Ma Koreh?
What’s Happening?
November Newsletter
|
|
Welcome to the Newsletter! The Ma Koreh provides a brief overview into "what's happening" at CJDS. This month's issue features:
- D'var Kesher, A message of connection, from our Head of School, Rachel Arcus-Goldberg
- Kindergarten is Sweet as Honey
- Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Gabrielle Goldach
- Sukkot: A Mini Series
- A Fun and Frigid Sukkot
- Engineering a Sukkah
- Photo Highlights
- What's Coming Up
- Community Milestones
|
|
D’var Kesher from Head of School
Rachel Arcus-Goldberg
November 1, 2019/ 3 Heshvan 5780
Noah, Genesis 6:9-11:32
|
|
D'var Kesher:
In the beginning there was Kindergarten...
|
|
Greetings!
In the beginning, there was Kindergarten…
The story of creation, reviews the importance of both order and creativity. Before anything else could be done, God needed to make structure out of the chaos. To differentiate between light and darkness, sky and water, water and earth.
Once order was established, there was time for creativity. How shall there be light? The sun, moon and stars. What should live in the sky and the water? The birds and fish. What should live on the earth? Plants, animals and humans. What comes after all this activity? A time for rest.
Visiting the Kindergarten is the highlight of my day. The room is filled to capacity with joy and smiling children. Evidence of learning shines from every corner. The view of the butterfly garden, the birds eating at the feeders, and the green house through the vast and numerous windows, allows the students to truly internalize their place as part of a larger world.
In the beginning of each day, they establish order. The teachers and students put away their belongings, assess who is present, and review their schedule. Once the chaos has been turned to order, there is capacity for endless creativity throughout the day. The students learn through sensory stations, play and work centers, lessons, and free choice. Avenues are available for every learner. And after recess, they rest.
The children are filled with energy and light. They grow and develop and learn. And it is good.
Shabbat Shalom,
|
|
Kindergarten is Sweet as Honey
|
|
Kindergarten had an especially sweet month learning about Rosh Hashanah, turning apples into a science and math experiment, and getting to meet a real Bee Keeper.
Our five and six year old students investigated four different apples, and then hypothesized, weighed, measured, and tasted the apples. They used yarn to measure the circumference of the apple, then used teddy bear counters and unifix cubes to measure the yarn.
They weighed the apples, measured its volume, made an estimate, then counted how many seeds were inside the apple. One student estimated that there would be 70 seeds inside, but only counted three. Afterwards, each student wrote a math story about the apples.
|
|
Kindergarteners also skyped with their buddies at Gan Yididut in Kfar Saba Israel, and learned that they were doing the same investigation of apples!
The two schools compared their own apples' similarities and differences and charted their results. The CJDS chart displayed the differences between the two schools' findings and included how Gan Yididut's graph was in Hebrew, and each school used a different picture of an apple for their graph.
|
|
|
Perfectly paired with this project was having a Beekeeper visit CJDS and teach our students all about bees and honey. Will Merrill, with Orchard Lane Apiary, met with the students and brought in one of his bee hives.
Kindergarten teacher Annelyn Baron shared, "We learned where honey comes from, and that it requires 1,152 bees to travel 112,000 miles to visit 4.5 million flowers just to make 1 pound of honey."
Our students loved learning about bees and were on their best beehive-iour. Students even had a chance to ask a few un-bee-lievable questions.
|
|
Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Gabrielle Goldach
|
|
In the last year, things have come full-circle for CJDS Alumna: Dr. Gabrielle Goldach, class of 2001. Gabby, as she still goes by today, has reconnected with her Jewish roots after spending four weeks in Israel prior to moving to Oslo, Norway for an amazing career opportunity to work as a vitalistic chiropractor.
Reflecting on her time at CJDS, Gabby says that one of the most dominant themes that comes to mind is
community
. She remembers feeling such a strong sense of community and rapport with both teachers and classmates, and that bond is something that has really stuck with her even to this day.
|
|
Gabby has fond memories of celebrating Shabbat as a collective community at CJDS. Some of her favorite snapshots of her time at the school were captured in the CJDS art studio with teacher Susan Couden, and in science class with teacher Maxine (Stevens) Middleton. Gabby recalls a very vivid memory of making paper “snowflakes” in Maxine's science class. That recollection takes her back to how her love for art and creating something was deeply cultivated by her art teacher just down the hall.
“While I am sure the art I created was nice, I more distinctly remember feeling so connected and so seen by Susan as a teacher," Gabby says. "Her warmth, her acceptance, her abundance of love is something I still deeply feel to this day. I know that she continues to make a massive difference in the lives of the children that have the pleasure of creating and cultivating with her guidance and support. She truly is such a gift to the community.”
|
|
Upon arriving in Norway, Gabby knew that staying connected to her Jewish roots was of great importance. “In a country of five million people, there are only about 1300 Jews present. Fortunately, one of them happens to be living right below me in my apartment building. It was like coming home.” Gabby is thankful that being seamlessly brought into the Jewish community in Oslo has eased her transition to a new city, country, and continent tremendously.
