Greetings School Community at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School!

Next week is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. week at our school. Below are ways we are celebrating our school's namesake!

A summary is above with details below.

1. Mon. Jan 15 from 11:00am-1:00pm: Volunteer with families from our school!

2. Tues. Jan 16 5:30-8:00pm, cafeteria: Attend the PAUS Conversation on Diversity

3. Thu. Jan 18 5:00-8:30pm: International Potluck | Kuumba Singers | Local Civil Rights Leaders Panel

4. Fri. Jan 19 8:30am: School Concert with our own MLKing students!

5. Mark your calendar for future service events to help our school community keep Dr. King's dream alive

Here are the details:

1. Monday Jan 15 from 11:00am-1:00pm: Volunteer with families from our school!

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day/National day of Service by volunteering with other families at our school:Join us to volunteer at Cradles to Crayons in Brighton MA.

• MLK Friends has arranged 20 spots for people from our school to volunteer
• I (Christina Lively, President of MLK Friends) need ensure that all participants pre-register.
• To join us, email chris[dot]t[dot]lively[at]gmail[dot]com by 5:00pm Thursday, January 11, 2018 with the names and ages of the people who will volunteer with you.

We will be sorting clothing and school supplies to give to children in need. Children above ages of 5 and their parents are welcome to join.

Cradles to Crayons was started by a parent in our school back in 2001, and now gives clothing and school supplies to children in need in the Boston area, as well as Philadelphia and Chicago! Learn more about this wonderful organization here: https://www.cradlestocrayons.org

2. Tues. Jan 16 5:30-8:00pm, cafeteria: Discuss Diversity

Please join us as PAUS, our own upper school, will host a Community Conversation on Identity and Diversity. Several parents from our school attended the November 28 Community Conversation event and they really enjoyed the insightful conversation. This event is a great way to think more deeply about these important issues, support our upper school, and connect with families from all our elementary feeder schools, as all are invited to attend.

Dinner will be served and childcare is available. RSVP to dajones[at]cpsd[dot].us for childcare and so we have enough food. Also, please help us spread the word about this event to other elementary and middle school families in Cambridge!

3. Thurs. Jan 18 5:00-8:00pm: Learn from Leaders: International Potluck | Kuumba Singers| Local Civil Rights Leaders Panel

Dr. MLKing School and MLK Friends will host an evening event to celebrate Dr. King:

• 5:00pm - 6:00pm Please bring a dish to share for the International potluck in our cafeteria
• 6:00pm(ish) - 6:40pm Join us in the auditorium for music with the Harvard Kuumba singers
• 6:40-7:00pm (break so families with younger children can leave if they wish to)
• 7:00pm-8:00pm "The King and I," a panel with local civil rights leaders 
• Last year this event was a big success for the 3rd, 4th, 5th grade students. I'm so excited this is open to our community this year!
  
• We have invited families from many Cambridge schools to join us for the panel discussion/celebration. Please help us spread the word!
• (Note: the Kuumba singers event is limited to families at our school, but the panel is open to all)

4. Fri. Jan 19 8:25am (updated time): School Concert with our own MLKing students!
Join us for this concert with our own students in the auditorium.

One note: Everyone will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing", so if you want to learn/remind yourself of the song, here is more information including audio of the song: http://www.pbs.org/black-culture/explore/black-authors-spoken-word-poetry/lift-every-voice-and-sing/

• Please be careful parking - as you know, there's lots of snow out there so watch for signs that may say "no parking until further notice"
• But luckily, there is no street cleaning until April.

5. Mark your calendar for future service events to help our school community keep Dr. King's dream alive
We welcome your family to celebrate Dr. King through service at these family events!
More details will be announced soon.

• The MLK families Team for the Charles River Cleanup on April 29, 2018
• The MLK families Team for the Walk for Hunger on May 6, 2018
• Note that there may be changes to the Walk for Hunger this year, including a registration fee. We will do more research on this and send an update.

Thanks all and we look forward to seeing you next week!