It’s that time of the year again! ParentMap Golden Teddy Awards are here again, and we hope you support Sponge by nominating us in the following categories under Camps+Classes this year:

• Engaging Infant + Tot Class
• After-School Enrichment
• Passport-Ready Language Camp

Sponge is a Golden Teddy finalist/winner for six years in a row!

2016 – Finalist (infant & Toddler classes, After school enrichment)
2015 – Finalist (After school enrichment)
2014 – Winner (After school), Finalist (Infant & Toddler classes)
2013 – Finalist (Infant & Toddler classes)
2012 – Winner (Infant & Toddler classes)
2011 – Finalist (Infant & Toddler classes)

Along with showing your support, you’ll be entered to win over $1,000 in prizes, including a family getaway to Sleeping Lady Mountain Resort and Semiahmoo Resort, Golf + Spa. Round 1 (Nominations) run from April 6 to 16, and Round 2 (Finalist Voting) will be from April 24 to 30. Visit www.parentmap.com/golden-teddy to cast your vote!

A Big Teddy Hug from us for your support!

Soon we’ll be able to bring language classes to your home! Sponge Online Classes are now in their Beta phase, and we’re looking for students ages 5-10 years old to be part of the Free Beta Class Test in Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese and French.

Registration is now open, and you can sign up here!

We offer the following classes:

• Japanese – Level1 – 5-7yrs – TueThu 9:30
• Japanese – Level1 – 8-10yrs – MonWed 3:30pm
• Japanese – Level1 – 8-10yrs – Thu 3:00pm
• Mandarin – Level1 – 5-7yrs – WedFri 10:00
• Mandarin – Level1 – 8-10yrs – MonWed  4:00pm
• Spanish – Level1 – 5-7yrs –  WedThu 9:30am
• Spanish – Level 1 – 8-10 yrs – SatSun 11:00am

Please note that only 3 slots are available for each class, so please sign up as soon as possible if you are interested.

Important notes related to the online beta program:

• Due to the small beta class size, it is important that anyone signing up for this class is committed to attending the class. If you are not able to commit to attending all sessions in the beta class, please contact us as soon as possible so space can be freed up for someone available to attend all sessions.
• We ask that anyone signing up for the free beta course commit to providing timely feedback. Each week, we will send a brief, 3-5 question survey to gauge the effectiveness and suitability of our course material and overall approach. Your candid, constructive feedback is essential to future improvements to this course.

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you in class soon!

Cantonese classes are now open for registration in our Mt. Baker Center! We are offering Child-Caregiver and Just Kids Cantonese classes every Wednesday afternoon starting this Spring session (6 February – 18 June 2017).

Cantonese is Hong Kong’s primary language and it is spoken in nearby Chinese provinces. It is also one of the major varieties of Chinese spoken amongst overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia). Be part of the pioneer class and sign up now!

Thinking of starting your child on a second language? Watch our web seminar for an in-depth look at the many ins and outs of learning a foreign language!

KEY TOPICS:

• Benefits of Language Learning
• How to Support Language Exploration/Development at school and home towards a life-long love for language and culture

PRESENTERS

Sue Brooks (Guest Speaker): Sue is an educator with a huge commitment to dual language learning. A trilingual speaker and a PhD candidate, she ran a Mandarin/English school in Shanghai for 9 years before moving back to the US in 2016.

Erica Titus (Sponge): Erica leads curriculum development at Sponge. A heritage French speaker with a Master’s degree in French Language Teaching, she is an experienced language teacher and passionate about language education.

Sponge is proud to partner with one of the most innovative businesses in Seattle, 6Crickets.com, your one-stop-shop for camps and classes for kids.

Our language immersion classes in our Centers in Mt. Baker, Kirkland, Lynnwood and some of our enrichment classes we hold in partner elementary schools, are featured in their website. Watch this segment from King 5 Evening News‘ Start It Innovation Special, showing one of our Spanish language immersion classes in action.

Curriculum now in use across 4 elementary schools to teach 2000 students

Sponge is pleased to announce that it has been chosen by Mercer Island School District (MISD) to provide Spanish language curriculum for use across all MISD elementary schools as part of the district’s new World Languages Program.

Well-known for being innovative and ahead of the curve, MISD’s elementary school World Languages Program has been in the works for several years and received an overwhelming 90% support in a December 2014 community survey. It was formally approved by the district board earlier this year and officially launched in the 2016-17 academic year across all Mercer Island elementary schools.

“When we set out to find resources to support our elementary Spanish program we wanted materials that offered structure to help guide our teachers and flexibility to let them create. The unit themes, pacing, and games offered by Sponge have made it the perfect fit for our model”, said Fred Rundle, Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services, Mercer Island School District.

Sponge’s in-house curriculum is based on current research and an immersion approach with emphasis on learning and communication via games, songs, and drama. To meet MISD requirements, Sponge enhanced it by creating flexible weekly lesson plans, adding new elements such as activity sheets, self-assessment capabilities, and stronger alignment with American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages. MISD solicited and evaluated several provider proposals from across the US and ultimately judged Sponge to be the provider best able to meet its needs.

As part of the Sponge-MISD agreement, Sponge is:

• Delivering lesson plans for all K-5 Spanish classes for an initial period of 3 years
• Providing teacher classroom material and associated learning material such as activity sheets, language journals, and self-assessments
• Delivering professional development and curriculum training for MISD teachers for the initial year and future years as needed.

Sponge has already begun using its learnings from the MISD collaboration by incorporating elements of its refined approach into classes at its centers and enrichment programs at other elementary schools in the greater Seattle area.

WHAT: Fall Celebration Event presented by Sponge

WHEN: October 16th 2016, Sunday

WHERE: 3107 S. Day St., Seattle, WA 98144

Join us for a free cultural event to celebrate Chinese Moon Festival and enjoy a Latin dance performance of Zouk!

Enjoy moon cakes and take part in arts and crafts!

Watch a performance of Zouk or take part in a mini lesson!

Attend a mini-language class, try face painting, and more!

Help us spread the word!

RSVP using the form below:

We are pleased to offer language classes this fall, using our engaging, research-driven curricula, taught completely in language. For the 6th year in a row, your trust and support has gotten us a spot as a finalist in this year’s Golden Teddy Award by ParentMap. Sponge is the only language provider finalist in the Infant-Toddler class and the After-School – Learning Enrichment Programs categories.

This year, it only gets better as we add new components to our curricula that will be sure to supplement language and cultural learning inside and outside the classroom.

• In-Center (IC) and Elementary Language (EL) Program students will now have free access to our new, interactive Online Portal to help parents and students with language learning, including pronunciation.
• Students in Just Kids (JK) and EL classes will have Activity Sheets/Books to help practice language in class and at home.
• There will be two weeks of Cultural Classes at the end of the IC session, in place of the Grand Review.
• Each unit for both IC and EL classes will feature a Final Project based on a fun cultural theme to incorporate and reinforce the language learned in the unit.

Sponge is also pleased to offer one, 50% off needs-based Scholarship for each EL class that meets the minimum enrollment. This year, we also offer a special Parent Coordinator Rate (one per EL class) for parents who are interested in volunteering to help with a class.

Register Now and experience the Sponge difference this Fall!