Classroom Connection: Middle School Newsletter of Hebrew Academy RASG

CLASSROOM CONNECTION RASG Hebrew Academy | Charlotte Rohr Middle School Newsletter

English Excitement Mrs. Jenny Ohana and Mr. Arturo Rojas This first semester was a great success in Middle School English. Students were engaged in all aspects of the curriculum: literature, vocabulary, grammar, and composition. They were able to sharpen their application skills as well as their critical thinking and analysis. Recent preparation for their final exam of the semester allowed them to review all of the ideas and concepts that we studied to then demonstrate deep understanding and synthesis of the material.

Sixth graders started the semester studying different short stories that showed them the importance of understanding multiple perspectives. These stories also demonstrated the literary elements that make short stories so rich, being at the intersection of novels and poetry. Their study of the novel Tunes for Bears to Dance To by Robert Cormier focused on the significance of clear, kind, and open communication, while also allowing them to look closely at our throughline, maturation. Bearstone by Will Hobbs further developed their understanding of maturation and deep analysis of character development.

Through their short story unit and the novel Tangerine by Edward Bloor, seventh graders have developed a better appreciation of their throughline, understanding conflict in the world around me, be it internal or external. We have delved deeply into the idea of responsible urbanization, learning, as the protagonist Paul does, how our environment directly impacts our daily lives and how we can be more responsible to our environment as our cities grow.

George Orwell's Animal Farm has helped Eighth-grade students look deeply at the dangers of apathy and remaining ignorant, bringing their throughline, understanding my role and responsibility in the world around me, to life. The short stories that they read, specifically the irony in those stories, were also instrumental in imparting important life lessons about appreciation, empathy, and judging too quickly.

To further expand our perspectives and how we see the world, our focus on a variety of poems in each grade challenged students to look closely, and then look again, at the ideas and emotions expressed by poets such as William Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Emily Dickenson, Nikki Giovanni, and Robert Frost. These lessons from literature have been complemented by the grammar, vocabulary, and composition skills that the students have been building so that everyone can be a stronger user of language, better able to find and use their voices to share their unique views and ideas. We wish everyone a restful vacation (enhanced by the enjoyment of a great book hopefully!) and look forward to seeing everyone back for another learning-packed second semester.

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Chumash Rabbi Ari Galendauer and Mrs. Judy Neufeld The definition of the word Shemot, the Hebrew name for the second book of the Torah, is “Names”. This suggests and teaches us how important and significant Jewish identity was during the times of the slavery and redemption in Egypt as well as in todays modern world.

The middle school 6th, 7th and 8th grade boys and girls classes are all learning different chapters of Shemot this year. The 6th and the 7th grades began the semester learning the beginning of Shemot, which opens with a list of names of the original Shevatim - sons (tribes). The significance of names and family lineage is a central idea found in the beginning chapters. Who we are and our experiences all affect what kind of people we become and what kind of nation we are.

The classes explored the stories of our people in Egypt and the emergence of Moshe as our leader. Names are a central theme. Moshe and Yitro both had many names. Each one noting and hinting at different characteristics of the person. The 7th graders did research into their own family history and the meanings of their names. The 8th graders are learning pesukim from a critical thinking angle. This involves questioning the pesukim to understand them through the eyes of Rashi and other meforshim in the mikraot gedolot Chumashim.

Learning different points of view of the different commentaries will help our students get a richer understanding of the pesukim. The 8th graders are learning the second half of the book of Shemot, which begins with the story of Yitro and the preparations that were needed before the receiving of the Ten Commandments.

Social Studies Mr. Glenn Katzman and Ms. Dinah Erwin Sixth Grade 6th graders have begun their descent into Ancient Egypt after a fun filled curriculum covering Geography and Mesopotamia. The skills accumulated during the previous units such as how to identify different geographic features on the earth, connect historical advancements with geographic placements, and describe different ways historians gather information, are used as a platform for our next portion of the year. We have also been building on writing techniques and structure which will come in handy for future assignments throughout middle school and beyond! When students return from winter break they can look forward to our first major group project that will cover the geopolitical and social life of ancient egyptians!

Seventh Grade 7th graders explored citizenship and have been “enlightened” about the foundations of American government, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the essential and

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timeless values embedded within these documents and the ideas that inspired them. Additionally, students learned about the citizens of the United States and their diverse origins, which culminated in an interview with a citizen or resident born in another country and a subsequent presentation comparing their findings to what they learned in class. When students begin semester two, they will begin to focus on the legislative branch, how it is supposed to function, and the functions of the other branches. Do we see any future congressional candidates here in the hallways? Stay tuned!

