Various community organizations such as the Delaware Area Career Center, Delaware County District Library, Syntero, United Way of Delaware County and Unity Community Center were on hand Thursday night during the event to assist families or provide with information.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
Families who attended Woodward’s Multilingual Family Night Thursday brought food to share from their respective cultures as part of the event that helped families get connected with resources within the school and community.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
A variety of dishes from many different cultures were available during the event Thursday night.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
Families from different backgrounds gathered together at Woodward Elementary School Thursday evening for the school’s annual Multilingual Family Night.
During the event, families from throughout the district brought in food to share and were able to learn about and get signed up with various community resources. There were also games for children and school staff on hand to help families with any forms they needed assistance to complete.
Alexa Ross, an English language teacher at Woodward and one of the organizers of the event, said the goal was for families to have fun and get any help they needed connecting to different resources.
“I hope we build some connections between families, staff and community vendors,” Ross said at the start of the event.
Fellow EL teacher Fatjona Ndreu agreed, adding a goal of the event was to spread information.
“A lot of our families might not be aware of school forms,” Ndreu said. “We really want to help with that. We want to make them feel like they belong. (We’re) building connections and letting them know we’re here to help them.”
Ndreu said the language barrier can make it difficult to get connected with the right resources at the school and within the community.
“(If you don’t speak English), you don’t know what resources are out there so you definitely cannot take advantage of the resources,” Ndreu said. “You’re not quite sure which path to follow in order to get somewhere when you don’t speak the language. Not knowing the systems is the biggest challenge.”
Ndreu said this was her second Multilingual Family Night at the school and said last year’s event had “a great turnout with great food.”
“It was a night that acknowledged our diversity,” Ndreu said.
Delaware City Schools board member Jayna McDaniel-Browning was at the event and represented the Delaware County District Library, where she works as a communication specialist.
“It was wonderful to see our schools and community partners come together to celebrate and support all our families in Delaware,” McDaniel-Browning said. “There’s nothing better than seeing someone light up when they see a book in their native language or the pride they have in sharing a favorite traditional food. I know our team worked hard to make this night the wonderful success that it was!”
Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903.
