cultural religious calendar - federal way public schools · pdf filereligious calendar...

Cultural& ReligiousCalendar2 0 1 6 – 2 0 1 7

EACH SCHOLAR: A VOICE. A DREAM. A BRIGHT FUTURE.

OFFICE OF EQUITY FOR SCHOLAR & FAMILY SUCCESS

Cultural & Religious Calendar Federal Way Public Schools 2

Don’t let absences add up! Just two (2) absences every month adds up to 20 school days! Students who miss 10%, or 18 days, in a school year are at risk of falling behind academically.

Here are 3 simple tips to help you and your child get ready for school every day:• Set your alarm, leaving extra

time for unexpected delays.• Lay out clothing and supplies

for the next day.• Make sure your transportation

plan is in order.

Goal 2 Whole Child: Thriving, confident, responsible individualsEvery scholar will be empowered and prepared to develop personal responsibility in order to be positive, productive members of society.

Pillar 2 Safe climate and strong relationships with families and communityOur second pillar recognizes that schools can’t do it alone. Therefore, we will embrace parents, caregivers, and the entire Federal Way community as vital partners in the education of all our scholars. We will nurture trust and mutual respect among home-school-community through shared responsibility for scholar success, proactive communication, and meaningful stakeholder voice.

Strategic PlanMISSION

In an environment of high expectations, high support, and no excuses, the staff of Federal Way Public Schools will continually learn, lead, utilize data and collaborate to ensure our scholars have a voice, a dream and a bright future.

OUR CORE BELIEFS

We believe every scholar can learn at the highest level.

We believe our scholars must have voice, see themselves in their schooling, and be connected to the adults that teach them.

We believe race, socio-economics, language, cultural background, and other exceptionalities should not be predictors of scholar achievement.

We believe what we do in the classroom every day has the greatest impact on scholar learning.

We believe we must continually learn and grow in our practice if we are to meet the needs of all scholars.

We believe we must intentionally collaborate and use data as a guide to improve our practice.

We believe our families are critical partners in each child’s learning.

Federal Way Public Schools is rich in culture with a scholar community that can speak more than one hundred different languages. We are a school district that embraces diversity, values each and every scholar’s experiences, and honors every family’s religious beliefs and traditions. This diversity is reflected in the national observances celebrated every month.

The purpose of this calendar is to provide our staff with insights into our scholars’ diverse cultural and religious beliefs and practices.

Please continue to send your child to school during holiday times. You can share with your child’s teacher and/or counselor any specific needs your child might have during this time.

This a living document that will be revised throughout the school year based on the feedback and input we receive from scholars, families, and staff members. Please provide feedback and/or suggestions on our cultural calendar by emailing equityculturalcalendar @fwps.org.

NONDISCRIMINATION and EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Federal Way Public Schools complies with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and equal employment opportunities. Contact information and procedures for filing a complaint or to seek further information can be found at: www.fwps.org/nondiscrimination-statement.

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.fwps.org/nondiscrimination-statement


FWPS 2016-2017 SCHOOL CALENDAR

9-1

3-1

6JUNE 2017

S M T W T F S

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

MARCH 2017

S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

DECEMBER 2016

S M T W T F S

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

SEPTEMBER 2016

S M T W T F S

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

MAY 2017

S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

NOVEMBER 2016

JANUARY 2017

S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

FEBRUARY 2017

S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28

OCTOBER 2016

S M T W T F S

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31APRIL 2017

S M T W T F S

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30

First Student Day

No School

Student Led Conferences, No School

Data Day, No School

Last Day of School/Early Dismissal

Early Release

Early Dismissal

Oct 14 Teacher In-Service

Nov 11 Veterans Day

Nov 24–25 Thanksgiving Break

Dec 19–Jan 2 Winter Break

Jan 16 MLK Day

Jan 27 Semester Break

Feb 20–21 Mid-Winter Break

Mar 10 Teacher In-Service

Apr 3–7 Spring Break

May 29 Memorial Day

May 30 Snow Makeup Day

Jan 26 End of Semester

KEY

NON- SCHOOL DAYS

DON’T LET ABSENCES ADD UP!Just two (2) absences every month adds up to 20 school days! Students who miss 10%, or 18 days, in a school year are at risk of falling behind academically.

Here are 3 simple tips to help you and your child get ready for school every day:

• Set your alarm, leaving extra time for unexpected delays.

