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Welcome!
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Dear Parents,
We had a great week at school!
Please read on for the latest Elementary School news and information about upcoming events.
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D'var Torah
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by Rabbi David Saltzman
וַיְהִי הָעָם כְּמִתְאֹנְנִים רַע בְּאָזְנֵי ה' וַיִּשְׁמַע ה' וַיִּחַר אַפּוֹ וַתִּבְעַר־בָּם אֵשׁ ה' וַתֹּאכַל בִּקְצֵה הַמַּחֲנֶה׃
The people took to complaining bitterly before the Lord. The Lord heard and was incensed: a fire of the Lord broke out against them, ravaging the outskirts of the camp.
An unfortunate and long chapter in Jewish history begins with the pasuk above, which then cascades into one unfavorable incident after another.
What was this initial complaint that ignited the wrath of G-d and led the people down a path of self-destruction, culminating with the negative report of the spies and the death of a generation in the desert?
Rashi remarks first that their complaints were unfounded and were only a pretext to a more serious problem:
אֵין מִתְאוֹנְנִים אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן עֲלִילָה - מְבַקְשִׁים עֲלִילָה הֵיאַךְ לִפְרושׁ מֵאַחֲרֵי הַמָּקוֹם.
The term
מתאננים
denotes [people who seek] "a pretext" - they seek a pretext how to separate themselves from following the Omnipresent.
Then Rashi comments that this pretext was a complaint about their most recent journey:
אָמְרוּ: אוֹי לָנוּ, כַּמָּה לֻבַּטְנוּ בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה, שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים שֶׁלֹּא נַחְנוּ מֵעִנּוּי הַדֶּרֶךְ!
They said: "Woe unto us! How weary we have become on this journey: it is now three days that we have had no rest from the wearisomeness of the march!"
The problem was that G-d had good intentions for hastening the journey, as Rashi writes:
ויחר אפו.
אֲנִי הָיִיתִי מִתְכַּוֵּן לְטוֹבַתְכֶם - שֶׁתִּכָּנְסוּ לָאָרֶץ מִיָּד:
And His wrath glowed
- He said in anger: How ungrateful you are, "I meant it for your good - that you might immediately come into the land."
The road to destruction began with the people's inability to recognize the good that Hashem planned for them. Had they seen the positive in their accelerated excursion, they would have appreciated the "fast pass," and instead of complaining they would have showed hakarat hatov to G-d.
We see here how the lack of hakarat hatov can change the path and destiny of an entire nation for all of history, and the same applies in our own personal lives. Go show hakarat hatov to someone today, and change your own course of history and your relationships for the better.
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Thoughts of the Rav
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by
Rabbi David Saltzman
וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה לְחֹבָב בֶּן רְעוּאֵל הַמִּדְיָנִי חֹתֵן משֶׁה נֹסְעִים | אֲנַחְנוּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר ה' אֹתוֹ אֶתֵּן לָכֶם לְכָה אִתָּנוּ וְהֵטַבְנוּ לָךְ כִּי ה' דִּבֶּר טוֹב עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל:
Then Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses's father-in-law, We are traveling to the place about which the Lord said, I will give it to you. Come with us and we will be good to you, for the Lord has spoken of good fortune for Israel.
The Rav writes that whenever he read this pasuk it brought a tear to his eye and he wanted to cry. This is due to the simplicity with which the great Moshe, the master of all wise men and the father of all prophets, spoke. He used the grammatical first person נֹסְעִים אֲנַחְנוּ, אִתָּנוּ, because Moshe was certain - there was not even a shadow of doubt in his mind - that he was going to enter the Promised Land. He was convinced that he would see the hills of Judea, climb the mount of Lebanon, and be one of the ba'ey ha'aretz.
By this point in the narrative, there was no doubt about Moshe's destiny, and for this reason the Rav would have to control his tears whenever he read this pasuk.
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| Pinat HaParasha |
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Please click here
to view the
Pinat
HaParasha for Parshat Be'ha'alotacha
. You are encouraged to print the document and use it as a source for discussion at the Shabbat table.
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Tzionut
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In our second to last
tzionut class we learned about the "חלוצים" - the first pioneers who came to Israel and started to settle and work the land of Israel.
We talked about the historical significance of "חומה ומגדל" - the Wall and Tower settlements - and we did The Amazing Race, British against Israelis!
We saw how hard it is to work so fast to build a city before the British arrived.
To end, we talked about how Israelis keep working the land today, and how volunteers help them to connect to the land of Israel.
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| 1st Grade Trip to the Children's Museum |
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On Thursday the first grade culminated their Social Studies unit on Japan with a trip to the Children's Museum. We began our trip with a visit to the Japanese house. We learned all about how the house was donated and moved to museum from Kyoto, Boston's sister city in Japan. We explored the house to see the similarities and differences between our homes and their homes. Students shared and expanded their knowledge of Japan while learning from the museum staff. We also learned more about what life is like for a child in Japan. Students saw the artifacts from a day in the life of a Japanese child. Afterwards students had time to explore the rest of the museum before heading back to school.
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Fine Arts Presentation on Tuesday
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The third annual Elementary School Fine Arts Presentation will take place on Tuesday, June 5 at 3:45 p.m.
There will be a K-5 art exhibit and solo concert in the gym and lunchroom.
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Warm Weather Attire
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We hope you are enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. Please be reminded to send your children with a water bottle and to kindly adhere to the following guidelines, as found in the handbook, for appropriate dress.
Attire Specific to Boys
- Boys must wear kippot and tzitzit to school as well as to special activities and events. Clips or bobby pins are helpful in keeping kippot on the heads of active boys.
