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For Your Calendar
Monday, May 9
6th and 7th grade tour the capitol with JFACT
Wednesday, May 11
Yom Ha'zikaron
Thursday, May 12
Yom Ha'atzmaut Celebrations in school
Friday, May 13
7th Grade Reading Buddies in Bloomfield
Monday, May 16
2nd Grade Israeli shuk
5th Grade Torah Readings Begin
Tuesday, May 17
Ner Tamid
Wednesday, May 18
2nd grade to Hebrew Home for picnic
Monday, May 23
Kindergarten to Butterfly Conservatory
Tuesday, May 24
Track meet at Berlin HS
Wednesday, May 25
1st grade Hero Show
Thursday, May 26
Lag B'Omer
Field Day
Monday, May 30
Memorial Day
No classes
Tuesday, May 31
1st grade to Mystic Aquarium
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Solomon Schechter Day School offers our heartfelt condolences to...
Jonathan and Joselyn Raub and their children, Asher (EC4) and Eli (EC2), on the loss of their beloved grandfather, grandfather-in-law, and great-grandfather
Solomon Sidney Finebloom.
המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים
May God comfort you among the mourners
of Zion and Jerusalem.
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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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Community Events
Tonight: Friday, May 6
8:00 pm
Emanuel Synagogue
Schechter parent, JTS Scholar, and UHa Professor
Avi Patt will speak on
"From One Generation to the Next" The Evolution of Jewish Identity." Open to all.
Tonight: Friday, May 6
7:30 pm
Beth El Temple
Schechter Parent, author, and UConn Professor
Jeremy Pressman will speak on
"An Unstable Region, An Uncertain Future: Israel and the Middle East Today." Open to all.
Monday, May 9
Tuesday, May 10
7:00-8:00 pm
Mandell JCC
Yom Ha'zikaron Memorial Service - Israel's Day of Remembrance. Pay respect and tribute to the brave souls who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country of Israel.
Wednesday, May 13
4:30-7:00 pm
Mandell JCC
Yom Ha'atzmaut Community Celebration
Thursday, May 12
7:00 pm
Mandell JCC
Seth M. Siegel will discuss
his book
Let There Be Water,
Israel's solutions for a water-starved world.Click here for more information.
Sunday, May 15
9:30-11:30 am
Mandell JCC
Sunday, May 15
12:30-3:00 pm
Mandell JCC
Teen Gaga Tournament
Sunday, May 15
2:00-5:00 pm
4-H Farm (Auerfarm) in Bloomfield
An afternoon of fun and enrichment for families with young children. Schechter will be a participant in this program. Please join us.
Click here for more information.
Sunday, May 15
2:00-4:00 pm
Monday, May 16
9:30 am - 1:30 pm
Back to the Old Neighborhoods Jewish Hartford Bus tour.
Click here for more information.
Monday, May 16
7:30 pm
Emanuel Synagogue
Biblical Art of Beth S. Goldberg.
Beth is an award winning artist, art therapist, and educator. One of her paintings hangs in the Schechter conference room. Click here for more information.
Sunday, May 22
7:30 pm
Emanuel Synagogue
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Schechter Alumni
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From the Schechter class of 2003:
Aaron Alpert,
David Lerer, and
Matt Kochen meeting up in NYC.
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Shabbat Shalom
Parashat Achrei Mot
Candlelighting 7:37 pm |
May 6, 2016
28 Nisan 5776
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A Message from Andrea |
Day School Education Shines through at Passover
Over the last several years I have been fortunate to be guided and  coached by truly talented thinkers and Jewish day school leaders. I have found our conversations to be not only meaningful, but incredibly important to my leadership. The conversation topics vary, including issues of communication, the state of North American Jewry and Jewish day school education, ethical dilemmas that arise, and the day-to-day issues that I better understand through reflection with a veteran Head of School.
Last year right before Passover, my mentor explained that in her more than 20 years of experience leading a day school, she found Passover to be among the most powerful in validating for parents the reasons they commit to sending their children to a Jewish day school. I heard her, but I am not sure I was convinced.
At Passover something somewhat magical happens, she told me. Families sit around the table and they see, right in front of them, the depth of learning that has taken place for their children. They observe this not only through the knowledge of the
seder
and the ritual, but more so through the questions that arise and the conversations that develop. I spoke to a parent who shared with me how it has made him "up his game" because his children expect new insights and great conversation at the table.
