Barber Bulletin
Pontiac Elementary School
A Reminder During the Holidays for our Classrooms:
As the December holidays approach, the Anti-Defamation League -- one of the nation's premier organizations defending religious liberty -- know that many school districts are faced with difficult questions about how to appropriately acknowledge the December holidays. In an effort to help you comply with the United States Constitution and create a school environment that celebrates diversity by respecting differing points of view concerning religion, we offer the following suggestions:
General Rule: When a school does choose to acknowledge the December holidays, it is essential that the school must never appear to endorse religion over non-religion or one particular religious faith over another.
Public schools must remain free from activities that could involve religious coercion. Because of their young age, students are particularly impressionable and susceptible to pressure to conform to the beliefs of the majority. Schools must take care to avoid endorsing the beliefs, practices or traditions of the majority religion.
Schools must be careful not to cross the line between teaching about religious holidays (which is permitted) and celebrating religious holidays (which is not). Celebrating religious holidays in the form of religious worship or other practices is unconstitutional. Teaching about a holiday will be constitutional if it furthers a genuine secular program of education, is presented objectively, and does not have the effect of endorsing, advancing or inhibiting religion.
Special school events, assemblies, concerts and programs must be designed to further a secular and objective program of education and must not focus on any one religion or religious observance. Religious music or drama may be included in school events, but the reason for including that music or drama must be to advance a secular educational goal. Such events must not promote or denigrate any particular religion, serve as a religious celebration, or become a forum for religious devotion.
Religious symbols are not appropriate seasonal decorations in public
schools. The classroom and school premises are the place where children
spend the majority of their day. It is important that all students feel comfortable
and accepted in their school. Symbols of religious holidays may make some
students uncomfortable and unwelcome because their holidays and traditions
are not represented or because they do not celebrate religious holidays at all.
In an effort to be ecumenical, it is not advisable to rely on information provided by a representative child of a minority religion. Students should not be put on the spot to explain their religious (or cultural) traditions. The student may feel uncomfortable and may not have enough information to be accurate. Moreover, by asking a student to be spokesperson for his/her religion, the teacher is sending a signal that the religion is too "exotic" for the teacher to understand. Finally, in certain cases, the teacher may be opening the door for proselytizing activity by the student, which must be avoided.
Remember: diversity includes religious diversity. In designing holiday programming it is essential to keep in mind that the children entrusted to your care likely have widely divergent religious points of view. The way you approach the December holidays will determine whether those children whose religious views fall outside of the majority's are made to feel welcome and comfortable in their school building or whether they will feel as if they do not belong.
Attached is “ADL’s Quick Guide to Displays for the December Holidays,” which includes guidance on appropriate in-school displays. ADL also has a web-page devoted to teaching about the December holidays. It includes:
- The ADL publication entitled, The December Dilemma: Teaching About Religious Holidays
- A recording of the ADL webinar: The December Dilemma- Navigating Religious Holidays in the Public Schools
- The ADL publication entitled, Considerations for Inclusive Holidays and Observances
Additionally, you may want to review the ADL publication entitled, Religion in the Public Schools, which provides a comprehensive look at the law of religion in the public schools in an easy to understand and use format.
WATCH DOGS
HOLIDAY SHOP
Well it's that time again! Time for the Holiday Shop to return to Pontiac. Last year the children thoroughly enjoyed purchasing gifts for family members and even themselves.
This year, we would like for you to send students with money to the shop at any time during the hours of 8:30 and 2:30. We will have volunteers ready to help them shop. Children can come once or as many times during the week as they like. We hope that having the flexibility to send your students when it is convenient with your schedule will make this easier for you.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the holiday shop.
Hour of Code
You've seen the bulletin board! You've heard the talk among the students...now is the time to find out for yourself! What is coding and how is it done? Please feel free to join us in the computer lab when your class does during the 8th-15th of December. The tutorials are so easy and a lot of fun! Want to learn Flappy Bird? There's a tutorial for that! What about LightBot? Yes, there's a tutorial for that! There's even a Khan Academy tutorial!
Can't wait for next week and hope to many of our faculty and staff join us on this exciting adventure!
UNITED WAY AND VERIZON ARE TEAMING UP TO SUPPORT PONTIAC!
PONTIAC ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Email: kbarber@richland2.org
Website: https://www.richland2.org/PE/pages/default.aspx
Location: 500 Spears Creek Church Road, Elgin, SC, United States
Phone: 803.699.2700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pontiacelementary?ref=hl
Twitter: @pontiacelem
PTO holiday shop
Monday, Dec 8, 2014, 08:30 AM
Extra PE room
Staff meeting - IEPs, grading, accommodations, modifications
Monday, Dec 8, 2014, 03:30 PM
Media Center
Montessori field study
Tuesday, Dec 9, 2014, 09:30 AM
SC Museum
IAT
Tuesday, Dec 9, 2014, 01:00 PM
Interventionist room
Morale Pal Reveal
Tuesday, Dec 9, 2014, 03:30 PM
Media Center
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Science Safari Committee meeting
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2014, 03:30 PM
Julie Weber's classroom
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
MATH MEETING with Carol Sample
Thursday, Dec 11, 2014, 08:30 AM
Math Specialist classroom
Staff Holiday Party!
Thursday, Dec 11, 2014, 07:00 PM
Judy Ryan's house
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Montessori Movie Night
Friday, Dec 12, 2014, 06:00 PM
Cafeteria
RSVPs are enabled for this event.