DEB Newsletter
Volume 2
December 2020
|
|
Adoption Awareness Month
Most people with no direct experience with adoption are naturally unfamiliar with inclusive adoption terms, especially as adoption has changed over the last few decades.
The terms below are most applicable to Domestic Infant Adoption (private adoptions facilitated through an agency), though they can be used in many adoption situations.
Birthmother and birthfather are the titles given to the “biological” parents. Historically, people referred to birthparents as “real parents.” Birthmother and birthfather is a respectful and more descriptive term for biological parents that does not diminish the role and relationship of adoptive parents.
Adoption plan/placing a child - A frequently heard term is “giving up a child for adoption.” The preferred term is “placing a child for adoption.” Birthparents, with the help of an agency, make an “adoption plan.” Adoption is giving but it is not giving up.
Open adoption is a common type of adoption in the US today. Open adoption is one in which the child, birth family, and adoptive family maintain an agreed amount and type of contact. This can range from letters and photos to phone calls and meetings. The biggest misunderstanding with open adoptions is the perception that birth parents can regain custody of the child. This is not true. It instead allows people to stay in contact. This is a stark contrast to what many when the norm was sealing records and not allowing children to know who their birth parents were. While not every adoption is open adoption, there is a trend towards more openness.
It’s the child’s story - While it is natural to have questions about how a child came to be part of their adoptive family, not all details of the child’s story are a parent’s to share. It is the child’s choice. This allows the child to choose what they wish to share, with whom, and when.
|
|
Breaking Baseball Barriers
On November 13th, history was made when Kim Ng was named general manager of the Miami Marlins, becoming the first woman to hold this role in Major League Baseball. “This challenge is one I don’t take lightly,” Ms. Ng said in a statement released by the team. “When I got into this business, it seemed unlikely a woman would lead a major league team, but I am dogged in the pursuit of my goals.”
Ms. Ng grew up in Queens, NY, and graduated from the University of Chicago, where she starred in softball and graduated with a degree in public policy. At age 21, Ms. Ng began her career as an intern for the Chicago White Sox and over the next 30 years worked her way up, earning senior positions with the Yankees, the L.A. Dodgers, and, most recently, serving as MLB’s senior vice president of baseball operations.
Following the Marlins’ announcement, Major League Commissioner Rob Manfred stated, “Kim’s appointment makes history in all professional sports and sets a significant example for the millions of women and girls who love baseball and softball.”
To see Ms. Ng’s comments following her appointment visit this link:
Photo: Miami Marlins Hire Kim Ng
|
|
American Indian Heritage Month (November) |
|
In honor of Native American Heritage Month, which was proclaimed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, we celebrate and honor the diverse cultures and contributions of indigenous people in the month of November. To coincide with the month, a record number of Native American women were elected to Congress. Two women retained their seats along with four additional candidates making it a record-breaking victory the represented both political parties. They make up members of the Cherokee, Laguna Pueblo, Ho-Chunk, and Chickasaw Nation tribes. |
|
Rosa Parks Day (December 1) |
|
Sixty-five years ago, on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, an African American, was on her way home from work when she refused to give up her seat on a public bus for a white man as required by Alabama law when the bus was full. Her subsequent arrest inspired leaders of the local Black community, led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted more than a year and ended only when the Supreme Court in 1956 ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional. Rosa Parks became one of the major symbols of the civil rights movement and showed that a quiet act of courage by an ordinary individual could have extraordinary results. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act ended all legalized segregation and banned employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. |
|
Global Disability Inclusion & International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) |
|
This holiday aims to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities and to take action for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development.
