February Offers Many Reasons to Celebrate

Director’s Corner

Hello Head Start!

Here we are in the second month of 2021 already! In February we recognize Black History and Heart Health month as well as Valentine’s Day.

Did you know that the first black women to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry, was Marie Maynard Daly? She’s pictured below in her lab. One of her contributions to medical science was the relationship between cholesterol and hypertension, which of course affect the heart.

These two conditions are very important concerning heart health. We know that exercise and diet are critical to our overall health.

What a great opportunity it would be to create a family plan that encourages exercise and healthy eating habits! Exercise, can be as simple as committing to taking a walk every day.

Also, take this opportunity to create a meal menu and discuss healthy eating habits together as a family. Last but not least, keep up with your annual physicals and doctor appointments.

Speaking of the heart, Valentine’s Day or St. Valentine’s as it is also called is Sunday, February 14. This day’s origin has a lot of mystery in it, but began in Rome, Italy with the celebration of the Festival of Lupercalia.

In the United States we simply celebrate the day with love, romance and friendship. I like to think of it as a day we can tell someone how much we appreciate them - a simple gesture, but one that could mean so much to someone. That’s another great family activity you can do together!

As we continue to move through the beginning of 2021, it is our goal to possibly re-open some classrooms, when it is safe, for children who will be transitioning to kindergarten. We will certainly communicate when and if we have this opportunity.

Until then, please engage in our virtual learning through ClassTag, and participate in all of the wonderful learning activities that our Head Start staff is providing.

Shauna Matelski, Ed.D. Head Start Director

This photo is from an April 2020 Charged Magazine article. Learn more about Dr. Daly by reading the article at this link: http://chargedmagazine. org/2020/04/hidden-figures-beyond-mariemaynard-daly/