• Lay out clothing and supplies for the next day.

• Make sure your transportation plan is in order.


R E L I G I O N W H E N T H E Y FA S T H O W T H E Y FA S T W H Y T H E Y FA S TBaha’i The Baha’i fast takes place

during Ala, the 19th month of the Baha’í year, from March 2-20.

Abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.

To focus on love of God and spiritual matters.

Buddhist All the main branches of Buddhism practice some periods of fasting, usually on full-moon days and other holidays.

Depending on the Buddhist tradition, fasting usually means abstaining from solid food, with some liquids permitted.

A method of purification. Theravadin and Tendai Buddhist monks fast as a means of freeing the mind. Some Tibetan Buddhist monks fast to aid yogic feats, like generating inner heat.

Catholic Catholics fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and abstain from meat on all Fridays in Lent. For many centuries, Catholics were forbidden to eat meat on all Fridays, but since the mid-1960s, abstaining from meat on Fridays outside of Lent has been a matter of local discretion.

On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, two small meals and one regular meal are allowed; meat is forbidden. On Fridays in Lent, no meat is allowed. For the optional Friday fast, some people substitute a different penance or special prayer instead of fasting.

Teaches control of fleshly desires, penance for sins, and solidarity with the poor. The Lenten fast prepares the soul for a great feast by practicing austerity. The Good Friday fast commemorates the day Christ suffered.

Eastern Orthodox

There are several fast periods, including Lent, Apostles’ Fast, Dormition Fast, and the Nativity Fast, and several one-day fasts. Every Wednesday and Friday is considered a fast day, except those that fall during designated “fast-free weeks.”

In general, meat, dairy products, and eggs are prohibited. Fish is prohibited on some fast days and allowed on others.

Strengthens resistance to gluttony; helps open a person to God’s grace.

Hindu Fasting is commonly practiced on New Moon and Full Moon days and during festivals such as Shivaratri, Saraswati Puja, and Durga Puja (also known as Navaratri). Women in North India also fast on the day of Karva Chauth.

Depends on the individual. Fasting may involve 24 hours of complete abstinence from any food or drink, but is more often an elimination of solid foods, with an occasional drink of milk or water.

A way to enhance concentration during meditation or worship; purification for the system; sometimes considered a sacrifice.

Jewish Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the best-known fast day. The Jewish calendar has sixother fast days as well, including Tisha B’Av, the day on which the destruction of the Jewish Temple took place.

On Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av, eating and drinking are forbidden for a 25-hour period, from sundown to sundown. On the other fast days, eating and drinking are forbidden only from sunrise to sundown.

Atonement for sins and/or special requests to God.


R E L I G I O N W H E N T H E Y FA S T H O W T H E Y FA S T W H Y T H E Y FA S TMormon The first Sunday of each

month is a fast day. Individuals, families, or wards may hold other fasts at will.

Abstaining from food and drink for two consecutive meals and donating food or money to the needy. After the fast, church members participate in a “fast and testimony meeting.”

Closeness to God; concentration on God and religion. Individual or family fasts might be held to petition for a specific cause, such as healing for one who is sick or help with making a difficult decision.

Muslim Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, is a mandatory fasting period that commemorates the period when the Qur’an was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad. Various Muslim customs recommend days and periods of fasting in addition to Ramadan.

Abstain from food, drink, smoking, profane language, and sexual intercourse from before the break of dawn until sunset for the entire month.

Some Muslims fast every Monday (some say Thursday) because Prophet Muhammad was said to do this, and some fast during the month of Sha’baan, which precedes Ramadan, and especially during the three days leading up to Ramadan.

Pagan No organized fast days, but some pagans choose to fast in preparation for Ostara (spring equinox).

At the discretion of the individual, some totally abstain from food, others reduce how much they eat.

Intended to purify a person energetically; often used to raise vibrational levels as preparation for magical work. Ostara fasting is used to cleanse oneself from heavier winter foods.

Protestant (Evangelical)

At the discretion of individuals, churches, organizations, or communities.

Though some people abstain from food or drink entirely, others drink only water or juice, eat only certain foods, skip certain meals, or abstain from temptations, edible or not.

Evangelical fasts have become increasingly popular in recent years, with people fasting for spiritual nourishment, solidarity with impoverished people, a counterbalance to modern consumer culture, or to petition God for special needs.

