Ramadan
This year Ramadan will begin in the evening of this Wednesday, March 22, and will end in the evening of Thursday, April 20. Eid al Filtr is the Islamic holiday that marks the end of the month of Ramadan. 

Throughout the holiday observers fast from sunrise to sunset. Ramadan is not only a time of fasting, but also a time of reflection, charity and celebration for our Muslim students, staff and their families. 

Working for many years with students from different cultures, and many Muslim students among them, I have learned that it's very important not to express pity or sorrow towards them. Avoid asking things like " Wow, that's a lot!" or " that must be hard" or " Not even water?" They want to fast and feel proud of it. Encouragement is great.
"I am sure you are excited to be celebrating Ramadan this year" " What are you looking forward to eating for iftar?"  Ramadan is the most beautiful month of the year for our Muslim students. 

Be sure to talk to all of the students/children/family about Ramadan. We have many children who may not be fasting but still celebrate Ramadan in other ways. I am sure they will feel very happy to share about their culture as well. Learning about each other's cultures brings us closer as a school community. Cultural awareness teaches our kids how to love and appreciate all the differences that we might have. 

Please take a look at a few resources attached to this email and see if you can use them in the classroom. I am also attaching a mini virtual library with a few books that talk about this topic. Each book is linked to the book cover. You will just need to click on the book to hear the story.