Exciting News: TDSB opens to the idea of a pilot program of Full Mandarin Immersion at Ryerson Community Jr & Sr School. If you are interested in learning more about this, please contact Carla Tonelli. Carla is a parent of JINGBAO Downtown, who has two kids enrolled at JINGBAO.

• Contact Carla at , Carla Tonelli ctonelli@gmail.com


• Visit the blog, Toronto Parents for Mandarin http://ginggolb.wordpress.com/


• Complete a survey and share, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/F3T6ZNK

If you are a parent in GTA who is interested in Mandarin Immersion program, please also contact your local school trustee, city councillor, and MMP. This is about our kids' education.

Across North America, Mandarin Immersion/Bilingual programs have blossomed, available in both public schools and private/independent schools. While some programs are still experimental, we definitely see an increase of interests and needs.

Highlights of Mandarin Bilingual Program ( B.C’s model):

• Regardless of a student’s language background, the program offers all students the possibility of completing 50% of the BC curriculum in Mandarin (Mandarin Language Arts, Math, Health and Career, and PE) and 50% of the prescribed BC curriculum in English (English Language Arts, Science and Social Studies and Fine Arts).
• Students develop strong communication skills in both English and Mandarin.
• Students develop their knowledge of other cultures and the program helps prepare students for the global economy.

Who is doing Mandarin Immersion/Mandarin Bilingual
a. Mandarin Immersion in United States

There are many excellent Mandarin Immersion programs throughout the United States. There are both private and public school programs and the degree of immersion varies from after-school only instruction to 90% of school instruction time.
• Greater San Francisco Bay Area, USA
http://miparentscouncil.org/schools/
• Other States, USA
http://miparentscouncil.org/us-schools/

b. Mandarin Bilingual Program in Canada

• Edmonton, Alberta
Edmonton spearheaded the Mandarin Bilingual Program in Canada, and now there are 12 schools offering (5 elementary, 4 middle, 3 high schools) Mandarin Bilingual Program in the different districts, with 2,000 students enrolled out of a total of 80,000 students in Edmonton.
For more information, please visit the website of Edmonton Chinese Education Association
• Vancouver, British Columbia
John Norquay Elementary School
The program is expected to open in September 2011. The program has attracted almost twice as many students as it can accommodate, received 112 applications for 68 spaces – 22 in kindergarten, 22 in k-1 split and 24 in Grade 1.

c. Other school districts, British Columbia

• Forest Grove Elementary school, Burnaby District Started in September, 2010, with a single K class
• Walton Elementary School., Coquitlam District The program offers K –Gr2.

d. Hamilton, Ontario

Prince Phillip Elementary School, Hamilton-Wentworth District For more information, please click here

Questions & Answers:

1. Why not just have these people who are interested in learning Mandarin just go to heritage language schools?

Heritage language programs are designed and more suitable for children who already have oral fluency in the language and they focus on literacy i.e. writing skills, not conversational skills. It is assumed that those children speak Chinese in the home. And hence it is not suitable for children of English-speaking households, which the majority of the students in the Mandarin Bilingual program are from non-Mandarin speaking households.

2. What if the program is overwhelmed with applications from students with Mandarin speaking backgrounds?

The reality is that this program would most appeal to students from English-speaking backgrounds. Students from Mandarin-speaking backgrounds would most likely be seeking enrolment in English kindergarten/Grade 1 to increase their English fluency. This is proven by the fact that most French immersion students come from English speaking backgrounds.

Participate in your Child’s future.