After School will be full of celebration in the coming weeks as we learn about the Day of the Dead and Native American Heritage. On Thursday, November 7, we will have our annual After School Diwali celebration.
By Rebecca Stokes, Director of Auxiliary Programs
In the coming weeks, After School will be full of celebration as we learn about the Day of the Dead, Native American Heritage, and Diwali. Read on for all the information.
Halloween Halloween is a half day this year. For those registered to attend, After School will remain open until 6 p.m. We do not have classes scheduled for this day, as it is a half day and many of our students leave festively early. Please remember to use the Lower School Dismissal Change Form if you would like your child sent to the 21st garage for afternoon dismissal on this day.
Dia de los Muertos Dia de los Muertos is celebrated on Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2. Our Ofrenda is all set up and ready to go in the After School room as we learn all about this celebration. We invite your family to email digital photos of your loved ones to be displayed on our Ofrenda as a way of remembering and honoring them. Next week, we will learn all about it with stories and decorate our own sugar skulls. Send photos to rstokes@usn.org.
Native American Heritage Month We will spend the month of November celebrating Native American Heritage Month. We will learn about the Native Americans that once lived, worked, hunted, and thrived on the land on which USN is built, we will learn about different types of dances and what makes them each significant, and we will learn about some important Native Americans throughout history.
Diwali Diwali celebrations last from Tuesday, October 29 until Sunday, November 3 this year. Students in After School will learn all about this celebration of light over darkness. We will read Diwali stories and make rangoli during our art time. On Thursday, November 7, we will have our annual After School Diwali celebration. Students will float diyas across our indoor swimming pool and have the opportunity to get henna on their hands. I hear we may even be treated to a dance by a group of our own students. Please come to the After School room to enjoy delicious Indian food when you come to pick up your child. There will be plenty for everyone.
Gratitude With so much to celebrate, it's easy to see why our social-emotional learning theme for the month of November is gratitude. Staff and students will be encouraged to focus on what they are grateful for and learn to keep this perspective in mind.
Librarians invite the USN community to celebrate Read Across USN Week from Friday, January 9 through Friday, January 16 and read 300K pages. Click here to volunteer during Community Night in the Hassenfeld Library, when we celebrate this week of literacy 3:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, January 15.
The Quiz Bowl team traveled to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to face several top teams from across the country at this year's South Warren Tournament. USN's second-place finish earned the team an invitation to the National Academic Quiz Tournaments' National Championships in May.
In an inspiring new initiative, USN's health care career spotlight, organized by Ruchika Ramachandran ’27 and Yvonne Wang ’27, brought a wealth of alumni back to the school for an evening of shared expertise and personal stories. This first-of-its-kind event was a great example of the power of connection, mentorship, and community evident throughout the USN community.
USN Mission: University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.