Capo News – Spanish, Mandarin Schools Accepting Applications/Students Must Turn 5 by Oct. 1 to Start School in September

The Open Enrollment window for the District’s Spanish Two-Way Immersion (TWI) and Mandarin Immersion Program (MIP) will run from February 4-22, 2013. Spanish TWI programs are offered at Las Palams, San Juan, and Viejo Elementary Schools and will be accepting kindergarten students for the 2013-2014 school year. The TWI program is also offered to middle school students at Bernice Ayer and Marco Forster Middle Schools. The MIP program is offered at Bergeson Elementary School and will be accepting kindergarten students for the 2013-2014 school year. Interested families should contact the school directly to RSVP for information meetings/school tours. Applications are available on the website for TWI and MIP programs, and must be submitted, in person, to the school of choice February 4-22, 2014 between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

About 30 students at R.H. Dana Exceptional Needs facility will be able to take part in a field trip to Pretend City in Irvine, thanks to a generous $1,300 grant from the Orange County Community Foundation, through the FEDCO teacher’s Grant Program. Tracy Kerins, a speech and language pathologist and the school, applied for the grant, which is made available to schools for activities that foster student development and involvement in their educational programs. This is the second year that the school has been awarded the grant.

Families preparing to send their children off to school for the first time in the fall can visit elementary campuses in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) during Kindergarten Roundup meetings in the month of February. All 36 elementary CUSD schools will hold informational meetings that will last about an hour to provide families with important information regarding kindergarten programs and distribute registration materials. A schedule of roundup dates and times is available online. Families should bring proof of residence to receive their registration packets. If families intend to apply for a school of choice during the Open Enrollment period, they may attend a roundup at their preferred site. Children must be 5 years old on or before Oct. 1, 2013 to begin kindergarten. If they miss the cut-off date, they may be eligible for the District’s Transitional Kindergarten program.

Last month, the District was given the opportunity to select six schools to receive a Robot Kit grant sponsored through the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation (REC). REC is dedicated to advancing STEM education, and has offered 16 Orange County schools the opportunity to participate in the VEX Construction System Pilot Program. The grant will train participating teachers in the VEX program and supply classes with VEX robotic kits. Each school will form a VEX team that will assemble a robot for participation in the 2013 VEX World Championship competition to be held April 18-20, 2013. The following sites will be participating in this grant: Ladera Ranch Middle School, Marco Forster Middle School, Newhart Middle School, Aliso Viejo Middle School, Niguel Hills Middle School, and Carl Hankey K-8.