ESOL Program:
The ESOL Program has expanded to keep pace with the growing student population at Northwood. With nearly 85 students from 20 different countries, speaking more than 10 different languages, the challenges have grown as well. Some basics: ESOL stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. It is the name of our instructional department and the MCPS program. We generally refer to our students as ELLs, English Language Learners.
Our motto is "Right Challenges, Right Attitude, Right Opportunities."
By Right Challenges we mean that our students need to be in appropriate classes that are continually challenging and developing their language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. We have put into place new courses that will help develop the foundational skills needed by our beginning-level students, and course pathways that provide challenges for ELL students at all levels.
By Right Attitude we simply mean that students take their studies seriously. Students understand and follow routines that support academic rigor. Why? Beginning with our school's current 10th graders, all students must pass the High School Assessments to graduate. That includes our ELLs as well. For them the HSAs will be extremely challenging, and the need to be serious about their academic work becomes even more important. Right attitude includes being ready to learn, having the right mindset, being challenged by instruction, and establishing a context for learning and future goals. By focusing on each of these areas, students demonstrate that they have the right attitude to succeed in school.
Right Opportunities mean that students seek out, with our help and guidance, extra-curricular activities that help them further their academic, career and life goals. We have continued programs which were started in the past, like the Bridges Program at Arcola Towers Senior Residence. It is a program that brings students and older individuals together in shared learning and recreational activities, and for which our students earn Student Service Learning hours. We have also established links to new programs like the Civic Program offered by Liberty's Promise. This 30-hour, after-school program provides interactive activities that show how democracy functions in the US. Students are involved in field trips, listen to local leaders, and share experience. Other right opportunities include university workshops/field trips, and after-school meetings for students and/or parents. All of these opportunities provide a context in which current learning takes on more relevancy and urgency.
ESOL Resources:
ESOL Department: 301-649-8290
ESOL County Office at Rocking Horse Road Center: 301-230-0670
Parent Services: 301-230-0674
Hispanic Hotline: 301-230-3073
Parent Information Message Lines:
| Chinese |
|
301-230-5428
|
| French |
|
301-230-5429
|
| Korean |
|
301-230-5430
|
| Swahili |
|
301-230-5429
|
| Vietnamese |
|
301-230-5432
|
Parenting Resource Center: 301-929-5648
Adult English Language Classes Outside NHS:
The Upcounty Regional Services Center / Germantown, MD, phone 240-777-8000
Publication: Organizations that Offer English Classes in the Upcounty Region for Speakers of Other Languages