In Norway, Gabby is working as a Doctor of Chiropractic, with a specialty in neurology and human potential. As a
vitalistic
chiropractor, she focuses on what is
right
with the entirety of a person, rather than what is
wrong
. "As a chiropractor, my job is to ensure that the nervous system — the very system that controls our entire body, our perception of our world, and our sense of
being
—
is clear of interference."
Gabby feels very fortunate to be working with the Oslo community. She is able to “help them understand that the power to heal lies within."
One of Gabby’s favorite things about this work is that it is always about
life
. “I love to emphasize that my job is not to ‘fix’ anyone, but to simply facilitate a re-connection to self, to one’s own power to heal, to thrive, and to grow into exactly who they want to be.” Just like at CJDS.
Are you or someone you know a CJDS Alumnus or Alumna who is giving back to the community? Would you like to be featured in our monthly Alumni Spotlight? Reply to this email and let us know.
|
|
A Fun and Frigid Sukkot
It was a cold evening, but CJDS fourth grade students were excited and determined as they walked into the Jewish Day School ready to spend the night outside for the annual fourth grade sukkot sleepover. Teachers Eran Rosenberg and Susan Couden were onsite to help facilitate a fun evening for our students.
The night started with a game of Sukkot Bingo, where students created their own boards with questions about Sukkot, Simhat Beit HaSho’evah, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah. After Bingo, the fourth graders participated in the ritual of night time Tefillah. They sat in a circle in the kindergarten room and reminisced about their time in kindergarten. What was it like when they were in kindergarten? Did they remember their feelings or special events that took place? Each student had an opportunity to share, and Tefillah concluded with a traditional blessing asking God for protection over the night.
|
|
Once Tefillah was completed, the fourth graders met in the music room for the final activity
—
a Scavenger Hunt. Students solved riddles, codes, and puzzles to find clues throughout the darkened hallways of the school.
|
|
Flashlights ablaze, the students trudged through the hallways in groups of two tied together with twine. They had to use team work, and communication while tied together at the ankle. They giggled the whole time from the sixth grade classroom all the way to the gym while joined together.
After a spooky and silly story, the fourth graders went outside to brave the 38 degree weather that awaited them, ready to sleep in the Sukkah. They awoke to their teachers making them a warm breakfast, and enjoyed a special Tefillah service overlooking the pond with a perfect sunrise. Despite a little cold, everyone had fun, and the teachers and classmates created a bond that will never be forgotten.
|
|
Engineering a Sukkah
CJDS third and fourth graders took on a Sukkah Model Engineering Design Challenge. The challenge was issued by the Mayor of Kfar Saba. Students split up into groups of three, and followed specific guidelines for their challenge. They first brainstormed a structure for the frame, and drew out a design for their own Sukkah. The model had to creatively conserve water during Sukkot, have three walls, and it needed to be covered with natural material (skhakh).
|
|
Students drew up their design, created it using the items provided, and then actually tried it out. Upon engineering, if they found that the design they came up with did not meet the needs of the solution, they started their planning again, and created a new model.
|
|
After completion, the third and fourth grade sukkahs were displayed outside for every grade to enjoy. During the week, students from all grades got to have Tefillah, and read inside of a sukkah created by a third and fourth grader!
|
|
|
Sun., 11/3 - 3:00-4:30pm - CJDS Open House
Thurs., 11/7 - 8:30-10:00am - 3rd Grade
H
umash Ceremony
Fri., 11/8 - 1:40-2:20pm - All School Kabbalat Shabbat
Fri., 11/22 - 1:30-2:20pm - Musical Kabbalat Shabbat
Tues., 11/26 - 1:30-3:20pm - Community and Special Friends Day
Fri., 12/6 - All School Kabbalat Shabbat
Sun., 12/15 - 3:00-4:30 PM CJDS
H
anukkah Party with COSI
Fri., 12/20 - 1:40-2:20pm - All School Kabbalat
H
ag
H
anukkah
|
|
Mazel Tov!
Mazel Tov to
Rabbi Alex Braver
(CJDS Board Member) and Alex Weisler on the bris for
Baby Boy Braver.
Mazel Tov to
Josh Wolf
(CJDS alumnus). Josh Wolf was recently selected to be a member of the
National Mortar Board Honor Society
,
which recognizes college seniors for their exemplary scholarship, leadership, and service.
|
|
Mi Sh'Berach
We wish our dear CJDS friend and Lunch Coordinator
Paul Zeigler
a speedy recovery.
We wish CJDS grandparent and alumni parent
David Lippy
a speedy recovery.
|
|
May Their Memory be a Blessing
We extend our condolences to Miriam (Jon) Segaloff on the passing of Miriam's Father
Sheldon "Bob" Robert Schulte
.
We extend our condolences to Joyce and Chuck Shenk (longtime friends and supporters of CJDS) on the passing of Joyce's sister
Janice Roth.
|
|
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
