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For Your Calendar
Sunday, March 20
PJ, Pancakes, and Purim
at the Hoffman Summerwood Community
Monday, March 21
7:30 pm
PA Evening Coffee Talk with Andrea Kasper on the topic "Educational Philosophy: How Education has Changed."
Thursday, March 24
Purim celebrated in school
Friday, March 25
No Classes
School Closed
Wednesday, March 30
Parent-Teacher Conferences
No Classes
Thursday, March 31
Evening Parent-Teacher Conferences
Thursday, April 7
7:00 pm
8th Grade performance of "James and the Giant Peach"
Friday, April 8
Schechter Shabbat Share
Saturday, April 9
JCC Film Festival: Schechter Parent/Staff Outing
Monday, April 11
8:55 am
EC 3 School-wide
Dance-a-Thon
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Mazel Tov to...
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Michelle Meyer on the occasion of her son
Isaiah becoming a Bar Mitzvah at Congregation
Beth Israel this Shabbat.
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The Kowalsky Family on the occasion of
Ross becoming a Bar Mitzvah at Beth El Temple this Shabbat.
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Join Our List
Would you like a grandparent, relative, or friend to receive the Schechter newsletter?
Email
[email protected] and include the name, email address, and relationship to Schechter
and we will add them to our list!
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7:00 pm
The Schechter 8th Grade Class
Proudly Presents
James and the Giant Peach
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Community Events
Saturday, March 19
7:30-9:15 pm
Click here for more information.
The event is very similar to the TV show "The Amazing Race." Teams solve riddles and clues that lead them all over the building to different locations where they need to complete challenges (both physical and mental).
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Wednesday, March 23
Purim Happenings in the Community
Beth David Synagogue
6:30 pm
Bollywood Purim- Indian Buffet, Rides, Games and Music
Beth El Temple
5:00 pm Family Megillah Reading
Dinner and Festivities
7:30 pm Ma'ariv and the Gantza Megillah.
Click herefor full schedule of events.
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Saturday, March 26
8:15 pm
Emanuel Synagogue
Cabaret Night - We've Got Talent
The Emanuel Synagogue Sisterhood presents a lively cabaret evening with singers, dancers, pianists, guitarists and comedians hosted by special guest and MC Max Reiss. In addition to the variety of talent, there will be wine tasting and elegant desserts.
Click here for more information.
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Sunday, March 27
2:00 pm
Solomon Schechter Day School
Hear About the
Camp Zeke Experience.
Join us for some fun Krav Maga and to learn all about Camp Zeke, a Jewish overnight camp.
For more inforamtion call 212-913-9783 or email
campzeke.org.
Click here
for more information
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Sunday, April 10
Revisit the Past: Tour Synagogues and Summer Retreats of CT's Jewish Farming Communities.
Click here
for more information.
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Photo Gallery
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Back to top
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Shabbat Shalom
Parashat Vayikra
Candlelighting 6:43 pm |
March 18, 2016
8 Adar II 5776
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For Purim noisemakers, we are requesting that each person brings an unopened box of pasta or kosher wacky mac to use as a noisemaker. After Purim, they will be donated to the Kosher Food Pantry.
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A Message from Andrea |
Feeling like they matter - the gift of a Schechter education
Last Tuesday, fifth grade students at Schechter shadowed in the middle school to get a real taste of what lies ahead of them as they prepare for this next big transition. Each student was paired with one or two middle school students; the teachers thought carefully about the morning and the fifth graders were excited for the day.
On Tuesdays, the middle school offers an Alternative Tefilla (prayer) Experience (ATE). The middle school students choose between three mini-courses: Jewish Ethics, Tefillah Conversation, and yoga. I have the privilege of teaching the Jewish Ethics class. Three fifth graders joined us last Tuesday morning, and they left a strong impression on me. The fifth graders have a developed sense of self. They were confident and comfortable participating in a new structure of debate; they displayed their verbal acuity with older students, and their voices were well heard by the regular weekly students.
At the end of the day, I met with the fifth graders to process the experience with them. I want to share the two points that were repeated in their reflection of the day.
