From: Deb KernenDate: October 1, 2012
Re: ELL Program Update
Our ELL programs are up and running this year with lots of new students entering through our doors. Currently we have 141 students K-12!! That is an increase of 28 students from last June. At WPS we have the following staff working with our 100+ K-3 students: Alisha Robison-teacher, Instructional Assistants: Linda Sprague, Natalia Dittmer & Dale Hillman. Luckily we are still able to offer the off- day ELL Kindergarten program again this year. Students come in from 1:30-3:00 and are provided additional acquisition language activities. Homework club is also available again for grades K-3, three days a week after school. At Woodland Intermediate Melanie Ball is providing small group language acquisition instruction and is also able to provide a lunch time homework club for our ELL students. Joel Hingston is providing ELL instruction to our WMS/WHS ELL students. As you may recall he is fluent in Spanish and is also able to teach a Spanish elective to seventh and eighth graders. He provides English, Writing and Reading instruction to our ELL students and is also pushing in to content classes to offer additional support. He is also enjoying coaching our fabulous football team!!!
After doing a great deal of research last spring we purchased, trained and have begun implementation of a new web-based program called Imagine Learning English to help provide systematic academic language instruction as well as research-based literacy instruction for ELL students K-12. So far students have been very excited about their new learning opportunity!
We have also continued our ELL GLAD training efforts with the 6 new teaching staff at WPS participating with Battle Ground SD last month in a two day intro training focusing on research/theory and strategies to follow with a 4 day classroom demo training scheduled in October learning how to set up lessons designed to provide differentiation instruction to all students. Lots of great things happening for students and teachers!!!