Solomon Schechter Day School of 
Greater Hartford Newsletter
In This Issue
A Message from Andrea
7th Grade Cooks Up a Storm in Science Lab
8th Grade Students Connect with Israelis via Internet
EC 2 Pumpkin Palooza
EC 3 Students Fall for Leaves
The Symbols of Israel
Kitchen Update
Annual Chanukah Toy Drive
Fiddler on the Roof
For Your Calendar

Wednesday, Nov. 25
12:00 Dismissal for all classes. No aftercare.

Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27
Thanksgiving Recess
No Classes

Tuesday, Dec. 1
7:00 pm
Middle School Parent Coffee and Information Night at the home of Jill and Rob Dulitsky.

Friday, Dec. 4 
PA Schoolwide Shabbat Dinner 

Tuesday, Dec. 8
6:30-8:00 pm
Community Chanukah Bash at Schechter.

Wednesday, Dec. 9
EC Chanukah Celebration

Quick Links
Join Our List

Parent Association 

Visit the SSDS Parent to Parent Connections
page on Facebook. There are many PA announcements as well as other school events posted on this page.

Friday, Dec. 4
Schechter Shabbat - School wide 
Shabbat dinner- Register Now!

Sunday, Dec. 13 
10:00 am
Chanukah Cookie baking and decorating at Schechter.

Mazel tov to ...
Jennifer and Jeffrey Cohen on the birth of their daughter Iris Jacquelle, born Thursday, Nov. 19 and joins big brother Milo (1st grade) and sister Reva.   
Solomon Schechter Day School sends Heartfelt Condolences to...

Jeremy and Anne Pava on the passing of their beloved uncle Jacob Pava. 
Shiva will be observed at the Pava home - 770 Dickinson Street, Springfield, MA, Monday-Thursday from 1:00-4:00 pm.  Shiva services will be held at B'nai Torah, 
2 Eunice Drive, Longmeadow, MA 01106)
Shacharit: Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday at 7:00 am, Thursday at 6:50 am.  Mincha: Monday-Thursday 4:15 pm.
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המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים  
  May God comfort you among the mourners   
  of Zion and Jerusalem.
Community Events

Sunday, Nov. 22
5:00 pm
Emanuel Synagogue
Lecture by UConn Professor Charles Lansing - German Nazi Hunters: The Legacy of the Holocaust. Click here for more information.
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West Hartford Community
Theater presents Rodgers and Hammerstein's
Carousel  Nov. 21 and 22 at Hall High School in West Hartford. Click here for more information and show times This year, 5 of the van der Hulsts  are in the production. Alexandra (Class of 2013) has a lead role as the daughter, Louise. Schechter staff member Karen Shakun is also in the production.
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Thursday, Dec. 3
Hebrew High School of New England (HHNE) will hold their annual Gala. Former Schechter parents Lisa and Peter Fishman and Loren and Joel Gelber will be among those honored for their dedication to HHNE and the community. Click here for information.
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Dec. 7
7:00 pm
A Chanukah Celebration Featuring IDF (Israel Defense Force) Musical Ensemble at the Mandell JCC.  Click here   for more information and tickets.
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Thursday, Dec. 10
3:00-7:00 pm
Shopping Spree to benefit the  Jewish   Association  for 
Community Living at 
Ten Thousand Villages in West Hartford. Click here for more info.
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Please save the date, January 24, 2016 for the Annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Click here for more information. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Anna Huttner ( jfact@mcmgmt.com
or Alan Berkowitz ( alan@petprofessionalschoice.com ).
Photos
  

Backtotop
Shabbat Shalom
Parashat Vayetzei
Candlelighting 4:08 pm
November 20, 2015
8 Kislev 5776

Picture Re-take day -  Friday, December 4
You will receive original pictures next week.
A Message from Andrea
A Vibrant and Healthy Community

This past Monday, Schechter, Hebrew Academy and Hebrew High School of New England came together for their second annual joint professional development day.  It was a testament to the power of community and differences strengthening us rather than dividing us. It was validating to have both professional and lay leaders from the three schools and from Federation and the Foundation join us. When I arrived into the community last year, I was brought into a nascent conversation of a culture shift among the schools and discussions about a "day school system."  I will be honest: it sounded good, great even, but I wasn't sure what it might mean. A year later, I can say with honesty that the support, collegiality, and discussions among the professional leaders of the schools truly reflects this notion. We are a day school system because this understanding has changed how we interact with one another and in the greater community. It honors and acknowledges the complexity of human communities and how we work together to navigate those complexities.

