SPANISH CLASSES AT THE SALVATION ARMY

Hola!
We’ve had a lot of interest in the Spanish classes taught by Profesora! Thanks for your patience as we try to return your emails and phone calls. The Spanish class information below should answer most of your questions and clear up any confusion. We are so happy that Eleanore set aside Thursdays to teach for us again! There are MANY benefits in learning a foreign language at a younger age…and Spanish is a wonderful choice! We can learn at home with Rosetta Stone and other curriculums, but it is very helpful to have a “live” teacher in a group setting. See the bottom of this email for some good reasons (in red) to study Spanish.
Hope to see you in class!   Adios!  Kerrie (314-791-0000 or kertatehomelink@aol.com)
 
Note: This email is about the SHARE Spanish classes offered for K- 9th grade students at the Salvation Army location. For information on the high school level Spanish 1 and 2 classes offered at the Homelink location (also taught by Eleanore) go to www.homeschool-life.com/mo/share and click on the “Homelink Classes.”
Remember: Homelink classes and Spanish classes (and Becca Hubbard’s new classes to be announced later) at the Salvation Army are sponsored by SHARE. Do not call the Salvation Army to inquire about the classes or register. ONLY the Homeschool P.E. classes are handled by the Salvation Army!
 
To register for Spanish classes at the Salvation Army send an email to kertatehomelink@aol.com and please include a parent name, address, home phone number, cell phone number,  email address, and the student's name, age,  grade  and desired class. Also include what type of Spanish experience the student has had.
 
HERE IS MY REGISTRATION FROM LAST YEAR AS AN EXAMPLE. PLEASE SEND IN YOUR SPANISH CLASS REGISTRATION INFO IN THIS FORMAT:
 
Kerrie Tate (parent)
6i7 Bacon Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63119
314-791-0000 (cell)
(we don’t use our home phone so I didn’t list the no.)
kertate@aol.com
 
David Tate (student)
Age 13, 8th grade
3:00 – 4:00 pm class for 7-9 grade
David has had a few years of elementary SHARE Spanish classes.
 
 
 
HERE ARE THE SPANISH AND P.E. CLASSES AT THE SALVATION ARMY:
 
 
Salvation Army Thursday Spanish Classes

Spanish for 5-7 year olds - 11:40 am - 12:40 pm

Spanish for 8-10 year-olds - 12:45 - 1:45 pm

Spanish for 11-12 year olds - 1:45 - 2:45 pm

Spanish for 7-9th grade - 3:00 - 4:00 pm
 
Salvation Army Thursday Homeschool P.E. Classes:
(I included P.E. so you can see how the times coordinate)

P.E. for 5-7 year-olds - 10:30 - 11:30 am

P.E. for 8-10 year-olds - 11:35 am - 12:35 pm

P.E. for 11-12 year-olds - 12:40 - 1:40 pm

P.E. for 13-18 year olds - 1:45 - 2:45 pm
 
 
HERE IS ALL OF THE OTHER SPANISH CLASS INFO YOU NEED TO KNOW:

-  Spanish teacher’s bio - Eleanore Trujillo-Tiroch de Aguilar (known to students simply as “Profesora”) has a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from UM-St. Louis with certification in grades K-12, and a Master of Education Administration from UM-St. Louis with a Principal’s certification for grades 9-12. She taught for Hazelwood School District for 15 years, but now enjoys teaching young students in grades K-8 at two Catholic schools in North County and all of the SHARE and Homelink Spanish students. Raised in a bi-lingual home by her German father and Hispanic mother, Eleanore learned to appreciate other languages and cultures as her military family moved all over the world.  She has always had a passion for the Spanish language and culture. In addition to teaching, Eleanore was the assistant director, wardrobe mistress, and choreographer for the Latin American Dance Company of St. Louis for 8 years. She recently opened up a formalwear shop in Old Town Florissant called Dream Sew True, where she can pursue her other interests in fashion design and sewing.  At home she enjoys reading, crocheting, and spending time with her 10 year old son Cody, and husband Esteban.
 
- The SHARE Spanish classes at the Salvation Army for the first semester will begin on Thursday, September 10, at the Salvation Army Gateway Citadel Building, 824 Union Rd., St. Louis Mo., 63123. The first semester classes will run for 14 weeks, until December 17. There will be no classes on November 26 because of the Thanksgiving holiday.
 
- Classes will hopefully remain the same low price as in past years - $5 per class per student if the class size is large enough. Payment for the entire semester will be due on the first day of class - September 10. The semester price would be $70 ($5 X 14 weeks). There will also be a small materials fee of about $5 per student.  Families can work out a payment plan with Eleanore if necessary. Payment plan must be decided before the first day of class so we don’t waste valuable class time.

-  Eleanore has designed her own curriculum for the Spanish classes at the Salvation Army. The curriculum is on a 2-3 year rotation, so that students taking the same class for 2 years in a row will have new material. For example – if your child is taking the 5-7 year old class again, there will be new material along with some review (We are thankful that Eleanore is willing to design her own curriculum…Spanish textbooks, even for the elementary grades, are very pricey and don’t allow for much flexibility).
 
