Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ELED 641
I chose to have a cultural night for my schoolwide family engagement event. This event
provides an opportunity to learn and discover more about our community, our classmates, and
the diversity that makes up our school. According to Grant and Ray (2016), Activities that are
reflective of community values will increase families level of comfort and result in cultural
cohesiveness between school and home, (p. 314). It also allows families of other cultures,
religions, languages, and backgrounds to participate in a school event in a setting where they can
feel comfortable being themselves as we celebrate one anothers differences. When executed
properly, School-based family events can provide the impetus for families to gain confidence in
their ability to work with their children at home, (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 310). The purpose of
this event is to expose students, faculty, and other members of the community to each others
cultures and traditions, as a way to bring the community closer together and create trusting
relationships among teachers, students, and families. Life is more than just coming to school
we need to relate together as human beings, and as a [school] community we care about each
other very deeply and we will support each other, (Fairfax County Public Schools, 2015).
accommodations, and suggestions for when, where, and how to set up our event. The first step
in planning a successful family event can be to conduct a specific needs assessment of families
concerning their demographic background, personal goals, and individual knowledge and
experiences, (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 312). Our event is scheduled for May 5th, 2018. I chose
this date for a variety of reasons. First off, May 5th is a Saturday. I chose to hold the event on a
weekend rather than a week day or week night to accommodate families that work full time
during the week (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 313). This also accommodates students who participate
in afterschool recreational activities. It is scheduled for the afternoon on Saturday because I find
that on weekends, nights are often filled with family dinners and plans with friends, while
mornings are usually when sports games that children participate in are scheduled. Because of
location for this event (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 313). To accommodate my families that speak
languages other than English, I will provide information regarding the event in multiple
languages (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 313). In addition, I plan to include community members,
specialists, and translators throughout our planning process, as well as at Cultural Night, to keep
all families on board and included in the development of our event, as they, act as guides to
the various cultures found within a school setting, (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 314).
Information Center (FIC) in the form of a school website (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 333). The page
will have all information needed including but not limited to a description of volunteer
opportunities, an option to sign up to volunteer, a description of the event (where, when, what,
why), and a space to submit suggestions for the event. This information will also be provided in
several languages to accommodate non-English speaking parents (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 333).
For parents without internet access, we will also have a bulletin board set up outside of our
classroom that provides information regarding important school events (Grant & Ray, 2016, p.
333). Letters will be sent home with students to invite families to participate in our Cultural
Night. To encourage family participation, I will call home to each family to personally
encourage their involvement in our event by asking for assistance and suggestions they may
have. Studies have found that families who have a low socioeconomic status, belong to an
ethnic minority, speak a language other than English as a first language, or have a child in
special education are less likely to volunteer, (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 337). For this reason, it is
vital to personally reach out to my families to encourage their participation in our event.
Trusting relationships do not happen without effort and require that teachers and
families actually spend time together, getting to know one another, and learning about one
anothers perspectives. One way this can occur is through schoolwide family engagement
activities, (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 310). Cultural Night, as well as everything leading up to it,
will help me to build strong relationships with all my students families. As I plan the event, I
will be working closely with parent volunteers to prepare. Recruiting parent guides to explain
and demonstrate customs and traditions that are pivotal in the daily life of community members
can lead to an openness, awareness, and acceptance on the part of educators and school
participants, (Grant & Ray, 2016, p. 320). I will also get vital information from them through
my questionnaires and surveys that will allow me to accommodate them to the best of my ability.
This ensures that even parents who are unable to volunteer during the planning of the event are
able to have their voices heard in the matter. During the actual event, I will immerse myself in
all of my students demographic backgrounds, which will grant me the opportunity to learn about
each of their cultures, religions, and family traditions. By incorporating the use of other
community specialists and public figures that different families relate to, I am showing my
interest in them and their feelings, which creates a positive, open relationship with them. This
event provides me with the opportunity to experience genuine interactions with my students and
their families in a comfortable atmosphere, and, In order to make all children successful we
have to [build] very, very strong relationships with children and with the families that support
Fairfax County Public Schools (Producer). (2015, July 16). Teachers in the park with
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To2Pxe8Fz54
Grant, K. B., & Ray, J. (2016). Schoolwide family engagement activities: Family events, family
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