The Santa Teresa Ikastetxea is a private, PK-12 school of approximately 500 students. It is located in the heart of San Sebastián, in the Ibaeta district which also houses the universities in the city. The school is divided into four distinct divisions based upon ages. The highest grades, el bachillerato, is for students aged 16-18. From these students some will be selected to participate in the exchange with Nipmuc.
Santa Teresa is an ideal exchange partner for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, the school community has a very positive culture. The school is very warm and welcoming in nature, and because of the small size and positive climate, it is clear that the teachers and staff know their students well. Second, most students in el bachillerato are proficient in English. All students at Santa Teresa learn English starting at age 4. Similar to the MURSD's Spanish Immersion program, the English instruction that all students receive from their English teachers is immersive and builds sequentially as they progress through the grades. |
While Santa Teresa is a school with a religious affiliation, there is no specific dogma taught to students. Rather, there is a strong philosophy of teaching to the whole child. The school's mission of educating "to improve and grow in the development of capacities that help all students live in life and become partners" is evident in observing a positive culture with a rigorous college preparatory curriculum.
Amaia Soroa, a talented young teacher and alumna of Santa Teresa, worked as a Spanish language assistant at Memorial Elementary School during the 2016-17 school year. Amaia started the connections between the two school communities. As a result, numerous virtual exchanges between MURSD and Santa Teresa students through Skype have occurred in both elementary and secondary classrooms. Amaia also took part in the first year of the exchange program as a chaperone in the USA for the students from Santa Teresa. |
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