SCHOOL YEAR MAY ADD HOLIDAY ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS TO BE INCLUDED.Byline: Naush Boghossian Staff Writer GLENDALE - With nearly one-third of its students of Armenian decent, Glendale Unified wants to start school a week early and add a week to its winter break to incorporate Armenian Christmas as a school holiday. The financially strapped district lost about $250,000 in state funding this year because so many Armenian students stayed home on Jan. 6 to celebrate their culture's Christmas holiday. About 10,000 of the district's 29,200 students are of Armenian descent. ``We want to do everything we can to try to preserve as many dollars as we can, and we also want to make sure that students are in school to be available for instruction,'' said Cathy McMullen, the district's assistant superintendent Assistant Superintendent, or Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), was a rank used by police forces in the British Empire. It was usually the lowest rank that could be held by a European officer, most of whom joined the police at this rank. of human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. . As a result, the district and the Glendale Teachers Association are talking about changing next year's school calendar so that Jan. 6 would fall during winter break. One proposal would start schools on a traditional calendar a week before Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. and add a week to the current two-week winter break. Year-round schools would have longer school days to ensure students receive the mandated 180 days of instruction. The teachers' union is expected to vote on the calendar in February, followed by the school board in early March. ``We have a large Armenian population, and, to be respectful of the tradition and the holiday, we had to look at switching the calendar around,'' said Sandra Fink, a physical education teacher at Mark Keppel Dr. Mark Keppel served as County Superintendent of Schools of Los Angeles County from 1902 to 1928. Life and Times Born on April 11, 1867, in Butte County, California, Mark Keppel grew up in a strictly religious, pioneer family. Elementary School elementary school: see school. and president of the Glendale Teachers Association. ``It's become a concern - if the students aren't coming to school because they're celebrating a holiday, we have to respect that holiday.'' School board member Greg Krikorian said if the district juggles its calendar, it would show a cultural sensitivity and awareness of the community it serves. ``To be creative with our calendar scheduling would help us respect a large segment of our student population and help us with our budget challenge,'' Krikorian said. Nearby school districts have made accommodations for days they experience high student and staff absenteeism in order to avoid losing average daily attendance revenues. The Las Virgenes Unified School District Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD) is a K-12 school district in north-west Los Angeles County, USA consisting of 14 public schools in the cities of Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Westlake Village, and several small portions of the West Hills section of Los Angeles. , which has a large Jewish student population, has a staff development day on Sept. 17 to coincide with Yom Kippur Yom Kippur [Heb.,=day of atonement], in Judaism, the most sacred holy day, falling on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (usually late September or early October). It is a day of fasting and prayer for forgiveness for sins committed during the year. , and the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. has tried to build its calendars around days where a large number of students and staff are absent - including Good Friday and Yom Kippur. Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 naush.boghossian(at)dailynews.com |
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