It has been a while since I have hosted a Family Literacy Night for a school. The TLI Literacy Coach and I have been working to plan a Dia De Los Muertos Literacy Night on November 7th. Because McAllen ISD is a 1:1 device district, I am trying to make what I can paper free.
Questions I had to ask myself to get started:
1. What is your purpose for the event?
My principal and I decided that we combine our Literacy Night with the Dia De Los Muertos activities I was doing in the library. We want parents to come out not only to share literacy tips and ideas on how they can help their child at home, but to make sure that they are signed up on our District's Zipp Slip and see where they are at if their child doesn't have their iPad yet.
2. Are all of your teachers invested? This task shouldn't be difficult if you give your teachers ideas for activities and share literacy pamphlets with them. There are a lot of different things out there for students to do while teachers are sharing with parents. I made some foldable activities, book marks, mask making, word searches, and much more to help spark the teacher's interest.
3. Do you have a committee helping you? I met with the TLI Literacy Coach and the lead person from every grade level so that they could give input on the event.
4. How will you get parents to come to your Literacy Night? There will be free hotdogs (1 per person) for the first 200 people that show up. Food always brings in families.
5. How will you promote your event? Virtual Newsletter that goes out to parents, Library Home Page, and Displays with QR codes.
This is the Library Display
Display by the front office with QR Code (Visualead) to Download the Event App (YAPP)
6. Do you need sponsors - Our PTO is buying all of the hotdogs and I am reaching out to local businesses for loteria prizes.
7. What special things do you have set up? I have a book fair that will be going on, a fabulous local author that will share local legends and folklore from his books, and I have the high school mariachi group performing Day of the Dead songs.
7. What special things do you have set up? I have a book fair that will be going on, a fabulous local author that will share local legends and folklore from his books, and I have the high school mariachi group performing Day of the Dead songs.
Literacy Events should be fun and informative for everyone involved. I am looking forward to all of Field's K-5 students having a great time! Please share some of your literacy event ideas in the comments below!
Ann - You won't believe this, but we are hosting a Dia de los Muertos event in MY library this year too! Ours is more of a save-the-date event to promote the school's annual international celebration. Last year the focus country was Ireland, India was the year before, and this year we are celebrating Central & South America.... Feels like home!
ReplyDeleteCindy - take a lot of pictures and we will do a combined post on this!! I am excited and hoping the event is a huge success. I am excited!
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