Spanish Immersion
Zeeland Christian offers a preK-12th grade Spanish language program for students who want to become fully fluent in the Spanish language.
- Students join the program in Threeschool, preschool, kindergarten or 1st grade. Every class is taught entirely in the Spanish language through 5th gade. Yes, every class! Students are taught to read, write and converse in Spanish by being constantly immersed in the language.
- By 5th grade, students are considered fluent when compared to a native speaking 5th grader.
- Beginning in 6th grade, students enter the “maintenance phase” of the program. The goal is to maintain the communication skills learned in elementary school while expanding the academic vocabulary. Students do that by spending 90+ minutes per day immersed in the Spanish language. The rest of the day is spent in traditional classes mixed in with the rest of the student body.
- Holland Christian High School continues our Spanish immersion program into 9th-12th grades. They are implementing a maintenance program similar to our middle school maintenance program. Studies show that it’s important for students who want to retain the language to continue their education in it all the way through high school.
The best way to learn more about Spanish immersion? Call and schedule a tour. There is nothing like seeing and hearing the children in action!
Note: Space is limited in our Spanish immersion program. Classes do fill up. However, students who enter the program in Threeschool automatically have a spot in Preschool and from Preschool to Kindergarten, etc. Therefore, we recommend that families interested in Spanish immersion contact Nancy Pyle at 616.772.2609.
Photo Gallery
Immersion students do all the regular day-to-day school activities. They just do them in SPANISH!
Most of our Spanish immersion teachers are native Spanish speakers like Maestra Elizardo.
Immersion students often go on field trips with students from our non-traditional 'traditional' program. Building community throughout the school is extremely important at ZCS - regardless of which program a student is enrolled in!
In sixth grade, the Spanish immersion students are integrated into the traditional classrooms. The sixth grade student body spends time at Camp in the fall getting to know each other better and learning to be a community.
Children can join the Spanish immersion program anytime between Threeschool and First Grade.
Many parents wonder how math is taught in Spanish. It's taught the same way it's taught in our traditional classrooms! We use lots of hands on activities like teaching the kids how to make change during a classroom greeting card sale.
People
Maestra Sarah Stinson
Maestra Hilda Duran
Mrs. Nancy Pyle
Mr. Jeff Minkus
Maestra Amber Cabral
Maestra Sarah Vasquez
Maestra Zuri Suero
Maestra Betsy Koop
Maestra Silvia Nunez
Maestra Pilar Vanderstelt
Maestra Laura Zondervan
Maestra Yajaira Ruiz
Maestra Denia Rodriguez
Maestra Becky Schrotenboer
Maestra Ashley Hernandez
Maestra Marianne Cubero