President’s Message

Greetings NJTESOL/NJBE Members!

I am extremely grateful to serve as NJTESOL/NJBE president. One of the main reasons that I became interested in and involved in this organization as a member was the opportunity to meet and connect with colleagues from across the state with a similar passion. I look forward to continuing to do that as president.

I am the former vice president (2022-2024), liaison (2019-2022), and Bilingual/ESL early childhood/preK-K SIG representative (2018-2019). When I am not working with the organization, I work full time as a supervisor of K-12 Multilingual Education in Bridgewater Raritan Regional School District. Prior to that I was an ESL instructional coach in the district and a K-5 ESL teacher in two other NJ school districts.

When I think about my vision for the future of our organization, I hope to evolve while also maintaining the longstanding mission and vision of NJTESOL/NJBE. Our membership has grown, as have your needs as educators. We are committed to continuing to support you so that you can in turn support the multilingual learners and families in your communities and schools.

Please feel free to connect with me any time through my email president@njtesol-njbe.org or on Twitter: @theESLlady.

In partnership,
LeighAnn Matthews
President, NJTESOL/NJBE

Announcements

Benchmark Advertisement 2022 Spring Conference Silver Sponsor

2024 Spring Conference Silver Sponsor

All members of NJTESOL/NJBE are invited to attend our 1st Countering Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Committee Meeting for the 2024-2025 School Year on Wednesday, September 18th, from 7:00-8:30 pm. We will meet on the 3rd Wednesday of every month through June.

FOR SEPTEMBER: Our Summer Book Study was “Black Immigrant Literacies: Intersections of Race, Language and Culture in the Classroom” by Dr. Patriann Smith. We will continue the work of understanding how race, language, and culture intersect in order to inform our work as professionals and as an organization. To prepare for our September Meeting, please watch this webinar (which we will discuss) on Dr. Patriann Smith’s blog in order to recap the book and prepare for our Q&A session with her during our October Meeting. You did not have to read the book in order to participate! Please join us for collaborative learning and discussion.

Please sign up at Eventbrite for a free ticket so that a Zoom link can be sent to you on the day of the event. You must be a member of NJTESOL/NJBE to attend.
Please make sure you get a confirmation email from Eventbrite acknowledging your registration. The Zoom link will be sent to that same email address on the day of the event. Be aware that school websites may block emails from Eventbrite.

The Advocacy Committee will meet on Thursday, September 19th at 5:00. All NJTESOL/NJBE members are invited to participate. Please complete this Google form to receive the Zoom link. The Advocacy Committee meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Nominate the member of the month!
NJTESOL/NJBE has so many amazing teachers throughout our state that it would be fitting to highlight some of them. Nominees could be colleagues who are available to answer questions about ELLs or the Bilingual Education code; educators who support students and their families beyond the classroom with projects, college applications, and extracurricular activities; someone who joins committees in support of ELLS or to implement positive change for the community. The nominee must be a member of NJTESOL/NJBE. Nomination Link

T-Shirt Design Contest – All NJTESOL/NJBE members and their students are invited to participate in this first-ever competition. The winning design will be featured on the 2025 Spring Conference t-shirts sold to raise funds for the NJTESOL/NJBE Scholarship Fund. Submissions are due by Nov. 15, 2024. See more information here.

Vice President’s Message

Dear Members of NJTESOL/NJBE,

It is my privilege to serve as your new vice president. My goal for the next four years is to support the executive board and my fellow officers of the board carry this wonderful organization forward.

My connection with this organization, the field of language acquisition and advocacy is grounded on my personal experience as a multilingual learner and a bilingual/bicultural teacher. And while I have transitioned out of the classroom, I continue to serve our multilingual learners in the capacity of Supervisor of ESL/Bilingual Programs.

At the core of all these experiences is my belief that embracing cultural and linguistic diversity is the only path forward for our educational system. So I remain committed to advocating for equitable practices in and out of the classroom, at the local, state and federal level to ensure our educators have the tools and support they need.

I am looking forward to collaborating with our wonderful membership in the capacity of Vice President and Spring Conference Committee Chair. And I invite you to connect with me on social media (X: @mvilachave) or email: vice-president@njtesol-njbe.org.

Thank you for your continued commitment to all learners and their families.

Kindly,

Cecilia Vila
NJTESOL/NJBE Vice President
Spring Conference Committee Chair

2024-2025 School Year Greetings
and
First Day Jitters

President’s Message

Announcements

Vice President’s Message

ARTICLES: SUMMER 2024