WELCOME

A warm welcome is extended to Sonal Rajapaksha who has started at Fendalton School this term and has joined the ESOL programme. We also welcome the many new entrant students in Room 4.

TERM FOCUS

Our language focus for the second half of term two will be on Explanations i.e how things work. This will include talking activities, reading explanations and writing.

JUDITH LEAVING

As some of you will be aware, Judith has made the difficult decision to resign from her position at Fendalton School to spend more time with her young family.  Her last day of work will be Monday 21 May.  Parents will be informed of her replacement when the new teacher is employed.

SHARED LUNCH

To farewell Judith, the ESOL students and parents are invited to join us for a shared lunch. This will be held on Monday 21 May at 12.30pm in The Village. Please bring a small plate of lunch food to share.

MEETING WITH THE ESOL TEACHERS

As part of Fendalton School’s ongoing commitment to the pastoral care of our students, your child’s ESOL teacher would like to meet with you briefly to discuss their progress at ESOL this year.  Judith is available any time between 8.45 and 3.30 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Glenys is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The meeting should take no more than 15 minutes. Please email us to arrange a suitable time.

JAPANESE CHOIR PERFORMANCE

On Sunday July 29 at 3.00pm the Canterbury Japanese Choir will be performing as part of The Hills Are Alive is a series. The concert is being held at St Augustines Church, Cracroft Terrace, Cashmere Hills. $5 per person donation. Good luck Miyuki!  For more information see the brochure in the window of the ESOL1 classroom.

PARENT TALK TIME

Parent talk times will continue on Tuesday mornings at 9.00am in ESOL1 (blue room).

Our topics for this term will be:

Week 4 (May 15) – How to help your child with Maths

Week 6 (May 29) – How to help your child with Writing

Week 8 (June 12) – How iPads and other digital technology are used to enhance learning

Week 10 (June 26) – Social Outing, venue to be advised.

CULTURAL PARENTS’ GROUPS

Week 5 (22 May) – Chinese parents

Week 7 (5 June) – Korean parents

Week 9 (19 June) – Pasifika parents (7.00pm)

TISSUES

We would appreciate parents providing a box of tissues to be available for children in the ESOL classrooms.  These can be dropped off to the teachers at anytime.

Please remember that we value contact with parents and caregivers.  If you have any questions, concerns (or compliments!) about our ESOL programme please feel free to contact us.

Kind regards,

Judith Anthony and Glenys Williams

ESOL Teachers

judith.anthony@fendalton.school.nz  glenys.williams@fendalton.school.nz

WELCOME

We have enjoyed a lovely summer break with our families and are looking forward to an exciting 2012. A warm welcome is extended to new families who have started at Fendalton School this year.

THE STAFF

The ESOL teachers are trained and experienced classroom teachers who have specialized in teaching English to speakers of other languages. They are currently studying in this field at the University of Canterbury. Being mothers of young children, they also support the social and emotional needs of the students in their care.

Judith Anthony will be working Mondays and Tuesdays this year. She works in ESOL 2 (white building) and can be contacted by emailing judith.anthony@fendalton.school.nz

Glenys Williams will be teaching ESOL on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. She works in ESOL1 (blue building) and can be contacted by emailing glenys.williams@fendalton.school.nz  She will be teaching in classrooms on Thursdays.

Amy Cho works as a translator for the school. She is able to speak Korean and Japanese.  Amy can be contacted through either Judith or Glenys.

THE CLASSROOMS

The ESOL classrooms are located behind the Village. The blue building is known as ESOL 1 and the white building as ESOL 2.

LESSONS

In the first few weeks of the school year the ESOL teachers spend time getting to know new students, carrying out assessments and reviewing all students’ learning needs. Once this has been completed lessons will begin. Some ESOL students will receive in-class support while others may have small group or individual lessons. Lesson times are negotiated with classroom teachers and a timetable will be available later in the term.

ESOL PARENT TALK TIME

Each fortnight parents for whom English is an addition language including those with children on the ESOL programme are invited to join us for Parent talk time. This is held in ESOL1 on Tuesday mornings from 9.00-9.45am.  Parents and preschool children join us for a cup of coffee and a social chat. Most weeks we will discuss a topic related to Fendalton School and the New Zealand education system.  This is also a great time for parents to ask questions and receive help with completing forms.  Amy Cho will be available to translate into Japanese or Korean for those who would like this.

Our topics for Term One are:

Week 2 (7 February) – Welcome and introductions, The ESOL programme,  Preparation for Year 4 camp, Question and answer time

Week 4 (21 February) – Upcoming school events, The school website and class blogs, Question and answer time

Week 6 (6 March) – Helping your child with Speaking and Reading

Week 8 (20 March) – Helping your child with Maths

Week 10 (3 April) – Social outing.  Venue to be advised

CULTURAL PARENTS’ GROUPS

Once a term, meetings are held for parents from the same cultural background. Currently we have Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Pasifika groups established.  At this time we discuss upcoming events on the school calendar and share ideas for how we can best support families in our school community.  With the exception of the Pasifika group, these meetings are held on Tuesday mornings at 9.00 am in the ESOL 1 room.  An email reminder is sent out a few days prior to each meeting so please let the ESOL teachers know if you wish to be included on the email list.

This term’s meetings are:

Week 3 (14 February) – Japanese parents

Week 5 (28 February) – Chinese parents

Week 7 (13 March) – Korean parents

Week 9 (27 March)  - Pasifika parents (Meet at 7.00pm)

FIRST LANGUAGE BOOKS AND PARENT PACKS

At the end of last year we developed packs of first language books in Cook Island Maori, Samoan and Tongan. These have been added to the ESOL area of the library and are now available for issue.

Parent information packs containing information in first languages have also been added to our library.  At this time, these are available Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Cook Island Maori, Samoan and Tongan.  We would like to thank our wonderful librarian Desna for all her help preparing these.

Warm regards

Judith Anthony and Glenys Williams