Lilyan Parmar Part1 Mod 2.

ELL Schools Effectiveness on creating a warm and welcoming environment Check list:

Welcoming committee should involve all or some of the following:

ELL teacher, an Administrator, counsellor (if needed), SLP(if needed)

Navigate the building

- Provide a map and a tour
- Location of main areas of the school:
o Office
o Library
o Washroom
o Classroom (that may be their child’s)
Schools orientation package:
- Emergency Contact forms
- Medical information/forms
- Schools information
o Phone number, address
o Calendar (explained)
Expectations and Schedules
- Explain School goals and expectations
- Explain bell schedule
o Start and end times to the day
o Lunch and recess
o If possible, the day’s normal schedule (high school)
Community Programs
- Provide parents with outside of school community programs
o After school care
o Library’s
o Open gyms
o Family resource centres
o Online programs and websites
- General map of areas around the school (directions)
o Grocery stores
o Malls

Anything given to the family in print should either be visually understood and/or in their native
language to the best of the school’s ability
Lilyan Parmar Part1 Mod 2.2

Things my school does well:

I think the schools that I have been involved with have had great administrators and teachers that
are welcoming to all students. I have also seen many teachers that are bilingual/multilingual
volunteer to help with interpreting/ translating with many families (this has only increased due to
remote learning). I have also had the pleasure of working with many classroom teachers that are
incredibly hands on when it comes to supporting their ELL students, these classroom teachers
are open to collaborating with parents, ELL teachers and administrators. The school that I have
most recently worked at created a breakfast program where any student can come in early and
get free breakfast, this was especially helpful for those students in lower socio-economic
households.

Things that can be improved:

I think more involvement with an interpreter would be appreciated, especially for languages that
are not as common within the demographic of the school. I’ve been in a school where parent
teacher meetings have been postponed for months due to the lack of an interpreter.
Another area that I’ve noticed is the lack of signage in different languages in the hallways and
common areas. I think this could be increased to create a more inclusive environment. However,
I do believe that in general most of the schools that I’ve worked in have done a good job
providing a warm and welcoming environment for ELL students and families.