Early Mandarin Bilingual

Registration for the program will be open from November 1, 2012 until January 31, 2013.

Any child who has little or no prior knowledge of Mandarin, who is a resident of Vancouver, and who is entering Kindergarten or grade one is eligible for the Early Mandarin Bilingual program.

It is important that the students entering the program have adequate English skills since the program will be taught 50% in Mandarin and 50% in English.

• A student application form for Kindergarten-aged students must be completed and dropped off at John Norquay Elementary school, 4710 Slocan St., Vancouver, Tel: 604-713-4666.

• If you are new to Vancouver School Board you will need to register at your neighbourhood school and apply to the Mandarin Bilingual program at John Norquay School with this form.
  
  NOTE: Parents should bring their child's birth certificate when registering at John Norquay Elementary.

At the end of the registration period, if there are not sufficient spaces for all applicants, a lottery will be held to determine entrance to the program. The lottery will be held during the first week of February.  Parents will be contacted by mail after the draw to accept or decline a place into the program.

Bilingual Mandarin Frequently Asked Questions

What is the date for registration for Bilingual Mandarin (Kindergarten, Grade 1) for the 2013/14 school year?

Registration for 2013/14 will be accepted during office hours (9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) between November 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013. Registration is not on a first-come, first-serve basis.

What happens if more students apply for the program than there are spaces?

If there are more students applying than spaces to accommodate them, a lottery of all applicants will be held and places will be offered to those whose names are drawn first.  Those who do not get offered spaces will be placed on a numbered waitlist and as spaces become available, they will be offered spaces in order of their number on the list.

What happens if I register after the January 31, 2013 deadline?

Any registration, including siblings, received after the deadline will be added to the end of the waitlist that will be created from the draw. Late applicants will not be considered until after the Kindergarten and Grade 1 waitlist have been exhausted.

When will the draw be held?

Should the school receive more registrations for Kindergarten and/or Grade 1 than the available spaces, a school draw will be held Jan. 31, 2013. The draw will be supervised by the principal, a parent and a representative from the Vancouver Board of Education.  Following the draw parents will be contacted to schedule an English competency assessment for their child.  Appointments for the assessment will be scheduled from Feb. 6th to Feb. 9th 2013.

Our family has twins. How will this situation be addressed in the draw?

Where a family has twins, only one ballot will be entered into the draw. If drawn, both children will be offered places in the program.

When will families be notified about the results of the draw?

February 12, 2013, parents should have received notification by mail of their status: an offer of a space in Kindergarten or Grade 1 or the child’s position on the school waitlist. If you have not been contacted, please call the school administrator.

Does a family have to formally accept a position, and if so in what time frame?

Families will have 24 hours upon notice of acceptance to confirm their space in Kindergarten or Grade 1. After that time, unclaimed spaces, or those that later become available, will be offered to those on the waitlist.

Should I register my child in the regular Kindergarten program while we wait to see if we have space in Bilingual Mandarin?

Parents are required to register their child in their regular catchment English school between November 1, 2012 and January 31, 2013. Parents who are not guaranteed a space in Bilingual Mandarin by early April 2013 are required to confirm registration at their regular catchment area English school.

For how long do waitlists apply?

Grade 1 waitlists will be dissolved on Friday, September 27, 2013.

Kindergarten waitlist will be dissolved on Friday, June 27, 2014. Families still on the  Kindergarten waitlist need to reapply within the application period (November 3, 2013 - January 30, 2014) to the Bilingual Mandarin school for Grade 1.

My child was born outside of Canada. How can I register him/her for Bilingual Mandarin?

Students born outside Canada must first register with their parent or legal guardian at the District Reception and Placement Centre (DRPC) before they can be accepted into the Bilingual Mandarin program. Please see the Step 3 of the School Registration process for more specific information about registration procedures. After completing registration at DRPC, parents must then complete an application form for the Bilingual Mandarin program at John Norquay school.

What happens if a Kindergarten space becomes available at the Bilingual Mandarin school during the school year?

The space will first be offered in the draw order to families on the waitlist who registered within the registration date. 

Can parents/legal guardians register by telephone, fax or e-mail?

The District Reception and Placement Centre and schools do not usually accept applications by telephone, fax or e-mail as staff needs to verify authenticity of documentation. Documents that are written in a foreign language need to be translated into English. Any missing documents delay the processing time for your file.