8 Kislev 5776
Shabbat Parshat Vayetzei
Candle Lighting 4:16 PM
Havdalah 5:15 PM
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Mazal tov to Talya and Yisroel Safier, big sister Vita (K), and the entire family on the birth of a baby girl, Winnie Shoshana!
Mazal tov to Norman Ferstenberg (BPY Director of Finance and Operations) on the engagement of his daughter.
Mitzvah Cards:
If you would like to send a mitzvah card please contact Shani at
x10 or
[email protected]
Sunday (11/22)
9AM: 8th Grade JEP Test
9AM-4PM: T-8 Parent-Teacher Conferences
Monday (11/23)
Early Childhood Living Legacy Chanukah Program
8th Grade Evening Trip to the UN
Tuesday (11/24)
Bake Sale Drop Off and Sale Begins at 7PM
Wednesday (11/25)
8AM-2PM: BPYPTO Thanksgiving Bake Sale
Thanksgiving Feast
(hot meat lunch for all students)
2PM Dismissal, No Clubs, No Aftercare after 2PM
Thursday-Friday (11/26-27)
Thanksgiving Break: NO SESSIONS
Monday (11/30)
Last Day For Toy Drive Donations
Save The Date!
Thursday (12/3)
4th Grade Mesibat Navi
Saturday Night (12/5)
6th Grade Girls Matan Session #1
Sunday (12/6)
"Reading Rocks!" at Barnes & Noble
Sunday (12/13)
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Parshat Hashavua Winner
Kol hakavod to this week's
parshat hashavua winner for collecting the most signed
parshat hashavua sheets!
THIS WEEK'S WINNING CLASS IS
1C!!!
We can't wait to see who next week's winner will be....
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Dedicated Days of Learning
Monday's learning generously dedicated by Marleen Wolf to commemorate the yahrzeit of her father, Isadore Zweig z"l, Yitzchak Tzvi ben Pinchas, great-grandfather of Ethan (4), Sarah (2) and Emily (1) Silver.
Thursday's learning was
dedicated
by
Mimi and Nati Jacobov
לזכר ולעילוי נשמת
Ariel Ben Tzion אריאל בן ציון.
An
extraordinary
friend and "Uncle" to Jojo (K), Asher (T), and Dinah.
יהי זכרו ברוך
and may his neshama
have an aliyah
.
Friday's learning was
dedicated by
Dr. Lena and Rabbi Meir Shalem
in honor of Rivka's (T) birthday.
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
$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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Sign Up to Host BPY's
Bnot Sherut
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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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| In these week's parsha, Vayetzei, we see the fallout from Yitzchak giving his bracha to Yaakov instead of to Esav. The Torah tells us that Esav was so angry that he plotted revenge against Yaakov and planned to kill him. When Rivka learns of this, she tells Yaakov to escape to Haran. On his way, Yaakov stops at Har HaMoriah to sleep. He dreams of angels ascending and descending a ladder and Hashem speaking with him and promising that He will always be with him. |
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This has been a difficult, painful, and troubling week in the world and in Eretz Yisrael. On Motzei Shabbat last week, we opened our phones to see the horrific news of the terrorist attacks in Paris, which followed numerous terrorist attacks in other parts of the world the previous week. Then yesterday, we heard of two new terrorist attacks in Israel which left five people dead, including two men who were praying tefillat mincha in Tel Aviv and an eighteen year old American student from Boston who had been going to deliver food to Israeli soldiers.
In discussing these events with our older students this morning during Kabbalat Shabbat, I asked them what they thought Yaakov was feeling when he was on his way to Haran, literally running for his life. They answered: Scared. Stressed. Shocked. Under pressure. Sad. Confused. Mad. Right now, this is how many of us are feeling here in the US and it is certainly how many of our brothers and sisters in Israel and around the world are feeling.
Often, when we dream at night, our dreams reflect the emotions, challenges, and experiences that we have during the day. So we might have expected Yaakov's dream at Har HaMoriah to involve taking revenge on Esav or defending himself from having to leave his home and his family. Instead, Yaakov dreams of kedusha, holiness, and of Hashem promising to always be with him.
This is very hard for us to understand, especially with everything that is happening in the world right now. In the face of terror and violence, it is completely natural to feel the full range of emotions from anger to sadness to helplessness. But what we learn from Yaakov in this week's parsha is that, our completely understandable feelings aside, we need to maintain our close connection to Hashem, just like Yaakov did in the face of his own fears and difficulties.
