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The Kindergarteners have been making turkey baskets in Art class.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
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You may have heard an ad for Akiba-Schechter on NPR the other week and wondered what that was? Wonder no more! The ad was part of a broader initiative to increase awareness about Jewish Day Schools and, more importantly, address a significant misconception.
Last year, Akiba was chosen to participate in a
PRIZMAH
driven project that would research ways to increase awareness of the value of Jewish Day Schools. They contracted with the PR firm RESOLUTE (think Mad Men but set in 2017), and
DiscoverJewishDaySchools.com
was born.
As you explore the site, which is still a work in progress as this is the second year in a two-year project, you will read a lot about the academic benefits of a Jewish Day School education. Why is this the focus since, as many of you know, there are many other benefits? Very simple. When the research about the perception of Jewish Day Schools was completed, it became clear that one of the most significant misconceptions was that they are not as academically competitive as other independent schools. However, they researched the participating schools, student test scores, and high school and college placements, they found we were not only competitive, we were "academic powerhouses."
When I joined the PR party a year into the process, I asked, "where is the Judaism" in this
Jewish
Day School campaign? They had a reasonable answer. Their research suggested most people know that they will get a good Judaic education at a Jewish Day School, so they focused on what people did not know. Fair enough, but at Akiba, we want to make sure never to assume that everyone knows that. Yes, we are an "academic powerhouse," but we also provide an equally compelling and meaningful Judaic program that we can't take for granted. To quote Rabbi Norman Lamm, "ignorance of our people's history and faith, its dreams and fears, its literary texts and its sacred customs, its visions and its aspirations - ensures that Jews will melt into the majority and disappear." It is our Judaism that makes us a
Jewish
Day School. It is our commitment to Judaism and humanity as well as a belief in the synergy between Torah study and Worldly knowledge that makes us Akiba-Schechter
Jewish
Day School.
Please look below in the #DiscoverJewishDaySchools section and find ways to promote Jewish Day School education and encourage more families to take a closer look at what we offer at Akiba-Schechter.
Shabbat Shalom!
Dr. Eliezer Jones
Head of School
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#DiscoverJewishDaySchools
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We ask that you help us reach new families to Discover the power of Jewish Day Schools. As an ambassador for our school, you can share your stories and experiences at Akiba-Schechter on your social media networks.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started:
Our enrollment deadline is January 26, 2018.
You know the exceptional benefits of a Jewish Day School education. With your support, we can encourage more families to invest in a Jewish Day School education.
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Our Israeli service volunteer (bat sherut) Meklit gives a presentation about Chag HaSigd, the special holiday of Ethiopian Jewry that we just celebrated.
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Chag HaSigd
by Rabbi Holman
Recently my father shared a New York Times article about the diversity in American politics. Half of the article, however, referred to a response put forth by Maimonides about 900 years ago. A convert had asked Maimonides if it were true that converts were considered second-class citizens to "authentic" Jews. Maimonides would have none of that. He emphatically wrote that in Judaism, everyone is equal regardless of race or ethnicity, regardless of whether you were Jewish by birth or Jewish by conversion.
This week at Akiba, we commemorated Chag HaSigd, the Jewish-Ethiopian holiday. We learned about and celebrated Ethiopian-Jewish heritage. Students heard about the struggle of Ethiopian Jews to reach Israel, and how Israel went to great lengths to rescue, resettle and mainstream the Ethiopian population. We also heard tales of some Ethiopians who have now risen to prominence in Israeli society as politicians, doctors, and even a beauty queen. The Talmud tells us that nearly two thousand years ago, the Jews were exiled from their land due to senseless hatred, strife and division among the people. May our commemoration of Chag HaSigd inspire us become more accepting of others, regardless of heritage.
Shabbat Shalom!
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Board Room Skills in Gym Class
by Carla Goldberg, Preschool Director
Learning happens everywhere at Akiba-Schechter, inside the classrooms, in the hallways, on the playground and in our special activity classes. On Monday I had the pleasure of assisting in Mrs. Price's Kindergarten gym class. I was looking forward to seeing the children run, jump, play and have a lot of fun but I was also treated to a cooperative lesson on how to play kickball that taught all of the life skills that you hope your children will master during their time at Akiba.
I immediately was struck by this supportive community of players in the gym. The entire class cheered each child on as he or she stepped up to the plate. Nobody was judged on how far they could run or kick the ball -it was simply a group cheer, building each child up to be successful. Then Mrs. Price broke down the mechanics of the game. I saw the children strengthening their listening skills, working on movements, staying engaged as they watched to see if it was time to run, and again cooperating to create a team playing a game of kickball together. These are what I call "board room or life skills," and they are critical for children to be successful in all parts of their lives. When children have mastered these skills, they can take on the other types of learning happening in classrooms.
Of course, one of the things I loved most about this experience was seeing how the Kindergarten has created a community of learners who care about each other. I hope that you will be able to join your child's preschool classroom at their Thanksgiving Feast on Wed, Nov. 22nd and participate in the classroom family they have created. We have a lot to be thankful for at Akiba-Schechter, and we want to share that with all of you.
Shabbat Shalom, and Happy Thanksgiving!
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If I Were a Tree...
The Afternoon Explorers have been doing an in-depth study of trees. Get a glimpse of their magnificent project on our blog...
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The kids in the Green Room are cooking for Thanksgiving.
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The Blue Room loves visiting the library.
