Riker Hill 2024 Cultural Showcase -- Information

The Riker Hill 2024 Cultural Celebration and Showcase (formerly called multicultural night) is
scheduled for May 9, 2024 from 5:30pm-8pm (rain date is May 30, 2024). It is a celebration of the
diversity of cultures around the world and within our Riker Hill Ramily.

The event will consist of three parts:

1) Food and craft tables (family tables) - starts at 5:30pm:

Parents and families are encouraged to sign up to set up a table to represent their family’s culture! Sign ups are on the HSA website until March 8, 2024. Please fill out if you are interested in doing a craft or bringing in food for the event.

a. Logistics:
i. Families must be able to bring their own table for the event. Families must
stay by their table (or ensure another adult does) and not just leave the craft
or food unattended.
ii. We will connect and ask interested parents who represent the same culture to
work together at the same table.
iii. The attendance for the event is high. We recommend you prepare
approximately 350-400 items to distribute.

b. Involve your family! We encourage extended family members (grandparents, aunts,
uncles, au pairs, and others) to staff the table and share their culture with the RH
Ramily. Just indicate so on the sign up form.

c. Food tables: We would love for you to share your culture’s food. However, to be
safe for food allergies, we ask that you stay by the table and only distribute food to
children who have the adults present. We will have a 1 page sheet for you to fill out
the food ingredients and check off if it contains top allergy items that you will post at
your table. This is a nut-free event. Although we will try to get donations of plates
and napkins, it is also encouraged that you bring utensils for attendees to pick up at
your table. Finally, remember - it’s a bite, not a meal. Please make it bite size so
everyone can have a taste of the food you are sharing!

d. Craft tables: be creative! Bring a craft or an activity that represent your culture.
Please keep in mind the activity or craft should be age appropriate, and since it is
outdoors, there is not an ability to plug in devices.

e. Questions? Email Carrey @ carreywongyu@gmail.com

Here are the details of Food and Craft Tables.

2) Passport to Learning (class tables) -start at 6pm:

Each Riker Hill class is assigned a country for their class. Each class will learn about that country, its culture and customs, and prepare a trifold on facts about the country.

a. At the event: At least one class parent will staff the table for their class from 6-
6:45pm. Children who attend the event will pick up a “passport” from the customs
check in, and go around to all the countries to learn facts. The class parents will be
given some questions to ask children and after they answer correctly, the class
parents will give the kids a stamp on their passport.
b. After the passport is filled, the children can turn their passport in back at the
customs area for a prize!

c. Class parents who cannot make it to the event, please reach out to your class to find
an alternate (we can provide a sample email), and email carreywongyu@gmail.com to
let her know who is stationed at your class table.

3) Performances - start at 7pm:

Performances will be indoors at the big gym. Prior to 6:45pm, the big gym will NOT be opened to performers or audience members. The side doors will open at 6:45pm and performances will promptly start at 7pm.

a. Deadlines/Important Dates:
i. Sign up for performances on the HSA website by March 8, 2024.
ii. We will confirm your slot in the performances by March 22, 2024.
iii. Music accompanying the performance must be submitted by April
19, 2024. Instructions will be sent on how to submit in the music.
iv. Dress rehearsal: selected performances will be invited to a dress
rehearsal on Wednesday May 1, 2024 at 3-5pm in the big gym at Riker
Hill. This is the only date/time for rehearsal at Riker Hill prior to
performance.

b. There will be a cap of the number of performances, and each performance shall be
no more than 2 minutes (120 seconds), to allow for us to have time for introduction
and transitions.
c. Groups are encouraged! But groups will not be given more time for their
performance. A diverse mix of different cultures will also be prioritized.
d. A student cannot take part in more than one performance.
e. The performance can be a dance, song, fashion show or playing an instrument but it has to
represent a culture and should be appropriate for elementary school audience. Any
performance not signifying a culture will be eliminated.
f. Fashion Show Finale: All Riker Hill students at the event wearing cultural/traditional
clothing will be invited to the stage for a fashion show finale at the end of the event to
celebrate their representation of their culture!
g. Questions? Email Neerja @ neerjapandya@gmail.com AND Shruti @ virvalsanschool@gmail.com

FAQs:

1. Does the food for the food tables have to be nut free or pork free? This is a nut-free event.
We do not have any other food restrictions but we will be distributing an ingredients/allergy
sheet for you to fill out and post at your table. We also ask that someone stays at the table
when distributing food. This way if questions come up about allergies, you can answer.

2. How much food is the right amount? Due to the expectation of high number of attendees,
we encourage bite size food, around 400 count. It’s a bite, not a meal. Pizza will also be
served at the event.

3. Does the tables brought for food/craft have to be a certain size? No restriction on size, but
you will need to bring your own table.

4. Will I have time to man a table if I sign up also for performances? Table events will happen
until 6:45. At the same time, doors for performances won’t open until 6:45 and will start at
7pm in the gym. Although some parent or class tables are welcome to continue outside,
anyone who wishes to move to the indoor performance event should have enough time to
do so. If your child is selected for a performance, we can also work with the co-chairs to put
your child’s performance a bit later if you need time to wrap up the table. Alternatively,
having a co-class parent or other families help you with the table can free you up to prepare
for performances.

5. Can you put me in touch with others who are interested in doing a food/craft table
representing the same country, to make sure we coordinate and aren’t serving the same
food? Yes!! We ask anyone interested to fill out the form on the HSA website and we will
be reviewing and coordinating, one of which is to put parents who represent the same
culture in touch with one another. In the past, the parents also started a Whatsapp group to
help coordinate. The cochairs will communicate with the table lead but not the entire group.
6. The dance performance I’m planning is 3:30 min long, is that ok? No. We are asking all
performance to be limited to 2 minutes (120 seconds) in order to have time for everyone.
7. The show will be outdoor or indoor? The table event will be outdoor, as in previous year.
However, the performances portion indoor to the gym to have us be able to use the stage.
The indoor portion will open at 6:45.
8. How and when should we send the music of the dance show? Selected performances need
to upload their music by 4/19 Instructions will be sent to the the performers selected..
9. Is it ok that my show includes some students from Riker Hill and some from other
elementary schools in Livingston? Other schools hosts their own multicultural night event,
so we ask that performers are limited to those who are current students at Riker Hill.