Letter from the Director for Afterschool Spanish Program

Hello!

We’re so glad you’re considering signing your child up for Spanish classes! Learning another language has a huge number of benefits for both adults and children, and opens a new world of opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

Each class will contain a mixture of traditional and non-traditional learning activities. While the kids will practice reading, writing, and speaking every day, there will also be dancing, singing, and art work. The reason for this is two-fold. First, we want to make sure the kids still get to be kids and can enjoy themselves while they learn. Second, language acquisition is more successful when it is integrated into activities that allow children to interact with other people and use different parts of their brains. A course book is required for class and will help to provide structure.

Classes will be multi-age and multi-level. This helps to foster a strong sense of community while also facilitating an environment where kids can engage in collaborative exchanges and active learning. Students who are complete beginners will have the opportunity to emulate their more advanced peers, and the immersion setting will encourage them to start speaking on day one. The instructor, who is a native speaker, will challenge intermediate and advanced students, too, enabling them to become as proficient in the language as possible. As students advance, they will get to act as role models and peer mentors for other students who are not as far along as they are, activities that will build both social responsibility and independence.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us by telephone or email if you have any questions – we recognize that enrolling for class is a big commitment for your entire family and want to help make the process as easy for you as possible.

Thank you, Julieta Cordovero-Rowles Academic Director