Tuesday, Feb. 26 2013 9:24AM

Trailridge Elementary initiates Spanish Club to enrich learning

Trailridge Elementary School recently initiated a Spanish Club designed to provide foreign-language enrichment for high-achieving students. The program came about through discussions among teachers during the school's structured teacher collaboration on late-start Wednesdays.

Fifth-grade teachers were talking about ways to provide enrichment activities for students who are achieving at high levels at school. With the help of parent volunteers and a high-school Spanish student enrolled in the A+ program, the Trailridge Spanish Club began in November 2012. Parents Hilda L’Heureux and Anensky Norberto, whose native language is Spanish, and Blaike Cook, a third-year Lee's Summit West High School Spanish student, are working with fifth-grade teachers to offer the club.

The student club includes 12 fifth-graders this year with plans calling for the club to expand to include both fifth- and sixth-graders in 2013-14. The Spanish Club meets Monday through Thursday during the fifth-graders' intervention time.

Fifth-grade teacher Jayne Hartwig will be traveling to Honduras in June to work with schools and help teachers learn more about math instruction. Teachers at Trailridge are helping develop math lessons for each grade level at the Honduras schools. The Spanish Club students and volunteers are helping translate the Trailridge teachers' lessons into Spanish.

The Spanish Club students are also preparing to write to pen pals from the Honduras schools.