Moncton school enrolment spikes with 360-plus new international students

Moncton is bucking the trend of declining school enrolment in New Brunswick with more than 360 new international students registered this fall.

Caroline Gingles, admissions officer at the International Welcome Centre in the Anglophone East School District, said the students come from more than 100 different countries and represent enough students to fill a new school.

I was freaked out and I didn't have any English. I didn't have any friends ... but after the second day I was with a girl and now we're friends.- Peleg Mashiach, Grade 6

Some are visiting for as little as a semester, some have arrived as refugees and others are immigrants whose families have specifically chosen to move to Moncton.

"It is definitely up," Gingles said of international enrolment since last year. "Probably by 50 per cent."

Most of the new students are now attending schools in Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe.

"It's a terrific place to live," Gingles said. "I think quality of life is definitely something that's frequently referenced by many of the [newcomers]," she said.

With students from such a variety of countries, including Albania, Greece and Zimbabwe, registered this year, many tutors have been hired to help them improve their English-language skills.

Teacher Jenny O'Neill, who stopped working full time when her children were born, is one of them. She said tutoring new Canadians has been a wonderful experience.

"We get to know them … we actually form quite a bond. I love it. It's really meaningful and it just feels really fulfilling to help some of these new Canadians."

Fitting in not always easy

Shauna Carey, an English language teacher at the high school level, points to a lack of language skills as the most common challenge for new students.

She said the pressure to fit in and graduate on time can be overwhelming.

"Students who are coming from traumatic backgrounds, in my experience, want more time to sit back and watch and see what's going on around them and then eventually they become part of the school," Carey said.

Peleg Mashiach, a Grade 6 student at Riverview East, arrived in New Brunswick a year and a half ago from Israel. She still remembers her first day at her new school.

"I was freaked out and I didn't have any English," Peleg said. "I didn't have any friends … but after the second day I was with a girl and now we're friends."

Asked how long it took her to be comfortable in English, Peleg said, "It took awhile — like three weeks."

'The language of play'

Grade 5 students Wajd Mahlul, who is from Syria, and Heeje Kim, who is from Korea, agreed. They said they were nervous and scared when they arrived but now are good friends and play tag every day at recess.

I think to have an inclusive and diverse classroom is important.- Caroline Gingles, Anglophone East School District

"Children are sometimes unsure about the cultural differences, but then through discussion and through teaching, we're able to to figure out that's a different way of doing things and that's OK," O'Neil said.

"It's the language of play — even if they can't always communicate they figure out how to have some fun on the playground."

Students who need English-language tutoring usually receive between one and three hours per week of individual or small group instruction.

However, O'Neill said the tutors also work on explaining Canadian culture, including holidays such as Remembrance Day.

"With the Syrian kids and some of the kids who've been in war-torn countries, we've been talking about the fact that people coming in are going to have uniforms on and that's OK," O'Neill said.

"We're preparing them for that beforehand, so it's not a surprise when it happens."

Changing face of classrooms

New students from around the world are attending schools throughout the Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe area, with between 40 and 50 new students registered at each area high school and smaller numbers in every elementary school.

"We do have some higher-impacted schools based on where people are buying houses, so most definitely for K to 8 schools the north end schools seem to be quite impacted — so Evergreen Park School and Northrop Frye School."

Gingles said the influx of new students is "fantastic" and equates to new teaching jobs. So far, she said, schools have been able to accommodate the volume of students and the district will continue to do its best to ensure their success.

"There are definitely challenges with their English level not being up to what the other students are, but the flip side to that is the other students end up being mentors and I think to have an inclusive and diverse classroom is important," Gingles said.

Carey agrees that New Brunswick classrooms are changing. She said it is bittersweet when newcomers are no longer eating lunch together in her classroom.

"It kind of breaks my heart when they've been in my room … because it's a safe place. And then I realize I haven't seen them in a month or two.

"Where are they? And sure enough, they're in the cafeteria or in the hall with friends … I know they've made those connections and that's what I want. But I miss them."