R15 Equity & Inclusion Newsletter

May the 2024-2025 school year be one of belonging and thriving for each and every Region 15 student, family, and staff member. Please enjoy this monthly communication as one way to stay updated on some of the ways we are working to foster inclusivity and belonging in our school district.

Region 15 is guided by four theories of action. The first is listed here on the left. We are hopeful you will join us in embodying a mindset of welcoming in our community.

Part 1: Students in art with Mrs. Tresca took a virtual field trip to Guatemala, where they learned of "munecas quitapenas," or dolls that take away your troubles/worries. Children put them under their pillow at night because, according to a Mayan legend, their worries will be taken away by the dolls and will sleep peacefully. Students watched a woman in Guatemala making worry dolls, and children using them! Students then painted their wooden dolls to mix a skin tone for them.

Part 2: Students read the book Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival and explored ways to convey emotion through facial expression in artmaking. They practiced recognizing, identifying and labeling, understanding, and conveying a variety of emotions through scenarios. They expanded their emotional vocabulary in utilizing the Mood Meter, a tool from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. They chose an emotion they wanted their worry doll to convey, and worked to portray that emotion in their art on their doll's face. Students reflected on why they chose the emotion they did and how they made artistic choices to convey it. They also chose and created hairstyles for their worry doll.

Part 3: Students will explore how they can convey mood and emotion through their artistic choices with color in fashioning clothes from textiles for their worry doll. They will learn from one another in discussing and interpreting intent and meaning in one another's works of art.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15-October 15 and was first observed in 1968 and enacted into federal law as a month-long celebration in 1988. It offers the opportunity to recognize and celebrate the knowledge, richness, experiences, and diversity of Hispanic and LatinX families. The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for the following Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

In the photo below, you'll see PHS students in LatinX club at their first club meeting of the school year, with advisor Mrs. Yamira Raimundi, playing games, having fun, and building community with one another. In October, they'll be visiting 5th graders at GES to share about National Hispanic Heritage Month, and maybe a bit about themselves and their club at PHS! You'll also see the book display in our PHS Library Media Center!

LatinX Club members playing games to launch their year together!

Book display in PHS Library Media Center

The following months have been designated by Presidential Proclamation, Executive Order, and Public Law, which will be acknowledged in this monthly communication:

September 15th - October 15th National Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month

October Italian-American Heritage Month

November National American Indian/Alaska Native Heritage Month

February Black History Month

March National Women's History Month

March Irish-American Heritage Month

April Arab American Heritage Month

May Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

May Jewish American Heritage Month

May Military Heritage Month

May National Mental Health Awareness Month

June Caribbean-American Heritage Month

June Immigrant Heritage Month

June LGBT+ Pride Month

July Disability Pride Month

Students in Ms. Walent's 3rd grade class at LMES are in the midst of a deep dive into some Hispanic Heritage month work. started by talking as a class about why we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and then highlighted 6 famous Hispanic trailblazers from across different walks of life (sports, arts, politics, etc). Students watched and learned about Frida Kahlo, Lin Manuel-Miranda, Lionel Messi, Roberto Clemente, Sonia Sotomayor, and Celia Cruz.

Students are currently conducting individual research and each student will create a Google Slide showing their learning, while practicing digital citizenship and technological skill building of using Google Slides as a digital media playform.(while also showing their learning of the Slides digital media platform.

Region 15 Public Schools encourages all staff and students to respect and appreciate one another's heritages and diversity. We welcome the opportunity to provide learning experiences that create awareness of and sensitivity towards holidays, celebrations, and observances. The following is intended to provide information regarding both 1) observances on which Region 15 Schools are closed, and 2) major festivals and holy days for many of the religious traditions represented in the Southbury and Middlebury communities.

* All Jewish and Islamic holidays begin at sundown on the previous day

• 9/1/24, GUR-GADDI GURU GRANTH SAHIB, Sikh: Since 1708, Sikhs have accepted Sri Guru Granth Sahib as their eternal Guru that holds the spirit of all Ten Gurus of the Sikhs. They consider Guru Granth Sahib to be a spiritual guide not only for Sikhs but for all of mankind; it plays a central role in guiding the Sikhs' way of life.
• 9/7/24 GANESH CHATURTHI, Hindu: Celebrates the birthday of Ganesha, the elephant-deity.
• 9/16/24 MAWLID AL-NABI (Also known as MILAD AL-NABI), Islamic (Sunni): The observance of the birthday of Islam founder Prophet Muhammad, which is celebrated in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. Shi’a Muslims celebrate it five days later than Sunni Muslims.
• 9/21/24 MAWLID AL-NABI (Also known as MILAD AL-NABI) Islamic (Shi'a) The observance of the birthday of Islam founder Prophet Muhammad, which is celebrated in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. Sunni Muslims celebrate it five days earlier than Shi’a Muslims.
• 10/3/24 - 10/12/24, NAVARATRI *, Hindu: Nine-day festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil. It worships God in the form of the universal mother commonly referred to as Durga, Devi or Shakti, and marks the start of fall.
• 10/3/24 - 10/4/24, ROSH HASHANAH *, Jewish: Beginning of the Jewish New Year and first of the High Holy Days, which marks the beginning of a ten-day period of penitence and spiritual renewal.
• 10/12/24 DUSSEHRA/ DASSERA, Hindu: Anniversary of the day when Rama killed the evil demon Ravana. Also known as Durga Puja, which celebrates the goddess Durga.
• 10/12/24, YOM KIPPUR *, Jewish: The “Day of Atonement” marks the end of the Ten Days of Penitence that begin with Rosh Hashanah.
• 10/17/24 - 10/23/24, SUKKOT *, Jewish: The week-long “Feast of Booths” commemorates the 40-year wandering of the Israelites in the desert on the way to the Promised Land. (October 17)
• 10/24/24, SHEMINI ATZERET *, Jewish: “The Eighth [Day] of Assembly” observed on the day immediately following Sukkot.
• 10/25/24, SIMCHAT TORAH *, Jewish: “Rejoicing in the Torah” celebrates the conclusion of the public reading of the Pentateuch (first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and its beginning anew.
• 10/31/24, REFORMATION DAY, Christian: Commemorates the beginning of the Protestant Reformation in 1517.
• 10/31/24, BANDI-CHHOR DIWAS, Sikh: A commemorative occasion having no fixed date which occurs in October or November and celebrates the release of the Sixth Guru Har Gobind Sahib from imprisonment and coincides with Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.