The Day Schools in greater Hartford have taken tremendous strides over the last few years to come together to learn, grow, and serve the community. Come to our schools, see what is afoot, and be prepared to be amazed. I believe that we will surprise you.

It is with sincerity and gratitude that I say thank you to each of you.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Thanksgiving,
Andrea


7th Grade Cooks Up a Storm in the Science Lab!
In recent weeks, the seventh grade has been cooking up a storm in the science lab. In addition to studying crucial metabolic processes including glycolysis, cellular respiration, and fermentation, the students have explored the roles of these processes in their own lives. Fermentation in particular is manipulated by people to create all kinds of delicious foods from yogurt to bread to wine. To kick off the unit, the seventh graders worked in teams to carbonate homemade ginger ale. The students learned that carbon dioxide, the chemical that makes soda bubbly, is given off as a byproduct of fermentation, as sugars are broken down and processed in the absence of oxygen. To demonstrate this, they added the special ingredients of sugar and yeast to the ginger ale. After a few days, they were able to taste their creations and share them with the entire middle school!

Over time, fermentation developed as a method of preserving perishable foods in the absence of refrigeration. An excellent example of this is pickled fruits and vegetables. Each seventh grader filled a jar with a variety of fruits, vegetables, and spices to preserve through lacto-fermentation. To achieve this, each student created a brine to cover the foods in their jar. The students "burped" their jar every day to release the carbon dioxide pressure, noticing each day the increasing "pickles" smell. When the pickles were finally ready, the students were excited to try and compare their different creations. Many exclaimed, "This tastes just like a pickle!" Liora Silverman said, "It was interesting. It was a good experiment even though the pickles tasted funny." Chase Ben Kiki would advise anyone trying to pickle at home, "Don't pickle apples". When asked what he thought of his own pickles, Chase answered, "They were good." 

Eighth Grade Students Connect with Israeli Students via Internet
For the past few weeks, Schechter eighth graders have been corresponding with students in Israel via the internet in the JETS/Shutafut School Twinning program. Their first activity was to correspond with one another through a lino board using digital post-it notes. Students shared their interests in sports, movies, TV, music and about their families. This was the introduction of a  shared curriculum, the Haiku Learning Management System. During this school year, students will share thoughts and ideas on a variety of topics, from local heroes to environmental issues. Students communicate in Hebrew and English. Schechter students are looking forward to their online sharing and to eventually meeting their counterparts in Israel this spring.    

To read more about the program please go to  Shutafut Meet-Up-JETS.
 
EC 2 Enjoys Pumpkin Palooza!
EC 2 students began their school year learning about pumpkins as part of their Reggio Emilia mini project. A visit to the The Pickin' Patch in Avon in October  ignited the students enthusiasm about pumpkins. They learned about pumpkins through stories and songs. Using the internet enabled students to see pictures of real pumpkins and learn how they grow. They looked at pumpkins through magnifying glasses and learned that pumpkins float! Students made predictions about what was inside the pumpkins; when they opened the pumpkins, they explored the pulp, meat, and seeds, planted the pumpkin seeds, made pumpkin art projects, and created their own pumpkin patch.
 
EC 2 parents were invited to attend a Pumpkin Palooza. Students proudly displayed their pumpkin projects and the classroom pumpkin patch. Parents watched a slide show, read the documentation panels of student work, and tasted the delicious pumpkin bread and pumpkin dip prepared by the students.
 
This project also incorporated the important Jewish values of mitzvah, tzedakah (charity) and ma'achil r'ayvim (feeding the hungry). The EC 2 families each donated a non-perishable food item to the West Hartford Food pantry in order to help those who are less fortunate have a Happy Thanksgiving.

