Language Immersion
Students who speak multiple languages have better control over their attention, decision making, and planning. Being multilingual is also a strong predictor of both academic success and lifelong happiness.
Why Italian?
La Scuola International School started in San Francisco as a playgroup for local Italian and Italian-American families. Since those first days, we have grown to encompass families from around the world, many of whom receive their introduction to Italian at La Scuola.
We continue to adore Italian for many reasons. We love how it grounds our students in English’s Latin roots, how it opens the door to Romance languages, and for how it provides a way into European art, music, history, and science.
Niente Senza Gioia. Nada Sin Alegría. Nothing Without Joy.
Early exposure to additional languages enables more neural connections to form in children’s brains, actually improving their skills in their first language.
Students entering La Scuola for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade receive a joyous and gentle welcome to Italian. Those applying to other grades will be evaluated during the admissions process to ensure they have a similarly warm experience.
In preschool, conversation and class is primarily in Italian. The percentage of English gradually increases so that by fourth grade time is split between English and Italian.
MONTREAL MODEL OF LANGUAGE IMMERSION
Based on evidence-based immersion models, here are the approximate percentages of how languages are used through the grades.
*Specialist subjects may be taught in English or Italian.