Protestant (Mainline)

Not a major part of the tradition, but fasts can be held at the discretion of communities, churches, other groups, and individuals.

Discretion of those fasting. For spiritual improvement or to advance a political or social-justice agenda. One example: the ELCA’s “Campaign of Prayer, Fasting, and Vigils.”


Observances by Month

Click on the month to go straight to that month’s content.

“We are committed to providing learning

environments in which your child, and each of

our approximately 23,000 student-scholars, learn at high levels with the academic and social-

emotional supports they need to graduate college-

and-career ready.”

S U P E R I N T E N D E N T D R . T A M M Y C A M P B E L L

S E P T E M B E R

O C T O B E R

N OV E M B E R

D E C E M B E R

J A N U A RY

F E B R U A RY

M A R C H


SeptemberDAT E O B S E R VA N C E

September 5 Labor Day honors contributions made by members of the workforce.

September 11–14 Eid Al-Adhal is a three day festival, also called the “Feast of Sacrifice” honoring the conclusion of Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. This feast honors Ibrahim’s devotion in offering his son to God.

September 12 Ethiopian New Year

September 12–October 15

NATIONAL HISPANIC-LATINO HERITAGE MONTH

September 15 Independence Day for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua

September 16 Mexican Independence Day commemorates the 1810 revolution that ended Spanish rule.

Papua New Guinea Independence Day

September 17– October 3

Oktoberfest

September 23 Saudi Arabia National Day


OctoberDAT E O B S E R VA N C E

October 2 Al Hijra / Muharram (New Year) is the first month of the Islamic calendar and is considered the start of a new year for all Muslims.

October 3 Iraq National Day; Republic of Korea National Foundation Day

October 3-4 Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, commemorates the world’s creation; the first of the Jewish High Holy Days. Rest, abstinence, repentance, and prayer mark this holiday.

October 9 Uganda Independence Day

October 11 Vijay Dashami (Dasera) is a Hindu festival in India that celebrates victory of good over evil. Ashura in the Islamic calendar honors Moses and the exodus of his people from Egypt, Noah’s departure from the ark, and when the grandson of Muhammad was martyred.

October 12 Yom Kippur is the holiest of holidays on the Jewish calendar. Fasting and repentance are typically observed.

October 17-23 Sukkot is also called the Feast of Tabernacles, which begins at sundown on October 15 and ends at sundown on October 23. It is a time of remembrance celebrating the forty years of travel by the Jewish nation in the desert enroute to Israel.

October 20 Sikhs celebrate their spiritual guide, Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

Baha’i believers celebrate the birth of the Bab, a prophet of their faith.

October 22 Dussehra (Dusera) marks the beginning of a ten-day Hindu festival celebrating Rama’s defeat over evil.

October 23 Muslims celebrate Ashura, marking the martyrdom of Hussain, grandson of Mohammed the Prophet, who died fighting for social justice.

October 24 Shemini Atzeret, is observed by the Jewish people following Sukkot. It means, “the eighth day of assembly” and is a time when prayers are extended for a productive harvest.

October 25 Simchat Torah is referred to by the Jewish people as a day for “Rejoicing in the Torah” in which the cycle of weekly Torah readings has ended. It is observed with joyous celebration.

October 30 Diwali, or the “Festival of Lights” is observed by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. This popular holiday celebrates good overcoming evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Homes are typically decorated with candles, lights, sweets, and gifts.

October 31 Halloween, or Samhain is a Pagan acknowledgement of death, ancestors, and turning to winter. It is also observed as a maintream holiday in a number of countries. It begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.


NovemberDAT E O B S E R VA N C E

November 1 All Saints Day honors Christian saints, who are men and women who lived holy lives, some martyred for their faith.

November 2 Christians commemorate All Souls Day to remember their departed loved ones.

In Mexico, the holiday is called Dia de los Muertos (October 31 and November 2).

November 3 National Day for the Federated States of Micronesia

November 4 National Day for Tonga

November 9 Cambodian Independence Day

November 11 Veterans Day is a national holiday honoring all military veterans. It is also called Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other countries, marking the end of World War I.

November 12 Birth of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i faith. Members may refrain from work on this day.

November 16 International Day for Tolerance by the United Nations

November 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance honors those who have died due to violence and transphobia.

Feast of Christ the King is primarily a Roman Catholic observance although Anglicans, Lutherans, and Protestants celebrate this day as well.