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Independent Reading Program
The 1st and 2nd graders in Ms. Friedman and Ms. Harris's recently began their own independent guided reading program. Here Zoe selects her next book while Zohar enjoys reading his book so that he can work on his Book Review before selecting his new book. Through this reading set up, each student chooses a book that is of interest to him/her, based on each student's reading level. Students enjoy the options of selecting various genres of books, such as fiction or non-fiction. After reading their book of choice, each student is required to complete a Book Review, which then becomes available for others to see and help in future book selections.
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3rd and 4th graders completed their magnificent animal sculptures to go along with their Animal Diaries unit. They started by shaping tin foil into the general shape of their animal, using pictures of their animal as reference. Then they wrapped the foil sculpture in tissue paper. They worked a layer of paper-mache over that. Once dry, they painted them in marvelous realistic detail.
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Animal Diaries
The 3rd/4th Graders in Mrs. Leonard's class imagined what it would be like to be an animal. Each child picked an animal, researched it, wrote an animal diary from the animal's point of view. In quite an involved project in Art class, they created elaborate papermache figurines of their animals. They shared their published Animal Diaries with Ms. Friedman's 1st/2nd grade class, and loved teaching their younger friends about their animals and sharing their paper mache creations with them.
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Yonatan and Solje present their biome projects to Mr. Esse's 3rd/4th grade science class. To compliment their animal diary learning experience, they studied different biomes, including grasslands, rain forests and arctic tundras. Working in partnerships, the students learned about a biome and created a visual to accompany a verbal presentation to the class.
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Rabbi Holman's Kitah Gimmel had a relay race to reenact how Rivka ran back and forth to water Eliezer's camels. They found out that water is much heavier than they thought!
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In
Math, Lani and Azi made an Izzi Square.
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| Author Kate Hannigan visited and spoke to the 5th and 6th graders about writing and reading. |
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| Mrs. Brackman and Mrs. Gold's Jewish Thought classes were researching, learning and preparing presentations about Chag Hasigd, the Ethiopian Jewish Holiday. |
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Ms. Rogan's Craft Club has been at it again!
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1st and 2nd grade artists are doing radial weaving projects on a paper plate loom. They are working wonderful colors and patterns into their designs.
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3rd and 4th grade students created gorgeous Teepees. They studied Native American designs and symbols, and made up ones of their own, relevant to themselves personally. They added beads, feathers, carpets, campfires, and people. The results are so stunning that they look as though they'd belong in a museum.
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by Thea Crook
Inspired by their recent reading of Harold and the Purple Crayon, a group of 1st/2nd graders wrote a chain story, creating a world of their own, just like Harold did:
Rainbow City
There were tall buildings in a mystical city. It had rained and a wonderful rainbow had covered just one of the buildings. It was a magical rainbow. There were magical sea creatures on some of the seven floors.
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Preschoolers at Akiba-Schechter explore the world, develop life skills, and build a diverse community in a Reggio-inspired environment.
As we have been witnessing disastrous natural events such as flooding, hurricanes, wildfires and landslides, it can start to feel like we are helpless and don't know how to help.
At Akiba, we focus on community,and we must be ready to help our community when they are in need. LuminAid is a resource to help us help others. To that end we're raising funds for LuminAid. B
ased in Chicago, LuminAid was developed and created by two friends who wanted to help those in need and provide one of the most basic and essential needs: Light!
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South Side Jewish History Tour
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Save the Date!
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Mazal tov
...to Heather Waitzman, Director of Student Services, big sisters Miri and Chloe, as well as grandma Bryna, and the rest of the family, on the birth of baby boy twins this Wednesday.
Mazal tov
...
Oren (3rd) and
Noam (1st)
Sadeh-Cnaani (3rd) on their new baby sister.
...Akiva Joseph (2nd) who became a big brother to a baby boy.
... to Sha'La Shaw (3rd) on the birth of baby brother Carter.
... to Sasha Smous (Preschool) on the birth of a baby sister Liv.
Condolences
...to the entire Klionsky family on the passing of Matt's father Bernard Klionsky. May his memory be for a blessing.
Refuah Shleimah
...to 3rd/4th grade teacher Julia Levine's husband as he recovers from surgery.
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Dates to Remember
Wednesday, November 22
Preschool Thanksgiving Feasts
Day School Grandparents/Special Friends Day
12:00 PM Preschool Dismissal
3:30 PM Grade School Dismissal
No After-School Programs, No Late Pick Up, No Late Bus.
Wednesday & Thursday, November 23-24
Thanksgiving Break
No School
Monday, November 27
Preschool & Kindergarten Grandparents & Special Friends Day
Monday, December 4
Professional Development Day
12:00 noon Dismissal for Preschool and Grades 1-8
Pick up kids at noon or have them stay
for Akiba-coordinated programming/child care until their regular dismissal time
Buses will run at 3:30 and 4:30 PM
After-school programming as usual
Wednesday, December 6
Spaghetti Dinner (K - 4th grade)
5:30 - 7:00 PM
Sunday, December 17
3:00 - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, December 20
Chanukah Assemblies
9:00 - 9:30 AM Preschool & Kindergarten
10:00 - 11:15 AM Grades 1-8
Monday, December 25
Winter Break Begins
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November 17, 2017
Volume 14, Issue 6
Candle Lighting:
4:07 PM
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JUF Chanukah Coat Club
Help JUF raise funds to keep kids in need warm this winter. More info and donate
here.
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Improv Camp over Winter Break
...run by Akiba alum Ethan Blumenthal. More info
here.
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Affiliated with the Associated Talmud Torahs and supported by the Kehillah Jewish Education Fund
773-493-8880
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