Thanks to a recently awarded grant, new Hmong refugee students in Madison are returning to school to find some new programs and resources.

Last spring, MMSD successfully applied for an Unanticipated Refugee New Arrivals Grant with the goal of providing more educational programs to immigrant families. With preparations completed over the summer, school staff can now begin implementing these programs.

Lake View Elementary staff used funds from this grant to create newcomer kits including early literacy and number games, puzzles and books. The kits are stored in backpacks and will be loaned out to families on a rotating basis starting this fall.

The purpose is to offer the parents & older siblings a way to practice English literacy skills with their elementary-age children. Teachers specifically chose games and activities that have already been introduced in the classrooms at Lake View so that the children can successfully practice them at home.

At the middle school level, Black Hawk School Bilingual Resource Specialist Lue Herr will be hosting a Hmong language development class as an after-school activity for Hmong students. The class will be held in 12 one-hour sessions during the first semester. Its goal is to provide primary language instruction to enhance oral proficiency and basic reading and writing literacy skills in Hmong.

A new course will be offered at East High School this year, "Hmong for Hmong Speakers". East teacher May Choua Thao and MMSD Hmong Community Liason Choua Her took time this summer to visit the ABC Bookstore and Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul MN and other Hmong educational institutions to prepare the curriculum for this new class.

"Studies have shown that fluency in a student's first language allows for better language acquisition in the second language," Her said. "This class will also help students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of their heritage and develop a positive self-identity."