- They deeply appreciated that the teachers planned classes in which they could participate and learn. They thought they would quietly observe the older students learning.
- They were touched by how much the older students watched out for them, asking if they needed anything, if they knew where the bathroom was, and whether they were thirsty.
You can imagine that there is much that could have impressed them: the lockers, all the new teachers and subjects, ATE, clubs, the trips that come with each grade (sixth grade goes to TEVA, seventh grade on a science trip, and eighth grade to Israel), and the Sukkah sleepover. As exciting as these things are, the students focused on the care that they felt from teachers and from fellow students.
I left this conversation in awe. These wonderful, developing beings knew that what matters most is to feel like they matter, and walking through the shadowing experience provided evidence that this is the case at Schechter.
Shabbat Shalom,
Andrea
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Save the Date for the 2016 Ner Tamid:
Tuesday, May 17, 2016 |
This year's Ner Tamid will be held on
Tuesday, May 17th
at The Bushnell Theater. The Gala will honor the Rosenberg, Rosenberg Toro and Bricker families for their commitment and dedication to Solomon Schechter Day School and the Greater Hartford Community. Schechter parent Leah Berson will receive the Excellence in Volunteerism Award for her outstanding service to Schechter. There will also be a Tribute Journal, which is in the process of being created.
If you would like to take part in the Tribute Journal, forms are available in the school office and on-line starting Wenesday. Additionally, your support in soliciting businesses in the area to contribute to the journal would be greatly appreciated. The
Tribute Journal will be on-line again this year in an effort to be green. Contributions to the journal are tax-deductible.
The event will feature
CATAPULT. This dance troupe came in second place on NBC's
America's Got Talent and is sure to amaze everyone with their shadow dancing.
For more information or questions regarding this year's event please contact Jayne Rotter, Director of Institutional Advancement in the main office at (860) 561-0700.
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Middle School Clubs |
The Schechter Rogow Middle School piloted Clubs, a new program for students this year.
 Every Friday, middle school students have the opportunity to participate in a club or special interest group. Beginning in the fall, students were offered the following choices: Walking/Fitness Club, Science Fair, Drama, and Kickboxing. During the winter months, the options included MakerSpace, Science Fair, Drama, and Stock Market. Continuing in the spring
 will be Drama and MakerSpace, with the addition of Gardening and Athletic Clubs. "Clubs are a fun way to learn new things and hang out with kids in other grades," said Aaron Rotter.
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Pi Day 3.14.16 (Rounded up!) |
Did you know that any circle, regardless of how small or large, has the same relation of diameter to circumference? Third graders recently tested out this theory when they measured the diameters and circumferences of a mini vanilla wafer, an Oreo cookie, and a round cracker. They had already heard the story of
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi
by
Cindy Neuschwander. After they tested out the theory, that a little over 3 times the diameter is the circumference of a circle, they created a necklace representing the first 8 digits of pi- 3.14159265. Their challenge will be to write a sentence where each word has the correct number of letters to correspond to the first digits of pi, for example, May I have a large container of orange juice? (314159265). Try this challenge with your child at home.
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8th Graders Prepare for Upcoming Israel Experience |
by Zachary Sobel-Pressman
Students in Mrs. Grupper's eighth grade Hebrew class have been working on a special a project about cities in Israel: Haifa, Eilat,Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. Working in groups, students researched a specific city and then created a poster or virtual presentation to present to the class. Information included facts about the economy, culture, geography, and population of each city. Students will present their projects to the class in Hebrew. This was an enriching project that helped the students learn about some of the cities they will be visiting on their upcoming trip to Israel.
