VALLEY STREAM, NEW YORK (February 2022)—In celebration of the Lunar New Year, students in the Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen fully immersed themselves in classroom activities to learn more about the cultural holiday.
“Happy Lunar New Year! It was a celebratory day for all the schools in our District,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Judith LaRocca. “Holidays are an excellent opportunity for students to learn about cultures, beliefs, traditions, and values.”
Howell Road Elementary School students celebrated the Lunar New Year by reading Sam and The Lucky Money by Karen Chinn. The book is about how Sam decides to use the lucky money he received for the Chinese New Year. Each student at Howell Road also received a lucky red envelope and a pair of red chopsticks.
Willow Road Elementary School students learned all about the Lunar New Year by creating a class dragon made from 2D shapes. The elementary students participated in a parade of powerful dragons modeled after the traditional dragon dances performed during the Lunar New Year celebrations around the world.
James A. Dever students folded paper animals, crafted Chinese dragons and symbolic Chinese drawings by watching video tutorials on their school laptops. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of China and an important part of their culture. Chinese dragons symbolize wisdom, wealth, and power and are believed to bring good luck.
Wheeler Avenue Elementary School students celebrated the Lunar New Year by creating dancing Chinese dragons, watching videos about the Lunar New Year, and studying Chinese characters. One of the students at Wheeler dressed in his beautiful red traditional Chinese attire and shared his family traditions for the New Year with his classmates.