SLPS ESOL ExcELLence Newsletter
Issue 3, 2020
Teacher of the Month
Constance Berry, ESOL Teacher at Mann ES
Honorable Mention
Rekha Sivaprasad, Science teacher at NCNAA @Roosevelt
Theresa Klebert, ESOL Teacher at Roosevelt
Mary Cancila, ESOL Teacher at NCNAA@Roosevelt
Danielle Phelps, ESOL Teacher at Buder
Sarah Natwick, ESOL teacher at Roosevelt
Amanda Wiesner-Groff, ESOL Coordinator
Jessica Brookman, ESOL Coordinator
Welcome to Our Team!
Peggy Sayo, Swahili Interpreter/ Translator
My name is Peggy Sayo and I am the Swahili interpreter/ translator with the Bilingual Migrant Program. I graduated from Ohio University with a Master's degree in International Relations in May this year. I am also a Fulbright scholar, where besides teaching Swahili at Bennett college in North Carolina, I was also a cultural ambassador of my country to the USA. Similarly, I hold a Bachelor of Education degree in English/ Literature and prior to coming to the USA, I worked as a high school English/ Literature teacher in Kenya for three years.
I love traveling, listening to music, playing scrabble, and outdoor adventures.
I am excited to be a part of the SLPS family. I'm looking forward to working with all our EL families and students.
Rosa Ana Penton Maldonado, Spanish Translator/Interpreter
My name is Rosa Ana Penton, and I recently joined the ESOL Bilingual Migrant Program as a Spanish Translator/Interpreter. I graduated abroad with a MS in Educational Administration and a BS in Computer Science and Mathematics. For the last 14 years, I have worked as a Spanish instructor for adults and as a Spanish interpreter mainly in the medical and educational fields. While working as an interpreter I found great satisfaction in supporting families, and my goal is to continue serving our community through this important mission as part of the ESOL team.
I am originally from Ecuador and moved to St. Louis 15 years ago with my husband and two daughters. We enjoy traveling, hiking, cooking, and watching movies as a family. I like to read, make crafts, and learn languages.
District Lau Plan
Submitted by Dr. Alla Gonzalez Del Castillo, ESOL Program Director
The ESOL Program recently updated the district Lau Plan. To access SLPS Lau Plan Click Here. The plan is posted after our ESOL Program vision and mission.
What is a Lau Plan? A Lau plan is a guidance document outlining how the district addresses the needs of English language learners. It is named after the landmark Lau vs. Nichols U.S. Supreme Court Decision of 1974.
SLPS SIOP Shout-Out!
Submitted by Amanda Wiesner-Groff, ESOL Coordinator
It is with great pleasure we announce the successful completion of our 2019-2020 SLPS SIOP Cohort! Please join us in celebrating the following dedicated educators that have increased their knowledge and implementation of research-based, best instructional practices for all students, including ELLs:
Katie Avenevoli, Buder ESOL Teacher
Amy McLean, Woerner ESOL Teacher
Sarah Cerone, Woerner ESOL Teacher
Lisa Rigg, Mann ESOL Teacher
Brittany Stocker, Mann Classroom Teacher
Ashley Zimmerman, ESOL Teacher at NCNAA K-8
Trenton Fulton, Long Social Studies Teacher
Elizabeth Trapp, Itinerant ESOL Teacher
Elvisa Salesevic-Hodzic, Itinerant ESOL teacher
Jessica Martin, Itinerant ESOL Teacher
Nicole Misra, Soldan ESOL Teacher
Brittanie Clement, Buder Classroom Teacher
Amanda Treadway, Busch ESOL Teacher
We have faced some hurdles through our 2019-2020 SIOP Cohort journey, but we have persevered and came out on top; I am very thankful for the dedication of each teacher! Thank you for your hard work and endless collaboration! I am also thankful to all site administrators for allowing us into your schools and participant classrooms for countless observations and coaching sessions of SIOP's 8 components and 30 features. Congratulations 2019-2020 SIOP Educators!
WIDA ACCESS 2020-2021 Administration Update
Submitted by Heather Tuckson, ESOL Coordinator
The 2020-2021 school year has been full of many changes. Due to the need to keep our students and staff safe, we will need to adapt our procedures for ACCESS for ELLs test administration. Current guidance from the US Department of Education requires states to give all statewide assessments. WIDA has made the decision that all ACCESS English language proficiency assessments must be completed in person. With this in mind, we are working on developing district guidance for this year's ACCESS administration regardless of our learning environments: in-person, in-person/virtual, or virtual only. While we continue to plan for all three scenarios, specific guidance will be shared once our second-semester learning environments are finalized.
We will be offering our virtual ACCESS for ELLs test administration training for ESOL centers on January 6, 2021, from 8:30-11:30. Stay tuned for additional information on signing up for this session in My Learning Plan and a Team meeting invite.
If you would like to learn more about DESE’s recommendations regarding ACCESS for ELLs test administration, follow the link.
ESOL Virtual Parent Meeting #3 Reminder
The next Virtual Parent Meeting will be held on December 9th. Please share the flyer with the families.
ESOL PD Committee Updates
The 2020-2021 ESOL Professional Development Committee began their daunting process of redefining and reforming the ESOL PD program at their first meeting on November 18. The 10-person committee is looking at providing continuous professional growth opportunities for teachers and leaders of St. Louis Public Schools that still focuses on the appropriate and needed supports of English Language Learners, while also adapting to the changing needs and environment of the educators working with ELs.
