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For Your Calendar
Saturday, April 9
JCC Film Festival: Schechter Parent/Staff Outing
Monday, April 11
8:55 am
EC 3 School-wide
Dance-a-Thon
Tuesday, April 12
8:30 am
PA Meeting and presentation: How you can earn $$ for Schechter using scrip.
Wednesday, April 13
Deacon Art Miller to speak to students in grades 5-8
Wednesday, April 13
7:00 pm
Yad Program for 5th grade families
Monday, April 18
1st Grade Siddur Presentation
Wednesday, April 20
Kindergarten Passover Seder
Student / Faculty Basketball Game
Thursday, April 21 -
May 2
Passover Break
Monday, May 2
8th grade leaves for 2 week Israel Experience
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Mazal tov to...
Solomon Schechter Day School extends a hearty mazal tov to Schechter 4th and 5th grade teacher Merissa Spector and her husband Matt on the birth of their son. Gabriel Owen Spector was born Wednesday, April 6. We wish them a lifetime of happiness!
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Mazal tov to...
Courtney and Steven Covici, Isaac (Gr. 1) and Cayla (EC4) on the occasion of their son and brother Benjamin becoming a Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat at Beth El Temple.
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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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Alumni News
Hebrew High junior and Schechter Alumna (2012) Alexandra
van der Hulst, has been filling in as interim cantor at Temple Sinai, Newington, since the retirement of Cantor Donna Gordon in January. Alexandra was personally asked by Rabbi Bennett to fill-in as cantor through June. She leads Shabbat services every Friday night.
A new cantor has been hired and will officially take over the position in September.
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Community Events
Sign-up for a season of fresh, local, organic produce -
Adamah
CSA.
For more information -
Sunday, April 10
Revisit the Past: Tour Synagogues and Summer Retreats of CT's Jewish Farming Communities.
Click here
for more information.
Wednesday, April 13
2:30 pm
Soccer Shots, the children's soccer experience Free demo for children ages 3-5
Monday, May 9
Thursday, May 12
7:00 pm
Seth M. Siegel will discuss
his book
Let There Be Water,
Israel's solutions for a water-starved world.Click here for more information.
Monday, May 16
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Back to the Old Neighborhoods Jewish Hartford Bus tour.
Click here for more information.
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Shabbat Shalom
Parashat Tazria
Candlelighting 7:06 pm |
April 8, 2016
29 Adar II 5776
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A Message from Andrea |
A Lesson in Perseverance and Listening- James and the Giant Peach
At the beginning of the school year, we announced to Rogow Middle School students that instead of an eighth grade play there would be one middle school play. This would provide a bigger cast, allow us to take on different shows and extend the experience to all of the middle school students - it was also going to mean that there would not be an eighth grade play.
This year's eighth grade, as we quickly learned, felt passionately about doing a play; they saw it as their last hurrah in front of their Schechter community and an opportunity to bond. The administration and faculty had a different idea.
When the clubs were announced and the middle school play was among the options, the eighth graders decided to boycott the club and... we didn't budge. They spoke tirelessly to the faculty, pleading their case in all sorts of ways. We came back with a counter proposal which... didn't put an end to the relentless conversation.
Then a few months into the year, I found a letter on my desk written in clear handwriting, articulating point-by-point the reasons the class wanted a play and a request that we reconsider our decision. The following week, I had a conversation with the students in which I expressed appreciation for their letter and let them know that - due to their persistence, determination, and their latest approach - they would have an eighth grade play. In the conversation we spent time discussing why their earlier strategies didn't result in their desired outcome and why they thought this one had.
Mr. D, our illustrious Musician-in-Residence, worked with the students to choose a play. The parents took the class to see it performed in the community. The students worked hard and even requested more rehearsals. The parents came together to make costumes, build and paint the sets, and bring friends to give of their time generously for sound and light. Yesterday, Schechter was graced with a spectacular performance!
The casting was brilliant; each and every student acted with focus and commitment. From the audience, we could see the shared smiles on the stage that reflected the pride and joy of a job well done - together.
The combination of Mr. D's spectacular talent, the students' perseverance and commitment, and the parents' willingness to step in and support the performance perfectly reflects all that is good and worth celebrating at Schechter.
Thank you Mr. D for your tireless work.
Thank you eighth graders for your perseverance.
Thank you eighth grade parents for your time and generosity.
Shabbat Shalom,
Andrea
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Schechter Recipient of Special Scholarship Funding
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Andrea Kasper, Head of School, is pleased to announce that
Solomon Schechter Day School is the proud recipient of scholarship funding from the Legacy Heritage Emergency Fund for Jewish Education. This fund was established to ease the financial burden of parents and schools in providing a Jewish education to children living in small and medium sized American Jewish Communities.
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The Legacy of a Schechter Education...
D'var Torah from Board Member Lauren Eisen |
When I was asked to give the D'var at tonight's meeting I thought about
what is most important for our children to learn at Schechter. Learning
about our history, our traditions and of course secular subjects such as
math and sciences but these are not what separates us from other
schools. Lev Tov is something special --a value that is not taught
elsewhere. A good heart can mean different things to different people. It
can mean being helpful to our peers, charitable to those in need, or
sacrificing our individual goals for the betterment of our community. At
Schechter our children have opportunities to see and to demonstrate
many of these different aspects of having a good heart. From group
projects to making visits to the Hebrew home to discussing the
importance of the community in preserving our common Jewish heritage,
our children are shown what a good heart is, and they are rewarded for
revealing their own good hearts.
