Chanukah Edition: This Week at Yavneh Academy!

This Week at Yavneh Academy - December 22, 2017/4 Tevet Kislev 5778

פרשת ויגש

Chanukah Edition!

Chanukah Pajamakah was a lot of Funakah!

Fuzzy-footed Power Rangers, fleecy fairies and flannel-clad princesses could be seen prancing down the halls of the Early Childhood Wing during one of the most anticipated days of the whole year. That's right, it was Chanukah Pajamakah! What better way to celebrate the first day of Chanukah then by coming to school in our comfy PJ's! The yeladim enjoyed a story about "Latke, the Lucky Dog" read by our very own Morah Shani, while snuggling under a cozy blanket and sipping hot chocolate. We then treated ourselves to a delicious "doughnut bar" with a multitude of delectable toppings. Our amazing day ended with a special performance and candle lighting ceremony by the Yavneh Junior Chorus. The smiles on the children's faces truly captured the joy felt this entire day! Click here for more photos!

Middle School Doughnut Bar

Sugary, soft, delicious, FRIED doughnuts are one of the best parts of Chanukah. Yavneh Academy's middle school had a treat last week on the first day of Chanukah when they had a doughnut bar complete with various fillings, frostings, and toppings. After the students filled and decorated their doughnuts, they were treated to a video featuring Yavneh's very own Rabbi Knapp as well as two graduates who work in the food industry, Yoni (pretzel challah guy) and Chef Eitan Bernath, who shared why eating fried foods on Chanukah is meaningful. What a fun way to start off the Chanukah festivities!

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Zoom Activity

On the first day of Chanukah, grades 1-2 participated in many discovery activities. First and second graders learned all about Chanukah through their Zoom Activity. They had a sheet of paper with zoomed in pictures of places around the school. At each of those places there was a QR code that they read with an iPad and watched a video about an aspect of Chanukah. They learned so much through these six stations and enjoyed moving around and searching for new information! Click here or photos.


	Choir Performing for Early Childhood


Kitah Alef Performance

Special Chanukah Video

by Banot Sherut Tal and Aviyah

Glow Carnival

Each year during Chanukah our Banot Sherut organize a carnival for our students. This year we spruced it up and added another element. We decided to make it Glow in the Dark! Every student who walked through had so much fun, from knocking down the yivanim in a glowing bowling game, to creating their own sivivonim using CDs and Styrofoam. The students were all wearing white, so not only were the activities glowing, each of our 1st and 2nd grade students were glowing as well!! Click here for photos!


	ECD Glow Party

ECD Glow Party

On December 14th, our ECD students wore white clothing and adorned themselves with neon face paint and glow jewelry before heading to the lower school gym for a Chanukah celebration! The excitement began even before entering the gym, as the students got a glimpse of the colorful lights shining bright, and heard the festive music from the hallway! Coach Lauren led the party with lively music and choreographed dances. The kids had so much fun showing off their moves and dancing with friends and teachers while glowing amid the black strobe lights. Click here for photos!

Yom Lachkor

We began Chanukah with a bang as we combined groups of 4th and 5th graders to embark on a day of discovery. Each group was assigned a Chanukah theme and dpve into discovering various elements of their theme. Each student investigated all about the history, science and Torah perspectives of gold, oil, or fire. Some of the amazing highlights included discovering how much the menorah in the beit hamikdash would cost if purchased at today's gold rates, creating lava lamps from oil, stories from America's gold rush, and fireworks in milk. Students came back and reported their discoveries in their classes while munching on themed snacks. What a great day! Click here for photos!


	Benny Friedman Concert at Yavneh

Benny Friedman Concert

The ruach and energy at Yavneh Academy during the Benny Friedman concert was amazing! The students were treated to the special performance which featured not only Benny Friedman's songs but also Chanukah favorites! Everyone left school last Friday with an extra special feeling for the chag that they were able to carry with them through Shabbat. Thank you to YPAA for sponsoring the concert.

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	Middle School Chopped: Latke Edition

Chopped: Latke Edition

Middle School students were eager to participate in our Chanukah cook-off- Chopped! Students participated in an entry raffle and three students won entry into the contest! During lunch and recess on Tuesday, the winning students and a partner were given the same basic ingredients, but then were given a twist- each group had a special flavor to create! There was a Mexican latke, a rainbow latke, and a s'mores flavored latke. After the teams peeled, cut, and mixed, the latkes were fried and given to Student Council to judge. After hesitant tastes were had all around, the winning latke was announced- Yosi Gold's Mexican flavored latke. Click here for photos.

