Dear Collective Families,

As part of our “All About Me” and Family curricula, and in observance of the harvest season, we will be celebrating our very own PSCCC International Food Day during the school day on Friday, November 22. This will be a day of sharing special foods from our homes that are reflective of our families’ cultures. One inspiration for this day is Rosemary Wells’ popular children’s book “Yoko.” In the story, Yoko arrives on the first day of school with rice rolls for lunch. When she is ridiculed for eating raw fish, her teacher comes up with the idea of International Food Day as a way of introducing various traditions and celebrating differences. The famous line in the story is “We try a bit of everything” and all the children take part in trying various kinds of food.

To help us celebrate, we are asking families to complete two tasks:

1)    On Friday, November 22, instead of a regular lunch, please send your child to school with a special dish to share. It should be a food that reflects his/her heritage or background. Please make sure it is in an easily stackable container with a note indicating:

*your child’s name;

*the name of the dish;

*its country of origin;

*its main ingredients; and

*whether it should be heated.

We will store these foods in the gym or, if they need refrigeration, in the school refrigerator. And if you can, please also send in a serving utensil, labeled with your name, to assist in serving your dish.

2)    If your child would like to share a memory/story about the dish or its origin, this would be a wonderful way for children to learn about their own culture and feel pride in sharing some of their background on a day where all types of food are celebrated. If you can follow this template and hand this in to your child’s teacher by Monday, November 18, we can properly prepare for the storytelling aspect of the day:

“My dish is called _____ and the country of origin is______. The main ingredients are_______. This food is special to me because (share a memory).”

Main dishes, side dishes, and desserts are all welcome. Please keep in mind that it must be a nut-free (no peanuts, cashews, tree nuts, etc.) dish made with nut-free ingredients. Also, if your child has any food allergies, please remind your child’s teachers and Martha so they can make any necessary accommodations.

* Please note there will not be space available in the fridge that day for lunch bags so please send in a dish your child will most certainly eat and enjoy.

Thank you for helping us with this special day.

Sincerely,
The Diversity Committee and Martha