Dear South Academy of International Languages families,
Welcome to S.A.I.L.! We are K-8 language immersion magnet school with a long history of language-immersion teaching and academic excellence. We create bright futures in six languages and support all students in becoming globally competent citizens ready to succeed in the 21st century.
Elementary students receive instruction in one of four target languages: Chinese, French, German or Japanese. All four are taught in alignment with the North Carolina curriculum. Middle school students may choose from a wide range of traditional elective courses, as well as other electives that emphasize the different languages and cultures as they continue to demonstrate their knowledge and competence of global themes.
Students enter the program in kindergarten through the magnet school lottery. Students who exhibit advanced second-language skills and wish to enter the program after kindergarten can complete a language-proficiency assessment to be considered for entry. Acceptance into the immersion program is contingent upon available space in the desired language.
At the middle school level, SAIL students continue to study their second language and are provided the opportunity to begin an accelerated course of study in a third language. Seats are also available for incoming sixth-graders eager to learn a new language but with no prior language-immersion experience. In addition to the languages offered in the elementary immersion program, students may elect to take Spanish in middle school. Middle school sports are also offered.
At SAIL, we continue to build on our long tradition of academic excellence and success. We understand that language immersion is an evolving concept in an ever-changing educational setting, driven by a dynamic immersion-research platform on one side and accountability mandates on the other. The advantages of language, cognitive, and social learning aspects in a language immersion-learning environment over traditional school concepts are consistently evident in the research.
SAIL students consistently demonstrate academic growth in the areas assessed by the North Carolina End-of-Grade assessments. In addition, the language proficiency of Waddell students is assessed using the following measures: For all languages – Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency For German –Deutsches Sprachdiplom For Chinese – Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi Chinese Proficiency Test. Elementary Chinese students take the Youth Chinese Test, an international proficiency assessment for elementary students.
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I have been the principal of SAIL for six years and have 41 years of experience in education. Before coming to SAIL, I taught in Germany and taught German language-immersion in CMS. I served as the assistant principal at Selwyn Elementary School for nine years and as the assistant principal at Idlewild Elementary School for one year.
I received my undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University and have master’s degrees from Ohio State University and Gardner-Webb University. I successfully defended my dissertation at Gardner-Webb University and received my doctorate in 2015. In addition, I was in the first cohort of teachers to be designated a National Board-Certified Teacher, World Languages other than English - German.
I am committed to the language-immersion philosophy of teaching. I believe that children should begin to learn a foreign language as early as possible. This is a gift we give them that will only benefit them as they learn and prepare to compete in a global society. I am committed to our students’ academic and social-emotional growth. At SAIL, we strive to provide every student and staff member with a safe and comfortable learning and teaching environment. In addition to language learning, we support students in building positive character traits through the Caring Schools Curriculum and highlighting a character trait each month.
I look forward to working with you and your student. Please feel free to reach out to me, or one of the other school administrators, if you have questions or concerns regarding our school.
Thank you for choosing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Waddell Language Academy!
Dr. Felicia Eybl, principal
