| Reminders |
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22 IS OUR FIRST FAMILY LEARNING EVENT IN THE BRENER LUNCHROOM.
FREE AND OPEN TO ALL ECC AND ES FAMILIES!
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.
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How To Subscribe to the Calendar
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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
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Dear Parents,
Finally we had a full week of school! Picture Day today was so much fun. We love to see your children's smiling faces! We even took a picture with the whole building, including the Elementary School. Pleas
e go to
www.coffeepond.com
to order your child's photo if you have not yet done so.
We are starting to learn the
parasha of the week in class. We learn in many different multisensory ways - by listening, singing, touching, looking, creating, and even eating!
The teachers are very busy doing assessments, portfolios, and reports for each child, and we are so excited to share them with you at Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 9 and 19. Information on how to sign up for times will be sent out soon.
Our first Family Learning event is this Sunday, October 22. Our very own Tzipi Solooki is going to help lead the fun activity. This time, we are doing a STEM project for all ages. It should be a wonderful day! We hope to see you there.
Shabbat Shalom,
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Dvar Torah
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by Rabbi David Saltzman
In this week's parsha, Noach is commanded by G-d to save his family and all species of animals by seeking refuge in an ark. G-d instructs Noach to construct the ark, and adds some details regarding how to make it:
עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ תֵּבַ֣ת עֲצֵי־גֹ֔פֶר
Make yourself an ark of gopher wood
קִנִּ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה
Make it an ark with compartments
וְזֶ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֹתָ֑הּ
This is how you shall make it
צֹ֣הַר ׀ תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה לַתֵּבָ֗ה
Make an opening for daylight in the ark
וַיַּ֖עַשׂ נֹ֑חַ כְּ֠כֹל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֛וֹ אֱלֹקים כֵּ֥ן עָשָֽׂה׃
Noah did so; just as God commanded him, so he did
It is interesting to note that although Noach was told to build something, the verb
עשה
- which means to do or to make - is employed, and not the more common word for build, which is
בנה
.
However, later in the parsha, when Noach exits the taiva (ark):
וַיִּבֶן נֹחַ מִזְבֵּחַ לַה' וַיִּקַּח מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וּמִכֹּל הָעוֹף הַטָּהֹר וַיַּעַל עֹלֹת בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ׃
Then Noah built an altar to the L-rd and, taking of every clean animal and of every clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar.
The Malbim explains that Noach took his cue from Adam Harishon:
כמו שאדה"ר הקריב קרבן להודות לה' חסדו על בריאת העולם כן הקריב נח על קיום העולם ועל הצלתו,
Just as Adam sacrificed to give thanks to Hashem for creating the world, so too Noach brought sacrifices to thank Hashem for the continuation of the world.
It is super interesting to note that this is the first instance where the Torah uses the word
בנה
(build) regarding Noach's activity (rather than
עשה
). For this reason, the Medrish comments:
וַיִּבֶן כְּתִיב, נִתְבּוֹנֵן, אָמַר מִפְּנֵי מָה צִוַּנִּי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְרִבָּה בַּטְּהוֹרִים יוֹתֵר מִן הַטְּמֵאִים, אֶלָּא לְהַקְרִיב מֵהֶן קָרְבָּן, מִיָּד וַיִּקַּח מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהֹרָה וגו'.
The Torah uses the word
וַיִּבֶן
because Noach understood that Hashem commanded him to bring more tahor animals in order that they be available for a sacrifice.
Combining the Medrash with the Malbim, we learn that in order for Noach to give thanks to Hashem, an extra level of understanding was necessary for him to completely appreciate what G-d did for him, his family, and all the animals that were saved. Once Noach had that deeper level of appreciation, he acted upon those feelings and brought korbanot.
This year we are focusing on hakarat hatov. We are learning to be extra sensitive and to be able to recognize, as Noach did, the good deeds that are performed for us by G-d and by our friends and family on a daily basis. Once we are able to recognize (hakara) the good performed for us, we will be able to reciprocate with an appropriate thank you.
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Thoughts of the Rav
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by Rabbi David Saltzman
Rabbi Soloveitchik writes that a major transformation in human beings occurred after the flood. He tells us that the Zohar states that Noach was partially to blame for the flood, because he did not daven for the people of his generation to be saved from the oncoming storm. Noach held that the generation was so entrenched in sin that they could never be removed from it. The pasuk describing man before the flood seems to validate Noach's thinking. When G-d decided to bring the flood, the pasuk states:
וַיַּרְא ה' כִּי רַבָּה רָעַת הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ וְכָל יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ רַק רַע כָּל הַיּוֹם:
And the Lord saw that the evil of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of his heart was only evil all the time.
