Glastonbury Public Schools World Language
Spanish Exchange
About the Spanish Exchange
Since 2004, we have conducted an exchange with Colegio Estudio, a school of approximately 1,800 students and 140 teachers located in Aravaca, Madrid. Since 2008, we have also conducted an exchange program with Colegio Arturo Soria, a school located in the heart of Madrid. Colegio Arturo Soria is a grade Pre-K -12 school with more than 1,000 students and 50 teachers . We will continue our exchange with Colegio Estudio and Colegio Arturo Soria this year. Student participants will be matched with a student in one of the two schools. Spanish students are hosted by Glastonbury students for two weeks in September. Glastonbury students stay with that same student in Madrid in the spring.
Eligibility
Current freshman, sophomores and juniors may apply to the Spanish Exchange Program. Students must be enrolled in Spanish III or higher when they apply and must be enrolled in Spanish for the following year, in which they participate in the exchange.
Current Status
Application for the 2024-2025 Spanish Exchange are NOW AVAILABLE.
Current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors may apply for the Spanish Exchange program for 2024-2025. Students must be registered for a Spanish class and be in both good academic and behavioral standing to be eligible.
Students who are accepted will be notified in April for interviews. Not all students may receive an interview.
Selected families should plan on meeting in both June and August to prepare for the Spanish Exchange experience.
Application Process
Completed applications should be submitted to Sr. Wildman in the World Language workroom. Please read all of the following documents carefully, and complete all parts of the application. There are four parts of the application, and all parts must be completed by the deadline for applications to be considered.
ALL PARTS OF THE APPLICATION ARE DUE ON THURSDAY, APRIL 25TH.
First, please read this parent letter before completing the application.
Next complete the application. Parts can be done in any order, though we suggest doing the "Student Checklist and Guardian Acknowledgement" last.
Teachers complete the online recommendation (Part 1 of 4)
Complete a letter to your potential host family (Part 2 of 4)
Spanish exchange application (Part 3 of 4)
Complete and sign the “Student Checklist and Guardian Acknowledgement” (Part 4 of 4)
Quotes from past Spanish Exchange participants
“My family made sure to spend as much time as they could with me. And saying bye to them was very difficult because I connected with them.”
“… was probably one of the best experiences of my life.”
“After living in Madrid, I truly appreciate the culture – the history, arts, food, architecture. It was an incredible experience. I learned so much about their norms, customs, history and importance of certain values.”
“I learned more than I could have imagined.”
“It was the best experience of my life.”
“I learned so much stuff that I don’t exactly know what I learned the most about. My Spanish family made sure to expose me to a lot of culture through dinner table discussion, trips, and other things. Not to mention, I learned a lot about myself and other people.”
“I just wish the whole things was longer than two weeks because by the end of the two weeks our relationships became so strong and then we had to leave. I really loved spending time with my student and his family, so I wish I could stay longer.”
“Now I am more confident in speaking Spanish to other people, and I think my pronunciation has improved.”
“The whole experience was unforgettable and amazing, but I love the relationships made through this exchange.”