Language Immersion

Hopkins Public Schools Spanish and Chinese immersion programs holistically infuse cultural awareness, empathy and respect for other cultures into the curriculum for our global scholars.

In an increasingly globally-connected and competitive world, being multilingual gives your child an amazing advantage. Hopkins Public Schools offers language immersion programs in Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Both programs begin at Eisenhower Elementary School and continue in our secondary schools. Our Immersion students learn from native speakers, have travel opportunities, and even earn college credit!

About Chinese and Spanish Immersion programs:

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Chinese Immersion

Our Chinese Immersion program begins at XinXing Academy, housed within Eisenhower Elementary. XinXing is an early total immersion program. That means that all core subject matter is taught in Mandarin Chinese for the full day in grades K-2. Students learn to read and write in Mandarin first. Our teachers are native speakers of Chinese, and they strive to create a positive and authentic full-day immersion experience for your child. Special curriculum areas (art, music, physical education) are taught in English, but we infuse Chinese language and culture into those courses whenever possible.

Our goal is biliteracy in Chinese and English. English language arts are introduced for the equivalent of one hour per day beginning in grades 3-4, and there is an even distribution of English and Mandarin in grade 5.

XinXing Chinese Immersion courses continue at Hopkins West Middle School and Hopkins High School. Students who complete the full Chinese immersion track will be prepared for advanced coursework in Chinese at the college level and can earn up to 16 college credits by graduation.

XinXing has a partnership with Wuning Road Primary School in Shanghai, China and provides opportunities for educational exchanges between our schools!


 


Spanish Immersion

Eisenhower Elementary and Alice Smith Elementary's Spanish Immersion programs provide children the opportunity to develop proficiency in a second language during their elementary years. In kindergarten, 90% of instruction is in Spanish and 10% is in English. Students learn to read and write in Spanish first, and English literacy instruction is increased gradually as they progress through the program. Our goal is to develop Spanish-English bilingual students. Students who speak a language other than English or Spanish at home may become trilingual. 

About Dual Spanish Immersion

Hopkins Spanish immersion is a two-way Spanish immersion model also called dual Spanish immersion. Our classrooms welcome English-speaking students and heritage Spanish-speaking students. Studies show that dual immersion is mutually beneficial for native English speakers and native Spanish speakers.

Both groups experience faster acquisition of the other language and support one another's learning of English and Spanish. Our program is also open to students who natively speak languages other than English or Spanish.

Hopkins offers two Spanish immersion classrooms at each elementary grade level. Spanish immersion courses continue at Hopkins North Middle School through our Juntos Spanish Immersion program. Additionally, Hopkins High School offers College in the Schools courses in Spanish through the University of Minnesota and AP Spanish Literature.

Students who complete the full Spanish immersion track will be prepared for advanced coursework in Spanish at the college level and can which can earn up to 16 college credits by graduation.


 


Bilingual/Multilingual Seal

Are you proficient in a language other than English? If you are, you may be eligible to earn college credits and receive a World Language Proficiency Certificate or a Bilingual or Multilingual Seal on your Hopkins High School transcript when you graduate. Whether you have learned to speak another language in school or elsewhere, the Minnesota Department of Education has established a system for recognizing high school students for their language proficiency.

World Language Proficiency Certificate
Gold Bilingual Achievement State of Minnesota.
Platinum Bilingual Achievement State of Minnesota.

Frequently Asked Questions

Contacts

Melissa Ness
Principal, Eisenhower Elementary

Chinese Immersion & Spanish Immersion
Melissa.Ness@HopkinsSchools.org
952-988-4301

Eduardo Navidad
Principal, Alice Smith Elementary

Spanish Immersion
Eduardo.Navidad@HopkinsSchools.org
952-988-4201

Carolina Lloyd 
Enrollment

Carolina.Lloyd@HopkinsSchools.org
952-988-4110

Students dance for the Chinese Lunar New Year performance.