 |
|
|
|
|
|
Rabbi Holman's Kitah Gimmel was having class outside this week.
|
|
Do you have a Yom Kippur (The Jewish Day of Atonement) Pre-Game ritual? I am not talking about the special prayers and rituals that are unique to the days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, but something only you do? I try to get into a more spiritual mood and prepare for what is, for me, an intense 25 hours of fasting, prayer, and connection with G-d.
Last night I began this process as I was preparing for our
Tashlich
(Hebrew word for "casting off") program today where our Middle School students went to Lake Michigan and performed the custom of symbolically casting their sins into the lake. I was reading from some of my favorite Jewish philosophers on the topic of Yom Kippur, dove into some poetry and listened to Leonard Cohen's "
If it Be Your Will,
" which I am convinced would have been part of the Yom Kippur Machzor (High Holidays prayer book) if it had been written centuries ago. One of the poems I Googled is one I had never seen before:
The Gift and the Giver
We ask for a piece of sand
and he gives us a beach.
We ask for a drop of water
and he gives us an ocean.
We ask for time
and he gives us life eternal.
And it is so easy for us
to fall in love with the gift
and forget the giver.
- Edward Farrell
On the first day of the Tefilah (prayer) workshop that Ms. Kass and I facilitate, one of our students said she struggles with prayer and wished it felt more like "talking to a friend." I have not been able to get that statement out of my head since she said it three weeks ago because I could not agree with her more. What a beautiful desire! Yom Kippur means many things to many people, but one main idea is the goal of reconnecting or strengthening a relationship with G-d. It is my hope for our entire beautiful Akiba family that this year be filled with an abundance of gifts and that we leave Yom Kippur with a deeper and stronger relationship with the giver of those gifts. I know I will be thankful this Yom Kippur for being given the gift that is all of you.
"G'mar Chatima Tova" (May you be sealed in the Book of Life),
Dr. Eliezer Jones
|
|
|
|
|
The Kindergarten performs Tashlich at the lake.
|
|
|
#ThisIsOurBackYard - Farmers Market
|
|
|
|
| Shana tova from the Hyde Park Farmers Market! |
In case you missed our Shana tova (Happy New Year!) greeting, please view it here - featuring the
Blue Room kids and Dr. Eliezer Jones and the apples at our local farmers market.
|
|
Yom Kippur
by Rabbi Holman
During these Days of Awe we call to "Our Father, Our King" for forgiveness and to inscribe us for a good new year. We relate to G-d on two levels simultaneously. As our father, we ask for the mercy a father would show his children. As our king, we declare our dedication to fulfilling His commands. The Talmud relates that one Yom Kippur, Rabbi Yishmael the Kohen Gadol (high priest) entered the Holy of Holies in the Temple. There, he perceived a vision of G-d on His throne. G-d said to Rabbi Yishmael, "Bless me," as if to imply that G-d actually needed our blessing. Usually, we ask G-d to bless us; what kind of blessing could we give to G-d? Thinking quickly, Rabbi Yismael declared, "May it be Your will that You always treat Your children with mercy!" Pleased, G-d accepted the blessing. (Talmud Berachot)
May we all be sealed for a good year! Shabbat Shalom!
|
|
|
|
|
| Turns out the 8th graders do fit into my office! |
Since school began, I have welcomed many people in my cozy office, and it has begun to feel like home. As you can see, the 8
th
graders checked it out en masse, and all agreed it is better for one-on-one meetings.
Over the past two weeks, I held many such meetings with grade school teachers to discuss goals and plans for the year. I have been inspired to hear about how seasoned and new teachers alike think deeply about developing their craft. I have been impressed with how eager our teachers are to challenge themselves, to try new things, and to satisfy their own thirst to learn. And I have been moved to hear how much these teachers care about connecting with and understanding each one of their students. I know the whole Akiba family shares my sense of gratitude that we have such talented, dedicated and passionate professionals facilitating our students' learning.
I enjoyed connecting with parents at the Picnic and the two Back-to-School Nights this month. I look forward to joining Dr. Jones at the Breakfast in our Sukkah on Tuesday, October 10 at 8:30 AM. All parents and guardians are invited, but for planning purposes, please RSVP
.
I wish you a Shana Tova. May we all enjoy a year filled with blessings, good health, curiosity, and friendship.
|
|
|
|
|
The Blue Room children went to the park to collect branches and leaves to make a Sukkah in their classroom.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Feeding Caramel, the Purple Room's pet
|
School has just started and the children in the Purple Room are already very busy. They have a pet guinea pig - her name is Caramel. The kids feed her carrots and celery, and watch her play hide-and-seek in her dome house. They have breakfast club every morning; they play with cars/ramps, put babies in strollers and lots of stuff in shopping carts. The kids also have jobs that need to get done everyday, and they love all their specials: yoga, music, and library. They always say, "Bad news!" when it's time to go home - they want to keep playing!!
|
|
|
|
|
The Lime Room has been exploring bees and honey in celebration of Rosh Hashanah. The children made beautiful new paintings and wrote bee stories.
