Department Overview
The English as a New Language Department at RHHS is here to support students who are learning English. ENL teachers support students in stand-alone and co-teaching classes in the development of their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and vocabulary skills. Students are placed in courses based on their official English level, as determined by the NYSITELL (New York State Identification Test for English Language Learners) entrance exam or the NYSESLAT (New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test) yearly language achievement test administered every spring. The five English levels are Entering, Emerging, Transitioning, Expanding, and Commanding. ENL teachers strive to incorporate a variety of high-interest, culturally responsive materials into our curriculum which is targeted to meet the linguistic needs of each student grouping, as well as aligned to students’ ELA curriculum. The ENL office is located in Room 323, where teachers are always available to help our students learn and grow. The ENL Department is supported by ENL Coordinator Ms. Heras-Campos (room 125) and Guidance Counselors Ms. Bhanot, Ms. Leonardo, and Ms. Terrero.
2023-2024 ENL Guidance Counselor Assignments
9th grade (A-M) Leonardo Room 109 [email protected]
9th grade (N-Z) Bhanot Room 126 [email protected]
10th grade Terrero Room 109 [email protected]
11th grade Bhanot Room 126 [email protected]
12th grade Leonardo Room 109 [email protected]
Section → ENL Course Offerings
College & Career Readiness
This advanced ENL course is for students at the Transitioning, Expanding, or Commanding levels. They will focus on advanced reading, writing, and vocabulary skills. Students in this course will develop their analytical skills as they read grade-level texts including novels & memoirs, short stories, poetry, and informational articles. They use the writing process to advance their paragraph and essay-writing skills. Throughout the year, they also practice reading, writing, and vocabulary skills that will prepare them to pass the NYS English Language Arts Regents Exam, which is a requirement for graduation.
Language Arts
This beginner ENL course is for students at the Entering/Emerging level. They will focus on basic English vocabulary, grammar, reading, and writing skills. Students in this course will develop their reading comprehension skills in English as they read accessible texts including short stories, poetry, and informational articles, while using a variety of bilingual supports to aid in interpreting texts. Throughout each lesson, students will have a variety of opportunities to practice their Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing skills.
Co-Teaching
These courses are in the English, Social Studies, Science, or Math Departments. There are 2 teachers in the classroom - a content teacher and an ENL teacher. In these classes, content lessons are created or modified to meet the needs of students at each language level, and extra support is given in developing reading, writing, and vocabulary skills needed to pass both the courses and corresponding NYS Regents exams. By having two teachers in the classroom, students are able to access course materials with more individualized support.
Section → Lions ENL Express Newsletter
Started in Spring 2020, the Lions ENL Express is an ongoing newsletter with important information and updates about school for ENL students and parents.
The mission of the newsletter is to keep our wonderful ENL community at Richmond Hill High School informed during each phase of the academic year. The goal is to provide helpful tips and resources for students and their families. Links will be provided below to each issue of the Lions ENL Express Newsletter as the school year continues.
The Lions ENL Express is currently written and organized by Ms. Chiarappa and Ms. Garcett, and it is translated into Spanish/Español and Punjabi/ਪੰਜਾਬੀ with the assistance of ENL teachers who speak those languages fluently.