24 Adar 5776
Shabbat Parshat Vayakhel
Candle Lighting 5:33 PM
Havdalah 6:34 PM
CONDOLENCES:
Condolences to Meir Shalem on the passing of his father, Mr. Yitzchak Shalem, grandfather of Rivka (T).
Tenuhamu Min Hashamayim
Mitzvah Cards:
If you would like to send a mitzvah card please contact Shani at
x10 or
[email protected]
Motzei Shabbat (3/5)
8PM: BPY Women's Book Club
Sunday (3/8)
9:30AM: Matan Bat Mitzvah Program Session #7
Monday (3/7)
Tuesday (3/8)
Scholastic Book Fair Opens
Wednesday (3/9)
3:30PM: Junior High Dismissal
5-8PM: Junior High Parent Teacher Conferences
Thursday (3/10)
Rosh Chodesh Adar II: Students in Grades 1-8 Should Wear White Tops and Blue Bottoms
Friday (3/11)
Topsy Turvy Day
9:30AM: Beit Sefer L'Musica
Upcoming Events:
Sunday (3/13)
9AM-4PM: Parent Teacher Conferences
Scholastic Book Fair Final Day
Monday (3/14)
Staff-in-Service Day
NO SESSIONS
Tuesday (3/15)
8PM: Evening of Achdut
Sunday (4/3)
11AM and 3PM: BPY Drama Club Willy Wonka Performances
Sunday (4/10)
5-7PM: Circus Grand Night Out
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Parshat Hashavua Winner
Congratulations to our winning class for sending in the most signed
parsha sheets!
This week's winner is....3C!!!!
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
for a refuah shleimah for
Perel Miriam bat Esther.
If you would like to dedicate a day or week of learning, please contact Rachel Weiss 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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2015-16 Junior High
Basketball Season
BPY students, parents, and staff members are always invited to attend any of our BPY basketball games and cheer on our teams.
The game schedule can be found on the BPY Google calendar, on the BPY website, on the BPY app, or by
Let's go BPY!!!
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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
The next book selection for the BPY Women's Book Club is
The Ambassador's Wife by Jennifer Steil
Meeting and discus
sion at the home of Shelley Fisher
449 Claremont Avenue in Teaneck
Saturday Night,
March 5 at 8PM
New (and old!) members are warmly invited to attend!
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BPY Birthday Book Club!
With your donation of $18, $36, or $54, the BPY library will add a new
book to its collection in honor of your child's (or grandchild's)
birthday. Each
book will include a customized dedication bookplate in honor of the child's
birthday with a special message of your choice.
Each
book helps to build our library - what a wonderful way to celebrate a
birthday!
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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.
The Life Support Training Center
at HackensackUMC
is offering the
American Heart Association's
Heartsaver CPR AED course
for students in 8th through 12th grades. Please
for more information.
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Shabbat Shalom
From Rav Tomer Ronen
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| In this week's parsha, Vayakhel, we return to the building of Mishkan. We learn in Pirkei Avot, that the world stands on three things: Torah, avodah, and gemillut chasadim. The avodah referred to here is avodat Hashem, the center of which was the Beit HaMikdash and the |
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Mishkan.
I discussed with the children this morning that a table with three legs can be stable, but what about one with only two legs? It cannot stand. So what does this mean for us today, when we have no
Beit HaMikdash? Where is the
avodat Hashem? The answer is that it is in our
tefillot, which take the place of the
avodah in the
Beit HaMikdash.
Rav Ariel recently told the following story to our sixth graders to illustrate the power and potential of our
tefillot. At the end of every Yom Kippur, after he had been praying all day, the Baal Shem Tov would be told by Hashem that because of his prayer, He forgives the world. One Yom Kippur, however, when Hashem appeared to the Baal Shem Tov after Yom Kippur, He told him that he forgave the world, but this time it was because of the
tefillot of a man named Shimon. The Baal Shem Tov felt he had to meet this man, this
tzaddik, whose prayers were even more powerful and sincere than his own, so he set out with some students to find him.
When they arrived in his village, they asked for the
tzaddik Shimon, and the townspeople replied that there was no such person in their town. There was just a regular man named Shimon, but he hadn't even made it to the
beit knesset on Yom Kippur. So the Baal Shem Tov went to see that Shimon and told him of his conversation with Hashem. He asked, what did you do to make your prayers so powerful? Shimon replied that he doesn't know how to pray; in fact, he never even learned to read. On Yom Kippur, he hadn't been feeling well so he decided to stay home. Since he didn't know how to pray, he decided he would just recite the
aleph bet to try to teach it to himself. He recited it all day and when evening was beginning, he said to Hashem, "Hashem, I never learned how to pray and
I don't even know how to read. So, please, take all the letters that I recited all day and make them into the prayer that you wanted to receive from me." It was this prayer that caused Hashem to forgive the entire world that day.
