German schools

Sprichst Du Deutsch? Why not? – UNESCO International Mother Language Day

February 21, 2022 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

UNESCO believes in the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity for sustainable societies and declared February 21st to be International Mother Language Day . Since 2000, International Mother Langauge Day has been observed annually worldwide with the intention to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.

German Language Schools in the United States celebrate this day with the campaign “Sprichst Du Deutsch? Why Not?” encouraging students to learn more about their heritage by studying German and inspiring others to get to know more about Germany and its culture by means of its language.

By scanning the QR-codes in the picture below you can learn more about German Language Schools in the USA and about the motivation of students wanting to learn the German language.

To get a head start finding some options to learn German in California connect with GASA, the German-American School Association of Southern California.

Image: @GLSC-German Language School Conference

Summer Adventures Revisited

September 25, 2019 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

Two days ago was the official start of FALL! Yes, can you believe it? Summer is over at least according to the calendar. But don’t we all love to take a look back to these blissful days of summer, recalling our adventures?

That’s exactly what Eric Goldston and Kai Levato did. These two teenagers attended GASA’s German Summer Camp at Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center and had such an inspiring experience that they felt compelled to share their adventure with you!

GASA Camp June 2019: Der Zauberlehrling

By Eric Goldston (17) and Kai Levato (15)

School is back in session! Viel Glück im neuen Schuljahr.

September 10, 2018 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

Schultüte

We are starting the second week in September, and the truth is… Summer is over now! Even if it’s not the official end of this favorite season, it sure feels like it.

Once all kids are back in school again and you don’t hear the laughter of children playing in the streets all day, the beaches are deserted, and the freeways are crowded again, I know,… the serious side of life is back.

All children in California are back in school as of last week. Some were lucky enough to enjoy their summer vacation until right after Labor Day, others had to go back to school already in the middle of August.

German language schools in California are back in session as well. If you are interested in enrolling yourself or your children, go check all of them out on our website. No matter where you are, Northern California or Southern California, we have many of them listed here.

Here is the latest news from some of them:

SOCAL German Day 2017 at UCI

February 8, 2017 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

Yesterday on Tuesday, February 7 the UCI Department of European Languages and Studies invited to its SOCAL German Day 2017. A day that started out with German weather in fact. But despite initial rain showers students and teachers came out in big numbers to learn what UCI’s German Studies Program had to offer.

German School campus students and the school’s founder Frau Ursula Schoeneich attended as well and joined in the three hours filled program which UCI -German consul was put together by Glenn Levine, Professor of German and German Language Program Director at UCI. Before the crowd of students spread out to find their respective session, School of Humanities Dean Georges van den Abbeele as well as the German Deputy Consul General Kathrin Steinbrenner welcomed teachers and students to the event.

A variety of interesting and fun classes were offered including sessions led by Peter Zykowski of the Goethe Institute San Francisco, a workshop with Hanni Geist from the DAAD, and daad-workshop-with-hanni-geist a class with Vera Dindoyal from the ZfA-Zentralstelle für das Auslandsschulwesen of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Students of German School campus won the German Trivia Quiz 1 with 20 to 11 against other High School students. They joined classes of “Getting a Degree in Germany”, “Step into German with Soccer and Music”, and a “German Theater workshop”.

At the end of the event everyone could enjoy a UCI Campus Tour led by UCI’s German Studies students in German or English. By that time California sun had come out again as well and begged for a visit at the university’s ‘Mensa’ (food court). Frau Schoeneich and her German School campus students took that moment to discuss the day’s exciting moments while going through their gift bags filled with information and enjoying California fare.

welcome-by-glenn-levine-professor-of-german-at-uci

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Text/Images: German School campus & CaliforniaGermans

New Language Immersion School in Glendale to Open Fall 2017

December 17, 2016 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

In fall 2017 a new language immersion school is planning to open its doors in the Los Angeles area.

International Studies Language Academy (www.islaca.org), a new charter school in Glendale, will have an:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (K-5) that will offer immersion (90/10 model) in French, German, Italian and Spanish. All grades K-5 will be open to all students, regardless of language skills – no prior knowledge of the target language is required.
The MIDDLE SCHOOL will have two tracks. A Continued Immersion track will be open to students already fluent in their target language (25/75 model). An Acquisition track will be open to students with no prior knowledge of the target language (25/75 model), giving them an opportunity to become fluent in their target language by high-school.

