This Week at Yavneh Academy!

This Week at Yavneh Academy - December 19 , 2019/22 Kislev 5780

פרשת וישב

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We are looking forward to Chanukah at Yavneh!

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Early Childhood Department

Judah who Always Said No

Leading up to Chanukah, Gan Gimmel read the book Judah who Always Said No by Harriet Feder. The book tells of the bravery of Judah Maccabee and how he and his small army stood up to the mighty Greeks. While reading the book, we noticed the illustrations of the Maccabee shields which led to a discussion on shields and the pictures armies might put on them. We spoke about how pictures on the shield would be a sign to everyone that your army is very strong and how the typical symbol shown for the Maccabee shield is a Magen David, a Jewish star, magen actually meaning shield. Gan Gimmel then thought of pictures we might put on our own shields if we were Maccabees in order to show our strength. Answers were creative and diverse ranging from Komodo dragons to Hashem to protein because protein makes us strong. We were quite inspired by our discussion about symbols of strength. We extended the activity and created our own Maccabee shields complete with a drawing of our symbol. We look forward to taking our shields home for Chanukah and performing some Chanukah drama!

Ganon Aleph Explores the Five Senses

The children of Ganon Aleph had a lot fun learning about the five senses. Our senses give us information to make decisions, to keep us safe, and to enjoy the world around us. We played a variety of games to see how each sense works. We had the opportunity to experience not having our sense of sight by feeling the bumps on a braille book and by using magnifying glasses. To test our sense of hearing, we listened to audio clips of well-known sounds and tried to identify them. Some sounds we recognized were water running from a faucet, a doorbell and a lawn mower. We tasted different items that looked alike and had to identify them using our taste buds. The children identified the sweet taste of whipped cream and vanilla yogurt, and the tart taste of sour cream. We smelled a variety of spices and tried to identity them. Some spices were easy such as cinnamon while others were trickier like paprika. To test our sense of touch, we tried to identify items that were placed in a pillowcase. Some items were smooth, some were rough, some were hard, and some were soft. Finally, to reinforce what we learned, the children created an interactive five senses board to play with at home.

Lower School

First Graders Make Olive Oil

First graders experienced the exciting process of making their own olive oil. They pitted and crushed the slippery olives with their hands! They squeezed the olives in the olive press, turning them into olive juice. They students learned about using centrifugal force, the force of spinning, in order to separate the oil from the juice. Lighting a chanukiyah with oil that the students made by themselves, was an unforgettable experience!

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4D Rock Unit - Rock Candy

4D has been learning a lot about rocks. We have read about the different types of rocks: metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary. We watched videos and tried to figure out which one was which rock was in our own 'rock museum.' To culminate the unit, we made rock candy and discussed which type of rock we would create. Some students argued for igneous rocks because it's formed with heat and hardens when cooled, while others argued for sedimentary rocks because the sugar creates different layers. We are all looking forward to seeing what happens and taking our rock candy home next week. Special thanks to Yael Rudolph for helping us make the rock candy.

Chagigat Hachumash

Last Sunday dawned blustery and cold, but the Yavneh Bet Midrash was filled with warmth. As our second graders reenacted the receiving of the Torah at Har Sinai and then stood ready to receive their own Chumashim the room was filled with excitement.

Parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings and faculty watched with tremendous pride as our students performed their play flawlessly in Hebrew, singing beautifully and beaming with pride as they each recited the Birchat HaTorah and received their Chumashim.

May the excitement of Torah continue to fill the halls of Yavneh.

Yavneh Sings at the Devils Game

The Yavneh Academy choirs pose for a post-game picture at center ice after the annual Jewish Heritage Night game. The Devils iced the Anaheim Ducks, 3-1!

Yavneh Academy Concert Choir on the Jumbotron, singing the Star Spangled Banner before the annual Jewish Heritage Night Devil's game

Members of the Yavneh Academy Concert Choir had the privilege of meeting members of the Jersey City Police Force honor guard who presented colors before the December 18th annual Jewish Heritage NIght Devils' game. This was the fourth consecutive year that the Yavneh Academy choir was selected to sing the Star Spangled Banner before the game. Meeting the honor guard off the ice, the choir had the opportunity to thank each of them for their service and offer condolences on the loss of one of their men who was killed in the Jersey City shooting.

Middle School

Middle School Students Participate in Math Competition

Yavneh Middle School students took part in the Association of Mathematics Teachers of New Jersey math competition. Our top five scorers were Sophia Esses, Yishaya Pearlman, Nathaniel Tare, Avi Sebrow and Zachary Krohn. Congratulations to our winners. We look forward to successfully participating in many more competitions this year.

Seventh Graders Visit Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center

As part of Yavneh Academy's Middle School Advisory program, our seventh grade students visited the Bergen County Housing, Health and Human Services Center- a homeless shelter in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Approximately a month ago, the students embarked on a new unit in Advisory called Operation Respect. The goal of this unit was to inculcate skills of empathy through developing a relationship with the homeless shelter. A representative of the center spoke to the students and launched their unit of weekly training sessions regarding the steps needed for empathy, what it means to be homeless, what types of people become homeless, and what the students can do to make a difference. The unit ended with understanding how financial distress can affect the Jewish community, as well. Students went through lessons which highlighted how expensive it is to raise a family in our community. The lessons also focused on the important role of Project Ezrah and Tomchei Shabbos in our community. Students collected hats, glove and scarves to give to the residents at the shelter. This collection was spearheaded and run by the students.

Our 7th graders then had the opportunity to visit the shelter and deliver the baskets personally. The students split into small groups of students and each group approached one of the guests (as the residents are called), handed him/her a warmth package, and began to converse. Students understood that, more important than the guests receiving the hats, gloves and scarves, was the feeling they had that someone actually cared enough to have a conversation with them.

"Shortly before Chanukah, was the perfect time for their trip and this unit," said Dr. Aliza Frohlich, Director of Guidance. "We were able to relay the message to our students that it feels wonderful to receive the gifts they get during Chanukah, but it feels even more wonderful to give."

Middle School Students Raise Money for Jersey City Victims

Kol Hakavod to our Middle School students for selling bracelets with the names of the Jersey City victims to help raise money for their families. The students raised close to $500!