CY Middle School students, staff, school families, and guests celebrated the Lunar New Year with a vibrant community event reflecting the special occasion's rich cultural traditions. The day was filled with excitement and learning as 6th-8th grade DLI students shared their incredible language and literacy skills and their cultural appreciation and knowledge through engaging presentations and musical celebrations highlighting the significance of the Lunar New Year. All those in attendance were able to engage in learning through fun by participating in traditional games and activities such as calligraphy and crafting paper lanterns.
This extraordinary celebration is a resounding success each year thanks to the collaboration and support of the CY World Languages department, CYMS and Paradise Valley Elementary staff members, and the many parents and guardians who help to plan and organize the event.
Paradise Valley Elementary and CY Middle School are home to NCSD's Mandarin Chinese Dual Language Immersion programs. In this program, students are immersed in the language and culture of Mandarin Chinese. At the elementary level, students receive part of their daily instruction in English and the other half in Mandarin. As students transition to the DLI program in middle school, they participate in specially designed courses that focus on language, literacy, culture, and media.
Dual Language Immersion programs at NCSD are parent choice programs that begin in kindergarten at the following schools: Paradise Valley Elementary School (Mandarin Chinese), Park Elementary School (Spanish), and Verda James Elementary School (Spanish). Students join this program in kindergarten and have the opportunity to excel in their language acquisition throughout their educational journey at NCSD. The DLI program continues into middle school at CY (Mandarin Chinese), Dean Morgan Middle School (Spanish), and Centennial Middle School (Spanish). Students must be enrolled in the elementary program beginning in Kindergarten to be eligible to continue in middle school.
CYMS is committed to educational excellence through focusing on school and district strategic plans, emphasizing high expectations for student learning; engaging students in 21st-century skills; celebrating achievement, and creating a safe and healthy environment!