in our series on ‘German Schools in California’ is in San Diego. It is the Albert Einstein Academies, located in Southpark near Balboa Park with its many museums. 

From the outside looking like one of many other public schools there is nothing that suggests that this building hosts quite a different version of an American public school until one enters the school’s premises, and suddenly is greeted by murals depicting German “Fachwerkhäuser” and a “Brezen Bäckerei”.

Albert Einstein Academies, a Public Charter School, is one of only three schools in California that offer a K through 8 International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum, but the only one that offers a German-English immersion within this IB program . Since 2008 Albert Einstein Academies is also an official German Partner School (PASCH).

All the fabulous education this school has to offer is free!

Having started out in 2002 with only 24 students and in rented rooms of a church, the school has grown into over 800 students and is slowly growing out of its present school site. Initially just an elementary school, Albert Einstein Academies now offers also a middle school and is working on expanding into a High School as well.

The school has become very sought after in San Diego for its high academic standards, and since there is no school tuition for public schools, it makes the school evermore attractive! So if you live in the San Diego Unified school district, consider yourself lucky since you at least can apply to this popular school via an official lottery.

Birgit Schafer, elementary language coordinator at Albert Einstein Academies, is one of the school’s true veterans. She has witnessed the school’s growth since the very beginning. Her son was one of the first students to start first grade with only 24 other registered students at the newly opened school.  “We have just grown exponentially over the past years, and our success shows that we are on the right track. With our 9 out of 10 Academic Performance Index (API) we are among the top ten schools in the district wide ranking!”  says Mrs. Schafer. Applying to the school has become highly competitive and the waiting list is long. “We have about 300 children every year who we have to put on a waiting list” points out Mrs. Schafer. An official public lottery decides on the final admissions.

Priority is given to German-speaking students, but the selection process stays competitive also for them.

In order to guarantee the dual immersion program with the German language, the school is officially allowed to fill 25% of their over all applications from a pool of German-speaking applicants. You might therefore have a slight admission’s advantage if your child speaks German. But since applications by German speakers have equally increased over the years, a lottery makes the final decision also here. To be admitted into the pool of German speakers, students have to pass a special test that will determine German language fluency.  “This testing is difficult particularly for the younger children who are often shy”, so Mrs. Schafer, “but for an immersion school like ours, it is important to have fluent and native speakers in all classes. They are speech models in the immersion classes.” She further points out that, since the children not only learn speaking German through classroom instruction, but also from interaction with each other, it is critical to have a certain amount of German-speaking children in a class.

Walking through the school and visiting some classrooms I am in fact impressed by how much the German language is present in every classroom. This is particularly visible in the elementary classes K-5 where the dual immersion program guarantees that  “50 percent of the total instruction time including core subject instruction is taught exclusively in the German language” (ABE website). The instruction alternates between German and English on a weekly basis and is continuous.

Options for students planning to enter Albert Einstein Academies  at a higher grade level but speak little to no German.

The school has incorporated a “Foreign Language Pathway” class that academically goes along with the three regular German immersion classes in a particular grade level. Available from third grade on the “Foreign Language Pathway” class makes it not only possible for non-German speakers to join the school at a later time, but it also gives current students of an immersion class the option to withdraw from the immersion part, but still stay at the school, and enjoy the benefits of the unique IB program and an international community.

While the IB program continues throughout Middle School the Dual Immersion does not. In Middle School (6-8 grade), the students actually can decide on which language they would like to concentrate on, and can pick between German or Spanish. At the moment 220 of the 300 middle school children chose to continue with German while 80 students went on to study Spanish. To further deepen language skills in either language the school has a foreign language exchange program in place with a Gymnasium (High School) in Germany and a High School in Mexico.

But that’s not all.

Apart from the extraordinary language immersion opportunity for children, Albert Einstein Academies offers a well-rounded curriculum along the guidelines of the IB program incorporating California State Academic Standards. In addition to that an extensive after school program encourages all students to get involved in many other learning opportunities. From German Drama & Choir to German Soccer, Spanish Club, Mad Science, martial arts, yoga and much more. Special  workshops sponsored by the “Friends of Albert Einstein’s German Cultural Commitee” offer additional cultural immersion into Easter, Christmas and other German traditions.

