International Dot Day

                          

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     International Dot Day was inspired  by the children’s book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds and is celebrated each year on September 15ish (ish is another book by Reynolds).  The story is of a little girl who feels like she can’t make a mark in art class for fear of making a mistake.  Her teacher encourages her to just make her mark.  The girl comes to art class the next week to find her mark or dot framed and hanging above the teacher’s desk and is inspired to make a better dot than that and she paints many dots!  At the end of the book the girl encourages a little boy, who has the same fear, to just make his mark! This year we will celebrate International Dot Day at McRae Elementary on Friday, September 13, with everyone wearing dots. By wearing dots this day we would like to show the community that we believe in these two important lessons:

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  1.  Don’t let fear keep you from being creative.

  2. Just as the teacher “made a mark” on the little girl by encouraging her, and the little girl “made her mark” on the little boy by encouraging him, it reminds us to leave our marks on those that are around us by being encouraging, being kind, and being helpful. 

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     If your child already has clothes or accessories with polka dots, great! If not, make something together:  use markers, paint, or stickers on an old tshirt; decorate an old hair bow or man’s necktie or even socks---then count all those dots with your child.  Send your child to school on Friday Sept 13 wearing dots AND with a total number of dots he/she is wearing. Teachers will tally how many total dots that their class wears, then for each grade level, the class wearing the most dots will be announced next Monday and receive a prize. Imagine, the numbers could be in the millions with your help!  Please mark your calendars and make those dots!

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