Newcomers Class Helps Students Acclimate to Life in America

This is Chippewa's second year with the Newcomer program, which welcomes recently arrived students that hail from all corners of the world!

The students are speakers of Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Kyrgyz, Haitian Creole, Urdu, Turkmen and Bosnian.

Ms. Gauna says because they deal with multiple languages at once, the Newcomer teachers (including Ms. Lutfallah, Ms. Weld and Paraeducator Ms. G.) are equipped to speak the languages of some of the students such as Spanish, French, Russian and Arabic.

For languages that the teachers are not able to personally speak, they have access to programs that allow for translation of multiple languages at one time, ensuring that kids are engaged and aware.

Almost all of the newcomer students are new to the Chippewa family and they are engaging in activities focused on building community and feeling welcomed and accepted.

For example, Ms. Gauna said the students are creating a "Life Timeline" that helps paint a picture of their unique stories of culturalism, travel and adjustment.

This allows them to reflect on their own lives and the dramatic changes that they've made in a short amount of time.