FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

At birth, the baby brain can distinguish difference between all 800 sounds. That means that infants can learn any language to which they’re exposed. As time passes babies figure out which sounds they are hearing the most. Between six and 12 months, infants who grow up in monolingual households become attuned in the subset of sounds in their native language. By their first birthdays, monolingual infants begin to lose their ability to hear the differences between foreign language sounds.

Research definitively proves that our minds are capable of distinguishing different languages from a very early age. Because students are only spoken to in Spanish from the very first day at Spanish World School, they very quickly know that they will hear something different at school than what they hear at home. And because we know that students receive an adequate amount of English outside of school (through conversations with friends and family, exposure to books and TV, etc.), there is no reason to believe that their English skills will be delayed whatsoever.

Parents receive monthly vocabulary lists and a description of the unit of study, so that they remain aware of what students are doing at school. We encourage parents to practice basic vocabulary in Spanish when possible, and also to supplement their education in Spanish with books and conversations in English. For example, if we are studying about ocean animals at school, parents may want to read English books at home about the same topic.

Infants maintain their own schedules as they become accustomed to the classroom routines.. Toddlers start with a daily routine including circle time, reading time, learning centers (blocks, art, early math, dramatic play, fine & gross motor skill development), outside play, lunch and nap time.

Preschool students participate in our Project-Based learning model, in which they actively investigate a driving question and work towards the creation of a final product that is then presented to their classmates, teachers and community members. Music, dance, early literary and critical thinking activities, as well as social/emotional learning are also a part of their daily routines.

Infant & Toddler classes: 10 – 12 students to 3 teachers
Preschool classes: 14 students to 2 teachers

Annual online registration for new families is at the beginning of February; however, students can be added to the wait list throughout the year. Depending on spaces available, students are able to start either in June for the 8-week summer session or August for the school year.

Complete online application and send $100 cash or check to: SW NURSERY SCHOOL, 4411 Skillman St. Dallas, TX 75206 OR 550 N. Haskell Ave. Dallas, TX 75246. Please write your child’s name on the check.

You will receive an email confirmation that your child has been placed on the waiting list. The wait list does not carry over year to year.

Our nursery, preschool and elementary programs are rooted in project-based learning.  Students are engaged in authentic learning experiences through in-depth and purposeful investigations. During the inquiry process students are exposed to early literacy and math standards that prepare them for early reading, math, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Teachers become facilitators in the process of investigation, revision and reflection. Students remain engaged in real-life experiences throughout the unit of study in order to create a tangible, useful product to be shared with the community. At the end of each unit, students present their projects to their classmates, teachers, parents and community members. The presentation piece is critical to the students’ understanding of the topic as well as development of their oral language skills.

Some examples of monthly projects include: World Market, in which students learn about different cultures and countries as they prepare products to sell at a World-Expo where students can buy and sell their goods; We are Alive!, in which students transform their classrooms into different habitats, complete with animals, plants and information about geography and Thankful for Spanish, a unit that allows students to communicate with Spanish-speaking students at partner schools in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain and the US.

Something helpful to consider is that, “The more input, the more output.” Students who attend immersion classes twice a week for three hours a day will develop their Spanish skills at a different rate than those who attend five days a week for 8 hours per day. That being said, it still is a long process. Typically it takes 5 – 7 years for students of a second language to achieve advanced fluency. There are other factors that contribute to students’ progress as well, including their background to the language, their exposure to it outside of school and their personalities. While not always the case, usually those who are more outgoing will be more inclined to take the risk and speak out loud. It’s important to note that even if they don’t have a lot of oral production, students’ minds are still processing the language and working hard to make sense of what they are hearing.

Spanish World School hosts two yearly outdoor carnival and a yearly service project each December, as well as holiday, teacher appreciation and graduation celebrations. We hold parent-teacher conferences twice a year. Preschool classrooms each have one or two parent coordinators to help organize events throughout the year. We welcome parent support at the school and are proud of our tight-knit family community.

All preschool students attend physical education classes during the school day with our full-time PE teacher. Students are engaged in activities to develop their gross motor skills, as well as team-building and good sportsmanship.

We also offer after-school enrichment classes, including yoga, theater, Tae Kwon Do, Zumba and basketball. These classes are available for all SWS students for an additional cost.

If students do not continue their studies at Spanish World Elementary School, we offer after-school enrichment classes for alumni students. We also offer private and small-group tutoring to help students advance their language skills.

Studies have found that learning a second language at an early age has many benefits:

• There is a positive effect on brain development and intellectual growth.
• Students gain flexibility in thinking, greater sensitivity to language, and a better ear for listening.
• Spanish immersion opens the door to other cultures and helps children understand and appreciate people from other countries.
• Students acquire Spanish language fluency.
• Spanish Immersion produces successful learners who perform well on tests.
• Students have increased job opportunities in many careers where knowledge of another language is an asset.

