Welcome!/Dobro pozhalovat'!

Supporting English Learners at Dexter Community Schools

 

Each year, Dexter’s student population represents a wide variety of languages and cultures. Currently, at least eleven languages other than English are spoken at home by our students, including Cambodian, Chinese, French, German, Latvian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese. 

To help students whose home language may not be English thrive, Dexter Community Schools offers instructional support through our English Learner (EL) Program. The program helps students develop skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, while also fostering cultural understanding and participation in school and community life. Our EL team collaborates with classroom teachers to support students from Young 5s through 12th grade to develop both basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). BICS are language skills used in everyday social situations such as greeting people, ordering food, making small talk, or asking for directions. CALP is the ability to understand and use complex language for things such as writing essays, analyzing text, solving math word problems, etc.

“We focus on what our students can do already and how their incredible backgrounds enhance their lives,” says EL Program Coordinator Janine Comella. “Our goal is to integrate their specific needs with what is already happening in the classroom.”

Dexter’s EL teachers work closely with classroom and enrichment teachers to support multilingual students. They also serve as a bridge between families, teachers, and students, and help to foster understanding and communication.

EL in Action

A recent classroom activity highlighted the power of language and inclusion. In first grade teacher Cassy Korinek’s class, students gathered by a display of snowmen featuring the word “welcome” written in multiple languages. Mrs. Korinek read Amy Wu and the Warm Welcome by Kat Zhang, a story about a new student who is hesitant to speak English but finds connection when a classmate learns the word “welcome” in his home language.

This book resonated with all students, says Comella. “It showed that even when we don’t share the same language, we can welcome everyone into our culture and classroom.”

The reading sparked a meaningful moment when an EL student proudly taught his classmates and teachers how to say “welcome” in Russian: dobro pozhalovat' (pronounced duh-bro’ puh-zha’-luh-vut).

“His face lit up when he was able to share his welcome word with us,” Comella recalls. “When we highlight the languages and cultures in our classrooms, everyone benefits.”

Meet Dexter’s EL Team

Dexter Community Schools currently has three EL teachers:

• Janine Comella – With over twenty years at Dexter, she has taught World Languages and EL at every building. She currently teaches World Cultures at Creekside.
• Kimberly Mendez – A teacher for seventeen years, she teaches Spanish II, Spanish IV, Spanish Film and Literature, and EL at Dexter High School.
• Emily Xu – At Dexter since 2015, she teaches EL at Wylie, Mandarin I at Mill Creek, and Mandarin II at DHS.

“Our multilingual families and students are some of the bravest people I know,” says Comella. “They navigate multiple worlds—honoring their home language and culture while embracing life in Dexter. As EL teachers, we help bridge these worlds and celebrate the richness they bring to our community.”