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September 23 is Sign Languages Day
Sign Languages Day

Happy Sign Languages Day (also known as the International Day of Sign Languages)! September 23 has been proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the International Day of Sign Languages in order to raise awareness of the importance of sign language in the recognition of the human rights of people who are deaf.

It's a timely reminder to support greater accessibility to sign language everywhere, to make the world more inclusive for the over 70 million Deaf people across the globe.

As the UN notes, "Sign languages are fully fledged natural languages, structurally distinct from the spoken languages. There is also an international sign language, which is used by deaf people in international meetings and informally when travelling and socializing. It is considered a pidgin form of sign language that is not as complex as natural sign languages and has a limited lexicon."

Celebrate Sign Languages Day by learning to sign a word or letter of the alphabet as your first step. Learn more at https://www.un.org/en/observances/sign-languages-day.

Archive

It's STEM/STEAM Day!

November 8 is International STEM/STEAM Day, which celebrates the importance of "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics," with STEAM acknowledging the importance of the Arts and adding that initial "A" into the original “STEM” acronym.

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Muir Elementary Unveils New Outdoor Learning Lab

In October, Muir Elementary School was transformed into a vibrant hub of hands-on learning as volunteers came together to build a new Outdoor Learning Lab. This inspiring initiative was made possible through a partnership between the Seattle Seahawks, Monolithic Power Systems and OutTeach, a national nonprofit dedicated to turning outdoor spaces into dynamic learning environments.
 

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November Celebrates Indigenous American / Native American Heritage

Today, there are over 500 different federally recognized tribes, encompassing over 9 million Indigenous Americans across the United States. And with 29 of those tribes within the state of Washington, we're proud to have the opportunity to celebrate Indigenous American / Native American Heritage Month. Also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, it's an opportunity to pay tribute to the diversity, rich ancestry, and traditions of Native Americans in our districts.

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Celebrating National LGBTQ+ History Month in October

October offers a vital celebration of LGBTQ pride with LGBTQ+ History Month! Created in 1994, by a Missouri high school history teacher named Rodney Wilson who believed that a month should explore and celebrate LGBTQ+ history, LGBTQ+ History Month honors the history and courageous achievements across the years of LGBTQ+ people, including a spotlight on National Coming Out Day on October 11.

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Honoring the History and Importance of Orange Shirt Day

Each September 30 is Orange Shirt Day—a day of remembrance honoring the hundreds of thousands of indigenous children who attended Canadian residence schools and United States Indigenous Boarding Schools, enduring abuse, neglect, disease, and worse. These schools were deliberately created to strip First Nations and other indigenous children of their culture, language, and way of life, and their effects are still being felt today by those who survived, as well as their families.

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