Welcome to 2023: the Year of the Rabbit in Chinese culture and the "good fortune" tied to the number 7 (add each number in the year 2023 to get 7). The number 7 is a prime number associated with good luck and magick! This newsletter includes meeting a new library friend, a national park virtual tour, a social studies lesson on the importance of voting, and other "stranger" things. Nevertheless, we're on the other side of the hill into a new year. Make this year your fantasy! Whether it's 7 lbs you want to lose, 7 years of bad luck you want to break, or 7 acts of kindness you want to share, make this year your best year yet!

I'm sure some of you have noticed that we have a new member in the library: Langston Longfellow (Model & Mannequin). His name combines two American poets: Langston Hughes and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. For the month of January, students will test out their "Fashion Design" skills by dressing Langston in the finest 1980s DRIP! Please read the details in our DMS 80s Fashion Designer sheet, as well as checking out the slideshow below, then reserve your time to CHECK OUT YOUR DREAMS!! 🤩

Weird fact about liaison: it comes from Middle French lier, meaning "to bind or tie." Other English senses of liaison apply it to all kinds of bonds—from people who work to connect different groups to the kind of relationship sometimes entered into by two people who are attracted to one another. When you hear liaison, think relationship.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s platform for equality and free, fair and non-discriminatory access to the voting ballot. What was the fight for justice in 1960s is still the case 60 years later, especially in this post-pandemic era. It's imperative for the federal government to oversee state laws that prohibit equal access to voting. Should voting be a federal holiday like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the 4th of July? For lesson resources, please follow this link to the curriculum.

"All I Can Do," is an article I wrote on gun violence. Thank you to the American Federation of Teachers' Union (AFT) for giving me a place to release this internal torture that is surviving a school shooting and the PTSD scars that never fade. I dedicate this article to all of the educators, students and surviving family members that unwillingly perished due to preventable gun violence. Replace "thoughts and prayers" with strict policies to prohibit "civilian access to military weapons." Until then, those words ring hollow because we can help ourselves out of this nightmare. Along with my article and within this same issue, are other perspectives and suggestions to finally end this senseless suffering as it relates to gun violence. I implore you to read every one. Thank you in advance.

The Lunar NEW year is associated with an animal sign according to the Chinese zodiac cycle. 2023 is the year of the Rabbit, specifically, Water Rabbit. The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture. People born in a year of the Rabbit are called "Rabbits" and are believed to be vigilant, witty, quick-minded, and ingenious. 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope.

The library is open daily from 8:00am-3:30pm. I take "C" lunch from 12:25-12:55, closing briefly for nourishment. Reserving the library can be made here. Please send students with their student ID on, a legitimate pass on their agenda from their classroom instructor (name, date/time of student & staff) and reason for their visit. Students are required to have their IDs on throughout the school day and in the library.

Email: eboni.darnell@pfisd.net
Website: https://www.pfisd.net/domain/329
Location: 12900 Dessau Road, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 5125942600
Twitter: @AwakenLibrarian