The
Rav explains that the words
מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ רַק רַע
mean that all of man's thoughts and instincts were rak ra - only evil. Before the flood, a person could become totally, irretrievably impure.
After the flood, however, G-d said about the people:
כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו
for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth
The Rav points out that the word רַק was removed. The Torah is teaching us that since the Mabul, from now on, man always has a chance to repent. There is always something good remaining in man, and the gates of repentance are never closed.
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2-Year-Old Class Newsletter
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Dear Parents,
As we get to know your children better, we've come to the conclusion that they are a lovely mixture of such creative, loving, amusing, and curious personalities. We're thankful for the trust you've placed in us.
Some of you may already know that we celebrate Shabbat in our classroom with Friday morning Shabbat Parties. At the end of November, we'll start asking the children if they want to be the Shabbat Abba or Ima of the week. We would love to have you join us for your child's Friday morning Shabbat Party if you can. We will share the dates with you ahead of time.
For Sukkot, we learned about the sukkah itself and the lulav and etrog, and we had fun singing Sukkot songs! We also explored the idea of the sefer Torah for Simchat Torah. We took out a real sefer Torah for the students to observe, and learned about what it is like to be a sofer by drawing with ink on a scroll.
Here is a peek into some of the things we have been up to at school:
The children created another masterpiece group project this week.
They really can't get enough of scissors, tape and paint.
This week, we thought we'd share some pictures with you of how beautifully the children play together. They really like each other, and we encourage them to take care of each other.
When we asked Amiel to help Shoshana put her shoes on, he didn't hesitate for a moment.
Want to guess what's happening here with Yakira and Nadav? One "woke up" while the other "went to sleep."
Yael is happy to try some of Yakira's home-brewed "tea." She makes it for us every day.
Look how Yair, Eyali, and Yael discover the beauty of the Torah together.
When we learned about Simchat Torah, Azariah was really patient. He was quietly watching Eyali until it was his turn to write with ink on the scroll.
We are usually not taking pictures outside because we are so busy exploring the outdoor space. We were lucky one morning that someone else had their camera, and we took this picture. Do you recognize any of these fence climbers or observers?
Shoshana and Nadav are continuing our morning tea party!
Amiel's turn to hold the tzedakah box while Azariah helps fill it.
These magnifying glasses gave Yael and Yair a totally new perspective on each other.
Morah Tzipi told us a wonderful, interactive story of Noach's Ark. It even rained on our heads! Look at how enthralled we are!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Morot Tzipi and Laura
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3-Year-Old Class Newsletter
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Dear Parents,
It was a busy and fun full week of school. The students seamlessly jumped into the classroom routines and were so happy to see their friends. The students got to explore the Sukkot
arba minim
even more this week. They strengthened their fine motor skills as they used scissors to cut up the
hadasim
(myrtle) and
aravot
(willow). They also looked through magnifying glasses to examine the inside of an etrog. The students couldn't believe how many seeds were inside! During an art activity, they created a Sukkot class collage by gluing etrog slices onto paper. Come in and you can see it displayed in our classroom.
At Music this week, the students sang about Parshat Noach and even build a
teyva
out of wooden blocks. They were very excited when Morah Linda's musical puppets, Mousey and Cowy, went on the
teyva
. During a dance activity, the students used colored streamers. Ask your child what color they held when they made a
keshet
(rainbow) with Morah Linda.
For Parshat HaShavuah this week, we read stories about Noach and the
teyva
he built. We discussed how the
teyva
had three levels, and what was on each level. The food and garbage was stored on the bottom level, the animals lived on the middle level, and Noach and his family lived on the top level. The students were enthralled to hear about how it rained for forty days and nights, causing a flood, and also how many animals lived on the
teyva
. Later in the week, the students acted out the story of Noach. They also loved making the sounds of each of the animals.
During Cooking, the students made a rainbow cake. They measured, poured, and stirred the ingredients. After they were given a ball of dough, they each chose what color they wanted the dough to become. The students then mixed in some food coloring, rolled the dough into a "snake," and put it in a pan to create a very colorful rainbow. They enjoyed eating the rainbow cake at Morah Chava's birthday party on Friday. Morah Chava loved the cake they made for her!
Parsha Questions
:
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What's the name of the parsha this week? (Noach)
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What did Noach build? (A
teyva
)
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How long did it rain for? (Forty days and forty nights)
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How many animals did Noach take on the
teyva
? (Seven pairs of kosher animals and two of every other kind)
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What did Hashem send as a promise to never flood the whole earth again? (A rainbow)
We have a classroom
mitzvah
tree. Please send in
mitzvah
notes when you notice your child doing something extra special at home, and we will hang them on the tree.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morot Leisa, Shayna, and Sara
Daniel, Noam E., Noam S., Baruch, and Naomi worked together to build a tower during open time.
