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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-11-03, Page 44 isra'eo„sct In the News Wednesday, November 3, 1999 ESL. students. speak variety of languages By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES - ADVOCATE Although English as a Second Language (ESL) coordinator Coralee Mathews suggests the province's new educational funding formula favours newly - arrived ESL students, her recent report to the Avon Maitland District School Board suggests approximately 50 per cent of the board's ESL students were born in Canada. However, Mathews noted Huron and Perth counties are unlikely to be home to second and third -generation Canadians ' who need ESL training. According to statistics contained in the report, Canadian - born ESL students are most likely to be either recent immigrant farming families from Germany, Holland or Switzerland, or are Mennonites. These may be either local Mennonites or members of a large group of Mexican Mennonites, who travel into and out of the area as seasonal or migrant workers. The largest groups born outside Canada are, once again, the farmers from Europe. There are also a significant number of immigrants from Laos. And at the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year, the board tackled the challenge of providing for a large Listowel -based cluster of refugees from the war-torn East European region of Kosovo. "Some of (the Kosovars) had some basic English ability, but many of them had fid English," reported. primary most often by Avon Maitland's ESL students is German but varied dialects of German are spoken by both local and Mexican Mennonites, as well as by some people from Switzerland. Because of that, the most - represented nationality in Avon Maitland's ESL program is Dutch, followed closely by Laotian. virtually Mathews The language spoken Change in grants helps Avon Maitland's English as a Second Language program By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE The Avon Maitland District School Board delivered some good news about its English as a Second Language program at its Oct. 26 meeting. "We are one of the few fortunate boards whom this change in the grant system vas a positive thing," announced Coralee Mathews, coordinator of Avon Maitland's English as a Second Language program. Mathews told trustees the ESL com- ponents of the province's new funding model are based partly on the number_ of years ESL students have been in Canada. This favours rural boards like Avon Mait- land as opposed to many urban boards. "Other boards have large populations of second and third generation students for whom the funding is not readily avail- able," she explained. "We didn't hurt the way others did, who were used to having more (ESL) fund- ing." Mathews delivered a report to the board, detailing the work of the program since she was hired for the position in Au- gust 1998 and began delivering services in December 1998. "This year we were able to start earlier and have had a little more time to assess the needs of each student and develop a program for them," Mathews said. According to her report, "ESL was of- fered at some schools in both (the former Perth and Huron) boards in different de- livery models." This year, a total of 255 students, at- tending 30 different schools and repre- senting 13 different mother tongues, are involved in the program. The program employs five Education Assistants who spend several weeks at a time working with students in specific schools before moving on to the next school. "It's been shown over and over that someone who comes to visit once a week can't give you nearly as much help as someone who is there each day for an ex- tended period of time," Mathews told trus- tees. At the meeting, Mathews received praise from senior staff. "I'm quite proud of the work Coralee has done," said director of education Lorne Rachlis. He noted the program not only brings to- gether students from vastly different lin- guistic and cultural backgrounds, it also serves a wide variety of intellectual back- grounds. "Some students may be illiterate or al- most illiterate in their own language, while others may be quite learned in their own language but just aren't able to speak English." There was also praise in terms of fi- nances. "We're bringing in more than we're spending (on the program)," an- nounced senior principal Marie Parsons. "There are no funds being brought in from other areas; the board is not sub- sidizing this program." Catholic school board talks of school construction projects in the works By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES - ADVOCATE A good portion of the recent October meeting of the Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board dealt with new construction, as trustees were updated on additions at elementary schools in St. Marys (Holy Name of Mary) and Exeter (Precious Blood), as well as secondary schools in Stratford (St. Michaels) and Clinton (St. Armes). Work at Holy Name is expected to begin immediately; Precious Blood will see a commencement of construction this year; and completion dates of September, 2001 have been set for projects at St. Mikes and St. Annes, which will also include updated technology teaching facilities. For students and parents in the Avon Maitland board, this may come as unwelcome and disconcerting news, since Huron -Perth's corresponding public. school board is currently struggling with the question of closing schools. As senior staff at Avon Maitland offer dire predictions about declining enrollment over the next five years, the new construction provides the perception the Catholic board Is growing, perhaps at the expense of the public board. But at the Catholic board's meeting Oct_ _. 25 in Dublin, directoir of education Gaetan Blanchette disputed that perception. "In our elementary enrollment, we've hit a peak ... There's been a slight dip." Secondary enrollment has • been rising slightly, he added, mainly because both secondary schools in the board -- especially the five-year-old St. Annes -- are still fairly new and still attracting new families from across both Huron and Perth counties. Gerry Thuss, superintendent of business for the board, said the board is running at 113 per cent capacity , not including portable space. Some schools in the board are running under capacity, though. According to BIanchette, the perceived rush of new construction from the Catholic board comes as a result of years of doing without, coupled with a mush to eliminate portable classrooms in the province's new funding formula for school boards. "Under the formula, in one column you have the number of student spaces," Blanchette explained. "And portables don't count (as student spaces)." There are portables at all four schools receiving new construction, including nine at St. Mikes. At Precious Blood, several portables are attached • t@-- the original school building but, technically, there are only two "permanent teaching spaces." Portables have been a way of life at various schools in the Catholic board for years, Blanchette suggests, because the board hasn't been able to find the money to create permanent classrooms. "On the other side (of the funding formula calculation), you have the number of students. If you don't have the same number of (non- portable) spaces as you have students, there's money available to create those spaces." So, while the Huron - Perth Catholic board has shared in much of the recent hardship experienced by the Avon Maitland board, including shrinking dollars for senior staff and trustees, problems with special education funding, and even pressures to amalgamate with the neighbouring board in Grey and Bruce counties, it is taking advantage of the province's push to eliminate portable classrooms. "That's what you do you take that opportunity to make those changes," offered St. Marys -area trustee Bernard Murray. "In a sense, we've not had these facilities in the past. Now, we're being given the opportunity to "We don't want to be in the position where we've overbuilt" - Gaetan Blanchette Director of Education provide them," Blanchette added. Though Blanchette didn't mention the troubles of the Avon Maitland board when he talked about expansion at the four schools, his words to trustees at Mondays meeting suggested he has been watching the situation closely. "I think it's probably better to be conservative," he said, addressing plans for the addition at St. Mikes secondary school. An information package provided at the meeting suggested this year's phase-out of the five-year high school curriculum had caused officials to re-examine their thoughts on the scale of the addition and that "a more conservative approach has been used based on a four-year secondary school program." In short, officials at the Catholic board are wary of creating too much space, then facing Avon Maitland -like problems in the future. "It's a lot easier to add (new space) than to take away," Blanchette said. "We don't want to be in the position where we've overbuilt." 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