Marian Bergeson Elementary School

Our daughter started here in Kindergarten. She is now in first and I have a Kindergartner coming in next year. We thought an immersion program would be a great option as it is part of the district. And as we speak Japanese at home this seemed like an interesting option to us. It was a bit concerning that our kids would have to learn both English and Mandarin. But this has not been a problem. Everyone is very helpful to make this work. Teachers/Staff/YCMA. there are options at the YCMA to help them get started over the summer before school starts. They really have integrated with everything nicely. Parents are also very involved I think as this is a special opportunity Everyone puts in effort to make this a great school. The school had just gotten the new principal, Dr Kim. She has been wonderful very involved with the school and kids. You can easily see the dedication. I highly recommend the option if you are interested in an Immersion program.

As parents, we couldn''t ask for a better environment for our child.She started the program speaking almost no English and absolutely no Chinese, and yet within a year she became comfortable in both languages. This is a testament to the teachers'' dedication and the strength of the curriculum.The families here are deeply committed to language learning. Volunteer participation is outstanding, and the sense of community is something truly special.What we love most is how supportive the environment is for beginners. More than half of the kids start without any Chinese experience, so no one ever feels behind. The children lift each other up, creating a positive and collaborative classroom culture.The diversity of the school is another huge benefit. Our daughter interacts with children from many cultural backgrounds every day, learning that the world is big, beautiful, and full of different perspectives.We strongly recommend this school to families considering multilingual education.

Our son is enrolled in the Mandarin Immersion Program, and we have nothing but excellent things to say about it. The teachers and parents are highly involved in the children''s education, and there are outstanding resources to help students thrive in this bilingual environment. We highly recommend this program to both bilingual families and parents who don't speak Mandarin—the school does an incredible job teaching children to become fluent, giving them a valuable and versatile skill that will prepare them for the future. Visit https://bergeson.capousd.org/ for more information!

We have two children—one in first and one in TK—and this has been a great year! They are starting to speak to each other in Mandarin, and soon they will have their own secret language that we parents don't understand! I am thrilled they are picking it up so easily, despite us not having any family members that speak it. The teachers have been great, and we love the principal, Dr. Kim! The kids also participate in the drama club after school, and we love that creative outlet for them. There have been so many fun crafting projects, songs they learn, cultural events, and even gardening time during school hours that they love having. We are grateful to have found this community.

We enrolled our daughter in the Mandarin immersion program. She is in TK this year, and she already knows all her colors and shapes and can count up to 100 all in Chinese! She can also speak and understand basic Chinese phrases and even identify a few characters at this point. We don't speak Chinese at home or try to pressure her. Needless to say, I am very impressed with this school, the Mandarin immersion program, and the teachers. Learning a second language is such a valuable skill that we are able to provide for our kids. I really wish I had something like this when I was young.