Beauty, Laughter & Hard Work

The Upper School drama production has officially wrapped! With props, costumes, and sets packed away, exhilarated students are already eager to find out what next year’s production will be. This year’s successful performance of Beauty and the Beast: Bed and Breakfast had audiences laughing as they explored the future of beloved fairy tale characters. Students dedicated over 40 hours of their own time to rehearsing and developing their roles, bringing the production to life.

A unique feature of this year’s show was the student leadership of Leah Kramer and Yanir Micha, who collaborated with Ms. Rantz to organize and direct the play, as well as oversee its technological elements. Additionally, the videography class played a key role in capturing major moments of the performance and producing a commercial to promote the show. A heartfelt thank you to all the students who worked on the sets and to the entire RMBA family for coming out to the ERJCC to support the production in a real theater setting. As director and mentor, Ms. Rantz could not be prouder of everyone involved!

Taking A Slice Out of Pi Day

This week, Middle School students celebrated π Day with hands-on projects exploring the mathematical constant. They were tasked with drawing circles of various sizes and calculating the ratio of each circle’s circumference to its diameter, defined as π (π = circumference/diameter). Students were surprised to discover that, regardless of the circle's size, their ratios were consistently close to the famous number 3.14. The event was both educational and enjoyable, deepening their understanding of circles in a fun and interactive way. The students who came closest to calculating π were Michaella Bublil (who won an Amazon gift card and an apple pie), Aeden Schlachter (who won an Amazon gift card), and Noam Gertler (who also won an Amazon gift card).

Critical Conversation Skills

This week, Middle School students in Ms. Ruben's class are participating in graded discussions on the first few chapters of their class novels. Encouraged to take the lead in conversations, students are assessed based on both the frequency and depth of their contributions. These discussions help develop essential skills for engaging with others and exchanging ideas. Students learn to think critically while responding with respect and grace, especially when encountering perspectives different from their own.

Mishna Class Celebration 

Rabbi Block’s 6th grade Mishna class celebrated a siyum upon completing Masechtot Megillah, Tamid, Sanhedrin, and Beitzah. Their learning was part of a national program organized by the Orthodox Union, which encourages additional Torah study among middle school students.

Revolutions and Revelations

This week Mr. Cell's 9th-10th grade AP World History students took a deep dive into the French Revolution, analyzing its causes, key transformations, and lasting consequences. 

From Solid to Gas

Dr. Hailey Arnold's High School chemistry classes are learning how to control states of matter by utilizing the University of Colorado's PhET simulation. This virtual program allows students to manipulate neon, argon, water, and oxygen under different pressures and temperatures. It's an excellent visual and hands-on experience.

Making Math Fun

In Mrs. Schneider's first-grade class, students have been diving into the exciting world of graphing! They began by learning how to read graphs and interpret data before stepping into the role of data collectors. Each student created their own questions, gathered responses, and graphed the results.

The highlight of the activity was venturing around the classroom and school to conduct their own surveys, collecting data firsthand. This interactive experience made math come to life in a fun and engaging way!

Understanding the Civil War

Mr. Simon’s third-grade class is studying the causes of the Civil War. Students learned that Northern and Southern United States had become significantly different over the past century. Differences in economies, populations, cultures, government perspectives, and the issue of slavery ultimately divided the country. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the South decided to secede. Students also discovered that the Confederacy elected its own president, Jefferson Davis. As part of their learning, some students wrote essays comparing Lincoln and Davis.

Challah Covers and Shabbat Joy

Morah Sandy’s EC3 students are learning about Parshat Vayakhel and the tasks involved in building the Mishkan, as well as the melachot (laws) prohibited on Shabbat. To shift the focus to what we can do on Shabbat, students explored the joys of spending time with family and enjoying Shabbat dinner. As a hands-on activity, they created their own challah covers, decorating them with Shabbat and Jewish symbols using paint and stencils. These beautiful covers will enhance their Shabbat tables and serve as a reminder of their learning!

A Week of Letters & Pesach Learning



This week, students in Morah Aviva's EC4A class enjoyed multi-skill, hands-on letter stations designed to reinforce their understanding of the letter “Uu.” From forming letters in trays of glitter and salt to shaping them with playdough, engaging in color-by-letter activities, and playing “I Spy Letter U,” these activities helped strengthen fine motor skills, early writing abilities, direction-following, and letter recognition. In addition to literacy activities, Morah Aviva introduced the Pesach unit with an interactive reenactment of the story. Students participated by recalling key details in proper sequence, helping bring the narrative to life. They also began preparing individual Haggadot, learning the order and key concepts of the Seder. At the science table, students explored color boxes filled with cylinders of different colors and sizes, sharpening their color recognition and early math skills in a fun and engaging way!

From Aleph to Afikomen

Morah Clara's ECE3B students dove into the spirit of Pesach with hands-on learning and joyful exploration! Through engaging activities, they discovered the Pesach story while strengthening fine and gross motor skills, ABCs, Aleph Bet, and number sense—all through holiday-themed games and festive songs. It’s a delight to see them connect, learn, and celebrate together!

Bringing Egypt to Life

This week, Morah Tsippi's EC2B class began an interactive and multi-sensory Pesach unit. As part of the experience, each child used gold paint to recreate a royal Pharaoh’s headdress, which they will be able to take home for the Chag (holiday).

Family Purim Day

Purim at RMBA was filled with joy, laughter, and community spirit as students and families came together for a day of celebration! Our Early Childhood and Lower School students had a blast dancing to their favorite tunes with a kids’ DJ, showing off their costumes in a lively parade, making Mishloach Manot, and capturing memories at our festive photo booth. They also experienced the Megillah reading alongside an engaging animated retelling of the Purim story. Middle Schoolers celebrated with Megillah, a special breakfast, and exciting activities like bubble balls and soccer darts, while our High School students enjoyed Megillah, a hilarious Purim Spiel, and a delicious Seudah from Dino’s Restaurant. Adding to the fun, our staff and leadership team dressed as characters from the movie Inside Out 2, bringing even more ruach (spirit) to the day.

Strengthening Our Impact

This week, members of our Advancement Team—Claire Lefkowitz, Jen Kopciel, and Tania Levenstein—had the opportunity to participate in the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston’s inaugural Jewish Professionals Learning Series. The morning was filled with valuable insights on persuasive communication from Dee Dee Dochen of DDD Marketing Communications, who led an engaging workshop on “How to Make Your Message Sing and Stick.” We are grateful to the Federation for creating this meaningful professional development opportunity, allowing us to connect with peers across Houston’s Jewish community while strengthening our skills to better serve RMBA. We look forward to future sessions in this impactful series—thank you to the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston for their leadership and investment in our communal professionals!