ECC Weekly Newsletter 
November 3, 2017 - Cheshvan 14 5778
Parashat Vayeira
ECC Highlights
Robin's Message
Dvar Torah
Thoughts of the Rav
2-Year-Old Class Newsletter
3-Year-Old Class Newsletter
4-Year-Old Class Newsletter
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Events on Sunday
Alumni Newsletter
Mazel Tov!
Social Time!
ES, MS, and US Newsletters
Reminders
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, THERE IS NO SCHOOL DUE TO PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES.


Please check the Lost and Found table and coat rack outside the Elementary School office if you are looking for a missing item.
 
For the boys: Every day during davening, we say the bracha for tzitzit, so please make sure your son wears some or keeps in his backpack a pair of tzitzit and a kippah.

If you have any recyclable materials, please send them in for our classes to use. Examples are:
 
-Paper towel/toilet paper rolls
 
-Paint color samples
 
-Scraps of contact paper, wallpaper, or cloth
 
-Small pieces of tile
 
-Any other crafty loose parts!
 
Please send in dress-up clothes, especially authentic doctor clothes and supplies. Thank you!
 
Whether you are a parent, alumni or faculty member, your Maimo Moments are welcomed and appreciated.
How To Subscribe to the Calendar
For step-by-step instructions for subscribing to the Maimonides Early Childhood Center calendar on your mobile device or computer, CLICK HERE.
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From Robin Meyerowitz
Dear Parents,

We are so excited to let you know that we have a new student in the 4B Balloons class, Shuvael Hamo. He started November 1. We are so happy to have him in our school. He has adjusted very well. The students have all been very kind to him. We welcome his parents Assaf and Hilla to our ECC family. They arrived from Israel this summer, and they also have older children at Maimonides.

In order to prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences, we go through quite an intense process. For each child, we carefully assess their skills in various fields, such as social-emotional growth, gross and fine motor skills, cognitive and problem-solving development, and academic learning. We assess the students twice a year, and give you the reports during Parent-Teacher Conferences. Also twice a year, we create portfolios that document each student's learning and development, including critical thinking activities and class projects. We also write reports that detail each student's strengths, and the goals we want to work on together with you as a team.

We will provide you with all of this documentation during conferences, so please be sure that you have signed up for a conference time on either next Thursday, November 9, or Sunday, November 19.

Shabbat shalom,

Robin

Dvar Torah
by Rabbi David Saltzman      
 
This week's parasha opens with Avraham and Sarah working feverishly to prepare food for their three guests. They assemble the meal and welcome the tired and hungry travelers into their home. This was actually a recurring scene, as the first monotheistic couple used food and conversation to teach people about G-d.
 
But what happened after the meal?
 
Later in the parasha the Torah says that Avraham:
וַיִּטַּ֥ע אֶ֖שֶׁל בִּבְאֵ֣ר שָׁ֑בַע וַיִּ֨קְרָא־שָׁ֔ם בְּשֵׁ֥ם ה' אֵ֥-ל עוֹלָֽם׃
planted a tamarisk at Beer-sheba, and invoked there the name of the L-rd, the Everlasting G-d.
 
What does it mean that Avraham called on the name of G-d? Did he stand on the corner and yell G-d's name? Did he call G-d on the phone?
 
Rashi explains that after Avraham's visitors finished eating, he encouraged them to bless G-d and give hakarat hatov for the culinary delights they had received. Through that blessing they called His name. As Rashi says:
ויקרא שם וגו' עַל יְדֵי אוֹתוֹ אֵשֶׁל נִקְרָא שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּבָּ"ה אֶלוֹהָּ לְכָל הָעוֹלָם לְאַחַר שֶׁאוֹכְלִים וְשׁוֹתִים אוֹמֵר לָהֶם בָּרְכוּ לְמִי שֶׁאֲכַלְתֶּם מִשֶׁלוֹ, סְבוּרִים אַתֶּם, שֶׁמִּשֶּׁלִּי אֲכַלְתֶּם? מִשֶּׁל מִי שֶׁאָמָר וְהָיָה הָעוֹלָם אֲכַלְתֶּם!
Through this eshel the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, was called "G-d of the entire Universe." For after they had eaten and drunk [Avraham] said to them, "Bless Him of whose possessions you have eaten! Do you think that you have eaten of what is mine? You have eaten of that which belongs to Him Who spake and the Universe came into existence"
 
It's interesting to note that in this pasuk G-d is referred to as אֵ֥-ל עוֹלָֽם , which could be translated as G-d of the entire world. Prior to this event, as we saw in the parasha last week, G-d is referred to as:
אֵ֣-ל עֶלְי֔וֹן קֹנֵ֖ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ
G-d most high, Creator of heaven and earth.
 
