SWIS News and Notes s2

SWIS Newsletter 24

This is the newsletter of the Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) program, a partnership of the Settlement Sector, School Boards and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. There are eight SWIS programs in Ontario: SEPWR –Waterloo Region, SWISH - Hamilton, MSEP – Peel Region, SEPT- Toronto English, PIDEF-Toronto French, SEPYR-York Region, ALM –Ottawa French and MLO- Ottawa English.

Video for Newcomer Secondary School Students (1)

This spring, a new video will be available to help welcome and orient newcomer students to secondary school. The video is being created for the SWIS program by Frameline Productions and will be made available in DVD format. The video is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

The video will feature students talking about their first Canadian school experiences and about what helped them feel comfortable in their new school. A facilitators’ guide with learning activities for students, school staff and parents will also be produced.

The video will help newcomer students connect with school activities and with the supports available in the school through teachers and meaningful friendships. As a result, students are more likely to avoid violating safe school policies and procedures and the school’s code of conduct. The video can be used as part of a school’s welcoming sessions for new students and their parents.

As part of its research, Frameline producers Luis Garcia, Laura Heller and Suzanne Smith, are meeting with groups of students who arrived in the past few years and asking them to reflect back on when they first arrived. From their comments and those of settlement workers and school staff, we have prepared these themes for the video.

  1. Coming to a new country may be one of the hardest things you have ever done. Everyone finds it hard, but it will get better. You will make friends. You will learn English and you will be successful.
  1. The school is a safe place for learning and for preparing for your future. The school’s Code of Conduct explains the rules that keep it safe. The rules are based on respect for everyone and in some cases are very specific. Make sure that you get to know what is expected or you might unintentionally get in trouble. There are serious consequences for not following some parts of the Code of Conduct. If you have a problem or a conflict, the teachers can help you. Don’t try and solve conflicts yourself.
  1. You can get answers to your questions and help when you need it. There is a caring and compassionate teacher who will help you. Teachers want to answer your questions and help you. Friends can also help you.
  1. Learn about how the school works. Tour the building. Learn how the library works. Find out how to get access to the computers. A good understanding will help you get ahead.
  1. Watch how people communicate. The way people communicate in your culture may be different than the way they communicate at school. For example, in some cultures people stand close together, in other cultures people stand far apart. The ways that people communicate can be hard to see, but if you watch closely, you will learn them more quickly.
  1. Join in the life of the school. It will help you make new friends, especially friends outside your culture. It will also give you opportunities to practise speaking English.
  1. Be confident and express your identity, but allow others to do the same. Show sensitivity towards their beliefs and values.
  1. At school, look for ways to continue to do the things you like to do. The school is a safe and stimulating place to also learn new things.


”Muchmusic” Style

Frameline’s Luis Garcia says that the video will use some of the video techniques that are used on music videos and shown on TV channels such as Muchmusic. “The video is aimed at youth and those techniques are used all over the world. It will have a fast pace and a fresh look”, says Garcia.

Facilitators Guide

The facilitators guide will have activities for students, school staff and parents. It will help the viewer reflect on aspects of the video and consider how to support newcomer students. Students may work with their ESL teacher on identifying “invisible rules of conduct”. Teachers may consider the ways that newcomer students can participate in extracurricular activities.

Do you know a student whose experiences should be considered for the video? Contact Luis Garcia or Laura Heller

SWIS News and Notes are posted at http://www.settlement.org/sys/atwork_library_detail.asp?doc_id=1003378