Multiple benefits exist in acquiring a second language during the primary years. Some of the benefits of learning a second language during the elementary years include:

• Children have the ability to learn and excel in the pronunciation of a foreign language (Krashen, et al., 1982).
• Participation in early foreign language shows positive results in areas of standardized testing (Armstrong & Rogers, 1997).
• Children who had studied a foreign language show greater cognitive development (Hakuta, 1990).
• Foreign language study has shown to increase listening skills, memory, and a greater understanding of one’s own language (Lapkin, et al., 1990).
• Children studying foreign language have an improved self-concept and sense of achievement in school (Caine & Caine, 1997).
• Children develop a sense of cultural pluralism, openness and appreciation of other cultures (Met, 1995).

Report cards, notices, newsletters, and more are issued in English, given that the majority of our SWS Elementary families are native-English speakers. Most homework assignments in the early elementary grades are in English so parents can be active participants in their child’s learning; they are increasingly offered in grade-level Spanish as students gain literacy, proficiency, and comprehension in their second language. It is not necessary to have a Spanish background prior to starting our program. For children new to the Spanish language, teachers create diverse learning opportunities with a balance of large and small-group experiences, teacher and child-initiated activities, and opportunities for individualized instruction. This also allows faculty to tailor instruction to language proficiency. PBL is also an ideal match with language immersion, in that projects keep students engaged with authentic learning experiences that advance a child’s literacy and comprehension.

The vast majority of reading and language arts standards cover overall literacy skills that are not language-specific. For example, reading comprehension concepts such as sequencing, summary, character development, and author’s purpose are transferrable ideas from one language to another. Similarly, once a student learns math, science, and social studies concepts in Spanish, they easily transfer to their understanding because standards around geometry, biology, and citizenship, for example, are not tied to Spanish or English. Time is dedicated in the daily schedule to cover language-specific standards, generally around phonics, spelling, and grammatical conventions, in both languages. Instruction in both languages also develops vocabulary simultaneously so that our biliterate students can use their understanding of how language works to support their own progress in both English and Spanish. Our school’s standardized test results in both languages are comparable (see below), confirming what we know about transferability from research-based best practices in language immersion. Our “alums” have successfully transferred to all-English middle schools.

Our projects follow best practices in project-based learning pedagogy, grounding all academic standards in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the Next Generation Science Standards.

• Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
  • Created and mandated by the state of Texas for public schools
  • Language Arts (Spanish and English), Math, Social Studies, Specials
• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
  • Comparable to the TEKS, with an emphasis on design thinking
  • Widely recognized and respected, both state- and nation-wide

By following the TEKS and NGSS, we ensure that our students are prepared to transition to public schools, or elsewhere, when they graduate to middle school.

Our elementary program is rooted in project-based learning.  An authentic learning experience is an in-depth investigation of a real-world topic worthy of a student’s attention and effort. The study may be carried out with an entire class or with small groups of students. During the inquiry process students are exposed to early literacy and math standards that prepare them for early reading, math, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Teachers become facilitators in the process of investigation, revision and reflection. Students remain engaged in real-life experiences throughout the unit of study in order to create a tangible, useful product to be shared with the community.

All students use technology as a tool to aid in their learning and understanding.  All students bring a personal device (an iPad or tablet) and work in a lab setting with our technology teacher. They begin learning how to research, type, use the Microsoft Office Suite, and prepare their presentations using various applications and software.

Students attend specials for 45 minutes every day. They rotate between Fine Arts, P.E., Yoga and Technology class.

Students in 2nd and 4th grade take the nationally-recognized ITBS/Logramos suite of standardized tests in early April, in both languages. These exams are accepted for application to magnet programs in DallasISD, as well as to other public-school districts and private schools throughout the country. In order to keep our instructional focus on projects and language immersion, we keep “test preparation” to a minimum in the second semester only, to include testing formatted homework, timed class assignments, and short strategy workshops in the two weeks leading to the testing period. We view standardized testing results as one small element of an evaluation portfolio. While they do help us measure each student’s progress in both languages, the true benefit of standardized testing lies in our school’s ability to use these results internally to assess and monitory our own learning program.

PBL, language-immersion schools like SWS Elementary prepare students to thrive in all learning environments. Our children become critical-thinkers, problem-solvers, self-starters, and lifelong-learners who can adapt to different school models through their sustained curiosity and creativity. While our families seek a diversity of middle school experiences, we offer grade-level informational meetings starting in second grade to help guide our community members learn about local middle school models and expectations.

Our elementary teachers are required to have a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or elementary education; alternatively, teachers with Bachelor’s degrees in other fields, such as Biology and Engineering, bring multiple years of educational experience to our classrooms. All of our teachers are native Spanish speakers, with the exception of our English Language Arts specialist. They are trained in project-based learning, second language acquisition, and literacy development in order to deliver a curriculum aligned to state, national and international standards. Foreign language and English language learner standards are incorporated to support all the students’ academic needs. Assessments will be given throughout the program to track academic and language achievement. Differentiated instruction will be incorporated into daily lesson plans to meet the needs of all students.

Students entering Kindergarten are eligible for the PK4 summer program offered by our partners at the Spanish World Pre-School. This summer-long program runs through June and July and helps prepare students for the transition to Kindergarten.

For students entering 1st-5th grade, we offer a series of weekly summer camps in June and July. Camps are conducted 100% in Spanish and include academics, athletics, crafts, fine arts, technology, and more. They are offered as half- or full-day options, with before- and after-care available, as well. Summer camp registration opens in March.