A few weeks ago my daughter had the opportunity to serve food at the
House of Bread. She had been looking forward to this experience for
weeks. Afterwards she told me that she couldn't wait to go back and help out again. The value of Lev Tov that my daughter has learned at Schechter has motivated her to take a class in American Sign Language at the American School for the Deaf and she hopes to volunteer in classrooms with children that are hearing impaired.
This year, my son's third grade class made peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches for South Park Inn homeless shelter and last year he enjoyed
visiting the residents of the Hebrew Home weekly.
In addition to fostering good hearts in our children, Schechter also instills
a place for the Solomon Schechter Day school specifically in our
children's hearts. As a former Schechter student I can only hope that my children find a place in their hearts to send their children to a school such as this that instills our core values.
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"Write-on" Middle School Students |
Students in grades six, seven, and eight have been working very hard to hone their writing skills throughout the year. During this time, they have explored various genres, including expository and persuasive styles. Recently, all students produced polished pieces to enter in regional and national youth writing contests. One contest, sponsored by the University of Hartford and the Fishman Fund for American Jewish History, required entrants to write about the theme, "Immigration and the Jewish American Experience." Another competition, sponsored by the EEsmarts Energy Education Learning Initiative, encouraged writers to submit a piece focusing on making wise conservation decisions at home and in the community. In addition, a few students composed original prose compositions and submitted them to the 20th annual National Student Poetry Contest. Good luck to our Schechter authors and poets!
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5th Grade Offers Insights into Autism Awarness |
Today, students at Schechter observed Autism Awareness Day. The fifth grade discussed autism awareness through the text of the Passover haggadah. Students saw in the paragraph preceding the four children that God is praised for giving Torah to EVERYONE in the Jewish community, including the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who doesn't know how to ask. Carly Dulitsky pointed out that had the first human been born with autism, the rest of us would be considered not-typical. "It just depends how you look at it." Alyssa Temkin noted that everyone has "something" so that there really is no "normal" or "typical." Thinking about these four types, Elliot Shani suggested that the "wise" child is the one who wants to learn as much as possible in order to find ways to help those with autism. The "wicked" child is the one who is mean and teases those with autism. The simple child just doesn't care, and the one who doesn't know how to ask wants to help but doesn't know how to do it. These are powerful connections to attitudes regarding those with differences.
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3rd & 4th Graders Learn About the Immigrant Experience |
Students in grades three and four participate in the University of Hartford and the Fishman Fund for American Jewish History and have recently submitted their entries in their age category. To gather information for their essays, each student wrote questions that they wanted to ask a Jewish refugee. In many cases they interviewed someone in their family. In many cases, the students learned something new and interesting about their relative and their immigrant experience. "America's immigration rules said that immigrants needed to serve a purpose here and perform a job that was really needed," said Alice Leshem. Her granddaughters are very proud of her. "I hope in my life I will follow my grandparents example and take risks or chances on new things that will make a difference to my family and maybe even the whole world." said Ava Leshem. "I am very proud of my Saba's and Savta's achievements," said Talia Leshem. Alex Levin's father immigrated from the former Soviet Union. "To this day my greatest achievement, since coming to America, is to produce three boys that were born in freedom and in America," said his father Boris Levin.
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5th Grade Invention Convention |
On Tuesday, the fifth grade hosted the Invention Convention. This event
 was the culmination of the fifth grade unit on engineering design. Each student identified a problem, created an invention to solve that problem, and developed a way to market their invention.
The students were asked what the most valuable lesson they learned by going through the entire invention process.
William Patchen and Talia Gordon Wexler agreed that "The most valuable thing about the Invention  Convention is listening to other people. You get ideas by talking with other people and see what their ideas are."
Harris Berson said, "I learned that you're never going to get it right on the first time and you should never give up and keep on trying."
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Healthy Eating at Schechter |
Last Friday, nutritionist Shana Griffin visited Schechter and spoke with  students about the importance of eating healthy and maintaining proper nutrition. Is it possible that healthy food can taste good? Students learned that by adding ingredients such as spinach and chia seeds to their diets, a body can function at its finest- and also have a delicious snack. Middle school students learned all about fiber and its importance in the diets. "The students are learning that we need to put the correct kind of fuel into our bodies to make them function optimally. They will not be able to play and study hard without meeting their nutritional needs," according to Schechter school nurse Jaime Goldsmith.
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Early Childhood Students Brush-up on Dental Hygiene |
Miss Claudia (Claudia Goodman), a dental hygienist from Pediatric  Dentistry in West Hartford, made her annual
visit to the Early Childhood classes this week. Miss Claudia talked about
healthy foods vs. not healthy foods, brushing your teeth and the
importance of good dental hygiene. She gave everyone a
goodie bag which included a toothbrush, stickers and dental
information for parents. It's never too early to learn good dental hygiene!
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Guest Speakers Coming to Schechter |
Next week, Officer Ursani from the West Hartford Police Department will present age-appropriate programs for all Schechter students. His presence will promote familiarity and comfort for the students as he teaches them about safety, responsibility, and honesty as well as ways to be safe in this ever changing world.
On Tuesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 14, Damon Gibbs from Planned Parenthood will be coming to teach the middle school children about Puberty and Human Sexuality. Mr. Gibbs gave a talk to Middle School parents in February. This will be an informative, collaborative discussion to answer questions and open lines of communication on this extremely important topic.
"It so exciting to have a collaborative approach within our community. This involvement helps student awareness for what resources are available to them and how to utilize those resources to learn and grow."said Schechter school nurse Jaime Goldsmith.
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News from the Parent Association |
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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EC 3 Sponsors School-wide Dance-a-Thon |
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James and the Giant Peach |
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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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