13 Tevet 5776
Shabbat Parshat Vayechi
Candle Lighting 4:15 PM
Havdalah 5:16 PM
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Mazal tov to Rachel and JJ Weinstein, big brother Joseph (N), and the entire family on the birth of a baby boy!
Mazal tov to Hannah Amar (6), parents Ahrona Indyk Amar and Alain Amar, and the entire family on Hannah's upcoming bat mitzvah!
Mazal tov to Rebecca Amar (6), parents Ahrona Indyk Amar and Alain Amar, and the entire family on Rebecca's upcoming bat mitzvah!
Mitzvah Cards:
If you would like to send a mitzvah card please contact Shani at
x10 or
[email protected]
Junior High Discovery Learning Day (new date)
3:30 Dismissal, Regular Aftercare
Friday (1/1)
No Sessions
Motzei Shabbat (1/2)
8PM - BPY Women's Book Club
Save the Dates:
Monday (1/4)
Afternoon Adventures Trimester II Begins
Friday-Shabbat (1/15-16)
Junior High Shabbaton and Bowling Night
Sunday (1/17)
First Grade Mesibat Siddur
Thursday-Friday (1/21-29)
Winter Break
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Parshat Hashavua Winner
We can't wait to see who next week's winner will be....
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Dedicated Days of Learning
Monday's learning was
dedicated by
Malka Hendlish
to commemorate her father's yahrzeit,
Pinchas Gold, z"l, Pinchas Ben Avraham, g
reat-grandfather of Eva (2) and Lia (3)
Hendlish-Lemberger.
Tuesday's learning was
dedicated by
Susan Heller Pinto and Cesare Pinto
to commemorate the yahrzeit of Susan's father,
Ronald Heller z"l,
Reuven Menasha ben Yisrael ve'Sarah Bayla,
grandfather of Josiah (5) and Aviva (4).
Friday's learning was dedicated by Susan and Danny Levin in memory of their grandparents, Samuel and Selena Greenman and Dr. Harry and Esther Kaplan.
If you would like to dedicate a day or week of learning, please contact Rachel at x35 or [email protected]
Sponsorships begin at $180
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Thank you to everyone who
has already joined our
ACHDUT ANNUAL CAMPAIGN!
Your generosity is essential to BPY's continued ability to provide innovative and enriching educational experiences for our nearly 500 students each day.
MAKE YOUR ONE TIME OR RECURRING GIFT TODAY AT:
**All recurring, automatic monthly donations are now being matched, dollar for dollar! Any new $10,000 gift will be matched at 50 cents to the dollar.**
To discuss a pledge or gift, inquire about sponsorship opportunities, or volunteer to help with the campaign, please contact Rachel Weiss, BPY's Director of Development
(201-845-5007 x35,
[email protected]) or Josh Drazen, Achdut Annual Campaign Chair (
[email protected]).
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Scan to download the NEW BPY APP!
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The NEW BPY App is now available for free download on Google Play and the App Store. Download it today for instant access to pictures/videos, the school calendar, lunch calendar, classroom blogs, daily homework, and more!
Available for iPhone and Android!
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If you love us, why not "like" us (on Facebook)?
Don't miss out!
Facebook friends...
- get all of our videos first
- see daily photos and updates about exciting school activities
- connect with other BPY families
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The BPY Store
Stay Warm This Winter With BPY Winter Gear!
- BPY pullover hoodie sweatshirt (navy with BPY on the sleeve in green): $25
- BPY Bling logo zip-up sweatshirt: $35
- BPY Logo zip-up hoodie sweatshirt: $30
- BPY Sweatpants: $20
- BPY Legwarmers: $15
- BPY Pajama Pants: $25
- BPY Winter Hat: $15
Show Your BPY Pride Any Time:
- BPY Polo Shirts: $15
- BPY Glitter Headbands: $8
- BPY Bling Headbands: $10
- BPY Phone Case: $5
Email [email protected] to order your BPY gear today!
$10 each
felt, corduroy, t-shirt, mesh
to order
The 2015-16 / 5776 BPY Discount Card is here!
Only $60 for 2 cards gets you great discounts at many area stores - this card will pay for itself!
Buy yours in the BPY office.
