Did you ever read a book that was so good you wanted to read it over and over again? In Ganon Aleph we have been talking about how special it is that after celebrating the completion of the Torah, we get to start the Torah all over again from the beginning!

We first discussed "What is the Torah?” We had beautiful answers such as “we learn from it,” “we read from it each week,” “we hug and kiss it,” and “it is important to the Jewish people.”

We then closed our eyes and thought about all the wonderful things that surround us each day which led us to wondering…how was the world created? We have been slowly exploring Hashem’s creations in detail and will continue throughout the next few weeks!

Noach's teivah was so huge, how could it possibly float on water? This was a question of great interest in Gan Bet, as we investigated why certain objects float and some sink through lots of hands-on experimentation using items in our classroom, such as pencils, coins, rocks, blocks, paper clips and more! We learned that it has to do with something called "density" and how dense the object is compared to the matter that it is trying to float in. We were very surprised by some of our findings!

Ganon Bet had so much fun learning about the chagim of Sukkot and Simchat Torah! We learned all about the lulav and etrog. We explored the lulav and the etrog using our senses and then we learned how to build a lulav with two hadassim and three aravot. We then had a “Lulav and Etrog Sale!” Ganon Bet students had the opportunity to assemble their own lulavim and etrogim using different materials, and then were able to “buy'' their own lulavim and etrogim. For Simchat Torah, Ganon Bet went to the Bet Midrash for Hakafot. We had so much fun dancing with the Torah and with the Middle School students! 

ECD SEL UPDATE

This week in kindergarten the students became SEL authors and illustrators as they created a class feelings book. Inspired by the stories, songs and games played over the past weeks, the students chose two feelings to focus on. Some examples were, “I feel silly when my sister makes me laugh, “I feel sad when my brother doesn't play with me,'' and “I felt excited when I saw my cousin's new house.” The children have grown in their ability to both identify and share when they are experiencing different feelings. These skills are a foundation to develop positive social interactions and self-regulation skills.

Thank you to the Paramus Police Department for teaching our younger students about fire safety this week.

Our second graders are preparing for learning Torah from their Chumashim. They will receive their Chumashim at the Chagigat HaChumash in December and until then are practicing their mikrah skills.

We introduced our second graders to basic shorashim (Root words) and to make it fun ran 3 different stations of shorashim gamesThe students enjoyed practicing using all their senses to learn!

One of our goals at Yavneh is to foster a love of reading not only in school, but at home too. For our first home reading project, students in 4D read a book of their choice and created a FLIP video with plot summary, text to text or text to self-connection, and their opinion of the book. The students will view their classmates’ videos on FLIP and this will serve as a resource for new book suggestions for all. Thank you to Mr. David for showing us how to use some of the really cool features of FLIP so that our videos look and sound fantastic!

Boat-making has always been part of World History. Though the shape, size and type of craft varied according to purpose, one feature was common and integral to them - the boat needed to stay afloat!

Using an integrated and multidisciplinary approach of Judaics, social studies, science, technology, engineering, math and makerspace, the students created and crafted their own vessel. To test the efficacy of their custom designed creation for buoyancy and flotation, they will be launching their crafts on Friday in Yavneh’s artificial pond.

The wind and spirit behind the project are the students’ studies of 2 biblical boats. One in Parashat Shemot that we are currently learning, where Yocheved, Moshe’s mother, places the baby in her home designed small basket. The other is from this week’s Parsha where Noach builds a large Ark to save the future of humanity and the other living beings. 

Concurrently, the fifth graders are studying about explorers and their ships that were used to discover a wonderful New World. 

On Thursday, October 27th, Yehdua Zinberg, Yavneh Academy’s Class of 2019, presented an informative lesson on Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. The focus was, “What does being Jewish Mean to Me?” The class reviewed Rabbi Sack’s article and reflected on some questions including, “Describe a special object or tradition that has significance to your family,” and, “When is a time that you have observed someone’s joy of Judaism or that you shared your own?”

Yehuda, together with a number of classmates, found themselves interested in the work of Rabbi Lord Sacks. Together they created the Jonathan Sacks (z”l) Memorial Project. Their website, www.rabbisacksproject.weebly.com, is a remarkable resource as well as an incredible tribute to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. In fact it has been added as a resource to the Rabbi Sack’s Legacy Heritage Foundation.

Yavneh students, accompanied by Mrs. Moriya Levy, participated in Teach NJ’s in person Mission to Trenton. They were advocating in New Jersey’s State House for our schools and community. The students are pictured with Assemblyman Chris Tully, Deputy Majority Leader.

Our 7th and 8th grade students were privileged to host Rav Aharon Pessin, a student of Rav Chaim Kanievsky who has published widely both in print and online. Rav Pessin encouraged our students to inspire themselves in their learning and avodat Hashem as we move from the busy month of Tishrei into the "quieter" month of Marcheshvan.