Guelph Fire Department and Upper Grand take fire safety lessons across Canada
The Guelph Fire Department has recognized two employees of the Upper Grand District School Board who participated in the development of an ESL (English as a Second Language) Fire Safety Program used in classrooms across Canada.
The supervisor of Upper Grand’s ESL program, Dr. Sheila Nicholas, and ESL instructor Jacqueline Johnson were honoured February 10 for their collaborative work with Deputy Chief Tony Sabbatini to create a fire-prevention curriculum for ESL students.
The collaborative instructional efforts of the Guelph Fire Department and the UGDSB go back several years.
In the late 1990s, the Guelph Fire Department’s Fire Prevention division was approached by several local ESL teachers to provide fire safety information to newcomers to Canada at the St. George’s Centre for Adult ESL.
The Fire Prevention team delivered presentations twice a year, which led to the development of lessons on fire safety for all newcomers. Educational materials, at various English language levels, were then developed into a booklet to provide students with access to fire safety information at home and school.
Two years ago, with funding support from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the fire department and school entered into a partnership to update the fire safety materials and develop a program for ESL teachers nationwide.
For more information about St. George’s Centre for Adult ESL visit www.ugdsb.ca/esl.
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