ELL parent newsletter
May, 2022
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Knowledge is power
ESOL STUDENTS IN THE SPOT LIGHT
We continue highlighting students who are going above and beyond, this time, we had the pleasure of meeting 3 sisters enrolled at WireRanch high school in Wesley Chapel since October of 2021.
The Coronel-Espinoza sisters, originally from Ecuador, had demonstrated a great determination to learn the English language, integrate with the community, and achieve good grades.
Camila, Naomi and Jennyfer had been encouraged by their parents to learn English, not only because the family had hopes to come to the US but also because they recognized the usefulness of this language worldwide.
Camila, the oldest, who is graduating this year, knew the most English since she has been studying both at school and on her own at home. Her sisters relied heavily on her for translations and to help them make sense of how the schools work in Florida. It is all different from what they were used to in Ecuador: from no changing classroom to the differences in courses, lunches, and curriculum. Literarily EVERYTHING is different.
Naomi knew some but did not feel confident enough to speak in public as she describes herself as shy.
Jennyfer, the youngest, did not embrace the language at first, she said she just “didn’t like it” so she waited until they knew they were moving to start taking the learning seriously.
They described getting immersed in the English language through listening to music, watching movies with subtitles, and overall being conscious of maintaining a constant growth phase.
Even though each sister had a different language level, they all embraced the idea of being capable of learning not only the English language but the academics of their news courses. Their father had always told them to attend school “not for the grades, but the knowledge”, these words made a great impact on these young ladies.
In the beginning, the school was very trying and stressful, the girls spent all day doing all they could to understand classes, taking pictures of the lessons to go home and translate, and filling in the blanks they might have. They described this process of translating and drafting schoolwork as something very time-consuming but drastically important to their language acquisition.
The girls also described how joyful they were learning about the existence of the ESOL program, the support provided through extra time, and the opportunity to be assisted by the school ELL instructional assistant, who does not only help them but maintains them motivated and looking forward to their future goals. They also highlighted the relief of knowing they were not the only newcomers, and that the teachers know how to help them be successful.
They also shared how they started making friends who had been very supportive while they learn English, by helping them with pronunciation, and explaining vocabulary words and common uses.
Jennyfer told us about her first experience going to the movies without the support of subtitles, and the excitement she felt to realize she had indeed understood!
Camila is feeling very proud of graduating from high school. She will soon be continuing her studies with a focus on technology and coding, which has been both a big challenge and a topic that excites her.
They still feel shy and self-conscious at times, speaking in public is something they don’t feel so comfortable doing but they know they are capable of great things with patience and dedication.
SUMMER LEARNING
Students may continue learning with Imagine Language & Literacy over the summer until the end of July! This is a wonderful opportunity to extend learning from this school year and preview/prepare for the upcoming school year. Imagine Language & Literacy will continue to provide instruction and practice in all four domains of literacy—reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
Students who use the program for 240+ minutes over the summer are automatically entered into our Imagine Language and Literacy summer usage contest for a prize. Share the summer contest fliers below with families!
ESOL AND ART INTEGRATION FOR OUR SUMMER PROGRAM
Some schools will offer free meals during the summer
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Please follow us on social media, and contact us if you have questions or concerns regarding your student ESOL services.
Email: aknauber@pasco.k12.fl.us
Website: http://www.pasco.k12.fl.us/esol
Location: 7227 Land O' Lakes Boulevard, Land O' Lakes, FL, USA
Phone: 813-794-2517
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PCSDESOL
Twitter: @pascoenespanol