Last personal impressions…

All the classrooms I visit have a very inviting, friendly learning atmosphere.  I admire one page essays by first-graders on the topic “Frühling”, written in such perfect German that I start wondering if I accidentally got lost in a second grade class.  Many of the classrooms feature a piano and as I am glancing at one of the music sheets I recall my own elementary school years learning songs like “Brüderchen komm tanz mit mir…” Another class displays projects on ‘life cycles’ and a 3rd grade made a collage on the topic “Umweltverschmutzung” (pollution).

Albert Einstein Academies  – definitely a school worth checking out!

Albert Einstein Academies (AEA) in short:

  • Tuition-free public charter school with dual language immersion in German-English
  • Accredited IB World School offering the IB program from K through 8th grade
  • Official German Partner School (PASCH) since 2008. The title is awarded by the German federal department of schools abroad a  PASH Model School
  • Admission to the school is by official public lottery
  • Students wear school uniform
  • AEA prepares for the German language diploma level A2 in 5th grade & level B1 in 8th grade
  • School features foreign exchange programs with Germany & Mexico in Middle School
  • Extensive German & English library on the school premises
  • Great catalog of after school activities offered 
  • Special German tutoring in place by German intern teachers
  • Special cultural enrichment assured through private foundation “Friends of Albert Einstein”

For more information visit the school’s website, http://www.aeacs.org or contact the school at:

Albert Einstein Academies
3035 Ash St.
San Diego, Ca. 92102
Phone: 619-795-1190
 

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The Challenges Of Raising A Bilingual Child

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Bringing up a bilingual or in fact even multilingual child isn’t always an easy task. Lots of unforeseen challenges often lay ahead and even with good intentions it’s often hard to follow through.

When our now eight-year old son was born it was simply expected that he would learn to speak German along with English.  There were several reasons for it. An important one was that I wanted him to be able to communicate with my parents whose knowledge of the English language would not have been sufficient enough for building a deeper relationship with my son, their grandchild. Another reason was that I had raised my older son, who was born in Germany, bilingual, and I naturally wanted to give the younger brother the same advantage of being comfortable in two languages as well as cultures – since with the language comes along also a deeper understanding of the particular culture. I had learned that early on myself that being able to dive into conversations with the natives when visiting a foreign country opens up a complete different perspective, and makes one understand people of a particular country more in depth, including their values and what makes them drive.

Challenges Ahead

What concerned us, we were initially thinking of raising our son trilingual, since my husband’s native tongue is Spanish. As much as our decision of raising our little son with three languages seemed like a very sensible one at first, it turned out to come with a lot of challenges along the way.

Feeling left out

One easily forgets that someone not understanding and speaking the other language might feel left out eventually. This often happens to be the spouse, but also other family like grandmothers, aunts, uncles etc. What we experienced in our family was that following through on speaking German with our little guy demanded a lot of patience and trust of others in the family particularly my husband whose German was limited at that time . Constant open mindedness was absolutely important for both parties in this endeavor, in addition to being consistent with speaking German despite discouraging looks and comments of people around.

Connecting to your child in your native language

Speaking of consistency, we learned first hand how hard it is for the parent who is working full time to follow through on using his/her native language. Since the main “family language” was English among us and our older children, my husband had a hard time to follow through on speaking Spanish only with our little son. He felt he couldn’t connect to his son properly since all the little guy heard during the day was either German or English. Slowly but surely my husband’s Spanish gave way to English in the end. Only now since our son is learning Spanish in school my husband experiments with speaking some Spanish with him also at home.