Here Avraham is teaching his guests that G-d transcends heaven and earth, and He is actually the G-d of the entire world.
 
When we say a beracha and give hakarat hatov we also say that G-d is the מלך העולם , affirming the idea of G-d controlling the entire world, just as Avraham our forefather taught the people that visited his tent.
    
Thoughts of the Rav    
by Rabbi David Saltzman
 
In this week's parsha, Avraham is informed by G-d Himself of His plan to destroy Sedom and Amora. Upon hearing this devastating news, Avraham approaches G-d in prayer and supplication on behalf of the two doomed cities. What motivated Avraham to beseech G-d for mercy in an attempt to save these two cities, rooted in evil, from imminent destruction?
 
The Rav writes that tefilla creates two communities. First, it forms a community between man and G-d, and second, it creates a community between people. This is reflected in the emphasis on praying with the tzibbur, the congregation, and is the reason that many of the blessings in the Amida are formulated in the plural.  
 
In The Lonely Man of Faith, the Rav writes:
"When disaster strikes, one must not be immersed completely in his own passional destiny, thinking exclusively of himself, being concerned only with himself, and petitioning G-d merely for himself. The foundation of efficacious and noble prayer is human solidarity and sympathy or the covenantal awareness of existential togetherness, of sharing and experiencing the travail and suffering of [others]."
 
Upon hearing of the coming destruction, Avraham, being a member of the larger community, was innately moved to pray when he was told about the future suffering of the people. We should react in the same way when we hear of the anguish and agony of others.  
     
2-Year-Old Class Newsletter
Dear Parents,

We are having a wonderful week. The mild weather is allowing us to continue our early morning outside play and discovery time. On Tuesday, we worked together to fix the "broken" wagon, which was all in pieces. We always encourage the children to help each other and to work together.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On Monday we put beautiful leaves in our small water table to play with and we played a leaf matching game. We also did an experiment and put yellow leaves in one jar of water and red leaves in another. We continue to check and observe the changes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We started a new routine this week. When we are all finished  
eating our lunches, we have a dance party before we lay on our mats for rest. This wonderful group loves to sing, dance, and listen to music. We even brought a guitar into our room.
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On Monday, we used some dark blue paper to represent the nighttime sky and filled it with star stickers, just like how Hashem blessed Avraham that he would have as many children as stars in the sky.  
 
    
 
This week we are learning about Parshat Vayeira with a tent right in our room! It has four doors, just like Avraham Avinu's.
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On Wednesday morning, the four-year-olds invited us to their room in the spirit of hachnasat orchim (the mitzvah of welcoming guests) for some delicious fruit salad that they made themselves. They were so kind to us, and we had a lovely time!
 
 

Here we are working together to try to get everything off the slide so we can climb up and slide down. The children were trying so hard to move the lions and the stroller off together. They were so proud when they figured it out!
 

 
We also continue to love dressing up. 

   
We created a beautiful watercolor painting this week. We absolutely love to paint, because we love any project where we can be creative. Sometimes the paint even goes on the paper!
 
  
Shabbat Shalom,
 
Morah Tzipi and Morah Laura
3-Year-Old Class Newsletter 
 
Dear Parents,

This week we talked about how, in Parshat Vayeira, Avraham and Sarah loved to have guests visit them in their tent. It was open on all four sides so they could receive guests from all directions. We wanted to put up a tent in our room, but we had a challenge. One of our tents was very large with many different poles. We all brainstormed and worked together, but we couldn't put the tent up. We then brought in a smaller tent with fewer poles, and the children helped to construct it. Then they enjoyed going inside and inviting their friends in. We also laid a parachute on the top of the loft to make another sort of tent, so they could continue their game in the dramatic play area. They even brought play food up in the loft to offer to their guests!

