Year: 2017 – Province: New Brunswick
Certificate of Achievement Recipient
Newcomer Support Centre, Anglophone West School District
1135 Prospect Street
Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 3B9
Subject Coordinator: Shawna Allen-VanderToorn
School telephone: 506-453-5454
School email: iwcfredericton@nbed.nb.ca
School website: http://web1.nbed.nb.ca/sites/asd-w/Pages/default.aspx
Subjects and grades taught: Newcomers to Canada K-12, English as an Additional Language, Spanish and French Immersion
A passion for language and culture fuels Chantal Lafargue to spearhead partnerships with community and outside agencies to develop countless opportunities for her students and provide support for incoming Syrian refugees and their families, as well as other newcomers to Canada. She is a pioneer in Canadian language education and a true hero in celebrating our national multicultural identity.
Teaching approach
Lafargue ensures that each class is packed in relevant content delivered in very personal ways. Her lessons are supported by "Can Do" statements that help students with self-assessment as they learn a new language.
Outstanding achievements
- Worked with colleagues to create a unique language portfolio. This project was nationally recognized and put their school on the map for language education. Lafargue also developed assessment tools, workshops, professional development sessions, curriculum and co-authored books focused on language instruction and cultural Competency with partners at the Second Language Research Institute of Canada at the University of New Brunswick.
- Lafargue secured a grant and worked with students and colleagues to create an online welcome booklet for newcomers for the school's website. The eBook was recorded in 12 different languages over a six month period.
- Lafargue spearheaded the use of a new intake assessment for English proficiency at her high school, which enabled better placement of new Syrian and other newcomer students into English support classes. The assessment was adopted by other schools in the district.
Rave reviews
"Teaching is not linear and Chantal was always a guiding supporter along the way. She taught me to take a combination of life experience and education to impact the lives of our students. Chantal is a driven individual who fights for diversity in our schools."
"When I come to this classroom, it's got gadgets everywhere. It keeps me awake in the vibrant culture we get to experience. It's great. It's way better than texbook learning."