Dear Rising 5th Grade Families,
As you know, your current 4th grader has had an introduction to a language (French) over the past several years at PCES. We know that this introduction has given our CESD students an incredible opportunity and leg up at learning a language other than English, something many students in Southern Maine don’t get to do until middle school.
Once students enter middle school at CEMS, World Language programming is accelerated and offered more regularly as a part of each student’s recommended course load. At CEMS, students take French or Spanish 4 days a week, for 45 minutes-the exact same amount of class time as they have for several other recommended content areas like science and social studies.
Because of the increase in their World Language programming, and because of the way staffing and scheduling works at the middle school, we will be starting all students in a new cycle of World Language learning in 5th grade. All 5th grade students will be randomly assigned to either Spanish or French as they enter middle school and will continue with that language through 8th grade. Families will find out about placements when schedules are opened in PowerSchool by mid-July.
The exception to this random assignment is for students who have French or Spanish as their Native Language OR for students who have French or Spanish as a Heritage Language.
Native Language
A Native Language, L1, or home language is the first language (and often primary language) a person learns to speak as a child at home and consistently uses more than 50% of the time at home. If a student’s primary language at home is listed as French or Spanish in Power School, they will be placed in the OPPOSITE language for their middle school World Language class. This is to avoid having native speakers of a language in a language class meant for students just learning that language.
Heritage Language
If a student has a parent/guardian or other close family member who is a Native Speaker of either French or Spanish, or there is another significant connection to French or Spanish based on your family’s national origin or ancestry, you will be able to make an appeal for a specific language.
If you would like to make an appeal for your student to take a specific language based on Heritage Language, you can either fill out the attached paper form and turn it into the office at CEMS by June 12th, 2024 or click here to fill out the digital appeals form by JUNE 12th, 2024. We will be in touch with all families who fill out the Heritage Language Appeal Form to let them know we received the appeal and to let them know if it has been accepted.
No World Language class changes will be made after class placements are completed and sent out this summer.
Please direct any questions to our 5th grade school counselor, Stephanie Royal (sroyal@capeelizabethschools.org).
Thank you and we can’t wait to meet your students in August!
Sincerely,
Sarah Rubin
Principal Cape Elizabeth Middle School