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November 13, 2015
City Hall Menorah Lighting
We will be starting practicing for the City Hall Menorah Lighting Choir this coming Monday at 3:10 PM. If you would like your child to participate please let them know to join. All students in Grade 1 through 9 are welcome to join. The City Hall Menorah Lighting Ceremony will take place on Monday, December 7. More details about transportation will follow.
Chanukah Concert
The Annual Chanukah Concert will take place on Wednesday December 9th at 6 PM. All students from Nursery to Grade 9 will be performing. If you are child(ren) are not planning to be here, please let the office know.
Tues, Nov. 17
Ambassador Training at Schoel's Residence at 7:30 pm

Thurs, Nov. 19
11:20 am Dismissal
Daycare until 6pm

Thurs, Nov. 19
Parent Teacher Conferences 1pm-7pm
 
Fri, Nov. 20
PD Day-No School
Daycare 8:15 am-4pm
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Eden G., Linor K., Benjamin G!
 Mazel Tov!
Mazel Tov to the Shimonov Family upon the birth of a grandson, a son to Akiva Alumnus Shoshana! May you have much nachat from him.
Parent Ambassador Training
The Parent Ambassador Training Seminar will be held on Tuesday, November 17 at 7:30 PM at the Schoel Residence. Mrs. Rebecca Egolf will be coming to give a seminar to Akiva parents. Please RSVP to the office if you are able to attend if you haven't done so already.
Report Cards/Parent Teacher Conferences
Report cards went home today. If your child did not bring one home please let the office know. We will be accepting appointments for Parent Teacher Conferences starting Monday, November 16. Please call the office to schedule an appointment.
Daycare
Thursday, November 19 is 11:20 dismissal and daycare is open until 6 pm.  Friday is a PD Day - No School. Daycare will be open from 8:15 am-4pm on Friday.  For
rates and to reserve a spot please email [email protected]. 
Remembrance Day Assemly
Our Remembrance Day ceremony was very memorable this year with the students sharing their thoughts and ideas. Mr. Ortega, dressed in his RCMP uniform, joined the boys' choir in the singing of O Canada. The younger grades contributed beautiful wreaths and homemade poppies. The grades three students wrote and read their own poetry. The grade four students presented a Remembrance Day message. Grade five and six students wrote and presented a skit on the significance of the poppy. Grades seven to nine students created a slideshow. Brandon wrote about the thoughts and experiences of a soldier during war times. Thanks to all who put in their time and effort to make our Remembrance Day assembly one to truly honour our veterans. A special thank you to Morah Alexandra and Morah Lidia for organizing this assembly.
Grade 1 Beverly Field Trip
As part of our Mitzvah unit, the grade 1 class is visited the Beverly Nursing home to bring some cheer and joy to the residents there. Thank you to Morah Miller for arranging the trip!
Mincha Minyan
Mincha Minyan at Akiva is at 2:45 PM on Mondays and at 1 PM on Tuesday through Thursday. If you are able to help make the minyan it would be much appreciated.
Parsha Class
Our weekly Parsha class continues. We meet every Thursday morning from 8:30-9:00 am in the staff room. All parents are welcome to join us.  The class focuses on parenting lessons from the Parsha.  No prior knowledge or experience necessary.
Inclusion of disabilities in our Calgary Jewish Community: a great experience with Akiva Academy students and Kesher Klub members
What is inclusion?
In simple words: It is  to emb race and accept each person the way they are.
Simple but not easy!
 
We all have our super powers - areas that we are very skillful - and our own challenged areas, skills that we have to develop and others we cannot change.
 
There's a difference between pity and compassion- a difference between working for and working with.
This is our present and future project to become more inclusive to work with someone different.
 
To promote and increase inclusion in the Calgary Jewish Community, we started a program of collaboration between Calgary Jewish Federation Kesher Club and Akiva Academy Students.
 
We started with a presentation and conversation about inclusion on disabilities with students from grades 6 to 8.
 
On Sunday, November 1st we had our first experience working together: Akiva students and Kesher Klub members.
 
Kesher Klub is a social, cultural and recreational program for Jewish adults (18+) with disabilities, Funded by Calgary Jewish Federation. Kesher Programing is offered the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month from 1:00 - 2:30 pm
 
As part of our first inclusion experience we worked together in creating craft and decorations for Chanukah to donate to the JCC daycare and to exhibit at Akiva Academy.
 
We will have more opportunities to work together and learn about each other and learn how to work together beyond our differences. This has been a rich and powerful experience for Akiva students and Kesher members (some of them former students of Akiva Academy).
 
We are making a better world one person at the time...
 
So here some questions to think and start a conversation:
 
What else can we do to become more and more inclusive in our one Jewish community?
How do we teach our children to be inclusive?
 
Karina Szulc
Shalom Calgary and Inclusion Coordinator
Calgary Jewish Federation