Spanish Immersion Retreat

Who We Are

The KU Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education both to be a designated Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and to provide Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships for students over the next four years. Our proposed initiatives for 2018-2022 focus on the theme of Connecting Communities in KU and the heartland to Latin American and Caribbean communities and institutions, in part by leveraging our existing partnerships locally and abroad. Title VI National Resource Center funding creates some amazing opportunities for curriculum development, programming, community outreach, and language learning in the region. 

About the Retreat

CLACS is excited to offer a grant-supported Spanish Immersion Retreat, which is coordinated in partnership with Topeka Public Schools and the University of Kansas Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Open Language Resource Center, and School of Education. Join us for an interactive and exciting educator workshop, including activities such as one-on-one and group conversations, book discussions, curriculum development sessions, pedagogical development sessions, an interactive music performance, and much more! At the retreat, you will:

• Immerse yourself in Spanish among native and learning speakers;

• Reinforce the importance of mulitliteracy and multilingualism in professionals and students;

• Learn strategies to self-advocate for your language skills and cultural knowledge;

• Maintain or improve your fluency with dynamic and interactive activities;

• Design curricular units to be used across the disciplines and at all levels using KU resources;

• Learn about less commonly taught language and cultures;

• Participate in a professional development mini-workshop for heritage learners / speakers;

• Socialize and network with Spanish instructors or aspiring teachers in formal and informal settings;

• Read and discuss bilingual Latin American and/or Latinx books.

Date & Location

We invite you to the KU Spanish Immersion Retreat on Saturday, May 30, 2020 from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., located at Bishop Professional Development Center, 3601 SW 31st St, Topeka, KS 66614. All attendees are encouraged to join us for dinner at 6:00 p.m.!

Open to All

The retreat is open to heritage Spanish speakers AND non-native Spanish speakers / learners who are teachers, language instructors, paraprofessionals, school support staff, dual language instructors, or education students (interested in DL instruction) at all levels in Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. All activities at the retreat will occur in an immersive Spanish environment.

Fees & Scholarships

This retreat is funded by Title VI NRC grant, which covers all event costs except for food. As a result, we are able to offer a low-cost registration fee of only $15 (non-refundable) to cover meals and refreshments throughout the day, for which federal funding cannot be used. To register, please click on the "Attendee Registration" link below.

The cost of attendance should not be a barrier to participating in the retreat; scholarships and/or travel stipends are available for prospective attendees who are unable to pay. If this is your situation, please click on the "Scholarship Registration" link below.

Professional Development Credit

Non-graduate, continuing education units (CEUs) can be earned through either Frontline or the University of Kansas, contingent on district approval and consistency with the stated goals in the individual teacher's professional development plan. If you are in need of non-degree graduate credit, an option through Baker University is forthcoming.