The primary goal of language study at Westbury Friends School is the mastery of the English language. Those students who have shown enough advancement by third grade in the study of English may select Spanish as an additional language. Those students who do not take Spanish continue with additional English Language Arts studies.

 

The Spanish class meets twice a week. In grades 3 and 4 the program introduces children to the written and spoken forms of the language by building basic vocabulary and syntax skills. In the Upper grades the course focuses on conversational Spanish, with writing exercises to reinforce grammar and sentence structure. In so doing, students from grades 3 through 6 develop interpersonal skills that mutually reinforce language articulation in both English and Spanish. They grow in awareness of other cultures around the world that communicate in a language other than English. The use of Spanish as America 's “second” language allows students to relate to another language beyond the school: store signs and labels, posted advertisements, and children's television programs.