_An Edhat Reader
By Montessori Center School
For decades, Montessori Center School has offered its students ages 18 months through 6th-grade weekly Spanish language classes as part of its whole-child approach to learning.
Beginning in fall 2024, the school will offer a Spanish immersion program and Mandarin language classes.
Brenda Renteria, who previously worked at MCS as a Spanish teacher, will be returning to helm the founding Spanish immersion classroom, which will open with a kindergarten and first-grade classroom. The immersion program will expand in future years to welcome students ages three through 6th grade, helping students achieve biliteracy in a Montessori environment rich with hands-on opportunities for child-centered learning and exploration. Research shows that bilingual students exceed the achievement levels of their monolingual peers.
Alongside the launch of the Spanish immersion program, MCS will offer a Mandarin language and culture class to children ages 3-12. Elementary families who are not enrolled in the Spanish immersion program can opt to participate in twice-weekly Mandarin lessons or continue with twice-weekly Spanish instruction.
MCS’s Interim Head of School, Vanessa Jackson, says, “Building cultural competency is an integral part of Montessori’s curricular studies. We are excited to provide students with this enriching opportunity to learn in a multilingual, multicultural school environment that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.”
Families interested in learning more about Montessori Center School’s multilingual learning programs are invited to reach out to the Director of Admissions, Tyler Clark at t.clark@mcssb.org.
To learn more about Montessori Center School, visit mcssb.org.
