WELCOME *** SOO DHAWOW *** BIENVENIDO *** ZOO SIAB TOS TXAIS ***

photo by C. da Cruz Highwood Hills is a school for everyone!  Both native and non-native speakers work, play and grow in our dynamic and peaceful atmosphere.  Besides English, there are almost 20 different languages spoken here, including Somali, Hmong and Spanish.  With the hallways bursting with so many languages, the cafeteria serving delicious cultural specialties such as Hmong Beef, Somali Chicken Suqaar, Thai Peanut Chicken and Italian Pasta, and the classrooms and library full of bi-lingual books and dictionaries, the school truly exudes an international flavor.  Yet, we still maintain the small, personal touches of a neighborhood school. The  ELL  Team  at  Highwood  Hills Highwood Hills employs a staff of 5 English Language C. Baumhover, E. Bakkum, M. Elliott, K. Heim, A. Parvi (photo by C. da Cruz) Learner (ELL) teachers and 2 bi-lingual Education Assistants (EA's).  Many of the ELL staff have worked together for over 5 years, sharing resources and getting to know our school families well.  For specific information on each ELL teacher, please us the links in the side bar (at right).  The 2008-2009 Highwood ELL team and the grades they work with are: Christine Baumhover (upper grades) Erika Bakkum (upper grades) Anna Parvi (primary grades) Kristine Heim  (primary grades) Mary Elliott (Kindergarten and grades 5/6) Vang Moua (Hmong bi-lingual EA and translator, all grades) Khadra Ali (Somali bi-lingual EA and translator, all grades) ELL   Services  photo by C. da Cruz at  Highwood  Hills Each classroom at Highwood Hills has an ELL teacher who teams in daily to support students in accessing content.  Teachers meet weekly to plan lessons that include content and the vocabulary necessary to complete tasks.  The "collaborative team-in" model is effective for native and non-native speakers alike because it reduces the student-teacher ratio for all learners, allowing all students greater access to all the highly qualified adults in the room (note that while ELL teachers monitor the progress of non-native speakers, they work with ALL learners within their classrooms) allows for differentiation within the classroom depending on skills of students, whether they are native or non-native speakers allows Mr. Moua and a small math group figure out the answer. (Photo by C. da Cruz) non-native speakers to learn language through content in small groups within their classrooms generates high-level discussion and planning among the adults, which relies on the expertise of each encourages teams of teachers to create solutions through collaborative decision-making and adaptation The EA's support students and classrooms with higher language needs.  They also translate parent letters, make and receive phone calls, and act as translators for conferences.  The  "Language  Academy"   Highwood Hills is one of fourteen Schools in the district designated as Language Academy sites.  These schools maintain specific classrooms that balance newcomers with native speakers.  ELL teachers spend extended photo by C. da Cruz time in these classrooms, intensely helping students build background knowledge and academic content while learning English.  The Language Academy advantage is that newcomers can practice English with their native-speaking classmates.  In turn, native-speaking classmates forge strong cross-cultural friendships.  Newcomers are considered "Language Academy students" for 2 years.  After that time, they continue to receive ELL support.  However, with careful monitoring, this support is gradually withdrawn as students increase in their English proficiency and academic knowledge.

Image Gallery: ELL Team at Work

In This Section Chris Baumhover Erika Bakkum Mary Elliott

CONTACT INFORMATION Highwood Hills 2188 Londin Lane St. Paul, MN 55119 651-293-8875