Shana t
ova from the Lime Room!
|
|
|
|
|
| Mr. Salk's 1st/2nd graders show off their Zome alphabet project. |
Zome Alphabet
At the beginning of the year Mr. Salk puts out the Zome construction kit for a few weeks, which students can use to explore and create. When a student happened to make a letter of the alphabet, it turned into a class project. At the end of the year, the Zome pieces will make a reappearance, this time with a bubble solution into which projects can be submerged and withdrawn to showcase amazing bubble designs and patterns.
|
|
|
|
| Making Sukkah decorations with the Bnot Sherut. |
|
|
Do Not Use a Cow's Horn as a Shofar
Rabbi Meyerowitz's 3rd-8th classes have been focusing on the holidays in the month of Tishrei (Rosh haShana, Yom Kippur and Sukkot). Did you know that on Rosh HaShana we do not ask Hashem for forgiveness; instead, the whole day is geared towards the re-coronation of Hashem as our King? Also, on Rosh HaShana we blow the Shofar 100 times, but we never use a cow's horn as this would serve as a reminder of the sin of the golden calf. Students also learned that it is a Mitzvah to eat on Erev Yom Kippur (the day before Yom Kippur).
Wishing you all a Shana Tova!
|
|
|
|
|
Sam is proud to have escaped!
|
Homophone Escape Room
Mr. Millner turned his 5th/6th Language Arts classroom into an
"Escape Room: Homophones," playing off the idea of the
Escape Room fad. Students started outside of the room and were handed a clipboard and a single clue about where to find their recording sheet, located somewhere in the Escape Room (for example: "Don't TRASH the room trying to find your recording sheet, but instead look near the homonym for TRASH.") Once students located their Recording Sheet, they proceeded to the first of four stations located throughout the room. At each station, they had to determine the proper usage of the following homophones:
Station 1 - Than vs. Then;
Station 2 - There, Their, They're;
Station 3 - To, Too, and Two;
Station 4 - It's vs. Its and Your vs. You're.
At each station they had to complete sentences using the proper form of the homonyms. Each sentence had a number associated with it. For example, "It's to (1)/too (2)/two(3) cold outside to wear shorts." The correct answer for that sentence is "too" and so the correct number for that sentence is 2. Each station had five sentences to complete, yielding a 5-digit code. After completing all four stations, students attempted to enter their code into the Google Classroom form. If the code for Station 1 was entered correctly, they were allowed to enter the code for Station 2 and so on. If the code was entered incorrectly, players had to go back to the station in order to determine their mistake. Once all four codes were entered correctly, THEY ESCAPED! Players who escaped became Game Masters and were allowed to assist other students still attempting to get out of the room, without giving away any answers. Players celebrated their escape, and some took screenshots of their "You Have Escaped" certificate from the code-entering form.
At the debrief, almost all students stated they loved the process and the idea of doing an "Escape Room" as an activity. One of them said, "These are the types of activities that we as students know that if you (Mr. Millner) took the time to plan, we know they will be a fun way to learn something new."
|
|
|
|
|
Middle School artists started the year drawing detailed self-portraits in graphite and then continued exploring shading, proportion, and light through still-life studies. Here 5th grader Tomer shares his portrait.
|
|
|
#ThisIsOurBackYard - P.E. Class
|
|
|
|
|
An inspiring, impromptu encounter at the tennis courts
|
On Thursday at the tennis courts in Washington Park (just a block from school), 5th/6th graders were getting ready to leave when an older gentleman approached them and asked P.E. teacher Sara Price if he could address her class. He introduced himself as Dr. Steve Cohen, a long-time member of Rodfei Zedek, and told the students that he started playing tennis at these very courts when he was 12 years old, while he was a student at the Hebrew school. 74 years later, he's still playing! He told the students how happy he was to see them learning to play at their age and encouraged them to keep it up!
What an inspiring encounter!
|
|
Breakfast in the Sukkah
Tuesday, October 10, 8:30 AM
You're invited to enjoy coffee and a light breakfast in Akiba's Sukkah with Dr. Eliezer Jones and other members of our administration. This is a great opportunity to get to know each other while participating in the Mitzvah (good deed) of having a meal in a Sukkah. All are welcome, but for planning purposes we ask that you RSVP.
|
|
|
Dates to Remember
Wednesday, October 4
Erev Sukkot
12:00 PM Dismissal Grades 1-8 - all buses leave at 12:00 PM
3:30 PM Dismissal Preschool & Kindergarten
No After-School Programs, No Late Pick-Up, No Kids Club
Thursday & Friday, October 5 & 6
Sukkot
No School
Monday & Tuesday, October 9 & 10
Chol HaMoed Sukkot
School is in Session
No Late Bus, No After-School Programs except Kids Club and Late Pick-Up
Tuesday, October 10
Breakfast in the Sukkah
8:30 AM
Wednesday, October 11
Hoshana Raba
12:00 PM Dismissal Grades 1-8 - all buses leave at 12:00 PM
3:30 PM Dismissal Preschool & Kindergarten
No After-School Programs, No Late Pick-Up,
No Kids Club
Thursday, October 12
Shmini Atzeret
No School
Friday, October 13
Simchat Torah
No School
Wednesday, October 25
Mishna Fair (5th/6th grade)
5:30 - 7:00 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 29, 2017
Volume 14, Issue 3
Candle Lighting:
6:15 PM
Yom Kippur
|
|
 |
Best wishes for a
Speedy Recovery
to preschool teacher
Kelli Harri's grandfather
who is in the hospital.
|
|
|
Affiliated with the Associated Talmud Torahs and supported by the Kehillah Jewish Education Fund
773-493-8880
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
