It’s that time of the year again—good ol’ summertime! I don’t know about you, but with all of this hot weather that is on its way, I want to stay cool. Hitting the pool up on the weekend will be great, but what is there to do during the week?
NEISD Community Ed has come to the rescue! Keep your mind active during the summer with any of our adult courses. From The Indian Food Diaries to Beginning American Sign Language, there’s bound to be a class for you. Whether you want to start a new hobby, learn a new language or explore a new exercise (we even have Water Exercise classes), NEISD Community Ed has the resources. You are never too old to learn something new. Classes go live on April 6th. That’s the magic date to remember! On April 6th, head over to our website at https://communityed.neisd.net to check out everything we are offering for the summer and even register for classes. Are you looking for the print catalog? Catalogs are set to hit your doors by the end of April so keep an eye out. We can’t wait to see you in the classroom!
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Have you ever wanted a holiday where eating an entire bag of Cheetos would be deemed okay? I’d call it Cheers to Cheetos Day. How about a day dedicated to sitting on your couch watching Netflix and eating ice cream? Now that would be an awesome annual tradition to start.
If you could make up any holiday, what would it be? What day of the year would it land on? How would you celebrate this holiday? Believe it or not, but there are literally hundreds of “out of the ordinary” holidays out there. From National Cream Puff Day (observed on January 2nd) to National Cheese Toast Day (observed on September 15th), there’s practically something to celebrate every day of the year. Are you looking for something to celebrate? Check out the National Day Calendar for every day celebrations. Need a reason to indulge in some chip n’ dip action? Well today’s the day! Every year on March 23rd, people gather around to partake in a chip and dip fiesta. Thankfully, here in the office we were able to celebrate the day with a variety of our own. With too many dip recipes to count, I embarked on a Pinterest journey to uncover a few that are sure to whet your taste buds. And finally, just when you thought you couldn’t get enough about chips, two fun facts thanks to foodimentary:
Do you smell that? That’s the smell of flowers in the air, fresh cut grass and BBQs galore. Spring is officially here! March 20th marks the March equinox of 2017. This means that the northern hemisphere starts their spring season and the southern hemisphere starts their fall season at this time.
This particular equinox is called the Vernal Equinox. The word ‘equinox’ comes from the Latin words which mean ‘equal night.’ During each equinox, days and nights are back to being just about equal time lengths. We have an equinox twice a year—once in the spring and once in the fall. The opposite of those are our two solstices, one in the summer and one in the winter. So if you are in the northern hemisphere, how did you spend the first day of spring? Here are some ways to welcome in the season:
“It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” ― Rainer Maria Rilke
Ah yes, the one day when wearing a completely green outfit out in public is acceptable. Start digging through your closet if you haven’t yet as this Friday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patti’s Day celebrates the cleansing of Ireland by St. Patrick, who happens to be a native of Britain, but is beloved by all who are Irish. I’m guessing that along with the iconic shamrocks and parades that we’ve come to associate with St. Patti’s Day, that snakes and a potato famine don’t quite ring a bell. But it’s true, there’s definitely a few facts that get buried under the green attire, parades and eating anything and everything that’s green. Check out the 2 minute video below and learn a few of the fun facts that make up this holiday that’s celebrated by so many. Fall BACK and spring FORWARD—that’s always how I remember that we go back an hour during the fall and forward an hour in the spring. Daylight Saving has always been an interesting concept to me, especially since not every country participates in it. Here are some fun facts about this time saving system:
March 8th has been officially declared as International Women’s Day! What would this world do without women? Not a whole lot! According to the UN, ‘The first National Woman’s Day was observed in the United States on February 28, 1909. This was a result of the 1908 garment workers’ strike in New York, where women protested against working conditions.’ This year’s theme is ‘Be Bold For Change.’ The World Economic Forum predicts that the gender gap won’t close until year 2186. This is obviously way too far in the future. The goal of this year’s theme is to be bold in your actions and declarations so we can put that predicted number closer to us. How are you going to be bold not only today, but every day moving forward to bring gender inequality to an end? There are hundreds and thousands of women before us who were bold in their actions and declarations and did things women weren’t known for doing during their time. Here are a few of the firsts that made a large impact on this social issue: Ida B. Wells: Born in 1862, Ida was an established journalist, suffragist, feminist and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. She called for all races and genders to be accountable for their own actions. This led to more African American women speaking out and fighting for their rights. Ada, Countess of Lovelace: Born in 1815, Ada was a mathematician and computer programmer. She is famously known as writing the first instructions for a computer program. Sally Ride: Sally Kristen Ride was an American physicist and astronaut. She was the first American woman to be in space, in 1983. Lina Bo Bardi: Lina Bo Bardi was a Brazilian modern architect. She was known for devoting her life to working and promoting the social and cultural potential of architecture and design.
Making a difference in the gender gap seems like a huge responsibility and almost impossible at times, but it’s all about being bold. Be bold in every move you make and every sentence you utter. I doubt these women know the impact they would have in the world, but they were bold and that’s what made them different. #BeBoldForChange March brings on a handful of activities for the family to enjoy all over town. Celebrate Contemporary Art Month all month long in various museums, art galleries and performing art spaces. Click here for a full calendar of events. Or swing on by Sea World for Wild Days, which takes place on the weekends throughout the month of March for a fun time with wildlife experts. Morgan’s Wonderland opens its doors for the 8th season this weekend, St. Patti’s Day 2017 Festival is just around the corner and of course the San Antonio Zoo hosts a perfect little get-away during spring break.
Check out www.visitsanantonio.com for all things San Antonio. It’s a great resource for food and fun. March 2nd is most famously known as the beloved child author, Dr. Seuss’s birthday, but did you know that it is also Read Across America Day? WHO (Get it? Haha) better to represent reading than the late and great Dr. Seuss himself? The National Education Association agreed so much so that March 2nd was dedicated to celebrate reading. Teachers, parents, educators, politicians and librarians come together to promote and celebrate reading 365 days of the year. 1998 was the first official year that we celebrated Read Across America Day and it is known as the largest celebration of reading. The National Education Association also helps by provides many people with the resources to read every single day. Did your parents read to you before bed when you were growing up? Do you read to your children before bed? If not, maybe you should consider it. Reading everyday has shown multiple benefits. Check out Lifehack’s top 10 benefits:
Just remember:
You're never too old, too wacky, too wild, To pick up a book and read with a child. You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot, To pick up a book and share what you've got. In schools and communities, Let's gather around, Let's pick up a book, Let's pass it around. There are kids all around you, Kids who will need Someone to hug, Someone to read. Come join us March 2nd Your own special way And make this America's Read to Kids Day. ©Anita Merina How will YOU help create a nation of readers? |
AuthorNEISD Community Education Archives
August 2017
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