Diversity Month

Diversity Month is all about celebrating our differences and gaining a deeper understanding of each other. As a kick off to this month, please watch this read a loud of

All Are Welcome Here

We hope each student will draw a 'quilt square' with an image of what it means to them to be welcoming. Quilt squares will be assembled and displayed in school at the end of the month.

Paper 'Quilt Squares' will be coming home with your student early next week . Please watch the read aloud, or simply talk about what it means to be welcoming and kind, and brainstorm with your student about what their Welcome Quilt square might encompass.

April 2 is the beginning of Ramadan and there are members of our community who are celebrating!

'Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, which marks important holidays and events for Muslims (people who practice Islam). During Ramadan people fast, or refrain from eating and drinking, while it’s light outside. Once the sun sets, families meet for big meals that may include stew, rice, dates, lentils, and more. People also have a morning meal before the sun rises. For the hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world who observe Ramadan, the month is a time to focus on their faith and also perform generous acts. People raise money and donate supplies to help others in need. And many fast to remind themselves about those in the world who don’t have enough to eat.' excerpted form National Geographic Kids

Do you know someone who is Muslim and celebrating Ramadan?

Perhaps you've seen someone in your community wearing Hijab and felt curious? Here are two read alouds you may enjoy: The Proudest Blue Under My Hijab

Emma's paternal great-grandmother Elizabeth Wahl is German; she was born in the US but her parents were born in Germany. Her mom’s name was Emmy and we took inspiration from that for miss Emma’s name. Emmy was born December 23, 1902 and later emigrated to America on April 2, 1928. We love making spaetzle which is kind of like little homemade pasta or dumplings. You make a batter and pour it onto the spaetzle maker (the thing that Emma is holding with the little holes) which is set over a pot of boiling salted water. The batter falls in the water and forms these cute little fluffy balls and squiggles. I often use a rubber scraper to get it all to flow through. We usually serve the spaetzle with Hungarian goulash which is kind of like a type of beef stew.

The recipe is:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

2 large eggs

1/4 cup milk

All ingredients get added to a bowl and whisked together to make the batter. Then put through the spaetzle maker as above!

Jason Chin, an author and illustrator from South Burlington recently won the Caldecott Medal for his illustration of the book Watercress. Watercress, written by Andrea Wang, centers on a girl growing up in rural Ohio, the daughter of Chinese immigrants. She and her family stop by the side of the road one day to pick watercress, which is served that night for dinner “glistening with garlicky oil and freckled with sesame seeds.” He used watercolors to make the illustrationsand painted with both Chinese and Western brushes. Chin said he “re-familiarized” himself with Chinese landscape painting, in particular bamboo brush painting, to make the art for Watercress.

Read aloud of Watercress

Women in remote and rural coff­ee communities face a host of challenges that keep them trapped in poverty. Many of these isolated women live in male- dominated societies and have very little financial control or decision-making power.

In 2003, 464 women farmers in northern Peru decided to change this dynamic by separating their coffee production from the men’s. In that moment, for the first time, this group of women created their own product and income. Vermont coffee roasters, Saw-Dog, exclusively purchase their coffee from Cafe Femenio. "Traditionally, coffee has had two jobs: taste good and put a little pep in your step. But what if your coffee could do a lot more, like ensure that female coffee farmers in remote areas are physically safe, financially stable, and as a result, creating a better world for themselves and their children? What if you could do all of this with each sip?"

Saw D0g Coffee has Partnered with PIE to help our fundraising efforts.

Alicia Dana

Alicia Dana was racing bikes as a teenager before an accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. Unable to give up the sport she loved she began hand-cycling in the 90s and became a champion. Read about her and watch an interview here.

Spencer Wood

25 year old Alpine Paralympian skier was born with a disability but it did not keep him off the slopes or off the podium. Read about him here.

The Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe is serious about achieving economic self-sufficiency and stability for our people which means controlling our own destinies.

The revitalization, reservation, and protection of our cultural, historic, and physical values and resources is the foundation upon which we stand. Teaching our young ones the skills and customs of our ancestors keeps our heritage alive. We empower our children, not only to survive, but to thrive during economic hardships by utilizing the traditions and practices of our ancestors, such as organic agriculture and permaculture.

