Phillips Elementary School Hosts ESL Family Night

Photo courtesy of Riverhead Central School District

Phillips Avenue Elementary School hosted an ESL Family Night on Thursday, Oct. 16.

The main objective of the night was to inform the parents and guardians of students enrolled in either ESL or bilingual classes about Bilingual/ESL programs at Phillips.

The parents and guardians got a glimpse of what their child’s day looks like if their children are in an ESL or bilingual class. Hopefully, they walked away with a better understanding of what kind of support their child is getting throughout the day.

Elizabeth Scaduto, the Director of ESL, Bilingual Programs and World Languages, also shared information about their child’s education on a broader scale. She discussed the path the students will need to follow to reach high school graduation as well as information about school events like parent/teacher conferences.

The event was also to help the parents connect with some of community organizations that are working in the Riverhead and Flanders area.

Some of the organizations presenting included:

Island Harvest, who gave a food prep demonstration and gave out samples (and corresponding recipes) of a squash soup;

Riverhead Free Public Library was there to discuss the programs they offer to families and to sign families up for library cards;

Southampton Recreation Center and Youth Bureau as well as Riverhead Parks and Recreation were there to share the programs they offer;

Theresa Curry (Math Specialist at Phillips) had a table set up to teach parents how to play math games with their kids at home (they were given the game instructions and materials to take home).

Phillips Avenue PTO members were present to share information about upcoming events and encourage parents to get more involved in the PTO. The PTO also gave away Phillips Avenue duffle bags filled with fun treats and school supplies.

There were many other organizations present as well—all simply trying to provide the community with the support they offer. Refreshments were served throughout the evening and there were displays of student artwork and writing.

While their parents laearned about the ESL program, the children participated in activities centered around Hispanic Heritage Month. The students participated in a read-aloud of Skippy-Jon Jones. Spanish students from the high school colored and played with the children, who made maracas, listened to some traditional Hispanic music and played games like “pin the tail on the burro” and musical chairs.

A student dressed in a Spider Man jacket challenged Superintendent of Schools Nancy Carney to a thumb wrestling contest, while another boy nearby created animated drawings of Spider Man and others colored pictures of super heroes.