10/23/23
The first ELPAC meeting of the 2023-2024 school year was held on October 6, 2023 in the Higgins Middle School cafeteria, and was attended by 8 ML parents. Co-President Franciele Mendes and Denize Facao led the meeting. Deb Jackson, Director of English Learner Education and World Languages, facilitated the setup of materials and refreshments and supervised the student volunteers from the high school who entertained the children of attendees at the arts and crafts table. Although all ML families were notified about the ELPAC meeting through Talking Points, a multilingual text messaging platform, and also posted on the Peabody Public Schools website, only a few parents - all of whom had received paper flyers distributed Higgins Middle School - were in attendance. The officers asked that future meetings be announced both electronically and via printed handouts at all schools to encourage participation. The officers also suggested that QR codes be distributed to families to sign up for the app to ensure they receive future Talking Points communications. The officers also added the contact information of all in attendance to a WhatsApp group as a third means of communication between ELPAC families. Handouts from the DESE, "What is ELPAC" were available in English, Albanian, Spanish, and Portuguese, but not in Haitian Creole. The officers requested that, moving forward, flyers be made available in Haitian Creole as well. Three Haitian parents attended the October ELPAC. Fortunately, they also spoke Spanish, so they were able to read the Spanish flier. One of the attendees, Mariene Wanusa De Assis, was voted in as the new ELPAC Secretary. Her roles, per the ELPAC bylaws, will be to take minutes at ELPAC meetings and keep a binder of the minutes, maintain and update the ELPAC membership list, and help with other duties as identified by the ELPAC. Mariene's photo and contact information has been added to the ELPAC Contacts tab. She can be reached at [email protected]. Guest presenter, Jennifer Sanchez, presented information cards and flyers to inform families about the many services provided by Citizens Inn, a nonprofit organization in Peabody that works on an individual basis to help individuals who are experiencing housing or food insecurity. She was able to communicate with parents in English and Spanish, and has already asked to be invited to the next meeting to share this information again. For anyone who is experiencing a current need, her information is: Jennifer Sanchez SNAP Enrollment Case Manager [email protected] [email protected] Citizens Inn Inc, 71 Wallis Street, Peabody, MA 01960 Principal 978-531-9775 ramal. 821 Direct 978-347-0312 www.citizensinn.org Jennifer provided parents with information about a number of services provided by the organization, including getting food assistance through SNAP, a food pantry, evening dinners, free English classes through Citizens Inn, and help with buying a house, looking for a job, getting a driver's license, opening a bank account, and finding transportation/bus resources. Jennifer noted that the classes are currently full, and there is currently a long waiting list. Free English classes through NSCAP are also an option, but there is a long waiting list. She also advised that financial advice and immigration support is coming soon. Several parents stated that children are coming home from school hungry. This is a concern for parents, as schools are not providing culturally appropriate foods for lunch. Parents wondered if any local restaurants could volunteer to teach food service staff, or donate lunches and receive a charitable contribution tax deduction. Additional questions ELPAC officers expressed interest in visiting another ELPAC to learn more about how to run one, and what else they can do to lead Peabody's ELPAC. Parents expressed interest in being guest readers in native languages, and are looking for books in two languages. The officers will compile a list of parents who are interested in reading to students. Future Meetings Ideal for get-togethers every three months - October, January, April/May, plus a fun event like a potluck in late February/early March. The ELPAC officers would like to plan an outreach event for the Carroll school where the largest population of elementary MLs in the district attend. The next ELPAC Meeting will be in January. Stay tuned for the date! A Districtwide Multicultural Fair with food, crafts, games, student presentations, information booths set up by school and community partners, is being planned for sometime in the spring. More on this to come!
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