ESL Parent Workshop Attracts Throng
A large crowd turned out for the Huntington School District's recent ESL parent workshop at Jack Abrams School. Parents learned more about the ESL program and interacted with teachers and district officials over the course of the 90 minute program.
The workshop was organized by Carmen Kasper, the district's director of foreign language, ESL and dual language programs. Faculty members Angela Berner, Glenn Edwards, Nancy Giorgos, Vivian Joseph, Luz Moratta, and Donnamarie O'Shaughnessy participated in the event.
Parents of students ranging from kindergarten through fourth grade who receive ESL services were invited. "One of the purposes of the meeting was to explain the many report cards the parents get: The district's report card, ERI (for K students), Math AIS, Reading AIS, Horizons, Corrective Reading, ESL and DL (if the student is enrolled in the dual language program)," Ms. Kasper said.
"Some parents could receive five cards for the same child," Ms. Kasper said. The timing for this meeting couldn't have been better since parents had just received the report cards. Parents also listened to a presentation on the ESL grade level curriculums and how to put good study skills into practice.
The parents started arriving early. After signing in, many dropped off their younger children in a babysitting room where they were supervised by Spanish honor society member. Ms. Kasper welcomed the group in the Jack Abrams School auditorium and previewed the workshop.
Ms. Kasper discussed second language acquisition and state ESL exam. "The parents were also informed of all the state tests their children need to take, the same tests their English speaking counterparts take, with one difference, their children need to learn English before they can perform well on those tests," Ms. Kasper said.
Upon the conclusion of the welcoming session, more than 130 parents dispersed into three different rooms based upon the grade level of their child. "During the meetings, the teachers explained the parts of the report cards, what's covered in the curriculum for each grade, gave the reasons why parents receive each one of the report cards and how the ESL program works," Ms. Kasper said. "The parents had many questions on the report cards, but also on how English is taught in the ESL classrooms."
Teachers came prepared with books, vocabulary cards and comprehension cards from the Treasure Chest program and were able to explain in simple terms how the program works.
"In the three classrooms the message was clear, reading is the key to success," Ms. Kasper said. "Many suggestions and simple activities were presented, for example, read to the children even if it is in Spanish because reading skills are transferred from one language to the other."
The youngsters supervised by the Huntington High School Spanish honor society members were thoroughly entertained by the teenagers. The honor students included Michelle Byrne and Carrie Fante, who serve as president and vice-president of the organization, respectively, along with Elizabeth Maldonado, Karen Parada, Roxana Moreira, Lauren Boyce, Christian Carrion, Melanie Grossman, Elizabeth Maldonado, Erik Marcinik, Alicia Ortiz, Karen Parada, Meghan Rowland, David Stillman and Olivia Weller. High school students Brianne Bennett and Sydney Hoole-Shlakman also volunteered their time and helped entertain children dropped off by parents.
Staff member Lori Bennet pitched in to help with attendance sheets and helped coordinate the event with the facilities staff members who set-up the auditorium and meeting rooms. Carol Rivas assisted by providing translation services as needed.
"The night was a complete success," Ms. Kasper said. "Our parents received important information that will help them stay informed of their children's progress and [they] will know how to support their children at home with school work. They have learned how important it is to keep the home-school communication open. We had a fabulous night."