Family Resources
Below you'll find a collection of resources for Cherry Crest families.
For resources around more specific topics, please check the drop-down options under "Family Resources." Below you will find resources for various honorary months and miscellaneous resources that other families have found helpful in the past. Stay tuned for more to come as we move through the school year.
Let me know if there is something you're looking for that you can't find here!
Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15)
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Short intro videos of kids explaining what National Hispanic Heritage Month is:
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Video created by a school district in Texas (1 minute)
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Video created by Nickelodeon (1 minute)
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Read-Alouds: 11 Picture Books Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
Native American Indian / Alaska Native Heritage Month (November)
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Food brings so many cultures together – To explore through food, try some: Native Recipes from Indigenous Chefs
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Explore our own backyard by viewing what territories, languages, and treaties are and were present in the land we live on today: Native Land Digital
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Explore this list together of some wonderful read-alouds and Children’s Books by Indigenous Authors
Universal Human Rights Month (December)
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Check out this list of read-alouds related to human rights and social justice you can read as a family.
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Make a family map together - How have the rights your family members and the people around them have changed over time. What caused these changes? And/or what changes do you think still need to be made?
New Years (January and beyond)
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Build your own New Years traditions! Whichever day(s) you celebrate the new year, practice these traditions with your child(ren). Looking for some new tradition ideas? Here are some fun ideas and foods from around the world.
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Read about some fun ways to ring in the New Year that you may want to try or learn more about!
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Review this list of a whole host of other culture's and tradition's New Years dates - Which are new to you? Which do you celebrate? Which ones would you and your family like to learn more about?
Black History Month (February)
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Here are some fun and engaging activities for families of all ages!
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To dive even deeper, here are some resources and supports for more learning you can do at home.
Women's History Month (March)
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PBS for Families' 15 Children's Books to Celebrate Women's History
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Here’s a list of 11 fun activities to get you started!
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Women’s History Month is a great time to talk about inequities within our society. Why do we need to celebrate and lift up women’s history in particular? Why does this continue to be important today? What other groups within our society historically have been (and continue to be) marginalized? How can we be part of the change?
Arab American Heritage Month (April)
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Check out the Arab American National Museum’s virtual tours of their core galleries!
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For some superhero fun, check out the comic book series, Ms. Marvel, which features a Pakistani American teen who develops superpowers. The series has also been made into a show on Disney+! (Common Sense Media rates the show as 10 years old and up.)
Jewish American Heritage Month (May)
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Here are a couple of collections of fun books to read that celebrate Jewish culture and lives from The School Library Journal and Kids Path. Happy reading!
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Take a peek at this guide from Nickelodeon Parents about how to celebrate and honor this month together as a family.
Bullying Prevention Month (October)
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SecondStep.org family activation codes for our whole-school Bullying Prevention curriculum:
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· Kinder: BPUK FAMI LY00
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· 1st grade: BPU1 FAMI LY01
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· 2nd grade: BPU2 FAMI LY02
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· 3rd grade: BPU3 FAMI LY03
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· 4th grade: BPU4 FAMI LY04
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· 5th grade: BPU5 FAMI LY05
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Common Sense Media’s Cyberbullying portal includes great resources for teaching students about safe online behavior, what to do in response to cyberbullying, and how to set parental controls on various apps and devices.
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Scholastic has a list of 23 Books to Spark Conversations About Bullying that are great places to start a conversation at home about how to treat others and what to do when you see bullying happen to yourself or someone else.
National Gratitude Month (November)
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· PBS Kids’ Gratitude Bingo and other fun ideas for expressing gratitude at home!
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· An article about ways you and your family can practice gratitude together all month long!
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· A creative way to get kids to share things they’re grateful for – Crafting gratitude stones to hide throughout the house! Whoever finds one shares something they are grateful for in that moment!
International Day of People with Disabilities (December)
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The Center for Parent Information & Resources has a whole host of ideas for increasing disability awareness within yourself and your family.
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Borrow from the library, purchase from a local book store, or find a read-aloud on YouTube of the book "Just Ask" by Sonia Sotomayor. You can read a short summary about the book HERE.
National Mentoring Month
(January)
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Interested in finding a mentor for your student? Check out the local community mentoring programs below:
Mental Wellness Month
( January)
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Check out this great compilation of coping strategy ideas complete with visuals and step-by-step guides to practice with your child(ren)! These are all great things for your students to have in their coping “toolkits” for the next time a big feeling comes along.
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A great collection that is routinely updated of mental health resources for caregivers of children and teens put together by Seattle Children’s.
National Friendship Month (February)
National Foreign Language Month (March)
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Does your child speak multiple languages? Celebrate this amazing skill with these tips!
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Introduce your kids to a new language with this list of bilingual books!
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (May)
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Check out these ways to celebrate APNHPI Heritage Month at home!
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For your next family movie night, pick one of these 13 family-friendly movies that celebrate AANHPI heritage. Happy watching!
LGBTQIA+ Pride Month (June)
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Take a look at this great list of 8 Ways to Celebrate Pride Month with Kids!
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A great way to start conversations with your child about the LGBTQ+ community is introducing the concept of gender identity and pronouns. Here are a few great articles to get your started: How To Talk to Kids About Gender Identity and Teaching Kids About Gender Pronouns.