Wenatchee’s Migrant and Multilingual Night empowers families through learning tools
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The Wenatchee School District hosted a Migrant and Multilingual Night at Wenatchee High School on Oct. 17, inviting parents to learn strategies for keeping their children engaged in coursework at home.
The event targeted families who speak languages other than English and featured a cultural celebration.
The evening opened with a performance by Corazón de México, a high school folklore dance club. Attendees enjoyed pozole, a traditional Mexican soup made with meat and hominy, as they celebrated their heritage. More than 200 people participated, making it an opportunity for parents to learn about their children’s schoolwork and for families to celebrate their culture.
Nancy Navarro-Ortiz, the migrant education program coordinator at the school district and the lead organizer of the event, expressed her enthusiasm for these gatherings. She said the goal was to help parents understand their children’s work and to make the content accessible. All presentations were delivered in Spanish, and resources were provided for parents to take home.
“I think it’s important that families talk to their kids. Don’t allow the, ‘Oh, I don’t know,’ response. It’s crucial because it builds a bond between parents and their children. It also connects to what we’re doing in schools to ensure we get full responses and foster communication,” Navarro-Ortiz said.
According to Navarro-Ortiz and other teachers in the school district, many parents worry that speaking a language other than English at home might hinder their child’s ability to learn English. However, Navarro-Ortiz stressed the importance of students mastering their native language first.
“When students dominate their native language, they will be able to learn a second and third language well,” she said.
In the Wenatchee School District, 25 different languages are spoken at home, including Spanish, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Japanese and Punjabi.
Families were divided into two groups, depending on students’ age. For students in elementary school, teachers focused on helping them master conversation skills. Anayssa Lemus-Pulido, a pre-K to fifth grade English language development trainer for the Wenatchee School District, provided parents with tips on supporting their children’s learning at home.
“Encourage your kids to find other ways of saying, ‘I don’t know,’ such as ‘May I have more time?’ or ‘Here is what I do know.’ This way, kids are thinking about their work and practicing how to explain their problem-solving,” Lemus-Pulido said.
With math, Lemus-Pulido said that children can practice at home by counting out objects and working through problems by speaking their thought processes out loud. She said card games are a great way for parents to practice counting and engage with their children.
For middle and high school students, Brittany Hacho, a sixth to 12th grade English language development district trainer at the district, emphasized the importance of preparation and communication.
“Make sure your students come home prepared, check their student apps, check their Canvas. You can make sure they come to school ready with what they need,” Hacho said.
She also spoke about the value of daily reading, encouraging students to read for at least 20 minutes a day and to read to younger siblings.
At the event, Claudia Bovee, the Latinx services manager at North Central Washington Libraries, distributed more than 200 books. Children picked up books to take home and read with their families. Her selection included a range of topics and reading levels in both English and Spanish.
“Our main priority is getting books in kids’ hands. Our goal today is for them to find something that interests them, even if they’re not heavy readers. We’re here to serve everyone, regardless of their background. Let us help you find something to do at the library or figure out how we can make it a place you can rely on,” Bovee said.
The event also featured booths with resources on physical health, mental health and education resources. People took breaks between the sessions to find beneficial materials from the different booths.
For many families, the Migrant and Multilingual Night provided guidance on supporting their children at home. It was an informative evening for attendees like Doroime Reyes, whose son is in the second grade.
“What motivated me to be here is that my son is in the migrant program. We came to learn more about it, and we loved what we learned today. It’s important for us as parents to understand what our children are learning in school. It doesn’t matter what language we speak at home. The objective is to apply what they learn at school at home, which will help our community grow as a whole,” Reyes said.
The Wenatchee School District hosts the event four times a year.
The next night will be on Jan. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Reneé Diaz may be contacted at renee.diaz@wenatcheeworld.com. Collaborative reporting by The Wenatchee World, NWPB and WSU’s Murrow College of Communication Newsroom Fellowship.