Eighth Grade 8th Graders have delved into the exploration and colonization of the western hemisphere bringing us into the most thrilling moments of United States history: revolution! We will be following America’s history of the emergence of our current government, expansion of the size of our nation, development of our values, and understanding of our previous struggles to remain united.

Talmud | Mishnah Rabbi Ari Karp (Director of Judaic Studies), Rabbi Noach Rabovsky, and Rabbi Dovid Hayes

Students in our Mishnah and Talmud classes have not only learned the skills and content studied, but are also learning how to place it before them. While much of our curriculum has students learning to source and break down Rabbinical text, the outcomes are Jewish application skills.

6th Grade: Students have been applying Mishnah Berachot to Biur Tefillah, including understanding the meaning of each Tefillah and applying it to how we can better connect with our Creator. Thus far they have used the studies to unpack lessons from Birchat Hashachar, Birchot Kriat Shma, Shma, and the Amidah!

7th Grade: Students have been using the text of Talmud to discuss personal responsibility, and unpack why we pray. These lessons have correlated with social and emotional learning about time management, routines, and best practices in making a personal connection with each other, and of course Hashem.

8th Grade: Using the text of Bava Metziah, the students learned to not only determine lost and found applied, but also the general idea of making assumptions (or as we like to call it Hava Amina).

Through these lessons students are making the Torah real by applying it to their lives and fulfilling the mission of “Asher Tasim Lifneihen- placing it before them”!

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Halacha Rabbi Ari Karp, Rabbi Noach Rabovsky, and Rabbi Dovid Hayes Halacha, or Jewish Law, is an integral part of our Judaic Studies curriculum and important for our students as they develop in their knowledge of Torah. This year, Halacha is learned as part of the Talmud class. Each grade has learned extensively about the Chagim, focusing on different themes and ideas to gain new insight into our special holidays. Additionally each grade has explored different areas of Halacha which impact our daily life: 6th Grade has been learning about Tefilah / prayer. The students have learned some of the deeper meanings behind why we daven and the structure of our Tefillot. Some classes learned about the laws of Brachot and how modern day food and all its complications has made the laws of Brachot more complex.

7th Grade has learned about laws relating to purity and holy objects. The boys learned the laws of Tefillin; how they are made and how to wear them properly. The girls learned the laws of Mezuzah including the complex laws of where exactly the Mezuzah should be placed. 7th graders learned about Netilat Yadayim (washing hands before bread) and Tevilat Keylim (Immersing a vessel before use) which stress the holiness that exists within each and every one of us.

8th Grade learned about the 39 Melachot of Shabbat and how we celebrate Shabbat. From candle lighting to Kiddush to Havdalah the complete Shabbat experience was reviewed with new insights and attention to detail. The 8th grade has now moved on to the laws relating to how we interact with others. Some classes learned about the laws of Lashon Hara while other classes learned about Genivat Da’at (deceiving others).

Highlights from the Science Lab Ms. Paige & Mr. Gonzalez From viruses to taxonomy, surface tension to photosynthesis, human anatomy and even plate tectonics, The Middle School Science Program began the 2021-2022 school year with a vast array of topics and activities that kept our young scientists engaged during the first semester.

With the return of Science Friday, our weekly tradition of pausing regular curriculum to educate students about a relevant science current event, we were able to include an element of fun by discussing a variety of topics that included: how local artists use materials recovered from Biscayne Bay to create art; how human errors can create amazing inventions; how to build a DNA strand using gumdrops and Twizzlers; the importance of saving manatees, and how viruses can have the most interesting shapes. We even created a solar-powered menorah for Hanukkah!

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Meanwhile, our sixth graders learned a little Latin in order to understand scientific terminology and the importance of scientific knowledge while studying how scientists observe nature.

They discovered the characteristics of life and what determines if something is living or not, as well as the ways scientists use kingdoms to classify all living creatures.

Seventh graders picked up their scientific journey from the previous year by learning all of the biology behind the cell theory and what distinguishes an animal cell from a plant cell. They created 3D models of the animal cell and designed and presented a detailed research project on 1 of the 11 organ systems of the human body. They created amazing 3D models of the respiratory system and even researched their own fingerprints and made a virtual dissection of a frog!

Our eighth graders learned about the importance of chemistry and the periodic table as they learned about the atomic theory and the subatomic particles of matter. From Chemistry to Geology, students continued to broaden their understanding of the different fields of science by transitioning to how planet Earth’s dynamic forces create earthquakes and volcanoes, which have changed the way our planet looks and will look in the future. Students concluded this topic by researching and presenting the explanation of 1 of the 6 pieces of evidence on the Continental Drift Theory. They will definitely remember the Alfred Wegener song in high school!

