Upcoming Dates & Celebrations
September 2022
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OVERVIEW
This is the first of ten Smore newsletters to be distributed this school year with the goal of sharing District calendar dates, school-related appreciation days, national recognition celebrations, and if applicable, related community events.
If we are missing anything or you wish to contribute information, please email communications@framingham.k12.ma.us! We are open to feedback on these date-driven newsletters!
Stay tuned for the return of "The DNA" which will contain good news from around the district!
DISTRICT CALENDAR DATES
Operational dates listed within each month of the Annual District Calendar
Aug. 31 - First Day (Grades 1 - 12)
Sept. 1 - First Day (Kindergarten)Sept. 5 - No School: Labor Day
Sept. 7 - First Day (BLOCKS)
Sept. 22 - Family, Friends, and Neighbor Day - No Homework
Sept. 26 - No School: Rosh Hashanah
SHARE YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PHOTOS!
We LOVE seeing and sharing those first day photos! If you want to be featured in photo slideshows or cover photos, simply upload your 'first day of school' photos at the link below. (We won't state student names.)
First Day of School Photos - Safety Tips:
- Please consider keeping your post generic. If you are using a chalkboard / sign - avoid sharing specific information about your child such as name; school, teacher, & grade; favorite activities; and other personal details.
- If you are sharing the images on your personal social media channels, double check your privacy settings. You may want to remove personal information from your account that others can see, such as your telephone number or address.
- Lastly, watch out for phony friend requests. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don't know in real life. Also, think twice before you accept a friend request from someone you are already connected with. It could be an impostor trying to access your information and friends list.
Need a printable for your photos? There's an all-grade variety from Happiness is Homemade.
10 DAYS OF SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING
For Elementary Schools
The Department of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the Office of Teaching and Learning, is excited to announce that the first 10 days across our elementary schools will be dedicated to a social emotional learning (SEL) focus. The goal of this SEL focus is to explicitly teach students academic and behavior routines and expectations, introduce growth mindsets, review the 5 restorative conversation questions, and to support the building of respectful and equitable student to student relationships and student to teacher relationships.
We believe that this intentional focus will support our students in having a sense of belonging and community, as well as creating brave spaces in classrooms where students take academic ownership and risk. The material used in the first 10 days are from Second Step Social Emotional Learning, our Code of Character, Conduct, and Support, as well as lessons created by teams of teachers across the district. To learn more about SEL and our Code of Character, Conduct, and Support, see the Smore newlsetters linked below from the last school year and talk with your student about the 5 District School Rules:
Rule 1: I respect personal space
Rule 2: I respect differences
Rule 3: I am on time and stay in my place
Rule 4: I listen and follow directions
Rule 5: I use respectful language
Introducing the Code of Character, Conduct, and Support - Elementary
SOCIAL CELEBRATIONS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As we move into the month of September, the trending events and holiday acknowledgements listed below will begin to pop-up on social media. Here is a little information about the upcoming dates and what they mean.
Attendance Awareness Month
Build Routines: A daily attendance routine can help students reduce stress and develop habits and a work ethic that will be beneficial later in life.
Increase Engagement: Being in school gives students a chance to see friends and build relationships with school staff.
Provide Access to resources: When students show up to school, they can get access to meals, health services, mental health supports and enrichment activities (sports, clubs, music, after school and summer programs, etc.).
Support Learning: Students are more likely to pass classes and graduate when they miss less than a week of school each semester.
Resources:
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, a time when we can learn about ways to prevent obesity and promote physical and mental health in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Children with obesity are at higher risk for having other chronic health conditions and diseases, such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, and type 2 diabetes. They also have more risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure and high cholesterol."
Resources:
Preventing Childhood Obesity: 4 Things Families Can Do (CDC)
September 6th: National Read a Book Day
National Read a Book Day invites us ALL to grab a book we might enjoy and spend the day reading.
Don’t keep it to yourself. Share the experience! Read aloud either to children or to grandparents. Read to your pets or to your stuffed animals and plants. Reading improves memory and concentration as well as reduces stress. Books are an inexpensive entertainment, educational tool and time machine too!
September 11th - 17th: National Arts in Education Week
During this week, the field of arts education joins together in communities across the country to tell the story of the impact of the transformative power of the arts in education. The arts are an essential part of a complete education, no matter if it happens in the home, school, or community. Students of all ages—from Preschool to college to creative aging programs—benefit from artistic learning, innovative thinking, and creativity. Celebrating National Arts in Education Week is a way to recognize this impact and share the message with friends, family, and communities.
September 15th - October 15th: National Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
Learn more:
September 20th: National IT Professionals Day
On the third Tuesday of every September, we celebrate National IT (Information Technology) Professionals Day to say thank you to all of the hardworking technical experts within our community. It takes a solid set of skills and talents to fill the shoes of an IT Pro so, today, we say thanks to the people who support our networks, infrastructure, instructional technology, fix and program our devices, the behind-the-scenes operators, and the people who help make education as advanced as it is today.
September 22nd: First Day of Fall
This date marks the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. From the end of summer until the winter solstice, the days will get shorter and shorter. Saying goodbye to summer can be hard - but how lucky are we to live in beautiful New England where there's no shortage of fall-centric things to do (apple picking, leaf-peeping, watching football (Go Flyers!), etc)! This first day of fall is also known as the autumnal equinox. Coming from two Latin words, aequus (equal) and nox (night), the name was coined due to the equal length of day and night on the equinox. While it's not exactly the same, it's close enough and often differs by minutes, depending on where you are in the world.
September 23rd: Native American Day
In many parts of the U.S., Native American Day is celebrated on the fourth Friday in September. Although not (yet) a “national” holiday, Native American Day is a time set aside by individual states to honor and recognize the rich cultural heritage and significant contributions of the indigenous people in their respective states. The observance of Native American Day on September 23rd focuses on:
- celebrating the irreplaceable heritage, contributions, and knowledge of the Native American populations.
- the enduring legacy of their fortitude, energy, and strength.
- appreciating the long history of culture and traditions that Native Americans have preserved through the centuries.
September 25th - September 27th: Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is the autumnal festival celebrating the start of the Jewish New Year. Many people use the broadly celebrated New Year in January as a time to make “resolution” and plan to lead a better life. Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the past year and committing to make changes or improvements for the year ahead. This period of introspection stretches for ten days through Yom Kippur. Some traditions include candle-lighting, feasts with symbolic foods like challah, apples, and honey (which symbolizes the desire to have a sweet, enjoyable, and bountiful year.)
Source:
September 26th: Human Resource Professionals Day
Human Resource (HR) Professional Day is celebrated every September 26 and is designed to pay tribute to those working in HR departments everywhere, as well as to raise awareness about various roles and responsibilities within HR. Our HR staff are always working hard behind the scenes to recruit, onboard, train, and support our entire staff roster. From benefits administration, absence management, employment law compliance, to contract negotiations, and professional learning - our HR team is always available to lend a helping hand.