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| Grandparents & Special Friends Day in the Blue Room: Annika's grandpa is curious about her structure. |
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This week began with a blizzard that was melted away by the warmth of our annual
Grandparents and Special Friends Day
. It was beautiful to see so many people show up to spend time with our students. I was privileged to share some opening words along with grandparent Sherry Glick. In my remarks, I shared a story that I had shared with my students in davening (prayer) that morning, and I would like to share it with you.
I found it in the Koren NCSY Siddur and read it to my students as we have been spending much time discussing
gratitude:
A group of American students was asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes: Egypt's Great Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, the Panama Canal, the Empire State Building, St. Peter's Basilica, and the Great Wall of China.
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there are so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:
To see
To hear
To touch
To taste
To feel
To laugh
And to love."
The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous! A gentle reminder - that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.
After I read this story to my students, I left them with this observation. I told them that while in the story only one of the students answered in this deep and meaningful way, my experience has been that they would likely all answer in a similarly meaningful way. I told them how grateful I am to be their teacher and how remarkable I find them.
Indeed, the students at Akiba-Schechter are remarkable, and it is one of the many things I was grateful for as I spoke to grandparents and special friends. As we go into Chanukah together in a week, let's pause and be mindful of all the miracles we have in our lives, and all that we have to be grateful for.
Shabbat Shalom!
Dr. Eliezer Jones
Head of School
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Words of Inspiration from Rabbi Cohen
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Pre-Chanukah Message from Rabbi Cohen
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The Unique Value of Student-Led Clubs
by Miriam Kass, Principal
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| The Dungeons & Dragons Club |
The old Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) game is alive and well in the back corner of Loeb Hall every Wednesday during Middle School lunch and recess. The entirely student-run D&D Club is new this year and includes students from 5th-7th grades. It is a microcosm of so much that is special about Akiba-Schechter. In this club of ten students, there are veteran players who teach the rookies. There is one student who assumes the responsibility to set his watch alarm to make sure that the group can clean up and get to class on time. Each week, all the members are happily and fully engaged in the magical game, supportive of one another, without any of the self-consciousness that can plague middle schoolers elsewhere.
D&D is just one of more than a dozen student clubs for middle schoolers that meet during the school day each week. Other club (or team) options include Yearbook, Newspaper (formerly the Akiba Globe; look for its new name coming soon!), Basketball, Math, Crafts, Creative Writing, Torah, Engineering, Maker, Debate, Spelling, Geography, Student Government, and Music. Like the D&D Club, many of these groups are the products of student initiative. Each club addresses a different interest and provides space and time to stretch and challenge our students beyond what's already happening in the classrooms. They are another opportunity for us to Teach Children, Not Subjects.
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In the Blue Room, Sasha and Talia made observational drawings of Chanukiot.
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Connor and Callum help prepare potato latkes as the Purple Room gets into the Chanukah spirit.
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Within the context of their study of the rainforest, the Kindergarteners got interested in spiders and had the idea to create a Chanukah spider project. Although not technically kosher according to Halacha (Jewish law prescribes that the lights must be in a row and on the same level), these "Chanukiot" came out awfully nice and present an interesting integration of General and Judaic Studies. The glue created a fun spider web effect that wasn't even intended at first!
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| Jack (3rd) with his grandparents Mr. & Mrs. Friedman. |
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| Grandparents Day in Mr. Salk's 1st/2nd grade. |
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| Coral (1st) with her grandmother Mrs. Allender. |
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| Kitah Alef finished their dreidel crowns on Thursday. They are ready for next Wednesday's Chanukah Assembly. Hope to see you there! |
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In Mrs. Gold's 5th/6th Tanach class, Sam and Gabe created a board game to review chapters 3, 4 and 5 of the Book of Exodus. The class can't wait to play!
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| The 7th and 8th grade Humanities classes made their first attempt at designing websites. Their websites focused on questions related to the history of Native Americans, and the work they do will hopefully get them ready for History Fair projects this winter. |
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| Mrs. Brackman and Mrs. Gold's Jewish Thought classes welcomed grandparents and special friends into their classroom to learn about heroism and how it connects to Chanukah. Students had the chance to interview their guests and hear about the heroes in their lives. |
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8 Questions for an 8th Grader: Joseph Friedman
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Joseph on a boat on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). His family traveled to Israel last summer to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah.
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We continue our series of featuring an 8th grader in each Kibitzer; today it's Joseph Friedman:
- Since when have you been at Akiba?
I started at Akiba during Ready-Set-Go. I left from Kindergarten to 2nd grade but came back for 3rd grade.
- What neighborhood are you from? I live in the South Loop.
- Is being an 8th grader different from your previous grades at Akiba? During my previous years in Akiba, I always looked up to the 8th graders thinking how amazing they were. Now I'm an 8th grader, and it's strange knowing that this is my last year at Akiba.
