Meadowlark School

Chinese (Mandarin) Bilingual

The English-Chinese Bilingual Program at Meadowlark School was established in 1992. The program is designed to provide children an opportunity to learn the Chinese language, in addition to the regular curriculum and to experience the richness of both western and eastern cultures. Students in the program study the provincially approved curriculum with approximately fifty percent of instruction in Chinese.

The school has adopted an integrated approach which facilitates social and academic interaction with students in the English only program. Entrance into the program is available to all children at the Kindergarten and Grade One level. Students are not required to have prior knowledge of the Mandarin language.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Chinese (Mandarin) Bilingual provides students with opportunities to acquire and maintain language skills in both Chinese (Mandarin) and English.

GOALS

Develop language and literacy skills in Chinese (Mandarin) and English, and use both to communicate
Learn about Chinese culture

BENEFITS

Proficiency in English and Chinese
Improved academic achievement
Improved skills in the student’s first language
Knowledge and appreciation of different cultures
International language certification opportunities

ELIGIBILITY

To register in Kindergarten or Grade 1, no previous knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin) is required.
Students entering the program after Grade 1 are considered on an individual basis.

REGISTRATION

For the 2024 - 2025 school year, Meadowlark School is full in planned classes in Grades K, 1, 2, 3 and 5 in the Chinese (Mandarin) Bilingual program AND full in all grades in the regular program. We will no longer accept enrolment requests for Grades 1, 2, 3 and 5 in the Chinese (Mandarin) Bilingual program. For the regular program, a Kindergarten student who is a resident and lives in the school's attendance area may still register. We will now only accept resident students in Grades 1 to 6 whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) have newly moved into the school’s attendance area for the regular program. A resident student of Edmonton Public Schools has at least one parent or legal guardian living in Edmonton who is not Roman Catholic. Non-resident students can enrol in another Division school with space in planned classes.

If you are registering for Kindergarten or are new to Edmonton Public Schools for the 25/26 school year, you must register online.

For more information with regards to Student Transportation and Yellow Bus services, please click here.

MEADOWLARK SCHOOL - KINDERGARTEN MANDARIN PROGRAM

2023/2024 Chinese Bilingual Kindergarten Information Video

Thank you for your interest in Meadowlark School. Kindergarten is an exciting time for families! Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year will begin on February 3rd and ends on March 19th at 4:00 PM. The registration process is available online via the EPSB website. You may only register your child at one school within one school district.

Chinese Bilingual Open House Information Night- Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 6:30pm
This event will be held at The Centre for Education (1 Kingsway NW). Free parking will be available for this event.

For Mandarin Kindergarten registration we will be following the Division's protocol which is below:

Elementary Chinese Bilingual**

Resident students who live in the attendance area, and who are currently in the alternative program in a Division school.
Resident students who live in the attendance area.
Resident students who live in the program enrolment boundary, where applicable.
Siblings of students currently in the alternative program at the school and who will be returning the following year.
Other resident students.
Non-resident students currently enrolled in the same alternative program elsewhere in the Division.
Other non-resident students.

Things to Consider:

Should your child be accepted but you live outside of our transportation area, transportation will be parent responsibility.
Should Meadowlark School exceed the number of applicants, a random draw selection would take place. Parents will be contacted to advise them of their next steps.
If your child is unsuccessful, then you are welcome to contact the other Mandarin programs
If space is not available, then your designated school’s mainstream program must accept your child.

Meadowlark Kindergarten Open House Video

Mainstream English Program

What characterizes the programming at Meadowlark School more than anything is our strong focus on academic achievement with LITERACY and Critical Thinking Skills as the keys to learning in all subject areas. Strong literacy skills are critical for learning. All subjects require students to have a strong literacy foundation. Critical thinking skills also help students to understand and apply the knowledge that they have learned in different subject areas.

A Mainstream English program is offered at Meadowlark for students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. The main focus of our programming is academic achievement in Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies. In addition to the core subjects, students receive instruction in music, physical education, health, art and computers. We have a music specialist who teaches grades 1-6 classes and provide students with an opportunity to participate in a choir. Computer technology is integrated into curriculum areas with access to Chromebooks and iPads.

Parent Resources

2024-25 School Supply Lists

English Program

English Gr K & 1 Supply List 2024-25

English Gr 2 & 3 Supply List 2024-25

English Gr 4 & 5 & 6 Supply List 2024-25

Mandarin Program

Mandarin Gr 1 Supply List 2024-25

Mandarin Gr 2 Supply List 2024-25

Mandarin Gr 3 Supply List 2024-25

Mandarin Gr 4 Supply List 2024-25

Mandarin Gr 5 Supply List 2024-25

Mandarin Gr 6 Supply List 2024-25

Supporting Your Child’s Learning

Here are some of the ways parents can support their child’s learning.

‌Make sure your child gets the most out of the school day by helping him/her to arrive at school on time, healthy, and well rested.
Encourage your child to take part in school activities and education and to take pride in the school community including its building and grounds.
Be supportive of your school. Communicate with your child’s teacher and principal by visiting the school, phoning, or sending notes. If you have a concern, ask for a meeting.
Encourage your child by talking about and showing your interest and appreciation for his/her efforts at school and at home.
Attend school events such as orientation nights, parent-teacher meetings, and concerts.
Help in the classroom, on field trips, or on committees when volunteers are requested. Also, you may wish to participate in your School Council.
Read your school newsletter.
Read with your child regularly from a wide variety of books.
Reinforce self-esteem by listening to and praising your child.

Attendance and Punctuality

Good attendance habits are extremely important. If, however, your child will be late or cannot be in attendance, please email the school office, or call 780-489-5200 before 8:20 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. We operate a telephone check program if a child is absent and no notification has been received. The purpose of this program is to ensure that no child has become lost or had an accident on the way to school. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that we have current home and work phone numbers and the numbers of babysitters and day care centres.

Students who are late are required to report to the school office. A child is considered late if he/she arrives after attendance check at 8:25 a.m. or 12:05 p.m. You will be contacted with a concern if your child has an unusual number of late arrivals as this is disruptive to the whole school.

Student Homework

We recognize the value of homework in furthering students’ learning, improving academic achievement and developing good study habits. All students must work on developing good study habits.

Some of the reasons your child receives homework are:

to give students extra practice in an area such as math facts
to teach students to budget their time
to help students develop self-reliance and good study habits
to enable parents to see their child’s progress and to show interest in their child’s education
to give experience in research techniques
to strengthen the ties between home and school, particularly when parents can help with assignments in some way

Homework will vary but could include things like doing ten questions that reinforce a new math concept, practicing basic facts, reading an assigned selection or writing a paragraph. The amount of homework that students have varies according to many factors including the grade level of the child, the time of year, the child’s overall achievement and his/her ability to finish work during class time. The priority is always on reading at home silently, aloud, with a family member or being read to by another. Homework will be posted on SchoolZone or students will write assignments in their student agenda. If homework is not assigned, then time could be spent on review, reading or discussion with a parent about some current event issue.

Your child’s teacher will clarify specific homework expectations. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions.