Newcomer Support

We welcome and value all our newcomer students and families and the assets they bring to Reynolds School District, and we want to ensure that they feel safe and supported. The challenge of integrating into their new home is compounded for newcomers who attend school, since they must learn not only how to navigate a new culture socially, but also how to function effectively in an education system and language that typically differs from their prior experience.

In K-Grade 5, specialists provide recently-arrived students with supplemental instruction that focuses more heavily on cultural competency and social English in addition to ELD push-in services. Additional measures are also taken at registration to assure that recent arrivers are welcomed to the district and connected with appropriate community resources.

At the secondary level (6-12) RSD schools have specialized course offerings for newcomers that provide a welcoming environment and a solid introduction to the cultural and linguistic skills to support their educational and career goals. Students who are eligible for these courses have recently arrived in the U.S. (within three years) and are beginners in English.

At Reynolds High School courses for newcomers include English Language Development (ELD) and a range of core-content courses that offer subject-specific credit and cover grade-level standards. The goals of the program are to equip students with foundational English language skills and a linguistically accessible pathway to graduation.