November 16, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
The School Committee approved proposals for two new Kids in Action programs -- a Pre-K Spanish immersion offering at Foster School and an elementary strings pilot at South School -- this week.
Similar to the KIA Pre-K classroom at East, the 2023-2024 immersion program will enroll no more than 20 students, with two teachers and one assistant. The program will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The idea of extended KIA after-school programming for interested students was also floated.
The strings pilot will feature an after-school program from January through May 2023, consisting of 45-minute beginner group lessons for about 10 third- and fourth-graders. Three time slots will be offered.
The cost will be $325 for 15 weeks of lessons to cover the cost of the instructor and use of the space, which is competitive with fees charged for other local music programs.
"Based on the success of the pilot, we will move forward with consideration of broadening the program next year to further schools and music offerings," Supt. of Schools Margaret Adams and others involved with initially proposing the program stated in an email to the School Committee.
The purpose of the pilot is to gauge interest and to develop systems within the Hingham Public Schools for coordination of these programs. Ultimately, the pilot is contingent on finding staff willing to serve as instructors.
Kids in Action Director Jackie Sansone and Director of Fine and Performing Arts Joann Bellis will collaborate in this pilot to determine the viability of extending the program further next year.
The other new offering approved by the School Committee will feature a partial Spanish immersion program, with a literacy block focusing on English instruction. The remainder of the day will be in Spanish and include math, science, and social studies.
Research shows that immersion programs are beneficial for students’ cognitive growth and for their English and second language development and that learning a second language helps students gain cross-cultural understanding that can result in higher levels of tolerance.
The tuition for the Spanish immersion program is $9,710 annually, or $971 monthly, which will account for the longer school day as well as start-up costs for the program.
"Depending on the success of, and interest in, the program, we will consider its possible expansion for the following year, which could include adding additional Pre-K Spanish immersion classrooms and creating a kindergarten Spanish immersion classroom," Adams and others involved with the proposal told the School Committee in a recent memo.
The immersion program will be "officially" announced on Dec. 15, with a planned January informational meeting for families. The registration deadline is Feb. 15, with a lottery scheduled for the week of Feb. 27. Letters will go out to selected families by March 4.