- What is your favorite subject at Akiba and why? I really like Science because it is a fun class. We also get to do a lot of cool experiments.
- What do you think is special about Akiba?
Akiba is special because everyone knows each other. It is a big community.
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What did you learn from recently having your Bar Mitzvah?
I had my Bar Mitzvah in May, and I learned tropes and how to speak in front of a lot of people without being as scared.
- When you're not at school or doing homework, what do you like to do?
In my free time, I like to read, build puzzles, play video games, and go to karate.
- Do you have any idea yet of what you want to be when you grow up?
I do not have any idea of what I am going to do when I grow up.
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| Middle schoolers have been making beautiful prints. |
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Millie Miller Day is next Friday, December 7!
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The Millie Miller Tree is Happening
On Thursday, a Chicago Park District official marked the spot (east of the Field House at Promontory Point) where the Millie Miller tree will be planted next week, hopefully on Millie Miller Day. The tree will be an apple berry service tree. The idea of planting a tree in Millie's honor was inspired by the Afternoon Explorers' study of trees last year, and it was bought with the proceeds from the Afternoon Explorers Boutique. It will be a beautiful contribution to our neighborhood and a "field trip" destination for the kids to visit and experience how it grows and changes from flowering in the spring, to producing red berries, to orange foliage in the fall. A big thanks to Kindergarten teacher Angela Moore for making this happen!
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Upcoming #akibacommUNITY Events 
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A big Thank You to our Spread-the-Light event sponsors so far:
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SUFGANIYOT - $36
Allender Family
Evans/Boxerman Family
Nagorsky Family
Wallen Family
Zeffren Family
LATKE - $72
Nunn Family
Szmulewitz Family
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OLIVE OIL - $180
Roberta Evans
Mia, Gary and Golda Rubenstein
MACCABEE - $1,800
Reed Singer and Stina Fish
Friedman Family
FULL EVENT SPONSOR - $3,600
Schwartz/Faier Family (sponsored in loving memory of Arleen Schwartz, z'l)
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Friday, November 30
A Day of Learning in honor of Megill and Ron Lev Hameiri was donated by a donor who attended Grandparents & Special Friends Day but wishes to remain anonymous.
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Refuah Shleima
...to
Cori Jones,
who is recovering from surgery.
Community Chanukah Menorah Lighting
Thursday, December 6
5:00 PM
Kimbark Shopping Plaza (corner of 53rd Street & Woodlawn Ave)
Organized by the Rohr Chabad Center of Hyde Park, led by Rabbi Yossi and Baila Brackman
Toy and Winter Clothes Drives
The
Chesed Club will be organizing two collection drives during the
Chanukah Assemblies, bins will be placed in the atrium:
- Toys for Chai Lifeline: Please bring new and unwrapped toys.
- Winter clothes drive run by the Chicago Bears: coats, snow pants, thermal underwear, gloves, boots, hats, mittens, thermal socks, hand/ toes warmers, and anything else for inclement weather. Items need to be in good to great condition.
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Dates to Remember
Wednesday, December 5
Chanukah Assemblies
Preschool & Kindergarten: 9:00 - 9:30 AM
Grades 1-8: 10:00 - 11:15 AM
Friday, December 7
Millie Miller Day
Sunday, December 9
3:00 - 5:00 PM
Monday, December 24 - Sunday, January 6
Winter Break
No School
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Volume 15, Issue 7
Candle Lighting: 4:01 PM
Parasha: Vayeishev
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The Kehillah Fund (or Community Fund) was created to unite the Chicagoland Jewish community in funding its day schools to raise the bar in Jewish day school education. To date, the Kehillah Fund has distributed more than $11 million dollars since 2004.
In that time, Akiba-Schechter has graciously received $640,505, an average over $45,000/ year. At this time, we would like to
thank the current Akiba families listed below, who have invested in the Kehillah fund and Jewish education in Chicagoland. We would like to encourage our families to express their gratitude to the Kehillah Fund by making a contribution of any amount at
www.kehillahfund.org.
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| Jeremy Boshes and Sarah Gersten |
| Andrew and Jody Bransky |
| Steve Erlebacher and Marcy Horwitz |
| Aaron Feigelson and Leslie Landman |
| Felix and Ruslana Friedman |
| Moshe and Pam Friedman |
| Stephanie Friedman and Miriam Friedman Parks |
| Doug Glick and Jennifer Uson |
| Alise and Yoni Gold |
| Jeremy and Laura Goltz |
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| Helen Bloch and Avikam Hameiri |
| David and Erin Lowenthal |
| Anonymous |
| Brian and Marsha Nagorsky |
| Peter and Sara Price |
| Marina Rapoport |
| Elyce and Scott Rosenzweig |
| Rose and Ruben Vadnai |
| Michael and Wendy Wilens |
| Eric and Jillian Zaff |
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Affiliated with the Associated Talmud Torahs and supported by the Kehillah Jewish Education Fund
773-493-8880
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