Record attendance at district-wide event
By Jo Mathis/AAPS District News Editor
AAPS’s third annual Resource Fair for newcomer/immigrant families Monday night saw record attendance as new-to-the-district families enjoyed an informative evening.
“We had the most participants ever for this event,” said AAPS’ District EL Coordinator Huda Harajli, noting that 136 adults and children attended the event, compared to 50 when it was last held in 2019. “The success of this event is due to incredible collaboration between AAPS EL teachers and staff, transportation, food service and the leadership team at Scarlett Middle School.”
Families visited booths sponsored by local community organizations representing health care, mental health, food resources, job opportunities, the Ann Arbor District Library, and more. Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Pashto interpreters were available, with those languages printed on interpreters’ nametags.
Booths and a classroom were also set up to help parents learn more about the district’s use of PowerSchool and the elementary report card, and to discuss homework help, Rec & Ed, and more.
Participants on their way home expressed thanks and appreciation for the resources and events.
Two quotes from the exit survey include:
“I got some tips of AAPS and solved some problems about her school life. And thank you so much for wonderful child care and food. Very informative and resourceful even for me as a bilingual liaison.”
“I liked the people and the their respectful service and also the gifts they gave to me which is really cool to improve my English skills.”
A supervised game area outside entertained children, who later enjoyed pizza, fruit salad, and dessert with their families.
Individuals interested in supporting new families are asked to reach out to their Parent Teacher Student Organization or email Harajli at harajlih@aaps.k12.mi.us.
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