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September 2019

E-Bulletin

Table of Contents

  1. MATSOL News
  2. Advocacy Update
  3. Community News
  4. Links & Resources
 
Submission Welcome
Submit an item for publication in the monthly MATSOL E-Bulletin. Details... 
 

Fall registration is open!

  • MA English Learner Leadership Council (MELLC): A group for PK-12 EL Directors and Coordinators. First meeting Oct 25. More...
  • Intensive English Programs & Community College Conference, Nov 9 in Boston. More...
  • SEI Teacher Endorsement: Courses in Cambridge, Clinton, Fitchburg, Framingham, Marshfield, No. Attleboro, Taunton and Tygnsboro now enrolling. Please pass on to your colleagues! More...

MATSOL News

MATSOL Calendar

  • Sep 15: Proposals due for the Intensive English Program & Community College Conference (deadline extended!)
  • Sep 18: Call for Proposals for 2020 MATSOL Conference opens
  • Sep 23: Teacher Education SIG Meeting
  • Oct 7: Low Incidence SIG Meeting
  • Oct 15: Deadline to submit to MATSOL Currents
  • Oct 25: MA English Learner Leadership Council (MELLC) Meeting
  • Nov 9: Intensive English Program & Community College Conference

Save the Date: 2020 MATSOL Conference - Tuesday-Friday, May 26-29, 2020

View the MATSOL Calendar for information and registration.


MATSOL News

Staff Changes at MATSOL
Victoria Ekk has joined our staff as Director of Professional Learning, overseeing MATSOL's professional development services and courses. Please join us in welcoming Victoria to the staff! We are still hiring a for the Program and Member Engagement Coordinator position. 

Spring/Summer 2019 Issue of MATSOL Currents
Read the new issue

Submit to MATSOL Currents
There’s a lot going on in the world of TESOL and EL education, and we’d like all of it to be reflected in MATSOL Currents! We welcome reviews of books and materials, reports on meetings and events, personal experience accounts, and articles on everything of interest to MATSOL members. We also want to support our members to develop an article for publication, so the editors can give you feedback on a draft article or on an idea for an article you are thinking about writing. The submission deadline for Currents is October 15. Find out more...


Community News 

State Seal of Biliteracy & Biliteracy Pathway Awards
The Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy program is entering its second year, and the Biliteracy Pathway Awards program overseen by the Language Opportunity Coalition continues. Check the website and sign up for the Google group to connect with other educators administering the awards. www.SealofBiliteracyMA.org

Literacy Instruction for ELs - Free Workshop
Start the year with information you can use:  Learn to administer the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI) and Quick Phonics Survey (QPS). The QRI and QPS are valuable tools for providing information on the specific skills students need to make progress in reading.  Attendees will receive an instructional planning guide to help them use literacy information to plan daily instruction. This FREE workshop is specifically designed for teachers working with ELs.   Special emphasis will be on students in GRADES 3 and ABOVE. Saturday September 14, 2019, TIME:  1:00 to 3:00 PM, Wakelin Room, Wellesley Public Library. This event is sponsored by the Massachusetts Reading Association. RSVP [email protected]

Democracy School: Southeastern Mass
A workshop for new and emerging community organizers to build up their knowledge and skills and make new connections. Whether you’re a young activist just getting started, a seasoned community organizer delving into immigration matters for the first time, or a service provider interested in getting involved in advocacy, Democracy School offers a chance to build your skills, connect with like-minded people in your community, and tap into MIRA’s upcoming advocacy campaigns. Hosted by MIRA: Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition and Coalition for Social Justice (New Bedford Field Office)View event...

Maintaining Heritage Languages in Our Communities
To mark the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages, participate in a discussion about revitalizing languages and creating strong multilingual identities. K–12 educators: Registration for K–12 educators is highly recommended. Participants will receive a certificate of attendance. ep 12, 2019, 4:30 pm, Harvard University. More...

