This Week at Yavneh Academy

February 11, 2021 | 30 Shvat 5781 | משפטים

CALENDAR REMINDER:

There is no school tomorrow Friday, February 12 and Monday, February 15.

Enjoy the weekend. Shabbat Shalom!

Sharsheret Pink Day

Yavneh Academy was proud to participate in Sharsheret Pink Day on February 10. Our students came to school wearing pink or a YPAA Pink Day shirt. This year, students participated in a Hoopathon to raise funds for Sharsheret. They shot baskets and hula-hooped (with pink basketballs and hula-hoops, of course!). Coach Lauren Greene addressed the students at the start of each hoopathon to share how Sharsheret helps families and how she herself volunteers for Sharsheret to help women who need support. She also encouraged the students to get involved. More importantly, she stressed the importance of being sensitive to the fact that we never know what a person might be going through and to always be kind. Our Chesed Team members were each assigned to a basket and kept track of the shots made and the number of hoolahoop cycles completed by participants. The 8th grade were our Middle School winners achieving the highest score. Yavneh Academy raised over $2100 for Sharsheret. The hoopathon and Yavneh students truly made a difference, while having fun at the same time!

Click HERE for more photos!

Early Childhood Department

If I Were President...

In honor of President’s Day, the students in Gan Aleph learned about the responsibilities of the president, and a little history behind the presidency in our country. We learned about two of the most well-known presidents, who celebrate February birthdays -- George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. We imagined ourselves as future presidents and worked on a writing experience about what our goals, dreams and ambitions would be. Some of these ideas included keeping our country safe, helping poor people, making laws to protect people, helping people get jobs, making sure people don't get hurt, and being a leader in the army.

Purim is Coming!

This week Gan Bet students began learning the story of Purim and have been writing their own Megillot as well as Purim character analysis in Ivrit! We have also been using puppets, props and costumes to help us act out the story. In our Mini Makerspace, we have added lots of various triangular shaped gadgets and supplies, like Haman’s hat, that we can use to enhance our creations and inventions. We love Purim!

Lower School

Fourth Graders Become Sefer Yehoshua Reporters

The 4th graders learned about the miracle Hashem performed at the Yarden in Sefer Yehoshua. Hashem stopped the river from flowing and created a wall of water so that Bnei Yisrael could cross into Canaan on dry land. The students then became reporters. Each one wrote and illustrated their own newspaper article describing the miraculous event.

Fifth Graders are Studying Ecosystems

The fifth graders are exploring the theme of survival. Within the science components, students first enjoyed a visit from a conservation biologist, who provided some real-life examples of ecosystem disruptions, which students had researched in class.

The students also just completed a unit exploring the food chain. This week, they dissected an owl pellet and applied their knowledge of ecosystems in order to identify what the owl ate! Students worked in partners to discuss and brainstorm. What an exciting and meaningful experiment!

Yavneh Academy Celebrates Literacy

Yavneh Academy students culminated their multi-day celebration of World Read Aloud Day with Character Day. The goal of the day was to inspire reading. First, teachers and students received an invitation to dress as a character in any fiction or non-fiction book that they read this year, 2021. The invitation was specifically planned at the beginning of January so students would be encouraged to read a new book. Leading up to the special day, students enjoyed author visits and special poetry reading. Finally, Character Day arrived on Friday, February 5.

It was a delightful pleasure to have Yavneh Academy become the setting for characters from a wide array of novels and biographies. During class, the Yavneh bookworms (students in Pre-K to Grade 5) were given time to Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) while “popping open a new book” with popcorn and gummy worm snacks. They also played literacy games and posted displays in the hallways, so everyone could meet new characters and learn about new books. With characters from Pinkalicious, Dogman, Harry Potter and many other literary stars gracing Yavneh’s hallways, the students were able to savor the sights and sounds of stories. Before departing, students were encouraged to select a new title from a referring friend. What a fabulous way to support students’ appreciation of reading!

Click HERE for more photos!

Bringing STEM into the Lower School Classrooms

Family STEM Night at Yavneh Academy has become a popular event where students, along with parents, participate in hands-on STEM activities. Unfortunately, social distancing due to Covid-19 prevented this year’s STEM Night from taking place. That, however, did not stop Yavneh’s technology department (Mrs. Chani Lichtiger, Mrs. Claire Hirschhorn, and Mrs. Tova Burack) from giving Yavneh’s students the opportunity to experience STEM activities. Rather than one large event, the Tech team brought STEM to each classroom in lower school. Every student received a pre-packed, grade appropriate kit with all the materials needed to create and learn. First graders were able to learn about buoyancy when they built boats made out of corks. Second graders learned about simple machines when they built catapults. They experimented with the position of the fulcrum to determine the most efficient position. Second and third graders also learned about circuitry as they built glowing critters with LED antennae. In fourth grade, the students created bookmarks using 3D technology. Fifth graders created bristle “bots” that danced around the students’ desks. Many students also learned about binary code while creating initial bracelets. All this was accomplished while maintaining proper social distancing. This may be a unique year in many ways, but Yavneh students still were able to tinker, build, and create.

Middle School

Middle School Super Bowl Virtual Party

Super Bowl Sunday featured a virtual party for Yavneh Middle School students, parents and faculty. Rabbi Ross hosted the pregame cooking show instructing everyone in the art of making pretzel dogs. You may wonder, "What is a pretzel dog?" Similar to franks in blankets, these hot dogs are wrapped in dough! What makes them special is their delicious soft pretzel flavor.

Rabbi Schreiber's and Mr. Rossman's half-time show included Torah learning and a Berachot Kahoot. For an added challenge, the students played against Rabbi Knapp! Finally, the participants watched commercials made by Yavneh students. Some were funny, some were serious, but all were a pleasure to watch.

7th Graders Create Diffusion Stop Motion Videos

After covering the topic of diffusion during 7th grade science class, our students had the opportunity to solidify their understanding in tech. Students created stop motion videos to create an animated movie showing the way the processes happen. First, they learned to create drawings and make small movements between each one with Google Drawing. Then, they brought the drawings into iMovie, a movie making app and sped up the photos to create the stop motion effect. The project provided a meaningful, creative, and engaging way to connect to their scientific learning in the classroom.

Click HERE for video!