Program Newsletter

We continue to extend our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to all community members affected by the violence in Israel and Gaza. We are especially concerned about our community members in the Essex Westford School District who have family, friends, and loved ones directly impacted by this tragic situation. We are currently working with community members impacted by these events to set up affinity spaces. More information will be shared soon.

Please see the link below for new videos created by the Vermont Language Justice Project that was created for parents. It is called, Listening to and talking with our children.

This work was done by the VLJP and their Executive Director, Alison Segar, and sponsored with funds from the Mental Health Block Grant. You or your child can call 988 on your phone and this will allow you or your child to talk with someone about how you are feeling. Interpreters are available.

You or your child can also text the number 741741 and type in the word HOME or number 4063.

• Full Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0uaGz81U--5kOEIMDhekE3NkCYp3Vt21

Angkith Pradhan is a senior at EHS and in his third year at the Center for Technology, Essex in the Mechanical Engineering Program. He's currently on the EHS Varsity Soccer team and works managing his family's business in Winooski. Angkith is one of two EWSD students recognized as a Vermont Presidential Scholar!

Angkith moved to Vermont from Nepal with his parents and younger brother when he was 7 years old. He will be graduating high school with two dual enrollment credits at VSU, AP Computer Science credit, and his SolidWorks 3-D CAD certification for Engineering. He has applied to several prestigious colleges such as MIT, Clarkson, and RIT.

In addition to being an exceptional student, athlete, and family member, he is kind, driven and has an insatiable curiosity and sense of optimism. His main goal after completing college is to create positive changes in the world and his community through innovative technology. We are incredibly proud of Angkith and can't wait to see what he does after his time with us here in Essex!

Thank you to CTE EL teacher Cynthia Yopp for sharing this wonderful news!

CTE Multicultural students made dumplings together and explored different shapes of the treat used in different counties- from Nepali momo to Afghan mantu. Thank you to CTE EL teacher Marina Brzostoski for sharing!

Are you interested in getting involved in helping newcomers thrive in Vermont? If so, here are some ways to get started:

• Volunteer with the EWSD Multilingual Advisory Council (contact: tparks@ewsd.org)
• Spectrum Youth and Family Services

• Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network

• AALV

• USCRI

• Connecting Cultures

• Aunt Dot's Place

• CVOEO

• Welcome Corps

• Uniting for Ukraine | USCIS

• Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans | USCIS

Are you interested in being a part of the EWSD Multilingual Advisory Council? Please contact Tamara Parks at tparks@ewsd.org to begin the application process. The council meets monthly to provide guidance on the direction of the Multilingual Program. We are currently reviewing the EL/ML Program procedures document and would love your feedback. You can also ask any Multilingual Liaison or translator to help you apply. We hope you can join us!

Here are some translated lists of resources for families. The resources on the lists are the ones we use the most frequently. If you know of a resource that should be included that provides support to all people, regardless of immigration status, please let us know.

Please see the EWSD holiday calendar located here for detailed information about holidays throughout the year (scroll down on the webpage). Here are some of the holidays celebrated by community members this time of year. Happy and peaceful holidays to all observing.

Dec 7th-15th Hanukkah

Easy Easy Hands-on Hanukkah Activities for Kids (Kosher.com)

Dec 21st Sheb al-Yalda

An Introduction to Yalda Night (YouTube)

Dec 25th Christmas

Surprising Origins of Modern-Day Christmas Traditions (Lesson for grades 9-12) (Education World)

Dec 26th Kwanzaa

What is Kwanzaa? How is it Celebrated? (YouTube Video)

Dec 31st New Year's Eve

STEM Activities for New Year's Eve

We have open positions and need your help sharing the information below widely.

EWSD Facilities Positions

We have four open positions available for facility technicians. Please help us fill this position by sharing it with anyone who may be interested. New employees will be paired with a multilingual mentor and they will have access to adult English classes.

https://ewsd.tedk12.com/hire/ViewJob.aspx?JobID=50

EWSD Open Job List

We also have other jobs available. Please see the link below for the full list:

https://ewsd.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

EWSD Language Support

We created some translated videos to share with families. There is a phone number applicants can call to leave a message with a translator who will help them apply. The link for the translated videos is below. The videos are provided in Nepali, Vietnamese, Spanish, Swahili and French. We hope to add more videos soon.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkrb-d3iMBwYb_gPfEyImUhhylRyGKXE1

This year, up to 30 elementary teachers in the EWSD are invited to a 4 day long Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) WestEd training from March 11th to March 14th. For details about the training, click here.

We are offering this opportunity to 30 elementary classroom teachers this year, and hope to offer the training to middle and high school next year. This is a grant funded opportunity so there is no need to use personal PD funds.

If you are an elementary school teacher interested in joining this training, please indicate your interest in this short Google form by Wednesday, December 20th.

Hi EL teachers and Multilingual Liaisons! Do you have a strategy or lived experience to share? Let's represent at the next WIDA conference.

The title of the conference is "Bridging Cultures EMPOWERING multilingual voices". Here is the link to submit your proposal.

The deadline for submission is January 24th, 2024. The next WIDA conference will be in Pittsburg, PA from Oct 15-18th, 2024.

ESEA Conference Portland, Oregon- February 7th-10th, 2024

NAELPA Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana- March 26th-27th, 2024

Implementing a Co-Planning Model For Multilingual Learners- April 11th, 2024

This summer we will be offering summer school for English learners who need additional support. We are still in the planning phase. If you have questions about summer school for English learners in the EWSD, please contact tparks@ewsd.org.

Evaluating students for special education who are multilingual and learning English requires additional considerations. EWSD teachers and leaders have developed this tool to support teams in that process. We want to provide this resource to help with special education referral and determination for multilingual learners.

Initial Considerations

Special Education Referral & Determination Checklist for Students Receiving EL Services

For EWSD Staff: After reviewing the checklists, please let us know what types of follow-up would be most helpful by completing this short survey.

Image source: Colorin Colorado

The Internationals Network has released a one-pager for school leaders about how to welcome newcomers. Click here to see the resource!

Would you like to learn more about the EWSD Multilingual Program?

Here are a few links you may find helpful:

• EWSD Multilingual Program Home Page
• Eligibility for EL (English Learner) Services
• Resources for Families
• Translation Services

Email: tparks@ewsd.org
Website: https://www.ewsd.org/page/multilingual-learner-program
Phone: (802) 878-8168