Elhanan worked on gluing
hadasim
, aravot, and etrog slices to his paper during exploration time.
Shiraz and Noa worked on putting pegs in their foam boards to increase their fine motor skills.
Eliya and Noam S. investigating what the inside of an etrog looks like.
Morah Leisa taught us all about Noach and the
teivah.
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The children enjoyed Music class with Morah Linda. This week, we got to build Noach's teivah together!
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Julia expresses herself in her journal in words and pictures.
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Naomi and Bella working on their journals |
Shiraz and Noa had a fun time cutting up
hadasim
and
aravot
.
Noam S. using loose parts to trace letters
Noam S., Ellie, Noa, and Noa's sister Kira having fun on a very sunny day!
Daniel and Avishai had a great time driving the cars together.
Avishai and Shiraz taking a drive "to America" together.
Lavi, Shiraz, and Baruch having a blast on the slide together!
Bella was so proud to show us the huge leaf she found outside!
The children enjoying the fun new sandbox we have outside!
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4-Year-Old Class Newsletter
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Dear Parents,
It is so exciting to have a full week of school after being away so many days for
Yom Tov
! We have been so busy this week! We continued our learning of Parashat Bereishit from last week, and we started learning about Parashat Noach. In conjunction with the
parshiot
, we did a lot of experiments and projects that involved colors and rain. We also made self-portraits to show how, even though we have many similar features, we are all unique and special.
On Monday, we started making posters for the Days of Creation by making posters of Days 1 (darkness and light) and 2 (separating the water in the sky and the ocean). We also started making our self-portraits. Morah Irit helped us review the story of Noach the
tzadik
(a good man).
On Tuesday, we made the posters for Days 3 (the land and the plants) and 4 (the sun, moon and stars). We also learned some Noach songs, and made rainbows out of ribbon sticks with Morah Linda.
On Wednesday, we learned about how rain comes down from the clouds when the clouds become heavy with water. Using a jar, shaving cream, water, and food coloring, we showed the students how, when the food coloring gets too heavy for the shaving cream (cloud) to hold up, it drips down into the jar, making "rain." Many of us made pictures of rain using loose parts, paint, markers, or crayons.
In the afternoon, we made a special rainbow cake, but we found we had a problem - we did not have any food coloring that was orange or purple. What could we do? The students said that we would have to mix some colors, and we learned that red and yellow make orange, while red and blue make purple.
On Thursday, we made rainbows, practiced mixing colors, and sorted out the things that went on the three levels of Noach's
teivah
: garbage, animals, and people. We used different liquids and colors to make a rainbow in a jar. Each liquid was a different density, so they sat on top of each other without mixing. It was really cool to see!
On Friday, there were so many things to celebrate! We started by celebrating Leo's birthday at our Shabbat party. Thank you, Shabbat Abba Leo, for the yummy challah and birthday cookies. We also celebrated Morah Chava's birthday with the rainbow cake that we made earlier in the week.
Soon we will begin our Long-Term Project about our homes. Please do not forget to send in a photo of the outside of your home.
Parasha Questions:
1. What's the name of the parasha this week? (Noach)
2. What did Noach build? (a teivah)
3. What does tzadik mean? (a good man)
4. How long did it rain for? (40 days and 40 nights)
5. Why did Hashem want to flood the whole earth? (Because the people were doing bad things to each other)
6. How many animals did Noach take on the teivah? (Seven pairs of kosher animals and two of every other kind)
7. What did Hashem send as a promise to never flood the whole earth again? (A rainbow)
Shabbat Shalom!
Morot Irit, Mimi, Marggie, and Chava
P.S. Please make sure you send in tzitzit every day for your son to wear for davening.
We were working on the Bereishit posters using loose parts. Ayelet, Leah, and Gavriella were making the First Day
יום ראשון
- light and darkness.
Liat and Simcha made the Second Day
יום שני
- separating the water in the sky and the ocean.
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Leo and Leah made the Third Day
יום שלישי
- the land and the plants.
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In honor of the Second and Third Days of Creation, we played a game called ים-יבשה (sea and land). The students needed to jump inside the hoops when they heard יבשה (land) and outside the hoop when they heard ים (sea).
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Ella and Batsheva worked on the Fourth Day
יום רביעי
- the sun, moon and stars.
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Adir and Jonah made the Fifth Day
יום חמישי
- the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea.
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Liat, Avital, and Gavriella made the sixth day
יום שישי
- the animals on the land, Adam, and Chava.
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We learned some songs for Parashat Noach together with Morah Linda in Music class. The students sang and danced, making a rainbow with ribbon sticks.