Committee members Shadae Bartley, Julia McDonnell, Mary Kahmann, Sheila Turan, Cynthia Gibbs, Maritza Caldera, Elena Okanovic, Heather Tuckson, Amanda Wiesner-Goff, and Jessica Brookman divided their efforts into three focus activities: conducting an ESOL PD Needs Assessment, drafting a comprehensive ESOL PD plan, and establishing virtual and alternative professional growth opportunities.
The committee meets four times a year and conducts most of its collaborative work in the virtual environment. Their next meeting is on December 16 from 3:30-4:30. If you have any suggestions or topics you would like the committee to look into, or are interested in joining our creative work, please contact Jessica Brookman, ESOL Instructional Coordinator, at jessica.brookman@slps.org.
ELevate Mini-Conference 2020
Among many local EL professionals sharing their experiences during the mini-tech conference, the SLPS ESOL program was well represented. The program staff held 6 virtual sessions during the conference. Special thanks go to Mrs. Trapp, Mrs. Nguyen, Mr. Johnston, Ms. Tuckson, Mrs. Wiesner-Groff, and Mrs. Rigg for preparation and presentation during the virtual conference in the region! For most of them, it was their first time to present in the virtual environment.
Below you will find 3 recorded sessions that highlight technology resources used for teaching and learning with ELLs.
True Confessions of Teaching Virtually
Submitted by Cheryl Boesch, ESOL itinerant teacher
I want to give a shout out to virtual teaching! I entered this virtual world as a character propelled into a Jumanji game. All of a sudden, all the methods, strategies, and hands-on activities, that I have relied on for over 25 years, weren’t working. That barrier of the glass screen and the constraints of a lens made me feel like I was teaching from an aquarium. Full disclosure, I started this journey by asking fellow teachers how to find the snipping tool and then watching you-tube videos like “You too can create PowerPoint slides.” It didn’t take me long to figure out that snipping Team workbook pages, adding animation and colorful pictures were still not enough to keep my ELLs engaged.
When I expressed my struggles with virtual teaching to Heather, she encouraged me to try Nearpod. Of course, I gave her all the excuses for why it wouldn’t work. I already had my PowerPoint slides created, I am not computer savvy and it would be time-consuming. However, I decided to try it by just adding an interactive feature to each lesson. To my surprise, more students started to respond to my invitations to “join” and participate in my “virtual pull-out classes!”
I discovered Nearpod is essentially an interactive slide show! I first cut and pasted my first TEAM workbook page onto a slide and with one click I added the “Draw it” feature. Students were then able to highlight, type, and draw right on their iPad. I then added the “matching pairs” game, so that they could match their vocabulary words to pictures. It was easy because there is a Google search box right on each slide. I created pairs with unit vocabulary like: “Setting” and then matched it with a picture. The next day, I added the “polling” feature and just typed in the chapter questions. It was so much more engaging than filling in the blanks. The following day, I added a short video that Nearpod already had available in their library. I then added the “Open Question” activity and embedded the audio feature, so that they could record their answers. The Listen and Discuss part of the lesson was enhanced by embedding the audio file to the slide with the graphic organizer.
The lessons address all four domains and are easily differentiated. I have complete control of the lesson because I am the only one who can advance the slides. I can also see their work in real-time as they write on their iPads. I can even share their answers to create “Turn and Talk” activities.
This week I added the “Time to Climb” game using the end of the chapter questions. They will pick a character and navigate their way through the Himalayas, Space, or Underwater as they answer the end of the unit review questions. I can’t wait to use this game with my ELLs this week.
I encourage you to add a few interactive features to each lesson and watch that light of curiosity and excitement return to their eyes. You know that light of getting it, that we often saw when we were teaching face to face. Maybe this journey of virtual teaching is truly like a Jumanji game after all!
If you would like to see an example of one of my Nearpod lessons, you can go to
https://share.nearpod.com/e/pKnr6wtJObb
If you need step by step instructions on how to set up Nearpod slides, “Pocketful of Primary” by Michelle Ferre is invaluable at youtu.be/6-9jeV45b0g.
Shared by Dr. Gonzalez Del Castillo, ESOL program director
The online tool was suggested by Sarah Cerone, ESOL teacher at Woerner ES
"It's not about the tools - it's about the teachers. But the best teachers should have the best tools!"
Whiteboard.fi is a simple tool that can be used instantly. Create a class and let your students join, using a link, room code or QR code.
Everyone will get a digital whiteboard, where they can draw, write text, make notations on images, add math equations, and more!
You as a teacher see all your students' whiteboards in real-time, so you can follow their progress, while the students only see their own whiteboard and the teacher's.
Engage your whole class, include every student, and let everybody answer - including the shy students or students who normally wouldn't bother to answer!
Whiteboard.fi is an instant formative assessment tool for your classroom, providing you with live feedback and an immediate overview of your students.
The following video allows you to access a free tutorial video.
Six self-paced eWorkshops provide free, flexible professional learning that fits your unique needs and schedule. Learn new strategies and interact with resources you can put into use immediately when working with multilingual children and youth.
These eWorkshops can be used for individual learning or explored together with colleagues as part of a Professional Learning Community. eWorkshop titles include:
- WIDA Writing Rubric
- Doing and Talking STEM
- Classroom Teachers: Engaging Multilingual Newcomers
- Leading for Equity: Classroom Walkthrough
- Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual Learners through Inquiry
- Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
Two additional eWorkshops will be available in Winter 2021:
- School Improvement Planning for Equitable Education of Multilingual Learners
- Engaging with the WIDA Standards: A Collaborative Approach
Ready to get started?
Sign in to your WIDA Secure Portal account, click on the WIDA eLearning Center tile and choose the self-paced eWorkshops that fit your professional development goals. Learn more on the WIDA Self-Paced eWorkshops webpage and get started today!