The students have learned a plethora of scientific knowledge over the course of 5 months and we encourage them to share this information with you! We love hearing your feedback regarding your children sharing their education with you. We thank you for all of your support throughout this semester and are looking forward to welcoming next semester with fresh ideas and rejuvenated energy!

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SELF Susie London, PsyD Middle School Psychologist Each summer, I think about the curriculum for our SELF (Social Emotional Learning Fundamentals) classes and how to adapt it to our ever-changing world of adolescent growth and development. This year, I could have changed the name of the course to CELF (pronounced with the soft “C” of course) to stand for Character Education Learning Fundamentals. A derivative of positive psychology, character education, or positive education, has received wide acclaim and attention in popular psychology over the years and has now appropriately found itself a niche in education. Based on the science of happiness and well-being, positive education blends academic learning with character strengths and life skills.

In our SELF class this year, Ms. Paige and I are approaching our lessons through the lens of character education. We began the year with lessons on self-awareness (knowing ourselves and our strengths and awareness of the dangers of drug and alcohol use). We have now moved on to the character strength of kindness where our lessons have been built around chesed and the idea of paying it forward. Through the lens of kindness, our lessons have specifically been on bullying prevention, digital citizenship, cyberbullying and the power of our words. We look forward to continuing to work with your children next semester when we will wrap up our unit on kindness and move into lessons on self regulation, perseverance and grit.

Academic Enhancement Program (AEP) Ms. Roccio Gibaja Vigo and Ms. Hannah Standiford The students in the AEP program have the unique opportunity to learn and grow in a smaller group setting for one period each day.

They work on: ❖ Current and past assignments ❖ Study academic skills ❖ Apply executive functioning skills to their learning routine ❖ Give extra focus to any areas in their academics which prove to be challenging Our goal is to help students become independent learners, thrive, and feel confident in their daily life at Hebrew Academy. Here are the procedures they follow each day to help them succeed: Class Procedures 1. Greet One Another.

2. Sit Down, Get Settled.

3. Check In To Google Classroom And/Or Plus Portals for Assignments And/Or Grade Updates.

4. Begin Working!

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Ivrit / Israel Mrs. Devorah Werdiger, Mrs. Yael Shachar, and Ms. Noa Zemel

7th grade learned about moshavim and kibutzim in Israel ‫מושבים וקיבוצים בישראל‬

8th grade project: “Smalim” symbols of Israel 6-7th grade project ‫”טיולים ואטרקציות בישראל״‬ 8th grade project about “‫“ מדריכי טיולים בירושלים״‬ Tour guides in Jerusalem. The students learn how to give “‫ ”ביקורת בונה‬to each other.

6th grade project: Festival in Ivrit

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Torah & Creativity Mrs. Mindy Rubenstein Journalism The eighth-grade Lamdanam girls created the first-ever Judaic studies student-led publication, which they dubbed Torah Tea, including Dvar Torahs, interviews, photography, writing, editing, and graphic design.

Performing Arts Action! The seventh-grade Lamdanam girls prepared and performed a skit for parashas Bo and Beshalach, reenacting the dramatic Exodus from Egypt, the plagues, and the Hand of Hashem in bringing the Jewish people to freedom.

Singing At the conclusion of their parsha skit, the seventh-grade Lamdanam girls performed the song “Tatty My King” to commemorate Miriam, who led the women in the Song at the Sea, praising G‑d for His miraculous redemption of Israel when He split the Red Sea for them and

drowned the pursuing Egyptians in it, and expresses Israel's desire that G‑d lead us to our homeland and rest His presence amongst us in the Beis Hamikdash. It concludes with a reference to the ultimate redemption, when "G‑d will reign for all eternity."

Miriam and the women had such strong emunah and bitachon (faith and trust in G-d), that they brought musical instruments with them as they fled Egypt in the middle of the night, knowing that their redemption and chance to celebrate would come soon.

Ceramics/Painting The seventh-grade Lamdanam girls learned about Tahara (purity) and Kedusha (holiness), including how and why the Torah instructs us in the mitzvah of Netilas Yadayim (hand washing) before eating a meal with bread. As part of the lesson, they created mini nagel vassers out of clay (the halacha is that they have to hold at least 3 ounces of water).

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Cooking The sixth-grade Masmidim girls made cholent, a stew made prior to Shabbos, allowing us to enjoy hot food on our day of rest. Cholent originated in ancient Judea, as far back as the Second Beis Hamikdash period, and is mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud. Each student brought in something from home, including potatoes, barley, beans and spices – and the finished product tasted wonderful! They made brachas before eating and even served choldent to teachers and other students.

Have a wonderful break! ~ Andrea Lucero, Principal RASG Hebrew Academy | Charlotte Rohr Middle School Newsletter

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