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How much do you know about the cultural experiences of your students, families, and colleagues? Why is it important? Knowing the holidays or observances of our students is one small way to understand them better and help them feel welcomed, valued, affirmed, validated, respected, and loved. This calendar provides basic resources for the many different holidays our students observe. Think about the students in your classroom or the staff in your office, and find the holidays on this calendar most connected to them.
Each EquityMatters! highlights some of the holidays and commemorations our students celebrate. This edition covers MLK Day (January 20), International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), Lunar New Year (January 29), Black History Month (February), and Ramadan (begins February 28).
MLK Day (January 20)
MLK Day (January 20)
Think about the quote to the right and how similar it is to the statements in the student podcast. What's the purpose of commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. beyond a day off from school and work? What are the lessons we teach our students?
International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27)
International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27)
The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.
Attend the MCPS Annual International Holocaust Remembrance Webinar on January 30.
Watch the short video to the left to learn why names are read to commemorate.
Learn who Flora Singer is from Flora Singer Elementary School and her work in MCPS. Click here for more information about her life from Holocaust survivor to MCPS teacher.
Find resources and virtual events at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Bring in Holocaust Survivors to speak with your students.
Lunar New Year (January 29)
Lunar New Year (January 29)
Over 1 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year. How do your students celebrate? Watch the video to learn how the holiday is celebrated in different Asian countries.
Attend the annual Lunar New Year Scholarship Fundraiser Banquet on Tuesday, February 11th, hosted by the MCPS League of Educators for Asian American Progress (LEAAP) at the Hong Kong Pearl Seafood Restaurant in Gaithersburg. It's a great cause, and the food Is plentiful!
Black History Month (February)
Black History Month (February)
Do you know about Tobytown or Scotland? Do you know who Josia Hensen or Ross Boddy is? Have you been to the Sandy Spring Slave Museum or Button Farm? These are just a few people and places that make up Montgomery County's rich African American History.
Revisit this special edition of EquityMatters! from 2021 that includes: Everyday Sheroes & Heroes, The Counter Story, Reflecting on Student Experiences, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Examples of how to do Professional Learning, Black Social Justice Movements, Black & LGBTQ, and the History of Black Communities in Montgomery County.
Ramadan (Feb 28, 2025 – Sat, Mar 29, 2025)
Ramadan (Feb 28, 2025 – Sat, Mar 29, 2025)
MCPS has a large and diverse Muslim community that will observe Ramadan from February 28 through March 29. When a middle school teacher asked her Muslim students what they wanted their teachers to know about Ramadan, they had much to say. For example, "Night prayers. We’re usually up late and have to wake up early to eat. So we’re most likely tired during the day." "I would have liked them to know the meaning behind it and its purpose." "Teachers could have explained it to the class so the kids could better understand what Ramadan is."
Watch the video to the right and read the resources below to learn more. And, of course, you can always ask your students to explain more.
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