This year I experienced this phenomenon, not as a head of school, but as a parent. My children each came home with
haggadot
they had made and really knew; I watched in awe as my second grader led us in the first
seder
: ritual, story and meaning.
We would love to hear from you how you experienced your
seders
and the impact your day school children have had on the
seder
throughout the years.
Send your stories to
[email protected].
Shabbat Shalom,
Andrea
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8th Grade Israel Experience Update |
On Monday, the eighth grade, accompanied by teachers
Mona  Teitelbaum and
Jason Kariel, left for two awesome weeks in Israel. The students have been looking forward to this experience since their first day of middle school. On day one, they herded sheep, picked over 1600 pounds of beets at
Leket, the Israeli National Food Bank, and sailed on the
Kinneret. Day two began with
tefillah on Mt. Arbel, a hike down the mountain amid breathtaking views of the valley. In the afternoon, everyone enjoyed a lively rafting ride down the Jordan River. Thursday, the group hiked in the Banias and observed the siren for
Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) on
Mitspe Gadot. They will spend Shabbat with Israeli host families.
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Schechter Students Place in Poster Competition |
Two groups of students from sixth and seventh grade math classes won  awards in the 2016 Connecticut American Statistical Association Poster Competition. Seventh graders Yonah Goldberg, Aaron Rotter and Russell van der Hulst won third place in the competition with a poster entitled, "Bedtime Doesn't Matter." Sixth graders Brady Dulitsky, Tamar Chameides, and Eva Gordon won second place with "Students like Long Weekends," an analysis of some of Schechter's school attendance data and how it varies depending on the day of the week. The analysis showed that Mondays and Fridays have lower attendance than other days of the week.
The seventh grade poster involved students using themselves as test subjects to determine if their bedtime, on a given night, had an effect on how well they performed the following day on a computer generated typing test. There was no effect, according to their data.
Both groups of students used what they learned in their math and technology classes to develop a meaningful question and analyze either existing data or data they collected. The posters included a variety of different charts and graphs that, without any narrative, show the conclusions students drew from their analyses.
The students won a cash award and certificate. In addition, their posters will be entered in the national poster competition of the American Statistical Association.
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Alumni Inducted into National Honor Society |
Mazel tov to the following Schechter graduates, class of 2013, who were inducted into the Hall High School chapter of the National Honor Society last month:
Matty Berson, Daniel Brocke, Gabrielle Gershon, Jon Peikes, Noah Sobel-Pressman,
and
Sydney Weiser.
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2nd and 3rd Grade Poetry Pals |
As a follow up activity to their study of poetry, second and third  grade students interviewed each other in order to write a bio-buddy poem. They asked questions about their goals, what career they would like to have, asked them to select three character traits that describe them, and something they enjoy doing. This was a great cross-grade activity.
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Early Childhood 2 Bake Sale Fundraiser |
This week, the EC 2 class was very busy baking muffins, brownies, and banana bread for their bake sale.On Thursday, they ran a traveling bake sale, pushing their baked goods in wagons and carts around the school, selling their goods, and collecting the money in
tzedakah cans. Thanks to the generosity and participation from the Solomon Schechter Day School faculty, staff, student body, and parents, combined with the persistence and awesomeness of these little salespeople, the EC 2 class raised $250 for Foodshare!!
The students have been studying food and cooking for their long-term
Reggio Emilia inspired project. They added the Jewish value of helping to feed those who are hungry (h
a' akhala re'ayvim) to their learning. Having the money go to an organization like Foodshare was very fitting for this project about food.
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3rd Grade Robotic Fingers |
Students in third grade created a robotic finger to complement their unit of study of  skeletal and muscular systems. They had the opportunity to extend the project and create a robotic hand. Sydney Huttner is pictured showing her completed hand.
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Building a House as a Community
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For the past few weeks, EC 4 students have been very busy on the  construction of a house.
This collaborative project was the culmination of a Reggio Emilia inspired long term project of building and construction. The students used what they learned from field research, and hands-on training to create a play house that included a tile floor, shingled roof, windows and doors that open and close, and working lights.
This month they showed their home to their parents, along with all of the other learning activities that went along with this project.
"The learning opportunities that the children gained from this project are numerous," said EC 4 teacher
Michelle Fontaine. "The most notable are the skills of collaboration, communication, and critical thinking that evolved through their work together. All the students had a role in the creation of this home. The students made decisions as a community and worked through their problems by trying several ideas until they reached a workable solution.
