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Welcome!
Welcome!
Welcome to the final installment of the Noah Wallace IDEA+ Community Newsletter! The IDEA+ Committee is dedicated to honoring and empowering all members of our Noah Wallace community.
The April/May edition highlights Ramadan, Passover, Easter, Asian American Pacific Islander Month and more. This newsletter focuses on selections from the Noah Wallace library that explore these themes. We’ll also preview some of the exciting opportunities coming during the month of June (and into the summer) and provide links to recent NWS IDEA+ events like our cultural conversation featuring movie clips!
We plan to continue publishing this newsletter next year, and to do that we need your help! We’d love to share your family’s summer celebrations, recipes, etc. with our community. Please submit your personal stories, recipes, photographs, or book suggestions. No idea is too small! Your reflections will be included in the next newsletter and on the website.
The Raffle continues! The first five families to submit content will be entered, and one lucky family will win a copy of this newsletter’s featured book The Best Eid Ever, by Asma Mobin-Uddin. Our February/March Winner: The Paoletto Family!
Thank you for sharing and for reading -
The NWS IDEA+ Committee
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Calendar
Calendar
*Calendar images from Seramount.
IDEA+ Club Events
IDEA+ Club Events
IDEA+ Club Event Replays
IDEA+ Club Event Replays
Did you miss one of our recent events? Our virtual events are available to watch on our Events page.
Native American Heritage Month Family Cultural Event - with Darlene from the Institute of American Indian Studies
Native American Heritage Month Family Cultural Event - with Darlene from the Institute of American Indian Studies
Taste of Noah Wallace 2022
Taste of Noah Wallace 2022
We had a great evening in the NWS Courtyard trying many new foods and celebrating the diversity of our community. It was wonderful to see so many of us gathering outside and sharing food together. Thank you to DanceUtopia, Farmington Valley Dance and Music and the West Woods strings players for performing for us. We look forward to holding this event again next year.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2022
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2022
The NWS PTO organized and sponsored a whole school assembly with Shaw Pong Liu, a musician. The children had a great time listening to and learning about traditional Chinese music. You can learn more about the artist here: http://www.shawpong.com/
From the Noah Wallace Library
From the Noah Wallace Library
The Best Eid Ever
written by Asma Mobim-Uddin; illustrated by Laura Jacobsen
The Best Eid Ever is a moving picture book that teaches young readers about Eid and the Hajj pilgrimage through the story of Aneesa, a young Muslim girl celebrating Eid with her Nonni (grandmother) in America. She should be happy, but her parents are in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage, and she misses them! At the prayer hall on the first day of Eid, Aneesa meets sisters who recently came to the United States as refugees. Aneesa cannot stop thinking about the girls and what Eid must be like for them this year. Then she comes up with a plan to help the girls celebrate and make it the best Eid ever!
More Books of the Month: April
More Books of the Month: April
Ramadan
Lailah's Lunchbox:
A Ramadan Story
by Reem Faruqi
illustrated by Lea Lyon
Arab American
Heritage Month
The World is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid
by Jeanette Winter
Easter
Easter Around the World
by Shannon Knudsen,
illustrated by David L. Eriekson
Passover
Welcoming Elijah:
A Passover Tale with a Tail
by Leslea Newman,
illustrated by Susan Gal
Autism Acceptance Month
A Boy Called Bat
by Elana K. Arnold,
illustrated by Charles Santoso
More Books of the Month: May
More Books of the Month: May
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Shining Star:
The Anna May Wong Story
by Paula Yoo & Lin Wang
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Eyes That Speak to the Stars
by Joanna Ho, illustrated by Dung Ho
Jewish Americans Heritage Month
Benno and the Night of Broken Glass
by Meg Wiviott, illustrated by Josee Bisaillon
Jewish Americans Heritage Month
I Am Anne Frank
by Brad Meltzer,
illustrated by Christopher Eliopoulos
Mental Health Awareness Month
Listen
by Gabi Snyder, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin
Memorial Day
The Wall
by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ronald Himler
Culturally Curious
Culturally Curious
Want to learn more about April and May holidays? We invite you to start here with these curated resources:
Eid
Eid
Eid al Fitr is a three day holiday that ends the Islamic month of Ramadan. Known as the "Festival of breaking fast," Muslims will celebrate with family and food after the end of a long fast, joining with one another for prayer and other traditions. Learn more here
Passover
Passover
The festival of Passover is one of great joy. It takes place for about one week in March or April. A special family meal called a seder is held the first and sometimes the second night of Passover. Before the meal the story of Passover is told through the songs and prayer of the Haggadah, which is the book used during the seder. The most important food of the holiday is matzo, which is a bread made with only flour and water. It is unleavened, which means that it is flat. This reminds the Jews of the bread the Israelites took with them when they fled Egypt for freedom. They did not have time to let it rise because they were in a hurry to leave. Learn more here.
