Programs help ease transition for newcomer students
Offered at schools in Thornhill, Vaughan and Markham

YorkRegion.com
Aug. 21, 2014
Simone Joseph

Elementary school students new to Canada are invited to a special back-to-school orientation program next week.

Welcome and Information for Newcomers (WIN) is a program for newcomer families in York Region.

The purpose of the peer-run program is to give new elementary students a better start in school in September. It also gives parents information about community resources, including education curriculum, school bus safety, library resources, police resources and healthy eating.

This year, E. J. Sand Public School hosts the program Aug. 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Thornhill school is on Henderson Avenue.

The program is funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and organized by Catholic Community Services of York Region with support from the York Region District School Board.

The York Catholic District School Board also runs a Newcomer Orientation Week  (NOW) program in select high schools.

The school board, in partnership with Catholic Community Services of York Region, Settlement and Education Partnership in York Region, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the York Region District School Board offers the Newcomer Orientation Week program for high school students new to Canada.

Newcomer students who arrived in 2013 or 2014 and are entering Grade 9 are also encouraged to register for this program.

The program aims to help students adjust to high school life in Canada through a series of interactive activities and valuable information sessions.

Activities include a school scavenger hunt to learn about key school services, a simulated timetable exercise, as well as discussions about graduation requirements and supports offered in the school.

The program will be run at various Catholic high schools, including St. Robert, St. Joan of Arc and St. Elizabeth. Students who will be attending Jean Vanier and Sacred Heart are invited to attend the programs at their schools. Students attending Father Michael McGivney Catholic Academy are invited to attend the NOW program at Middlefield Collegiate Institute. Participating students should pre-register by calling 905-731-8281.

For more information on the York Catholic school board, visit ycdsb.ca or follow the school board on Twitter @YCDSB.