Everyone has the ability to offer authentic prayers to Hashem to take the place of the
avodah in the
Beit Hamikdash and thereby support the entire world. This, in itself, is an invaluable gift from Hashem.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Tomer Ronen
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BPY's Annual Online Auction
OPENING ON MONDAY! |
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Only 3 days until the launch of BPY's much anticipated Annual Online Auction at www.biddingforgood.com!
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Featuring fabulous prizes including...
- Broadway, concert, and sporting event tickets
- show tapings
- spa/salon services and personal training sessions
- tons of family passes to local museums and zoos
- camp stays
- autographed sports memorabilia
- professional photography sessions
- special, once in a lifetime, experiences for your children with their favorite BPY teachers!
A great way to support our school while winning amazing prizes and experiences for yourself, your family, or to give as a gift!
#BPYBids4Achdut #BidItToWinIt
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| Scholastic Book Fair Opens On Tuesday |
Tuesday, March 8 - Sunday, March 13
Including picture books, chapter books, middle school and young adult novels, games, kits and more!
Please
click here to see the schedule for the fair. Students in each grade will enjoy half-an-hour during school to browse the displays and reserve items pending parental approval. All purchases must be completed no later than Sunday, March 13. If you would like to send money to school with your child so s/he can purchase books, please send cash rather than checks.
Parents and grandparents are welcome to come to the book fair during their children's assigned class times, before or after school, or in between parent-teacher conferences.
Click here to sign up to volunteer at the book fair.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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| Fourth Grade Heritage Fair |
We are so proud of our fourth graders who showcased their incredible work across the curriculum at this week's fantastic heritage fair! Inspired by the book Of Heroes, Hooks, and Heirlooms by Faye Silton, the students explored their own family heritage and heirlooms through interviews, writing (in English and Hebrew), song, and art.
Click here to view the presentation explaining the learning process behind this event, narrated by our own fourth graders!
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Read Across America Day
and Dr. Seuss's Birthday
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Wednesday was Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss's birthday! BPY students celebrated by hosting special guest readers and inviting students from other grades to read with them. Students across the grades were excited to discover that they use many of the same techniques and strategies when encountering new texts. For example, one wise kindergartener proudly exclaimed that before he starts reading, he looks at the books and the pictures and tries to see what he "already knows" by picking out familiar words and patterns. An eighth grade student quickly responded that they do the same thing in eighth grade, but they call it "activating prior knowledge." What an amazing, empowering and unifying experience for all of our students!
Continue the conversation at home by having at least ten minutes of literary conversation with your children every day. Discuss favorite books and share some of your own reading strategies! |
| #bpynachat From Our Inbox... |
From our guest engineers on Discovery Learning Day:
"The pleasure was mine.
I had great time and enjoyed every minute. Hearing teachers talking Hebrew to first graders took me back many years to Yahalom Elementary in Ramat Gan.
Wishing the students and teachers of Ben Porat Yosef KOL-TOV."
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"It was my pleasure to assist the school in the competition. The bridges the students built were impressive. The staff was very courteous and welcoming. You have a lot to be proud of."
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| Jewish Link Article on the Creation of BPY |
| Click here to read Cheryl Rosenberg's interview of BPY founder and visionary, Steven Sarao, on the creation of BPY as published in this week's Jewish Link! |
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Click here to read the complete interview on BPY's website.
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| Around BPY Early Childhood |
Gan Kochavim (N) students had fun playing Dr. Seuss themed math games earlier this week, in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday!
The students of Gan Rina (PK) just finished a fascinating study of roller coasters! Throughout the unit, they predicted, investigated, researched, created, and experienced, learning all about potential energy, kinetic energy, momentum, friction, mass, force, and more! This video shares some of the highlights - enjoy!
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| Around BPY Elementary School |
As part of their school study unit, first graders interviewed Morah Jessica about BPY. They took turns asking questions they had prepared in advance (along with some they came up with on the spot!) and made sure to take careful notes on her answers, an important strategy for remembering all the important things she shared with them!
Third graders are expanding their knowledge of geometry through games and puzzles. They played "Symmetry Mastermind" which helped them practice their new geometry vocabulary while exploring symmetry. Each student created a symmetrical pattern and directed his/her partner to create the same pattern simply by speaking. For example, "Attach the trapezoid to the bottom left side of the hexagon."They also used tangrams to form larger shapes including squares, parallelograms, rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids. They used combinations of 2,3,4,5,6, and 7 pieces to form each shape. What a fun way to learn!