Mock Bar/Bat Mitzvah

As part of our 6th grade advisory program the 6th graders enjoyed a Mock Bar/Bat mitzvah program. Our very own Dr. Frohlich was the bat mitzvah girl and Mr. David was the bar mitzvah boy. We had speeches and yummy food accompanied with soothing guitar playing from Mr. Steiner.The students were instructed and taught about proper behavior at smachot; wishing Mazal Tov to the parents and definitely no pushing or playing with food. It is always important to teach young men and women proper etiquette for all occasions. Click here for more photos!

Yavneh Goes Skating

Over 100 people attended the annual Family Ice Skating event on Monday afternoon, the 6th day of Chanukah. McKay Arena was filled with children skating with their friends, siblings, parents and even their teachers, as Coach Aliza's Chanukah play-list played all around the rink! Click here for more photos!


	Yavneh Choir Performing During Devils Game Intermission

Choir Sings at Devils Game

In a match with a nail biting finish, the Devils beat the Anaheim Ducks on December 18th, the 7th night of Chanukah. For Yavneh Academy, the energy was felt both on and off the ice. For the second year in a row, a group of Yavneh Concert Choir members, plus two devoted Concert Choir alumni, had the honor of performing the Star Spangled Banner on the ice, pre-game. Then the crowd had a chance to hear the Yavneh choirs in between periods of play on the main concourse. As a grand finale to Yavneh night at the New Jersey Devils, the combined choirs performed their signature Chanukah song "Chanukah in Santa Monica" as an opening to a performance by the renowned Maccabeats. The Maccabeats high-fived our singers as they came off stage, and even posted on our Facebook fan page "You guys were great!" The night was a win for both the Devils AND the Yavneh choir family!

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Yom Sivivon

The ECD was dizzy for driedels on Yom Sivivon! The day was filled with excitement every spin of the way. Walking into the classrooms, there were crowns and necklaces being decked out with sivivonim. You could build an edible dreidel out of sweet treats, or use the "dreidel metric system" to measure different items. And of course, dreidel was being played in every corner of the room.

The festivities continued with a fantastic carnival headed by our very own Bnot Sherut. There were sufganiyot tosses, dmei Chanukah and sivivon hunts, and even a challenge of building a sivivon with Styrofoam and CD's. A fan favorite was pinning the candle on the chanukiya. It was a blindfolded blast!

The day was finished off with a beautiful Lower School chanukiya ceremony. Click here for photos.

Olive Press

First graders participated in the Olive Press Factory .

The students learned first-hand how to separate the olive oil from the olive juice and use the oil in a chanukiyah!

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Kids' Supper Quiz

Over a hundred 3rd-5th graders participated in the YPAA's kids Chanukah trivia night. Questions and activities ranged from brachot and Chanukah halachot, to bottle flipping and building a tower out of marshmallows and spaghetti. Everyone enjoyed a delicious Chanukah themed dinner and prizes.

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	Grades 3-8 Chanukah Maccabia

Chanukah Maccabia

On the last day of Chanukah all students in grades 3-8 participated in Chanukah Maccabia! The students were divided into four teams: Livivot/Yellow, Sivivon/Green, Sufganiyot/Red, and Chanukiyah/Blue. The four teams first gathered in the Middle School gym for an introductory video and lots of Chanukah ruach! Throughout the afternoon the teams participated in activities such as dreidel archery, see-run-build: Chanukah edition, dreidel face-offs, gelt-toss, steal the shemen, Connect Four, and Chanukah Headbanz. Each team prepared a beautiful dvar Torah as well. In the end, all the teams did a great job and the members of the green team went home as the winners of Maccabia 5778. Click here for photos!

Chanukah Breakout EDU

Similar to Escape the Room, Breakout EDU allows for the facilitation of activities where students use teamwork and critical thinking to solve a series of challenging puzzles in order to open a locked box. To celebrate the last day of Chanukah, Yavneh Academy's first graders participated in a Chanukah-themed Breakout EDU in which they solved clues given exclusively in Hebrew. This was a joint activity created collaboratively by the first grade Judaic studies teachers, and the Educational Technology Department. We are happy to say that we had a 100% success rate, as the children solved the clues to open the locks. The prizes (dreidels) were hidden inside the boxes. The excitement and enthusiasm in the room was electrifying.