XinXing
Hopkins Public Schools
Chinese Immersion Program
Why immersion?
• Immersion is the fastest-growing and most
effective type of academic foreign language
program available.
Because students are immersed in the
language all day every day, they acquire
the language faster and better than
students in traditional foreign language
classes.
• Not only do students develop proficiency in
the immersion language, they also develop
increased cultural awareness.
The ability to interpret cross-cultural
interactions is crucial in today’s world.
• Foreign language immersion develops more
flexible thinking and has a positive effect on
students’ cognitive development.
• Immersion students achieve as well as or
better than their non-immersion peers on
standardized tests that measure verbal and
mathematical skills.
In 2009, Hopkins Schools was awarded a 5 year, $1.4
million Foreign Language Assistance Program grant from
the United States Department of Education to develop
a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
curriculum for grades K-12 in Mandarin Chinese.
“Our goal is for our students to complete high school with
advanced proficiency in Chinese and highly developed skills in
STEM, but with an interdisciplinary approach including social
studies, language arts, and the arts.We want them to really be
able to use their Chinese in the workplace. A goal is to equip
students with global literacy for effective participation in the
world community.”
Molly Wieland
Grant Project Director
Hopkins Schools
Chinese as a Second Language
China is the most populous country in the
world with more than 1.4 billion people.
The native Chinese language of Mandarin is
spoken by almost 1 billion people and is the
#1 spoken language in the world. One out
of five people in the world is Chinese.
Why Chinese?
• Offering Chinese is cutting-edge.
• Chinese is a practical language to learn.
China is the world’s most populous nation, and
it has many political and economic ties with the
U.S. Being bilingual in Chinese and English will
open many doors for our students in the future.
• There are Foreign Language Assistance
Program (FLAP) grants available through the
federal government for school districts that
teach critical languages like Chinese.
XinXing Academy
Eisenhower Elementary School
1001 Highway 7
Hopkins, MN 55305
Principal Terri Sigüenza
952–988–4300
October 2009
XinXing
Academy
XinXing Academy
Tuition information: 2010-2011
Tuition for XinXing Academy is $3,550 a year, or
$394.44 per month, for the full-day kindergarten
component. There is a one-time $50 registration
processing fee. Some partial and full scholarships are
available to students who meet income guidelines.
There are no fees for 1st through 6th grades.
Transportation
Transportation to XinXing
Academy is provided at
no cost to Hopkins Public
Schools’ students.
Before- and after-school
child care
Before- and after-school child
care is offered through Kids
& Company. For information,
please call 952-988-4080
Resources for
parents
• Center for Applied
Linguistics
www.cal.org
• Center for Advanced
Research on Language
Acquisition
www.carla.umn.edu
About XinXing
XinXing Academy, Hopkins Public Schools’ Chinese
immersion magnet program, opened at Eisenhower
Elementary School in the fall of 2007. XinXing means
New Star in Mandarin Chinese.
The program began with two sections of full-day
kindergarten. Having full-day kindergarten
provides students with sufficient contact with the
language to form the necessary base for success
in 1st grade and beyond. The full-day kindergarten
program is fee-based, with some scholarships
available. The program expanded to 2nd grade in
2009-10, and will expand a grade level each year
through 6th grade.
Enrollment
Slots are available to students from each of Hopkins
Public Schools’ six elementary schools, and there are
openings for parents who wish to open enroll their
children into the school district. Open enrollment
applications are due by Jan. 15, 2010. XinXing
Academy registration forms are due by Feb. 23,
2010. Registration will remain open until the
program is at capacity. A lottery system is used if
there is more demand for slots than allotted. Class
sizes range from 21 to 28 students, with the average
per class about 23 students.
Full immersion
Because XinXing Academy is a full immersion
program, all subject matter is taught in Mandarin
Chinese for the full day. English language arts will
be introduced beginning in 2nd grade or 3rd grade,
and there will be an even distribution of English and
Mandarin Chinese by 5th grade and 6th grade.
Family commitment
You are asked to:
• Make a long-term commitment to the immersion
program;
• Maintain an active role in your children’s
education;
• Provide your children with experiences that
will help develop their English language skills
and enhance their cognitive and affective
development;
• Read to your children daily in English; and
• Engage your children in activities where they
need to apply what they are learning in class.
Information Sessions
Information sessions are set for:
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009
Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010
Media Center Eisenhower Elementary School
1001 Highway 7, Hopkins, MN 55305
Information: 952-988-4300