It’s hard to believe that we welcomed the season of spring! In celebration of the new season, the Pre-K gathered to read "The Fourteen Bears, Summer, and Winter," which focuses on hibernation and the seasonal changes. We then enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast! Best of all, we were cozy all day in our pajamas! 

Our Ganon bakers are excitedly preparing for Purim and made delicious hamantashen this week. Thank you to the moms who came in to help!

SEL Update

During our Ganon SEL sessions we have been focusing on the concept of “comfortable and uncomfortable” when it comes to how we act and speak around our peers. We read the books Harrison P. Spader Personal Space Invader, by Christianna Jones and Words Are Not For Hurting, by Elizabeth Verdick, which highlight the importance of personal space and using kind words in order for friends to feel comfortable around each other. The students also had fun playing the game Telephone, coming up with helpful or complimentary phrases to whisper into each other's ears, for example “Can I play with you?”, “I like your shirt” or “Do you want to share the toy with me?”. We then used these concepts to draw pictures of people using helpful and kind language.

Students in 3B and 3C have been learning about Sifrei Torah. Students first showed what they already knew about Sifrei Torah by drawing and labeling the different parts. They then went the Beit Midrash to see a Torah up close and learn about its letters, klaf, stitching, scoring, and more! Finally, students compared what they saw in the Torah to what they see in their chumashim, and were able to look at a tikkun app that can flip from a vocalized text to an unvocalized text with a tap of the screen. Students loved the opportunity to connect their Torah learning with the Sifrei Torah they see each week in shul!

First grade children have grown in their awareness of saving the earth’s resources by learning about reducing, reusing and recycling trash. They joyfully sing “Every Day is Earth Day" and have a trash free snack chart to help reduce their waste each day. The students created wonderful Earth Day posters to teach others about all we can do to help the earth. They will have a creative experience reusing trash to make wonderful Trash Art creations. Our students are already becoming leaders in caring for our environment.

The Stand With Israel Art Program had a fantastic kick-off session today with 19 enthusiastic students participating. Everyone created beautiful watercolor paintings! 

During the session, Mrs. Greenspan showcased various flowers found in Israel and provided step-by-step instructions for creating watercolor paintings. We also watched a short video featuring Israel's national flower, Calanit (Hebrew for anemone) and paintings of them. In addition to painting, children also had the option to make origami flowers at the end.

On March 19th, Israel celebrated their 18th Good Deeds Day- יום מעשים טובים-, showing the power of good deeds. This year’s theme is “United in Good,” and reminds all of us that through acts of kindness we can unite.  Good Deeds Day has spread beyond Israel and now 110 countries participate, helping make the world a better place. It shows that Israel is a country that stands for kindness, and togetherness. At Yavneh, students joined Israel to celebrate Good Deeds Day יום מעשים טובים as we came together to build a kinder world and we joined the United in Good campaign. Both students and faculty filled out kindness commitment cards for a kindness they hope to do that day, and put it in a box organized by the Bnot Sheirut. Everyone who participated got a kindness sticker. The kindness committee facilitated the process at Middle School lunch. 

One of the great Yavneh Purim traditions is our Megilla reading at the school Chagiga by our 8th grade boys. This year, fourteen of our students will be layning at two concurrent readings in school on Sunday morning. Over the past few years, a connected tradition of developed, as Rabbi Ross and the Megilla boys visit each of our Early Childhood classrooms to talk about Purim and to read Megilla for our youngest students (and to give them a chance to practice their gragging techniques). It is a treat for everyone involved - the younger students love the chance to have a visit from the "big kids" in the school, and the 8th graders are always amazed at how well prepared our ECD students are for Purim.

Over the past couple of years, a new tradition has been started as well, as some of our Megilla boys have been visiting Morah Mikayla's 5th grade classes to help them review the story of the Megilla. As one of the main messages of the Purim story is the need for the Jews to come together as a people, we are grateful that the Megilla has served as an opportunity for us to tie together so many parts of our student population. Purim Sameach!

Chag Purim sameach from the After-School Band!

This past fall, we were proud to participate in the world-wide Daffodil Project, a living testimony in remembrance of the Holocaust and in continued support of children living through crises. As you drive into our parking lot now, the yellow flowers are blooming. Please take a moment to acknowledge our role in memorializing and honoring our fallen.