Gordon Parks Academy Newsletter
January 2023
🕊️☮️Peace in the New Year! ☮️🕊️
Happy New Year! It's 2023. Just in case you didn't know, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is on January 16th. We celebrate his birthday on January 15th and recognize the contributions he has made for civil rights in the United States of America. Every third Monday of January, we reflect upon the work that he has done for racial equality and see how we can make changes ourselves to make peace in our lives and also within the lives of others.
❄️🌲Important Events in January🌲❄️
❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
- January 3rd: School & Offices Re-Open First Day back to school in the New Year
- January 6th: Mid-Quarter Notices Posted on Focus
- January 16th-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day-NO SCHOOL!
- January 25th-Staff Inservice-HALF DAY (12:45 DISMISSAL FOR STUDENTS)
Did You Know?🤔
Ellis Island opened on January 1st 1892. Ellis Island is located near the New York Harbor and has a history of importing a large amount of European immigrants, with Italy having the largest immigrant population through its port. It was known as the Immigration Station from the periods of 1892 to 1924. Since 1990, Ellis Island became an Immigration Museum. Also, in the month of January, former President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in the year 1863, which was a document that stated that any individual who was enslaved in a state that seceded (cut ties) from The United States of America should officially be set free.
🎂 January Birthdays 🎂
Rodriguez-January 3rd
Robinson -January 30th
🥳🎉New Year's Day!🎉🥳
January 1st
The New Year is a time to look to the past and prepare for the future. Most people are thankful and look forward to what the new year has to offer. Some people make New Year's resolutions. This means that they make promises for what they would do in the new year. However, most people find it difficult to stick to those promises. Whatever you do, make this year a time to remember!
New Year's Activities
- Reading: Shante Keys and the New Year's Peas-Students can learn about New Year's Day in different cultures
- Writing: Students can write New Year's resolutions
- Math: Students can complete math activities involving time and counting down until midnight.
- Science: Students can find different patterns on snowflakes; See how salt affects the snow; Guess what animal made the tracks in the snow.
- Social Studies: Why Is There a Ball Drop on New Year's Eve?
🕊️Martin Luther King Jr. Day🕊️
January 16th
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday. On November 2, 1983, the bill for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed by President Ronald Reagan. It was observed for the first time in 1986. In the year 2000, ALL 50 states finally recognized MLK Day as a national holiday. Dr. King fought for equal and fair treatment of all Americans and he did so in a peaceful manner. We recognize him and this day as a day of peace and unity.
📖🔖National Storytelling Week🔖📖
January 30th-February 6th
Once upon a time, someone told an awesome story! National Storytelling Week was born in the idea that everyone loves a good story. Telling stories is one of the oldest forms of entertainment. Stories are what movies were made of. Look into all of the the shows and movies you love. Many of them started with a story. Before stories were written down, they were told verbally. There are many kinds of stories: fables, fairy tales, folktales, tall tales, fantasies, to science fiction. Take your pick. You can't go wrong. It's time to Tell a Tale!
Things to do to Celebrate
- Read one of your favorite stories aloud or to yourself.
- Watch a movie of one of your favorite stories.
- Go see a show in a theater.
- Act out a story using puppets or act out the characters using expressions and proper intonation.
Have fun!
😊
☃️January Reads☃️
Tools of the Mind
🚑🏥Hospital🏥🚑
📗📕📘
Ms. S. Barber: Media Specialist