The students each made a teiva
תיבה
out of popsicle sticks.
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We acted out Parashat Noach - here are the people stealing from each other.
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And we built a teiva out of blocks, adding people in the top, animals in the middle, and garbage at the bottom.
Using a jar, shaving cream, water, and food coloring, we showed the students how, when the food coloring gets too heavy for the shaving cream (cloud) to hold up, it drips down into the jar, making "rain."
We counted how many drops of food coloring we needed to make it rain.
The students liked touching, smelling, and rubbing the shaving cream on their hands.
After seeing the rain experiment, the students made rain on paper using loose parts, paint, markers, or crayons.
On Wednesday afternoon, we made a special rainbow cake.
The students made the dough, colored the pieces with different colored food coloring, rolled them into "snakes," and added them to the baking dish in the order of a rainbow. We enjoyed the beautiful cake for Morah Chava's birthday party on Friday!
Layering liquids of different densities and colors to make a rainbow in a jar
Carefully adding the colors one by one
Each class made their own rainbow in a jar.
In Science class, we made a different kind of rainbow with jellybeans and water.
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Family Learning on Sunday
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Maimonides School invites the entire community to participate in Torah and STEM Family Learning on Sunday, October 22, from 10:15-11:30 a.m. This will be a fun opportunity to study texts and tefillot relating to rain, and then enjoy hands-on water experiments. Breakfast and prizes will add to the fun! We are excited to have families with Early Childhood Center and Elementary School students join us!
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Three Upcoming Events
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Thursday evening, November 2 - An Evening in Memory of Rabbi Reuven Cohn
z"l
Sunday morning, November 5 - Yom Chesed
Sunday evening, November 5 - Annual Kristallnacht Commemoration
An Evening in Memory of Rabbi Reuven Cohn z"l
Please join us for an evening of learning, tribute, and appreciation in memory of our beloved teacher Rabbi Reuven Zvi Cohn z"l on Thursday, November 2 at 6:45 p.m. at Saval Campus, 34 Philbrick Road.
Don't Wait - Register NOW for Yom Chesed!
Registration for Yom Chesed is going strong, and we're looking forward to seeing so many of you on Sunday, November 5! Though many projects are nearing capacity, there is still availability, and we welcome your involvement!
This schoolwide community service initiative is in its 5th year and is fun for everyone, including students, parents, faculty, grandparents, alumni, and parents of alumni.
In addition to the many hands-on projects that take place in our school buildings and throughout the community, our Saval Auditorium will host two organizations that focus on medical needs. Gift of Life, a bone marrow and blood stem cell registry, will be on hand to register new donors, and the Hope Time Cure Epilepsy Foundation will be here to share information about its mission to promote epilepsy awareness and provide support to individuals with epilepsy and their families.
Our Yom Chesed web page has a complete list of projects as well as an online registration form. Please don't wait to sign up - together we CAN make a difference!
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).
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Mazel Tov!
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Mazel tov to Mrs. Robin Meyerowitz, director of the Early Childhood Center, and her husband
Rabbi Allen Meyerowitz on the birth of a grandson. Parents are Chana and Zalman Wallach of Brighton.
Send us your simchas!
Please share your simcha announcements with us by sending details to info@maimonides.org.
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Alumni Newsletter Online
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The monthly alumni newsletter for September is now online, and can be found
here.
This issue's articles include:
- Reuven Cohn '65, ז"ל , Bridged Generations with Passion, Wisdom and Caring
- Graduate's Brew Helps Boost Israel's Fledgling Craft Beer Industry
- Alumna's Book Explores "What Actually Happened to the Arts in Nazi Germany"
- Retreating from Irma, Floridians Find Food, Shelter and Warmth in Atlanta
- Alumna Lands New Position That Combines Good Taste and Love for Israel
- Alumnus Focuses on U.S. Shipping and Physical Infrastructure
- Class notes
If you would like to receive the alumni newsletter each month, contact Mike Rosenberg at (617) 232-4452 x 405
or mrosenberg@maimonides.org.
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Invitational Basketball Tournament
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Save the dates! The annual Maimonides Invitational Basketball Tournament in memory of Leland Gelman is scheduled for Thursday - Sunday, December 7-10. Visiting teams will be from Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School (boys and girls), Joel Braverman High School of Yeshivah of Flatbush (boys and girls), Atlanta Jewish Academy (boys) and Melvin Berman Hebrew Academy (girls). Contact Ahron Solomont (asolomont@aol.com) for information on serving as a tournament volunteer.
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Social Time!
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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.
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See what's happening in other divisions
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 Lots of wonderful things are happening at Maimonides School!
If you'd like to take a peek at the other divisions' newsletters, please click here.
If you would like to contact a specific school office, please use these emails:
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