Other Programs

The district has three alternative programs:

Dual Immersion: Give your child the gift of a second language! Families from across Mountain View and from neighboring cities enroll in this unique enrichment program at Castro Elementary in which students learn to read, write, and speak fluently in both English and Spanish. In the DI Program, native English-speaking students and native Spanish-speaking students are united in the same classroom, where they learn both languages while maintaining high academic achievement in core subject areas. Research about brain development shows that the most opportune time to learn a second language is before age 10. Developing each student’s innate gift of language prepares him or her for life in the real world. With these skills they will be ready to create, adapt, and understand the many languages of technology and world culture they will use throughout their lives. In the DI Program, your child will: attain comprehensive fluency and literacy in Spanish and English and demonstrate superior academic achievement in both languages while achieving all State curriculum standards; develop high self-esteem and confidence; benefit from state-of-the-art technology and innovative teaching methods; enjoy a strong sense of community and highly involved parent support; be stimulated by academic challenge and the richness of a bilingual environment; be better prepared for the diversity of a multicultural world.

The program extends from kindergarten through 5th grade. Students entering kindergarten or 1st grade are eligible to enroll. Contact Castro Elementary at 526-3590, or DI at 526-3500, ext. 1032, or castro-di.mvwsd.org.

Independent Study Program: ISP is for those families committed to home schooling their children in order to provide instructional strategies that respond to individual student’s needs and learning styles. Through this program, families work in compliance with California State guidelines. ISP provides curriculum, instructional guidance, special enrichment classes and field trips. For more information, contact ISP at (650) 567-9757.

Parent, Child, Teacher: PACT program offers children a developmental education within a compassionate and creative environment. Hands-on experimentation, small group learning, research and guided discovery are all teaching methods used in PACT classrooms. PACT’s educational goals are facilitated by a strong collaboration between teachers and parents. To help achieve differentiated instruction and to allow for low child-to-adult ratios, PACT parents spend two hours per week participating in their children’s classrooms. Parents enhance teacher curriculum through enrichment activities such as a strong Arts Focus Program, abundant field trips, working in an educational garden, and providing cooking, music, engineering and woodworking projects. Engage the natural love of learning in your child-enroll in PACT today. For more information contact PACT at 903-6950, or http://pact.mvwsd.org/