The program of the school is designed according to the International Baccalaureate framework and is furthermore supported by the school’s affiliation with the International Studies Charter School in Miami, which is ranked #1 among charter schools in Florida.

The State has already approved the new immersion school to have its location in Glendale. The actual school building will be in Southern Glendale and is still in the process of being negotiated. The school model, similar to Benjamin Franklin Magnet School in Glendale, will also offer 6-8 grades, so that the students can continue their immersion education in German (and other languages) throughout middle school. In 2018, the board is planning to file a petition for a Language Immersion High School as well.

If you are interested in the school and would like to find out more, please visit the future school’s website at www.islaca.org . Questions can also be sent to info@isla.ca.org .

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Image Credit: ISLA

Halloween & Saint Martin's Lantern Parades in California

October 25, 2016 by Cornelia 1 Comment

laternen

November is here in less than a week! This is the month when winter sneaks up on us with its dark and foggy days – at least in Germany…

November 1st usually has a melancholy note, when many families in Germany observe Allerheiligen and Allerseelen ( All Saints & All Souls Day) by visiting graves of their deceased loved ones. Therefor we are looking forward to festive events like Saint Martin’s Day with its lantern parades, and the First Advent, that often starts towards the end of November, and which will bring us closer to the much anticipated Christmas celebration.

As expats, we love to enjoy some of our German traditions also in our country of choice and here, in California, German schools are doing a great job in honoring these. And so, around November 11th, the official Saint Martin’s Day, you might even find some Saint Martin’s Day celebrations wtih a traditional lantern parade in your proximity. At some events you are invited to build your own lantern while enjoying some Glühwein and getting into holiday mood!

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool in West L.A. is starting out early this year with a special Enchanted Halloween which is taking place already this weekend!!

GermanSchoolCampus in Newport Beach, Bay Area Kindergarten in Berkeley/Albany, GISSV in San Francisco, German Pacific School in San Diego, all have their events in the beginning of November 2016!

Please find detailed information on each event below:

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Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool -ENCHANTED HALLOWEEN Saturday, October 29, 4:30pm

This is an evening of magic and enchantment for the children, and it is open to the community. Our annual event is for children ages one to seven. Please come by and wear your not scary (!) costume. It’s a magical evening where the Queen of Fairies will enchant the children!

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool
3170 Stoner Avenue,
Mar Vista,
CA 90066

For questions contact us at TivoliRainbowGarden @gmail.com

We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Suggested Donation: $10

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GermanSchoolCampus in Newport Beach Saturday, November 5th at 6:30 pm

Join us in our Lantern Parade in Irvine, in front of Ute’s Kinderschule, on Saturday, November 5th at 6:30pm. Please notify us of your attendance so we can plan accordingly and be sure to have enough lanterns and don’t forget to bring a jacket!

Like last year we are planning on ordering the “Weckmännchen,” a special pastry tradition on St. Martin’s Day. We will also have a snack and Lemonade for after the parade. Please pre-order your “Weckmännchen” to be sure that your child will get one and will not be left out. Price is only $10 each!

Children under age of 6 please contact Frau Ute at:
Ute Chiu (uteskinderschule@gmail.com)
Children above 7 years please contact Frau Ursula at: Ursula.Schoeneich@Germanschoolcampus.com

Children need to be chaperoned by their parents!

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Laternenfest at Bay Area Kinderstube in Albany Saturday, November 12 at 4:00pm

Come celebrate the German tradition of St. Martin’s Day with us at Bay Area Kinderstube in Albany!
See our children perform on stage, sing songs with us, and join our annual lantern parade. You can bring your own lantern or buy one from us!
Enjoy seasonal treats including “Glühwein” (mulled wine), beer, hot chocolate, grilled sausages, “Weckmänner” (a German sweet bread) and soft pretzels.
Don’t miss the chance to win one of many incredible gift baskets at our raffle!
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Bay Area Kinderstube
842 Key Route Boulevard
Albany, CA 94706

Admission fee:
$2 individual / $5 family

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GISSV – Schule – GISSV San Francisco Campus (4 & 8 Funston Avenue) Saturday, November 5 at 3 PM – 7 PM

Save the date and join us for the 2nd annual GISSV San Francisco Laternenfest/Lantern Festival & Parade in the Presidio on Saturday, November 5 from 3 to 7 pm!