Easter
Easter
Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians. It celebrates their belief in the resurrection, or the rising from the dead, of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the founder of the religion of Christianity. Easter is always observed on a Sunday in the spring, but its date varies. Learn more here.
AAPI Month: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
AAPI Month: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
AAPI Month is observed in the the month of May, and recognizes the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. Learn more here.
Community Events
Community Events
Farmington/Unionville Memorial Day Parade
Farmington/Unionville Memorial Day Parade
Monday, May 30th | 10am
There is only going to be one parade this year for Memorial Day. Due to construction on Route 10 sidewalks and on the Unionville Bridge the town has created a new route for this year. On Monday, May 30, parade participants will meet Perry Street by 9:30am and the step off will be at 10am. The parade will go down Perry st. toward Maple St ext, continue on School St. and then onto Route 4. The parade will end at Town Hall.
International Festival of Arts and Ideas
New Haven area & "Virtual Stage"
Various dates/times May 4, 2022 through June 24, 2022
International Festival of Arts and Ideas
New Haven area & "Virtual Stage"
Various dates/times May 4, 2022 through June 24, 2022
With over 200 in person events, 85% of them free, the season of CONNECT has something for everyone. All the programs you know and love—music, dance, theater, tours, Ideas talks— and new surprises never before seen on the Festival stage.
Community Forum on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Farmington Library
Monday, June 6, 2022 | 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Community Forum on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Farmington Library
Monday, June 6, 2022 | 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Please join us for a Community Forum on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion facilitated by Dr. Martha Brackeen-Harris and Treda Collier Dickenman. We will review The Farmington Libraries' diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, and ways to grow our cultural competence. As a community, we look forward to gathering with you to discuss what equity means to us individually and collectively. There will also be an opportunity to share thoughts and ask questions.
Free event. Register here.
Juneteenth Family Day
Wadsworth Atheneum / Amistad Center for Art & Culture
Saturday, June 11, 2022 | 12pm - 4pm
Juneteenth Family Day
Wadsworth Atheneum / Amistad Center for Art & Culture
Saturday, June 11, 2022 | 12pm - 4pm
The day will include live music from Lost Tribe, crafting, African drumming with Alvin Carter, Jr., storytelling by Andre Keitt, and Anne Cubberly's famous giant puppets. There is something for the entire family. The event will take place outdoors between the Wadsworth Atheneum and Hartford's City Hall on the Alfred E. Burr Memorial Mall*.
Free event. More information here.
2nd Annual Juneteenth in the Park
Bushnell Park | Black Lives Matter Mural
Sunday, June 19, 2022 | 1pm - 6pm
2nd Annual Juneteenth in the Park
Bushnell Park | Black Lives Matter Mural
Sunday, June 19, 2022 | 1pm - 6pm
Join us as we celebrate Juneteenth 2022 in Bushnell Park. The day will include live music, fine art, food trucks and fun for kids of all ages. Stay tuned for more information. Presented by the City of Hartford in partnership with the Amistad Center for Art & Culture
Free event. More information here.
Juneteenth at Hill-Stead
Saturday, June 25th | 10am-4pm
Juneteenth at Hill-Stead
Saturday, June 25th | 10am-4pm
Please join for a day of discovery and celebration featuring regional Black artists, organizations and businesses. This outdoor community event will offer visual art, food, music, and family fun activities on Hill-Stead’s picturesque grounds.
Schedule includes:
The JADHA Foundation Connecticut American Double Dutch League performs on Hill-Stead’s Veranda
Mixed Company quartet
Khaiim the RapOet performs, Self Suffice is the inaugural Troubadour of Hartford, CT which also makes him the U.S.A.’s first Hip-Hop Troubadour
Free event. Pre-registration required.
Juneteenth with the Farmington Historical Society
Saturday, June 18th | 3pm-5pm
Juneteenth with the Farmington Historical Society
Saturday, June 18th | 3pm-5pm
“Oh Freedom” A Juneteenth Celebration. To honor the day, the Farmington Historical Society will have storytelling, actor Tammy Denease portraying Hidden Women and more! Featuring:
Connecticut Storyteller and Greatheart Griot, Andre Keitt
Actor and Executive Director, Hidden Women Stage Company, Tammy Denease
Opera Recording Artist and Performer, Elizabeth Lyra Ross
First Church of Christ, 75 Main Street, Farmington, CT
Open Call to Families
Open Call to Families
Your contributions are what make this newsletter rich and engaging! IDEA+ encourages every member of the community to consider sharing so that it keeps growing strong. Going forward, we hope to have student voices represented as well and would love any pictures, stories, recipes your little one may also want to submit. Our own ‘normal’ may be new, different and exciting to another in our community - and we always love to hear how everyone is doing!
Please submit here, and be entered into our upcoming book raffle!
If you’re interested in attending the IDEA+ Committee meetings, we encourage you to click on the link provided for more information. You can also email the NWS PTO (nwpto@fpsct.org) with questions or ideas.
Thank you again!
NWS IDEA+ Committee
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