MLK screenprint courtesy of Gillian Pokalo

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and Justice, 01/17/2022 LAUNCH

All Plymouth Meeting Friends School students, families, faculty, and staff are welcome to join us in this year’s virtual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and Justice. All the activities are designed to help us CONNECT with one another, SUPPORT our communities, and LEARN more about social justice, racial justice, equality, and equity.

Monday, January 17th 10:00-11:00 am Launch of MLK Activities: 

Why LAUNCH? The ongoing pandemic prevents us, once again, from gathering as a community in person. However, this also presents us with an opportunity to extend our commemoration of Dr. King beyond one single day. In the words of Dr King’s daughter Bernice:  

As your organizations plan for #MLKDay, please note:

My father’s legacy is about much more than service projects. If you plant a tree, also educate about environmental injustice and racial injustice. If you paint a mural at a school, also host a workshop on inequity in education. Plant a garden, but also commit to ending food deserts and eradicating the injustices that cause them. Service matters. Systemic change alleviates WHY the service is needed. 

With this in mind, we are hoping to make this day a launching point for continued work on dismantling the systems of oppression.  5th/6th graders are working on writing letters to Senators/Representatives to encourage them to pass the voting rights law.  We are hoping to do a “teach in” with the rest of the student body to encourage them to also write letters. 

On Monday, January 17th we will launch an ongoing series of events and activities that will allow us to celebrate and learn from Dr. King’s legacy and continue his work. Please try to attend this live, virtual, community gathering to honor his work from 10:00-11:00 AM on Monday, January 17th. We will watch his “I have a dream” speech as well as a message about continuing his legacy from the King family, discuss the legacy of his work, and share future events that will come. 

Here is the link for Monday’s meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/244538458?pwd=N1FSU0RoaWptNGVEUFFNb0pFUE9MUT09

Parent Resources:

Parent Resources: MLK Jr Day videos by grade & book links:  Families may want to participate by watching the videos selected for your grade group, and then DISCUSS them on your own or in MONDAY ‘S MEETING (1/17) .

Organizations to donate to:  Since we can’t be together to provide service on MLK Day this year, here’s a couple of ideas of how to support BIPOC organizations in our local community.

Science to Share

Science students in grades one through six begin each class with “Science to Share.” Each student is tasked with collecting and sharing information about one thing including the temperature, air pressure, cloud type, humidity, events in the night sky that day, or a nature or science news fact from a book in the classroom. The goal is to help students make informed observations about the world around them and to feel engaged with science as a process that is always collecting new information and sharing it with the scientific community.

Pod 5/6 Crest Projects

This week in the 5/6 classroom, students presented their Crest projects, where students created a visual design (without words) to communicate a deeper understanding of their identity. Students were to include a personal symbol, color, shape, social issue of importance  and a symbol related to family. Additionally, this Crest project culminated into an interactive art installation, which gave others at PMFS the opportunity to try and match the Crest with its corresponding student, given only the visual details of the Crest as the clue.

Future Veterinarians