Foreign families and schools Innovative strategies for improving the family-school relationship Monica Macia Bordalba Francesca Burriel Manzanares (Coords.) English version Foreign families and schools Innovative strategies for improving the family-school relationship Monica Macia Bordalba Francesca Burriel Manzanares (Coords.) Edicions de la Universitat de Lleida, 2021 This project “Families and schools. The involvement of foreign families in schools” has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication (Foreign families and schools. Innovative strategies for improving the family-school relationship) reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Edited by: Edicions de la Universitat de Lleida, 2021 Layout: Edicions i Publicacions de la Universitat de Lleida This work is licensed under the Creative Cover photo: Shutterstock Commons Attribution-NonCommer- cial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ ISBN 978-84-9144-279-0 by-nc-nd/4.0/. DOI 10.21001/foreign_families_eng.2021 Coordinators Monica Macia Bordalba, University of Lleida Francesca Burriel Manzanares, Inspection of Education (Catalonia) Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................13 INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES IN CATALONIA (SPAIN) Introduction ............................................................................................................19 Mònica Macià and Francesca Burriel Block 1. Reception and integration of foreign families .................................29 Image bank: a method to facilitate communication with families ..........................31 Enric Roig del Amor and Ricard Casanovas Jové Welcome guide and feedback form: improving the reception of families ...............33 Maite Lafuente and Victoria Vidal The first year of the delegate families: an account of our first steps ......................43 Jaime de Lamo and Emma Brújula Host families: a question of attitude ........................................................................47 Maite Pardina and Marta Baró Delegate and host families ......................................................................................51 Lluïsa Llenas Block 2. Family-school communication ...........................................................55 Do we adapt the communication? The important thing is that the message reaches the families .............................................................................................57 Enric Roig del Amor and Ricard Casanovas Jové Using WhatsApp for family-school communication ...............................................59 Maite Guzmán and Toni Alonso Improve group meetings to enhance families’ information, knowledge and confidence ....................................................................................................63 Jordi Gálvez, Mª Luz Sorribes and Maika Jiménez FOREIGN FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS 7 INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES Delegate Families: key to improving family-school communication ......................65 Lluïsa Llenas The use of computer graphics at the introductory meeting ....................................69 Maite Guzmán and Toni Alonso How can families be helped in the use of ICT? Some ideas ....................................73 Núria Seguro and Pilar Prieto Block 3. Parental involvement at school..........................................................77 Diary of an encounter .............................................................................................79 Maite Lafuente and Victoria Vidal An integrating project: Day of the Dead – Mexico ..................................................85 Núria Seguro and Pilar Prieto Come and Share: a project to encourage the participation of foreign families and the knowledge of their culture .......................................................89 Maite Pardina and Marta Baró Seizing the opportunity: a way to encourage the participation of foreign families ................................................................................................................93 Jordi Gálvez, Mª Luz Sorribes and Maika Jiménez INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES IN ITALY School-immigrant family relationship and parental involvement. The Italian case....................................................................................................97 Maddalena Colombo, Mariagrazia Santagati Introduction ..........................................................................................................103 Bianca Gheza, Lidia Prandelli Block 1. Reception and integration of foreign families ...............................109 In your shoes .........................................................................................................111 Paola Hurka, Elisa Alessandrini, Alessandra Lancini FOREIGN FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS 8 INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES We’ve teamed up... Now let’s play!! ......................................................................115 Anna Biatta, Cinzia Cirimbelli, Maria Palmira Ferrari, Micaela Filippini, Alessandra Albini Handbook for families of foreign primary school children ....................................121 Giuliana Costa I feel welcomed when… I am involved.................................................................125 Mina Paterini A road to travel: simplify bureaucracy ..................................................................129 Dario Forlani Block 2. Family-school communication .........................................................133 School forms? Let’s talk about it ...........................................................................135 Chiara Belotti There is strength in numbers! ...............................................................................139 Giovanna Pederzani Welcome to the network. Making the school site and the electronic registre accessible to families .............................................................................143 Chiara Belotti All together, each in their own way. Getting to know different cultures towards a new concept of citizenship ...............................................................147 Letizia Sferruzza Mums go to italian classes, too ..............................................................................151 Giuliana Costa Block 3. Parental involvement at school........................................................155 Teacher, what else should I do? DAD at time of covid-19, difficulties and successes .....................................................................................................157 Giampietro Poli If I undersand…… I will participate ......................................................................161 Mina Paterini FOREIGN FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS 9 INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES Let’s team up! The relationship between the school and the territory is essential for the social inclusion of foreign pupils and their families ............165 Anna Biatta, Cinzia Cirimbelli, Maria Palmira Ferrari, Micaela Filippini, Alessandra Albini “Nobody is a foreigner in my school”. A lively and dynamic city neighbourhood ..................................................................................................169 Letizia Sferruzza From swimming classes to … ! Parents’ help is of great help to the school! .........173 Claudia Piotti A grassroots proposal: language surveys. Survey on the level of language proficiency of the families of incoming pupils in first grade .............................175 Dario Forlani INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES IN LUXEMBOURG Introduction ..........................................................................................................181 Poncelet, D., Bodson, M., Dahm, C., Mirkes, D., Calvi, N. & Kerger, S. Block 1. Reception and integration of foreign families ...............................195 Welcome day for newly arrived families and their child at the beginning of the school year ..............................................................................................197 Poncelet, D., Mirkes, D., Calvi, N., Dahm, C., Bodson, M. & Kerger, S. Implementation and monitoring of the welcome procedure for newly arrived families during the school year .............................................................203 Poncelet, D., Mirkes, D., Calvi, N., Dahm, C., Bodson, M. & Kerger, S. Block 2. Family-school communication .........................................................207 An explicit and clear procedure in the event of a COVID-19 case in a class .........209 Poncelet, D., Mirkes, D., Calvi, N., Dahm, C., Bodson, M. & Kerger, S. Providing a booklet for families describing the main information about the school organization .....................................................................................215 Poncelet, D., Mirkes, D., Calvi, N., Dahm, C., Bodson, M. & Kerger, S. FOREIGN FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS 10 INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES Students recently arrived in Luxembourg and IT equipment during the period of lockdown .....................................................................................225 Poncelet, D., Mirkes, D., Calvi, N., Dahm, C., Bodson, M. & Kerger, S. Block 3. Parental involvement at school........................................................227 Intercultural school and classroom exchanges: exchange, sharing and respect for more mutual knowledge and recognition ................................229 Poncelet,