Applications for the 2024-2025 school year are available here.  They will be accepted beginning Wed., Jan 8.  You can either turn applications in directly at the school office or email them to our school secretary at Email Leann Betts.  Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.   We will close the window and move to a waiting list once we reach capacity for two classes regardless of when in the acceptance window that occurs.

Sage Creek is proud to be a Chinese Dual Immersion school.  This means two classes in each grade 1st thru 5th  (between 50-60 students per grade) participate in half of their day in English and the other half day in Chinese.  The other classes in each grade experience a traditional program where students spend their day in English like any other non-immersion school.  Students in dual language immersion will experience some subjects in English and some in Chinese, their day is equally split in both languages.  Depending on the grade, some students learn mathematics, science, social studies, PE/Health, etc., in English and some learn it in Chinese.  The subjects taught in Chinese alternate each year.  Utah state's dual immersion website (link below) lays out which subjects are instructed in which language in each grade.  

Students leave elementary school fluently speaking, reading, and writing Chinese and continue on their study of the Chinese language and culture in junior high and high school years.  Students who remain with the program are prepared to take AP Chinese as a 9th or 10th grader and concurrent enrollment 2000 and 3000 level Chinese classes during their high school years.  Utah has just shy of 20% of its public schools as dual immersion schools in languages of Spanish, Chinese, German, Portuguese, French, and Russian.  The state's dual immersion website has additional information you may be interested in, the link is included below this paragraph.

Utah State Office of Education Dual Immersion Website

More than forty years of research consistently documents the power of immersion programs to help students attain high levels of second language proficiency. No other type of instruction, short of living in a second-language environment, is as successful.

Young children especially thrive in this type of instructional environment. Happily, language immersion is also the least expensive way to deliver second language instruction.

Second Language Skills

• Students achieve high proficiency in immersion language

Improved Performance on Standardized Tests

Immersion students perform as well as or better than non-immersion students on standardized tests of English and math administered in English.

Enhanced Cognitive Skills

Immersion students typically develop greater cognitive flexibility, demonstrating increased attention control, better memory, and superior problem solving skills as well as an enhanced understanding of their primary language.

Increased Cultural Sensitivity

Immersion students are more aware of and show more positive attitudes towards other cultures and an appreciation of other people.

Long Term Benefits

Immersion students are better prepared for the global community and job markets where a second language is an asset.

• Maximize students’ second language proficiency

• Provide a rich academic environment in both first and second language

• Develop students’ ability to work successfully in multiple cultural settings

• Offer  a rich, culturally diverse  experience for the entire school community

What to Expect in a Dual Language Immersion Program

Dual language immersion offers a rich bilingual experience for young learners when their minds are developmentally best able to acquire a second language.

Instruction is divided between two high quality, creative classrooms: one English and one Chinese. Students enjoy the advantage of two caring, qualified teachers. The English speaking teacher uses half of the instruction time to teach science and English language arts (reading, writing, and spelling).

The Chinese speaking teacher uses the other half of the day to teach math,social studies, and health topics from the grade–appropriate level of the USOE core curriculum.

The Chinese teacher speaks only in Mandarin and communicates using a range of engaging strategies including pictures, songs, games, body language, expressions, pantomime, drama, etc. Children at this age are adept at picking up language in meaningful contexts. After a brief period at the beginning of the year, students too will speak only Mandarin during Chinese class.

You’ll be delighted how quickly your child becomes a comfortable and competent Chinese speaker.

Students that stay in the dual-immersion pathway beyond elementary school are prepared to take the AP Chinese Test in either 9th or 10th gr due to the coursework in the target language in 7th and 8th gr. Students can then enroll in bridge classes which are university 300 or 3000 level classes (depending on the university system) instructed at the high school but in partnership with a university professor from either UVU or BYU. These bridge courses are instructed in a concurrent enrollment type atmosphere. Students leave high school just shy of a college minor in the target language.

Students in dual-immersion will continue on from Sage Creek (K-5th) to Spring Canyon Middle School (6th-7th), Springville Junior High (8th-9th) and then Springville High School (10th-12th). If students do not live in the boundaries of Spring Canyon Middle, Springville Junior High and/or Springville High, they can go through the open enrollment process to attend those schools.

Target Language Pathway

Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world. The Mandarin dialect is the official language of the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan and is widely understood in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines and Mongolia. Also, according to the U.S. 2000 census, Chinese is now the third most commonly spoken language in the U.S.

China is heir to the traditions of one of the world’s richest and most ancient cultures and home today to the world’s second largest economy. Its political, economic, and cultural impact in generations to come will be significant. As business and political relationships between the U.S. and China deepen and become more complex, having the skills to communicate with people in this increasingly significant part of the world will be a valuable asset at home and abroad.

Who Can Participate?

The immersion program seeks to enroll students of varying backgrounds and all abilities. Applications are open to all students and most students enter in first grade. However, it may not be a wise choice for children experiencing communication delays in their primary language.

• Commit to long–term participation in immersion program

• Develop understanding of immersion education

• Read with your child (in English) 20-30 min. daily

• Complete Chinese homework - reading, writing and math (20-30 minutes daily)

• Encourage the use of Chinese outside of school

• Provide community support and, when possible, volunteer

• Enjoy the challenges; celebrate the results

1. Fill out and submit application (applications are available early January and due early Feb).

2. Notification of admission will be made within a week of the deadline.

3. Complete Open Enrollment form at district office if residence is out of Sage Creek Boundary (if accepted into the  Chinese program, Open Enrollment will also be accepted if applied for on time).  Applying for Open Enrollment incurs a $5.00 fee.   

4. Sign the Parent Commitment Form to confirm acceptance and complete registration.