The children enjoyed acting out the parsha this week. They used toy people in the dollhouse to show how to welcome guests and do nice things for them. In their journals this week, we asked the children what special things they do when guests come to their house. Some of their responses were:
  • "I welcome them. I hang up their coats. They eat food at my house."
  • "I make food for them. I make salad. I also share my toys with them."
  • "I share food with them."
  • "My mommy makes them food."
  • "I share my room toys with them. I like to share my toys with my guests and my cousins."
  • "I share with them toys, my car with a remote control."

We wanted to practice hachnasat orchim by welcoming guests into our classroom. We started by making an invitation for Morah Dani's first grade class to come visit. Then we went up to her classroom and delivered the invitation. We were so happy when they said they could come to our Shabbat party on Friday! On Thursday, we made cookies to share with our first grade friends at our Shabbat party. When they came to our class, we sat with them at the tables, served them snack first, and made sure that they had what they needed. It was so nice spending time with them.

Parsha Questions :
  1. What is the name of this week's Parsha? (Vayeira)
  2. Who were the guests who visited Avraham and Sarah? (Three malachim [angels] from Hashem)
  3. What was the name of Sarah and Avraham's baby, and what does it mean? (Yitzchak, meaning laughter)
  4. How can we make guests in our home feel welcome? (Any answer your children like is correct)

Shabbat Shalom,

Morot Leisa, Shayna, and Sara
 
                 
In Art class this week, the children experimented with watercolors to see what they could create. 
 
 
We had special visitors from the Upper School come to play with us!
 
 
 
Bella and Noam E. using watercolors to create beautiful fall artwork
 

 
 
After we worked to get our tent up, we enjoyed a short circle time inside!
 
 
 
 
At Music class this week, the children got to be "guests at Morah Linda's house" while they sang about the parsha.  
 


To learn about the parsha, the children looked at pictures and acted it out.



 
During provocation time, the children worked together to make their invitation to the first grade.
 
 

Everyone got a chance to work on it.



We baked cookies to serve to our guests when they would arrive.
 


We made sure we would serve our guests first when they came.
 
4-Year-Old Class Newsletter

Dear Parents,

This has been an exciting week. We started the week by learning about two very important mitzvot in this week's parasha. One mitzvah was bikur cholim , visiting or calling someone who is sick. The second mitzvah was hachnasat orchim , welcoming guests. We learned that Hashem did bikur cholim by sending his מלאכים ( malachim ), special messengers, to visit Avraham Avinu when he was sick. Avraham loved having guests and doing hachnasat orchim so much that his tent had four open doors, so that he could welcome guests coming from any direction.

We practiced hachnasat orchim this week. We made welcome signs to hang outside our room, and invitations for the two-year-olds to come to our classroom for snack. On Wednesday morning, we prepared a fruit salad to share with the two-year-olds. When the twos came, each student from our class had a job. Six friends stood by the door to greet our guests by saying "welcome," eight friends helped to escort our guests to their seats, and everyone else helped serve the food.

Speaking of welcoming, we welcomed a new student to our class this week. We are excited to have Shuvael Hamo with us as a part of the Balloons class.

Unfortunately, some of our friends were out sick this week. Fortunately, it gave us a chance to practice doing bikur cholim . Even though we couldn't go visit each friend at home, we did get to call them at home and wish them a refuah sheleimah (a complete recovery).

Besides doing the mitzvot above, we are also trying to do more activities to promote the friendship skills of cooperation and compromise. In pairs or groups of three, the children were given the assignment to build or paint a picture together. Each group made something unique and interesting.
 
Here are some questions (and answers) about the parasha :
  1. How many doors did Avraham's tent have? (4)
  2. How many messengers/angels did Hashem send to Avraham? (3)
  3. What was the job of the first מלאך (angel)? (His job was to do bikur cholim [a visit to someone ill/convalescent] and make Avraham feel better.)
  4. What was the job of the second מלאך? (His job was to tell Avraham and Sarah that they were going to have a baby boy.)
  5. What did the third מלאך tell Lot and his wife? (That Sodom was going to be destroyed, so they had to run away and not look back.)
  6. What happened to Lot's wife when she looked back at Sodom? (She turned into salt.)

On Friday, we had a Shabbat party! Thank you to Ella, our Shabbat Ima, for the yummy challah and treat that you brought in.
 
