SBEA invites community to open house

By Lethbridge Herald on January 3, 2026.

 By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman

Lethbridge Herald

The Spanish Bilingual Education Association (SBEA) is inviting members of the community who are interested in having their children learn Spanish as a second language, to join them at the West Coulee Station Elementary School for an open house. 

The SBEA is a volunteer parent group formed by families who want to help, support, and grow the Spanish Bilingual Program in Lethbridge Public Schools.  

Autumn Barnes, co-chair of the SBEA says families are invited to attend the school on Jan. 7 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to prepare for Kindergarten Spanish Bilingual registration which will open shortly after. 

“The open house offers an opportunity for families to explore Spanish bilingual programming offered through Lethbridge public schools, to meet educators, enrolled families, and to check out the brand-new West Coulee Station Elementary School,” says Barnes. 

She says the Lethbridge School Division has hosted a vibrant Spanish bilingual program since 2018, and families are excited for the program to expand with the new capacity at West Coulee Station Elementary. 

“Children raised to be bilingual have enhanced problem solving abilities, improved literacy and numeracy skills in both languages, as well as expanded school and work opportunities,” says Barnes. 

She explains that families do not need a Spanish background to enroll their children in the program for Kindergarten and Grade 1, but that changes after Grade 1. 

“For kids who are in Grade 2 and up, they can request an assessment of their Spanish skills. They would need some sort of Spanish language experience, whether it’s speaking Spanish in the home, or some courses and schools take those kids on in an individual basis,” says Barnes. 

She shares that within the Lethbridge School Division, West Coulee Elementary School is the new home of the Spanish Bilingual program, where kids can begin their Spanish journey in Kindergarten or Grade 1, continue through the years until they move into middle school, when they can continue their journey at G. S. Lakie Middle School. 

The SBEA has been advocating for growth of the Spanish programming and Barnes shares that they do what they can to make sure the program is sustainable in the long term. 

“We have met with other parents to help promote the program, with school administration, we presented to the school division last year and this year to the Board of Trustees advocating for growing the program from the base,” says Barnes. 

She says historically they have only had two Kindergarten and two Grade 1 Spanish classes, but now that they have moved the program to the new school and they have more room, they are trying to get three Kindergarten and Grade 1 Spanish classes. 

“We have support from the school and the school division. They said that if we can get the numbers, they will staff them and support them,” says Barnes. 

She says they continue to advocate for the program because the SBEA strongly believes that having a second language is beneficial for children’s development. 

“Bilingualism in general has a lot of proven benefits for kids, for their cognitive and problem-solving abilities. Spanish is a good language for kids to learn as they grow up,” says Barnes. 

She adds that Spanish in particular, is a language that is widely spoken international and therefore will be beneficial for their future, not only while traveling, but with potential to study abroad. 

“Also, the Spanish language is really fun, there’s a lot of great events because there’s so much diversity within the Spanish culture and there’s a lot of really fun learning opportunities for kids so they can get really involved in it,” says Barnes. 

Registration for September 2026 Kindergarten Spanish programming is open from Jan. 12 to Jan. 30.