Openings on Parent and Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council 
The Parent and Community Education and Involvement Advisory Council of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is extending the deadline for submitting applications. The advisory council meets three or four times a year to advise DESE and the Board on topics related to family engagement including the development of information for families. Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and résumé to Kathy Rodriguez at [email protected] or the Office of Adult and Community Learning Services, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148 by September 16. The Department particularly encourages applications from individuals who represent diverse communities and who represent historically underserved students.


Links & Resources

NEWSLETTER
TESOL Connections 
MATSOL members receive free access to TESOL Connections, TESOL International Association's monthly online newsletter. The latest issue includes Helping English Learners Respond to Difficult Situations, Expanding ELT Objectives for 21st-Century Learners, and Designing a Vocabulary Approach: 4 Research-Based PracticesView the latest issue...

RESOURCE
Getting It Right: Reference Guides for Registering Students With Non-English Names
Getting a student’s name right is the first step in welcoming him or her to school. Incorrectly entering student names can mean that the same student is listed in different databases in various ways and often with incomplete records. Consequently, students who are eligible for services (for example, English learner support) can be unidentified or overlooked. This set of naming conventions guides can serve as a reference for accurately and consistently entering students’ names in school, district, and state databases as well as address and greet parents and other family members in a culturally responsive and respectful way. The guides are available for students with home languages of Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese. View resource...

RESOURCE
Moving Stories App
Re-Imagining Migration developed the Moving Stories app to facilitate conversations about our migration stories. They can happen anywhere, in a park, in a café, in your living room, or in a classroom. Visit the Moving Stories Educator Guide webpage.

EVENT
Upcoming Art & Cultural Events 

  • Boston International Latino Film Festival, Sep 25-29. More...
  • Tournées Film Festival at Boston University, a francophone film festival, starts Sep 26. More...
  • UNSETTLED, a feature-length documentary revealing the untold stories of LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers who have fled intense persecution from their home countries and who are resettling in the U.S. Oct 5, Brattle Theater. More...
  • Crossing Lines, Constructing Home: Displacement and Belonging in Contemporary Art, opens Sep 6, Harvard Art Museums More... 
  • Crossing Cultures: Family, Memory and Displacement. Oct 30-31. Artist Talk Oct 26. Cambridge Art Association. More...
  • Latinx Heritage Night at the MFASep 18, 4 PM – 10 PM (free). More...
  • International Book Fair 2019/Feria Internacional del Libro 2019. Dedicada a Peru. Oct 18-20, Lawrence MA. More...

ARTICLE
Now Starring In Children's Cartoons: Authentic Indigenous Characters
TV networks and streaming services are reaching children with realistic portrayals on the small screen — where they consume most of their media. From NPR. View report...

REPORT
English Learners and ESL Programs in the Community College: A Review of the Literature
Demographic and postsecondary enrollment data suggest that the proportion of community college students who need support to access curricula in English is large and will continue to grow in the coming years. Yet there is limited research on the postsecondary experiences and outcomes of these English learners, and most of the studies that are available focus exclusively on the subset of English learners who enroll in ESL courses. From Community College Research Center. More...

POLICY BRIEF
English Learners with Disabilities: Shining a Light on Dual-Identified Students
The following brief provides an overview of the separate but intersecting federal policies that govern the identification of and services provided to English learners and students with disabilities. This overview will frame key opportunities to serve ELs with disabilities more equitably with the aim of helping policymakers, advocates, and practitioners take more strategic action on behalf of these students. From New America. View brief...

REPORT
Leveraging the Potential of Home Visiting Programs to Serve Immigrant and Dual Language Learner Families
A child’s first years are ones of exceptionally rapid growth, a period that can lay the foundation for school readiness and healthy socioemotional development. Growing awareness of the importance of investing in infants and toddlers is reflected in the spread of home visiting programs—family-focused social services provided in the home on a regular basis to expectant mothers and new parents alongside their young children. From Migration Policy Institute. View report...

 

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Stoughton MA 02072
www.matsol.org