April showers will bring us May flowers (at least that's the hope)! A lot is happening in April -- testing season is upon us, we finish up the month of Ramadan, earth day, and Easter will soon be here. Our days are getting longer and we will soon see those flowers begin to crawl out from their winter hibernation. Hopefully, our very snowy winter will give our valley some much needed hydration and life this summer (without too much flooding). We at LCS hope you and your loved ones can enjoy the sun and the holidays this April!
The full newsletter can be found at the link below. Stories include:
ELLevation Tips and Tricks
Create your own dashboard or add a new tile to your current dashboard. Dashboards allow you to quickly access the most relevant and important data in Ellevation all in one place, and a Dashboard Tile is a bite-sized representation of key data about your ML students. When you first log in to ELLevation, you see our district's main dashboard, and all the different information squares are the tiles. You can create a Tile from any Student List configuration, and you can arrange one or more Tiles on a Dashboard to see relevant data points all in one place. You can customize your own ELLevation Dashboard with the Tiles of data that are relevant to you. Simply click the link or scan the QR code below for step-by-step instructions and videos to walk you through this process. Make sure you are logged into ELLevation before clicking or scanning so that it takes you straight to the help page!
Teaching Strategies Supporting Newcomers
As intimidating as it may be for teachers to have students new to the country with no English, imagine how scary it is for your new student. Here are a few things you can do to help your newcomers feel welcome:
- Expect culture shock and a silent period for the student (a period where no talking happens at all).
- Know that a smile, kind tone, and welcoming body language from you and other students go such a long way in helping your new student feel welcome.
- Give them flashcards with survival words/phrases (with a translation in their home language, if possible). Things like asking for the bathroom or needing a drink or food can help them navigate their new experience.
- At the secondary level, work with all the student's teachers to develop similar greetings, goodbyes, and other phrases to use with the child. This helps them to understand the language more quickly and feel secure. When they know what to expect, it is one less thing they need to worry about in their new environment.
- Give them time to process what is being said and to respond. Use visuals whenever possible and repeat new language when possible.
- Talk to your new student one-on-one every day. Repeat the same phrase so that they learn it more quickly.
Culture Corner
The "Racial Justice Challenge" organized by the YWCA begins April 17th. The challenge runs through the month of April to help raise awareness of systemic racism. It is "designed to create dedicated time and space to build more effective social justice habits, particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. The Challenge works to foster personal reflection, encourage social responsibility, and motivate participants to identify and act on ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination. Daily challenge activities (reading an article, listening to a podcast, reflecting on personal experience, etc.) are posted in the Challenge app and website, allowing participants to connect with one another, discover how racial and social injustice impact our community, and identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination."
Reflective Questions
- How does my identity shape my thinking, values, and understanding of the world?
- How do my student's identities shape their thinking, values, and understanding of the world?
- Where might our understandings conflict?
- What learning have I done this year to better understand myself, my teaching, and my students?
ELD Lead Celebration
April Winegar is a teacher and ELD lead at WJHS. She is passionate about teaching, and works hard to implement programs that support the MLs at her school. She started up a Task Force long before we began doing it district-wide. She has a New ELD Lead folder with great information that she shares with new ELD Leads to guide them in their role. She goes above and beyond to promote and recruit students for the Seal of Biliteracy, and she is always striving to improve the ELD culture school-wide. But most of all, her students know she cares. She is always smiling, always willing to help, and one of the kindest people you will ever meet.
