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• Statutory Proposal For Prescribed Alterations To All Special Schools

  Tue 10 Feb 2015
  Dear Parents / Carers
  As a result of the recent informal consultation sessions across the borough we are now in a position to provide you with the opportunity to make comments on the proposals. All schools will be displaying the statutory proposals notice clearly highlighting the appropriate ways to
  share your views. Complete proposals can be obtained from Carol Douthwaite –
  Administration Manager – SEN Team. EDC, Pelsall Lane, Walsall, WS4 1NG. Tel: 01922
  686377
  Yours Sincerely
  Mike Morris
  Group Manager
  Strategic Lead for SEND

• Year 5 'Special Assembly' Chinese New Year

  Sun 01 Feb 2015

  Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The Chinese year 4713 begins on Feb. 19, 2015.

  Chinese months are reckoned by the lunar calendar, with each month beginning on the darkest day. New Year festivities traditionally start on the first day of the month and continue until the fifteenth, when the moon is brightest. In China, people may take weeks of holiday from work to prepare for and celebrate the New Year.

   

  A Charming New Year

  Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all the animals to meet him on Chinese New Year. Twelve came, and Buddha named a year after each one. He announced that the people born in each animal's year would have some of that animal's personality. 

   

  Fireworks and Family Feasts

   

  At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities are rooted in a similar ancient custom. Long ago, people in China lit bamboo stalks, believing that the crackling flames would frighten evil spirits.

  The Lantern Festival

  In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other's homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year's Eve. In the United States, however, many early Chinese immigrants arrived without their families, and found a sense of community through neighborhood associations instead. Today, many Chinese-American neighborhood associations host banquets and other New Year events.

  The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

  In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets. In the United States, where the New Year is celebrated with a shortened schedule, the dragon dance always takes place on a weekend. In addition, many Chinese-American communities have added American parade elements such as marching bands and floats.