Plympton Library News

Happy 2025 to Plympton Families!

We are back from break and busy, busy, busy in the library. K students are creating a collaborative A, B, C book. First grade students are researching Lunar New Year festivities around the world and sharing their research with the community on the bulletin board in the entrance hallway of the school. The other grades are learning about databases, research strategies, and how to take notes to share information. It's an exciting time of year!

I am excited to share some resources with you about Martin Luther King, Jr and Lunar new year activities for families in the area, as well as suggested reading for students this month. Reach out any time if I can help connect you and your student to books and library resources.

Ms. Halley

Boston Cares Day of Service

On Monday, January 20th, we are excited to host a variety of in-person volunteer projects hosted at the Boston Latin School. This in-person volunteering event is youth-friendly and great for engaging with your family, friends, and fellow volunteers to create and give back on this day of service! Volunteers will be signing up to make items for donation to our four partners, including fidget toys for Waltham Partnership for Youth, blankets and more for School on Wheels and Pine Street Inn, and valentines for seniors at Ethos.

https://www.bostoncares.org/mlkday

MLK Day Lexington Human Rights Committee: Women of the Movement

Monday, January 20, 2025

10:00 AM to 12:30 PM

59 Worthen Road (Grace Chapel)

Celebrate the courageous women of the Civil Rights Movement and their pivotal role in advancing our civil liberties. On the 30th anniversary of Martin Luther King Day as a National Day of Service, and the 60 year anniversary of the passages of the Voting Rights Act, we honor the women whose contributions to justice and equality have often been overlooked.

Boston Children's Chorus Annual MLK Day Concert

Road To Freedom

22nd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert

Monday, January 20, 2025 | 4:00 pm

https://www.bostonchildrenschorus.org/hear-us/road-to-freedom

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Day of Service

Join us as we celebrate and honor the legacies of activism here in the City of Boston! In this very special program, we invite you to learn and reflect on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, their mark on social justice movements today, and why we still dream.

Among other activities, visitors can dive deep into a reflective soundscape experience in the Courtyard which weaves sound, spirit, and storytelling to transport you into the echoes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream and radical hope while reflecting and practicing their craft during an art-making experience created by The Department of Public Imagination, Crystal Bi, and Dzidzor. Through layers of sonic textures and spoken word, the space invites reflection on justice, liberation, and the enduring power of collective hope.

https://www.gardnermuseum.org/calendar/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-day-service-2025

Franklin Park & Stone Zoos - Free on 1/20

This is a wonderful opportunity to spend a memorable day with family and friends while learning about fascinating wildlife from all over the world. Join us for keeper and educator chats—your chance to dive into the world of our amazing animals, hear their incredible stories, and ask questions!

https://www.zoonewengland.org/engage/free-admission-on-martin-luther-king-jr-day/

Lunar New Year craft at the BPL

The Boston Public Library’s main branch hosts a free craft workshop to ring in the new year on Jan. 27 at 3:30 p.m. — printing hongbao with Maria Fong. Guests will create red envelopes and learn how to transfer a design, roll ink with a brayer, and print an image onto the envelope.

Tết in Boston

Celebrate the Vietnamese Lunar New Year on Feb. 4 with Tết in Boston, the annual celebration in the Seaport. Held at Flynn Cruiseport Boston from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and organized by the Vietnamese American Community of Massachusetts (VACM) and the New England Intercollegiate Vietnamese Student Association (NEIVSA), the event rings in the Year of the Dragon with a day of cultural performances, live music, food vendors, and other family-friendly activities. Advance tickets cost $3 each.

Chinatown Boston | Chinese New Year Cultural Event (indoor)|, Boston, Free
Sun, February 9, 2025 - Sun, February 9, 2025
Celebrate the Year of the Snake in Boston's Chinatown with the annual Chinese New Year Celebration! Enjoy Arts and Crafts for children, Calligraphy, Live Performances, and Lion Dance

Chinese New Year Parade

On Sunday, Feb. 18, the city’s annual Chinese New Year parade returns to the streets of Chinatown. From 10:30 a.m. through the afternoon, dance troupes will perform the lion dance, a traditional ritual to bring prosperity into the new year. The day typically includes street food, firecrackers, and other traditional performances, and many restaurant owners in the neighborhood leave offerings to “feed” the lions, ensuring good luck for the new year.

Pao Arts Center Lunar New Year celebration

Also on the day of Chinatown’s parade, the Pao Arts Center holds its annual Lunar New Year celebration. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., guests can find performances and art-making workshops geared toward families like a shadow puppet demonstration, Korean Dasik cookie stamping on clay, and Korean cultural dances. The free event takes place at 99 Albany Street.

I am seeking some help first thing in the morning one day a week for about 40 minutes on Mondays or Tuesdays. The library needs a volunteer who can straighten up shelves, clean surfaces, set up books for display, sharpen pencils, and generally help keep things in order. Are you or is someone you know a super organized person who likes to keep things orderly? Reach out and let's talk!

Do you have books, for any age reader, that you feel ready to pass on? Drop them to the Plympton Library. Ms. Halley can bring them to The Book Rack in Arlington. The Plympton School will receive credit for any books that they think they can resell. We can use that credit to purchase new books for the library.