Syrian children already hitting the books at Peterborough public schools

PETERBOROUGH — Although early in the resettlement process, Syrian children in Peterborough have already started to experience life in Ontario schools.

As of last Friday (Dec. 18), 13 children had started class at local public schools, says Rusty Hick, director of education for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board.

He adds school administrators are now in the process of making sure the students’ transition into school is as seamless as possible — a challenging job indeed considering the many hurdles the kids must overcome to be successful.

“(School) boards across the province are grappling with this challenge in different ways,” says Mr. Hick.

Many communities across Ontario are welcoming Syrian refugees fleeing a civil war which has left them homeless. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are living in refugee camps waiting for clearance to come to Canada.

Private sponsorship groups in Peterborough have already rescued a number of families who started coming to the city a couple of weeks ago.This will continue in the coming months. It’s expected government assisted refugees will also make their way to the Peterborough region.

One of the first priorities is to make sure the children start school as soon as possible.

This allows them to get accustomed to the Canadian culture and the English language. This is a daunting task, according to Mr. Hick. He adds to help with the process, the public board decided to appoint retired principal Tanys Howell as their Syrian refugee lead.

Ms Howell says her job is to support and offer recommendations to best deal with Syrian children coming into the public school system.

She is also working closely with neighbouring school boards including the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic District School Board.

Galen Eagle, communications officer with the Catholic board, says a steering committee has been formed at the board to deal with the refugee issue.

As of last Friday, he wasn’t aware of any Syrian children attending local Catholic schools.

Ms Howell says the process is new to both school boards which is why they are working together.

“There is no blueprint for this. We are organizing things as they emerge,” says Ms Howell.

She adds the first thing is to make sure the registration process is private and confidential for the families. She says she has yet to meet with the families who now have children in the public school system.

According to Mr. Hick, students started at Queen Mary last Thursday and Prince of Wales on Friday.

“We need to support them without it being overwhelming,” says Ms Howell. “We have to be respectful of the changes they are going through.”

She adds each school needs to be welcoming and understanding while being a centre for education. First on the list is English language training. Both school boards have had guidelines in place dealing with this barrier for many years.

Ms Howell says in some cases interpreters are being used. She adds staff members are also encouraged to use Google Translate on their smart phones or tablets.

“We need to have stability for the kids when the kids come to school,” says Ms Howell. “We have kids coming in with such a variety of experiences. Some have been to school (in Syria) and others haven’t been to school.”

Mr. Hick says the first step for educators is to assess each child’s level of English. Following that, they must determine where students fit academically.

“We have English language learning staff and we are hiring another contract teacher for this January,” says Mr. Hick.

He admits the public board doesn’t employ Arabic-speaking teachers, but some Trent University students who speak the language are volunteering their time to help.

“(Our teachers) can still help Syrian children learn the English language using pictures and symbols,” says Mr. Hick.

The bottom line, adds Ms Howell, is that the children just want to feel safe and welcome.

Barbara McMorrow, director of the Catholic school board, says school leaders are working to ensure a welcoming, comprehensive and collaborative approach to supporting students.

“(The steering committee) includes English language teachers, our mental health and well-being lead, our pastoral lead, our chief psychologist, student success leads for elementary and secondary as well as school principals,” says Ms McMorrow. “We are also working in partnership with the New Canadian Centre task force and local non-profit Casa Maria House to avail of their expertise. We have also shared with the Ministry of Education our anticipated needs.”

Ms McMorrow adds the school board also has strong relationships with the many parishes in the Peterborough area, many of which are privately sponsoring refugee families. The Catholic school board itself also sponsored a family of seven in September after more than $30,000 was raised at schools and the board office.