Immigrant Services
SETTLEMENT SERVICES
River East Transcona Immigrant Services (RETIS) provides programs and supports to welcome immigrants arriving in the River East Transcona area of Winnipeg. We offer orientations and information to help newcomer become familiar with the local community, as well as Canadian life and culture. Our settlement workers connect newcomers with programs and services, host special events for newcomers to meet their neighbours, and promote public awareness.
NEWCOMERS WELCOME CENTRE
The Newcomers Welcome Centre located in John Pritchard School is open for visits with a settlement worker. All office visits are by appointment only at this time. Drop-in visits are currently not available. To make an appointment to meet with a RETIS settlement worker, phone 204.339.1984. You can also email, text, or phone the settlement workers directly for help or questions—their contact information can be found directly below in The Newcomer News.
Newcomers Welcome Centre
John Pritchard School
1490 Henderson Hwy.
204.669.9412
REGISTERING STUDENTS FOR SCHOOL
Registering students for school is an important first step to settling in Manitoba for newcomers. We believe it is important for students and parents to have a good beginning at a new school, so we offer all our newcomers the services of a newcomer reception facilitator—a friendly face to help them through the registration process.
The first step to is to complete the EAL Newcomer Pre-registration form and send it to our newcomer reception facilitator (their email address is at the top of the form). If you wish, you can determine your designated school by using our School Locator, or our newcomer reception facilitator can assist you with this when you meet with them. After sending in the form, you will be contacted about a meeting date within a few days. Choose a meeting document in your language to learn more about what will happen when you meet with the newcomer reception facilitator:
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL) PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
New Canadian students in kindergarten through Grade 4 receive EAL programming right in their classroom. Students in Grades 5–12 who are in the early stages of EAL learning—or are LAL (Literacy, Academic, and Language) learners—attend specialized programs where they can focus on learning the English language and developing the academic skills needed for educational success in Manitoba. Grades 5–12 students who are at a higher level of English but who need help, and those who opt for their community school, receive their programming in the classroom at their designated school.
Our EAL/LAL programs provide a learning experience based on:
- Individualized assessment of each student's language and learning needs
- Appropriate instruction geared to individual needs
- A safe and encouraging learning environment
- Progressive integration into the regular program/classroom
For more information, see "English as an Additional Language (EAL) for Students" on the left side of this page.
ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL) PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS
We know children aren't the only ones who need a bit of help when it comes to adjusting to a new community and culture. That's why we also provide adult EAL classes in the daytime and evening at various locations throughout River East Transcona. Adults who wish to take classes at any of these locations must be referred there by the Winnipeg English Language Assessment and Referral Centre (WELARC).
Classes are offered at no cost to participants. There is free care for newcomer children ages 19 months to 6 years at some daytime EAL classes. The program is funded by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. For more information about Adult EAL classes, call 204.667.6193, ext. 3042.
For more information, contact the newcomer reception facilitator at 204.669.5643 or newcomers@retsd.mb.ca.
