Key Dates for School Calendars 2008–09
Here are some special days you might want to note on your 2008–09 school calendar or take into consideration as you plan programs and events for the upcoming school year. They are taken primarily from the 2008–09 Planning Calendar for Texas Schools, published by the Educational Research Service, in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators Administrative Services Resource Center. The Texas Association of School Boards also compiles supplemental information.
July 1 Canada Day July 2 Disappearance of Amelia Earhart July 3 Child Workers’ Strike July 4 Independence Day July 11 E.B. White’s Birthday July 14 Bastille Day July 17 Apollo-Soyuz Joint Space Project Anniversary July 19 Anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention July 20 First Humans on the Moon July 24 Pioneer Day July 25 Constitution Day, Puerto Rico July 27 José Celso Barbosa’s Birthday Aug. 6 Bombing of Hiroshima Anniversary Aug. 14 VJ Day Aug. 15 Assumption Aug. 26 Women’s Equality Day Aug. 26 Family Day Aug. 27 Lyndon B. Johnson’s Birthday Sept. 1–30 Library Card Sign-Up Month Sept. 1 Labor Day Sept. 2 First Day of Ramadan Sept. 3 Treaty of Paris Anniversary Sept. 4 Richard Wright’s Birthday Sept. 5 First Continental Congress Assembly Sept. 6 Marie Zakrzewska’s Birthday Sept. 7 Grandparents’ Day Sept. 8 International Literacy Day Sept. 11 Patriot Day Sept. 11 Texas First Responders Day Sept. 15–Oct. 15 Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15–16 Mexican Independence Days Sept. 16 Mayflower Day Sept. 16 Stepfamily Day Sept. 17–23 Constitution Week and Citizenship Day Sept. 17 Citizenship Day Sept. 21 International Day of Peace Sept. 22 First Day of Autumn Sept. 24 School Desegregation Order Enforced Sept. 27–Oct. 4 Banned Books Week Sept. 28 National Good Neighbor Day Sept. 30–Oct. 1 Rosh Hashanah Sept. 30 Racial Integration of American Universities Enforced Oct. 1–31 Crime Prevention Month Oct. 1–31 Czech Heritage Month Oct. 1–31 Italian American Heritage and Culture Month Oct. 1–31 Polish American Heritage Month Oct. 1–31 Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF Month Oct. 2 Id al-Fitr Oct. 2 Mahatma Gandhi’s Birthday Oct. 5–11 Fire Prevention Week Oct. 5–11 National Metric Week Oct. 6 German American Heritage Day Oct. 8 The “Great Chicago Fire” Anniversary Oct. 9 Anniversary of Benjamin Banneker’s Death Oct. 9 Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Oct. 11 General Casimir Pulaski Memorial Day Oct. 12–18 National Educational Office Professionals Career Awareness Week Oct. 12–18 Teen Read Week Oct. 13–17 National School Lunch Week Oct. 13 Canadian Thanksgiving Oct. 13 Columbus Day/Discoverers’ Day Oct. 14–15 Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) Oct. 16 National Boss Day Oct. 16 World Food Day Oct. 19–25 National Character Counts Week Oct. 20–24 National School Bus Safety Week Oct. 20 Birth of the Báb Oct. 20 John Dewey’s Birthday Oct. 21 Shemini Atzeret Oct. 22 Simchat Torah Oct. 23–31 Red Ribbon Week Oct. 24 United Nations Day Oct. 25 Make a Difference Day Oct. 31 Halloween Nov. 1–30 American Indian Heritage Month Nov. 1 All Saints Day Nov. 1 National Family Literacy Day Nov. 2 Standard Time Nov. 3 Father of Texas (Stephen F. Austin) Day Nov. 4 Election Day Nov. 7 Marie Curie’s Birthday Nov. 10–16 Youth Appreciation Week Nov. 11 National Community Education Day Nov. 11 Veterans Day (Armistice Day) Nov. 12 Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Birthday Nov. 16–22 American Education Week and Education Support Professionals Day Nov. 19 Education Support Professionals Day Nov. 19 Gettysburg Address Anniversary Nov. 20 Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution Nov. 20 National Parental Involvement Day Nov. 23–29 National Family Week Nov. 27 Thanksgiving Day Nov. 30 Mark Twain’s Birthday Dec. 1 Beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott Dec. 1 World AIDS Day Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor Day Dec. 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 9 Id al-Adha Dec. 10 Emily Dickinson’s Birthday Dec. 10 Human Rights Day Dec. 15 Bill of Rights Day Dec. 16 Boston Tea Party Anniversary Dec. 17 Anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ Flight Dec. 21 First Day of Winter Dec. 22 Lady Bird Johnson’s Birthday Dec. 22–29 Hanukkah (Festival of Lights) Dec. 25 Christmas Dec. 25 Clara Barton’s Birthday Dec. 26–Jan. 1 Kwanzaa Dec. 29 Wounded Knee Massacre Anniversary Jan. 1–31 Texas School Board Recognition Month Jan. 1–31 Texas Eye Care Month Jan. 1–31 National Mentoring Month Jan. 1–3 Japanese New Year Festivities Jan. 1 Emancipation Proclamation Anniversary Jan. 1 New Year’s Day Jan. 