Page 2 - Perry Bluejay Bulletin - Spring 2022

Perry’s EL Program - Mr. Vidergar

e are very fortunate to have English language and academic content depending on the stu-
Wstudents from around the dent’s knowledge of English. If a student is a newcomer, mean-
world attending school here in Per- ing he/she is new either new to the United States or new to
ry, Iowa. This year there are 355 public schools, English Learner (EL) teachers provide intensive
English Learners in Perry, repre- services with a goal of helping the student learn basic English
senting 21% of the total student and the daily routines of how a school works.
population. In the past, as many as If a student knows some English, then EL teachers collabo-
26% of students have been English rate with classroom teachers to provide services that help the
Learners. student grow his/her understanding of English as well as assist
Our English Learners come from with learning academic knowledge and skills.
22 countries including places such Each year, English Learners take the English Language Profi-
as Adigala (a region inside Ethiopia), China, Columbia, El Salva- ciency Assessment, or ELPA21. This assessment helps students
dor, Eritrea, Guatemala, Mexico, Malaysia, Tanzania, Thailand, and teachers monitor progress in learning English. There are
Morocco, and Honduras to name a few. Throughout our district, four parts to the test – listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
students speak 12 different languages including Arabic, Dinka, If a student achieves a score of a 4 or 5 on each of the four parts,
Japanese, the Karen languages, Kunama, Malayalam, Portu- he/she is proficient in English and will no longer need services.
guese, Swahili, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, and Spanish. However, teachers continue to monitor each student who leaves
The goal of Perry’s English Learner program is to ensure all EL services for two to four years in order to ensure that the stu-
English Learner students develop English proficiency and aca- dent is successful.
demic proficiency. There are 10 English Language Proficiency We have an amazing team of English Learner teachers in
standards that guide our work on ensuring our students reach each building who work every day in partnership with classroom
proficiency in English. In addition, we assist classroom teach- teachers to provide a positive, nurturing, and engaging learning
ers in ensuring our students reach proficiency in academic stan- environment for our EL students.
dards.
Kevin Vidergar, Director of Teaching and Learning
We use different approaches to help students learn both the

Coping Skills and Self-Care Tips to

Maintaining Mental Health During the

Summertime - Mr. Suarez

he warmth, relaxation, and the through your nose and exhale slowly through your mouth will
TFlexibility that summer brings help to normalize or prevent any feelings of depression or anx-
can be an exciting time but for some, summer months can iety.
have the potential to trigger feelings of being overwhelmed Maintain a Healthy sleep schedule: Just because school is
and loosing control. Expectations of being carefree can put a out for summer and students can stay up late and sleep in
lot of pressure on those who are struggling with depression, does not mean they should. Parents should try to maintain a
anxiety or any other psychological condition. It is important healthy and steady sleep schedule for themselves and for the
for those who are seeing a therapist to keep attending their students because it is an essential component of our mental
regular sessions or making phone calls to their therapist for a health.
check in and for those who are taking medication for depres-
sion or anxiety continue to take their meds as prescribed by Stay active and think positively: whether it is going to the
their doctor. Coping Skills and Self-Care are utilized by people gym, practicing yoga, dancing, swimming, playing sports or
who have emotional problems or for those want to maintain taking a walk is all good and beneficial to boost your mood
their mental health. and help your brain to have better positive thoughts. Getting
out of town and experiencing a change in scenery is a great
Get outside and practice deep breathing exercises: Exposure way to unwind and regain your energy. Remember that during
to natural sunlight increases levels of vitamin D and serotonin summer months it is easy to stay on the couch and binge-
which are known to boost your mood. Taking a moment to watch the latest, television program or Netflix series.
step outdoors smell the roses, take a walk and inhale slowly