Thank you very much.
The Calgary Catholic School District is the largest Catholic school district in Alberta. We serve more than 54,000 students in 105 schools, and we have an additional 10 schools opening in the next three years.
Our district is rich in linguistic and cultural diversity, with over 15,000, or 29%, of our students identifying as English-language learners. We register between 2,500 and 3,000 students born outside of Canada each year, and 21% of our schools have an ESL population of between 50% and 80%. We currently have 1,344 refugee students who have arrived from 70 different countries.
Since the federal government announced the plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees, the Calgary Catholic School District collaborated with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society and other organizations to ensure supports and services would be in place for these newly arrived students and families. We registered and welcomed 109 Syrian students. At the district level, we ensured that our reception centre staff were prepared to register students as they arrived. New language interpreters were trained in Syrian languages. In-school settlement practitioners were added to support schools with large populations of refugee students. The Calgary Catholic School District team was ready to support mental health and trauma-related concerns, as well as assist families with cultural adaptation needs.
Additional teachers were added to schools where there was a significant increase of refugee students. ESL consultants provided ongoing professional development and resources to teachers and educational assistants. We recognize that many immigrant students come with complex needs in addition to language acquisition. Gaps in education, limited literacy skills, trauma-related issues, cultural adaptation challenges, ongoing settlement needs, and mental health issues all impact the students' abilities to learn. To ensure the successful integration within our inclusive education model, the district provides ongoing learning opportunities embedding best practices for multicultural classrooms.
Explicit teaching of language development, addressing trauma and gaps in learning, creating welcoming environments, and providing appropriate programs for students assist our schools with successful integration. With the increasing number of immigrant students registering each year, the demand for our services continues to grow. Additional funding from the government is required to ensure the successful integration of immigrant students and families. We must be able to continue to support these complex needs that place a significant strain on and tax the financial resources of the district.
As these needs are not short term, but often last many years after initial settlement and become more prevalent once sponsorship ends, consistent and sustainable funding is critical. We are committed to working collaboratively with the federal, provincial, and municipal governments to ensure the successful settlement and education of refugee students and their families in our district.
Thank you.