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CAMP KEF/
CAMP MA'ALOT
to register for CAMP KEF
to register for
CAMP MA'ALOT
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BPY Women's Book Club
NEW BOOK AND NEW DATE!
The next book selection for the BPY Women's Book Club is
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
Meeting and discus
sion at the home of Rebecca Lopkin
314 Vandelinda Avenue in Teaneck
Saturday, January 2 at 8 PM
New (and old!) members are warmly invited to attend!
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Community Events and Announcements
Community event listings are included in this newsletter as a service to the community and to our BPY families. Inclusion of community events in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by Ben Porat Yosef.
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Shabbat Shalom
From Rav Tomer Ronen
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This is a very special Shabbat for BPY. The source for the name of our school is in Parshat Vayechi, which we read this week. In this week's parsha,
Yaakov Avinu knows that he is about to leave this world. He gathers his twelve sons, the roots of our nation, to give each one of them a special blessing consistent with his nature. Zevulun will have commercial success, Issachar, diligence and scholarship, Yehuda, leadership and so on.
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After Yaakov blesses each son individually, he repeats the private blessings for all of his sons to hear. In doing so, he shows that while we each have our own areas in which we excel, it is important that we engage in all mitzvot, not only those within our natural comfort zones. The businessperson needs to set aside time for Torah study, just as the Torah scholar needs to be charitable. Yaakov wants his children to enjoy all forms of spiritual worship. His blessings, which enable his sons to transcend their limitations, endow us and our children with that wonderful ability as well. All Jews, regardless of background and level of observance, are equal heirs to Yaakov's blessings. No mitzvah is beyond our potential.
When Yaakov gets to Yosef, his favorite son, he declares,
(בֵּן פֹּרָת יוֹסֵף בֵּן פֹּרָת עֲלֵי-עָיִן..." (בראשית מט"
"Ben porat yosef, ben porat alei ayin..."
"Yosef is a charming and beautiful son, a fruitful vine by the spring...."
Because Yosef was protected from the envy of all creatures and was a person unharmed by others, his name became synonymous with abundance, protection, fertility, beauty and splendor. The blessing that Yaakov gave Yosef, which embodies the ultimate wishes that a parent would want to bestow upon a child, is what inspired the founders of our school to choose the name Ben Porat Yosef.
Tonight, when you bless your child as demonstrated by Yaakov, reflect on his or her wonderful and unique qualities. When you hear the
baal koreh read aloud "Ben Porat Yosef" from the Torah, give a little cheer for BPY!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Tomer Ronen
Rosh HaYeshiva
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Mazal Tov Second Graders!
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Mazal tov to our second graders who received their first
chumashim last Sunday. Following a stellar performance, including songs, dances, and skits, each second grader read a
pasuk directly from our
Sefer Torah. Then, Rav Ronen presented each student with his or her very own
chumash with a handcrafted cover featuring the child's own artwork and a special original bookplate created by the child's parents.
Many thanks to
Inna and Howie Siegel for dedicating this year's M
esibat Chumash in loving memory of t
heir parents, Sarah bat Moshe Chaim, Yisrael ben Yosef, and Binyamin ben Avraham.
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Grandparents and Special Visitors Day
Early Childhood
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The theme for this year's early childhood Grandparents and Special Visitors Day program was Shabbat. After enjoying a short video, an invitation to get involved in the BPY Grandparents Association from BPY grandparent Joan Enker, and a special welcome from Morah Jessica, guests joined their BPY students in their classrooms for tefillah, Shabbat songs, and creative Shabbat-themed activities, including challah shaping, b'samim making, cookie decorating, and more! One class even had a musical Shabbat party featuring instruments the students made as part of their unit on music.
Gan Keshet (KC) used today's special occasion to make a
siyum
on
Sefer Breishit
together with their guests,
including a variety of STEM activities based on different
parshiot
in
Breishit
. They also prepared the video below, featuring their own partner writing summaries of all the
parshiot in Breishit
and ended the celebration with a delicious cake (to rhyme with their recitation of "
chazak, chazak, ve'nitchazek").
Stay tuned for more pictures, coming soon... The link for pictures will be included in Monday's parent Daily Bulletin and in next week's Divrei Yosef.
