April 6, 2017
10 Nissan 5777

Parshat Tzav

Candle Lighting 7:34 p.m.

Pesach is a holiday with many opportunities to fulfill mitzvot, but possibly one of the most important mitzvot that can be fulfilled during Pesach is the mitzvah of teaching our children the story that led to this holiday. 

As many of us have experienced, sometimes it is not so easy to keep children (especially our youngest children) interested during the lengthy Pesach seder. Halachically (according to Jewish law) the seder cannot start before nightfall. This year, candle lighting on the first night is at 7:36 p.m. and the second night is at 8:36 p.m. This late time can make it very difficult for children to sit through a lengthy seder. 

When teachers plan a lesson or experience for children, much time is devoted to planning that lesson to ensure that the children are being taught with the utmost intentionality or purpose. On Passover, the leader of the seder is like the teacher for all the participants. Thus, in the days leading up to the seder it is wise to spend some time thinking about the various age levels of your participants, what might interest them, and how to capture their attention. Include your children in the preparation of the seder. This could even include having your children select props to represent the makot (plagues), which is a fun way to keep the children engaged during the seder. After all, the only way we are going to be able to really pass on to our children this important story and the important lessons we learn from this holiday is by including them.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jordana Bernstein
Early Childhood Program Director


UPCOMING EVENTS
  • April 7-19: Passover break
  • April 18: Parker Uniforms will offer 18 percent off sales in-store and online. 
  • April 20 at 7 p.m.: Pollman Lecture with Dr. Lisa Miller, author of "The Spiritual Child."
  • Thursdays, 8:30 a.m., Boardroom : Rabbi Rackovsky's Pathways in the Parsha.

RSVP HERE


Congrats to the Goldschmidt family on the birth of a baby boy, who is grandson to Rabbi Asher and Rivka Goldschmidt, son to alumnus Mushka (Shmuli Lipskar) Goldschmidt and nephew to Akiba students Stera, Mendel, Ronya and Micky Goldschmidt.


MATZAH MAKERS
 
Check out all the pics in the  Facebook album of k in dergarten and first grade making matzah. A special thanks  to parent volunteer and matzah maker extraordinaire Rabbi  Moshe Naparstek  from  Chabad of Dallas.




MATH MARVELS
 
Suzanne Sherman's 3rd graders  practiced their math skills during the game, "Around the World."




BOOKS FOR GOOD
 
6th grade girls gathered and loaded up hundreds of books for children at the  Genesis Women's Shelter & Support . The books will be used to create an in-house children's library at this local domestic violence shelter. 



MATH MINDS

Students created original board games that summarize the past seven months of math learned in Josh Rapps' class. 



SWEET SCIENCE

Students extracted strawberry DNA in a middle school STEAM class.

 


JUDAICS + SCIENCE 

In Zalman Dubrawsky's Judaics class, students went to the science lab to experiment with the laws of kashrut. They covered concepts relating to temperature, flavor, and reactions to various cooking techniques.

 


BUILDING FOR PESACH

6th and 7th grade girls created a Rube Goldberg Pesach machine. Each group studied a different set of Pesach laws and then created a machine that they used to teach the laws to the class.

 


PRESCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS

This week's Passover seders were full of singing, praying and lots and lots of eating! Each student received a seder plate with all of the traditional foods, like matzah and karpas. We recited the blessings and sang lots of songs, and got ready for the holiday. 

Check out more photos on  Facebook.















  















 

No challah this week, since there is no school on Friday. Happy Passover and enjoy the break!

 
Thank you to all the Akiba current and past parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who have generously supported the 2016-17 Akiba Fund. 

It's not too late to participate: Give Now
 


 
One sure-fire way to keep flu and other  viruses at bay is to wash your hands often and well.  But, if you can, avoid high-speed jet air dryers in public restrooms. Research shows that they spread - rather than remove - germs. The same is true to a lesser extent for warm air dryers.  The clear winner: Good old-fashioned paper towels.

"We often say that handwashing is the key to preventing the spread of illness. But wet hands increase the risk of transmitting bacteria, so drying is an equally important step in prevention," says urgent care specialist Theresa Lash-Ritter, MD.

In a new  study , microbiologists at the University of Westminster in London compared jet air dryers to warm air dryers and paper towels. What they found was disturbing:
  • The jet air dryer dispersed 20 times more virus than the warm air dryer and over 190 times more than paper towels, at six different heights.
  • The impact of the virus was greatest at 2 ½ feet to 4.1 feet - which is about face-level for a small child.
  • The jet air dryer sent out 20 times more virus than the warm air dryer and over 190 times more virus than paper towels, at nine different distances.
The way each method works helps to explain the results. Jet air dryers force air out sideways at ultrahigh speeds. Warm air dryers work by evaporation. Paper towels absorb water.  "Drying your hands with paper towels not only dries them faster, but the friction also dislodges bacteria to leave them cleaner," notes Dr. Lash-Ritter.

Low-tech is sometimes better than high-tech - stick with paper towels.
 

COMMUNITY NOTICES

Don't miss the April 24 deadline for camp!


        


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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 .