Calendar Highlights: April

The Berkley Schools printed calendar highlights heritage months, holidays, days of observances and recognition days. In the Berkley Beat, we’ll highlight these days with more information for community learning to help us achieve the District goal of creating an environment where all staff, students and community members feel a sense of belonging.

Arab American Heritage Month

The Arab America Foundation launched the National Arab American Heritage Month initiative in 2017. In 2021, President Biden recognized the month nationally to recognize the 3.5 million Arab Americans that exemplify “so much of what our country stands for: hard work, resilience, compassion, and generosity.”. For National Arab American Heritage month, across the country, cultural institutions, school districts, municipalities, state legislatures, public servants, and non-profit organizations issue proclamations and engage in special events that celebrate the Arab American community’s rich heritage and numerous contributions to society.

Did you know that the first and only museum in the United States devoted to documenting and sharing Arab American contributions that shaped the economic, political and cultural landscapes of American life is a 20 minute drive from the Berkley Schools? The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is located in Dearborn. The Museum brings to light the shared experiences of immigrants and ethnic groups, paying tribute to the diversity of our nation.

The museum tells the Arab American story through the voices and experiences of Arab Americans.

Learn more about the museum on their website, or go for a visit at 13624 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI 48126.

Autism Acceptance Month

Autism Acceptance Month, previously named Autism Awareness Month, aims to celebrate and promote acceptance for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which occurs in one in every 54 children as of 2020 in the United States. Autism, a complex developmental condition affecting the person's ability to interact, communicate, and progress, has not one but many subtypes. First held in the year 1972 by the Autism Society, Autism Acceptance Month emphasizes the need for public awareness to promote acceptance, celebrate the differences and be more inclusive towards autistic individuals around us.

To learn more about Autism and Autism awareness, the START project is a great place to begin. The START project is housed in the Grand Valley State University Autism Education Center, supported by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. It is funded by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education to provide evidence-based training, technical assistance and coaching support and resources to school-based teams in Michigan that support students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). START is a statewide collaborative effort to make systems level changes to improve the educational programming and quality of life for students with ASD.

START developed an Autism Acceptance, Advocacy and Action webpage as part of the ASD 365: Equity and Inclusion Every Day campaign to promote autism acceptance and advocacy through action in April and the months after. START encourages the community to use these resources to assure everyone is using practices focused on equity and inclusiveness that value the voices and perspectives of the autistic community. An active, collaborative approach that involves listening, understanding and taking action will help everyone grow into a truly diverse, equitable community where all perspectives and people are heard and valued.

Want to read more on awareness vs acceptance?

Acceptance vs. Awareness Article

Then: Puzzle piece as the symbol for Autism

Now: Rainbow colored infinity symbol

Then: "Light it up blue" for Autism

Now: Gold, Red, Rainbow - anything but blue

Then: Autism Awareness

Now: Autism Acceptance

More Resources

• ASAN’s Autism Acceptance Page

Professional Appreciation Day - April 3

On Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, Berkley Schools says thank you to all our Paraprofessionals for going above and beyond every day to support our students. We are so grateful for all of you!

Passover - Begins at Sundown on Saturday, April 12

Passover, Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the Jewish religion’s most sacred holidays. Passover commemorates the Hebrew liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. Passover begins at sundown on April 12 and ends on April 20. The first two evenings of Passover are often celebrated with a feast known as a seder, where the story of the Exodus from Egypt is recounted and Matzah, an unleavened bread, is eaten.

You can learn more about Passover on the history.com website as well as on the chabad.org website

Good Friday - April 18

Good Friday is a Christian holiday observing the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary, and takes place the Friday before Easter. It is also known as Holy Friday and Great Friday. Members of many christian denominations observe Good Friday as a day of sorrow, penance and fasting.

Palm Sunday - April 13

Palm Sunday, in the Christian tradition, is the first day of Holy Week and the Sunday before Easter, commemorating Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It is associated in many churches with the blessing and procession of palms (leaves of the date palm or twigs from locally available trees). These special ceremonies were taking place toward the end of the 4th century in Jerusalem and are described in the travelogue The Pilgrimage of Etheria. Source: Britannica

Easter - April 20

Easter, the main festival of the Christian church, celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. The earliest recorded observance of an Easter celebration comes from the 2nd century. Easter is immediately preceded by Holy Week, which includes Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples; Good Friday, the day of his Crucifixion; and Holy Saturday, the transition between Crucifixion and Resurrection. Souce: Britannica

The most prominent secular symbol of the Easter holiday is the Easter bunny, which was reportedly introduced to America by the German immigrants who brought over their stories of an egg-laying hare. The decoration of eggs is believed to date back to at least the 13th century, while the rite of the Easter parade has even older roots. Other traditions, such as Easter candy, are among the modern additions to the celebration of this early springtime holiday. Source: History.com

Orthodox Easter - April 20

Eastern Orthodox and Greek Orthodox believers celebrate Orthodox Easter, the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Greek Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, not the Gregorian calendar that most other Christian believers use, which is why Orthodox Easter and Easter are often on separate days. Orthodox Easter is also dictated by the Hebrew calendar because it always falls after Passover.

History shares, “Although it is observed as the holiest day by both Orthodox Christians and non-orthodox Christians, it is a movable feast, and is recognized on different days by both religions each year. Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter later than most Christians in the western world because the churches calculate the holiday by different calendars.”

Earth Day - April 22

Earth Day was established on April 22, 1970, and has been celebrated every year since. According to National Geographic Kids, the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, when United States senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin organized a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues. Rallies took place across the country and, by the end of the year, the U.S. government had created the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1990, Earth Day was an event celebrated by more than 140 countries around the globe.

Now, Earth Day activities are organized by earthday.org.

Administrative Professionals Day - April 23

National Administrative Professionals Day, also known as Secretaries Day or Admin Day, recognizes the work of secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals. Administrative Professionals Day falls on the Wednesday of the last full week in April of each year.

In Berkley Schools, it allows the District to say thank you to all our outstanding secretaries and executive assistants who go above and beyond every day for our students and staff.

Take a Child to Work and Beyond Day - April 24

Junior Achievement (JA), a leader in preparing young people for work and life, is proud to announce the next evolution of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day to inspire participation by all kids and families. On April 24, 2025, the event becomes Take a Child to Work Day and Beyond by Junior Achievement. Junior Achievement assumed leadership of the groundbreaking work readiness initiative started three decades ago by the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation.

Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day was established originally as “Take Our Daughters to Work Day” in 1993, on the fourth Thursday in April. In 2003, the Day was officially expanded to include sons and in 2007, the Take Our Daughters and Sons Foundation (TODSF) was established to create programming for each annual day.

Holocaust Remembrance Day - April 24

The internationally recognized date for Holocaust Remembrance Day corresponds to the 27th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and is a national day of commemoration in Israel, on which the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust are memorialized. This year, Holocaust Remembrance Day is Thursday, April 24, 2025.

In Hebrew, Holocaust Remembrance Day is called Yom Hashoah. When the actual date of Yom Hashoah falls on a Friday, the state of Israel observes Yom Hashoah on the preceding Thursday. When it falls on a Sunday, Yom Hashoah is observed on the following Monday. In the United States, Days of Remembrance runs from the Sunday before Yom Hashoah through the following Sunday.

In Israel, a two-minute siren will sound nationwide at 10 a.m. to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Learn more on the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website: https://www.ushmm.org/remember/days-of-remembrance/resources

Sources: Holocaust Memorial Museum & Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center