SPANISH:  St. Nicholas Academy Second Language Program

St. Nicholas Academy is unique among archdiocesan schools in that the Spanish program is part of the curriculum. Other schools may offer a second language as an extracurricular class after school which requires an additional fee for each 10 week session.

Our Spanish program at St. Nicholas Academy is part of each grade offered as a Special once a week and is included with the cost of tuition without the need for an additional after school program.

Learning a second language is a great gift to students in grade school. The earlier a student begins a second language, the more accustomed to the language they become and the easier it is to learn. Each year we will build on the knowledge the students acquired the previous year. Since all students are beginners in our inaugural year we are focusing on enrichment. This includes subjects and vernacular related to colors, numbers, days of the week, months of the year, seasons, parts of the body, etc. We will finish up this year with parts of speech, food, people in the community and more based on grade level.

Because this is an enrichment program, the St. Nicholas Academy Spanish program includes songs and games along with more traditional teaching methods.  Because I meet with each grade, I am able to tailor my course for each grade level.

By the end of this school year, the children will understand basic Spanish. Next year, we will all move toward building our vocabulary, speaking, and writing skills in Spanish.

If a student begins in the Kindergarten at St. Nicholas with our Spanish program, I expect that they will be well prepared to take Spanish at the high school level and be ahead of others who have not had the opportunity at an early age.

The Hispanic community is the fastest growing group of people in the U.S. and having Spanish as a second language will be a great advantage in terms of school and job placement. Language ability will be one more thing to put your child in a better position to enter high school, college, and the job market.

I hope to have the pleasure of teaching your children Spanish at St. Nicholas for many years to come.  This is truly a unique experience only made available through the cooperation of our two founding parishes.

Thank you,
Mrs. Lucienne Driehaus