Coordinator blog

Mirella Rossi-Heimpel joins the Youth Language School teaching team

Mirella in her own words:

Seven cousins whose greatgrandparents originated from San Costanzo, Marche Region, Italy, came to our summer camp to learn about the Italian government, regional and provinces division, physical geography, diet, crafts, games, and other popular cultural elements.
Here they proudly display their posters about the Italian regions. I wish to thank Shirin for bringing new games and activities to teach and entertain the students.

Thank you to all who helped plan and to those who attended our recent events. It has been exciting to meet so many new families! Visit the ICC Flickr page to see more images from the 2011 Festa Carnevale.

Shanna and Bryce are students of Italian at the University of Minnesota and volunteer their time on Saturday mornings in the ICC's Youth language school. Shanna volunteers with Shirin's 6-9 year olds in both the beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced tracks. Bryce volunteers with Anna Maria's 3-6 year olds in both the beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced tracks.  Here is what they say about their interest in volunteering with the Youth language school:


"I am interested in volunteering for the language school because knowing another language is very important to me. When I was in Europe, everyone knew at least two or three languages that they started learning from a very young age. I think the USA undervalues the importance of language skills. Not only does it open up communication with other people from around the world but it helps you learn about another culture. My major is Italian and I have studied other languages as well; they are very important to me. I am also considering getting involved in teaching and thought helping out would be a small amount of practice."






Studio all'universita' di Minnesota e la mia specializzazione e' la chimica. Ho abitato a Firenze la primavera scorsa con una famiglia italiana. Mi interessano la cultura, la storia, e la lingua d'Italia. Mi piace insegnare agli studenti e vorrei diventare un'insegnante.

The fall trimester is officially over. Our six classes (31 students) have been busy preparing for the holiday party on December 11, where they will have an opportunity to show off their skills with poems and songs in Italian ... and wait for Babbo Natale's annual visit to the Hennepin Center for the Arts. It looks like it will be a true winter wonderland this year!

We were very fortunate to have had the assistance of three University of Minnesota students of Italian this trimester. Bryce, Shanna and Katie generously devoted their fall Saturday mornings to the ICC Youth language school and were a wonderful asset to the program. The instructors and students were all very enthusiastic about this new initiative. Shanna and Bryce will be back for the winter trimester, but Katie is off to Bologna ... buon viaggo Katie!

Winter trimester starts January 15 and registration is now open.  

The teaching team is set for the fall 2010 trimester of children's classes! Curriculum director Anna Maria Jaker will be teaching the 3-6 year olds in both the beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced tracks as well as the beginner/intermediate 14-18 year olds. Venetian native Shirin Ishu Bayati will be teaching both the beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced 6-9 year olds as well as the bilingual/advanced 14-18 year olds and Carmela Parisi will be teaching both the beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced 9-13 year olds. To learn more about this superstar teaching team visit the Youth language school's instructor page. 

I am pleased to announce that Anna Maria Jaker has agreed to assume the role of curriculum director, overseeing the educational experience of students as they move through each of the four levels of both the beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced tracks. During her almost two years with the school, Anna Maria has taught classes at various levels in both tracks. She brings to the role her experience as a parent, having raised two bilingual children, as well as a wealth of knowledge acquired in the course of formal training in early elementary education at the College of Saint Catherine in St. Paul.

The ICC management committee has approved the restructuring of the Youth language school to provide an enhanced educational experience for students. Beginning this fall trimester, the following changes will be implemented:

1. Both beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced tracks will meet for 60 minutes followed by a snack/social time.

2. Both beginner/intermediate and bilingual/advanced tracks will be adopting the following age divisions, on the advice of curriculum director Anna Maria Jaker:
Level I: 3-6 years of age
Level II: 6-9 years of age
Level III: 9-13 years of age
Level IV: 14-18 years of age

Parents are encouraged to consider the ages merely as guidelines and to consult with the curriculum director about the best placement for their child/children, which should be based on social and academic readiness. For more detail on each of the classes and the broad mission of each of the tracks visit the Youth language school section of the ICC website.

3.  Field trips will no longer replace lessons in the bilingual track. Field trips and other social events will be organically organized outside of class time by parent volunteers interested in fostering community. Students and parents will be informed of these events via e-mail.

4. All classes will be taught by paid instructors, although parents interested in volunteering in the classroom are encouraged to participate and may do so in accordance with their time and interest in coordination with their child's instructor.

We are excited about this new chapter in the program, as it grows from the wonderful initiative spear-headed by parent volunteers into a more traditional language school.

Beginning in September, the ICC will be moving to the fifth floor of the Hennepin Center for the Arts. Although it will be sad to leave our cheery, beautiful children's room on the third floor, we are excited to have all three of our spaces next to each other for the first time. This arrangement will be much more convenient for parents, students and instructors.