Shabbat Shalom!
 
Morot Mimi, Irit, Marggie, and Chava

P.S. Please send in tzedaka money for next week. Please also send in family pictures and pictures of your home if you have not already done so, as we are using them for a project soon.
 

Our morning provocation included exploring pumpkins and gourds. This time, we opened them to see what's inside and used the magnifying glass. Then the students drew what they saw.
 
 
 
We continued the long-term project of making a desert by adding people and luggage pictures.
 
 
  
 
We practiced making letters out of magnetic parts.
 
 
 
 
To practice the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim, we made welcome signs to hang outside our room. 
 

We also made invitations for the two-year-olds to come to our classroom for snack.




We prepared fruit salad to share with our guests, the two-year-olds.
 
 
  

   
On Wednesday morning, we went over to the twos and invited them to join us for a fruit salad snack. 



 
Some of the students waited at the door to welcome our guests. 
 
 
 
 
Some of us served them the fruit salad. 
 
 
   
 
We acted out the parasha.



 
The malachim came to visit Avraham and Sara.
 
 
 
 
 
 
We played with a tent with four open sides.
 
 
  
 
 
Having fun with our new friend, Shuvael.
 
 
 
 
 
In Art class, we draw the nature that we saw outside the window.
 
 
 
 
We worked together in pairs or a group of three. We built together using Magnatiles.
 
 
 
 
We had to decide together what to build.
 
 
 
 
 
We painted together as a team.
 
 
 
 
 
Then we went around the room checking what our friends had done. The team that had painted or built explained what they had done, and the rest of the group showed what they thought about that.
 
 
Parent-Teacher Conferences 
Remember to sign up for Parent- Teacher Conferences!  The registration website will close this coming Monday, November 6 at 10:00 p.m.

Fall Parent- Teacher Conferences will be taking place: 
  • Thursday, November 9: Grades K-12 from 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., ECC from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m. (no classes)
  • Sunday, November 19: Grades K-12 from 12:00 - 7:00 p.m., ECC from 2:00 - 7:00 p.m.
The conference hours can also be viewed at http://www.maimonides.org/PTC

The registration website can be found here.  If you did not receive an e-mail with your student(s) ID and registration information, please contact the ECC office.
 
Two Events on Sunday 

Yom Chesed is Here!
 
Yom Chesed is this Sunday starting at 9:00 a.m. All registered participants should have received their project assignments via email. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday! 
 
 
 
Annual Kristallnacht Commemoration
 
Maimonides School's annual commemoration of the Kristallnacht pogrom is scheduled for Sunday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. (ma'ariv at 7:15).
 
The speaker will be Dr. Jonathan Skolnik, assistant professor of German and adjunct assistant professor of history and Judaic and Near Eastern studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
 
Maimonides began this lecture more than 20 years ago, when Rabbi Isaiah Wohlgemuth, זצ"ל , described his personal experiences on Kristallnacht - the night of Nov. 9, 1938. Rabbi Wohlgemuth, who joined the Maimonides faculty in 1945, was then a young rabbi in the town of Kitzingen, where a mob attacked his shul. Rabbi Wohlgemuth subsequently was detained at Dachau for several months.
 
Reservations are not required but would be appreciated (mike@maimonides.org, 617-232-4452 x 405).
 
 
Alumni Newsletter Online 
The monthly alumni newsletter for October is now online, and can be found here  . This issue's articles include:
  • Recent Alumnus Joins Team Working to Revolutionize Agriculture
  • Couple Expanding Their In-Home Therapy Service to New England
  • Graduate's Virtual Jewish Coffee House Spreading the Spoken Word
  • A Dear Friend Remembers Rabbi Reuven Cohn '65, ז"ל
If you would like to receive the alumni newsletter each month, contact Mike Rosenberg at (617) 232-4452 x 405 or mrosenberg@maimonides.org
 
 
Mazel Tov! 
 
Send us your simchas Please share your simcha announcements with us by sending details to info@maimonides.org.
 
  
 
Social Time!
There's so much going on here at Maimo! Be sure to check out our social media to get the inside scoop (with lots of great photos) on happenings at school.  
 
 
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
 
See what's happening in other divisions
Lots of wonderful things are happening at Maimonides School!

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