- It is very helpful (but not required) for students to have internet access. Eleanore has her own “Profesora T” website, where students can review what they learned in class and download homework and practice worksheets, etc.  Eleanore also has a teacher account at www.quia.com and other educational sites, and students are able to log on and use the sites for practice, games and tests. 
 
- All students are required to have a 1-inch binder, pencils, pens, notebook, paper, ruler, and a box of washable markers. Older students (age 11 and up) will be required to purchase an inexpensive paperback dictionary called The New World Spanish/ English, English/Spanish Dictionary (available at Borders), It would be helpful to have a backpack or pencil case to keep supplies in (I still have a large box of Spanish class lost & found items!).
 
- Spanish classes at the Salvation Army are open to students of any skill level, and age guidelines are flexible. Eleanore is a wonderful teacher that can work in a group setting with a variety of ages, learning styles and levels of Spanish experience. Due to scheduling conflicts and space limitations, we can't offer individual classes of beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels for each age group. Even if we could divide the classes, we would probably not have enough students to form a regular class (we need at least 6-7) and prices would be higher. If your child has had NO Spanish exposure at all, it would be helpful to listen to some Spanish CD’s or DVD’s from the library over the summer. I also have an educational CD called Beginning Spanish Songs that we have permission to duplicate for SHARE students. Send me your name and address and I will mail you a copy.
 
-  Because of space limitations, it’s best not to have parents and siblings in the classroom (unless you are an "official" helper). We've tried to have an "open" classroom before and it gets very crowded and noisy. If your child is scared to go in without you (like mine always were!), you can stay for a little while in the beginning and then perhaps wait outside the door in the hallway. If you have children with you, they cannot “hang out” unattended in the hallway. The Salvation Army is a VERY busy place on Thursdays, and we have to follow their hallway rules. Parents of Spanish students have permission from the Salvation Army to go into the nursery (next door to Spanish class) with their preschoolers, toddlers and babies. The nursery is not for school age children. If you have school age children, you can wait with them in the nearby fellowship hall or outside. Or – they can take some of the other classes offered at the same time (Sorry if this sounds confusing – call with questions or more details!).
 
- Students need to be in kindergarten and reading before they take the 5-7 year old class. If Eleanore had more time and space she would love to teach a pre-school or pre-reading Spanish class – sorry!
 
- Students in 9th grade have 2 choices for Spanish – the 7th - 9th grade class at the Salvation Army (3:00 – 4:00 pm) or the Spanish 1 class at Homelink (9:30 – 10:45 am). The 7th – 9th class will not have a textbook and will be more “conversational.” The 7th – 9th grade class can count for partial or full high school credit. Contact Kerrie or Eleanore for more details about 9th grade placement.
 
- Parents can leave the Salvation Army building during class, but please make sure that Eleanore has your cell phone number. It is also a good idea to have a “designated adult” that your child can go to in an emergency.
 
- Usually about half of the students in Spanish classes also take Homeschool P.E.  The Thursday P.E. classes fill up quickly. To reserve your spot, fill out a P.E. registration form and mail it to Cort Hubbard. Go www.homeschool-life.com/mo/share/ and click on P.E. Classes 2009-1010 for all the details. 
 
- Becca Hubbard will probably be teaching enrichment classes on Thursday (and possibly Tuesday and Wednesday!) that coordinate with the P.E. and Spanish age groups. She is thinking of teaching her Discover Ancient Egypt class, an SWR class (Spell to Write and Read), or a U.S. Geography class. Prices will be similar to Spanish classes. Stay tuned for times and details…
 
- If you have any questions contact Kerrie Tate at 314-791-0000 or kertatehomelink@aol.com and she will give you Eleanore’s phone number and email address (We didn’t want to spread Eleanore’s info though cyberspace!). 
 
 
From www.discoverlanguages.com:

 Learning a Second Language at an Early Age:

- Has a positive effect on intellectual growth.

- Enriches and enhances a child's mental development.

- Leaves students with more flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening.

- Improves a child's understanding of his/her native language.

- Gives a child the ability to communicate with people s/he would otherwise not have the chance to know.

- Opens the door to other cultures and helps a child understand and appreciate people from other countries.

- Gives a student a head start in language requirements for college.

- Increases job opportunities in many careers where knowing another language is a real asset
 
 
From http://www.studyspanish.com/topten_reasons.htm:
 
Top Ten Reasons to Learn Spanish
# 7
With well over 35 million Spanish speakers in the United States, and with over 40% of the population growth being among the Hispanic people, the stage is set for an enormous increase in Spanish usage in the United States. This has sparked a lot of interest among US citizens, a group not particularly known for their multilingualism. This interest will only increase as the Hispanic population of the US approaches 50 million by the year 2015. But it's not only in the US where Spanish is popular. In Europe, Spanish is the second most popular second language, after English. With some 400 million speakers, Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the world. Only Mandarin, English and Hindi have more speakers. If you count only native speakers, Spanish outranks English. Spanish is an official language on four continents and is the mother tongue in 21 countries. The sheer number of Spanish speakers and their rate of growth makes learning Spanish a smart choice.
 
(Go to the www.studyspanish.com  link above to read the other 9 reasons)