More than 800 Ukrainian children enter schools, with more on the way

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In the early days of the Russian invasion, as sirens heralded air strikes on their home in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, the Kovalenkos huddled in the basement of their apartment building, all three girls scared.

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As the harrowing reality of a protracted war became clear, the family’s plans to run for safety were met with more siren calls, forcing them back into the darkness of the basement, again and again.

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“It was a difficult time for the girls, they were terrified,” said their mother Iuliia.

“It’s something that made them stronger, more resilient, definitely. But it is something I wish they would never have to go through,” added his father, Yuriy.

After weeks in hiding, the family finally boarded a train to Poland, and months later flew to Canada, finally settling down this summer in a small apartment in northwest Calgary.

As her girls Valeriia, 17, Mariia, 9, and Serafyma, 7, embrace their first days of school, they are among 653 Ukrainian students who entered the public school system this year.

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Another 150 have entered the Catholic system, with hundreds more expected to arrive in the coming months.

Olha Antonenko, who works with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society receiving Ukrainian refugees at the airport, says more than 100 arrive each week. And with tensions rising again in the region, she expects at least 1,000 more by Christmas.

“I meet families every day at the airport, they have a lot of questions, a lot of needs, to find a home, to find a job and to get their children to school,” Antonenko said.

Last month, CCIS officials said Calgary has been Alberta’s top destination for Ukrainian evacuees, absorbing more than 4,000 of them so far.

But the growing numbers are bringing unique challenges to the Calgary Board of Education, already facing increased enrollment, larger and more complex classrooms and fewer teachers than before the pandemic.

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CBE officials estimate that 6,502 teachers are in classrooms this year. But that’s only about a dozen more than last year’s 6,490 and down from pre-pandemic levels of 6,661 teachers in 2019-20.

At the same time, there are up to 1,500 new students in the classrooms, in addition to the Ukrainian refugees.

Among this year’s school staff, 218 are English language learner (ELL) specialists, along with 93 ELL assistants. However, only two new ELL specialist teachers have been hired since April.

“It has been difficult to find educators who can cater to the specific languages ​​needed to support the growing number of refugee students in schools,” said Kara Layher, spokeswoman for CBE.

“We encourage any educator interested in these roles to apply.”

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Prem Randhawa, director of education for CBE who works closely with refugees and students learning English as a second language, says students who need language support first arrive at the CBE Welcome Center, where they take a detailed assessment of their English proficiency. English and other subjects.

They are then provided language support directly at their designated school, which could mean they are part of a special English learner classroom, may participate in separate small groups throughout the day, or receive one-on-one help in a classroom. regular classes from a specialized teacher.

But beyond their academic studies, many of the refugee students have suffered significant trauma that they are still dealing with at school.

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“We are welcoming a large number of non-Canadian students at this time. And we are working to meet all of them where they are in terms of their needs,” Randhawa said.

“We also have area-based supports and support systems, in terms of psychologists, mental health supports and other strategists.”

The Kovalenkos say their girls are supported for any stress they may feel at home. And their younger girls, they say, will pick up English quickly like most toddlers do, mainly through play.

But her eldest daughter, who is in grade 11 at Queen Elizabeth Secondary School, often has difficulty communicating with her teachers and classmates, and seems to have to learn English on her own.

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“She is always using her Google Translate, on the Internet. She has been given an iPad, a tablet, which is very useful,” said Iuliia.

“The other night we were helping her try to translate a project she has to do for school.”

It’s not clear if she’s receiving support from an ELL specialist, Yuriy said, but it would be more beneficial if a Ukrainian-speaking teacher or assistant was available to support her, including coming to the school on an ad hoc basis.

“That way, you could talk to someone, tell them everything you’re feeling and what you need help with, all at once. That would be very helpful.”

To date, the CBE has seven Russian interpreters and only one Ukrainian interpreter to support Ukrainian families and their students.

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But Layher added that there is more “currently in the interview and hiring processes. Again, we encourage anyone interested and qualified to apply.”

At the start of this school year, Stephani Clements, president of Alberta Teachers Association Local 38, which represents Calgary public school teachers, said many principals will face tough decisions dividing limited school budgets among staff. that is so much needed.

And a surge in refugee students, particularly those from Ukraine, creates complex needs beyond academics, including mental health and trauma support.

“The current education funding model does not adequately address rising student enrollment,” he said, including a large influx from Ukraine.

“It also doesn’t address the additional supports needed for these students who have experienced trauma.”

Antonenko argues that the solution is simple, explaining that many refugees arriving from Ukraine are teachers and should be invited to help out in schools to help students in need.

“They are trained to be teachers, so let them do that. They get jobs and the children get the help they need.”

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