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7th Grade Visits Birken Manufacturing |
On Monday, the seventh
grade visited Birken Manufacturing in Bloomfield,  CT. Birken specializes in "complex aerospace jet engine components," which provide a relevant, real-world application to the space and astronomy unit the seventh grade is currently studying. Students had an opportunity to see many of the high-precision machines Birken uses to make the jet engine parts, which are precise to within a thousandth of an inch, and even much smaller in some cases! Many students were surprised by the precision of their work, and about how much scrap metal is produced. "I learned that they have to have everything very, very precise or else it won't work," said Isaiah Meyer. "I was shocked that if something went wrong and a measurement was a tiny bit off, they would need to remake the whole thing!" said Eden Raviv. "I learned that each piece matters. However small the piece is it still matters to the big picture," said Jamie Cowan.
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Art in the Round |
Schechter art students are starting their journey into three-dimensional art.
 They have been discussing how a sculpture uses form and dimensional space to allow the viewer to experience art in the round. Using different media, students are creating, building, and becoming sculptors in the art studio.
In fourth grade, students are using clay to explore form and sculpture in the round. Students have tested and learned how to structure and secure the clay to allow the form to stand solid without breakage or instability. It's all about balance.
Meanwhile, eighth grade students have explored mixed media and  upcycling for their three-dimensional sculptures. Some of the students stretched their sights and imagination further and pulled from their knowledge of robotics to add movement to their creations. The students used gathered and recycled materials to create 'combines' inspired by artist Robert Rauschenberg. They are awe-inspiring and can be viewed in the art room.
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EC 3 Sponsors School-wide Dance-a-Thon |
On Monday, April 11, from 9:am-9:18 am,
EC3 students will sponsor a
School-wide Dance-A-Thon
to acknowledge the
culmination of their Reggio dance and movement project and to raise money for the Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble. All Schechter students, staff, and EC 3 parents are invited to participate. Donations will be greatly appreciated. Join everyone in the Schechter gym at 8:55 am to warm-up and be ready to move and groove!
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Mishloach Manot - Purim Basket Fundraiser |
Thank you to the many families who have already
placed their Purim basket orders. For those
of
you who have not
done so yet, the website will remain open to accept orders placed until midnight on
Baskets will be sent home with the students (youngest child in the family) on Purim (Thursday, March 24).
The committee is still in need of people to help pack baskets on Tuesday morning, March 22. Any amount of time you can give to help out would be
appreciated.
Please contact Leah Berson at
[email protected]
if you have any questions.
This is a wonderful project and a great opportunity to volunteer. All money raised from this fundraiser will be used for enrichment programs, supplies, and projects that will directly benefit Schechter students!
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News from the Parent Association |
Monday, March 21: PA Coffee Talk:
7:30 pm Schechter Beit Tefillah.
"Educational Philosophy: How Education has changed." Discussion led by Andrea Kasper. She will speak about her educational philosophy and how it intersects with Schechter and the community. Her talk will include her expertise, experience and empirical evidence on topics such as curriculum, belief about students as learners, belief in teacher growth, and the school climate. We all look forward to hearing Andrea speak!
Friday, April 8: Autism Awareness Day
Schechter will join Autism Speaks to bring awareness of this disorder that affects an estimated 1 in 68 individuals worldwide. Students will wear blue in support and will be able to buy a blue treat with the funds raised going to Autism Speaks.
Friday, April 8: Schechter Shabbat Share
Last Schechter Shabbat Dinner for this school year. Kosher Chinese themed menu! Dinner will be $18 per person. SAVE the DATE!
Saturday, April 9 - JCC Film Festival
JCC Film Festival: Parents/Staff invited to see Rock in the Red Zone. Group tickets are available at a reduced rate of $9. RSVP to Elaine Leshem ASAP ([email protected]) for discounted tickets. This film explores the underground music that transforms Israel's pop-rock music scene in a city that, being on the edge of Gaza, has been called "the bomb shelter capital of the world." There is an 8:00 pm reception and a 9:00 pm viewing of the film. It is a fabulous way for the Schechter Community to support the JCC film Festival, visit with friends and view an award winning Israeli documentary.
Tuesday, April 12: PA Meeting at 8.30 am
with a presentation on Scrip.
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On your first visit to AmazonSmile (
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Spread the word!
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Susan Kurtis, Editor
Lara Lakenbach and Audrey Sobel, Asst. Editors
Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford |
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