After-School Spanish Immersion Program Starting Next Year

Arlington Superintendent Kathleen Bodie announced Thursday that the district will have an after-school Spanish immersion program for students in kindergarten and first grade starting next school year.

Bodie unveiled the news at Thursday’s School Committee meeting. She said she’ll have more information, such as how to sign-up, in the coming weeks.

The program will be housed at Bracket Elementary School but will be open to K-1 students district wide. It should be able to accommodate about 20 students in two classrooms in its first year, she said.

“Depending how it goes, we might look to expand it to other grade levels,” Bodie said.

The Brackett was chosen as its location because it’s had a waiting list for after-school programs, she said. It doesn’t look like buses will be available to bring other students to the program at this time.

“We’re hoping parents will be able to carpool,” Bodie said.

The program will go until 6 p.m. However, parents will have the option to pick up their kids sooner during “transition times,” according to Bodie. There will be two- and three-day-a-week options.

The program will be funded by tuition, similar to the district’s other after-school programs, Bodie said.

Go Lingo!, which runs the district’s other after-school language programs, will run this one as well, she said.

A group of parents recently pushed to get a Spanish immersion program within the school day. However, after deliberating, administrators and the School Committee said there wasn’t money in the budget for such a program at this time.