What is World Teacher's Day?

World Teachers’ Day recognises the high quality of early childhood teachers, teachers, casual relief teachers, principals and early childhood leaders, and the significant contributions they make in classrooms and communities.

In 2020, World Teachers’ Day will celebrate teachers with the theme “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”. The day provides the occasion to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, take stock of achievements, and draw attention to the voices of teachers, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.

When is World Teacher's Day?

Monday, 5 October 2020. However as this normally falls within Australian school holidays, we celebrate Teacher's Day on 30 October. 

Ways to Celebrate World Teacher's Day:

• Organising events that celebrate young teachers.
• Gathering positive feedback from children can be especially meaningful for teachers – children could sign a card for their teacher, or even come up with an appropriate award to present to them.
• Hosting a morning tea for your teachers.
• Organising a staff gathering outside of work to show appreciation!

Click the following link to print posters and banners to display around your centre: https://www.educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/about/events/world-teachers-day

What is Daylight Savings Time Starts?

Daylight saving time, also daylight savings time or daylight time and summer time, is the practice of advancing clocks during warmer months so that darkness falls later each day according to the clock.

When is Daylight Savings Time Starts?

Daylight saving time 2021 in New South Wales will begin at 2:00 am on Sunday, 2 October.

Activities:

• Inviting all children in all age groups to make paper plates clocks where they can move the arms around clock to experiements different times. 
• Teaching preschoolers how to read time.
• Invite the childrent to play "What's the time Mr Wolf"
• Experimenting and learning how time use to be told by your shadow (Your shadow goes clockwise, from left to right, in front of you. Also, it will be shorter in the morning, longer at noon when the sun is higher in the sky, and then shorter again as the sun sets in the West (behind you to on your left).

What is World Smile Day?

World Smile Day is celebrated the first Friday in October. World Smile Day is the perfect day to make others smile while also ensuring you have a smile on your face as well. There are a lot of events that go on around the globe on World Smile Day, all of which have been designed to make people feel happier and to share great moments with others. We see associations, organizations, people, and schools get involved, with many different activities going on that can make a person smile. This includes sending lovely messages to people and giving food to those who need it. 

When is World Smile Day?

Friday, 6 October

Activities:

• Group discussion regarding World Smile Day
• Books regarding kindness and emotions
• Having emotional flash cards
• Creating a feelings wall
• Role play kind gestures i.e. Let somebody go in front of you in a line
  • Ask somebody who is by themselves to come and play/making a new friend
• Encourage children to play with other friends in classroom
• Having children interact with the younger/older groups
• Centre project - Asking families, staff and community to donate food to feed the homeless
• Having a gathering for lunch with all the children and educators
• Singing and dancing along to "If your happy and you know it"

What is International Coffee Day?

International Coffee Day helps raise awareness about sustainable coffee cultivation and fair trade practices within the coffee industry. Before 2015 the day used to be celebrated on different dates in different countries.

Coffee is a drink made from the seeds or berries of the coffee plant. As a beverage, it has been enjoyed by people around the world for many centuries. Historians believe that coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia but was cultivated on a large scale and traded for the first time by the Arabs.

When is International Coffee Day?

Sunday, 1 October

Activities:

• Organise or pre-pay for coffee for your staff to get a coffee from the local cafe before or after work. 
• Intentional Teaching Lesson - learn about the art and science of growing and brewing coffee. 
• Set up the role play area as a cafe for all ages to share their experience and role play going to a cafe with their families and meeting up with their family friends. 
• Learning about which beverages have caffeine in them and which beverages are good and bad for us.

What is Rosh Hashanah?

Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish religious holiday. It celebrates the Jewish New Year as well as the creation of the world.

Rosh Hashanah generally falls in the month of September, but can actually be between September 5th and October 5th. It always occurs 163 days after Passover. It also never falls on a Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday.

Fun Facts About Rosh Hashanah

• The blowing of the shofar horn has specific requirements. Exactly 100 notes is blown each day.
• Jewish people are not supposed to work on this holiday.
• People often greet each other on this day by saying "L'shanah tovah" which means "for a good year".
• The holiday officially begins at nightfall.
• It occurs during the Jewish month of Tishri.
• It is considered one of the High Holy days or Days of Awe.

When is Rosh Hashanah?

Friday 15 and Sunday 17 September

Activities: 

• Apple Prints - Since apples are an important symbol of Rosh Hashanah, this craft uses them to make beautiful card stock prints that can be used for greeting cards, place holders or just to hang up and admire.
• Reading stories to learn and celebrate Rosh Hashamah - https://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/4756/jewish/Stories.htm
• How to celebrate Rosh Hashanah with imporant meaningful symbols: 
  • Arts and Crafts - Children engaging in making colourful cellophane fish - Fish symbolises the translation of Rosh Hashanah, which means “Head of the Year” in Hebrew.
  • Symbolic bread called challah is baked, sweetened with raisins and braided into a round shape. 
    Click the following link for more Rosh Hashanah reciepes: https://www.chabad.org/kids/article_cdo/aid/354776/jewish/Recipes.htm
  • Dipping apples into honey - Apples are dipped in honey, again symbolizing sweetness.
    All of these traditions are important, because they help to connect us to the deeper meaning of the Rosh Hashanah holiday.