Celebrating Lunar New Year

Maricela Guerrero, Executive Director, Rocketship California

“I am so proud that we have a strong school community who stands with us to share and contribute and participate in the traditions that we have. Celebrating Tet at school will be part of their childhood memories probably for the rest of their life. So thank you for creating this experience for them at Rocketship” – Ms. Van, ROMO staff member and ROMO Vietnamese Association

“I’m happy we celebrate Lunar New because we all should appreciate every culture and Lunar New Year is not only celebrated in Vietnam or China but in most Asian countries. It helps everyone understand what we do, eat, wear during Lunar New Year as well as how we celebrate. It always feels good when learning a new culture.” – Nina Nguyen, 4th grade RSK Rocketeer

As a community of Rocketship schools, we have always been committed to fostering an inclusive environment where our students’ cultures are celebrated. Honoring the cultural traditions of our students and families is something that makes our schools so unique and special – even news outlets and the wider community take notice. As educators, we know it is important for students to see themselves in what we celebrate year-round. These school celebrations allow students of all backgrounds to feel seen and heard and to learn more about other cultures, drawing connections between themselves and their classmates. It’s these moments that help us strengthen our school culture and teach our students to become culturally responsive and build their confidence and pride in their own heritages.

We also recognize the importance of having our educators serve as windows and mirrors for our students. I am proud to share that 71% of our teachers are teachers of color – representing the many cultural, ethnic, and racial identities of the communities we serve. This is not a happy accident, but rather, a result of our deliberate efforts to build and foster a diverse educator community at our schools.

Across our campuses, students and staff have embraced Lunar New Year, a significant holiday for many AAPI cultures that represents the coming of Spring and hope for the future. By celebrating Lunar New Year, we not only celebrate the diversity of our community, but demonstrate a commitment to fostering respect and unity among all of its members. Without further ado, check out how our school communities are celebrating Lunar New Year:

At Rocketship Mateo Sheedy, we are celebrating Lunar New Year by passing out Lei See envelopes to students with gold chocolate coins inside. During Launch, we will be listening to a read-aloud to teach students and staff about the legend of the Chinese Zodiacs. To top it off, we will be celebrating the Year of the Dragon with a Chinese food feast!

On Monday, our Rocketship Sí Se Puede Rocketeers will wear red or traditional clothing in celebration of Lunar New Year. Students and staff will also be receiving red envelopes with special surprises inside!

The team at Rocketship Los Sueños centered their Lunar New Year celebrations around the experiences of students and staff members who celebrate the holiday! Check out their photos and launch slides below!

 

Families at Rocketship Mosaic, in partnership with Ms. Van and teachers, hosted an amazing Tet celebration for the community complete with performances from current and former Rocketeers!

Rocketship Discovery Prep celebrated Lunar New Year by inviting our students to dress in their cultural clothing or the color red & yellow/gold! They also received red envelopes with Lunar New Year tickets worth 50 stamps that they can spend at the student store!

Rocketship Brilliant Minds hosted a special Lunar New Year landing with special performances and a lion dance!

In addition to learning about Lunar New Year traditions each day during launch, our Rocketship Alma Rocketeers are working on crafts throughout the week to decorate the school for Lunar New Year.

Rocketship Spark put on a fun Lunar New Year celebration with a dragon dance, food, and other activities! In the morning, fourth grade Rocketeers, Helaine and Levelle, shared some aspects of Lunar New Year traditions and culture with the whole school during morning Launch!

Rocketship Fuerza hosted a family event with their Rocketeers that had a potluck and showcase what they have been working on in dance class to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

At Rocketship Redwood City, each class learned about some of the traditions of the Lunar New Year and came together to craft a mosaic to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

At Rocketship Rising Stars, Lunar New Year is celebrated by a large portion of our community, and it’s an important cultural event that we share with our students and families every year. We had a special Launch with dancing and students and educators alike dressed in traditional cultural clothing to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

Rocketeers at Rocketship Futuro Academy are learning about Lunar New Year traditions during Launch.

Rocketship Delta celebrated Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon by making our own dragon masks and lanterns culminating in a spirit day where we showed off our Lunar New Year traditional wear!

Thank you all for continuing to make our schools a second home for our students and I’m proud to share the Lunar New Year celebrations across our schools! Have a wonderful Year of the Dragon!

Published on February 12, 2024