The Red Cross Assistance Project for Foreign Students at the Spanish English Conversational Group 2nd Meeting April 10th, 2008

Coordinated by:
Melanie England: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Ricardo San Martin Vadillo: The English Master at Alfonso XI High School
Diane Dennett: Editor of This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The meeting kicked off with the announcement by our guests from the Red Cross at Jaen that the Junta of Andalucía had provided funding, for the Alcalá La Real Municipality, for the provision of an “in house” arbitrator, to assist in the integration of Foreign Students (that’s our children), their parents and the teachers. Rodrigo, pictured here, will be the main contact in the schools troubleshooting on your children’s behalf and ensuring that ensuring the smooth running of your Childs Spanish education By assisting in the filling out of forms and communicating with the Education Authorities and with the actual day to day dealings of the children’s well being at school. By acting as liaison with the parents and teachers, tackling larger issues that affect most children at some point such additional classes, special needs and bullying.

If you know of parents and children attending school in this area please put them in touch with Melanie at the English Bookshop, or here at alcala-life, where we can give further information about the arrangements for an informal meeting for everyone concerned and the relevant information regarding this new programme.

You will appreciate that integrating our children into our new home is of primary importance and that Melanie, Emily and I are giving The Red Cross our fullest support coordinating this project and ensuring their message will be received and passed on.

Thank you to all the volunteers who also stepped up to assist in this project. Your applications will be forwarded on. Those who wish to apply, please email me for details of the form This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In addition:

Your help is needed:

To assist the local council to receive appropriate funding to provide free Spanish lessons, those of us who live here need to visit the town hall and get a “certificacion de inscripción padronal”.

By registering with the town hall as living in this area the council can then claim additional funds to provide many additional services for us foreigners such as free Spanish lessons and other services to help us integrate into the community!

This will help alleviate the funding problems that councils are experiencing from the invisible rising foreign population. Providing services for non registered foreigners is stretching their budgets and compromising services not to mention increase tensions within our communities.

So do your bit, go and get registered now.