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Jan. 6 Sam Rayburn Day Jan. 7 Christmas Day (Orthodox) Jan. 18 World Religion Day Jan. 19 Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Observance Jan. 19 Robert E. Lee’s Birthday Jan. 19 Confederate Heroes Day Jan. 20 Inauguration Day Jan. 23 First Native American U.S. Senator Jan. 26 Chinese New Year Jan. 28 Christa McAuliffe Day Feb. 1–28 Black History Month Feb. 1–28 National Children’s Dental Health Month Feb. 1 National Freedom Day Feb. 2–6 National School Counseling Week Feb. 2 Groundhog Day Feb. 5 Anniversary of Mexican Constitutions Feb. 8–14 National FCCLA Week Feb. 11 Thomas Alva Edison’s Birthday Feb. 12 Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Feb. 14 St. Valentine’s Day Feb. 15–21 Take Your Family to School Week Feb. 15 Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday Feb. 16 Presidents’ Day Feb. 17 National PTA Founders Day Feb. 19 State of Texas Anniversary Remembrance (STAR) Day Feb. 20 Frederick Douglass Day Feb. 21–28 National FFA Week Feb. 22 George Washington’s Birthday Feb. 23 W.E.B. DuBois’ Birthday Feb. 24 Mardi Gras Feb. 25–Apr. 11 Lent Feb. 25 Ash Wednesday	March 1–31 American Red Cross Month March 1–31 Irish American Heritage Month March 1–31 Music in Our Schools Month March 1–31 National Mental Retardation Awareness Month March 1–31 National Middle Level Education Month March 1–31 National Nutrition Month® March 1–31 Social Work Month March 1–31 Women’s History Month March 1–31 Youth Art Month March 1 Korean Independence Movement Day March 1 Peace Corps Anniversary March 2–April 18 Orthodox Lent March 2–8 National Foreign Language Week March 2–6 National School Breakfast Week March 2 NEA’s Read Across America March 2 Texas Independence Day March 2 Texas Flag Day March 3 Adoption of U.S. National Anthem March 4 Casimir Pulaski’s Birthday March 4 First Woman to Serve in Congress March 6 Alamo Day March 8–14 Girl Scout Week March 9 Daylight Saving Time March 8 International Women’s Day March 10–14 Texas Public Schools Week March 10 Anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s Death March 11 Johnny Appleseed Day March 14 Albert Einstein’s Birthday March 15–21 National Agriculture Week and Day March 15–21 National Poison Prevention Week March 16 First Black Newspaper in U.S. Published March 17 Camp Fire USA Birthday March 17 St. Patrick’s Day March 19 Absolutely Incredible Kid Day® March 20 First Day of Spring March 20 National Agriculture Day March 21 Bahá’í New Year’s Day (Naw-Rúz) March 21 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination March 23 Anniversary of Patrick Henry’s Speech April 1–30 Keep America Beautiful Month April 1 April Fools’ Day April 2 International Children’s Book Day April 6 Founding of the Mormon Church April 7 World Health Day April 8 Celebration of Buddha’s Birthday April 9–10 Passover (Pesach), First Days April 10 Good Friday April 12–18 National Library Week April 12 Anniversary of the First Man in Space April 12 Easter April 13–19 Young People’s Poetry Week April 13 Thomas Jefferson’s Birthday April 15–16 Passover (Pesach), Concluding Days April 15 Anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic April 18 Anniversary of Paul Revere’s Ride April 19–25 Administrative Professionals Week April 19–25 National Coin Week April 19–25 National Student Leadership Week April 19–25 National Wildlife Week April 19–25 Public School Volunteer Week April 19 Orthodox Easter April 20 Patriot’s Day April 21 Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah) April 21 San Jacinto Day April 22 Administrative Professionals Day April 22 Earth Day April 23 Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day April 23 William Shakespeare’s Birthday April 24 Commemoration of Armenian Genocide April 24 National Arbor Day May 1–31 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month May 1–31 Better Hearing and Speech Month May 1–31 National Physical Fitness and Sports Month May 1–31 National Sight-Saving Month May 1–31 Preservation Month May 1–7 National Physical Education and Sports Week May 1 Dia del Trabajo May 1 Law Day May 1 Loyalty Day May 3–10 National Music Week May 3–9 Be Kind to Animals Week May 3–9 Teacher Appreciation Week May 3 World Press Freedom Day May 4–10 Respect for Law Week May 4–8 Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week May 4 Horace Mann’s Birthday May 5 Anniversary of the First American Man in Space May 5 Cinco de Mayo May 5 National Teacher Day May 6 National School Nurse Day May 8 VE Day May 8 World Red Cross Day May 9 Day of Non-Violence May 10–16 Food Allergy Awareness Week May 10 Anniversary of the Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad May 10 Mother’s Day May 11–17 National Children’s Book Week May 16 Armed Forces Day May 17–23 National Educational Bosses’ Week May 17 Anniversary of School Desegregation Ruling May 18 Victoria Day May 20–21 Lindbergh Flight Anniversary May 21 Ascension May 22 International Day for Biological Diversity May 25 Memorial Day May 25 Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Birthday May 29–30 Shavuot (Festival of Weeks) May 31 Pentecost May 31 World No Tobacco Day June–July 4 Fireworks Safety Month June 1–30 Caribbean-American Heritage Month June 1–30 Great Outdoors Month June 2 Republic Day (Italy) June 3 Jefferson Davis’s Birthday June 5 World Environment Day June 8–14 National Little League Baseball Week June 12 Anne Frank’s Birthday June 14–18 National History Day Contest June 14 Flag Day June 14 Race Unity Day June 15 Anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s Kite Experiment June 15 Magna Carta Day June 16 Anniversary of the First Woman in Space June 16 Day of the African Child June 18 Anniversary of the First American Woman in Space June 19 Juneteenth June 21 Father’s Day June 21 First Day of Summer June 27 Helen Keller’s Birthday