The 2020 theme ‘Not all Disabilities are Visible’ focuses on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences, and cognitive dysfunctions, among others. According to the WHO World Report on Disability, 15 percent of the world’s population are living with a disability. Of this number, it’s estimated 450 million are living with a mental or neurological condition – and two-thirds of these people will not seek professional medical help, largely due to stigma, discrimination, and neglect. Also, one in 160 children is identified on the autism spectrum. These are just some examples of the millions of people currently living with a disability that is not immediately apparent, and a reminder of the importance of removing barriers for all people living with a disability, both visible and invisible.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation, disconnect, disrupted routines and diminished services have greatly impacted the lives and mental well-being of people with disabilities around the world. Spreading awareness of disabilities is crucial as the world continues to fight against the virus.
|
|
Human Rights Day (December 10) |
|
On Dec 10, 1948, led by Eleanor Roosevelt, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This year's theme is “Recover Better,” focusing on the inequalities laid bare by the COVID crisis. December 10 is an opportunity for all of us to reaffirm our commitment to “Stand Up for Human Rights” to tackle entrenched, systemic, and intergenerational inequalities, exclusion, and discrimination. |
|
We are Reading:
My Holly: A Story of a Brother’s Understanding and Acceptance
by Julie Leavitt Wolfe
Review by: Brittany Gottschall
My Holly is a story about a young boy named Jack and his feelings about his little sister Holly, who has special needs. Jack sometimes feels sad because he wants his parents to play with him, but they are busy taking care of Holly. Jack begins to understand that his parents try to make sure he knows he is important and loved. Jack recognizes the differences between Holly and other kids but also learns about how Holly has her own way of communicating and interacting, making her similar to Jack and other kids. It is a sweet story about a sibling who begins to believe “that one day Holly will be able to do anything she wants”!
The story was written by a mom for her son to help him process his feelings and relationship with his special-needs sister. Our family learned about this book when our daughter participated in The Nora Project in 2nd grade. The parents of her “Nora friend” read it to her class to share a sibling’s perspective about having a special needs sister/brother and emotional journey.
|
|
A local organization we are excited about: |
|
HEROS (Healing Everyday Racism in Our Schools)
HEROS is a working group of New Trier Township students, parents, teachers, and neighbors who self-organized in early 2018. Their aim is Healing Everyday Racism in Our Schools (HEROS). They believe that such healing is possible if we join together, listen to one another, and take bold, courageous action that centers the lives of those who experience racism on a daily basis. Learn more about HEROS at https://heros.community/
|
|
An article we are reading: |
|
Harvard Business Review
|
|
A podcast we are listening to: |
|
Code Switch on NPR
A multi-racial, multi-generational team of journalists fascinated by the overlapping themes of race, ethnicity, and culture, how they play out in our lives and communities, and how all of this is shifting.
|
|
Quote that we Love:
"A lot of different flowers make a bouquet. "
– Islamic Proverb
|
|
In February 2019, members of the JSSPVA met with the Joseph Sears School Administration to encourage richer dialogues and augmented programming around diversity, equity, and belonging in our school community. In response to this request, the JSSPVA and the administration co-created the DEB committee in August 2019 with monthly meetings beginning in November 2019. The committee is made up of parents, faculty, administration, socio-emotional learning team leads, and a school board member representative. This unique collaboration amongst school and community stakeholders allows for diverse perspectives on the committee and in the school house. |
|
The Joseph Sears School DEB Committee
Faculty/Staff Committee Members
Nancy Economou, Social Worker
Hilary Harvey, Social-Emotional Learning Facilitator
Jennifer Arra, Fourth-Grade Teacher
Robert Drewry, ELA Teacher
Myra Love, Student Services
Laura Romisher, Eighth-Grade Math Teacher
Toula Sideris, Third-Grade Teacher
Daphna Stepen, Sixth-Grade ELA Teacher
Parent Committee Members:
Kathy Ambrosino, Shawn Bard, Marjorie Bransfield, Tanya Brown, Sarah Czepiel, Steve Fifita,
Brittany Gottschall, Joe Guarino, Omar Khalaf, Radhika Maheshwari, Vanessa Menton,
Steve Mugg, Amisha Muthialu, Joanna Naftali, Kyra Nelson, Claire Serpi, Janet Scholl, Meredith Sullivan
|
|
Interested in joining the DEB Committee? Please fill out the following form and a committee chairperson will reach out with more information. |
|
The Joseph Sears School Diversity, Equity, Belonging Committee
542 Abbotsford Road, Kenilworth, IL, 60043
School Office: 847-256-5006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
