Orange Unified School District recently announced that they will be opening a Mandarin dual language immersion program at Fletcher Elementary School for the new 2012-13 academic year. This will be the second public Mandarin dual language immersion program in Orange County, California. The district plans on opening their program with one kindergarten and one first grade class. The program will be based on Utah’s successful dual language immersion instructional model. The district is currently accepting new students for their program.
The first public Mandarin dual language immersion program in Orange County will also open this fall in Laguna Niguel at Bergeson Elementary School. Bergeson’s program will open with two kindergarten classes and one first grade class. Frequently asked questions regarding the program at Bergeson Elementary can be found on their Friends of MIP (Mandarin Immersion Program) website. They began recruiting students in November of 2011 and have a long wait list.