December 6, 2018, 28 Kislev 5778
This Week  הַשָּׁבוּעַ
Chai Challenge

Only 15 Days Left
Help us Reach 100% in 100 Days
Reminders for the Week
  • Wear your Yavneh shirts on Monday for the Keshet of Kavod Assembly
Message from the Chair of the Yavneh Board of Trustees
Each year, the Yavneh Board of Trustees and school administration work together to set tuition for the coming school year. We take into account many factors including how to attract and retain the best faculty with competitive salaries, the costs of expanded educational opportunities, best practices of our peer institutions, generosity of our community, and operational expenses. We realize how difficult tuition increases of any size are for many families and we put much effort into finding ways to keep tuition levels as low as possible. We focus throughout the year on fundraising and making sure our school runs efficiently while continuing to support and expand the outstanding education students receive at Yavneh. Read more
Message from the Rabbi
Below is the invocation speech that was given by Rabbi Hahn Tapper on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, at City Hall in San Jose:

Thank you Mayor Liccardo for your warm introduction, and for inviting me to deliver the invocation for this meeting of the San Jose City Council. Mayor Liccardo, Councilmembers, Friends. It is an honor to be here on the 2nd Day of Hanukkah.

Over the weekend, many of the parents at Yavneh Jewish Day School, where I teach, remarked to me, “Hanukkah snuck up on me; it is so early this year!” The Jewish calendar which is governed by both the lunar and the solar cycles means that Hanukkah can fall as early as the end of November and sometimes as late as the end of December. And while this year, Hanukkah did fall on the “earlier” side of the Gregorian calendar, it feels to me, that in what appears to be dark times, this festival of lights could not have come soon enough. Read more
Calendar and Upcoming Events
Dec. 7th
Kabbalat Shabbat and Hanukkah Candle Lighting, 2:15pm

Dec. 10th
Keshet of Kavod Assembly, 8:30am

Dec. 11th
Alef Parent Siddur Workshop, 7:00pm

Dec. 13th
Torah Service, 8:30am

Dec. 14th
Kabbalat Shabbat, 2:30pm
Dec. 17th
All School T'fillah, 8:30am

Dec. 20th
Torah Service, 8:30am

Dec. 21st
Kabbalat Shabbat, 2:30pm

Dec. 24th-Jan. 4th
Winter Break-SCHOOL CLOSED

Jan. 7th
Return to Classes
Subscribe to Yavneh's Calendar
Club J Winter Camp for Grades K-6th
Dec. 20th-Jan. 7th, 9:00am-3:30pm
(no camp: 12/25 & 1/1 and no aftercare 12/24 & 12/31)
Extended Care: 8-9am and 3:30-6:00pm
Families will need to download and print the registration form and turn it in to the Camp Office, the APJCC Service Desk or e-mail it back to camp@apjcc.org. Please include payment information on the form as credit cards on file haven't be transferred into the camp's new software. 
Yavneh Afterschool Enrichment Classes
Yavneh's after school enrichment classes end the week of December 17th. Registration for 2019 after school enrichment will be available soon. Stay tuned!
YPA Corner
Thank you for all the teachers’ wonderful gifts and notes. Teachers were very thankful! Thank you for supporting the YPA and making this event happen. We also have Hanukkah gelt for sale in the lobby until next week.
Students in Action
Kitah Gimel sang with Lior Ben-Hur at the Menorahs and Miracles Hanukkah event at the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose on Sunday and at the Community Hanukkah Candle Lighting Ceremony at the Pruneyard on Monday evening.
Kitah Bet Hitah performed a Hanukkah skit and song medley for the patients at El Camino Hospital Rehabilitation Center in Los Gatos yesterday. They will perform again tomorrow for the seniors at the APJCC.
Student council lead Hanukkah activities all week in the Beit Kehillah during recess. Activities included: dreidel making, cookie decoration, Hanukkah Trivia and even Hanukkah Karaoke.
We have been lighting the Hanukkiah each morning. Join us tomorrow at 2:15pm for a special Kabbalat Shabbat where we will light the Hanukkiah as a community.
Students in the Community Outreach elective crafted visually stimulating bassinet decorations for babies in the NICU of Good Samaritan Hospital. These, along with cards to the staff, parents and babies, were personally delivered. 
Kitah Dalet enjoy playing with the sevivon in Hebrew. 
This week in Geometry, the 8th-grade students learned how to construct perpendicular bisector and the centroid-center of gravity.
Take a look at this video of Kitah Alef Tamar singing a Hanukkah song along with some photos of the Hanukkiot created by Kitah Gan.
Important Links
Lunch Menu: Menu (School Password: LFC1)
Challah Orders: Click here (School Password: yavneh1)
Volunteer Opportunities: Click here
Club J Ha'Moadon: Click here
Shop with eScrip: Order gift cards from Lands End, restaurants, supermarkets, and more. eScrip will donate a percentage to Yavneh. Shop Now 
AmazonSmile: When you shop Amazon Smile, Amazon will donate a portion (0.5%) of 
the purchase price to Yavneh. Shop Now
Chai Challenge
What is the Chai Challenge? Each year, an anonymous donor pledges to donate $1,800 per grade with one condition, each grade has to have 100% participation (a donation from each family) benefiting Yavneh's Annual Campaign within 100 days. We have very few days left for the Chai Challenge. A donation or pledge of any amount counts towards reaching our goal. Donations are 100% tax deductible and may be made by check or cash to Yavneh's office or online. Everyone’s support is greatly appreciated!
In the Community
APJCC Preschool Book Drive
Now-Dec. 11th
The APJCC Preschool is collecting used books in their office for their annual Book Sale. Books for both children and for grownups are welcome. The Book Sale will be held from Dec 11-14, in the preschool lobby. More info and to volunteer, contact: Jenna Waldman.

Embrace-A-Family with Jewish Family Services of Silicon Valley 
Now-December 18th
Each year JFS makes Hanukkah brighter for those in need. Look for dreidel boards in the lobby. Pull a dreidel tag, purchase the item, return the gift and tag to the JFS office. There is also a Target Gift Registry. JFS is also asking for: large, new gift bags, gas cards, gift cards to Target, Walmart, Trader Joes and Safeway. Please check the Jewish Family Services website or contact: Lori Cinnamon at 408.357.7467 for more info or to volunteer.

BBYO Global Shabbat: Let There Be Light
Fri. Dec. 7th, 6-9:00pm, APJCC
Enjoy Shabbat dinner and Hanukkah candle lighting and learn more about homelessness in the Bay Area. This event is for everyone: teens and their families together! Register for Global Shabbat as a family here for $30 or register an individual teen here for $15.

APJCC Russian-Speaking Family Hanukkah Celebration: Let it Glow!
Sun. Dec. 9, 5:00pm-6:45pm, More info

Celebration of the Daughters-Chag haBanot (A Monthly Moms’ Circle Chanukah party!)
Mon. Dec. 10, 8:50-10:30am 
Join Rabbi Laurie Matzkin and friends for the last morning of Chanukah in Club J. This is a great chance to connect socially and spiritually with other moms in our community. First time is free- then $10/session.

Piano Concert: Neil Rutman at the APJCC
Tue. Dec. 18th, 7:00pm
Acclaimed concert pianist Neil Rutman presents an evening of Debussy, Chopin, Gershwin and Queen (yes, the rock band) in the APJCC Auditorium. Tickets