As the parents of children who will be participating in our Spanish language programme, you naturally have questions, doubts, and possibly concerns about where your child will be and what he/she will be doing during the programme. Below, we have tried to answer the primary questions we receive from other parents, and hopefully alleviate any worries you might have.
Where will my child be staying?
Mataró is located 20 miles north of Barcelona (see map below). Although it claims 120,000 residents, visitors are often surprised by that figure because it has the feel of a town more than of a city. Much of the downtown area—where the school is located—is inhabited by families who have lived in their same ancestral homes going back a century or more. And because it is not a tourist town, locals are genuinely curious and friendly with visitors.
On the other hand, it offers the modern services, shopping, and entertainment one would expect of a city its size. It is a safe city with a low crime rate and boasts a first-rate hospital, a wide range of places to shop and eat, and a long stretch of sandy beach less than five-minutes walk from the school.
During his/her stay in Mataró your child will be staying with a host family. (Most host families are located within a ten-minute walk of the school.) These families provide their student-guests with a clean and comfortable room (shared or private) and a quiet place to study. Three meals a day are provided (lunch is a picnic-style meal, as it will usually be consumed outside the home before the afternoon activities).
As often as possible, host families will have a child or children near the same age as your child. This gives students an opportunity to meet their local peers, which can open the door to friendships and cultural experiences not generally available in other programmes (see below).
Host families are carefully screened, interviewed, and their homes are inspected to assure that they can offer the quality and comfort that we—and you—expect. A training session is given so families know how to welcome students into their home, deal with possible communication problems, and handle any special needs that their guests may require.
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What is special about your programme?
First of all, Mataró itself has a lot to offer. Given its comfortable size (not too big, not too small), your child will be able navigate his/her way around the city from their first day here. Yet it offers a variety of activities and things to do so that it will never get boring over the course of your child’s visit. Briefly stated, it has the benefits of both a large city and a small town but none of their downsides.
Secondly, it has an expansive beach and the town itself is so located, that making organized trips to Barcelona and other nearby areas of interest can be fast and comfortably done (see Programme Activities).
Our programme is run on the ideal of quality not quantity. We offer a reduced numbers of places for students, with the belief that these students should be treated as individuals and not just one of several hundred moving in and out of the programme each week. And because of these limited numbers we can select host families who are genuinely interested in and warmly receptive to your child and his/her needs, rather than just participating in the programme for financial remuneration, as is the case in many programmes.
Finally, we offer something that to our knowledge no other school does. Concurrent with the Spanish classes taught each morning, we have an English language programme for local students to study English. These local students then also participate in the afternoon activities with your child, leading to a mixture of cultures, ideas, and personalities that we have found add excitement to and build camaraderie within the programme.
Your child will be able to experience Spanish culture from the inside, not just as an observer.
As much as improving their Spanish speaking skills, our programme facilitates your child’s involvement with other children his/her age, and the activities they do together make this a special and memorable experience.
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What sort of study timetable will my child have?
Spanish classes are from 9:00 to 12:00 in the morning Monday through Friday. They are onsite at our center in one of our air-conditioned classrooms. Classes have a maximum of 12 students and consist of three 50-minute sessions with 10-minute breaks in between.
All classes are taught by government qualified Spanish teachers and all books and materials are included in the price of the programme. Free internet access is available at the school
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What type of activities will my child be doing after his/her Spanish classes?
A whole range of different activities are planned to keep your child learning, happy, and active during his/her stay in Mataró. Many of these activities are centred around the Mataró beach, and include sailing, snorkelling, swimming, beach sports (soccer, volleyball & others). Also, your child will participate in barbeques, visit aquatic parks, see films and live theatre in Spanish, go bowling, visit museums, and take part in one half-day trip to Barcelona each week (directly after class).
Full-day Saturday trips include:
- 1) Figueras (location of the Dalí Museum), Girona, and Tossa de Mar
- 2) Barcelona, a bus tour that includes visits to Sagrada Familia, the Gothic Quarter, Parc Guell, and the Barcelona Soccer Stadium and souvenir shop
- 3) Port Aventura, a theme park about an-hour-and-a-half south of Mataró.
There are trained monitors overseeing all of the above activities. These monitors are experienced in helping students adapt to their new surroundings during the first days and handling the day-to-day situations that can arise with students this age.
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How can I communicate with my child?
Students are also permitted to bring mobile phones, but they must be turned off during class and should not be used during certain afternoon activities. International calling stations are also available. Students should not use their host family phones except in emergency situations.
Free internet access is available at the school and students are welcome to use this during their breaks and before or after class.
Parents will also be given emergency contact numbers of the school, host family, and a 24 hour emergency hotline.
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What about health or diet issues?
Parents are asked to provide any/all dietary and health restriction information about their child at the time of his/her enrolment. A special form (available upon request) will be provided for this purpose. This information will be passed on to the school, teachers, monitors, and host families as deemed necessary.
All students are fully insured and covered under the Spanish health care system.
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What about out-of-pocket expenses for my child?
It is recommended that children have about 10€ per day for personal expenses. These expenses might include money for soft drinks, snacks, souvenirs, or any other minor expenses that might arise. There are cash points in Mataró and all locations your child will be visiting; cash cards, which can be easily cancelled if lost or stolen, are highly recommended.
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May my son or daughter leave campus?
Under no circumstances are students allowed to leave the campus on their own unless they are accompanied by an adult relative or school representative. Relatives or family must inform the camp well in advance if they plan to visit the school and take the student out of the campus.
The main idea of the programme is that all students remain within the school campus and under supervision at all times when staying in a summer campus situation. Students will leave the school premises only to take part on trips and activities organized by the Summer Camp and supervised by our staff and faculty members at all times.
Exceptions will be made under special circumstances, as long as we are provided with the proper authorization forms before the programme starts (these forms are available upon request). This authorization must contain detailed information of the person/s who will be picking up the student from (and returning them to) the camp.
Visits must be arranged well in advance in order to guarantee that the student is available, as some sports activities and other outings take place off campus and outside Mataró. Please contact the on-site staff directly to arrange visits.
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How much free time will my child have?
Most afternoon activities will finish between 6:00-7:00pm, and students will be on their own at that point but expected to adhere to their host family’s dinner schedule and night time curfew (10:00 or 11:00pm).
During this free time, students are free to explore, study, shop, meet with friends, or sit and enjoy themselves at one of Mataró’s outdoor or beach cafés.
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Will there be students from other countries participating in the programme?
Yes. Aside from the local students participating in the programme there will be students from other European, Asian, and North American countries attending the programme. Living in a different culture and being exposed to different customs and ideas will help your child grow, mature, and take on new responsibilities, which should be one of the main purposes of living and studying overseas.
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