ASSEMBLY FOR MAMA ROCHEL
WHAT’S THE MATTER? Mrs. Maher’s class learning in science about matter, students took turns examining a bunch of different objects to determine and describe “the matter!” They looked at an apple, broken-stapler, a baseball, a crayon, a ruler, a piece of folded aluminum foil, an uninflated balloon, paper clip to determine the weight, color, shape, state (solid, liquid or gas), texture (smooth/rough), is it magnetic or not, does it sink or float. For tools they used a magnet, small container of water, and a scale, and recorded everything on a chart.
BAKE-SALE RETURNS (w/TAB)
Tuesday, the 11th of Cheshvan, was the yartzeit of Rochel Imenu, but since many grades were away on the APPS trip that day, the assembly was the THREE BOOKS IN 4/5 following day on Mrs. Maher has different reading levels (and Wednesday. Rabbi some students already read certain books) in Rubin got a little her class, so her students are now reading 3 emotional as he spoke different books. “Stone Fox” by John Reynolds about the tomb in Beit Gardiner, “Little House on the Prairie” by -Lechem and how Laura Ingalls Wilder, and “From the MixedRochel cries for her Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler”. children, the Jewish people. He spoke DATELINE OF THE COLONIES about a Kallah named 7th graders with Mrs. Ramsay learned about Naava Applebaum that the establishment of each of the original 13 was killed with her colonies, back in the 1600’s, most more than father in a terror attack 100 years before the Revolution. They learned just before her about Jamestown, the pilgrims & early settlers wedding, and how they and about their trade with Native Americans. took her wedding dress and wove it into a covering at Rachel’s Tomb in Beit-Lechem. Shira L. just returned from a family trip to Israel and said that she saw that wedding dress at Rachel’s tomb herself, and she said that the main covering is now blue, while Rabbi Rubin (who was there years ago) remembers it red. It was very special to have a personal regards from a student who was just recently there.
HS girls will be doing Bake-Sale this year, each Wednesday at morning recess-time. New for this year is a tab “account” option, where parents can put a specific amount of money into their child(ren)’s “account” with a designated spending limit for each week, which the girls keep a careful record of. Weekly sales usually include: sprinkle-cookies, peanut-butter cookies, Zebra cookies, PAPER PUMPKINS brownies, cupcakes, Rugelach etc. Each item is Mrs. Carroll’s students made these bright 25 cents each, while cupcakes are 50 cents. paper pumpkins out of paper, with (It’s possible that 8/9 boys may also do a compartment sections. popcorn & hot-drinks sale, timing and logistics need to be worked out, stay tuned for WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS details on that). HS is now reading this book with Ms. Gray, about a young boy’s determination to get coon NOT JUST ANY OLD STICK -hounds and raise them to be the best. It took Calev brought in a stick from the mountains him two long years to save 50 dollars, and he that has a distinctive root-beet smell when you managed to keep this a secret from his friends peel away a bit of bark. It’s a branch from the and family. The girls write journal entries on Sassafras tree which certain themes in WTRFG and learn lots of was often the natural vocabulary & word-usage along the way! flavor ingredient in root beer before most THE GREAT RIVERS companies started using artificial flavors. 6th graders with Mrs. Sanda are learning about ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia. Nature has so many hidden, interesting & They were excited to learn of the same great rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates that they wonderful surprises! know from Chumash Breishis.
AND MORE ON MENDEL BEILIS Also at the Assembly, Rabbi Rubin shared a humorous story from the otherwise very serious Mendel Beilis blood libel trial in 1913: A Russian priest was brought as an expert witness for the prosecution, saying that he knows Hebrew and is familiar with the Talmud. The defense attorneys (for Beilis) cross-examined him. They first ask him what “Chullin” meant (it’s the name of the tractate that deals with non-sacrificial meat, ie. Laws of Kosher) but he did not know. They asked about another tractate, he also did not know. Then the defense attorney asked: “Where did Baba Basra live & how did she dress?” The priest thought the question was about an old grandmother (Bubbe) & many in the courtroom burst out in laughter (because Bava Basra is the name of a Talmud tractate) which discredited the priest and his fictitious claim that he was learned in Jewish texts. Rabbi Rubin also described the clay-mixer in the Kiev brick factory which kids from the neighborhood sometimes snuck in to use (perhaps unsafely) as a merry go-around after factory hours. And how a pillowcase from a set was used to help prove who the true murderer was, but the Russian government wasn’t quite as interested in going after her.