No hablas Español? No hay problema! 

No problem at all, if you know one of ISDenver’s “best kept secrets!” 

It’s the Welcome Class, a brand new offering at ISDenver--a small-group learning environment for novice Spanish-language learners entering 3rd to 5th grades. If your student is a rising 3rd, 4th or 5th grader they can get an amazing immersive language experience with absolutely no prior Spanish language knowledge. “This is a game changer for ISDenver, because historically, students entering these grades needed to demonstrate grade-level Spanish proficiency as a requirement for admission.” explains Kristy Okunade, Senior Director of Strategy and Enrollment Management. “We’ve been working with our Academic Team for a long time to develop and craft this entry point and we’re very excited to be able to give more elementary aged students this amazing educational opportunity.” 

Alberto Pereda, third grade Spanish teacher at ISDenver, also leads the Welcome Class. The class is designed to be small so that each student gets as much one-on-one attention as possible. Alberto currently has four students, who are immersed in Spanish for a total of 12 to 14 hours a week. In addition to their Spanish instruction and grammar, they have PE and math taught in Spanish. The results are impressive. “Everything depends on the student, if they are willing to do the work,” reports Alberto.

Alberto explains that classes center around games and activities that are a lot of fun and easy to learn. They use videos, games, and flash cards to expand vocabulary. They are also asked questions -, the ‘what, who, where, when and why’. After only a week, they are ready to do some grammar test taking. “As they go along and learn more language skills, the kids are expanding their universe: first it’s the school, then their neighborhood, and before long they can connect with everything around them--all in Spanish,” he describes.

According to Katharina Schmidt, whose son Ole Arens has been in Alberto’s Welcome Class for the past two-and-half months, Ole loves it. “Alberto makes it applicable and pragmatic--he teaches things that makes sense in a school environment,” Katharina says. Ole had not taken any Spanish prior to starting the Welcome Class --check out his new-found knowledge in this video that he made for his classmates!

Katherina adds that “the students learn much more than the basics. They become good citizens in addition to being good students.”

Come see the Welcome Class for yourself.  Fill out this quick form. You’ll get an email back from us with access to an Admissions Portal that allows you to schedule a visit at your convenience! 

Te damos la bienvenida!