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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-03-02, Page 31 Wednesday, March 2, 2016 • News Record 3 New Canadians learning, teaching Local school boards welcome diversity that newcomers bring Steve Rice Postmedia Network New Canadians enrolled at area schools are adjusting well, working hard and learning quickly, officials say. They're also doing their share of teaching. "One of the great benefits is the enhancement to diversity that we see in our schools," said Vince MacDonald, director of education with the Huron Perth Catholic District School Board. "The children who grew up in Perth and Huron counties are learning a great deal about the world by interacting with these children" Families from Syria and other countries have been wel- comed with open arms by communities across the area in recent months, and schools in Perth and Huron counties have been doing the same. "It's not just our teachers, it's our whole school communities that are stepping up and doing what they canto help the new- comers feel welcome," said Eleanor Salmon, system princi- pal of learning services with the Avon Maitland District School Board. "Teachers are reporting how excited the students are to give tours, have lunch with them, help them with new words. "We can't say enough about how kind and supportive the students have been in every school. It makes you really proud to be from Huron and Perth counties!" Salmon agreed that the stu- dents "are learning from the newcomers just as much as the newcomers are learning from One of the lessons might be that an education shouldn't be taken for granted. "They value education and so do their families," Salmon said. "They come along so quickly because they want to. We've been so incredibly impressed with the students' willingness to work really, really hard. They ask for extra home- work and they come to school excited and with their home- work in hand the next day" Both school boards are doing all they can to give the new stu- dents a positive and successful experience in the classroom. Because most of the students have limited or no English, they were all given iPads or other electronic resources with trans- lation apps that they are using inside and outside the classroom. Beyond that, both boards are also providing school adminis- trators and teachers with infor- mation and resources to help the students adjust, with sup- port from the province's Schools Mental Health -Assist program. The Catholic school board hosted a workshop with princi- pals last month on creatingpos- itive settlements and looking for signs of adjustment difficulties. "We've trained our staff to Travel raffle draw supports seniors to live at home Special to Clinton News Record Need a winter holiday or a summer getaway? The ONE CARE Travel Voucher Raffle may be the perfect answer. Tickets are on sale for this annual fundraising draw. The draw includes four great prizes: 1st prize - $3,000 travel voucher through Elli- son Travel; 2nd prize - $1,000 travel voucher through Ellison Travel; 3rd prize - $500 Fairmont Hotels & Resorts gift card through Ellison Travel; 4th prize - VIA Rail trip for two between Stratford to Montreal. Enjoying a holiday away - be it a winter destination or a summer getaway may be a treat for many. However, for those who are elderly, frail or ill - having a vacation may not be possible. ONE CARE Home & Com- munity Support Services provides essential services to more than 4,000 seniors, frail elderly and those with disa- bilities who live in their own homes and communities throughout Perth and Huron Counties and surrounding areas. Programs include Meals on Wheels, Transpor- tation, Adult Day Programs, Dining for Seniors, Wellness, Friendly Visiting, Telephone Reassurance, Personal Sup- port and Home Help. "We are very appreciative of donations from individu- als, groups, businesses, churches, service clubs and others. These financial gifts along with money raised from fundraising events help to keep programs affordable and enhance the quality of life for those living in our communities," notes Shelley McPhee Haist, Manager of Communications and Fund- raising at ONE CARE. The ONE CARE Travel Voucher Raffle offers great prizes and tickets are only $5.00 each. Proceeds from the travel raffle will support the work of ONE CARE and help seniors and people with disabilities to live at home. The draw date is March 23. For tickets call ONE CARE at 1-877-502-8277 or stop by our offices at 317 Huron St., in Clinton at the Betty Cardno Centre. Tickets are also available in Clinton at the Relook Nook. For more information about ONE CARE services visit www.onecaresupport. ca if it's local, it's here clintonnewsrecord.com AREYOUAN L4%ZIN111EPEENi PBO11UCi GONSULTANT? 11 PIM This is your opportunity to inform the residents of Huron East & Central Huron what you can offer them. r Tupperware lir Epicure 111MIlrlt Worlcs" Thirty One doTERRA Contact your Sales Rep TODAY for information: Dawn Johnston Clinton News Record djohnston@postmedia.com 519-482-3443 Nancy deGans Seaforth Huron Expositor ndegans@ postmedia.com 519-527-0240 We are working on a SPECIAL FEATURE for all Direct Sales Consultants watch for areas where they might be having difficulties, to get staff to understand the per- spective of families who come fromwar-tom experiences, and what to look for from a mental health perspective," MacDon- ald said. "We're used to welcoming families that are newto Canada, but these families come with a different life perspective and different needs than ones from some other parts of the world. It's nothing that we can't sup- port, but it is different" The Avon Maitland board will hold a workshop March 4 where ESL coordinator Coralee Mathews will be working with elementary and secondary teachers at the half-dozen schools who have newcomers in their classrooms. Board psycholo- gist Dr. Anne Robinson will also discuss mental health supports and resources. "While we know that the newcomers have incredible resiliency skills, there are trau- mas that they may have experienced and teachers should be prepared if they present (signs of struggling with mental health issues);' Salmon said. "We haven't seen any of that but the resources are there to help support the students. "We have an excellent long- standing ESL program and have worked with newcom- ers. It's not like we don't have the expertise. But with so many arriving with a particu- lar profile and particular need, we just felt it would be appropriate to bring those teachers together and do that training. The workshop aims to help teachers understand what it's like to be a newcomer, what the students' transition to life in Canadian schools is like, and how teachers can help in making that transition as smooth as possible. The Avon Maitland Ele- mentary Teachers' Federation (AMETFO) is also hosting an after-school workshop on March 1, which will feature Kalpana Malkan of the ETFO provincial office. Malkan, a South African immigrant, helped develop the program that's being rolled out in the workshop. "Our members are keen to identify and support the learning needs of children from refugee families and cre- ate a welcoming environment for them in our classrooms," said AMETFO president Kent Cleland. "This workshop has been well-received across the prov- ince and I think it's meeting a need that our members have. The main focus for our teach- ers is to make sure that the children feel welcomed and to get them acclimatized to their new environment!' So far that's exactly what's been happening. As one new Syrian stu- dent in the Avon Maitland board wrote, "I like Canada because of the good people already in the country, and it gave me a chance to study. I salute Canada:'