- Kindergarten boys may wear any type of pants, shorts or shirts.
- Boys in Grades 1-2 may wear any type of shirt.
- They may not wear jeans, wind pants, track pants or sweatpants during the school day, except during gym.
- Boys in Grades 3-5 must wear polo or buttoned dress shirts with full collars. Shirts should be fully buttoned, except for the top button at the collar.
- They may not wear jeans, wind pants, track pants or sweatpants during the school day, except during gym.
Attire Specific to Girls
- Kindergarten girls may wear skirts, dresses, pants or shorts and any type of shirt.
- Girls in Grades 1-5 must wear:
- Skirts or dresses to school. Skirts must be long enough to cover the knees when standing or seated. Slits in skirts may not be higher than the knee. Loose-fitting skirts are strongly suggested, as they allow girls to be full participants in active play at recess.
- Sleeves: Dresses, blouses, and shirts must have sleeves that extend midway between shoulder and elbow (i.e., no cap sleeves).
- Tops: Tops must be long enough to overlap with skirts (or pants during gym) at all times, even with the arms raised. Tops, shirts, and sweaters should not be excessively tight, and the neckline must not dip too low.
- Pants: Tights, leggings, or pants under skirts are acceptable. Do not wear jeans or pajama pants under skirts. Loose-fitting sweatpants (not yoga pants, leggings, tights, or shorts) may be worn alone during gym.
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Talmud Israeli-Daf Yomi for US
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Talmud Israeli-Daf Yomi for US is an educational project which provides meaningful connections to Jewish values, history, and Israel while uniting students with
daf yomi learners around the world. The program, which is used in dozens of day schools and synagogues across North America, is easy to use and designed for students of all ages.
The curriculum includes a weekly
daf yomi publication that contains Talmudic material, columns about Israel and modern Jewish history, and a series of 60 short movies about different
sugiyot.
We distributed a paper copy to all 2nd - 5th graders before Shavuot. We are pleased to make the digital copy for Parashat B'ha'alotcha available in
Hebrew
and
English
for you to download for Shabbat.
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Science Camp
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Registration for science camp is open until June 1!
Camp will run for two weeks again this year:
Week 1: June 25-29 -- STEM
Week 2: July 2-6 (no camp July 4) -- Art, Food, and the Environment
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Alumni Newsletter Online
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The monthly alumni newsletter for May is now online, and can be found
here. This issue's articles include:
- Alumnus Making an Impact through Jewish Divorce Resource Line
- Undergraduate Part of a Team That "Can Change the Lives of Millions"
- Graduate Running for Congress in the Country's Most Jewish District
- Class Notes
If you would like to receive the alumni newsletter each month, contact Mike Rosenberg at (617) 232-4452 x 405 or
mrosenberg@maimonides.org
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Donations for Cradles to Crayons
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The Maimonides eighth grade is collecting items for Cradles To Crayons in honor of their Middle School Aliyah (graduation) ceremony!
They would appreciate if you could help them by donating new or gently-used items for babies and children. There will be collection boxes near the entrance of the Saval shul. The organization could use kids' clothes, games, books, and bedding.
Cradles to Crayons is especially looking for:
- Boys Pants 4-5/7-8
- Boys Shirts 2T-12
- Girls Shirts 2T-12
- Twin Blankets
- Girls' and Boys' Sweaters
- Girls' and Boys' Boots
Thank you!
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PTA Butcherie Receipt Drive
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The PTA is organizing a Butcherie receipt drive! Get your Butcherie receipts stamped each week and give them to your children to bring to their teachers. When a class reaches 150 receipts, they will have a pizza party or an ice cream party!
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Lost and Found
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Things are looking better on the lost and found table as the weather is slowly improving. Please take a close look and retrieve any items that you recognize.
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| Screen Time for Students |
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We know that many parents try to limit screen time for their children and would like better guidelines or alternative means for students to practice their skills.
We have compiled the chart below with our recommendations and requirements for each grade. If your child does not do well with these programs and you would like alternative ways for them to work on their skills, please let the teachers know and they will be glad to make other suggestions and/or supply other materials.
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Lexia
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Reflex Math
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KeyboardingWithout Tears
or Typing Club
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DreamBox
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Ariot Cal or iTalAm
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Dah Ber
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Kindergarten
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Required
20 minutes a week; possibly more for specific students.
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Recommended
2x week
15 Minutes
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First
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Recommended 15 minutes a week;
possibly more for specific students
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Recommended 15 minutes a week
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Recommended
1 x week
15 minutes or more
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Second
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Recommended 2x week
10-15 minutes;
possibly more for specific students
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Required
2x week
10-15 minutes
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As assigned by teacher
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Third
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Recommended for specific students
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Required 3x week
15 minutes
between school & home
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KWT
Required 2x week
15 minutes
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Optional
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As assigned by teacher
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Optional & Occasional
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Fourth
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Recommended for specific students
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Required
3x week
15 minutes until completed
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Typing Club: Optional up to
3x week 15 minutes
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As assigned by Teacher
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Fifth
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Recommended for specific students
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Required
3-4x week
15-20 minutes until completed
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As assigned by Teacher
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Social Time!
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There's so much going on here at Maimo! Be sure to check out our social media to get the inside scoop (with lots of great photos) on happenings at school.
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See What's Happening in the Other Divisions
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 Lots of wonderful things are happening at Maimonides School!
If you'd like to take a peek at what's happening in the other divisions, click to visit the Early Childhood Center, Middle School, or Upper School newsletter pages.
If you would like to contact a specific school office, please use these emails:
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!שבת שלום
Rabbi, Reena, and the Maimonides ES Faculty
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