Kibitzer February 23, 2018

Kindergarten had a grand time celebrating their 100th Day of School on Thursday.

#IlluminateAkiba

From the Desk of

As we approach Purim next week, my thoughts turn to my grandfather, who passed away on Purim day. As most reading this did not know Mr. Murray Goldblum I will just say he was a kind, gentle and loving person who I miss on most days, but indeed around Purim. The Purim that he passed away was on a Friday. I was about to lead a Shabbaton (weekend retreat) for around 200 teenagers, and there were no flights out that would get me to Florida before Shabbos. So, I booked a flight Saturday night and went ahead with my role of leading the Shabbaton which entailed creating an exciting, fun and joyful Shabbos experience for everyone in attendance. In addition, the theme of the weekend was "Happiness."

One of the central themes of Purim is seeing G-d when G-d seems hidden. That Purim when my grandfather passed away took a lot to find happiness, joy, and G-d. It was all hidden in the feeling of loss that I had. However, 200 kids needed me to find it, so that is precisely what I did. The Shabbaton was filled with singing, dancing, games, learning, fun and I was right in the middle of it with a genuine smile on my face. It wasn't until the end of Shabbos that I let people know what had happened and I talked about focusing on all the good around me even in such a difficult time. Choosing happiness and finding light in darkness was the theme that weekend and, although nearly impossible, that is what I did.

This Purim I will think of my Zadie, but I will also think of the families in Parkland who I can only imagine are living through the darkest of days. I will think of them, offer my prayers and find ways to honor their children with positive actions. I wish them my condolences and can only hope they find comfort, happiness, and light again.

Shabbat Shalom.

Dr. Eliezer Jones

Head of School

From the Preschool

Purim - A Holiday Rich in Emotion

by Carla Goldberg

Purim Emotions Board by the
Green Room

When I first think about Purim, costumes and hamantashen (triangle-shaped cookies) and Purim carnivals come to mind. It is a joyous and silly holiday that brings out everyone's inner child.

And then I think about Purim in the preschool and kindergarten, and I see so many opportunities for social/emotional learning at many different levels. The Green Room connected the Purim story to various emotions. The children learned that Queen Esther was scared to tell the King Ahasuerus of Haman's plans, and the king was surprised to hear of Haman's plans, and when Haman's plans were ruined, the people felt happy.
The children then practiced making faces to represent these emotions. Looking at their own expressions as well as their friends' expressions, they learned about the social cues we get from facial expressions.


Feelings Self Portrait by Adrian in the Blue Room

The Blue Room children created "emotions" self portraits, studying their own faces in the mirror and expressing happy, sad, angry and tired emotions. What an incredible life lesson these children are learning from the story of Purim!

Of course we are all learning the story of Purim - which involves an evil man and his plan to hurt the Jews, a brave Queen who tells King Ahasuerus of Haman's plans, and a smart Uncle Mordechai who helps save the day. Preschool-age children are fascinated by the concept of good versus evil and are constantly playing with the idea of good guys and bad guys. Purim gives children not only the opportunity to further explore these themes with songs, dramatic play and story writing but also to do so in the framework of a joyous and fun Jewish holiday. What fun to witness the rich social and emotional learning sparked by the study of Purim and growing into so much more in our classrooms!

In the spirit of Purim, you are all invited to join the Hyde Park community at the Purim Carnival at the JCC on Sunday, 12 - 2PM.

Also, don't miss the early-bird registration for Akiba's Summer Program! Early-bird discounts end on Monday, February, 26 . To join us for the full 8 weeks or part of good old-fashioned summer fun, learn more and register online.

Happy Purim and Shabbat Shalom!

Dvar Torah

Gifts on Purim

by Rabbi Holman

Four Mitzvot are performed on Purim: Megillah - reading the story of Purim, Mishteh - the feast on Purim day, Matanot L'evyonim - charity for the needy, and Mishloach Manot - gifts of food to friends. What is the purpose of giving gifts of food? Why was this Mitzvah instituted for Purim and not Chanukah? In the Megillah, Haman refers to the Jewish people as a "scattered nation," alluding not only to their physical dispersion but also to the discord among them as well. The Talmud points to the hatred between people as the primary reason for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Purim story takes place in the aftermath of the Temple's destruction, during the Jews' exile in Persia. After Haman's evil decree to wipe out the Jews, Mordechai gathered the people in the synagogues and study halls, fasted and prayed for three days, and G-d responded with a turnaround. With the downfall of Haman and his cronies, the Rabbis instituted the holiday of Purim and its Mitzvot. They enacted the Mitzvah of Mishloach Manot - gifts of food to each other - to increase friendship and unity among the people. This unity would ensure our survival for generations to come. Chag Sameach!

Preschool

Chloe strings 100 beads during the Kindergarten's 100th Day Celebration this Thursday.

On Wednesday (=Pajama Day) the Purple Room visited the day school office looking for Mrs. Crook to find a book about Jack and the Beanstalk because, guess what, their beans are growing fabulously!

The Green Room kids have been all about castles as they have been learning the story of Purim. Here they are drawing and using puppets on an overhead projection of a castle.

Welcome Back, Mrs. Esse!

Mrs. Esse is back! She stepped into Ms. Levine's shoes and is already in full swing in Room 209, including the crazy hat for Crazy Hat Day yesterday.

Grades 1-8

Kitah Alef's 100th Day Project

Kitah Alef celebrated the 100th Day of School this week with a special art and Hebrew project. Each student got a "100" made out of black construction paper and could arrange it in any way they wanted. Some students made the numbers into glasses, others into an ice cream cone. Then they wrote in Hebrew about their design, including a descriptive sentence, for example, "My glasses are strong" or "My face is pretty." This was a fun way to celebrate the special day and practice their Hebrew vocabulary.

Pulled or Pushed? An Immigration Study

Where your ancestors pulled or pushed to America? - Mrs. Leonard's 3rd/4th graders present their immigration projects.

Were their ancestors pulled or pushed to America? - Mrs. Leonard's 3rd/4th graders present their immigration projects.

You're invited to the Immigration Fair on Monday, February 26, 9:30 AM in Loeb Hall where the kids will present their projects.

Among the Hidden

Mr. Millner's class is reading, annotating, and discussing the various plot points,vocabulary, and thoughts they have had while reading Among the Hidden.

Mr. Millner's 5th/6th grade English class is well underway with their reading of Margaret Peterson Haddix's engaging novel, Among the Hidden. They spent several weeks as a class preparing for the novel by having some interesting discussion of seven thought-provoking statements; they learned more about similes and metaphors, and discussed the various elements of a novel. Students also learned about Haddix's motivations for writing such an intricate story. Stay tuned as this invigorating story unfolds....

Science experiment in Ms. Friedman's 1st/2nd grade: Poke a Ziploc bag filled with water with a bunch of sharp pencils. Does the water come out?

Morah Bat El's 4th grade Hebrew class is getting ready for Purim. The students made their own masks and clown hats and wrote the new vocabulary and sentences in Hebrew.

Art with Debbie

1st and 2nd graders are creating works of art that resemble tarnished gold, copper, or silver with designs in relief. Each student made their design three dimensional by drawing it in school glue. They painted their pictures with metallic tempera paints and "antiqued" the metallic-looking surface with shoe polish to stunning effect.

Library Corner

by Thea Crook

We have memes posted around the library that the library interns and students in general find. The only requirement is that they have to be about books or libraries. Recently, my 1st/2nd grade reading workshop asked if they could draw their own library memes, and of course they could! The results were heart warming, particularly this wonderful one done by 2nd grader Gabriel Barsky. It will certainly get a special place in the library!

Preschool Family Play Day

On Family Play Day in the Blue Room, Annika hung out with Felix's parents Stina and Reed.

Akiba Summer Program

Click here.

Mazal tov

...to Avi Zeller and his family on his Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat.

Condolences

...to Benny (6th) and Aryeh (3rd) and the entire Lowenthal Family on the passing of their grandfather, "Bud" Pickett. May his memory be for a blessing. Shiva information is here.

Still Collecting Bottle Caps!

The Room 209 Green Team is saving plastic caps, lids and bottle tops . Their goal is to collect 1,000 by Passover. Please bring your caps, lids and bottle tops to Room 209 or the preschool or grade school office. Thanks!

Hyde Park JCC Purim Carnival