• Powerful Practice 2: Create welcoming and supportive opportunities for newcomer parents, families, and students to experience orientation needed for successful participation in their new school community.

I foresee PP2 supporting the Lee family in adjusting to life in a new culture. Orientation events provide opportunities for parents to learn about relevant resource and for students to be welcomed into the school community by peer leaders. 

• Powerful Practice 3: Access the necessary support to newcomer families as they transition to life in a new country.

This practice involves providing settlement resources and networking opportunities for newcomers such as the LINC program, interpretation and translation services, community centers, parent committee and social services. Settlement services are important to help the Lee family learn the language and build connections with the local community to feel a sense of belonging.

WHO ARE ADJUSTING TO LIFE IN A NEW COUNTRY?

• Provide trauma-informed support to address the effects of trauma and displacement. Collaborate with mental health professionals and organizations experienced in trauma recovery to offer counseling and support services.

• Conduct a thorough needs assessment to identify the immediate basic needs of the Darwish family. This may include housing, food, clothing, and healthcare. Ensure that these needs are met as a priority.

• Develop individualized learning plans for the Darwish children to address their specific educational needs. This may include language development goals, academic support, and any accommodations necessary to facilitate their learning.

B) What are some ways to collaborate with parents?

• Asking parents what they feel they need to know about their school and teachers. This in itself is trauma-informed as then the curriculum/ schedule is not unexpected and follows a predictable flow 

• Learning some phrases or words in the same language of the Darwish family and using translation technology to help them feel comfortable in communicating 

• Encouraging the parents in the Darwish family to read to their children in their first language so that they hold on to their cultural identity 

• Honor the contributions of the Darwish family for preparing their children for school in a new educational context, and keep a consistent, respectful communication with them.

C) 

• Multimedia options: that have been translated and can be used with a wide audience can be

particularly helpful. 

• Handouts/brochures

• Flyers: in multiple languages, explaining how parents can use the home language in stimulating

conversational ways throughout the day 

• Help families access dual- and home-language books (hard copies and

electronically) and other reading material (e.g., magazines, newspapers, flyers,

cook books, etc.).

•  Promote multi language materials and activities in the classroom. Advocate for,

display, and use dual-language books and reading material or invite guests who

can read a story, recipe, or game instructions, in home languages.

• Talk about student participation in heritage/international language programs.

• Your interest and approval will be evident through simple conversations.

• Share information about heritage/international language programs, which are sometimes offered in public schools after school hours. Families may be seeking more formal reading instruction for their child.

• Celebrate the achievements and efforts of reading skills in other languages with genuine praise and joy.

• Educators often use newspapers, flyers, old cards, and magazines for crafts and Lessons.

• Encourage families to donate printed material in other languages for use in the classroom.

D) What are some ways to communicate with parents who do not speak their language?

• Provide opportunities for families to, hear, and use their languages in the school and classroom. 

• Distribute newsletters, announcements, and important documents in the languages spoken by the families in your school community.

• Ensure that parents have access to information in their preferred language. 

Question B: We should always seek to provide an open dialogue with the guardians and provide space to meet outside of the school setting if that has trauma associated with it.

Powerful practice: Encourage parents to tell or read stories to their children in the home language.

We can do this by encouraging the school to buy and provide dual-language as well as native-language books for the Neepin family. This allows the student and their family to engage with literacy regardless of their English ability and provides a space for them to bring their culture into the classroom.

Check out goodminds.com for a large selection of curated Indigenous books

It is always important to support all students and by extension their families to allow for an optimal learning environment. This goal is incredibly significant for ELL families because of the increased barriers they face.