An Ideal Way to Start School

An Ideal Way to Start School

Former newcomer student Farrah Mansoor introduces herself to fellow Madonna CSS students.

Newcomer orientation week welcomes students and parents to Canada

By Jennilee Austria

For students who have just arrived in Canada, the pressure of adapting to their new lives is often too much to bear. The frustration of a new language, the absence of friends and family, and the stress of reuniting with a mother after years of separation by the Live-in Caregiver Program often impact a student’s success. Self-esteem issues abound, which eventually lead to failing grades, chronic absenteeism, involvement with the wrong group, or even dropping out of school.

Free CIC-funded orientation programs ease these stresses. In August, newcomer students nationwide received the ultimate welcome to school. WIN programs (Welcome and Information for Newcomers) were one-day programs offered for families with students entering middle school, and NOW (Newcomer Orientation Week) programs were three or four-day programs offered in high schools.

NOW Programs are organized by Settlement Workers in Schools (SWIS) who partner with both the Toronto Public and Catholic school boards and a community agency such as North York Community House. Settlement Workers act as newcomer counsellors during the school year, and over the summer, they hire and train Peer Leaders—former newcomer youth who are enthusiastic about school and Canada.

Peer Leaders lead students on a tour of the school and public library, and they explain everything down to extracurricular activities, proper dress code, and how to open a combination lock. They become role models not only during the program, but even throughout the school year.

Father Henry Carr’s Vanessa Javier leads her team in a discussion about Peer Leader responsibilities.

Some Peer Leaders take their role far enough to even go on to settlement positions, like new CICS SWIS worker Richel Castaneda, who was a Peer Leader in 2009. “Looking back, it never occurred to me that what started as a leadership opportunity would lead me to a career in settlement,” she said. “I am grateful that with the leadership and communication skills I gained as a NOW Peer Leader, I can continuously be of service to newcomer Filipinos.”

NOW participant Jannelle Francisco was shy at first, but quickly met other Filipinos through NOW. “Before this program, I felt like a loner, so I’m very thankful for the orientation that we had,” she said. “I realized that I’m not the only newcomer, and I’m not alone!” Two weeks later, she was happy to reunite with her new friends and start school together. It’s not often that on the first day of school, newcomer students already have friends, but NOW made this possible.

For Thea Lizada, her school did not offer a NOW program, so she registered in the closest one to her neighbourhood. And this helped her a great deal. She said, “It really helped me a lot during my first day because through NOW, I got to know which person to go to when I had certain problems or when I got confused in school.”

In NOW programs facilitated by North York Community House Settlement Workers, digital stories are often screened. During the year, settlement workers help students to make movies about a significant change in their lives. Students often describe their immigration experiences, which often touches on the hardships of family reunification, absenteeism, bullying, being placed one grade behind, and more. Showing these stories gives settlement workers a chance to speak about the opportunities or obstacles that await students in their new Canadian lives.

One obstacle for Filipino students is that they cite that their parents work so much that they don’t have time for school events or to assist with homework. Without an emphasis on educational attainment at home, students often enter the workforce at a young age, choosing fast money in low-paying jobs instead of a post-secondary education. These students often complain that their parents never understood the school system.
This is why the final day of NOW is a family-oriented affair. Parents and guardians attend an orientation by the teacher and community agencies, and learn about mental health, the importance of attending Parent-Teacher Interviews, the various school and community support staff whom they can contact, and more.
Father Henry Carr settlement worker Amal Abou-Harga thought of one mother who was very touched by this welcome to Canada: “One of the newcomer parents was very isolated, very shy. When I told her that the session was about to wrap up, she started to cry. She said, ‘This program showed me another face to this country.’”

The NOW program finishes with a graduation ceremony to signify that students are ready to begin Canadian schooling. In front of family and new friends, students often sing in their language or perform their traditional dances. Madonna CSS settlement worker Irma Hercules explained, “The NOW program’s graduation ceremony sends a message to students: we want them to bring their culture to their new school. We want them to know that they don’t have to completely change who they are. We want them to feel truly welcome.”

For students in middle school or high school who have recently arrived in Canada but who missed the NOW and WIN programs this August, there is good news: in October and February, there are school-specific one or two-day newcomer orientation programs offered in select Catholic and public schools for students in Grades 6-8 (WIN) and Grades 9-12 (NOW). Some elementary and secondary schools even have an evening for newcomer families. To learn more, families should ask their school office how they can contact their School Settlement Worker to find out if these terrific programs will be available.