A month long observance that celebrates the histories, contributions, heritage and culture of Hispanic and Latino Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Calendar
September 4 - LABOR DAY
Celebrated in recognition of U.S. workers
September 16-17 - ROSH HASHANAH
Beginning of the Jewish New Year and first of the High Holy Days, which marks the beginning of a ten-day period of penitence and spiritual renewal.
September 19 - GANESH CHATURTHI
Hindu Celebration of the birthday of Ganesha
September 25 - YOM KIPPUR
The “Day of Atonement” marks the end of the Ten Days of Penitence that begin with Rosh Hashanah
September 27 - MAWLID AL-NABI
The Sunni observance of the birthday of islam founder Prophet Muhammad
Join our equity learning community! Explore some of the books, articles, videos, and websites we have found valuable in building diversity, equity, and integration in Westwood.
Educators throughout the district have participated in courses and book studies to guide our work and thinking:
Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy by Gholdy Muhammad
Unconscious Bias In Schools: A Developmental Approach to Exploring Race and Racism by Tracey A. Benson and Sarah E. Fiarman
Education Across Borders: Immigration, Race, and Identity in the Classroom by Jalene Tamerat, Marie Lily Cerat, and Patrick Sylvain
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
We work with IDEAS: Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students as a M.A.S.S.: Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents and professional development partner for DEI.
Westwood works with MPDE: Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education to meet and recruit educators of color as prospective candidates for faculty and staff positions.
The Diverse BookFinder is a comprehensive collection of children's picture books featuring Black and Indigenous people and People of Color (BIPOC) and includes trade books published since 2002.
The resources in this section are meant to be a guide, an introduction to something new, or deepen your understanding if you are interested in supporting educational equity.
"Education broadens our horizons and enables us to confront realities we'd never before anticipated."
Betsy DeVos
This Netflix series features celebrity readers sharing children’s books by Black authors to spark child-centered conversations about empathy, equity, and love.
This Disney video features ABC News cast members sharing the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a courageous civil rights leader who inspired millions of people.
The scholastic video explains the Lunar New Year to children and provides visual examples of traditions that celebrate the important holiday.
Students learn best when they are in school communities where their individual perspectives are valued.
"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character: that is the goal of education."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
