Gan D Science Experiments

After learning about winter and talking about water freezing and becoming ice, we decided to conduct our own experiment to see which liquid would melt an ice cube the fastest. We took oil, soda, and salt water and put an ice cube in each. We then watched to see which melted the ice cube first. It was very surprising to the kids that the cup with the soda won! They also loved seeing the water and oil split to separate sections of the cup.

Gan Gimmel is Becoming Familiar with the Alef Bet

After a relaxing winter break, students returned to Gan Gimmel to enjoy hands on learning using the Alef Bet letters we have become familiar with in our classroom. Students found matches in numerous ways. Using letters that we picked, friends joined together while saying the letter out loud. Afterwards, each student used their own Hebrew name to identify the letters they picked. Finding letters in our names by picking from the center pile, students couldn’t wait to match the letters by placing them above each letter in their name.

Fourth Grade ROCKS! 

The 4th grade geology unit is off to a great start with our students learning characteristics of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. These rocks are categorized by how each is formed, and students are gaining an understanding of how rocks continually change from one type to another through studying the rock cycle. This week, our students enjoyed a hands-on and up-close look to investigate and identify a variety of rocks using their newly gained knowledge. Next up…the weathering and erosion of our rocky planet!

Seeing Eye Dogs Visit Yavneh

Grade 3 students recently began learning about people with hearing and vision impairments and the assistive devices, tools to support these individuals, and the parts of the eye. Today, the students were fortunate to meet individuals who train and use guide dogs on a daily basis. The students learned about the long training process, the history of the Seeing Eye Dog group, met some guide dogs, and many other intriguing facts. Did you know that NJ’s state dog is the Seeing Eye dog? The students asked great questions and enjoyed petting the dogs in training at the end of the session.

Recently fifth graders, together with Rabbi Penn learned the halachot of mezuzah and then had the opportunity to affix a mezuzah on our new doors in the 400 wing.

Fifth Graders Use Robotics to Study Navi

What does a 9th Century BCE Biblical Battle have to do with 21st Century Robotics?

The fifth graders studying the military confrontation of Devorah and Barak with General Sisera of King Yavin (Sefer Shoftim Ch 4-5), made the connection by employing a team of Ozobots. Using the Ozobots’ visual sensors and locomotion, the students coded and programmed these palm-sized robots to delineate the exact geographical boundaries of the battle zone. Thankfully, the battle outcome remained the same. Victory for the Israelites and defeat for the Canaanites.

Next Tech Challenge: Programming the Ozobots to sing Shirat Devorah!

First Grade Update

After learning the social language, Expected and Unexpected behavior in first grade this week, the students had a chance to work in small groups to explore this topic further. They chose different daily activities including dinner time, playdates, classroom learning and recess to create post-its of expected and unexpected behaviors that may occur at those times. We then looked deeper into how these different behaviors not only affect themselves but also their friendships with others. As a class, we discussed how we can change our actions from unexpected to expected and as a result change the potential consequences of those actions. 

Was Noach a Tremendous Tzaddik?

Class 8B was wondering the same thing, so they prepared a debate to search for a conclusion! The 8th grade Chumash students gained ownership over their learning as they prepared both sides of the question, assessing Noach's righteousness. Joined by Yavneh administrators as the judges, the students exhibited a deep understanding using both textual and conceptual proofs to prove their points. So what do you think - was Noach a tzaddik?

Eighth Graders are Preparing VR Experience for Upcoming Holocaust Presentation

A group of 8th-grade students have been given the opportunity to create virtual reality experiences for our upcoming Holocaust presentation highlighting the Danish citizens who risked their lives assisting Danish Jews to safety. They joined training sessions this week led by the founder of VRQuest, Mr. Warren Black. Using this cutting-edge virtual reality software, our students will be creating their own virtual reality experiences that can be viewed through Oculus VR sets. Their research and storyboarding have already begun and we can't wait to see the meaningful and impactful virtual reality settings they come up with. Keep an eye out for the finished product, it's sure to be something special!