SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

Monday, November 11, 2019

13 Cheshvan 5780



Message from Heather Moore, Head of School
Dear Parents, 

Happy Veterans’ Day to all of our Strelitz Parents and extended family who have served and are currently serving our country. We thank you and your families for your service and sacrifices for our Country!  

It is hard to believe, but Grandparents’ Day is right around the corner on Wednesday, November 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. 

Dismissal on Grandparents’ Day (the day before Thanksgiving) will be at 12:00 p.m. for all students. There will be no Fullcare on Grandparents' Day, Nov 27 . Please make sure you notify your child(ren)’s classroom teacher(s) or the school office if your child(ren) will be leaving with their special guest. The Grandparents will not want to miss the amazing program that the teachers and students have planned for Grandparents’ Day. Invitations were recently mailed to all of grandparents whose address we have on file. An electronic version of the invitation was posted in ParentSquare for your convenience and for you to share with your child’s grandparents. If a grandparent cannot attend, you are welcome to invite a “special friend.” Parents are always welcome to serve as substitute grandparents.

We ask that RSVP’s for Grandparents’ Day be given to Linda Bridges at 757-424-4327 or lbridges@strelitzacademy.org no later than November 20 . We look forward to meeting your child’s special guest on November 27.

The campus will conduct a lock down drill tomorrow, Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at 9:15am.  If you are in the building during the initial lockdown you will be required to participate.  

Next Friday, November 15, 2019 @ 8:30 a.m. is the Beyond Early Years Parent Coffee.  Join us to learn more about the Primary Years Program - Kindergarten through Fifth grade at SIA!  

Below you will see some reminders for next week. 
Shavuah Tov, wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

Heather Moore
Head of School
Security remains a top priority at the Reba & Sam Sandler Family Campus. Please remember that those who do not have a fob to enter the building will be asked for identification. Complying with this policy helps keep everyone safe. Thank you!


11/11 NO SCHOOL; FULLCARE CLOSED
  • Veteran's Day
  • Primary Years IB Collaboration Professional Development

11/12 Early Years Conference, 4pm -7pm

11/15 Beyond Preschool, 8:30am
  • All Early Years Parents are invited to learn more about the Primary Years Program

11/27 Grandparents' Day
  • Noon Dismissal
  • Fullcare Closes at Noon

11/28 - 11/29 Thanksgiving Break
  • NO SCHOOL

12/11 Third Grade Lunch & Learn, 11:30am

12/19 PY Chanukah De-lights, 6pm

12/20 Early Years Mini-Zimriyah, 10am

To order lunch: orgsonline.com
School code: 432HAOTVA
(for first time sign-ups)
Menu will show when you are assigned a school.

To cancel lunch:
If you have a scheduled lunch and your child will not be in school, you must cancel by 9:30 a.m. that day and email Benita Watts at  ops@ujft.org  or call Linda Bridges at 424-4327 to make sure the lunch is cancelled - credit will be applied to your account. If you don't cancel the lunch, you will be charged.

Lunches:
$3.30 for Early Years (EY 2-EY 4)
$5.50 for Primary Years (K-5)
Our EY3 Students
By Lorna Orleans, Director of the Early Years Program
Dear Families,

This week’s column highlights our three year old students. Our three year olds, just like EY2 and EY4 students have followed the narratives of the parshiot Bereshit (creation story) and Noach (Noah) over these past few weeks. 

As EY3 learners they are quickly developing stronger expressive and receptive language skills and growing longer attention spans. These Torah stories offer a rich opportunity for them to follow a narrative and learn to sequence a story line. The books our three year teachers read related to these timeless stories have more complex vocabulary and story plots. "Read Alouds” in class become more of an interactive experience inviting inquiries and the making of connections. For example, after hearing about the pairs of animals entering the ark some of our three year old friends started thinking about the idea of pairs in general, like a pair of hands or a pair of eyes. They connected the idea of pairs to matching games. 

Some of our young learners were very taken with the idea of the rainbow in the story of Noah’s ark and made connections between a previous story they read called The Color Monster . They had been learning that certain colors evoked specific feelings or moods and made color monster puppets that represented feelings they wanted to express through art. 

Opportunities for science exploration are on the horizon as they explore more about rainbows and how they are made as well as the properties of color. Learning about rainbows is a great time to explore the order of the spectrum, color mixing and what can happen when you mix primary colors with paint or water. One of our three year groups, inspired by the forty days and nights of rain in the Noah story did an experiment illustrating how clouds fill with water and cause precipitation!

Finally, there was a wonderful parallel between Noah’s family re-planting the land with vegetation and planting gardens on our own campus.This past week all of our three year classes planted winter vegetables in their class garden boxes and we are looking forward to our annual crop of kale, beets and other goodies. Kale chips and chocolate chip beet muffins are surprising favorites around here. 

Please be sure to read the class newsletters from your child’s teacher as they share the learning each week. 

Shavua Tov,
Lorna Orleans
Planting the winter garden.
Exploring properties of color and light.
Inspired by the story of Noah, students developed fine motor skills while they painted rainbows.
Making rain in a cup!
Above: creating creation books depicting the 7 days of creation helps develop sequencing skills.

Left: A sensory experience with rainbow water beads.
A NOTE FROM NURSE SUSAN...
Ways to Support SIA
In the Community
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13 I 7:00 PM
Women of all ages are invited!
Suggested Donation $5

Please bring a package of nonperishable food for the Jewish Family Service Kosher Food Pantry
“At the Challah Bake, one feels a special connection with Jewish women from all walks of life and sects of Judaism. In retrospect, the spiritual aspect tied to baking Challah at the same time as women all over the globe is exhilarating. I hope the other participants shared the same uplifting sense of “Sisterhood” as I did…we are the backbone of the faith. I know I will be back next year!”
– Linda Sinowitz     
This year, the 5th Annual Great Big Challah Bake will take place on Wednesday, November 13th at B'nai Congreagation at 7:00 PM. This challah-making event will be just one of thousands of similar events around the world—and one part of The Shabbat Project —bringing Jewish women from all walks of life and across the spectrum of religious affiliations to celebrate one full Shabbat, together. The project’s goal is to create an opportunity to rejuvenate family and community life, and strengthen Jewish unity around the world.
All ingredients and recipes will be provided. Each participant will leave with two challahs ready to bake and enjoy for Shabbat.
To RSVP, click  here.

Jamie Metzl, Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity
Tuesday, November 12 | 7:30 PM
Reba & Sam Sandler Family Campus
FREE with RSVP
A leading geopolitical expert and technology futurist, Jamie Metzl shares a groundbreaking exploration of the many ways genetic engineering is shaking the core foundations of our lives–sex, war, love, and death.  
Open to discussion (and up for debate) is that slippery slope between breathtaking advances in human well-being and the descent into a potentially deadly genetic arms race and Dystopian society.
To learn more about Jamie Metzl,  read the latest Jewish News article here .