Welcome to our board meeting!
TGIF – Thank God it’s February! Why do I say that?
Well first, February is the shortest month of the year with only 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap year! 2016 is a leap year, so the next leap day is February 29th. Do you know why we have a leap day and a leap year every four years? Leap days are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the Sun.
If we didn’t do this we would lose almost six hours every year. After only 100 years, our calendar would be off by approximately 24 days in relation to fixed seasonal days. One of my sisters was born on leap day and we have one teacher and one substitute who share that exceptional date. That’s a very special birth date!
Second, February is known for some important and not-so-important causes to celebrate and raise awareness of for each day of the month…American Heart Month, Black History Month, Safety Awareness Month, National Cancer Prevention Month are some of the important ones.
Here are some peculiar ones – Termite Awareness Month, National Grapefruit Month, and National Snack Food Month. Even each day has special designations: like today Feb. 8th is National Kite Flying Day and National Clean Out Your Computer Day; and I want to prepare for Feb 16th which is National Do A Grouch a Favor Day. Find a grouch and make their day!
February means we are more than half way through this school year…we are in a routine, we know where we’ve been, we know where we are, and we know where we’re going! We can see the end in sight!
February is the month of love on Valentine’s Day Feb. 14th. The best gift you can give those you love is YOU! Today, Feb. 8th is Chinese New Year – the year of the monkey. If you were born in 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980 or 1992, then you were born in the year of the monkey – this is your special year!
February is also when we celebrate Presidents’ Day on Feb. 15, the third Monday of the month. In my research I discovered Presidents’ Day is really just a result of branding. The official day that Americans celebrate “all things presidential.” Here are some facts you might not know. The name change from “Washington’s Birthday” to Presidents’ Day concur with a Congressional initiative to attach a federal holiday, thus creating an uninterrupted vacation of three days, always the third Monday of the month.
Although, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is officially Feb. 12th and George Washington’s birthday is Feb. 22nd. But did you know George Washington’s actual birthday is Feb. 11, 1731. The difference in days is related to why we have leap year. During Washington’s lifetime, people in Great Britain and America switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, something most of Europe had done in 1582.
As a result of this calendar reform, people born before 1752 were told to add 11 days to their birth date. Those born between January 1 and March 25, like Washington, also had to add one year to be in sync with the new calendar. By the time Washington became president in 1789, he celebrated his birthday on Feb. 22 and listed his year of birth as 1732.
I wanted to end tonight’s message by sharing a few quotes from some of our country’s presidents:
Dwight D. Eisenhower –
“Accomplishment will prove to be a journey, not a destination.”
Harry S. Truman –
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
John Quincy Adams –
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Barack Obama –
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Abraham Lincoln –
“Nearly all men (people) can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s (person’s) character, give him (her) power.”
Happy TGIF!
Thank you for the opportunity to serve and support our students, our families, our staff and our community!