We had such a great time getting to know and catching up with our alumni this week at 8th Wonder Brewery, where alumni, spouses, and friends enjoyed pizza, beer, and walking down memory lane. Thank you to board member and alumni chair Sara Coane Goldberg ('01) for helping to coordinate the fun evening!

Ms. Morrison's fourth grade class is excited to present their version of "A Living Wax Museum" this upcoming Tuesday, February 28. Each of the students chose a historical leader of the past, researched, and wrote a biographical speech about the leader. All are welcomed to come by after school and experience the museum.

Rodeo, log cabins, and beginning preparations for Purim are just some of the exciting things that happened in ECE4 this week. While learning about Texas and the rodeo, Morah Aviva taught the children some of the special symbols of Texas which they then created a Texas symbols collage which included, a cowboy boot, cowboy hat, bluebonnet, and a handprint Texas flag! The students had so much fun decorating with animal patterns, markers, crayons, paint, and glue sticks. Everyone was super excited to build log cabins and other structures with the Lincoln logs in the Blocks Center. They also had a special visit from the local fire station - firefighters with their fire truck! The class listened as the fire fighter explained what tools were kept on the truck, observed all the gear they have to wear when on a call, and learned some special safety rules. The best part was watching the sirens and lights blinking on and off! The class began Purim preparations with silly leytzan (clown) plates in honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar.

This week students in Morah Yocheved's first grade Judaic Studies class used ancient rain sticks to create gragers for Purim by filling them and decorating them.

This week in Ms. Morrison's second grade class, student began preparing for Read Across America week. The students read books by Dr. Seuss, and made up their own Dr. Seuss characters, including writing their own silly rhyming poems. The students will be entering their poems in a Dr. Seuss Contest. If they win, The Cat in the Hat will come visit their class. This activity helped the students practice their reading skills along with building vocabulary.

This week in STEAM students learned all about the farm! From the animals that live on the farm to the fresh fruits and vegetables that grow there. The students “milked” the classroom's fake cow Bessie, gathered and matched eggs, and conducted an experiment to find out what happens to corn kernels that are submerged in water.

This week students in Morah Clara's ECE3B class had so much fun bringing in the joyous month of Adar and beginning their Purim learning and preparation. The students visited the stunning Candy Land themed decorated lobby and halls crafted Talya and Moriya our Bnot Sherut, they played a Purim math game in class, a hamentachen matching and tracing game, and a Purim puzzle. They also began learning about the heroic story of Queen Esther. In parsha, they had a hands on activity building the Mishkan using giant blocks and both their fine and gross motor skills to do so.

Kindergarten students in Ms. Rantz's art class created ceramic slab hands to take home painted in their favorite color. They also made ozneh Haman (Haman's ears/hamentachen) in honor of Purim and chose their favorite flavor, chocolate, raspberry, or apricot.

Calling all K-12th grade RMBA students! Adar is here and that means that Purim is just around the corner. Purim is a holiday that reminds us of the power of community, the kindness that we share with others and our general approach to inclusion. We will be running a special contest for the chance to win one of four Koren Graphic Novel Megillat Esther. Here are the rules:

K–2nd Grade: In a picture, drawing or short paragraph (2–3 sentences), what does kindness mean to you and how can we share kindness in our community?

3rd–5th Grade: In a picture, drawing, or short essay (1–2 paragraphs), what makes the Jewish people a strong and connected community?

Upper School: Using any medium i.e. essay, drawing, meme etc. answer the question, Inclusion, by design, is meant to provide the space for many diverse people to feel like they are part of a community. What does inclusion mean to you and what way can you bring that definition to life in your community and/or RMBA?

All submissions should be sent to Rabbi Silvestri via email at rjs@berenacademy.org.

RMBA is looking to begin a Sunday baseball skills and drills clinic during the Spring for lower school students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. We are looking to gauge interest as we finalize the details. Please click here to fill out the survey and indicate your interest. Clinic would take place on Sundays, time TBD for 6-8 weeks post-Pesach. Each session would last about an hour. The clinic will cost approximately $60-$100 per child, and a minimum of 20 children signed up would be necessary to move forward.