Visit their Site

Traditional Abenaki Games

Suggested Books

Amy was named Artist of the Year by the Vermont Abenaki Artist Association. Amy Hook-Therrien has a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Maine. She has been painting for almost ten years. She specializes in water colors and is inspired by nature. She is a member of the Koasek Traditional Band of the Koas Abenaki Nation

Amy is also a Traditional Abenaki singer. Amy recently illustrated a book written by her mother about her childhood in Vermont.

See Amy's Art

The founder of the group, Bishnu Khadka founded the organization in 2016. Students are mostly of South Asian descent and learn ore improve their Nepali language through dance. Khadka believes in the importance of empowering youth through community engagement by giving them the knowledge to educate their peers and preserve their culture.

read the article

Hong Yu was 38 years old when she moved to Burlington from China. She did no speak any English and had very little money. With hard work and determination, she opened a food cart on church street, selling dumplings to long lines for 17 years. In 2018 she opened a restaurant on Pearl Street.

read more about Hong and watch a interview with her here.

Check out Hong's website and order some dumplings!

“I (Kai’s mom) am half-Irish and think Ireland is a magical place! Since art and music are an integral part of our daily lives, and Irish culture is rich with beautiful artistic and musical traditions, it’s easy to incorporate that into our lives to keep our Irish heritage alive.

Parts of Ireland are well-known for their abundance of wool and the way that they use it so beautifully. We make wool shapes every winter and this is how you do it.

Here is a video of traditional Irish music that Kai chose to share.

The Clemmons Family Farm stewards one of the rare African-American owned farms in the state of Vermont. Located in Charlotte near beautiful Lake Champlain, the Clemmons farm is one of the largest African-American-owned historic farms in Vermont today. The farm includes 6 historic buildings (circa late 1700s-1800s), a spacious 1990's residence and 148 acres of prime farmland and forests, ponds and streams abundant with wildlife. [Clemmons Family Farm] actively promotes the celebration of heritage and history as a continuum in which we learn from our past, shape our present and invest in our future.

Visit their website

A2VT (Africa to Vermont) is composed of three young refugees from Africa: Said Bulle (Somalia and Kenya), Cadoux Fancy (Republic of the Congo) and Geworge Mnyonge (Tanzania), who all currently live in Winooski. the trio released a video for their song "Winooski, My Town," from their self-titled debut album. It's a catchy little tune that fuses elements of American hip-hop with the more melodic, pop-centric hip-hop coming out of eastern Africa. The video finds A2VT preaching some seriously sunny civic pride, rapping, singing — and dancing! — in various notable locations around their adopted Onion City home. It's a fine, funky tribute to a town that usually doesn't get a lot of love.

read the article

Maeve Quezon Popkin (Grade 1) has a few stories behind her name. Her parents wanted her first name to start with an "M" for her great grandmother Mollie, who was born to Jewish immigrants, an early woman to earn a master's degree from Columbia University, and a lifelong learner through age 100. "Popkin" seems to have been an Ellis Island creation, adapted from an earlier Jewish name. "Maeve" is an Irish name, a nod to one of her grandmothers, who was born and raised in Ireland. "Quezon" has two origins: Maeve's other grandmother is from the Philippines, where Manuel Quezon was an instrumental leader and the first president. In a time when most countries turned away Jewish refugees from the Holocaust, Quezon welcomed over a thousand. "Que" is also that grandmother's Chinese family name.

Over the centuries, Black Vermonters have had a profound impact on agriculture, owned businesses, held public office, fought alongside fellow citizens in major wars, and worked to make Vermont and the nation a better place.

Now visitors and Vermonters alike can learn about Black history and heritage in Vermont. The Vermont African American Heritage Trail explores their stories and those of some of their fellow Vermonters. The guide takes visitors to Vermont museums and cultural sites where exhibits, films, tours and personal explorations illuminate the lives of African Americans for whom the Green Mountain State was part of their identity. Visitors meet teachers, storytellers, activists, ministers and legislators who bring this important history to life.