Spanish (K-8) New Year, New Program, Fresh Start! Welcome to Miss Neves-Cole’s SJS webpage! I am the Spanish teacher for all grades (K-8). Learning Spanish will prove invaluable to our students. It will enable them to better communicate with the large Spanish-speaking population in Southern California. And, it will expose them to one of the most widely spoken languages in the world (21 countries claim Spanish as their official language!). The study of Spanish also offers multi-disciplinary benefits. In Spanish class, students will strengthen their general language skills. What they learn through Spanish grammar will assist them in understanding and correctly applying English grammar. Spanish classes will also touch on the geography and culture of the Spanish-speaking countries. Lastly, since Catholicism plays such an important and pervasive role in Hispanic/Latino culture, Spanish classes will reinforce the universality of the Catholic faith.

My goal is to provide a cohesive curriculum throughout the grades that will develop our students’ Spanish speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Students will learn Spanish pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar through a variety of mediums (including video, music and games!). Of course, immersion is the most successful way to learn a foreign language. Our students only have Spanish class twice each week. So, I will need our parents’ assistance to expose our students to Spanish on a more regular basis. Students will have Spanish homework. But, I also encourage parents to have their children watch TV and movies and listen to music and talk radio in Spanish at home each night. With our parents’ help, I hope to equip our students with the confidence and skills necessary to excel in high school Spanish.