To ensure that EL parents are notified of school activities, academic reports, disciplinary actions, parent-teacher conference, P.T.A. meetings, and other school related functions, SWCSD will ensure that each school is sending to the parents/guardians of EL’s the same information that a non-EL student’s parent receives. The material will be provided in English, Spanish, Somali, or upon request and availability, any language needed to increase understanding of district information. The parents will be notified in the primary home language, in writing or orally through interpreter services that interpreter services are available. If the need for an interpreter is indicated, the parent-guardian will contact the school. Each school will have an EL Resource Directory with names of individuals and of organizations which provide interpretative services. The school will work with the District Cultural Diversity Specialist to contact an interpreter and make arrangements to contact the EL parent.
At the beginning of each school year, the EL Program will distribute a memo to each regular staff member informing them of the availability of interpretative services and the procedures for obtaining the services.
INTERPRETERS SERVICES
When the services of an interpreter are required, the options used are:
1. to utilize building Bilingual Assistants (BAs), or
2. to work with the District Cultural Diversity Specialist to secure interpreters
3. interpreter services must be provided by a trained interpreter, and the use of primary language speaking friends or family is discouraged in school-related matters
Procedure for Securing Interpreters/Translators:
Interpreter
Converts any spoken material from one language (the source language or L1) into a different language (the target language or L2)
Interpreting can occur in a variety of settings, such as conferences, meetings and over the telephone
Translator
Converts written material from one language (the source language or L1) into a different language (the target language or L2)
Translation can occur for any form of written work, including parent communications, newsletters, notes home, district policies or procedures, legal documents and emails
If an interpreter (more common) or translator (less common) is needed in order to assist with any type of communication with parents or guardians concerning the education of his or her child where the ability to understand English (spoken or written) is an issue, the following procedures will be utilized:
Building staff will consult the most current L1 info on Infinite Campus in order to determine if an interpreter is needed, what language is needed, and what is the best way to communicate information.
The building Bilingual Assistant (BA), TESOL staff, or SIOP staff will work together in determining language needs for the parents/guardians of their students.
If the language assistance needed is either Spanish or Somali, staff will work with the BA assigned to their building for either of these two high-frequency languages.
If the language assistance needed is any of the other 82 languages or dialects present in SWCSD at this time, staff will contact our Cultural Diversity Specialist (CDS) at 801-3092 in order to secure an interpreter or translator.
For interpreter needs only, if your building BA or our CDS are not available, an on-demand call-in interpreter for most of our languages/dialects can be accessed through the MARTTI System. A code specific to their respective buildings will be provided, as well as general tips and instructions on working with a call-in interpreter. Since every building has an assigned Spanish and Somali interpreter, it should only be used if the building BA or district CDS are not available.
ALL parent/guardian requests for an interpreter or the translation of any documents pertaining to the education of students, activities or programs sponsored by SWCSD, or any information regarding the district or individual schools are honored by SWCSD if that resource is available. This has been our policy for a number of years, and will continue to be so moving forward.
Procedure for Securing Interpreters/Translators:
Interpreter
Converts any spoken material from one language (the source language or L1) into a different language (the target language or L2)
Interpreting can occur in a variety of settings, such as conferences, meetings and over the telephone
Translator
Converts written material from one language (the source language or L1) into a different language (the target language or L2)
Translation can occur for any form of written work, including parent communications, newsletters, notes home, district policies or procedures, legal documents and emails
If an interpreter (more common) or translator (less common) is needed in order to assist with any type of communication with parents or guardians concerning the education of his or her child where the ability to understand English (spoken or written) is an issue, the following procedures will be utilized:
Building staff will consult the most current L1 info on Infinite Campus in order to determine if an interpreter is needed, what language is needed, and what is the best way to communicate information.
The building Bilingual Assistant (BA), TESOL staff, or SIOP staff will work together in determining language needs for the parents/guardians of their students.
If the language assistance needed is either Spanish or Somali, staff will work with the BA assigned to their building for either of these two high-frequency languages.
If the language assistance needed is any of the other 82 languages or dialects present in SWCSD at this time, staff will contact our Cultural Diversity Specialist (CDS) at 801-3092 in order to secure an interpreter or translator.
For interpreter needs only, if your building BA or our CDS are not available, an on-demand call-in interpreter for most of our languages/dialects can be accessed through the MARTTI System. A code specific to their respective buildings will be provided, as well as general tips and instructions on working with a call-in interpreter. Since every building has an assigned Spanish and Somali interpreter, it should only be used if the building BA or district CDS are not available.
ALL parent/guardian requests for an interpreter or the translation of any documents pertaining to the education of students, activities or programs sponsored by SWCSD, or any information regarding the district or individual schools are honored by SWCSD if that resource is available. This has been our policy for a number of years, and will continue to be so moving forward.