November 25 National Day for Bosnia and Herzegovina

November 27 First Sunday of Advent is observed by Christians, and is the beginning of a season to prepare for the birth of Christ.


DecemberDAT E O B S E R VA N C E

December 1 World AIDS Day

National Day for Romania

December 2 National Day for Laos, United Arab Emirates

December 3 International Day of Disabled Persons

December 21 Yule, winter solstice, celebrated by Pagans

December 25 Christmas, Eastern Orthodox, Christian, Protestant and/or Cultural Observance, Pagan


JanuaryDAT E O B S E R VA N C E

January 1 New Year’s Day : first day of the Gregorian calendar; Solemnity of Mary, Catholic; Holy Name of Jesus, Feast of St. Basil, Eastern Orthodox

January 1 Temple Day, Buddhist: prayers for good fortune are extended on this day.

January 5 Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s Birthday: the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs, who initiated them as the Khalsa, also known as the pure ones

January 6 Epiphany, celebrated by Eastern and Western Christians around the world, commemorates the journey of the Magi to the newborn Jesus and of Jesus’ baptism by John.

Armenian Orthodox Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on Epiphany.

January 7 Christmas, Eastern Christians, celebrates the birth of Jesus thirteen days later than other churches because they follow the Julian calendar.

January 14 Makar Sankranti, Hindu, is a major harvest festival celebrating the lengthening days.

January 15 World Religion Day, Baha’i, promotes interfaith harmony and understanding for people of all religions, and begins at sundown.

January 16 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday: Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1964, advocated non-violent social justice

January 16–20 No Name-Calling Week is a national promotion ending name calling and bullying.

January 27 UN Holocaust Memorial Day: annual International Day of Commemoration marking the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz Concentration camp in 1945.

January 28 Republic Day of India: commemorates the date the Constitution of India became law, coinciding with India’s Declaration of Independence.

Lunar New Year: Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese New Years are celebrated.


FebruaryDAT E O B S E R VA N C E

BLACK HISTORY MONTH / AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

February 1 National Freedom Day commemorates the passage of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery in 1865.

February 2 Imbolc, Pagan, celebrates the returning light and the very beginning signs of spring, with an emphasis on the Celtic Goddess Brighid.

February 11 Tu B’Shvat, Jewish: New Year’s Day for Trees is devoted to environmental awareness and work, like planting trees.

February 14 Valentine’s Day: day of romance

Race Relations Day, National Council of Churches, promotes the importance of interracial relations and understanding.

February 15 Susan B. Anthony Day: a pioneer in the Women’s Rights Movement

Nirvana Day, Buddhist, honors the day Buddha achieved complete Nirvana upon the death of his physical body.

February 16 Presidents’ Day honors all U.S. Presidents.

February 25 Maha Shivaratri, Hindu, honors the Great Festival of Shiva.

February 26–March 1

Ayyam-i-ha or Intercalary Days, Baha’i: four days are spent preparing for spiritual days of fasting, celebrating, charity work, and giving of gifts.

February 27 Clean Monday, Eastern Christians, is referred to as The Great Lent, which starts forty days prior to Orthodox Easter.


MarchDAT E O B S E R VA N C E

NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

March 1 Ash Wednesday, Western Christian: the first day of Lent marks forty days of spiritual preparation for Easter (excluding Sundays).

March 2–12 Nineteen-Day Fast, Bahai: the faithful believers ages 15-70 fast from sunrise to sunset, accompanied with prayer and meditation.

March 8 International Women’s Day celebrates women’s accomplishments in the political, economic, and social arena worldwide.

March 12 Magha Puja, Buddhist, commemorates the meeting of more than 1,200 Buddhist monks in the presence of Buddha.

March 13 Holla Mohalla, Sikh, is an annual festival marked by a martial arts parade.

Holi, Hindu: festival of colors commemorates spring and is also called Holaka or Phagwa.

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day, Christian, celebrates the Patron Saint of Ireland.

March 20 Ostara, Pagan: the spring equinox, when day and night are equal and balanced, celebrates spring, fertility, life and reemergence into activity.

March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is a day calling all to action.

Nowruz, Zoroastrian, is an Iranian festival celebrating the New Year and the first day of spring.

March 31 Cesar Chavez Day celebrates the achievements of the Mexican American labor leader, activist, and farm worker whose voice for social justice resonates today.

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