In support and solidarity with all those who have been suffering from the wave of terror, our junior high students sang a beautiful and heartfelt rendition of Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael this morning and those are the words I would like to close with today:
"Our brothers, the whole House of Israel, who are in distress and captivity, who wander over sea and over land - may Hashem have mercy upon them, and bring them from distress to comfort, from darkness to light, from slavery to redemption, now, swiftly, and soon. And let us say: Amen."
Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Tomer Ronen
Rosh HaYeshiva
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Our junior high melave malka last Motzei Shabbat was beautiful and inspiring! With musical accompaniment by Yitzy Glicksman, junior high students and teachers sang moving Carlebach-style songs together. Between songs, teachers shared some of their personal experiences with the power of tefillah. Thank you to all of our junior high teachers and students for creating such a an incredible atmosphere and experience!
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| Second Grade Sofer Experience |
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In preparation for their upcoming Mesibat HaChumash, second graders visited Congregation Beth Tefillah in Paramus to learn how a Torah scroll is written. They had the chance to practice writing as a sofer would and to read their psukim directly from a real Sefer Torah. Thank you to Rabbi Grossbaum and Living Legacy for this incredible program!
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ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם
On Tuesday, fourth graders learned all about the structure of the Beit HaMikdash and then built a full scale model. Younger students got to take a tour of the model and fifth graders delved even deeper by learning about the special garments of the
kohanim and the sacred vessels they used. Many thanks to Machon HaMikdash and to Morah Shani Farkas for bringing this memorable program to BPY!
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On Wednesday, BPY hosted Trish Ottaviano, author of
Girl World: How to Ditch the Drama and Find Your Inner Amazing, who spoke with our junior high girls about responsible use of social media, productive conflict resolution, friendship and empowerment. Ms. Ottaviano is the founder of
Sister
Soldier
- Stand Up For Each Other, a non-for-profit organization that brings healing and awareness to the harmful effects of girl bullying.
Sister
Soldier
's goal is to empower girls with kindness, self-love, and self-confidence. Thank you to Ms. Ottaviano for her powerful words and to BPY school psychologist, Dr. Rebecca Mischel for bringing this program to BPY.
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On Monday night, BPY staff members got together to explore their artistic sides at a special
PAINT WITH ME
session! Todah rabbah to BPY art teacher, Morah Nikki Sausen, for helping us find our inner artists and leading the group in creating beautiful works of art and to Morah Ilana Tachauer for organizing this fabulous staff evening! For more information about Paint With Me, please visit their website at www.
paintwithmeinc.com
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Author Visit: Robert Skead
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New Jersey author, Robert Skead, who wrote
Mighty Mike Bounces Back
and
Patriots, Redcoats, and Spies
, visited with BPY third, fourth, and fifth graders this week. He explained his writing process and shared the story of how he became a published author.
He shared that one does not become an author overnight; one must work hard and revise one's writing many times before it is suitable for publication - an important lesson for any aspiring writer.
Mr. Skead also gave students some great tips they can use for their own creative writing projects and brainstormed potential book plots with them. Thank you to BPY librarian Susan Levin for organizing this special visit and to Mrs. Hirschfield and Moshe Azizollahoff for their help!
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Davidi Ronen, son of BPY Rosh HaYeshiva Rav Tomer Ronen, spoke to junior high school boys about his training and experiences in the Israeli army.
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BPY junior high students and staff members alike were super excited when we had a surprise visit this week from Rav Shachar and Morah Lian Shalom who were BPY shlichim for four years. Rav Shachar and Morah Lian marveled at how much their students had grown and enjoyed catching up with everyone!
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Pre-K Boats
While learning about Thanksgiving, pre-k students discussed how the Pilgrims sailed to America on the Mayflower. Then they explored whether objects around their classroom would sink or float. Each child then had an opportunity to assemble a boat and tested it outside in the river to see if it would sink or float based. They found that the materials they chose for their boats made a big difference!
Kindergarten Ladders
Inspired by Yaakov's dream in this week's parsha, kindergartners split up into three groups to create freestanding ladders out of different manipulatives.
Second Grade Organizes Hebrew Verbs
Second graders have been reading many
sifronim, both at school and at home. They found that they kept coming across the same verbs over and over again. So they cut out paper squares of all the verbs, spread them out on the floor, discussed the meaning of each as well as the proper way to conjugate it depending on the gender and number of people doing the action. Then they sorted the verbs and created a beautiful chart!
