Introduction:
Homestead Middle’s language policy is a working document developed by staff members and administration. The policy is consistent with the stipulated principles and practices of the International Baccalaureate (IB). This policy is intended to provide guiding principles for language learning at Homestead Middle School which permeates the entire school curriculum through authentic contexts in a culturally rich and diverse environment.
Aims:
- Enable students to learn and use language effectively, appropriately, accurately, and with confidence.
- Provide the opportunity for all students to acquire a language other than English.
- Enable students to develop and use language skills in a variety of contexts and purposes.
- Understand root words and cognates crossing over through languages while enriching vocabulary and terminology used in different subject areas.
- Provide support for students who are enrolled with English as their second language to develop competence in both spoken and written English in accordance with the schools curricular frameworks for English as a Second language.
- Encourage students to explore languages as a mean to understand the varied cultures and to appreciate the people belonging to these cultures.
- Offer parents and guardians choices of language to reinforce the multilingual and multicultural goal of Homestead Middle School.
Language Philosophy at the Heritage:
The language philosophy has a language policy steering committee, comprising of language teachers, subject teachers, librarian, coaches, and Principal, with the purpose of gathering the school community’s demand for foreign languages and to prepare students for an increasingly intercultural world which will equips them to adapt to an ever changing global environment. The philosophy highlights the following:
- • Language forms the basis of all communication and learning.
- • Language learning is a lifelong process and plays an integral role in intellectual development.
- • Skill acquired in one language can be transferred to other languages.
- • Proficiency in language helps the students to acquire competencies in other academic areas.
- • Language is an expression of one’s tradition and culture and constitute an essential part of a student’s identity.
- • Linguistic skills foster international mindedness by viewing things from a multicultural perspective.
- • Teaching the learning process within a classroom will take into account the linguistic needs of all the students to ensure that their individual language needs are being.
- • All teachers are language teachers.
School language Profile:
At Homestead Middle School more than 60{9027071c404cfb43279a30cbf12db9ff4ea3a13d8b36532a090c0f3fdc660456} of the student population comes from families where, the language spoken at home is different from the language taught in school. The students are able to speak at different levels of proficiency within the following languages such as Spanish, African American Vernacular, Haitian Creole, Jamaican Patois, Bahamian English based Creole, Mixtec, Mam, French, and even Mandarin. However, Standard English is the medium of instruction in which all operational and development activities take place. For our English Language Learners, we offer a comprehensive program through which they acquire the skills and knowledge needed to access the regular curriculum. We provide support to our students and their families to enable them to adjust to the new language, learning environment, and culture. While some of our students join us speaking only English, others speak two languages and some even three, but all are involved in a way or another in language transfer, acquisition, or maintenance.
Components of our Language Program:
- Developmental Reading (ESOL) for ELL students
- Language Arts through ESOL for ELL students
- World Language French for students to learn or reinforced a second language
- World Language Spanish for students to learn or reinforced a second language
- Library with books in several languages including Spanish, French, and Creole.
- Collection of books from other cultures
- Translating evening meetings for working parents
- Sending documents home and Connect-Ed messages to parents in several languages
- Literature and Poetry Nights exposing parents to other languages while ensuring comprehension
- Encourage parent volunteers in the classroom
- Literacy homework that includes reading to, with and by parents and/or family members
- Through the PA system students enjoy music and literary snippets of other culture
- Increase of awareness of native and target language through extracurricular activities
- Community service including language tutors for students who need language support
- Sign Language and augmented communication if necessary