This Week at Yavneh Academy!

This Week at Yavneh Academy - December 15, 2017/27 Kislev 5778

פרשת מקץ

!חג אורים שמח

Lower School Chanukah Candle Lighting

Early Childhood Department

So Many Chanukah Activities in Ganon!

Ganon Aleph welcomed Chanukah with lots of fun and festivity! Among our first day activities: All of us loved coming to school in our pj's for Chanukah Pajamakah. Parents came to help the children make Chanukah cookies and latkes. We snuggled on the floor with Morah Shani who came with hot chocolate to read the children a story. The children enjoyed decorating their own yummy sufganiyot at the ECD Donut Bar. After reading "A Hanukkiyah for Dina" by Floreva Cohen, we created our own chanukiyah out of potatoes, just like Dina does in the book. We ended the day with a department wide candlelighting ceremony and sing-a-long. We look forward to much more Chanukah fun in the coming days!!!

Learning About Artists and Chanukah

Chanukiyot, dreidels, oil, latkes, Maccabim... these are some of the buzz words that can definitely be heard as you walk the halls of early childhood. Gan Aleph took the opportunity to study some art history and mimic the work of artists while connecting their artwork to Chanukah. We learned about kinetic art and the artist, Yaacov Agam. We enjoyed looking at his paintings and seeing how his artwork moves with the person observing it. We created Chanukiyot in the style of Yaacov Agam as one side of our Chanukiyah displays the skyline of Yerushalayim and the other displays the look of stained glass. The children have been eager and excited to light their one of a kind Chanukiyot. We also learned about Marc Chagall and his infamous stained glass windows. The children created their own stained glass windows and used Chanukah pictures to decorate the inside of each windows.Their beautiful works of art can be seen hanging on the Gan Aleph windows! Chanukah is in the air and we are truly blessed to be celebrating this beautiful holiday together with the Yavneh family.

Lower School


	#ALeader

Third Graders Study Leaders in History

Ambition, intelligence, and courage are traits of a good leader. 3A has been studying leaders in history -אברהם, יהודה המכבי, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Helen Keller to name a few, to learn what attributes made them great leaders. Please enjoy our #ALeader...video to see what traits will make us good leaders. Chag Sameach from Class 3A.

Family STEM Night

Last week, Yavneh Academy hosted our second annual Family STEM Night for students in grades 3-5, accompanied by their parents, grandparents or special adults. As our world progresses towards an increasingly tech based society, the study of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) has logically gained prominence within the education community, and the response for the evening's event was overwhelming. This year, the entire event was driven by the middle school students who participated in our STEM leadership program. The STEM leaders researched and then created an activity. The STEM leaders then administered the activities for the over 100 participating families. The evening consisted of numerous interactive, hands-on activities, with an emphasis on robotics, engineering, and collaborative skills. These activities ranged from low-tech (build an index card tower) to high tech (code a robot to navigate a maze). They encompassed all aspects of STEM including chemistry (creating a bath bomb) and electricity (creating with paper circuitry). Family STEM Night was hosted by the Educational Technology Department which is directed by Mrs. Chani Lichtiger, and includes technology integrators Mrs. Claire Hirschhorn and Mrs. Tova Burack. Looking forward to more exciting STEM activities and events to come! Click here for more photos.

Return of Hour of Code

This year, once again, the Technology Department is proud to have facilitated Yavneh's participation in the global initiative known as Hour of Code. Hour of Code is a week long event during which each Yavneh student experiences coding. More and more, educators look to coding as the new 21st century literacy. When our children enter the workforce, they will need to be able to think computationally. By participating in the Hour of Code, Yavneh students get an exposure to that sort of thinking as they join the millions of students around the globe who experience the excitement and creativity that is computer coding. At Yavneh Academy, students get to try different age appropriate coding activities, including coding games, coding apps, or programming robots. A very special aspect of Yavneh's Hour of Code is that Middle School students teach coding to the Early Childhood and lower grade students. This is a win-win on so many levels: empowering students, creating friendships, providing role models, and of course, exposure to coding. To enjoy coding with your child at home, try some of the following: Hourofcode.com, Tynker.com, Kodable.com, or Scratchjr (app). Click here for more photos.

Middle School

7th graders Visit the Hackensack Homeless Shelter

Our 7th graders visited the Hackensack Homeless shelter as part of their Advisory class and their unit on Operation Respect where they learned and implemented the skills of empathy. First, they were met by County Executive James Tedesco, who came especially to meet the students and praise them for their kindness. Mrs. Julia Orlando, director of the shelter, then met with the students, who asked numerous insightful questions which demonstrated how much they were impacted by this visit. The student proceeded to the cafeteria where the " guests" at the shelter were waiting. They were led in the song "One Day" by Mr. Steiner. The exuberance the students demonstrated as they sang was truly inspirational. The students then gave out gift bags containing the hats, gloves and scarves they collected, as they conversed with the recipients. As they sat and engaged the guests in conversation, they demonstrated what it means to truly care for others. The directors and employees of the shelter were impressed with their maturity and sensitivity. It was a true Kiddush Hashem.

Grade 8 Shabbaton

This past Shabbat, 8th graders enjoyed their first grade-wide full Shabbaton. Housed around the Keter Torah neighborhood, the students ate their meals in Shul, along with participating faculty. The Shabbaton included ruach-filled singing, games, and a learning session on Shabbat morning. To top it all off, late-night ice skating on Motzei Shabbat was a big hit!