Mission:

The mission of Mimosa Elementary’ s Dual Language program is to prepare students to be critical thinkers and productive citizens through the acquisition of literacy and cultural skills necessary to communicate effectively in English and Spanish, expanding their world view and college and career opportunities. 

Dual language education programs present academic instruction in two languages.  Social and academic learning occurs in an environment that values the language and culture of all students and sets high standards for academic success in Spanish and English.  The dual language model creates a bilingual environment which allows students to acquire a second language while developing and expanding their native language

In Fulton County, classroom instruction is a 50:50 model where 50 percent of the instruction is in English and 50 percent of the instruction is in Spanish.  All students learn to read, write, listen and speak in both languages equally well.  Students in Kindergarten through second grade are taught Math and Social Studies in Spanish and Science is taught in English.  Students in third through fifth grade are taught Math and Social Studies in English and Science in Spanish.

The program is offered as an ESOL model where a majority of the students speak Spanish at home.  Mimosa began with the first cohort of 50 kindergarten students in the fall of 2017.  Each year a new grade level will be added until the program is in Kindergarten through 5^th grade.

 Program Goals:

• Develop high levels of proficiency in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing in both Spanish and English.
• Help students meet or exceed grade level academic performance on state standards in Spanish and English.
• Take advantage of the optimal window of learning a second language during the primary years.
• Develop bilingualism, bi-literacy, and biculturalism.

 Benefits:

There are many benefits to participating in a Dual Language Immersion Program. In addition to advanced cognitive skills that last a lifetime and greater employment opportunities, studies show that bilingual people are more able to resolve conflict and tolerate differences in others.  Students who are bilingual also show greater creativity in solving math problems and utilize a broader vocabulary.