Last Wednesday the staff participated in very relevant professional development facilitated by FCPS’ Family and School Partnerships Office.  We had the opportunity to expand our knowledge of several cultures represented in our school community through a Multicultural Parent Panel.  Panelists included Maria Mateus (Hispanic heritage), Gigi Hammoud (Arabic heritage), and Sara Tae (Korean heritage). Topics included educational issues important to the culture, differences in school systems: grading, testing, class size, same or mixed gender classes, challenges to parent involvement: language barrier, comfort level, economic and educational backgrounds and strategies to involve parents—how to build relationships with families.  We will continue our learning during the staff development day on Monday after Spring Break by engaging in a cultural proficiency training.