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EC 3 Students Fall  for Leaves
As the EC3 class walked to the back playground for morning recess, the students were intrigued by a big pile of fallen leaves. They crunched when they walked on them and when they tossed them into the air they floated to the ground. The fallen leaves captured the student's interest daily. This emergent interest inspired the class to explore leaves for the past few months. The students made some amazing discoveries in all areas of development.

This week,  students invited their families to the EC3 classroom to view leaf clay sculptures, photo documentation, participate in a leaf taste test (arugula, spinach and iceberg lettuce) and  munch on homemade leaf shaped sugar cookies." Everyone had a wonderful morning," said teacher Julie Wilkns. "The children were so proud of their work," said teacher Robin Wer i ner." I love leaves!" said EC3 student Benjamin Bortniker.

Readers Workshop: The Power of Sharing Literature








The Symbols of Israel
Last week, eighth grade students in Hebrew class researched the different symbols of the State of Israel. Topics include the Israeli flag, Hatikvah, Tzahal (Israeli Army) and the symbol of the State, the menorah. Working in groups, the students were required to research their topic on the internet, write an explanation, describe its meaning, demonstrate why it is a symbol, where it is displayed, and additional information. "It is important for students to understand these symbols how they relate to Israel's identity" said teacher Lilach Grupper. 





Kitchen Update
This year's addition of a full salad bar to our lunch program has been well
The salad bar on meat lunch days will be pareve and in a red server. 
received by the students and teachers and has really enhanced our daily lunch offerings. Until now, we have had a full salad bar set up 3x/week. We are pleased to announce that starting on 
December 1 , there will be a full salad bar 5 days a week! The students are taking advantage of the assortment of vegetable offerings, with olives quickly becoming the most popular item. 

We want to take this opportunity to thank all the parent volunteers who come in and help serve lunch. In addition to our regular volunteers, we are lucky to have a crew of new parents getting involved and helping, and it has been great. December is soon approaching (right after Thanksgiving), so if you have not yet entered your December lunch order on Renweb, please remember to do so. The menus are also always posted on the Schechter website. We welcome any questions, comments, or concerns and can be reached at  kitchen@ssds-hartford.org .
Leah & Danielle

Annual Chanukah Toy Drive to Benefit JCSO 
The Schechter community will once again participate in its annual Toy Drive to benefit Jewish Children's Service Organization (JCSO). Special collection buckets  have been placed outside the classrooms for unwrapped toys and books. Gift certificates and cash should be dropped off in the main office. 

For over twenty years, Schechter and JCSO have collaborated in this hanukkah-gifts.jpg endeavor to bring joy and presents to children in need. JCSO will collect the gifts on  Monday, November 30.
 
To help you in your purchases we suggest the  following:
EC to 3rd grade: unwrapped toys, games or books
4th and 5th grade: Gift cards (ex. Walmart, Barnes and Noble, Target, Marshalls)
Middle School: Gift Cards or Cash
 
Thank you in advance for helping us collect these gifts!

Fiddler on the Roof 
Come support your friends at the Mandell JCC in Fiddler on the Roof!  This intergenerational production directed by Carolyn Mostel Weiser will feature quite a few SSDS students, parents and alumni including Victoria Boustani (7th grade), Sari Eisen (7th grade), alumni Zachary Goldberg, Samm Smith-Rapaport and Sydney Weiser, as well as Carol Rosenberg (alumni parent), Eric Goldberg and Sandrine Sebag (current parents), and Bonnie Weiner (grandmother of Alyssa and Lily Temkin).  The JCC's upcoming production of "Fiddler" honors the Mandell JCC's centennial and is one of only a handful of intergenerational shows staged by the JCC theater program.
 
"Fiddler on the Roof" will be presented Thursday, Dec. 3Saturday, Dec. 5Thursday, Dec. 10, Saturday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, Dec. 6 at 2 pm at the Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford. 
For ticket information: (860) 231-6316, www.mandelljcc.org

Susan Kurtis, Editor
Lara Lakenbach and Audrey Sobel, Asst. Editors
Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford