Monthly Dateline Newsletter
February 2019/Adar 5779
Columbus Torah Academy Monthly Dateline
A TEAM IS MADE UP OF A VARIETY OF STRENGTHS
In last week’s parasha, Yitro, the Torah records that the Jewish people set up their encampment in the wilderness of Sinai in preparation for receiving the Torah. The Torah states “Vayichan sham Yisroel neged hahar- and Israel encamped there, opposite the mountain”. Rashi points out that the verb vayichan is in singular in contrast to the previous verbs. To explain the discrepancy Rashi quotes the Midrash that when the Jewish people encamped at Har Sinai, they were, “K’ish echad b’lev echad- like one man, with on heart.”  

It is not a coincidence that at the time when the Jewish people received the Torah, they had transformed into a unified front. As the Midrash says, during the time of the encampment at Har Sinai, the essence of the Jewish people transitioned to as if the entire nation was an individual. I find it fascinating that at the moment when the Jewish people experienced the greatest level of national prophecy, the Jewish people also achieved such an incredible level of unity. We learn from this, if a community wants to grow and strengthen their bond with G-d, they also need to bond with each other. 

At CTA we are very proud of the diversity of the families that make up our community. Our students come from an array of families with different religious sensitivities yet feel at home when they enter the doors of our school. The message of learning as a unified community is the essence of our school logo. The logo is conveying the message of students from different backgrounds holding hands and learning together. At the epicenter of the logo is the Jewish star, which represents the unified purpose of what our school stands for. Our school is the mechanism to transmit the teachings of our Torah and Heritage to the next generation. One of the goals of CTA is to convey to our students that, as they learn our tradition, they also understand the importance of unconditionally embracing one another.
FROM THE DESK OF ELIZA DELMAN, UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
By Eliza Delman, Upper School Principal
Shakespeare
CTA’s annual 7th grade Shakespeare production debuted on Thursday night, January 17th in the Gallery Players Theatre at the JCC. Under the leadership of their English teacher, Ms. Kristen Van Gundy, and the direction of Artist-In-Residence, Ms. Angela Barch, the students performed scenes from several of Shakespeare’s plays.

CTA’s Shakespeare program accomplishes several goals. Since plays were written to be performed and not merely read, an understanding of the genre of drama is best accomplished through experiential education. An introduction to Shakespeare in 7th grade lays the groundwork to meet high school state standards that require inclusion of Shakespearean plays. The skills of Speaking and Listening, also state standards, are honed as students are directed to better articulate, project and follow cues. Collaborating, problem solving, and sharing in each other’s success helps build unity and the sense of belonging that bring the class together. See the performance video here: https://youtu.be/-iKGh8Ng78Q
10th Grade helps Senior Citizens Shop
As part of our Better Together program, 10th graders helped local seniors shop at Kroger. Our students helped carry heavy cases of water and helped gather hard-to-reach items on shelves. One of the goals of the Better Together program is to foster teens’ understanding and sensitivity to everyday life for older people. 
8th Grade Writing Workshop
Thanks to a TeachArts Ohio grant from the Ohio Arts Council, CTA eighth graders in Mr. Guinan’s English class were engaged in a week-long writing workshop with Artist-in-Residence Amy Greenberg. The workshop theme was “Self Portraits,” and the students crafted portraits of themselves out of poetry and prose. The students reflected on mistakes they’d made as kids or things they’d overheard and misunderstood when they were younger. In most cases, students looked back with humor on their earlier selves. The theme builds on our Growth Mindset, reinforcing that people learn, grow and change through a series of efforts, failures and retries. 
NEWS FROM THE UPPER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT
Celebrating “Spring” with Tu B’Shevat
There is are a lot of Torah topics that connect to the theme of Tu B’Shevat. In the Upper School, we chose this year to focus on the halachic hierarchy of berachot in general and the role that the 7 Species of Israel plays in particular. Thanks to Mrs. Tanenbaum, all classes received a tasting platter with an array of foods representing the spectrum of food blessings. Students were challenged to research the halachot and decide the appropriate order of what to eat first as well as figure out the appropriate after-blessing for all of the foods they enjoyed. In addition, we discussed the notion of having this variety of berachot rather than just one generic one and the underlying message it teaches us about appreciation.
By Rabbi Zecharia Weitz, Upper School Judaic Studies Coordinator
Ketuvim Class is Getting Ready for Purim
While Purim may seem like a far way off, Mrs. Claman’s Ketuvim class is heavily involved in the Purim story as they study the text of Megillat Esther. Their most recent project involved creating the heads of main characters from the chapter and filling them with adjectives, characteristics and events that define that character. The students are working in groups and when asked about their experience, Team Achashverosh said, "Making a collage about Achashverosh was a really cool way to portray what we had been discussing in class. It helped bring the story to life and visualize what was really going on back then." Creators of Mordechai said, "This experience was enjoyable because we were able to flip through magazines and chose pictures that correlate with Mordechai's characteristics. We were able to discover by pulling those characteristics from media of today.” "It was a great and interactive experience" said senior Orli Hartstein, member of Team Haman.

Jr. High Workshop
While Mrs. Perlmuter’s 7 th graders were out for their annual Shakespeare Festival, the 8 th grade students in her class were able to work on some special projects. A workshop on Modesty (Tzniut) focused on sources in the Torah for this Mitzvah, as well as stories and personal ideas to help the students gain a deeper understanding of the concept. In the spirit of Tu B’Shevat, the students also painted beautiful canvases with pomegranates! They connected their painting with topics learned in class like that pomegranates were one of the fruits that the spies brought out of Israel!  It was great to see the students detach from their regular learning to express some creativity.
FROM THE DESK OF NICOLE MILLER, LOWER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
By Nicole Miller, Lower School Principal
Professional Development
January’s Lower School professional development was differentiated for the Judaic and General Studies teachers. The general studies team worked on conferring in the reading workshop model from the Units of Studies curriculum out of Columbia University’s Teachers College. Lucy Calkins, the director of the reading and writing project, encourages teachers to conference one on one with students as they are reading independently at their reading level allowing teachers to monitor students reading levels on an individual basis and meet the needs of all students in a classroom. Our teachers follow a standard architecture lesson format when we work in the conferring model with a child one on one including these components:
1.         Research: At this point, we invite a child to read to us or ask a child about their reading.
2.         Decide and give a compliment:  As we listen, we look for patterns to help improve the reading or give a tip on a reading skill. We document what we are working with the student to check for growth over time. We also compliment a student in their reading progress.
3.         Teach:  We will teach a brief lesson. It is one skill we want a student to focus on. We model and invite the student to try the skill with us.
4.         Link:  We end by talking about why this skill is important as a reader.

Although teachers have received training on this instructional method, it is a great way for parents to also connect with their child as a reader. Try using these techniques when listening to your child read. Ask them a question. See if they can provide evidence from the text to support their answer. It is a great partnership between school and home to teach children to read to learn and to love to read. Those are our ultimate goals. Pictured is the K-1 conferring in partners.
The Judaic Studies team worked on writing 2 part objectives for daily lessons. Teachers were able to continue to practice this work and give one another feedback about the objective. This allows teachers to measure if students are meeting their goal for each lesson they teach. The objective writing format comes from Madeline Hunter’s essential elements of instruction.

In addition to our monthly Professional Development, an optional session on the topic of Autism was held. Elizabeth Henry, the director of Pathfinders, spoke about what autism spectrum disorder is as defined by DSM-5. She provided tools to use in the classroom and teachers can partner with parents. Pathfinders is a great resource and does not just specialize in autism. They develop behavior plans that are research based and partner with schools to support students and parents. They are board certified behavior analysts. If you are interested in learning more about them, contact them at (614) 615-5145.
PBIS Around Campus
Following our return from winter break, we worked throughout the Lower School to review the 5 middot during a school wide assembly. Students shared the microphone to explain ways in school that we show Friendship, Respect, Hard Work, Honesty, and Patience. In addition, we have been creating videos on Animoto to reinforce school wide expectations. Take a look at one of our videos here:  https://animoto.com/play/5e0e3GyUR15rXnQ9z3SFqA
In January, 5th graders were invited to apply for a job on the Middot Leadership Team. Pictured are our newest team members. 
The Principal Advisory Council met with Mrs. Miller with some suggestions about the Lion Note store. They reviewed the edits Mrs. Miller made to the prizes from their last meeting before sharing with the entire 5-6th grade classes.
Kindergarten Preview Day
Another successful January day brought potential new CTA Lion Cubs into our midst as area preschoolers sepnt the morning at CTA in our kindergarten classroom. It was an opportunity for the youngsters to find out what kindergarten is all about and for us to meet them as a group. After an interactive story time with Mrs. Zwelling and Mrs. Miller, they were matched up with buddy groups in the kindergarten classrooms for a variety of activities led by Morah Paige and Morah Jaime. We had lots of helpers including the 5th-6th grade girls assisting the children in gym class during a fun gross motor activity with Mr. Bailey. We are looking forward to Fall 2019 but not without enjoying this school year, too!
Sixth Grade Light Bulb Experiment
The 6th grade students in Mrs. Ahern’s class conducted an experiment to test the energy efficiency of three different types of light bulbs (incandescent, CFL, LED). They measured the temperature given off by each bulb over time, graphed the results, and used the results to calculate life cycle costs and understand how lighting affects their energy usage. The experiment is a result of a summer professional development seminar that Mrs. Ahern attended called the Ohio Energy Project. Ohio's electric and gas companies sponsor the seminar to facilitate students' and teachers' understanding of the science of energy and its efficient use in order to empower the next generation of energy consumers. The Ohio Energy Project provided all of the materials for 6 different energy lessons with hands-on activities, group work and experiments. The lessons incorporate many 6th grade state standards across the science, math and reading curricula such as scientific inquiry, physical science (energy), data collection and interpretation, variability/data distribution, reading informational text, and speaking and listening.   
Third Grade Biography Reports
Mrs. Rahav’s students have been learning about reading nonfiction books, from expository texts to narrative nonfiction using Units of Study by Lucy Calkins (our new literacy program). They studied the importance of reading text features, how to summarize using details to support and identify the main ideas, and synthesizing. After exploring various nonfiction books through independent reading, read aloud with mentor texts, and collaborating with their reading partners, the children picked their own biography to read and report on. They learned to pick “good fit” books that meet their interests and reading level. During this unit, the children were also writing memoirs about themselves in writing workshop.   Once their choice person was approved, they used class time to read and take strategic notes. They were required to use that information to make a timeline, list information, write a paragraph, and use their creativity to represent their person. The day of their presentations, the children were encouraged to dress up. They also took pride in becoming experts on their person! Check out this collage of pictures at https://youtu.be/bJDTFoWL4wc

NEWS FROM LOWER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT
Research suggests that effective education requires using various methods to enable students to master the information being studied. It is also critical for an education to be impactful that students are able to appreciate the relevance of what they are studying. Please enjoy the brief descriptions of examples of different types of learning in the Lower School Judaic Studies classes which help to teach concepts, skills and meet individual students’ needs.

In 2nd grade we are learning chapter 4 in parshat bereishit. The chapter begins with the story of Kayin
By Rabbi Avrohom Drandoffi, Lower School Judaic Studies Coordinator
and Hevel, the two sons of Adam and Chava. The students learned that Kayin was a farmer and Hevel was a shepherd. The 2nd graders enjoyed making advertisements based on Kayin and Hevel’s jobs to reinforce what they learned in the Chumash. The students had really creative ideas of how to best advertise the farming and shepherd professions!

The 2nd graders also recently finished perek gimmel, chapter 3, in parshat Bereishit. They celebrated with hot chocolate and delicious graham crackers! As they began chapter 4, the students learned about Adam and Chava’s two sons, Kayin and Hevel. After learning that Kayin was a farmer and Hevel was a shepherd, the students created advertisements for these jobs. The really creative ideas of how to best advertise the farming and shepherd businesses.  We also celebrated our siyum for chapter 3 and the completion of our Kriyah thermometer with warm hot chocolate and delicious graham crackers. Thank you Mrs.Tannenbaum for helping us make our party!!
The fourth grade has been doing an intensive study of the blessings of the shemona esire this year. Recently we learned the translation and themes for the blessing we say for healing the sick. We had a thoughtful discussion about the importance of asking Hashem to heal us physically and spiritually. We also brainstormed ways that we can help those that are sick in addition to praying every day. To take our words into action students made colorful and heartwarming cards for the children at Nation Wide Children hospital and they are being delivered shortly. It was a great way of applying the lessons we learned in the classroom!
Sixth grade learned various ways that people are like trees in honor of Tu B’Shvat. This is based on the Pasuk from Devarim “Ki ha-Adam etz hasadeh,” “man is the tree of the field.” The students wrote divrei Torah and illustrated the beautiful ideas and chizuk to learn from trees. Each idea became a leaf on a tree that represented our class.
NEWS FROM HEBREW LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT
WHILE IT IS COLD OUTSIDE, HEBREW CLASSES ARE HEARTWARMING!

Lower School Hebrew teachers integrated Hebrew activities into their teaching. Here are a few examples:

Exploring nature with Morah Ronit and Moreh Dror, 2nd graders were introduced to animals, the food that they eat, their specific habitat, and likes and dislikes. Students viewed pictures of the beautiful Israeli Sh’kedia (Almond Tree) that begins to bloom around this time in the Land of Israel, with lovely pink blooms, and prepared flower pots in honor of the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, the Israeli New Year/Birthday for Trees (it is known as the Jewish Arbor Day)
By Shirly Benatar, Hebrew Language Department Chair
4th grade teachers Morah Dina and Morah Chen-Li created a special game. Each student received a custom-made plastic ring, with their Hebrew initials, to use as their game piece. The rings were custom-printed on our 3D printer with the help of Mr. Spurlock. The students use the rings in a game which challenged our students to build sentences, use vocabulary, and practice grammar. Pictured are 4th graders playing the a game with their 3D printed rings, constructing Hebrew sentences and having fun.

4th grade is also working on a project to create a short telephone conversation in Hebrew. Several students have completed the project and we videotaped their phone conversations. The students enjoyed this project and were very creative. You can see the first three groups dialogues presentation in the following links.




Pictured is the top three scorers in Fourth Grade Kahoot: Noah Blumberg, Noa Berger, and Rena Harrow - who held first place the longest in the game!!!! 
5th and 6th grade students were introduced to the “Google Classroom” tool to communicate with the class and give online assignments. The first two assignments guided the students to practice new vocabulary, using several fun online activities in Quizlet, self-assessments, and games. It was nice to see that our students understood how to use this tool and studied independently and seriously. They practiced word-translation, listening to short dialogues, answering short questions, and pronunciation. Students also created their own Kahoot or Quizlet games to challenge their entire class with grammatical concepts and words, and it was a pleasure to watch them working and actively participating in each other’s games! Pictured is 6th grader Avraham Import challenging his class with the Kahoot game he created.
Lots of great learning took place in the Upper School as well. For example:
While 7th graders were preparing for their Shakespeare Performance, our 8th graders were engaged in the research project "Kibbutz Galuyot-Gathering of the Exiles". They researched and created beautiful presentations for their entire 7th-8th class about Jews from different origins who immigrated to Israel in different periods. The 8th grade students researched and found out very interesting facts including history, population changes, Aliyot (immigration) waves, famous people, familiar people, recipes and unique customs of Jews from such countries as Argentina, Yemen, Russia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Germany, and Iran. The students integrated history, facts, pictures, animation, songs, interviews with CTA staff, and used both English and Hebrew in their visual and oral presentations. They learned a lot and shared it with their peers. Pictured are 8th graders consulting with Morah Chen-Li about their Kibbutz Galuyot presentation.
In the classrooms, Morah Ronit and Moreh Dror challenged High School students to watch an entire documentary in Hebrew. The short film was an interview of teens in a Kibbutz, their likes and dislikes, their challenges and successes. Our students watched the film and then reflected in writing about how they related to the teens in Israel, and about their own likes and dislikes strengths and challenges.
Morah Chen-Li’s High School students learned to categorize the different grammatical parts of sentences in a paragraph, in order to translate and understand the text better. Pictured is 9 th  grader Eli is drawing a supermarket scene and writing a comics ״כאילו״ - as if he is shopping in a supermarket in Israel - based on the article “כאילו ובאמת״ “. With Morah Malca’s guidance.
Outside of the classroom, students of different High school grades were invited for Oneg Shabbat and for a Tu B’shvat Seder at the Ziners home. They had fun playing games, eating yummy snacks, and learning together. Pictured below are High School students at the Ziner home, playing and conducting a Tu B’Shvat Seder.
Hebrew teachers are also always engaged in learning to improve instruction
The Hebrew Department has also been engaged in a lot of Professional development all month, and more is coming. In January, we met several times to discuss and focus on the topic of student engagement and the variety of activities that can be used for foreign language instruction. We also participated in two webinars by professionals from Bishvil HaIvrit about using and creating challenging activities online. Ronit and Dror Ziner participated in a webinar on the principles of teaching Hebrew as a foreign language from the Center for Professional Development for Teachers in Israel. In February, many of us are traveling to Cleveland for an entire day of professional development about Unit planning and Backwards Design with Dr. Esty Gross from Bishvil HaIvrit.
Upper School students exploring the map of Israel, learning about history and current Israeli culture with Young Community Shicha Lin Raveh 
3rd Grade playing a game with Morah Chen-Li 
SHOPAROO WINNINGS - $1000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO CTA and THANK YOU to Norma Whitmyre. Norma's receipt entered into the Shoparoo app was pulled in the December Shoparoo Sweepstakes and CTA earned $1000!!!

To add this app to your phone, go to https://www.shoparoo.com/

PTO CORNER
PTO GRATITUDE GRAMS

PTO is selling Gratitude Grams for teachers and staff. A sheet of gratitude grams is $1 for 4. You can show your appreciation for your favorite teacher or staff person. They can be purchased online at www.torahacademy.org/pto-gratitude-grams / by emailing to pto@torahacademy.org or using the same email to send payment to Paypal. Orders will be delivered to your child to take home. All completed Gratitude Grams will be returned to the front desk for distribution by the Lower School Student Council. If you have any questions, contact Beth Binsky at beth@2828design.com
MARK YOUR CALENDAR

CTA Lunch Menu and School Events ( http://www.torahacademy.org/parent-portal/calendar / ). Check this for after school activities, sports events and more.

School Links for Parents ( http://www.torahacademy.org/parent-page/)
 
Jan. 31-Feb. 2: Varsity Boys’ Basketball Tournament in Detroit
Feb. 1: Uniform Logo Shirt Drop Off Day at Front Desk (next one is March 1)
Feb. 1: Lower School Dress Down Day
Feb. 1-14: Lower School Writing Workshop with Amy Greenberg, Artist in Residence
Feb. 4: Poetry Out Loud, 3 pm
Feb. 5: Kindergarten Breishit Siyum, 9:30 am
Feb. 8: Lower School Parent Café, 8:30 am
Feb. 15: NO SCHOOL for Students/Faculty Professional Development Day
Feb. 18: NO SCHOOL: President’s Day
Feb. 20: Parent Teacher Conferences, 5-9 pm (by appointment)
Feb. 22: Enrollment Agreements for 2019-2020 School Year Due
Feb. 22: Lower School Dress Down Day
Mar. 2: PTO Social Outing to Middle West Spirits, 8 pm


Go Lions! Keep up with the CTA sports schedule at https://columbustorahacademy.teamapp.com/
Devorah and Justin Weprin on the birth of a daughter Eva Ama'lia and to grandparents Meryl and Larry Wepri

Lele Katz (8th grade class of 2013) on her marriage to Salim Friedman and to parents Rabbi Zvi and Chaya Aviva Katz

Alina (Shostak) Samurin (Class of 1999) on the Bar Mitzvah of her son Jacob and to grandparents Mr. and Mrs. Semyon Shostak

David Gold (8th grade class of 1969) on the marriage of his son Aaron to Leah Regenbaum

Eugene Shats (Class of 1999) and Anna (Krayter) Shats (Class of 2001) on the birth of a son Franklin and to grandparents Svetlana Shats and Marina Krayter

Rachel (Shapiro) Safran (Class of 2001) on the birth of a son and to grandparents Stewart Shapiro and Beverly Roseman-Shapiro

Daniel Zwelling (Class of 2006) on the birth of a son and to grandparents Sheila and Rick Zwelling and Helene (Goldmeier) Azose (8th grade class of 1976) and Moe Azose and to great grandparents Dr. Maynard and Miriam Goldmeier

Ben Sapir (Class of 2000) on the birth of a son and to grandparents Arlene and Ami Sapir

Philip Hackman (Class of 2007) on his marriage to Allegra Lewison and to parents Sandy and Mark Hackman

Gabriela Schottenstein (Class of 2017) on her engagement to Jared Benjamin of Teaneck , New Jersey and to parents David (8th grade class of 1966) and Joni Schottenstein

Ovadya Lowy (8th grade class of 2010) on his engagement to Miriam Bluma Steinacker of Jerusalem and to parents Rebbe Yehuda and Navah Lowy

Bradley Rosenstein (Class of 2014) on his engagement to Chelsea Lefland of Atlanta,Georgia and to parents Tricia and Andrew Rosenstein

Jordan Stavsky (8th grade class of 1976) on the engagement of his son Joshua to Gabriella Levine of Woodmere, New York and to grandmother Mrs. Ruth Stavsky

Dror and Irit Karavani on the marriage of their son Ido

Rabbi Noach and Bitsy Burr on the marriage of their daughter Brocha to Binyamin Steinberg

Mark Tanenbaum (8th grade class of 1971) on the engagement of his son Noach to Chaya Sara Isenberg and to grandfather Hal Tanenbaum

Shari (Flamholz) Goren (8th grade class of 1971) on the birth of her granddaughter Yuli Goren

Jennifer Swetnam on the birth of a son Henry Matthew

Andrew Berenstein (8th grade class of 1983) on the Bar Mitzvah of his son Refael and to grandfather Michael Berenstein
Mary Lynn Buster on the loss of her father

Rabbi Yosef and Tova Hauser, Leah (Hauser) Friedman (8th grade class of 1998), Meir Hauser class of 2007 and Aviva Hauser (8th grade class of 2007) on the loss of father and grandfather Grant Golden

Rabbi Zvi and Chaya Aviva Katz, Lele (Katz) Friedman (8th grade class of 2013), Devora Katz (8th grade class of 2018) and family on the loss of father and grandfather Rabbi Shmuel Kleiner

Drs. Matt and Gila Goldish, Raquel Goldish (8th grade class of 2008) and Michalle Goldish (8th grade class of 2010) and family on the loss of mother and grandmother Dorothy Goldish

Mrs. Solika Fretas and the Amar, Knisley, Ebner, Schiff, Rosenberg and Fretas families on the loss of husband and father Joseph Fretas
THANK YOU TO:
The following families for sponsoring January’s Rosh Chodesh Staff Appreciation Lunch: Ben & Rachel Berger, Adam Chaykin, Seth & Leslie Hoffman, Josh & Hillari Klynn, David & Ayala Kohn, Raanan & Rebecca Lefkovitz, Naomi Meyers, Tali Preisler, and Michael & Levana Slabodnick.
SHABBAT CANDLELIGHTING TIMES
Feb. 8: 5:41 pm
Feb. 15: 5:50 pm
Feb. 22:  5:58 pm

Mar. 1:  6:05 pm
Mar. 8: 6:13 pm


Have a lifecycle event to share?  Opportunities to sponsor A Day of Learning are now available at CTA. For a $180 donation, you can make a donation, in honor, in memory, in appreciation, for a speedy recovery or in celebration of a person, a birthday or an event. To schedule a day, contact sherszage@torahacademy.org or adrandoff@torahacademy.org .

The sponsorship will be listed in the CTA Weekly Communicator, the monthly CTA Dateline, posted on the monitor in the school lobby, and announced to the students. Thank you to the following sponsors:

       Audrey and Neil Siegel in memory of Zeide Louis Berman (A”H)
       Henry and Candis Schwarz in memory of Henry's father, Abraham Ben Yosef
       Rabbi Michael Emerson and Dr. Adina Bitton in memory of Michael's grandmothers, Elaine Plaskow - Zelda bat Ze'ev Dov and Bernice Cooper - Basha bat Yaacov Dov
       Ariella and Sam Nutis and family in honor of the birth of Winnie Schottenstein, daughter of Jonathan and Nicole Schottenstein and in honor of Nicole Schottenstein's birthday
CTA accepts donations to our Annual Fund or Scholarship Fund throughout the year. We also accept Tribute Donations in memory of or in honor of loved ones. Donations can be made through the school office at 614-864-0299 or online by clicking  here .

To the Annual Fund
        In honor of Bary Leeman’s birthday by the following friends:
Mr. & Mrs. Harley Haas
Larry and Leslie Haas
Hani and Donna Hara
Dr. Alyson Leeman
Cheri Leeman
Randall and Rochelle Topolosky
Franklin and Lois Tyler
        Jackson Leonard in memory of Irv Baker
        Stacy Leeman and Gary Liebesman in honor of the birth of a daughter to Jonathan and Nicole Schottenstein
        Mark and Sally Wachter in honor of Meagan and Jeffrey Buren
        Chad Silverstein in honor of the Leadership Team at CTA
        Yitzchak Gold in memory of Sonia G. Fesman
        Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Kaplan in memory of Thea and Pearson Press

To the Scholarship Fund
        Paul and Karan Tanenbaum in memory of Dr. David Salczer, in memory Tova Hauser’s father, Grand Golden, in memory of Ran Hay, in memory of Matt Goldish’s mother, and in memory of Rachel Metz’s grandmother
TZEDAKAH BOXES
If you have a CTA Tzedakah Box, don't forget to fill it and empty it often.  THE NEXT SCHEDULED DROP OFF DATE IS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2019.  You can choose to send in a check with the amount of the contents or put the change and cash into an envelope or baggie and send in with your child. Amounts are counted towards your Give and Get and are a great addition to the donations the school receives. If you need a new or more Tzedakah boxes, contact Shari.

PHOTOS AROUND CAMPUS
A group of CTA parents went Curling! It was a snowy night but a fun activity. Thanks PTO for arranging!
Seventh graders walked Lower School students into the shul for the in-school performance of their Festival Production. 
We had several grade level nights at the games! Here are our 2nd graders and kindergarteners cheering on our CTA Basketball Lions! Thank you to all of our parent sponsors.
Kindergarten Night at the Games
The cold temperatures mean sometimes we have to stay in for some recesses. Here are some 2nd graders building Lego drones and some third graders with an enormous bubble!
CTA was excited to partner with PJ Library, CJDS and Gallery Players for the recent Tu B’Shevat Birthday of the Trees celebration at Franklin Park Conservatory. Attendees were mesmerized by the JellyBox 3D Printer we brought with us! More than 300 people attended. Thank you to the CTA staff and families that attended and wore their logo clothing!
Kudos the CTA LionNets, the Mamanet Team comprised of CTA Moms. Their tenacity and drive for the game is contagious!!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS
POETRY OUT LOUD
Join us on Monday, February 4th for CTA's biannual Poetry Out Loud competition from 3-4pm in the shul!

Poetry Out Loud is a national contest of poetry recitation All are welcome to attend and watch the 8 high school student finalists at their best!

The event is dedicated in memory of Eythan Klamka, poet and educator, uncle of Alia, Bina and Yaakov Newman. His life's work was to help inner-city students develop their own poetic voice. - by Ilana Klamka and Daniel Newman & Family
LOWER SCHOOL PARENT CAFÉ
Mrs. Miller were hold her bi-monthly Parent Café on Friday, February 8 at 8:30 am in room 8. The Café is an opportunity to get updates about curriculum and activities in the Lower School. This month, Mrs. Amy Greenberg, Artist in Residence for the Writing Workshop will lead a mini-workshop for parents. Mrs. Greenberg’s work at CTA is supported by a TeachArts Ohio grant from the Ohio Arts Council.