Help hired for school district’s ESL program

MONTROSE  — Montrose School District Re-1J’s ESL and Migrant Education programs received a boost Tuesday night as the school board approved funding for the programs at its regular meeting.

The district hired Olathe resident Raquel Almanza Tuesday to fill a new part-time position, a result of an immigration integration grant from The Colorado Trust. The grant will fund Almanza’s position as a community liaison and secretary for Patty Voorhis, coordinator for the English as a Second Language and Migrant Eduction programs.

The two-year grant totals $30,000 ($15,000 to be provided each year for wages).

“We’re happy to have some help,” Voorhis said.

Almanza’s duties will include translating parent and student information into Spanish, as well as being a translator for events such as parent teacher conferences and the Colorado Student Assessment Program.

“We have about a 30 percent Hispanic population,” Voorhis said, adding that the district is trying to involve the parents more in their schools and to enhance communication.

 Voorhis said she has had to rely heavily on the community for assistance in translating information that must be distributed to parents.

One of Almanza’s duties includes home visits to new migrant families in the area, said district spokeswoman Linda Gann.

“When they are new to the community and county, often times they don’t understand the process involved. We like to have home visits with the family,” Gann said, adding that the home visits provide an opportunity for the district to share its function and operations, along with laws and customs.

“It’s an important first step for immigrant families.”

The board also approved additional migrant funding from the Colorado Department of Education in the amount of $5,000.

Voorhis has been working with immigration and integration in schools to develop a plan for the whole state, she said. The additional funding, along with help from Almanza, will only aid in the process.

Voorhis will be collaborating with district ESL teachers to distribute the recent funding for multicultural literacy material, parent/family literacy nights and professional development.

During Tuesday’s meeting, the board also approved $2,750 in community donations for the “New Me” program, which starts in schools today.

The program is conducted by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and will provide “scientific” information to this year’s fifth- and sixth-graders about puberty, according to district officials.

The on-site program is conducted in a 45-minute time frame in a coed, class-size setting.

Monday, several parents attended a community meeting explaining the program and raised concerns about the material being presented and the coed idea.

The district’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Advisory Council recommended the program after hearing of its success. Until today, schools did not have a consistent method in place to teach students about their changing bodies, said Sheryl Solow, assistant superintendent in charge of instruction and curriculum.

At the meeting, Solow encouraged parents with questions or concerns to contact the district or the museum.

Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com