Fifth Grade Chemical Analysis
Fifth graders continued their river study this week by conducting a chemical analysis of water samples taken from different locations in the Van Saun Mill Brook.
Eighth Grade Dissection
As part of their study of the muscular system, BPY eighth graders started dissecting chicken wings this week! They saw how contracting muscles move the joints one way and how antagonistic muscles pull and cause the opposite motion. Students were also able to see how tendons, muscles, and bones are connected.
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BPY's alleviating hunger chesed initiative is off to a strong start!
This week, parent volunteers from the chesed committee visited classes in grades K-5 to discuss the problem of hunger with students and brainstorm projects they can take on to help.
Some classes looked at local and international maps and discussed the reaches of hunger. Others read books like Stone Soup and excerpts from Chelsea Clinton's It's Your Work. Some even took pictures of trees and inscribed causes of hunger on the roots, effects on the trunk, and ways they could help on the leaves.
BPY's next Chesed Week will take place at the end of February when chesed committee parent volunteers will come back to the classrooms to work on some of the hunger-related projects students came up with this week.
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Gratitude - More Perspectives, Part I
by Stanley Fischman
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Readers of my columns (especially those in the 2013 -2014 issues of Divrei Yosef), may recall how much time I devoted to the subject of gratitude and why it is important to teach our children to say "thank you."
Writing in the Wall Street Journal last summer, in an article entitled"It Pays to Give Thanks in the Office," author Janice Kaplan explained
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Google CEO Larry Page's popularity by his willingness to express gratitude to the people who work for him. He is quoted as saying, "We love our employees and we want them to know it," and "appreciation is the best motivation..."
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A message from BPY 6th grader Dasie Fisher about her bat mitzvah project:
Dasie's Decorative Nail Art Bat Mitzvah Project
I will be providing decorative
nail art to benefit Sharsheret for my bat mitzvah project.
To schedule an appointment please call
917-572-4258 or email
[email protected].
Cost: $5.00 (individual appointment).
I am also available for birthday parties.
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PTO Thanksgiving Bake Sale
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The BPYPTO Thanksgiving Bake Sale is Almost Here!!!
DROP OFF your baked goods and soups at BPY on Tuesday, November 24. Don't forget to follow our
kashrut guidelines and label all items with your name, the name of the dish, and whether or not it contains nuts.
Then come to
SHOP from 7-8:30PM on Tuesday night and from 8AM-2PM on Wednesday, November 25!
(Gluten free items will also be available for purchase.)
All proceeds support BPY through the BPYPTO!
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Reading Rocks! at Barnes & Noble
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6
10 AM - 5 PM
Barnes & Noble
Riverside Square Mall in Hackensack
Just in time for Chanukah!
(and now offering "DRIVE BY" ordering)
Featuring Chanukiah-lighting for the
first night of Chanukah with Rav Ronen at 4:30 PM!
Doors Open at
10 AM
Activities and Scavenger Hunt Begin at
1:30 PM
Student Poetry Readings at
2 PM
Author
Reading at
3 PM
Drama Club Performance at
4 PM
Chanukah Candle Lighting at
4:30 PM
Want to help with this event?
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Shlock Rock Chanukah Concert
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SAVE THE DATE FOR
SHLOCK ROCK'S CHANUKAH CONCERT AT BPY!
A joint project of the BPYPTO and the BPY Grandparents Association
Sunday, December 13 at 11 AM
Tickets Available at www.eventbrite.com
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This year, Ben Porat Yosef is participating in TWO toy drives: the Bergen County toy drive and Chai Lifeline's toy drive.
Both drives conclude on November 30th.
The Bergen County drive is a local collaborative effort across many Jewish schools and synagogues. Toys are distributed to a variety of organizations including Project Ezrah, Tomchei Shabbos, and Sharsheret. In addition to this, Chai Lifeline runs its own toy drive.
Chanukah is such an exciting time for our children. It is also a time when they can pause to feel grateful for what they have and share with others. In order to make these drives meaningful, please talk about them with your children. Take them shopping with you for a Chanukah gift to give away or purchase something together with them online.
New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off in the box located outside the BPY front office until November 30.
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| BPY Annual Auction Volunteers Needed |
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We are gearing up for BPY's annual auction and we need your help!
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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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