Mary Jew Director Cupertino Language Immersion Program Director Human Resources/Instructional Services Cupertino Union School District

Welcome!

I would like to extend a warm welcome to the new and returning students and families of the Cupertino Language Immersion Program!

As past President of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), I would like to share with you part of a message that I wrote for the July/August 2003 issue of the NABE News magazine titled: Learning, Language, and Culture in the Global Community.

In November 2002 at the International Education Week conference, Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, stated in his opening speech that, “ To better understand this new 21st century world, we need to expose our children to languages, cultures and challenges outside our borders. We must teach our students to understand world issues and their connections to them.” The Joint Committee for Language and International Studies resolved that all Americans must have the opportunity to learn English and at least one other language.

As an educator and parent, I have put my children through a two-way immersion program. As an individual who speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish and English, I feel fortunate that I have the ability to communicate with parents and the community in several languages. I would like to commend you as parents -- you see the need for your children to understand different languages and cultures. This will no doubt provide your children and America with the tools to be successful in a global economy. You have chosen to give your children an edge in their education. Additionally, your child is participating in a program that values diverse backgrounds, interests, languages, and knowledge.

As director, I am always seeking grants in order to allow for the expansion and improvement of our program. In 2002, we were successful in receiving a small grant of $4,700. For the years from 2003-2006, the district has received a grant of over $500,000 to support this program.

Two of our main goals were to improve and expand the Mandarin Immersion Program curriculum through the fifth grade and to develop the curriculum for middle school, sixth through eighth grades.

Our program continues to grow! I am very happy to introduce our wonderful and dedicated team of professionals. They have given endless hours to the planning and development of our program’s curriculum. Meet the staff...

Mary Jew
Director Human Resources/Instructional Services

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