ROSEVILLE, Calif — Starting a new school year can be nerve-wracking, but imagine you're trying to learn English while also going through the normal growing pains of a new teacher, new classroom and new friends.
This situation is all too familiar for some students in the Eureka Union School District.
Stretching from Roseville to Granite Bay, the school district has welcomed nearly 50 Ukrainian families since the start of the war in Ukraine. Most of them are English learners, meaning a language besides English was identified on a home language survey. These students receive programs and services until they are proficient in English.
Superintendent Tom Janis said in the past year, the district has seen a significant influx of families from Ukrainian and Russian backgrounds. Janis said one woman has made all the difference in communicating with the students and families.
"Veronika came in super handy and she was a star that fell from the sky for us and we really benefited from everything she brought for the district, particularly for Maidu," Janis said.
Veronika Anysenko started in Oct. 2022 at Maidu Elementary School, as an aide in a transitional kindergarten class. Maidu Elementary School Principal Laurie Beyer said since Anysenko started, she's been a liaison for families who were struggling in a new country and students who had a difficult time adjusting to the cultural differences. It's part of a support program meant to help immigrant students and families adjust to school and the U.S.
"I don't think that we would have gotten as many Russian and Ukrainian families here. But I think that the chain of them talking about 'Oh go over to this place, there's this woman there.' Right? And she's a magnet is what she is, and a really beautiful, positive magnet at that. To bring our families and make them feel secure and welcome and loved and we're so excited that she's been here," Beyer said.
Anysenko said she wants the students to have the best experience from the beginning.
"I came to America 17 years ago and I understand all the differences because I was a teacher in my country. I'm from Ukraine and then I was an elementary school teacher in school counseling. So I knew how to help them how they feel with the differences between the school and the school in our country and it's really beneficial to family to know I have this background," Anysenko said.
Beyer said before Anysenko arrived, there were days when she would be sitting with a 4-year-old on the playground because they were running out of class as it was scary and they didn't understand.
Anysenko helps explain cultural differences such as how to go through the lunch line, lets them know the teachers are there to support them and their mom will be there at the end of the day to pick them up. She also helps families and parents learn where to get medical care and find English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
"It's made this huge difference. It's beautiful. All these families show up to school every single day, they come in. I watched them pick them up in the after-school program Veronika creates and even the parents themselves have built their own community and now have their own families that they're close to. They don't have to feel alone," Beyer said.
In addition to helping during the school day, Anysenko also taught a twice weekly, hour-long after-school class for 18 Ukrainian and Russian speakers in transitional kindergarten to 2nd grade last school year. Over the summer, she worked with kids from Maidu Elementary and Excelsior Elementary to communicate between the students and teachers and make sure everyone is on the same page.
"She's helped our teachers acclimate. They didn't know what to do either necessarily. Right? You've got a little kid who's crying and they don't speak English and you want to help them. And so we're like 'Veronika, can you get a room C1?' Right? She's taught, teachers. She's taught me, she's taught me cultural differences that I didn't know about," Beyer said.
Anysenko said she explains the differences in a positive way so kids can learn to be successful in a school setting, but also in the country.
"Already a lot of kids were telling me 'My spirit is open in this school. This school is amazing. It's so nice people in the school. I'm surprised that it can be the school on this level,' They just love it and they're just like, 'Oh, my teacher is so amazing. She's so nice. She's so helpful and all people in the school.' And it's amazing. Like child feedback and they can have it for their whole life. Everything that we give them right now, it can change their life," Anysenko said.
Maidu Elementary School had 27 kids who started last school year not speaking English with more students expected for the 2023-2024 school year.
"A lot of families who came from stress and they have to come not because they choose to come. And they want their kids to be safe — this is huge — the kids can feel loving, comfortable, nice environment that helps them to be successful in their life and in this period of time and just start breathing. 'I'm safe. I have support. My parents are here. My teachers for me. School is amazing. I love this.' And they're gonna learn English and they're gonna be successful," Anysenko said.
Besides Maidu, she also helps at Excelsior Elementary School and Olympus Junior High School. As parents spread the word about Anysenko, more families move to the district so they can get support, even beyond the academics that she offers.
"She's not just helping the kids here. She is helping every family in the community acclimate to the United States. So she wants to help every single family, not just the ones at this school. She wants to help every single family in the district, so her job is going to get bigger which would be sad for Maidu, but really really good for our families," Beyer said.
What comes next?
Janis said the district recognized the support kids needed wasn't specific to Maidu.
"Well, we actually recognize that this is not just specific to Maidu. And at our last board meeting actually approved a job description to have a district-level position to help our families, particularly immigrant families. And so that we're looking forward to posting that position and bringing somebody at the district level who can help orchestrate and then help assist schools and families from a bigger picture — higher level," Janis said.
Although...
"It was funny at the possibility of this other job opening coming up. Teachers were like, 'No, that's our Veronika. She's our Veronika,' right? Like she's our love. We love her and she's given us so much, not just to our kids, but to our teachers, right?" Beyer said.
Watch more on ABC10: Roseville's Westbrook Elementary welcomes hundreds of students for the first day
