Oct. 14, 2016 12 Tishrei 5776

Parashat Ha'Azinu

Candle Lighting 6:36 p.m.
Sukkot

We have just emerged from the intense period of the High Holidays.  Our prayers and hearts have been focused on the act of repentance, as we made amends for the wrongdoings of the past and resolved to work toward a better, more committed future.  We sought forgiveness from God and dedicated ourselves to making the oftentimes difficult effort to improve ourselves, our character and our actions; we reflect on the past but we renew our passion for the future.

Sukkot fits into a similar pattern.  Sukkot commemorates the temporary dwellings our ancestors lived in during their 40 years in the desert, but it also alludes to the Messianic age when all will be sheltered by God's Sukkah of peace.  The Torah, in the book of Vayikra, trains our attention on forward-thinking rationale for the holiday: "And you shall dwell in Sukkot for seven days...so that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am HaShem your God" (Vayikra 23:42-43).  In this passage, the Torah teaches that although the mitzvah of sitting in a sukkah is predicated upon a national memory, the purpose of sitting in the sukkah lies in our future generations.  To sit in a sukkah teaches our children of HaShem's Divine providence over us; knowledge that God watches over and protects us trains our eyes forward on our ultimate goal, educating our future generations to perpetuate our heritage, our people, and our intimate relationship with God.

With its incorporation of experiential education into its ritual, Sukkot teaches that our beginnings necessitated living in a hut in the desert, and that our future includes agricultural abundance and material bounty.  Both parts of our Jewish experience rely on God's gifts and both depend on our recognizing the goodness in our lives.  By appreciating what we have, by celebrating the holiday with its varied rituals, and by sharing our experiences with our community and family, we gain knowledge of God and God's role in our national and personal lives.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach,
   
UPCOMING EVENTS

  •  Rebbetzin Chana Naparstek classes will resume after the Chagim (holidays).
  • Rabbi Rackovsky class will resume after the Chagim.
  • Oct. 17: No School for Sukkot.
  • Oct. 18: No School for Sukkot.
  • Oct. 20: MS trip to Group Dynamix.
  • Oct. 24: No School for Shimini Atzeret.
  • Oct. 25: No School for Simchat Torah.
For the full 2016-2017 calendar, click here . 

AFTERCARE NOTICE

Starting Oct. 21 : School will close for aftercare on Fridays at 4:30 p.m. CLICK HERE for the closing schedule.
HIGH VELOCITY

Eighth grade explored the physics garden after learning about velocity and acceleration in science class.



















YOM KIPPUR LEARNING

Third through fifth grade students participated in a pre-Yom Kippur program that featured five thematic stations that helped them prepare for the holiday through song, study and a show!

PRACTICAL SCIENCE

Seventh and eighth grade students work on prototypes of various prosthetic devices using recycled materials during their STEAM elective.


BLAST FROM THE PAST

Seventh grade boys are working on their vintage cars!! The boys had to change gears and pick a vintage car they liked to create a floating image from the past! 


      LAST CHANCE TO LEND A HAND

Final call for donations for the school-wide chesed project for the homeless. Please send grade specific items with your child.
 
Teenoki - Travel toothpaste
K'Ton Ton - Travel mouth wash
Nitzanim - Shampoo and conditioner- travel size
Chaverim - Band aids
Kindergarten - Deodorant
First Grade - Juice boxes
Second Grade - Hand sanitizer
Third Grade - Toothbrushes and combs
Fourth Grade - Snack size crackers
Fifth Grade - Raisins and fruit snacks
Sixth Grade - Peanut butter and jelly
Seventh Grade - Cheese sticks
Eighth Grade - Sliced bread

     LOCO-MOTOR

Middle school students explored how motors worked by creating scribbling machines during their STEAM elective, Backwards by Design.


SHABBAT LIGHTS

First graders light Shabbat candles at their Shabbat party.


     TZEDAKAH FOR ALL

To celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, the eighth grade tzedakah committee is asking students to bring in loose change or dollar bills to donate to Yad Eliezar, a charity that helps break the cycle of poverty in Israel, one family at a time. 

UP FOR A CHALLENGE?

Calling Parents and Faculty,
 
Here is an opportunity to work at improving your health, fitness, and weight.
It is really easy to join :
  • submit your cell number with your weight  to join the "WhatsApp Fitness Group" that will be managed by Rotem Hadas (PE teacher at Akiba and private Pilates instructor)
by emailing:   rhadas@akibaacademy.org
 
  • Please note your weight will not be shared with the group but only personally with Rotem.
  • Each participant must set a realistic goal that they want to achieve by the end of the 60 days, and if you are not sure of a goal then Rotem can advise.
  • Over the 60 days, Rotem will share nutrition tips, recommended physical activities and you are welcome to share meal ideas, recipes, and activities that are helping reach your goal.
  • This will be an interactive group and by sharing your journey to good health, we hope to encourage all participants to reach their goals.

Let's get started......

 

Rotem Hadas
PE teacher Akiba Academy 




PRESCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

The entire Early Childhood Program is working together to build a sukkah. The students started with cardboard poles and have been thinking through the process of how to make the sukkah stand and stable.  The students are all so excited when they pass their "work in progress" in the hallway, and are especially excited to share the sukkah with their mommies and daddies.  So far Nitzanim and Chaverim have participated.  Next up is Nevatim, Teenoki, and K'Ton Ton who will be making the decorations.


 
Thank you to our snack helpers for the week: Michelle Raphael, Miriam Raphael, Karen Gottlieb, and Alana Tinnin.  We are still in need of more people to sign up.   CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO HELP .
AKIBA BASKETBALL
 
Basketball season is right around the corner! Parent meeting is Monday 10/31/16 at 4:30 in the gym. First practice will be 11/1/16. More information to follow.
 
If you haven't signed up yet, forms can be found by clicking HERE.

   
PARENT AND ME

In our parent and me class, families explored the sense of touch, arts and sciences, and learned about sticky.  Morah Lindsey taped contact paper to the floor and children felt the sticky paper with hands and feet.  Then, we turned on the Wind Tunnel and placed tissue paper inside.  The babies loved watching the tissue paper drift up and down and stick to the contact paper.


BUTTERFLY, BUTTERFLY, FLY, FLY AWAY

Our kindergartners talked about butterflies and how they help in pollination.  The students proceeded to create their butterflies using a diffusion method by experiencing a reaction between color, water, and coffee filter!!  Colorful butterflies will soon flutter away in the lower school atrium.  

 
   
YEARBOOK ADS FOR SALE

Yearbook ads are now available for purchase.   PURCHASE HERE
   

Dairy Dinner and Dessert in the Sukkah : Mark your calendars to join us in the campus sukkah for dinner, dessert, games, and fun on Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. Please RSVP by October 16th CLICK HERE TO RSVP.

Check out the NEW Akiba Academy PTO Facebook page  HERE!

MAZAL TOV

To Ian and Ilana Ribald, and big sister, Charlotte, on the birth of a baby girl.
   
LANDS' END

Click the image to go to our school's custom shop!



COMMUNITY NOTICES
 

Akiba Academy provides a superior general and Judaic education to children in preschool through eighth grade. As a Modern Orthodox school, Akiba Academy develops ethical and responsible members of the Jewish people and American society, knowledgeable about and committed to their Jewish heritage and the State of Israel. For more information about Akiba contact  info@akibaacademy.org .