English Language Development Team Hosts Olympic-Themed Family Night | Read Article - Lower Merion School District

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English Language Development Team Hosts Olympic-Themed Family Night
Three siblings pose on the medal podium.

The Olympics won't arrive in France until summer, but the spirit of the international games was celebrated in Lower Merion on Thursday, May 9, 2024, when the District's English Language Learners and their families enjoyed an Olympic-themed Family Fun Night and mini-Resource Fair.

Student volunteers from the high schools assisted members of LMSD's dedicated English Language Development staff in running an array of athletic challenges, games and art projects, as well as dishing out delicious ice cream treats. 

Among the many fun activities were paint-your-own Olympic flag, Olympic-themed BINGO, make-your-own Olympic torch, badminton and races, which took place in the Lower Merion High School cafeteria and Kobe Bryant Gymnasium. 

Families were assisted by volunteer interpreters, bilingual members of the school community identified by their bright yellow shirts, who helped answer questions in Chinese, Spanish, Arabic and Hebrew and made all of the participants feel welcome. 

In the gym lobby, a family resource fair featured tables hosted by the Lower Merion Township Police Department, Lower Merion Fire Department and Neighbors Helping Neighbors of the Main Line, along with the Home & School Associations, the Interschool Council and LMSD's Student Services and Nutritional Services teams. The fire department even parked at fire truck outside, which children could explore.

After students participated in the Olympic activities, they received medals and took turns posing proudly on the Olympic podium.

Approximately 291 LMSD students are English Language Learners and more than 2200 District students are multilingual. The ELD Family Night is one way LMSD works to build belonging and celebrate diversity in our District, where our students speak 105 different languages. #LMSDBuildingBelonging

To see photos of all the fun on ELD Family Night, click through the slide show below:

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A volunteer interpreter speaks with members of the Student Services Department team.
Members of LMSD's Nutritional Services team speak with a parent.
High school students help a younger student at the art station.
A firefighter gives out plastic fire helmets to children.
A firefighter gives out a gift to a student.
A volunteer translator and students pose at the Olympic medals podium.
A Summer Olympics BINGO card.
A young student lifts an inflatable barbell over his head on the first-place medals podium.
Toy police badge giveaways on a table.
Toy police car key chains on a table.
High school volunteers pose with an ELD staff member
Small white flags with the Olympic rings on a table.
A smiling police officer stands at the LMPD resource table.
A smiling firefighter stands at the LMFD resource table.
Families arrive at the check-in table for ELD Family Night
A member of the Penn Wynne Elementary HSA smiles as she sits at the organization's resource table.
Two Gladwyne Elementary HSA members smile as they sit at the organization's resource table.
Students participate in badminton in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium.
A student with a badminton racquet.
An adult shows a student how to serve in badminton.
A person runs with a ball balanced between two swim noodles.
A child tries to run with a ball balanced between two swim noodles.
High school students at one of the olympic game stations.
Young students play BINGO
A staff member points out winning squares as students play Olympics BINGO.
Paper plates holding paint at the Olympic-flag painting station.
High school volunteers show off an Olympic flag
A parent looks on as a child plays Olympic-themed BINGO.
Students play Olympic-themed BINGO at a table.
A family sits at the BINGO table.
Young students concentrate on their BINGO game.
A child eats ice cream while looking at a BINGO card.
An ELD teacher reads off the BINGO squares.
Three students paint Olympic flags.
Young students and high school volunteers at the Olympic-flag painting table.
Smiling high school volunteers at the ice cream and water table.
A student and dad work on making an Olympic flame.
Students play Olympic-themed BINGO at a table.
A parent picks up information at the LMSD resource table.
A student in a white shirt takes a big spoonful of ice cream.
Staff at the Student Services resource table.
Students play a game on a colorful floor mat.
A student runs while balancing a ball between swim noodles.
Children in plastic firefighter helments stand in front of the Student Services resource table.
A member of the ELD team speaks with representatives of Neighbors Helping Neighbors of the Main Line at their resource table.
Children swirl ribbons in a rhythmic gymnastics game.
A young student runs with a rhythmic gymnastics ribbon.
A high-school volunteer demonstrates the rhythmic gymnastics ribbon-twirling.
A child and adult play badminton.
An ELD teacher twirls rhythmic gymnastics ribbons.
Children paint flags with the Olympic rings.
Families make paper Olympic torches.
A dad stops at the art station.
A parent helps a child make a paper Olympic torch.
A parent holds a paper Olympic flag created by a child.
A child and adults look at an artistic creation.
Two girls play Olympics BINGO
A table of children play Olympics BINGO with some help from adults.
Volunteer interpreters in bright yellow shirts introduce themselves.
Small plastic prizes on a table.
A volunteer interpreter speaks.
A volunteer interpreter speaks to a woman with a baby in a stroller.
Ms. Walker from Neighbors Helping Neighbors speaks with Dr. Martin-Pitone of the LMSD Curriculum Department.
An ELD staff members shows students how to balance a ball between swim noodles for a contest.
Members of the LM Fire Department at their resource table.
Members of the Student Services team at their resource table.
Plastic fire helmets on a table.
A family chats with a Lower Merion Police officer.
Ms. Walker from Neighbors Helping Neighbors poses for a photo with Penn Wynne Principal Mr. Bernatowicz.
Toy Olympic medals on a blue tablecloth
High school volunteers with a badminton racquet.
Young children play badminton in the gym.
A mom smiles with her son and daughter
Students playing Olympics BINGO at a long table.
A family stands together by a table and smiles.
Staff chat and smile as a child chooses a prize
A student wearing a medal poses on the medal podium
Students, Custodian Ms. Black, ELD Supervisor Ms. Chapman all smile for a photo.
A young student lifts an inflatable barbell over his head on the first-place medals podium.
A student poses lifting a barbell over his head.
A person stands on the first-place podium wearing a medal.
Three members of the Welsh Valley HSA smile seated behind their resource table.
Members of the Home and School Associations and InterSchool Council smile and chat at their resource tables.
A photo of a phone as a parent takes a photo of their child on the medals podium.
ELD Supervisor Ms. Chapma raises the barbell over her head on the medals podium.
A tiny tot in a plastic fire helmet raises a barbell over their head on the medals podium.
A student raises a barbell over his head with one arm on the medals podium.
A student wearing a medal sits on the medal podium for a photo.
Three siblings pose on the medal podium.
A family sits at a table for an activity.
A high school volunteer helps a mom and small child make a flag.
Students participate in an activity at a table.
An ELD teacher and student chat.
Two students stand on the Olympic podium, one holding an inflatable barbell over his head.
A young student holds a barbell over his head on the Olympic podium
Students speak with members of the Student Services team.
A student works on making an Olympic torch out of paper
A parent helps young children with an art project
A high school student helps a younger student paint an Olympic flag
Students stand at a table to pick prizes.
Young students at a table work on an art project
High school students help younger students at the ice cream table.
A dad smiles and waves while wearing a %22gold medal.%22
A group of students check out the fire truck in the high school bus circle.
A student stands between an ELD staff member and a police officer to get a prize
Students stand at a table and choose their %22gold medal.s%22
A student and his two younger siblings stand on the medals podium as dad takes a photo
A young student in an orange shirt picks out his medal at a table
Three ELD staffers in pink t-shirts pretend to bite their %22gold%22 medals.
Three members of the ELD staff team stand on the Olympic-style medal podium
Student stands on Olympic-style podium in 1st place holding inflatable barbell over his head.
Three children pose on podium in front of wall with Olympic rings.

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