Hoover's English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) Meets Wednesday, 11/18.

Is your child an English learner? Bilingual? Multilingual?

Hoover is enriched by culture and languages from around the world.
In the classrooms, however, our students must be fluent in English in order to achieve academic success. 

Learn about the challenges of adapting to English as a non-native speaker.
Help ensure Hoover's programs and services are meeting the children's needs.

Date:  Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Time:  7:50 am to 8:30 am
Place:  Hoover's MP Room

Guest Speaker: Mrs. Roberta Pfluger (EL Teacher) to attend and to share with us highlights of her program and to tell parents more about the levels of English acquisition.

We are currently seeking a new Hoover ELAC board -- president, vice president, and secretary -- and a district ELAC representative.

Hoover ELAC's mission is to advise:
a) the principal and school staff on programs and services for English learners, and
b) the School Site Council on the development of the Single School Plan for Student Achievement.

ELAC also assists with:
a) the school's English learner needs assessment,
b) the annual language census, and
c) promoting the importance of regular school attendance

We hope to see you at the meeting!

Hoover ELAC Board
President - Anne Lum
Vice President - Kala Srivatsan
Secretary - Hong Pham

November Minutes
11/18/09, 7:50 am to 8:30 am

In attendance:
Kala Srivatsan, Ruth Oku-Ampofo, Aya Tokaji, Helen Lee, Hong Pham, Anne Lum, Bin Cheng, Dr. Scott, Roberts Pfluger

Agenda:
Welcome & Introductions, Overview of English Language Development Program by Mrs. Roberta Pfluger-ELD Teacher, Call for ELAC Officers, Setting the Calendar, ELAC Needs Assessment Survey, Closing

Overview of ELD:
Based on answers to the PAUSD enrollment questionnaire about the language(s) spoken at home, Mrs. Pfluger evaluates the English learner students for four (4) areas:
a) listening
b) speaking
c) reading
d) writing

This is a more rigorous standard than 5-10 years ago.
Students are grouped by grade and CELDT level.

Mrs. Pfluger showed us many fascinating tools she uses to engage her students. The new curricular program is called Carrousel of Ideas, which she is very enthusiastic about. Mrs. Pfluger also uses many additional tools she has gathered over the years -- games, picture flash cards, books with realia (models of everyday life objects), special books on idioms and similes, etc.

Mrs. Pfluger communicates closely with the classroom teacher to find out lesson plans. She previews lessons by teaching vocabulary and other concepts as well as reviews lessons by checking any learning gaps that may have occurred. The EL program supports not only language arts (grammar, literature), but also science with vocabulary building. She enhances the learning of English academic language which is essential for a student to be successful in school.

***Strong Primary Language Foundation Helps English Learners***
Parents, who are not as fluent in English as their native language, should use rich, academic language in their primary language with their children. Having a strong base in the primary/native language is essential in supporting English learners.

The PAUSD offers assistance to English learners who may need additional help.
Primary Language Tutors are available in the following languages:

• Hebrew
• Japanese
• Chinese
• Russian
• Spanish

Please inquire with the Hoover office, if you feel your child needs this help.

***If you have questions or concerns with your student's English fluency, please contact your child's classroom teacher via email and CC Mrs. Pfluger (rpfluger@pausd.org).***

Call for ELAC Officers:
Aya Tokaji has been voted in as the Hoover DELAC. She will be representing Hoover at the district level ELAC meetings. Thank you, Aya, for volunteering!

We are STILL in need of a President, Vice President, and Secretary for ELAC.
Please see Dr. Scott if you are interested in helping her and Hoover's EL students.
You do not need to have an EL student to be a part of ELAC.

Next ELAC Meeting Dates:
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Needs Survey:
If you haven't already done so for this school year (2009-2010), please fill out the form available here(PDF)
Print and turn in the Hoover office by November 30th. This survey will help us guide the Hoover Site Council on how to make improvements to the EL program.

ELAC Board
Anne Lum
Kala Srivatsan
Hong Pham

October Minutes
10/30/09, 8:00 am to 8:30 am

In attendance:
Mei Yzng Song, Kala Srivatsan, Anne Lum, Hong Pham, Aya Tokaji, Solange Koukoui, Tina Tuan, Terry Wu, Shumei Wang, Yelena Kurasheva, Rui Yun, Ming Chu, Dr. Scott, Roberts Pfluger

Agenda:
Welcome & Introductions, Overview of English Language Development Program, Single Plan for Student Achievement - Teaching English Language Learners, Call for ELAC Officers, Setting the Calendar, ELAC Needs Assessment Survey, Closing

Dr. Scott introduced Mrs. Pfluger so parents know who is the on-site teacher for English learners. Mrs. Pfluger is at Hoover all day Mondays through Thursdays, and Fridays for two hours.

Dr. Scott shared with us the English Language Learner portion of the Single Plan for Student Achievement. You can view this page here(PDF)

Dr. Scott shared with us a handout listing available websites that English learner students and parents can access at home or from the library. You can view the resources here:
http://www.hoover.paloaltopta.org/elac_link.html

Parents around the room shared various concerns:
a) their child's reading skills.
b) difficulties of shyness on top of learning a new language.

In addition to conferring with your classroom teacher, ELAC is a great forum to discuss issues and concerns about adopting a new culture and language.

EL Needs Survey:
Fill out the form available here(PDF)
Print and turn in the Hoover office by November 30th.

Calendar and Call for ELAC Officers:
The calendar was not set for future meetings, and no volunteers signed up to be on the ELAC board.

ELAC - 4/16/09 Meeting Minutes and News

* Rachel Milliken-Weitzman shared with the group her role in helping English Learner (EL) students.
As the resource specialist, Rachel steps in to work with a child who may have a learning disability as well as issues with learning a new language.

* Yelena Kurasheva, Hoover mom and primary language tutor, shared with the group how she helps children in their native language. Acting as a translator, Yelena helps a child by explaining what the classroom teacher is saying and giving simple assignments to encourage vocabulary usage in sentences. While her role is to help ease the language transition to English, she is not a crutch since she is only available to a student 30-45 minutes for 2-3 days per week.

* Anne Lum shared the results of the English Learner Needs survey. See the table below.

Survey Summary 04/24/09 (PDF)

ELAC Meeting Minutes 02/19/09 (PDF)

ELAC Meeting Handouts 02/19/09 (PDF)

English Learner Needs Assessment Survey (PDF)