Compassion, Community and Conviction
One of the most rewarding aspects of serving the WIDA global community is the opportunity to support schools learning together and helping one another. With this in mind, WIDA would like to highlight a collaboration between two of our member schools, the Pechersk School International in Kyiv and The American International School of Budapest to support displaced Ukrainian children. Brett Penny, director of AISB, shared this message:
I am writing to request your support to help grow a program serving Ukrainian families arriving in Hungary. Recognizing an urgent need in our community, we worked with the teachers who had fled the conflict, primarily from Pechersk School International (PSI), Kyiv to establish a program on the AISB campus for displaced Ukrainian children. Students are taught in Ukrainian and follow the national curriculum, and AISB teachers offer courses after school, such as EAL, counseling, PE, multi-media design and art. We are working to expand this program as quickly as possible as the needs are significant.
Currently, 80 students are enrolled in the program, with 200 more students on the waitlist. If we are able to employ more Ukrainian teachers, we will continue to expand this program. Please consider making a donation to support the School Within a School. All funds go directly to the teachers and families displaced by the conflict. Our sincere hope is that when they are able to return home, they will not be at a disadvantage by a disruption to their education.
When these students first arrived in our community they were visibly traumatized. Today, we see their smiles as well as a return to their love of learning. This introductory video explains how the program offers real direct support to these children and employment for Ukrainian teachers. Additionally, it has provided AISB teachers with a way to have a direct impact, modeling our school values and utilizing their incredible range of skills.
Our hope is to share this model with other schools so they may take this step if interested. Read the School Within a School program guide to learn more. All materials, including the logo, are available for any schools to use, and we are happy to connect with any schools interested in taking this step. We have a set-up pack ready to send to any school that is interested. Many thanks for your kind consideration and support.
Brett Penny
Director, The American International School of Budapest
WIDA has pledged to support this initiative with thought partnership, free assessments and virtual professional learning for the School Within a School on the AISB campus. We encourage you share the above information with your colleagues, students and families about this remarkable program – and to consider making a donation.
Köszönöm,*
Jon
Jon Nordmeyer, WIDA International Programs director
*Hungarian: thank you