Join us for a fun and festive afternoon in the Presidio! There will be crafts, lantern making, food, drinks and a lantern parade around the neighborhood.

Schedule of Events

CRAFTS + ACTIVITIES (in + around 4 Funston Ave)
3:00 – 4:30 pm: Lantern Making Craft
3:00 – 4:15 pm: Kinder Program Activities (Face-Painting, Games, etc)

PERFORMANCES (lawn between 4 & 5 Funston Ave)
4:30 – 5:15 pm

LANTERN PARADE (start at 4 Funston Ave)
5:30 – 6:00 pm

FOOD + DRINKS
3:00 – 7:00 pm: Bake Sale, Pretzels + Coffee, Water and Apple Spritzer (Apfelschorle)
4:00 – 7:00 pm: Hot Cider + Puch for Children (Kinderpunsch)
4:00 – 7:30 pm: Little Red Riding Truck

For more information, visit gissv.org/laternenfest

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Albert Einstein Academy San Diego Saturday, November 5th, 4-7pm

The 15th Annual Lantern Festival will take place at the AEA Elementary School on Saturday, November 5th, 2016 from 4-7 pm. It has become a wonderful tradition for the whole family to enjoy. Join us in celebrating a 100-year-old German tradition with food and drinks, singing, and ending with a traditional lantern walk around the neighborhood.

In the spirit of Saint Martin’s gift to a coatless beggar, we will be collecting gently used coats and blankets for those in need again this year. The collection for these items will start a few days before the festival.

Please join us for a bratwurst dinner, bake sale, and music. The event will end with a Lantern Parade around the neighborhood.

Students in grades K-4 will be crafting Lanterns with their German teachers. If you have a younger or older child that is interested in making a Lantern to carry for the walk, please visit this Lantern Crafting website for ideas and templates. Sticks and lights for the Lanterns will be available for purchase at the event.

For more information on the St. Martin’s Day Tradition and Laternenumzug, please check this out Martinstag (St. Martin’s Day).

Date and Time
Saturday, November 5th, 2016, 4-7 pm

Location
Albert Einstein Academies Elementary School
3035 Ash St, San Diego, CA, 92102 (map)

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German Pacific School San Diego Sunday, November 6th, 4:30-6:30pm

GPSSD is planning its Lantern Parade for Sunday, 6. November from 4pm-6:30pm in Mission Bay, with Brats, Sauerkraut and ‘Weckmänner’. Join them for a parade, a campfire and a ‘half’-potluck in Mission Bay!

Please bring a small dish to share 🙂

For more information on exact location and time, please contact the school at germanpacificschool@gmail.com or call (858)-461-9118

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German Language School of Marin Saturday, November 12th, 5:30pm

Join the German Language School of Marin on November 12 at 5:30pm for a Laternenfest in Novato & Santa Rosa!

Lantern Festival, Music Parade, and Refreshments

We will have a lantern parade and refreshments will be available. We’ll meet at the locations below to light our lanterns (with flameless candles) before beginning our parade. Afterwards we will have hot chocolate and Weckmänner cookies available if desired.

In Novato
We will meet on Saturday, November 12 at 5:30pm at Pioneer Park in Novato (map it). Help us plan! Please RSVP to Kristina Paster, Events Manager, by email, call us at 415.897.9771, or let us know during school on Saturday if you would like to join us and would like cookies.

In Santa Rosa
We will meet on Saturday, November 12 at 5:30pm at our school campus in Santa Rosa (map it). Please RSVP to Susanne Ivarson, Santa Rosa Campus Manager, by email, call us at 415.897.9771, or let us know during school on Saturday if you would like to join us and would like Weckmänner cookies.

