Newsletter - Fall 2011

¡Bienvenidos! By Astrid Clough-McDowell, President The Elementary Spanish Program would like to welcome you to another exciting year of Spanish! Our organization was started in Boulder in the early 1970s when a group of Boulder parents and teachers decided to stand up for early-age secondary language acquisition, after the BVSD cut it out of the standard curriculum (due to budget constraints). Unless your child attends a charter, private, or dual-language school, a foreign language is probably not offered until middle school. ESP exists to provide young children with before- or after-school Spanish classes at their respective schools. We strongly believe that it is vital that children begin to learn a second language at the earliest age possible. We are proud to serve 621 students this year! We are actively seeking Parent Advocates to be representatives of our organization in their neighborhoods and respective schools. We also invite you to attend one of our monthly meetings of the Board of Directors. If you are interested in becoming involved or even just volunteering a few hours a month, please contact our office at 303-440-7196. On behalf of the organization, I would like to thank each and every person that has contributed to the existence and success of the program. Your commitment and dedication to the broader education of our children is sincerely appreciated! Please contact me if you have any thoughts for the future of the Elementary Spanish Program or the relationships within the community and the school districts.

In this issue: ¡Bienvenidos! ¡Cómo vuela el tiempo! How time flies! Meet Our Teachers! Fun Winter Activities in Spanish A Special Thank You ¡MUCHÍSIMAS GRACIAS! Previous newsletters: Spring 2011 Fall 2010 Spring 2010 Fall 2009 Spring 2009 Fall 2008 Spring 2008 Fall 2008 Spring 2008

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¡Cómo vuela el tiempo! How time flies!

By Ann Morrill, Education Director

The first semester is coming to a close for our 600 plus students throughout Boulder, St. Vrain, and Jefferson county elementary schools. While I know at this time of year, students are often tired and ready for vacation, I sincerely hope that they are also remembering their fun final Spanish class of the semester and are looking forward to teaching you a little of what they have learned during the holidays.

In addition to the schools where we have been working for many years, this fall, we were invited into Jefferson Academy in Broomfield, where we now have five teachers teaching three different levels. If you walk the halls early in the morning at Jefferson, you might hear our Denver Representative Ben Westlund leading his class in song while playing the charango, or watch a story being acted out (complete with props) by Claire and Paulina's students.

Three other schools have more than doubled the number of students taking our before and after school classes. One of those schools is Louisville Elementary, where we have four after-school classes this year and 41 students. Our largest morning program is at Niwot Elementary, where we have 64 students and a dedicated group of creative and energetic returning teachers, some of whom have worked with your students for three or four years.

This year, as many returning parents are probably aware, we have changed the Reading and Writing curriculum in our upper level classes to include a leveled reader series based on a precocious girl and her adventures in Guanajuato, Mexico. Next year, your students will also be introduced to a niño travieso (mischievous boy) from Spain and his friend who go on adventures throughout Madrid. As the new Education Director, I am also working with some experienced returning teachers to review the Auditory level curriculum and the way that we evaluate what your students have learned to make sure that we are providing enriching, fun, and challenging curriculum for everyone.

On the technology front, ESP has also made some important new changes. Thanks to the skills of our Program Administrator Omar Antonio Anduaga and Web Developer and faithful volunteer Dean Garyet, we now have a Website with links to our new YouTube channel, our Facebook page, as well as new and expanded information on our curriculum, teachers, and staff. Please spend some time getting to know the teachers, exploring the links provided on our Facebook page, and practicing some vocabulary, stories, and songs with your children while watching our YouTube channel (always a work in progress).

Finally, please make sure that you check your ESP calendar so that you know your children’s schedule. You were sent this calendar in September and you can also find a link to this information on our Website: http://www.kidsspeakspanish.org/espsched.shtml.

I hope your holidays are relaxing and full of family and friends. We look forward to seeing your children again in January!

Muy atentamente,
Ann Morrill, Education Director

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Meet Our Teachers!

Isabel Enright, ESP’s longest serving teacher

I discovered my love of teaching Spanish to children in 1995, just when I started teaching with the Elementary Spanish Program in Boulder. I have tremendously enjoyed the opportunity to share my native language and culture with all my students. I believe that learning a language should be fun and before they know it, the children are speaking and singing in Spanish. I like to plant the seed of joy for the language.

I came to this country in 1994 and spend my free time with my husband Jerry, and my two children who are bilingual. I became a naturalized US citizen in 2008. I love listening to all types of music, dances from all over the world, scrapbooking and Jazzercise, but most of all spending time with my family.

Benjamin Westlund, ESP’S New Denver Representative

A lover of the Spanish language and of education, Ben Westlund is ecstatic to be a part of the ESP team for the 2011-2012 year. He received his B.A. in Elementary Education from The College of Saint Benedict/St. John's University (Minnesota) in 2007, and has since worked as a teacher with Denver Public Schools and as an English teacher in Santiago, Chile. He enjoys playing guitar and other stringed instruments, singing, playing sports, making fun of local news programs, and cooking delicious food. He greatly appreciates the opportunity to share his love for learning Spanish with this flagship organization!

To learn more about our teachers visit the Staff tab on our website.

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Fun Winter Activities in Spanish For fun, interactive Spanish activities for the holiday break please visit our website and updated YouTube page: www.kidsspeakspanish.org/espparent.shtml http://www.youtube.com/user/kidsspeakspanish

ESP Song CD, lyrics, & translation are available for a suggested $5 donation.

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¡MUCHÍSIMAS GRACIAS! The Elementary Spanish Program is a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization. Your donation will be highly appreciated and is tax-deductible! ESP thanks the following individuals for their generous support: Classroom Parent Volunteers – all of them! ESP Computer Maintenance & Repair - Joe Barger ESP Web site Design & Maintenance - Dean Garyet ESP Parent Advocates and Board Members Principals and School Staff If you know of local groups that might be interested in donating services or directly funding ESP classes, please contact us. Wish List Laptop Computer Video Camera Stuffed Animals/Puppets DVDs or Books in Spanish Binders/Folders

A Special Thank You Thank you to Rod Clough, Managing Director of the HVS (Hospitality Valuation Services) Boulder/Denver office, who has made a financial contribution to the Elementary Spanish Program to support our scholarship program in order to aid families in need, in line with the firm’s social responsibility platform. If you or your company is interested in making a tax-deductible donation to support ESP, your community, and education, please contact Stephanie Garriga-Snaider, our office manager, at 303-440-7196.

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