Kirby Hall School recently celebrated the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month with a cultural celebration highlighting student research and performance projects.
Students in lower school and middle school spent weeks diving into significant events and learning about influential Hispanic figures who make up a rich part of our country’s history, culminating in their presentations on September 15 as the commemorative month kicked off.
Second graders recited the rhyme “Bate, Bate, Chocolate,” about the famous sweets, and sang the song “Pio, Pio.” The third graders presented the poem “Mariposa del Aire” and sang “La Vaca Lola.”
Our fourth and fifth graders, along with middle school students, sang “De Colores” and “La Bamba,” demonstrated traditional Folklórico dancing, and also played a ukulele version of “La Bamba.”
It was a joyful day as students were proud to show off their hard work exhibiting all that they had come to learn about Hispanic arts and culture.
Additionally, our school library is featuring a selection of works all month long written by well-known Hispanic authors or books whose subject is inspiring Hispanic individuals or historic events that took place within this colorful community.
Learning the Spanish language is an integral part of the Kirby Hall curriculum, and students begin instruction here starting in our Pre-K4 program. Because of the small class sizes, teachers are able to provide individual attention and a growth mindset learning environment so that every student can increase their language skills and excel at their own pace.
Highlights of our Kirby Hall Spanish curriculum include:
- Using Total Physical Response (TPR) method teaching and/or Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS)
- Utilizing the textbook Listos, for third and fourth graders, and Descubre (a high school level textbook) for fifth graders and up
- Exposure to the IB (International Baccalaureate) methodology to promote critical thinking skills as well as fluency
Kirby Hall School offers a place to belong, and an education beyond for families of all backgrounds, race, religion, and cultural heritage. Our small class sizes inspire lively discussions and encourage students to become critical, confident, and independent thinkers.
To learn more about our private school in Austin for academically curious and creative students in Pre-K4 through eighth grades, please visit us here.
