APC

Upcoming Important Dates:

• Dec 25: Christmas
• Dec 26- Jan 8: Kwanzaa

December is a time set aside by many to celebrate a variety of traditions and enjoy time with family, friends and community. The APC DEI committee wishes you all a winter break filled with peace, love and yummy traditions.
 
Christmas, a Christian holiday honoring the birth of Jesus, has evolved into a worldwide religious and secular celebration, incorporating many pre-Christian and pagan traditions into the festivities. You can learn more about it here.
 
Created in 1966 by Maulana Ron Karenga, Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday that celebrates history, values, family, community and culture. The ideas and concepts of Kwanzaa are expressed in the Swahili language, one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa. There is much more to discover here.
 
If you’d like to be a part of the upcoming celebrations in 2024, such as Black Excellence Month and Lunar New Year, please contact the DEIB committee here. And follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Upcoming Important Dates:

• Dec 10               Human Rights Day
• Dec 7-15            Hanukkah
• Dec 25               Christmas
• Dec 26- Jan 8    Kwanza

The month of December is a time set aside by many to celebrate a variety of traditions and enjoy time with family, friends and community. If you have some information you feel is important for the DEI committee to share about a celebration you partake in, please let us know. 
 
Hanukkah (Chanukah) is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. The Hebrew word Chanukah means “dedication,” and is thus named because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. More information can be found here.

Contact the DEIB committee here. And follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Upcoming Important Dates:

• Dec 10               Human Rights Day
• Dec 7-15            Hanukkah
• Dec 25               Christmas
• Dec 26- Jan 8    Kwanza

The month of December is a time set aside by many to celebrate a variety of traditions and enjoy time with family, friends and community. If you have some information you feel is important for the DEI committee to share about a celebration you partake in, please let us know. 
 
Hanukkah (Chanukah) is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. The Hebrew word Chanukah means “dedication,” and is thus named because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple. More information can be found here.
 
Dec 10, 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This landmark document enshrines the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, color, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The Declaration was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris on Dec 10 1948 and set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world. You can read it and learn more about this special day here.

Contact the DEIB committee here. And follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Upcoming Important Dates:

• Dec 3                 International Day of Persons with Disabilities
• Dec 10               Human Rights Day
• Dec 7-15            Hanukkah
• Dec 25               Christmas
• Dec 26- Jan 8    Kwanza

We hope you had a wonderful week off that included time spent with family and friends. The DEI committee is grateful for our school that strives to include ALL in Acalanes Community Always. Our goal is to ensure that we are not excluding anyone, so if you feel we have forgotten something or someone, please reach out. We will looking for help in the coming months to celebrate our many cultures and holidays.
 
Parents, please remind your students that Marge Grow-Eppard, a Miwok/Me-Wuk Tribal Elder of California will be visiting Acalanes on Friday, Dec 1 to talk with students during academy.
 
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. Please click here to learn more. You can also learn about The Curb–Cut Effect and how teachers, parents and leaders can change how they approach projects that benefit all of us in this wonderful YouTube video. 

Contact the DEIB committee here. And follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

Upcoming Important Dates
November     Native American Heritage Month
Nov 12-18     United Against Hate Week
Nov 20          Transgender Day of Remembrance
 
As we move toward our season of gratitude, we would like to pay respect to the people who have lived on and stewarded the lands in and around Lafayette. These include the Ohlone, Miwok, Yokut, Karkin, Saklan, and at least four other tribes. If you would like to learn more about some of them through the eyes of East Bay Regional Parks, please click here. The Lafayette Library has also put together a book list to learn more as well. Click here for more information.

United Against Hate Week (Nov 12-18) is a call for local civic action to stop the hate and implicit biases that are a dangerous threat to the safety and civility of our neighborhoods, towns and cities. United Against Hate Week emerged from a United Against Hate poster campaign created by Bay Area cities in response to white supremacist rallies in Berkeley and San Francisco in 2017. The original 13 communities were convened in 2018 by Not In Our Town, a national anti-hate organization and partner in the LA vs Hate campaign, and committed to an annual week of action and awareness. Since inception, United Against Hate Week has spread to over 200+ communities. Learn more at www.unitedagainsthateweek.org.

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance. You can learn more and find out how to get involved here.