In the end, the students were proud of what they accomplished together."
The home will be displayed in the classroom until the end of the school year for anyone who would like to view it.
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News for the PA |
This week, we celebrated faculty and staff appreciation week. Each day  the faculty and staff were treated to something special.
On Monday
, Heather Golde, Rene Kariel, and Mitra Kabakoff created 'sprout jars' filled with alfalfa seeds that were tagged "Thank you for helping our sprouts grow."
Tuesday
, Sarah Laub generously treated staff and faculty to hand massages with essential oils. Lunch on Wednesday was beautifully prepared by Erica Smith-Rapaport and Leah Berson.
Thursday
morning everyone enjoyed breakfast cooked by Yahel Gutman and Denise Pedilla. On Friday, a small gift  crafted by Rene Kariel, Heather Golde and Mitra Kabakoff will be given.
Thank you to Leah Berson, Alexis Bortniker, Liz Goldberg, Anna Huttner, Elizabeth Ehrlich, Jannine Leshem, Moira Leshem, Michelle Meyer, Julie Noll, Grae Sibelman, Risa Sugarman, Gayle Temkin, Ana Vassallo, and Danielle Weiss for all their help in making these meals a special occasion.
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Victoria's Memory Walk
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Dear Solomon Schechter Community,
I would like to invite you to participate in, and support my Bat Mitzvah Project. I have chosen to raise awareness and raise funds for the Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford (JFS) whose mission
is to enhance and strengthen quality of life through the Jewish tradition of caring and compassion.
In particular, I chose this organization for personal reasons - my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's when I was only one-year
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old and the impact this disease has had on our family has been both heavy and sad. I truly never knew my grandmother and she never had the chance to know me either. I never had the chance to go shopping with her, share an ice cream moment or even a good laugh with her. I never had the chance to discuss school projects or my latest book interests. She never had the chance to see me on stage
and I know she would have been so proud. All I know about my grandmother I learned through pictures, and the numerous visits that left me numb and crying for more. To this day she is still beautiful, elegant and witty. She is just no longer there. Through my grandfather's eyes and dedication I learned what the word compassion truly means. Today, after 11 years of living with this devastating disease, he is still by her side, daily.
I found out recently that JFS offers excellent programs for Early Memory Loss. In partnership with Hebrew Health Care, JFS offers support for people over 60 experiencing cognitive impairment and early memory loss. Participants learn how to navigate the complex emotions associated with memory loss and gain insight and clarity by talking about their experiences with memory loss. I have decided to support this specific program because this cause it is close to my heart.
On Sunday May 15th from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm I am going to organize a walk at the Farmington Reservoir called "Victoria's Memory Walk." We will all meet in the parking lot at 10:00 am to register before the walk. It will be something anyone can do - regardless of ability or age. It's all about having fun! I am asking each participant to donate at least ten dollars ($10.00) to JFS.
In addition, on
Friday, May 13
, I would like everyone in school (faculty and staff included) to wear purple and donate at least one dollar to JFS in honor of my grandmother - to be collected by the Student Council. I will be matching all funds raised that day.
This is going to be a fun and rewarding day! Please RSVP before May 11 to [email protected].
Victoria Boustani
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A Letter for Leket: Israel's National Food Bank |
I am writing to thank you for bringing the Schechter students from  Manhattan and West Hartford to volunteer at Leket Israel's Project Leket: gleaning fruits and vegetables for distribution to Israel's needy.
We greatly appreciate your participation, hard work and enthusiasm. Together you picked an amazing 1600 kg of beets, helping to feed well over 400 families.
Leket Israel, the National Food Bank and leading food rescue network, actively works to alleviate nutritional insecurity through its many food rescue and redistribution projects. Leket Israel provides food and nutritional support to  more than 175,000 Israelis each week with an annual distribution of 30 million pounds of produce and perishable goods, over 1.8 million hot meals and 1.5 million volunteer-prepared sandwiches for underprivileged schoolchildren.
Thank you again and we hope to see you back in our fields in the future.
All the best,
Varda Livney
, Leket Field Administrator
+972-527433541
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HHNE 5K Unity Color Run
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Please contact
Karen Shakun at
[email protected] if you are interested in being on the Solomon Schechter Day School Team.
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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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