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As part of their study of ancient Egypt, sixth graders practiced writing hieroglyphics, investigated an artifact using iPads, explored the pyramids using an interactive website on the Smartboard, compared the Egyptian Cinderella story with the modern Cinderella story using a Venn diagram, and designed cartouches of their names. Experiential learning at its best!
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BPY eighth graders are selling yearbook ads to support eighth grade activities, including yearbook publication and the eighth grade class trip. The deadline for all ads is March 15. |
For ad pricing and to purchase an ad, please
click here
. You can include the text for your ad in the "notes" space and the
yearbook
staff will design it for you or you can submit a print-ready ad in a JPEG or PDF format via email to
[email protected] (preferred).
Any ads that include Hebrew text
or photos must be s
ubmitted via email to
[email protected]
, print-ready, and formatted exactly as they should appear.
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Purim Is Coming!
Order Your BPYPTO Mishloach Manot! |
Purim is coming!
Earlier this week, BPY parents and staff members should have received an email with a personalized code and instructions for sending mishloach manot through the BPYPTO. The subject line of the email is "Mishloach Manot 5776- Ben Porat Yosef."
If you did not receive it, please email [email protected].
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For just $2 per recipient, with a maximum cost of $118 to send to the entire BPY family, board, and staff list of over 300, you can send a beautiful gift in time for Purim. Every BPY family, board member, and staff member will receive one basket along with a card listing all the individuals/families from whom it was sent. The deadline to place your order is March 17.
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Discovery Learning Day:
To Be A Successful Engineer, Try Failing
by Stanley Fischman |
During the week of our exciting and successful Discovery Learning Day program featuring a bridge building engineering challenge, I read an article published in the Wall Street Journal (Sue Shellenbarger, February 23, 2016) entitled "Why Solve the Unsolvable?" It describes an assignment given to Northwestern University freshmen engineering majors, asking them to design devices for individuals with
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disabilities. It turns out that many of these challenges are actually unsolvable. The school explains some of the reasoning behind the assignment. Usually, the students who enter the program are very successful and have not had the opportunity to fail at anything. The administration feels that working at a problem without a likely solution "...is an important life skill that is applicable to anyone. It can teach resilience and, when people fail, humility." The university also believes that usually these students strive for perfection, which can have the effect of isolating them and possibly causing anxiety and depression.
The Ben Porat Yosef bridge building engineering project is actually designed in, its initial stages, with a potential for failure. All students, grades one through eight, are given a set of simple materials and are asked to design a bridge plan on paper to be followed up with a model. The concepts for their designs emerge from the various types of bridges they have studied in preparation for the big day. They also apply the principles of engineering and physics they have studied. Upon completion of this first stage, they measurd the strength of the bridge in terms of its capacity to hold weight. If the bridge fails, they redesign the bridge to construct a more sound and sturdy model, followed by re-measuring its weight capacity. They will have succeeded if the new model is stronger than the original. This year, we had four civil and bridge engineers on hand to guide the students as well.
In a past column, I had urged parents to consider the idea of an engineering career for their children as I foresee this becoming a highly desirable profession and one which is growing in need and popularity. We are proud of the fact that Morah Jean, Morah Stephanie, and Mr. Kogut have gotten our students off to a "Northwestern University" head start!
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Evening of Achdut
Parent and Staff Appreciation Event |
| Willy Wonka Tickets and Playbill Ads On Sale Now! |
To reserve your tickets, email [email protected].
To purchase an ad in our playbill, email [email protected]. Click here for more information about playbill ads and pricing.
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*RSVP BY
APRIL 4TH*
Click
HERE to RESERVE TICKETS
Click
HERE to PURCHASE TICKETS
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We are happy to share that the Ezra Schwartz Vineyard has now reached capacity, including 73 trees planted by members of the BPY family.
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This initiative is now complete. In recognition of the participation of the BPY community, a sign with BPY's name and logo will be permanently installed in the vineyard. Thank you to everyone who participated in this meaningful project.
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TeachNJS Missions to Trenton:
Secure Schools for ALL New Jersey Children |
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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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CMEK
will be running a special one-day
camp
for BPY students on
Monday, March 14
during the staff-in-service day:
9AM-3PM $50 per child (or $75 for 2 siblings, $100 for 3 siblings) Optional Lunch: $10 includes Poppy's pizza, drinks, snacks, dessert (or bring your own!)
Register by Tuesday, March 1st and save an additional $5 on your total purchase. Sign up by emailing
[email protected].
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