Marin Elementary's Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Committee

  

About IDEA:

 

The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Committee (IDEA or "Diversity" committee for short) supports Marin Elementary in fostering compassion for, and awareness, understanding and acceptance of, the varied array of cultures, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, genders, abilities, learning differences and socioeconomic backgrounds of our families and the broader community.

 

We believe having a diverse community can be a strength for a school in shaping young minds to be good global citizens.

 

We aim to be a resource for the Marin Elementary School community by supporting and enhancing cultural competency through age-appropriate diversity programming and by helping to share resources that celebrate differences, encourage open dialogue, challenge preconceptions, examine current social justice Issues as learning moments, and provide experiential cultural explorations.

 

Each year our members strive to:

  • Explore ways we can include voices of a broader range of Marin parents
  • Maintain resource lists of books, guest speakers, and efforts of local schools on these topics
  • Organize parent education nights
  • Support and enhance existing work at Marin such as the Cultural Empowerment Club, school assemblies, etc.
  • Enhance International Potluck by adding cultural entertainment and activities
  • Other activities to support our community

We want to hear from you, both new Marin parents and longtime Marin families!

 

Please come to a meeting or share your thoughts or ideas with us at:

MarinDiversityCommittee@gmail.com.

 

Latest Projects:

We are excited to share a terrific project with you. Albany High School's "Diversify Our Narrative" chapter collaborated with the Marin Elementary IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Committee and the Marin librarian Stephany Joffe to produce a website with amazing read-aloud videos of themselves reading beautiful picture books featuring diverse characters, perspectives, and storylines. These read-alouds are grouped by a flexible grade level recommendation and tagged with the themes that are featured in each book. These short videos are entertaining and engaging; your child will love watching "big kids" read these fun stories. And they are also fantastic ways to start conversations with your child about diversity and inclusion.

 

Past Parent Ed Info Nights:

 

Parenting with Identity in Mind

Watch the recording here: Parenting with Identity in Mind

  

How do we learn about our various group identities centered around race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, etc.? Why do some people develop proud and healthy self identity and others experience own-group shame and hatred? Learn how we can, in age appropriate ways, instill positive self identity in our children and coach them to be positive influences on others' identities. Together, we can co-create inclusive communities that work toward success for all.