At least one 13-year-old student isn’t upset he is spending three weeks of his summer in school.
German Ivkovich is one of the immigrant children from grades 1 to 9 taking part in a new English as an additional language (EAL) course developed by the Department of Education.
“I really like how we learn English and we have activities at the same time. So, you never get bored,” he told The Guardian Thursday during an activity at Spring Park Elementary School, where he and 24 other newcomer children are gaining English skills.
The morning portion of the EAL summer program is in the classroom. Students learn vocabulary to help communicate practical things like safety and rules, as well as how to interact with administration.
The afternoon is more experiential. The kids go out into the community, such as going swimming and visiting a fire hall. Some even rode a bus for the very first time.
Most children come in at the beginner level of English proficiency. Some have been in P.E.I. for a while but still need more help developing their language skills. Children attend the program from Monday to Friday. This is the first time the program has been offered to students in these particular grades.
Education Minister Jordan Brown, who visited the program at Spring Park Thursday, praised the initiative.
“It gives our immigrant children, who wouldn’t necessarily have a great grounding in the English language, a bit of a head start on school for the fall where they will be integrating into an English language school system,” Brown said.
Brown noted older immigrant students are even helping out.
“We have older students who are either in high school or just graduated who come in and help the younger students by modelling different things. It could be teaching them how to bowl and they explain things in a language they might be used to and translate to English.”
The program isn’t offered in all schools. The EAL program currently running at Spring Park Elementary School is intended for all children in the Charlottetown area.
Instructor Jeremy Hogan says the program helps the children gain skills outside of the English language, noting some of them might not be used to the school routine or things like fire drills and what to do if the school is put into lockdown.
“They get to know the rules we have in Canadian schools that these students may not be accustomed to,” he said.