Trending
As the calendar brings a new year, the Marshalltown Community School District's (MCSD) Welcome Center marks a half-year of operation. The center occupies an east side footprint within the MCSD Orpheum. Since our late June ribbon cutting, we've remained focused on school registration. In time for the first day of school, we helped numerous returning parents navigate the online registration system and carefully welcomed 180 new families. In late August and September, 54 more new families joined. Since October, 87 additional families have arrived. Each new family holds an individual appointment with our new family liaison.
The family appointment is a new approach for MCSD and a speciality of the center. First, multilingual staff provide language and navigation support to complete the comprehensive online registration. Educational choices and opportunities are explained. Then, an interview builds familiarity with incoming students' assets, preferences, and strengths.
Finally, referrals are made, if desired, to local community agencies like Child Abuse Prevention Services (CAPS) and Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA). Partner agencies can assist in establishing early educational services and health care providers, finding and using local resources, and orienting families with Marshall County resources.
At times, the Iowa Valley Education and Training Center is referred to link household adults with access to work-based training, education, literacy, and ESL classes. We remain grateful for each of our steadfast community partners. Altogether, the appointments serve to better-position families for school and community integration and success needed to stay and thrive in Marshalltown.
The MCSD's diversity continues to shine. In addition to English spoken in all reaches, almost 50 languages are spoken by students and across households. English, followed by Spanish remain top languages with Karen, Burmese, Chuukese, Swahilli, French, and Arabic continuing to climb. Recently, we've had an uptick in students joining from countries of birth outside the US. Today, nearly 1 of every 10 MCSD students are born outside the US -- originating from Mexico, Thailand, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Democratic Republic of Congo, Micronesia, Cuba and Guatemala among others. All families are welcome here, including yours. We are open Monday through Friday 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and remain on Wednesdays until 6:30 p.m.
In closing, we want to pay homage to an iconic and lifelong educator, Bea Niblock, for whom we are officially named as The B.A. Niblock MCSD Orpheum Welcome Center. Bea, we are proud to follow your lead and "do what it takes" to meet the needs of our families.
------
Rachel Inks is the District Coordinator for English Learner and Migrant Programs for the Marshalltown Community School District. She can be reached at rinks@marshalltown.k12.ia.us. The district educates over 5,000 students to have the skills for a rapidly changing world. Learn more by visiting www.marshalltown.k12.ia.us.