The parade is free! Only $5 per person if you would like a cup of hot chocolate and Weckmänner cookies afterward. Everyone is welcome, so bring friends!

weckmann — Weckmann Stutenkerl – Gebildebrot aus Hefeteig mit Pfeife (WikiMediaCommons)

German Pacific School San Diego – Open House Saturday 29, 9am-10pm

August 28, 2015 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

A new school year – Put learning German on your schedule

German Pacific School San Diego offers an Open House Event that coincides with its first Saturday school day: August 29th for 9am-10pm !

If you are new to the San Diego area or if you are just still undecided about enrolling your child or yourself in the new adventure of learning the German language, then this open house is for you. The event will give you a chance to acquaint yourself with all the dedicated GPSSD teachers as well as other German-speaking families. Find out about the various programs GPSSD has to offer while talking to the school’s director Wiebke Elbe. GPSSD has classes for children (preK-12) and also for adults.

Donate Your Used German Books to The School

The school has just recently started to build a little library for its students and is accepting donations. Should you have any German children books, boardgames or DVDs, that are collecting dust in your home, the school would love them as your donation!

German Pacific School San Diego ( GPSSD) is located at 4271 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego, CA 92117. Phone number : 858-461-9118

Image: German Pacific School San Diego

Mayfaire and Sommerfest – Celebrate with German Schools in SoCal and NoCal

May 23, 2014 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

Summer and the end of the school year is near. This means outdoor celebrations, open houses, parties and more. What a fun way to find out about some German Schools that are out here in California! Attending an Open house is a great way to get a feel for an institution’s vibe.

If you are interested in a particular German school in California (many of them are listed under “Resources” on our website), call them up and see if they have an end of year celebration or other community event.

Here are some events coming up in SoCal and NoCal:

Annual MAYFAIRE at Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool in Los Angeles holds its annual Mayfaire. Having moved to a new location over the past year, the school is inviting to its new location to join in on the fun.

Lots of entertainment, delicious food, fairies, a bazaar and for the fist time there will be a “Kasperle Theater” this year! Besides there will be performances by the Tivoli children, and musical entertainment will be provided by the very own Tivoli house band! The fun begins on May 31st, 2014, from 11am-2pm at 3170 Stoner Ave., Los Angeles, CA 9006

SOMMERFEST and 25th BIRTHDAY of GAIS – the German-American International School

A school that is celebrating a major milestone this year is the German-American International School (GAIS) in Menlo Park up in Northern California. They are celebrating their 25th year this June! Happy Birthday!

If you want to join them for their Sommerfest and 25th Birthday Carnival, then mark the date: Saturday, June 14th, 2014, from 2pm-5pm.

A fun day awaits you with Magic Show, Clowns, Games, Surprises, good food and so much more. For more information please call GAIS at +1 650 324 8617 or visit http://www.gais.org. The Sommerfest will be on the school grounds located at 275 Elliott Drive, Menlo Park CA 94025

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Photos:

The Challenges Of Raising A Bilingual Child

April 27, 2012 by Cornelia Leave a Comment

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

German schools

Sprichst Du Deutsch? Why not? – UNESCO International Mother Language Day

Summer Adventures Revisited

GASA Camp June 2019: Der Zauberlehrling

School is back in session! Viel Glück im neuen Schuljahr.

Here is the latest news from some of them:

SOCAL German Day 2017 at UCI

New Language Immersion School in Glendale to Open Fall 2017

Halloween & Saint Martin's Lantern Parades in California

Please find detailed information on each event below:

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Weckmann Stutenkerl – Gebildebrot aus Hefeteig mit Pfeife (WikiMediaCommons)

German Pacific School San Diego – Open House Saturday 29, 9am-10pm

A new school year – Put learning German on your schedule

Donate Your Used German Books to The School

Mayfaire and Sommerfest – Celebrate with German Schools in SoCal and NoCal

Here are some events coming up in SoCal and NoCal:

The Challenges Of Raising A Bilingual Child

Further Reading Material of Interest:

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German schools

GASA Camp June 2019: Der Zauberlehrling

Here is the latest news from some of them:

Please find detailed information on each event below:

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Weckmann Stutenkerl – Gebildebrot aus Hefeteig mit Pfeife (WikiMediaCommons)

A new school year – Put learning German on your schedule

Donate Your Used German Books to The School

Here are some events coming up in SoCal and NoCal:

Further Reading Material of Interest:

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