Success Station Central School District
1818 Pleasant Lane
Success Station, NY 11111
(845) We-Learn (845-935-3276)
July 18, 2010
Parent of _______
Street #
Success Station, NY 11111
Re: Introduction of the Together to the Top: Intercultural/Multicultural Curriculum
Dear Parents:
Our mission at Success Station Central School District has always been to provide our students with instruction in the traditional curriculum by teaching the foundation skills in reading, writing, math, social studies and science. Our school has also always been a place where all of our students have opportunities to develop their social skills through school-wide and in-class interactions as well.
Recently, we have welcomed new students to our school from families that have joined our community from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The presence of our new neighbors gives us an ideal opportunity to learn about our numerous similarities and to share information that will lead to understanding about and respect for our differences.
Since our community is developing in ways that parallel the changes in the wider world, we have a perfect opportunity to strengthen our commitment to preparing our children to embrace the future with a global perspective. To teach our students most effectively about our changing world, we will now enhance our traditional curriculum by adding content that teaches them that the world is connecting without regard to geographic, cultural, ethnic, or racial backgrounds.
In September, we will begin to teach our children how to meet the changes occurring in our local, national, and international 21st Century society. We will begin our journey by implementing the Together to the Top: Intercultural/Multicultural Curriculum. This experience is designed to strengthen the students’ understanding of the universalities (similarities) among people and their needs and to explore the reasons for our cultural differences. The curriculum has been designed to meet the significant goal of opening our students’ eyes, hearts and minds to the wonderful and exciting diversity in their community and in their world.
Already this summer, the administration, faculty and staff of our schools have participated in several intercultural/multicultural workshops. The workshops were designed to raise their personal awareness and knowledge base of cultural diversity so that they will be prepared to create a cohesive atmosphere of appreciation and understanding of diversity in all facets of the school day. With the assistance of veteran intercultural/multicultural curriculum instructors, our teachers will continue to have specific curriculum workshops so that they will feel confident in the subject matter when they begin facilitating discussions with and instructing their students in September.
All grades will be exploring, at their own appropriate level, the Together to the Top curriculum core units on the same schedule to generate a school-wide atmosphere of awareness and unity. The curriculum framework rests upon several core units: Our Universal Needs: How We Obtain Food, Clothing and Shelter; The Human Need for Social Interactions: Exploring the Diversity of Family Life, Languages Spoken at Home, Food, Music, and Traditions; The Achievements of Our Multicultural Heroes, Famous and Private; Our New Citizenry: Understanding the Social Issues of Discrimination and Prejudice and Creating Respect and Tolerance; International Literature, Story-telling and Story-writing; and Mathematical and Scientific Contributions from Around the World, with Hands-on Applications.
This curriculum will be woven directly into the content areas by increasing the perspectives through which the core material is discussed and taught. Programming, including assemblies with guest speakers with perspectives from around the world and multicultural/intercultural activities and opportunities for authentic hands-on diversity experiences will also be presented independently.
To round out the Together to the Top curriculum, the school will host family-oriented gatherings throughout the academic year for families to come together with their children and meet their neighbors. In September, our school will host a casual picnic as a kick-off event at the Success Station Town Park with the theme of “Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?” Look for more information once school starts.
The ultimate goal of our intercultural/multicultural education is to start a wave of social transformation that teaches the future citizens of our country (our students of today) that people should strengthen their similarities and respect and embrace their differences. In our rural town, we are ready to educate nearly 1300 students in the new ways of world.
The Together to the Top: Intercultural/Multicultural Curriculum will awaken you and your child to the diversity of the world around him or her.
It is with information that transformation can come.
You may contact me at any time with your questions about this new curriculum.
Sincerely,
Wendy J. Schwalb
Chair of Curriculum
Cc: Principal
Superintendent
Board of Education Members
Curriculum Committee Members
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