Celebrating Diversity at Montgomery

Montgomery Elementary's Home & School Association proudly celebrates the diversity of our students, their families, and our community.  Through committees, events, extracurricular activities and other initiatives embracing the diversity of our student body, Home & School hopes to further strengthen the Montgomery family.

  • The 2020-2021 Home and School Board created a mission statement outlining the Montgomery Elementary Home and School Association's commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.  

 

  • Each year, Montgomery celebrates World Down Syndrome Day by participating in the global Rock Your Socks initiative.  In 2021, Montgomery celebrated by inviting Mark Ronin and John Ronin from John's Crazy Socks to speak to our students about Down Syndrome and entrepreneurship.  We also created videos of staff and students reading books about Down Syndrome.  

 

  • In 2021, Home & School celebrated Autism Awareness Month with a school wide service project creating sensory bags for those within our community with Autism or other extra sensory needs.

 

  • On the first Friday of heritage or awareness months, our Dismissal Dance Parties feature playlists highlighting music artists representing that month. 

 

  • In 2019, Home & School implemented year-long, school-wide service projects for each grade level. Organizations supported by our students included Manna on Main Street, which provides food and assistance to struggling members of our community, and Wish Them Well, which provides school supplies and educational materials to schoolchildren in Togo, Africa, as well as financial support for clean drinking water in the impoverished areas of this region.  Service projects also supported local nursing homes, animal shelters, the USO, first responders, and the North Wales Library.  Through these efforts, we aim to educate Montgomery students about the various economic, cultural, and social needs of both our local and global communities.

 

  • In 2020, we broadened our MLK Day service projects to a two week endeavor available to ALL virtual and hybrid students.  Home & School offered students the opportunity to participate in up to 5 service projects.  Home & School received a grant through The Giving Tree's #MontcoServes campaign to provide our younger students with Hunger Buster Bag take home project kits.  Additionally, Home & School provided the materials for 200 Sock n Snack Roll take home project kits and 200 Kindness Cup take home project kits.  These three project kits aim to ease food insecurity in our community.  We also held two clothing drives on behalf of Dress for Success and The Wardrobe, which help individuals in our community prepare for job interviews and feel confident in the workplace, as well as provide support and confidence on the path to financial independence.  

 

  • In addition to purchasing a school wide subscription to Brainpop (an online learning service for K-6th grade that teaches science, social studies, English, math, engineering and technology, health, and arts & music), Home & School also funded the purchase of Brainpop ELL. Brainpop ELL is an English language learning program that Montgomery teachers can utilize to support ESL students and their families, and build confidence in English as a second language. 

 

  • In 2019, Home & School enlisted artist Brian Groth to design and paint inspiring, encouraging and inclusive messages in the student bathrooms so that all Montgomery students feel supported and loved.  Additionally, positive messages were added to all student and teacher bathroom mirrors.   

 

  • In 2019, Home & School purchased and installed a sensory path and sensory wall panels outside the gym and bus lobby to promote neuro inclusivity. With auditory, tactile and visual elements, these wall panels reinforce sensory exploration for all students, and provide a calming, interactive experience for those in need of additional stimulation.

 

  • Home & School has also teamed up with teachers to provide insight to the services our school provides to students with additional needs.  We hope that sharing information with families leads to understanding and acceptance.  Learn more here

 

  • Home & School implemented a 'virtual lobby' in our Facebook group as a way to keep families engaged, as well as celebrate holidays and school events for those not in the building.  This lobby is updated monthly, and includes information about each month's cultural holidays and events, school happenings, and important dates of note.  Students and teachers may also submit their 'bitmoji' to be included in the lobby!

  

  • For many years, we have welcomed members of the Lenape community to present an interactive living history assembly on Lenape Life and the experience of indigenous peoples.  Through this engaging experience, students learn about Lenape traditions, horticulture, family life, hunting skills, fire making, pottery, food and cooking, and cordage.

 

  • Each spring, Home & School hosts a Multicultural Night celebration.  This fantastic event invites Montgomery families to share their cultural backgrounds with our community through food, music, crafts, traditions, dress and entertainment.  

 

  • Home & School is also proud to provide financial support to Mrs. Chevoor's Culture Club, an extracurricular group that engages students in learning about other countries and cultures, and features authentic foods and educational speakers. 

 

  • Our Spring and Fall Book Fairs feature dedicated sections to books on topics such as multiculturalism and diversity.  

 

  • The Home & School Mentoring Program pairs families new to Montgomery with a mentor to answer questions and offer support, guidance, and friendship.  We are continuing to develop this program to provide each incoming family with the cultural, lingual, and special needs support they need to feel at home in our school.

 

  • Home & School has begun collaborating with our specials teachers to celebrate national heritage months.  In our first weekly email of each heritage or history month, we feature a curated list of books celebrating the culture, a playlist featuring famous music artists, and biographies of athletes and artists from that culture.  Hispanic Heritage Month was our first collaboration.
         - Playlist 
         - Famous Hispanic Artists
         - Famous Hispanic Athletes
         - Books Celebrating Hispanic Culture

 

  •  In an effort to include more students in our Bookworm program, the committee chairs expanded the list of submission formats to include collages, photos, and screenshots of AAC devices.  We believe that every child has a story to tell!

  • In 2019, the Montgomery Elementary Home & School Association created the Multicultural Committee.  This committee consists of parents and teachers dedicated to promoting cultural awareness, celebrating our differences, and providing our students and their families with a welcoming and inclusive environment.  The Multicultural Committee has proudly contributed the following to our school:
  • Provided trivia questions for the morning announcements on topics such as Women's History Month

  • Decorated the front lobby for cultural and religious holidays and celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Holi, Women's History Month, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Christmas

  • Provided translations of school communications into multiple languages

  • Created a YouTube channel featuring videos of Montgomery families and their cultural traditions

  • Provided resources for parents on various topics

  • Funded a mural project celebrating multiculturalism and diversity at our school

  • Donated books on multiculturalism to the school library

  • Donated multicultural crayons to incoming kindergartners

  • Created a multilingual welcome banner for Montgomery events

Learn more about the Multicultural Committee and its members here.