The Newtown International Center for Education (NICE), NICE Newtown High School Club, and NICE Parent Community Organization (NICE PCO) organized the Newtown Public School District’s participation in International Education Week, November 18 to 22.

According to a release from NICE, International Education Week is a joint initiative of the US Department of State and the US Department of Education. It is an opportunity for schools, colleges, businesses, associations, and community organizations across the nation to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. Newtown joined the international effort to promote programs that prepare students for a global environment.

Number themes, events, and activities were highlighted in Newtown schools during International Education week, according to the release. Newtown students celebrated the week with announcements in different languages, displaying flags, playing international music, sharing facts, debunking myths, and eating themed cafeteria food. Schools generally followed a theme plan for the week that highlighted Middle Eastern Day on Monday, Latin/Toga Day on Tuesday, Panama Day on Wednesday, India Day on Thursday, and Asia Day on Friday.

At Head O’ Meadow Elementary School music teacher Cynthia Holberg coordinated students who speak a second language to share “good morning” during morning announcements in their second language. Folk music or classical music representative of the culture was then played over the loudspeaker. At Head O’ Meadow, Hungary, Poland, India (Hindi), Albania, China (Mandarin), Ghana (Twi), and South Africa (Xhosa) were highlighted as part of International Education Week.

International flags were put on display in Middle Gate Elementary School’s gymnaisum for the week, and students read international fun facts for morning announcements, according to Middle Gate PTA President Amy Habboush.

At Sandy Hook Elementary School, students shared morning announcements in their native languages, morning meetings incorporated greetings in a different languages each day, several classes incorporated a homework assignment that had students talk to their families about their culture and ethnic origins, staff members shared cultural fun facts about themselves to be shared on the announcements, and teachers used various clips and fun facts during morning meetings in their individual classes with district documents used as a guideline, according to lead teacher Kelly MacLaren.

At Reed, International Education Week was celebrated each day, according to Principal Dr Matt Correia and teacher Julie Shull. Students shared morning announcements in their second language, including Portugese, French, Greek, and Telugu.

For more information on international week, see the website iew.state.gov. For more information about International Education Week through NICE, see the NICE PCO Twitter account @newtownNICE.