My child understands but doesn’t want to speak the language

Another quite common challenge I often hear about is that kids sometimes refuse speaking in the second language despite the fact that they fully understand everything. This was also the case with my older son. We had moved to California when he had just turned six years old. Even though he was already fluent in English and German at that time, he hated it when I addressed him speaking German in public. He didn’t want to be different and my speaking German to him embarrassed him in front of his friends. He constantly answered back in English and begged me to “speak normal” meaning using English when conversing with him. I then tried to reduce my German speaking to conversations at home, and ignored the fact that he was answering back in English. Today one of his courses in college is German literature after all.

Once all these various difficulties have been addressed in one way or another, it can be a very rewarding experience to raise a child with more than just one language. In our case it was not only our little son who benefitted from it and now can chat along with his cousins in Germany, but my husband learned to speak and understand German as well.

Constant immersion into the second language is one important key to success  

I believe it is very important to have the other language/s be a constant component in the daily life of a multilingual child. It is critical to implement a natural understanding of the other (native) languages especially in the very early stages of childhood. If my son wanted to watch a movie or listen to a story when he was little,  it had to be in German. Now that he is older and has his friends from school over I am more relaxed regarding German, even though our personal communication continues to be in German.

A great support not only for the child but also the specific parent I found, is initiating friendships with other children who grow up learning the same language. Join a German mother-child group or a German Immersion Kindergarten or start your own. Find some resources here on our website. Helpful in finding likeminded families can also be attending one of the German Saturday schools throughout California.

Find creative ways to immerse your child into German to strengthen those language skills. Have him/her listen to German books on tapes which make car rides fun. Watch German kids movies or TV series like Biene Maja or Die Sendung mit der Maus , and enjoy reading to them in German as well! There is great reading material out there and so much new kids & youth literature to discover, be it by German or English authors. Just get the book in German instead of English. We for example can’t get enough of Cornelia Funke’s books these days, but also can’t wait for the next book in Michael Buckley’s series “Die Grimm Akten” (engl title: “The Sisters Grimm”). They are all being read passionately in our house.

Finding adequate reading/movie material

The Goethe Institut in Los Angeles has an extensive media room and offers children even to rent out German movies. They host book fairs and Saturday movie mornings for children. There is also plenty of literature online these days, try the online libraries of the Gutenberg Projekt for example, which offer 10,000 titles for free including a great selection of Märchen and other children stories. If you are looking for a particular book or movie, try Amazon.de, they will send German movies oversees.

Should you worry about your child not learning English properly?

My experience is that since we are living in the U.S. and we are surrounded by people speaking English, one shouldn’t worry. The environment our children are growing up in is infused by the English language. Wherever they go they will most likely be addressed in English. They will have neighborhood friends who will speak English. And, as soon as your child attends Kindergarten or school he/she will make even more English speaking friends and therefore easily  learn to transition into English whenever needed and master it in perfection as well.

So dive into the fun of (re)discovering German literature and movies for your child and for yourself, and make it an enjoyable learning adventure for everyone in the family.

Finding a German Kindergarten, School, German Immersion School

Check out CaliforniaGermans Resources

GERMAN SCHOOLS – Kindergarten – PreSchools

Further Reading Material of Interest:

Article on Language Immersion Programs for Children:  http://www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/language.html

KPCC – Bilingual Learning Report   http://projects.scpr.org/bilinguallearning/#options

 

“Global Communication Begins at Home” http://www.multilingualliving.com/2012/04/24/the-abcs-of-multilingual-parenting-the-letter-t/#more-8222

Language Development – Bilingual Children http://www.babyzone.com/baby/language-development/raising-bilingual-children_73233-page-2

Foreign Language Learning for Adults: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120328172212.htm

“Better living through Language Immersion” http://socialexpat.nymgo.com/?p=1242

Article on Raising a Child Bilingual: http://forward.com/articles/154652/why-my-daughter-isnt-bilingual-yet/?picks_feed=true

“German in a Multicultural World” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/education/edlife/german-in-a-multicultural-world.html?pagewanted=2&_r=4

“What Role Does German Play Internationally”       http://www.magazin-deutschland.de/en/artikel-en/article/article/welche-rolle-spielt-deutsch-international.html

Online Gutenberg Book Catalog:  http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/5502/1

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