Equity & Inclusion Newsletter
A Monthly Communication: September 2021
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year!
As we welcome the Region 15 community to the school year, we are met with the spirit of renewal reflected in the "double helix combining the new school year and the Jewish New Year, the High Holiday season of Rosh Hashanah, September 6-8, and Yom Kippur, September 16" (Dr. Fran Prolman, 2021). In this welcome edition of the newsletter, we invite you to reflect on the opportunity to establish and re-establish community, belonging, and connection within our district.
In this newsletter you'll find:
- ways to stay updated on Region 15, Southbury, and Middlebury's Equity & Inclusion work as well as information on a new digital community bulletin board
- educational resources for families, students, and staff that focus on both the Jewish High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur) as well as National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is Sep 15-Oct 15 and was first observed in 1968 and enacted into federal law in 1988
Stay Updated
Region 15 Website: Equity & Inclusion Council Website
Southbury and Middlebury Equity & Inclusion Council Website
Community bulletin board
If you'd like to publicize an opportunity, simply follow the directions on this page.
Each edition will offer up some curated resources. Enjoy the following:
Watch
In working to meaningfully acknowledge Hispanic Heritage Month, for the watch feature of this newsletter, here is a talk in which Actor and Director America Ferrera reflects on her career with resonant words about who she is as a Latina and the importance of authentic representation in the world around us.
(Photo Source: TED)
Read
Also, click here to access a calendar of observances.
(Photo Source: ADL)
Listen
Here's a link to 6 audiobooks to share with kids during Hispanic Heritage Month!
And here are 9 recommended elementary and middle grade books!
(Photo Source: Penguin Random House)
And each edition, you'll find a carefully selected read aloud.
No matter your age, we hope you find the read aloud videos to be valuable. The intention of the monthly read aloud is to build collective, common experiences across the district amongst students, families, and staff members - one read at a time. So please share with those around you!
For this month, we've included a video of author Aviva Brown (book illustrated by Anastasia Knavaliu) reading aloud a story she wrote which was inspired by her son, called Ezra's Big Shabbat Question. Like so many children in our community, the main character in this story, Ezra, LOVES questions. Ezra is an American Jewish boy with big ideas, and he has a question about if he can do an action on Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. He turns to various people he knows, and when no one he knows is helpful, he turns to his rabbi, who both answers his question and leaves him more confused (SpringLight Publishing, 2019). What will he do?
We hope this read aloud can be used as an opportunity to inspire discussion and understanding given the upcoming school closings in observance of the Jewish High Holidays.
An additional recommended read which specifically teaches about the Jewish High Holidays is National Geographic's Holidays Around the World series book: Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur by Deborah Heiligman. All Region 15 students can sign up for a GetEpic account for free if they don't already have one, and can access this e-book there.
Want to talk more about R15's focus on equity and inclusion?
Instagram: r15equity_inclusion
The importance of listening to your lived experiences, insights, ideas, and perspectives cannot be overstated. Please feel free to reach out! We'd love to connect.
*Note: Quotation (c) 2019 CLC Collective and Dottir Press
Email: equity_inclusion@region15.org
Twitter: @r15equity