WELCOME 

to the
WEB PAGE
for the
ESOL CLASSES at
ROCKWELL,
FAITH and
SHIVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Hello ~ Zdravo ~ Guten Tag ~ Annyong Haseyo
Hola ~ Sawatdee ~ Xin chào

I am Mary Ann McCubbin and I am the
ESOL teacher for Rockwell, Faith
and Shive Elementary Schools.

I have students whose families are  from
Cambodia,
El Salvador,
Honduras,
Laos,
Mexico,Puerto Rico,  Thailand, and
Vietnam.
I hope that everyone had a pleasant winter break.  This month my classes will be preparing for their annual ACCESS test of English proficiency which will begin next month.  You will soon be receiving information about this test.  I will also be sending home information on applying for the More at Four preschool program.  If you have a child who will be four years old by August of 2010, this program may be an excellent idea to give your child a head start on learning.  If you don't have a young child, please pass the information on to your friends who do.
Now that January is here, we have to expect several days of cold, icy, or snowy weather.  Our school system wants to be very careful to insure that no child is put at risk on days when driving conditions may be hazardous.  For that reason, school may be delayed or closed due to the weather.  Please check with local television stations on mornings when you think that weather might be a problem.   Please take a few minutes each day to read with your child.  This is also the perfect time to tell your child all of the old stories from your own childhood and stories from your family's history.  This helps children to get a better understanding of the past and to have a good sense of their own roots and family culture.  Although we work hard to help them learn English , we never want them to forget their own cultural heritage.
This is also a perfect time to visit the Rowan Public Library.  If your child does not yet have a library card, please get one for him/her.  The card is free and you may check out books, CDs, DVDs,VCRs and other items at the library for free.  Take a copy of a bill that shows your home address on it to the library to prove your residence and they can sign you and your child up for a library card.  The library has several books available in Spanish as well as English and they offer services to assist those who wish to learn to read English.

 Is your child reading at home? I hope so.
Reading is the most important subject
for children to learn.

Please ask your child to read to you every day.
Make "story time" a regular part of
their going to bed routine.

Encourage them to read signs to you
when you are away from home.

Reading is the heart of learning.
It is very important that your child practice reading.

It is also very important that you read stories and tell stories to your children.

  It is fine for these to be in your native language , for I want my students to be able to remember their native languages as they learn English. 

 Tell your children stories of your own experience in your home country. 

Please help your children with their writing skills.
Short notes to friends, shopping lists,
lists of books they have read —
all of these are ways that they can
practice their writing.

One very good way is to have them
draw a picture or take a photograph
and then write a short story about the picture.

You are invited to visit our classroom.
Since I work at three schools
it would be a good idea to call me at the school
before you come to make sure that I will be there.
Rockwell’s phone number is 704-279-3145,
Faith's phone number is 704-279-3195,
and Shive's phone number is 704-279-2899.

The ESOL department has a
PARENT CENTER
at the corner of North Ellis Street
and West Liberty Street.

The Center has a computer that you may use,
reference materials to help you
find local resources, and materials to help you
help your child succeed in school.
I hope that you can visit the Parent Center
sometime this school year.

If you need to speak to someone in Spanish about your concerns for your child or any other matter,  our ESOL Parent Liaison, Miriam Basso, will be happy to help you.  She may be reach by phone at 704-630-6089. 

Some interesting and helpful links for youListed below are some web sites that offer
FREE translation services.
The translation will not be perfect
but it should be helpful.
I will continue to try to find and add additional sites.
If you know of any that you could recommend,
please let me know. I am also listing a link
for information on your family's native country.
Some of these sites can be viewed in more than one language. The location for this option is varied.
If you know of a better site to represent your country, please e-mail me with the web address.
The last link on the list is a very good quiz
to test language skills. Give it a try.