More Waupaca students learning English as second language

By Robert Cloud

A growing number of students in the Waupaca School District are learning to speak English for the first time.

Mark Flaten, the district’s director of teaching and learning, spoke to the Waupaca School Board at its Feb. 14 meeting.

Flaten said enrollment has increased between the first student count in September 2022 and the second count in January 2023.

At Waupaca Learning Center, 22 students are English learners (EL). Since September 2022, 15 new students are EL.

At Waupaca Middle School, nine students are EL, with six of them joining the district since September 2022.

Only two EL students attend Waupaca High School and one EL student entered the district since September 2022.

Board member Betty Manion asked if the district could anticipate more EL students attending school in Waupaca.

EL student numbers expected to grow

Steven Thomaschefsky, director of technology and CTE coordinator, said Waupaca will most likely continue to see an increase in EL students.

Thomaschefsky noted that the city has approved a request to build a 96-unit residential facility off State Highway 54, near Waupaca Foundry’s Plant 2.

“We’ll probably see temporary workers continued,” he said.

Laurie Schmidt, the district’s director of student services, said Waupaca does not have the numbers of EL students yet where the district will need to offer a dual language program or a teacher who would just teach Spanish-speaking students.

“We would provide supports to those students to really focus on core academic vocabulary,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt said the district has compiled a list of bilingual speakers in the community who can help with home visits or transcribing, translating or interpreting any communications that teachers or administrators send home.

Waupaca schools also work with a company out of Clintonville called Bridging Language Barriers.

“They come in and provide support to our families for parent-teacher conferences or IEP meetings,” Schmidt said.

Schools also have earbuds and software for translating conversations. There’s a 3-5 second delay.

“It’s like we’re all in the UN,” Schmidt said.

School librarians in Waupaca are ordering bilingual and Spanish books.

The district is also working with Rural Virtual Academy, which provides 30 minutes a day of English as a second language curriculum.

Schmidt said the district is working with Fox Valley Technical College to provide Spanish courses for professionals, as well as English courses for Spanish speakers.

Schmidt said students in Spanish 5 are helping out, as are some of the bilingual students.

Thomaschefsky added that Infinite Campus messages are sent out in English and Spanish.

“We make sure our families feel welcome and supported, that basic needs are met and then we are going to focus on educational services,” Schmidt said.