About Us

La Tertulia LLC

~ Aprende Español Jugando ~

La Tertulia grew out of an adaption of Seattle Bus Camp which has been creating adventures for Seattle's children since 1995. La Tertulia celebrates children and their families who choose to focus on Spanish language learning experiences. The heart of our program remains providing a safe environment where kids grow and learn through connections with school mates and teachers.

Providing safe and exciting opportunities for children to connect with caring teachers, engage in Spanish language and cultural activities spark curiosity in our local ecology, create art, and deepen school friendships are the heart of our program.

Summer 2025 will find our passionate teachers and delighted children learning in the fresh air of Seattle's amazing city parks. Each day we meet at a local city park to connect, engage in Spanish language focused activities lead by native Spanish speaking teachers as we explore and learn together. Our program also includes science and nature activities which are led in English with support by native Spanish speaking teachers.

Spanish learning activities in the morning are extended with casual conversations, music and songs while we spend the afternoons deep in the work of play. All day long students will enjoy conversational Spanish opportunities, music and songs, forest and beach exploration, art projects, crafts and group games.

Our selection of diverse outdoor parks and beaches will give your child a safe and fantastic week of Spanish connections, learning adventures and school friendships.

The company of school friends and a familiar teacher provide the safety and comfort needed to learn, play and explore. Join friends and Profe Mayra & Señorita Gabriela this summer. Registration is now open.

Meet the Team

La Tertulia is a women owned and operated

local small business delighted to inspire

Seattle area children and their families to create community & deepen Spanish language skills through play and connection.

La Tertulia is the inspiration of local educators:

Alina Singletary, Mayra Castanos & Gabriela Ausland

Director

Alina Singletary

Alina has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest where she and her husband raised their three kids while she taught elementary school for 20 years before shifting to the family landscape business. Wild spaces have always fueled her passion for teaching and learning science. If not leading a group of children as they look for turtles in ponds, tracks in the mud and banana slugs under logs, Alina can be found landscaping, backpacking, kayaking or beach combing with friends and family.

McDonald International School Teacher

Mayra Castanos

Profe Mayra Castanos is from Mexico & has been working with families & children in the Seattle area since 2006. When she's not teaching at McDonald International School, she loves to spend time connecting with family & friends. She also really loves making some noise with her ukulele and African drum.

John Stanford International School Teacher

Gabriela Ausland

Gabriela Moreno Ausland is from Santiago de Chiquitos, a small Jesuit mission in the Bolivian Amazon basin. While studying accounting at Catholic University of Bolivia, she volunteered with a program serving vulnerable children who work in the city streets, and discovered that she enjoyed that way more than sitting at a desk with a bunch of spreadsheets. Changing both her career and her home country, Gabriela has now been teaching in Seattle for the past nine years.