The registration period for the Spanish Bilingual program at West Coulee Station Elementary School is now open. (Photo: Lethbridge School Division)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge’s Spanish Bilingual program growing in 2025, registration now open

Jan 14, 2025 | 10:15 AM

Parents who want to see their children learn English and Spanish are advised that a narrow registration window has opened.

Autumn Barnes, Co-Chair of the Spanish Bilingual Education Association, says it is an exciting year for the program.

Starting in September 2025, the Spanish Bilingual program in Lethbridge will move to the brand-new West Coulee Station Elementary School. This will result in the program’s capacity for Kindergarten and Grade One growing by around 30 per cent.

Barnes’ children are in the program and she described it as a “good program” with “fantastic” teachers.

“The world is growing, right? We’re in more of an international community and so having kids with a second language is really important and it’s pretty cool,” says Barnes.

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The Spanish Bilingual program is open to students in grades K-5 and they spend about half of their classroom time learning in Spanish.

According to Barnes, students still have to meet the Alberta curriculum and take all of the core subjects.

“There’s really no extra work as a parent to put your kid in this program,” explains Barnes. “It runs at a regular public school in Lethbridge and it gives them this opportunity to get a little bit more excited about learning and language. There’s often cultural nights and different events and stuff that the teachers organize that you can put your kids in if you want.”

The elementary school program was introduced in 2017 and has been run out of Coalbanks Elementary School. Originally, it was only open to students in the catchment area for Coalbanks.

Once it moves to West Coulee Station this fall, children in all parts of the city will be able to attend.

“There’s actually going to be busing offered for the first time in September, which is really exciting. So if you live on the West Side, there will be busing provided, and if you live on the other side of town, on the south of the north side, there’s actually an opportunity to get subsidized for your gas to drive your kids to school, and that’s offered through the school division,” she says.

Barnes adds that the program became so popular that staff would often see parents lined up outside for hours before the school opened so they could be the first ones to register their children.

For the upcoming school year, registration for the Spanish Bilingual program is open from January 13-30, 2025. Barnes says the registration period is tight because the Lethbridge School Division needs to determine its staffing requirements for when West Coulee Station opens for the first time.

Registration can be done on the websites for West Coulee Station Elementary. More information on the program is available on the Spanish Bilingual Education Association website..

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