• ABOUT US

     The International Welcome Center serves Richland One families in the following ways:

    • Welcome all language-other-than-English (LOTE) families and provide them with information about services available to meet their students' needs.

    • Assist parents in completing documents required for compliance with OCR and Title III regulations. Key district documents are available in five (5) languages.

    • Assess language proficiency of LOTE students new to South Carolina schools using the WIDA Screener.

    • Assign students to schools based on WIDA Screener results or transfer documents from other SC schools. Use grade placement procedures as required by state mandates.

    • Send information about tested students to schools for their permanent records and to inform planning and instruction. This process assists schools in officially documenting services provided to Multilingual Learners (MLs) in the event of a state or federal audit.

    • Provide emergency Spanish/English or English/Spanish interpretation. In the event school personnel need to communicate orally with Spanish-speaking parents, school staff may call the International Welcome Center at (803) 212-1475 and request assistance.

    • Translate simple, non-official communications from English into Spanish (notes about field trips, school events, etc).

    • Coordinate official interpretation and translation services for school staff in most languages represented by the district ESOL families.

    • Coordinate workshops for parents on various topics. 

    STAFF

    Paul Spence, Coordinator

    Phone: (803) 212-1475
    Email: paul.Spence@richlandone.org

    Alicia Arias, Bilingual Administrative Assistant

    Phone: (803) 212-1475
    Email: maria.arias@richlandone.org

    Jonathan White, ESOL Consultant

    Phone: (803) 212-1475
    Email:  jonathan.white@richlandone.org

    Vacant, Data Specialist and Bilingual School Liaison

    Phone: (803) 212-1475
    Email:

    International Welcome Center

    2612 Covenant Road

    Columbia, SC  29204

    Phone: (803) 212-1475

    Fax: (803) 252-2951

    Operating Hours:  Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM 

     

     

     

    If you live with another family, need to establish guardianship of a student, or cannot provide these documents for other reasons, please contact the Registrar's Office.

     

    1310 Lyon Street

    Columbia, SC  29204

    Phone: (803) 231-6944

     

    Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions section for very important information about our center, school programs, and other community resources.