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Chippewa newcomer teachers outline CCSD 62 newcomers program at CHAPUA
Summary
Elizabeth Gauna, one of three Chippewa newcomer teachers in CCSD 62, described the district’s newcomers program at CHAPUA, saying the team uses a cooperative-learning model and district-adopted Kagan structures to teach recently arrived students.
Elizabeth Gauna, one of three Chippewa newcomer teachers in CCSD 62, described the district’s newcomers program at CHAPUA, saying the team uses a cooperative-learning model and district-adopted Kagan structures to teach recently arrived students.
Gauna said the program groups students for active, collaborative work and covers core classes including English, math and social studies; staff plan to add science in a future semester. "Kagan is very engaging," she said, adding that the method is a district expectation used in regular and newcomer classrooms.
The program serves children from multiple countries, Gauna said, naming Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela among places of origin. She said the team of three — herself, Rania and Juvy — adjusts schedules to meet students’ academic and social needs. "They're very excited to be here," Gauna said of the students, adding that many come from difficult situations but show enthusiasm and rapid social and academic growth during roughly a 10-month span in the program.
Gauna described at least one community activity: a section from the newcomers program visited nearby Cumberland school to read to kindergarten through second-grade classes about careers. She said students were nervous at first but grew comfortable and were smiling and taking selfies by the end of the visit. Gauna described these outreach opportunities as ways for newcomer students to share their cultures and practice English with peers.
Gauna also noted turnover as families adjust and sometimes leave the program when they find other opportunities. She framed the work as a privilege, saying the teachers enjoy learning words and phrases in students' languages and seeing students make social gains while learning English.
No formal actions or decisions were recorded in the presentation. The description provides details on classroom methods, the program's grade-level focus, a recent outreach visit to Cumberland school and the countries of origin for participating students.
