Special April 2024

Volume 16 Issue 11

I. Earth Day 2024: NJ Department of Education's "Action for Earth" with April weekly themes

II. APHA's National Public Health Week is April 1-7, 2024

III. National Healthy Schools Day is April 9, 2024

This April, New Jersey (NJ) Department of Education (NJDOE) invites NJ local educational agencies (LEAs) to participate in Action for Earth in recognition of Earth Day 2024, with theme “Planet vs. Plastics.”

Earth Day is an annual event held on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now engages one billion people in more than 193 countries.

In recognition of Earth Day 2024, the NJDOE is inviting LEAs to participate in a month-long Action for Earth in April 2024. This celebration challenges LEAs to plan and share activities related to four themed weeks that engage students to be better stewards of their bodies, their communities, and their planet as they explore climate-related challenges and solutions. The four themed weeks will be:

Please visit the Climate Change Education webpage to learn more about each weekly theme and gather resources to prepare for action-based learning; plan an Action for Earth lesson, activity, and/or event; and, to explore the weekly themes. For questions about Action for Earth, Earth Day 2024, or Climate Change Education, please contact: climateeducation@doe.nj.gov.

The American Public Health Association’s (APHA) National Public Health Week is April 1-7, 2024. The 2024 theme is “Protecting, Connecting, and Thriving: We Are All Public Health.” During each day of National Public Health Week, there will be a different focus on a particular public health topic.

The daily themes include:

Civic Engagement (Monday)

Healthy Neighborhoods (Tuesday)

Climate Change (Wednesday)

New Tools and Innovations (Thursday)

Reproductive and Sexual Health (Friday)

Emergency Preparedness (Saturday)

Future of Public Health (Sunday)

If you are interested in learning more about National Public Health Week, please visit http://www.nphw.org/. 

National Healthy Schools Day is April 9, 2024. National Healthy Schools Day is coordinated by Healthy Schools Network in partnership with many agencies and organizations. The 2024 focus is “Air Just Air.” If you are interested in learning more about National Healthy Schools Day, please visit http://healthyschools.org/National-Healthy-Schools-Day/.