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Grandparents and Special Visitors Day
Elementary School
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Grandparents and Special Visitors Day was a blast in BPY's elementary school! Guests joined their BPY students for
tefillah and then participated in activities together. First and second graders visitors played reading games in Hebrew and English, explored family trees, created timelines, and went on a scavenger hunt through nonfiction texts together with their guests. In third, fourth, and fifth grades, visitors and students rotated through different stations featuring activities inspired by the theme of
kavod (respect). They conducted interviews, went on a multiplication scavenger hunt, played an iPad game, explored the theme of
kavod in the Torah, and more! We are so glad that so many guests were able to join us - thank you for coming!
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Grandparents and Special Visitors Day
Junior High School
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Junior high school students welcomed their grandparents and special guests to BPY on Thursday for a delicious lunch followed by student divrei Torah in English and Hebrew and a video produced by the junior high school student special events committee. Then everyone headed to the classrooms for interactive limudei kodesh classes examining the brachot that Yaakov gave to his grandchildren and general studies classes centered around ancient Mesopotamia (sixth grade), historical fiction (seventh grade), and the civil rights movement (eighth grade). Students and guests had a great time experiencing BPY together and learning from one another!
To view the video created by the junior high student special events committee, click below:
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Thank You To Our Sponsors!
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Thank you to our Grandparents and Special Visitors Day sponsors for their generous support of this very special program!
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It's All About the Achdut For...
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We are so grateful to have amazing BPY parents like Rachel and JJ
Weinstein who partner with us to raise the bar for excellence in yeshiva day school education!
Make your Achdut Annual Campaign donation
by
December 31, 2015 to receive a
*2015 TAX DEDUCTION*
Contact Rachel Weiss at [email protected] or 201-845-5007 x35 for more information or to discuss your gift.
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First Grade Poetry Performances
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Morah Sharon's first grade students performed the poem "Wide Awake" by Myra Cohn Livingston:
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1A
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"Wide Awake"
I have to jump up
out of bed
and stretch my hands
and rub my head
and curl my toes
and yawn
and shake
myself
all wide awake!
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1B
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| BPY Second Graders Are Botanists |
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Our second graders are botanists! They have been conducting experiments related to plant growth and spent the beginning of this week exhibiting their research for their "colleagues." They have become very skilled at presenting their findings clearly and professionally - ask them to share their research with you!
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| Ancient Mesopotamia Comes To Life In Sixth Grade |
Do you know how to write your name in cuneiform? Our sixth graders do! As part of their study of ancient Mesopotamia, sixth graders practiced writing in cuneiform on clay "tablets," analyzed the Epic of Gilgamesh and compared it to the story of Noah, and played a replica of an ancient Mesopotamian game. Then they shared these activities with their grandparents and special visitors on Thursday!
"Ben Porat Yosef" in cuneiform:
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| Coming Soon To The Discovery Room... |
Coming soon to our Discovery Room...the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach Wall of Fame! Hold it for one minute and get your photo up on the wall! Kol hakavod to all the BPY students and teachers who have already taken the challenge, overcome their fears, and bonded with our amazing Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. Who will be next?
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The First Two Steps to Mentschhood - Part I
by Stanley Fischman
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I enjoy teaching my fourth grade classes the "Seven Steps to Mentschhood," based on my book by the same name. We have now learned steps 1 & 2 which end with a three question, the last of which is, "Why is it important to learn this step?" The following are selected student responses:
Step # 1 - "You shall love your fellow person as yourself."
From the students of 4A:
- Because it's a mitzvah.
- We all want to be nice. This will teach you how.
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If you do, other people will treat you nicely.
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Help a neighbor stay warm this winter!
Drop off your gently used winter coats outside the BPY office for the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey's Winter Coat Drive.
We will be collecting coats through the end of the month.
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| Volunteer Opportunities for Parents and Grandparents |
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To get involved in BPY's 14th Annual Auction, please email Deborah Blaiberg at [email protected]
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Advertise and Support Our School!
Contact Shoshi at [email protected]
for more details.
Inclusion of any ads in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by Ben Porat Yosef. Ben Porat Yosef accepts no liability in connection with the use of any product, service, or technique advertised.
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