Online Application or PDF Application (to fill out and return to LILA Office) Lakes International 246 11th Ave SE Forest Lake, MN 55025 HOW TO SUBMIT: Fill out the online application above or complete one at the school’s main office. WHEN TO SUBMIT: We’re currently accepting applications for the 2013-14 school year, and encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible. PREFERENTIAL ACCEPTANCE FACTORS Preference is given to siblings of Lakes International students. For example, if an older brother is already attending Lakes International, then his younger sister has preferred acceptance status for kindergarten. Preference is also given to children of current LILA teachers. NO OTHER ACCEPTANCE PREFERENCES No preference is given for residing in the Forest Lake area. Lakes International contracts bus service with Forest Lake Area School District #831, and we can offer transportation to Lakes International students living within the #831 district. Any Minnesota child residing outside the #831 boundary is welcome but will need to arrange transportation. If this is a concern, we highly recommend contacting the Lakes International PTO to learn about car pools. WHO CAN APPLY? All prospective Lakes International students MUST submit an application, INCLUDING YOUNGER SIBLINGS of previously enrolled Lakes International students. Any child 5 years old on September 1, 2013, and living in Minnesota is welcome to apply for the 2013-14 kindergarten. No Spanish knowledge is expected of kindergarten students. If space is available, students entering grades 1-6 may enroll. However, Spanish proficiency is necessary for immediate accessibility to academic content in any grade above kindergarten. Please contact the school directly for more information. GENERAL ENROLLMENT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Q. How does enrollment preference work? A. All 2013-14 kindergarten applicants who have a sibling enrolled at Lakes International or whose parent is a teacher at LILA will automatically be accepted, and their names will be excluded from the random lottery. These are the only factors for enrollment preference, and are triggered only if applications are received before 6 p.m. on January 15. Students remaining in the application pool after the sibling group is accepted will be confirmed using a random lottery process. When all sections are full, a waiting list will be established—again, by lottery. Q. Do I need to submit an application every year? A. You do not need to re-submit an application for a child already enrolled at Lakes International. However, if your address, phone number or other information changes, please contact the main office to provide an update. Q. My child is in kindergarten elsewhere now. Can I get her into a class next year? A. Based on our past attrition rates, it is unlikely that there will be open seats in grade one. If there are, we ask that you please consider that our kindergartners will be developing second language proficiency that would make it unlikely that a 1st-grader without that proficiency could join in first grade and succeed in the language immersion classroom. We're not saying it can't be done, but the experts don't recommend it. Please contact the school directly to inquire. Q. Can I transfer my child from any other elementary school into your school? A. Language immersion classes progress rapidly through the language-acquisition process. Research shows that a child without previous immersion instruction may have difficulty succeeding in an established language immersion classroom. In other words, it's very challenging for the new student to catch up with the class. We're not saying it can't be done, but the experts don't recommend it. Please contact the school directly for more information. |
