Beren Buzz 🐝 August 31, 2023

Parshat Ki Tavo

Candle Lighting 7:26 p.m.

Havdalah 8:25 p.m.

P² Parsha Perspectives

It’s Elul. The shofar blasting is heard each morning and all of the ivrdei Torah we hear somehow focuses on the idea that now is the time for us to take stock of our year and determine which areas we excelled in and which we have room for improvement. Year after year we hear this message. Some listen and others ignore.

Click here to continue reading.

Hakarat HaTov - Recognizing the Good

We are so grateful for all our volunteers this week! A huge shoutout and thank you goes out to:

Linda Azulay, Tali Bublil, Talia Engelsman, Ariel Gomez, Haim Kamman

If you would like to volunteer at RMBA please click here to view our opportunities.

Mazal Tov

Mazal Tov to Chayli Silvestri and her family on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah!

Through the Looking Glass

Through the Looking Glass is the newest podcast from the RMBA Podcast Studios. This podcast explores the roles of the RMBA leadership and what it takes to make the secret sauce that we call the Robert M. Beren Academy. Each week we will go behind the scenes to explore the roles of the Head of School, Leadership Team and Educational Leaders and more.

Get ready for special guests, surprises and some whacky moments along the way. Join us as we step Through the Looking Glass.

#instaberen

Remembering Robert M. Beren

This week our upper school students were privileged to hear from distinguished guests Nancy T. Beren (Mr. Beren's eldest child and RMBA Past President) and Ira Mitzner (RMBA Past President) about Mr. Beren's remarkable life and the values that guided him. Ms. Beren shared stories from her upbringing which highlighted Mr. Beren's unwavering devotion to his family, his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and how this dedication shaped his expectation of excellence. Mr. Mitzner's reflections centered on their profound friendship, illuminating Mr. Beren's priorities and philanthropic philosophy of intellectual partnership as well as the importance of giving back to the community. The anecdotes and insights shared showed the genuine commitment Mr. Beren had towards making a positive impact on people, places and especially the school that carries his name. The memories left an indelible mark on everyone present. To read more about the life and legacy of Mr. Robert M. Beren click here.

Chodesh Elul

It has been a great start to the year in Morah Hanna's 1st grade Judaic Studies class! This week the students learned about the Jewish month of Elul and how it is a time to get closer to Hashem by hearing the shofar, giving extra tzedaka, and asking for forgiveness.

Self-Portraits

Middle schoolers in Mr. Duke’s social studies classes were challenged to create self-portraits in the style of Israeli artist Hanoch Piven. For this get-to-know-me assignment, students had to select items that reveal information about themselves and collage those materials into self-portraits.

Place Value

This week students in Ms. Klausner's Fourth grade class started learning about place value into the 10,000’s and 100,000’s using place value cards and place value discs. Some students were challenged with the task of counting to 100 in Hebrew, giving the students who speak more Hebrew a chance to help.

High School Social Studies

This week Mr. Cell's US History 9th-10th classes looked at how the Age of Exploration intersected with the lives and deaths of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The 11th-12th grade U.S. Government classes closely read and analyzed the Declaration of Independence.

A is for Apple

This week students in Morah Hanna's EC4B class learned all about the letter A and enjoyed decorating their individual A letters with red and green apples.

Summer Work

Middle schoolers in Ms. Ruben's English Language Arts class are worked on their summer reading assessments this week. They participated in graded discussions and completed comparative writing assignments discussing the two novels they read over the summer.

Placemat Art

This week children in Morah Tsippi's EC2B class had a great time dot painting papers with their names on them. They will now be using their laminated artwork as placemats for snack time. The class also enjoyed a special STEAM visit with Mr. Matt!

Root Words Memory Game

This week students in Morah Ester's 4th grade Judaic Studies class practiced learning Hebrew shorashim (roots) and their English translations through a memory game. Students matched up their Hebrew card with their friend's English translation. It was a lot of fun!

Solid Foundations

Students in Mr. Duke's middle school Engineering & Industrial Design (EID) explo studied the principles of load path and weight distribution by building foundations out of the fewest possible paper cups, arranged in such a way that they would be strong enough to support the weight of middle schoolers.

All About Nouns

This week Mr. Simon's Third Grader's learned all about nouns. Pictured above they are sharing their knowledge. In addition to sharing worksheets with each other the students played a game called, "Person, Place or Thing".

First Fruits

This week students in Morah Sandy's EC3A class learned all about parshat Ki Tavo and how the Jews in Eretz Yisrael gave the first fruits, the bikkurim, to Hashem. They marked the first fruits by tying a red string on the branches with the first buds. The class proceeded to make a similar craft, using their fine motor skills to practice tying and squeezing glue. The class also spoke about what they are thankful for, similarly to the Jews who took the bikkurim to Yerushalayim because they were thankful for everything Hashem had given them.

Group Work

This week Ms. Morrison's 2nd grade class started their new Math Curriculum: Singapore Math. This curriculum is very hands on and has many opportunities for discussion and group work. In this activity the students used place value cards to make numbers. They learned how many of each value were in different numbers.

First Letters

This week students in Morah Aviva's EC4A class began their Alphabet curriculum with the letter “Aa”! Everyone had a blast showing things they brought from home that begin with the letter Aa as part of their first Share and Tell Wednesday. The class also began their Alef Bet curriculum with the letter Alef! Each curriculum includes a word wall for each letter, journal writing and illustrations.

Counting , Graphing, & Reading

This week students in Ms. Riojas' Kindergarten class finished celebrating the August birthdays! The students graphed and counted the letters of their classmate's names and practiced writing and reading three site words: the, of, and!

Rosh Hashanah Prep

This week students in Morah Clara's EC3B class learned about Rosh Hashanah, what we eat, what is a Shofar, the name of the sounds the Shofar blower makes, and what the shofar is made of. The class also learned the simanim (symbolic foods) and their meaning. The class also studied the letters of the week A and B and spoke about apples and bees.

We Love Reading

This week in the library, early childhood and lower school students reviewed how to take care of library books, and students got to take home books for the first time this school year! This week Ms. Emily read Library Dragon by Carmen Agra Deedy, Click, Click, Quack to School! by Doreen Cronin, Read it, Don't Eat it! by Ian Schoenherr, Mr. Wiggle's Book by Paula Margaret Craig and Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean.

Tashlich

This week Morah Chaya's Judaic Studies 5th grade class learned all about Rosh Hashanah and the meaningful Jewish custom of Tashlich (casting our sins away). The class enjoyed a practicing the minhag at the pond in the Magical Forest.

Save the Date

Join RMBA's PTO and take a break to recharge with some coffee while connecting with other parents!

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

RMBA Courtyard

(located between outside between the main building EC classrooms and gym)

We hope to see you there!

Athletic Updates

Please see the Beren Academy Calendar as your most up to date source for information. The Week at a Glance is a snapshot, but does not reflect any changes made after that date.

High School Volleyball

The High School Volleyball team will open up their season with a game on September 7th at Living Stones. The practice schedule can be accessed by clicking here and the game schedule can be accessed by going to the school calendar or by clicking here.

Middle School Volleyball

The MS girls volleyball team dropped two tough matches to open up their season. On Tuesday, the girls will play a home match against Westbury Christian at 4:30. The practice schedule can be accessed by clicking here and the game schedule can be accessed by going to the school calendar or by clicking here.