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For Your Calendar
Monday, April 18
1st Grade Siddur Presentation
Wednesday, April 20
Kindergarten Passover Seder
Student / Faculty Basketball Game
Thursday, April 21 -
May 1
Passover Break
Sunday, May 1
6:00 pm
Emanuel Synagogue
6th and 7th grades sing at Community Yom Hashoah program
Monday, May 2
8th grade leaves for 2 week Israel Experience
Friday, May 6
Middle school students will attend Yom Hashoah Ceremony at the CT State Capital.
2nd Grade Special Person dedication ceremony
PA Merchant Mart
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Mazal tov to...
Steve and Tania Weiss and Ian Weiss (EC2) on the occasion of their son and brother Andrew becoming a Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat.
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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
Sign-up for a season of fresh, local, organic produce -
Adamah
CSA.
For more information -
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 Metzora
Candlelighting 7:14 pm |
April 15, 2016
7 Nisan 5776
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A Message from Andrea |
Schechter at 45
We had a truly spectacular week at Schechter. Among the many guests who came to work with our students this week was Deacon Art Miller. He spoke in inspiring ways about the good we can do in the world, his lifelong commitment to civil rights, or as he put it, his work "to stand up for any and all who are oppressed." It was a transformative day for many of our students. He also has a wonderful sense of humor and he joked about how good he looked for being seventy.
So, with a tip of the hat to beautiful aging, let's take a quick look and celebrate how good Schechter looks at 45.
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We have 152 students from EC 2-8
th
grade
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Teachers and students are busy in individual conferences talking about reading and writing
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Three Schechter students won (out of 1000 State-wide submissions) for the
eesmarts essay
contest. Mazal tov to Sydney Huttner, Talia Leshem and Victoria Boustani!
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Schechter is a partner school with
Facing History and Ourselves
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The MakerSpace has two 3-D printers and we have a Dash robot
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RELISH remains an inspiring time for the school and parents to come together to welcome Shabbat with songs, prayer, and stories
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The 8
th
grade, along with Mr. D, put on the most amazing production of "James and the Giant Peach"
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This week we had a school-wide Dance-a-Thon to support EC3 and their tzedakah project
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5-8
th
grade students serve meals at the House of Bread
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2
nd
graders work with new friends at Hebrew Health Care
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The girls' basketball team, under Gavi Lehrer's coaching, came in 2
nd
place at the Seder Plate
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After school students participate in MakerSpace, Studio Art, PlayHouse on Park, Mad Science, Robotics, Math Club and more
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The Scorpion Singers perform at community events
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8th grade students create bonds with 1st graders over books and projects
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The annual Mishloach Manot fundraiser sponsored by the Schechter PA brings cheer to members of the Jewish community throughout Greater Hartford
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Schechter is partnering annually with the West Hartford Public Schools to bring meaningful conversation to the community on MLK day
Join us as we celebrate how good Schechter looks at 45.
Come and celebrate 45 years of commitment and contributions to the community at Schechter's Ner Tamid honoring the Anja and Gene Rosenberg Family and Leah Berson, for her excellence in volunteerism.
Ner Tamid, May 17
th
at the Bushnell. Tickets are now on sale, please contact Lauren Weiss in the office and consider being a part of our Tribute Journal by submitting an ad in celebration of our honorees.
Shabbat Shalom,
Andrea
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Three Schechter Students Take Top Prize in the
eesmarts Writing Contest |
Solomon Schechter Day School is proud to announce that three students from the school are winners in the annual
eesmarts Student Writing Contest, sponsored by the Energize Connecticut initiative, Eversource Energy, and United Illuminating. The winners, in their respective grade categories are: third grader
Sydney Huttner, fourth grader Talia Leshem, and seventh grader Victoria Boustani.
Their entries were selected
from more than a thousand entries submitted statewide.
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5th Grade Family Yad Program |
Since early winter, the fifth grade class has been hard at work learning
 Torah trope and then learning to chant individual Torah portions.
