APRIL INCLUSIVE
CELEBRATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS
April Celebrations and Recognitions:
Month-Long Celebrations:
Arab-American Heritage Month
Autism Acceptance/Awareness Month
Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month
Chaldean-American Month
National Poetry Month
APRIL Daily Celebrations and Recognitions:
1st Assyrian New Year
2nd World Autism Awareness Day
2nd Palm Sunday (Christian)
3rd - 7th National Assistant Principals Week
5th Passover/Pesach (April 5 to April 13)
6th Maundy/Holy Thursday (Christian)
6th Theravada New Year (Buddhist)
7th Good Friday (Christian)
9th Easter Sunday (Christian)
14th Day of Silence (Students take a day-long vow of silence to protest the actual silencing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and their straight allies due to bias and harassment)
14th Orthodox Good Friday
14th Vaisakhi (Sikh)
17th Yom Hashoah (Jewish) (Sunset April 17 to Sunset April 18)
17th Laila Al-Qadr (Islamic) (Sunset April 17)
21st Eid Al-Fitr (Islamic) (Sundown April 21 to Sundown April 22)
21st Festival of Ridvan (Baha’i) (April 21 to May 2)
22nd Earth Day
25th Yom HaAtzmaut (Jewish) (Sundown April 25 to Nightfall April 26)
HAPPY NATIONAL ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS WEEK
Celebrating the rich and diverse culture and contributions of the diverse population of Arab Americans, National Arab American Heritage Month has been observed during the month of April since 2017.An estimated 3.7 million Americans have Arab roots, according to the Arab American Institute, with ancestries traced to 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and others.
Commemorating the Month: The initiative for official national designation of the month was launched in 2017 by the nonprofit media and education organization Arab American Foundation and its sister organization Arab America. It began with support from a few states, but gained momentum each year. In 2019, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Michigan.) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan), introduced a resolution to Congress to proclaim April as National Arab American Heritage Month. “It is my hope as a strong and proud Arab American in Congress that our nation can uplift our contributions in the United States by supporting Arab American Heritage Month,” Tlaib, a first-generation American, said about the resolution. The bill remains pending. National Arab American Heritage Month was recognized in April 2021 by President Joe Biden, with the U.S. Department of State, some members of Congress and 37 governors issuing proclamations supporting the month, according to Arab America.
Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month
April is National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month! Did you know that bilingual/multilingual learners are one of the fastest-growing student populations in U.S. schools? We're proud to have over 60 languages represented in our student population! Our multilingual students bring countless rich assets to schools and add to the beautiful diversity of our student population. Here are a few resources we wanted to share in honor of National Bilingual / Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month:
Chaldean-American Month
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared on Thursday that April is Chaldean-American month.
The declaration comes as the Chaldean community mourns two beloved fathers, Behnam Rasho and Saad Halabo. Both were shot and killed at their place of business in separate incidents; Rasho was killed in January and Halabo was murdered in March.
The proclamation recognizes Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Syriacs as a Semitic people indigenous to Mesopotamia. “Collectively, there are nearly half a million Chaldeans/Assyrians/Syriacs in the United States, including about 160,000 in Michigan, the largest concentration in the country,” the proclamation said.
Additional Resources:
Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters. Over the years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K–12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, families, and—of course—poets, marking poetry's important place in our lives.
Thanks in part to our National Poetry Month partners and sponsors, each April the Academy is able to offer activities, initiatives, and resources so that anyone can join the celebration:
Order (for free) and display the official 2022 National Poetry Month poster
Read about 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month online and at home
Read about 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month in the classroom
Join the Academy of American Poets for its virtual Poetry & the Creative Mind gala on April 28
Find online poetry readings and events on our Poetry Near You calendar, and add your own
Encourage students in grades five through twelve to participate in the 2022 Dear Poet Project
Sign up for Poem-a-Day and enjoy a free daily poem in your inbox, in April 2022 curated by award-winning poet Naomi Shihab Nye
Follow the thousands of celebrations taking place on social media with the official hashtag #NationalPoetryMonth and follow the Academy of American Poets on Twitter and Instagram @POETSorg
CELEBRATE POETRY MONTH AT HOME
- How to make a "Poetree"
Write a poem or find a favorite one, then hang your poem from a community tree or branches you've brought indoors. A great way to share poems and bring awareness to the beauty of poetry! - The Poetry Foundation
Find a poem, ways to use poetry in the classroom and at home, learning about our poet laureates, podcasts, blogs, and much more. - River of Words
A project that connects kids to their local environment and their imaginations through poetry and art. - Favorite Poem Project
Dedicated to celebrating and documenting poetry's role in Americans' lives, here you can watch or listen to people read poems that they love. - Magnetic Poetry
Kids can create virtual magnetic poems and read verse from their peers. - Haiku Generator
Write your own haiku with the help of this online tool from PBS Parents. - Poetry Idea Engine
This interactive game from Scholastic lets kids write haikus, free verse, limericks, and more. - Shel Silverstein
Visit this playful interactive website from the beloved poet. Games, puzzles, printables, e-cards, and ideas for parents and teachers. - Jack Prelutsky
If you love Children's Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky and his inventive wordplay, you'll love this site.