Frequently Asked Questions

• 8:00 AM-3:00 PM East Campus
• 8:00 AM-3:00 PM West Campus, 4th & 5th Grade
• 8:00 AM-3:20 PM West Campus, Middle School

• Generally, yes, but the GVA school calendar is about two weeks longer.

• Please see the information on the before and after school care program webpage.

• No. GVA-Aurora is a free public school and offers tuition-free full-day kindergarten.

• No. Any Colorado student may enroll.

• The Aurora Public Schools Nutrition Program provides lunch.

• Elementary students must wear a GVA T-shirt or Polo shirt with blue or khaki colored pants or jeans. 
• Middle School must wear an ID lanyard.
• Girls may wear blue or Khaki dresses or skirts.
• The GVA t-shirts and polos can be purchased on the GVA website directly from the vendor or Land's End.

• GVA-A has a School Safety and Emergency Response Plan in place.

• GVA-Aurora teachers meet or exceed all state and federal requirements for highly qualified teachers.
• Language immersion teachers are all native-language speakers with elementary and middle school teaching experience.

• GVA offers several clubs and after-school sports.

• The Colorado Academic Content Standards are the center of the K-8 curriculum.
• These curriculum content standards are supported with aligned instructional materials. They include: enVisions Immersion Mathematics, Better Immersion Chinese Literacy, Tesoro Spanish Literacy, Mille Image French Literacy, Russian and German Ministry materials, and the SPARK Physical Education Program.
• The ‘Voices’ English balanced Literacy program with read-aloud has six school-wide themes focused on building character and global awareness. Teachers spend considerable time with students around Perspective Taking and Conflict Resolution, as these are core to promoting Cultural Competence and the ‘We Teach Peace’ Character Education Program. Additional high-quality instructional units of study have been developed in Science and Social Studies to deliver in English and the target language.

Do your students take the state CMAS tests?

• Yes, all students starting in 3rd grade take the state CMAS test.
• Starting in Kindergarten, students take DIBELs assessments for reading, MAPS testing to measure academic progress, and the Stamps test to measure fluency and literacy levels in the new language.
• These standardized tests are in addition to regular unit tests and quizzes.

• Language immersion is an instructional approach that enables students to learn a second language “naturally” by learning core subject areas in a new language.
• It’s the approach that Europe has used for centuries, and it’s based on the fact that the brain of a younger student is more flexible and adept at learning a second language when it’s naturally incorporated into instruction.

• Most foreign language classes are limited to a couple of hours per week and not offered until upper-grade levels.
• They primarily focus on basic speaking skills and grammar.
• Immersion is about learning core subjects within a new language, preparing GVA students to be fluent in discussions about math, science, social studies, and cultural events in addition to literacy.
• Eighth graders who have gone through our program enter high school as freshmen with skills generally at or above AP (Advanced Placement) levels.

• Core courses are taught in the immersion language for students to gain reading, writing, and speaking skills

• It becomes natural because the brain is developmentally still very open to accepting language skills.
• Learning to read or do math in Spanish, French, or Chinese strengthens the capacity for learning math or reading in English.
• The neural brain pathways that enable this great learning capacity to begin to close off as we age,making it more difficult for older monolingual learners to add new language skills.

• Even though you might think so, it doesn’t.
• Research has proven this, and Global Village Academy’s experience in the Aurora and North Campuses has demonstrated that students learn through immersion at or above grade level.
• Third graders in the Aurora and North Campuses who had 2/3 of their instruction in a new language ended up performing in the top 15% of their peers within their school district.
• Plus, by the time these students reach 8th grade, their reading, writing, and speaking skills in a new language are the equivalent of a native student speaking the target language.

• Homework in the immersion language is very limited.

• Research has shown several benefits, including improved overall academic progress, enhanced student sense of achievement, increased cultural awareness, enhanced career opportunities, improved chances for college admissions, and better critical thinking skills.

• This is an exceptional program for ELL or ESL students because learning through immersion builds upon each student’s current language skills.
• Therefore, Spanish-speaking students can build their English skills without discounting their Spanish skills.
• ELL students in the GVA program have repeatedly shown significant academic achievement growth that far exceeds that of students in traditional ESL programs.

• GT students are provided with expanded study and learning opportunities within the GVA program.
• A teacher is assigned as the Gift and Talented coordinator.
• Parents can contact the Academic Coordinator via email with questions about the program: [email protected]

• Yes. As a public school, GVA provides services following state and federal guidelines based on the student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) that specialists and staff members develop.

• GVA-Aurora has a part-time nurse overseeing the school as required by state law. Additionally, each campus has an aide who helps daily and assists when the nurse is not in the building.

• GVA currently has partnerships with the Beijing Foreign Language School and the Spanish Ministry of Education.
• GVA is also one of the nation’s first Confucius Classroom programs and has received nearly $2 million in federal grants to develop a language curriculum and train foreign teachers in language immersion instruction.

• Yes, siblings are given priority in the enrollment process.

• The school is governed by a local five-member Board of Directors, including community members with education, business, and government experience.
• The local board also has three members serving on the statewide Global Village Academy Collaborative Board, which guides the central administrative services provided to all GVA schools.

• The first Global Village Academy started in 2007 in Aurora with 220 students.
• Today there are over 2000 students enrolled at the three GVA campuses.