This past Wednesday night, joyful sounds filled the cafeteria as the students and their parents came together to create special
yads (pointer) that the students will use when they chant their Torah portions later this spring.
when they begin to read Torah
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Schechter Students Learn Powerful Lessons from Lone Soldier |
Margot Lurie, an American who moved to Israel without her family, (also  called a "Lone Soldier") spoke to Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford's fifth through eighth grade students about her experiences serving in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Margot's thrilling story and her charismatic, honest nature had students and teachers hooked from the beginning.
Margot grew up in the Boston area, was raised in a Jewish household, and developed a strong Jewish identity and a love for Israel. Before completing college, Margot told her parents that she wanted to move to Israel and join the Israeli Army.
Margot was clear that she wanted to be part of something bigger than herself. The day Margot submitted her last college paper she hopped on a plane to Israel.
While Margot learned many powerful lessons from her time in the IDF, when asked by Schechter students what she had most taken away from her army service, Margot replied with two things: "I'm capable of way more than I thought" and "one should always start with his or her fastest because with practice you will only get faster."
The value of community (
Klal Yisrael) and giving back is one of the three core values lived at Schechter. Margot, influenced by her experiences, chose to give of herself to Israel and in doing so ignited her passion for medicine by becoming a medic in the IDF. Upon her return to her community in the Boston area, she was able to bring her learning and passion to her work on behalf of children in hospital. This reflects a beautiful cycle of events where her desire to give back to one community prepared her to return home and give of herself even more to another.
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Middle School Students Go to Israeli Boot Camp |
This week, students in Lilach Grupper's seventh and eighth grade  Hebrew classes got a taste of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Boot Camp. Dressed in IDF uniforms, Grupper and Schechter's young Israeli emissary, Edo Shiloh, created a simulation of basic rookie training in the IDF. Students took turns being in charge and receiving orders from "Commanders" Grupper and Shiloh. Students underwent a series of physical drills and a military-like parade. The purpose of this activity was to convey the spirit of the IDF.
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Dance-a-Thon Raises Money for Dance Ensemble |
Last Monday
, the Schechter community joined together in the gymnasium  to move and groove to music at a Dance-a-Thon sponsored by the Early Childhood 3 class. The Dance-a-Thon marked the culmination of the EC 3 class project work on dance.
The Reggio Emilia approach emphasizes that education is experienced as a continuous cooperative interaction between those who are involved in the school community. Students from grades EC 2 through eighth grade participated, as well as faculty, parents, and grandparents.
The Dance-a-Thon raised $233 for the
Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble in Los Angeles, California. The Early Childhood 3 students and teachers thank everyone for their generosity and participation!
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Police Officer Speaks with Schechter Students |
During the past week, Officer Dante Ursani from the West Hartford  Police Department met with all Schechter students to talk with them about safety, responsibility, and honesty. Each grouping was age appropriate. With middle school students, he discussed internet safety, social media, drugs and alcohol. His conversation with lower school students focused on citizenship, media awareness, and being safe.
EC students enjoyed talking with him about being a police officer, and he shared with them tips for being a good citizen and the awareness of stranger danger.
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Guest Speakers at Schechter |
On Tuesday, April 12 and Thursday, April 14, Damon Gibbs from Planned Parenthood spoke to middle school students about Puberty and Human Sexuality. In February, Mr. Gibbs gave a preview presentation to Middle School parents
. This was an informative and collaborative discussion to answer questions and open lines of communication on this extremely important topic.
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Immigrant Interview |
Recently, students in
Mrs.
Schwartz's third and fourth grades language arts classes interviewed an immigrant to t he United States. These interviews were part of the essay contest held at the Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Hartford. Click the link below to read
Eli Gold's interview with Schechter parent
Ana Vassallo, mother of eighth grade student
Joshua Chachques.
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News from the Parent Association |
Teacher Appreciation Week will take place the first week of May. The committee has been working hard to plan a fabulous week for our teachers. There are many volunteer opportunites andn you can sign up using the attached link to
VolunteerSpot: http://vols.pt/GqoiK2
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Stuffed Animals for Children |
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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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