Shaloh House
UPDATE #26 May 4, 2012
12 Iyar, 5772
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The Shaloh House Jewish D y School Newsletter
2012 Annual Science Fair Sunday, April 29, the Shaloh House Jewish Day School students joined in and competed with 12 other prominent Jewish schools in the area to Celebrate Science and Explore the Possibilities at the 3rd Annual Jewish Day School Regional STEM Exposition of 2012. This EXPO boasted of 325 student projects and was proudly sponsored by the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust (GFCT.) In addition to the amazing projects our children came up with, they were given the opportunity to explore hands on science activities through KnowAtom an interactive Science Curriculum program. The Shaloh House students who participated were: Alan Frishman, Ilana Mataiev, Levi Mendelev, Ilya Nemirovksy, Chaim Rahmani, Aviel Danan, Yehuda Blank, Ethan Danan, Leah Rodkin, Daniel Shamis, and Shimon Sherman. All their projects were brilliant, ranging from: the Impact of Soil types on Plant Growth to the Correlation of Speech Range to Hearing Sensitivity. In reflection, students wrote about how hard they worked: “ The process of getting ready for the science fair was very hard. I went very late into the night researching and preparing my Powerpoint presentation. I think it was fun to do the actual tests…” Another student wrote about the Science Regional: “…I liked meeting people and showing them all the work I did. I liked seeing other peoples’ science fair projects and how they got to their results.” Continued on page 9
LAG B’OMER CELEBRATION/PARADE
OPEN HOUSE
SHAVUOT—NO SCHOOL
THU, MAY 10
MON, MAY 21
MON, MAY 28
Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
Friday, May 4, 2012
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Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim
Can We Throw a Homeless Person Out of Our Synagogue? By Tzvi Freeman Question: Dear Rabbi, Recently, at our shul, a homeless man named Joe, who has been attending every week, was asked by the rabbi not to enter the building anymore. The reason was that Joe was storing things at the shul without permission, and he had washed up for Shabbat in the bathroom in order to change his shirt and made a mess. The rabbi has told me that people do not want to sit next to him, and some feel afraid. He said that people have complained that Joe sometimes has an odor. It is interesting that they are mad at him for having an odor, and also for washing in the bathroom. So I’m scheduled to speak on Joe’s behalf. I know what the Torah says, and what Isaiah says, about treating the homeless in our midst. But I need to provide a solution as well. So, I would appreciate whatever advice you could give me on how to address the board of our shul. Sincerely yours, Joe’s Rep Answer: Dear Rep, The solution is quite simple: Provide Joe a place, either in the shul or elsewhere, to store his things. Find other ways that he can be helped without embarrassment. When parents bring their children to shul, and the chil-
Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
Friday, May 4, 2012
dren ask what the Torah is talking about, what does the prophet mean, they can introduce their children to Joe. They can show how the shul helps him out, without embarrassing him, as a peer and a friend—because we are Jews, and this is what we were chosen to teach the world. And when they ask, “Where is the most special place in our shul?” you can tell them: it is not the seat where the rabbi sits; it is not the bimah where the Torah is read; it is not even the aron that stores the Torah—even though the Torah is very holy and guides us in all our ways. The most special place in our shul is the little cubby we gave to Joe to store his things. King David said in his Psalms, “Let the world sit before G-d.” The Midrash tells that he was complaining to G-d. “Why did You create inequality in the world?” he said. “Why did You make some poor and some rich, some wise and some dull, some joyful and some sad? Make a world in which all are equal!” And G-d replied with the second half of the verse: “Who, then, will guard kindness and truth?” Meaning: “If everyone had all that they need, then how would kindness fit into My world? Rather, I made an unbalanced world, so that the rich would have the opportunity to give to the poor, the wise could teach the dull, the joyful could cheer those who are sad. And this way, all could merit to enter the eternal life of truth—those who gave because they gave, and those who received because they suffered only in order that others should be able to give.” “When you meditate on this,” the Lubavitcher Rebbe once said, “that a fellow human being had to suffer only so that your soul should have the opportunity to help him out, then you give and give again, and the giving crushes your heart and humbles you even more.” From www.Shaloh.org/Magazine
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By Bentzion Elisha
In one particularly exotic location, the king was warned not to leave the camp grounds, because hostile natives lurked. But the king’s adventurous spirit was sparked by the idea of seeing the area as it was.
Once there lived a gentile king who delighted in having an audience with a particular rabbi who lived in the kingdom’s capital. The two would converse on various subjects, and the rabbi’s acuity and sharp intellect amazed the king again and again. No one could compare in counsel and wisdom to the charming rabbi.
On one of his forays outside the camp, the king was captured by cannibal tribesmen. As was their custom, they inspected their “merchandise” before cooking. They were alarmed to find that the enticing specimen before them had a missing finger. Immediately they declared it a bad omen, and discarded the king close to his campgrounds.
The King’s Friend
The king had a fascination with outings to the country, and he would invite the rabbi so that they could discuss the kingdom’s happenings.
The king was beside himself with joy. The rabbi’s “blunder” had saved his life.
The rabbi had a way of always weaving into the conversation the idea of hashgacha pratit, divine providence, constantly seeking to connect the unfolding events with G-d’s underlying presence and guiding hand.
He immediately changed course and directed his entourage to return home. He had to speak to the rabbi. When they arrived at the capital, the king immediately set the rabbi free. He asked him:
On one of these outings, the king decided to go hunting. Accompanied by the rabbi, his companion of choice, the king insisted that the rabbi also hunt together with him. Unfamiliar with the sport, the rabbi fumbled with the rifle, and a shot accidentally escaped from the weapon. A bitter scream pierced the forest, a scream from none other than the king himself! The rabbi had mistakenly shot the king, damaging his hand forever by shooting off one of his fingers. Enraged, the bleeding king had his guards imprison the rabbi immediately, with swift orders to put him into one of the dungeon’s prison chambers.
“Dear rabbi, you have always spoken of divine providence, and how everything comes down from heaven for our good, and I see that here. But rabbi, I have one question: what was the divine providence as it relates to you? You were in the dungeon for months; where is the good in that?” The rabbi smiled as he answered, “Your majesty, if I wasn’t in the dungeon, I would have been with you, and the cannibals would have eaten me, G-d forbid.” “What lesson can we take from all this?” asked the king. After some thought, the rabbi answered.
Months passed, and the king’s injury slowly healed. His hand was getting stronger, and his desire to go on one of his outings finally made him plan a most extravagant trip to many far-off lands. Throughout his trips, he missed the wisdom and companionship of the brilliant rabbi.
“Perhaps the lesson is that everyone is essentially a friend of the ultimate King, the Creator of heaven and earth. Since He is a true and good friend who wants the very best for us, we must have faith that all our experiences, even the seemingly negative ones, are really for the best.” From www.Shaloh.org/Magazine
Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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Toddler Room We were having a very busy week. On Monday we start to make lady bug , painting plates and talking about spring. On Tuesday, we finished our ladybugs and kids enjoyed playing with them.
On Wednesday we introduced the letter Q for Queen.
On Thursday we spent time learning about the Parshiyot. This week they were Acharei Mot and Kedoahim. We concentrated on Kedoshim. This Parsha talks about the Mitzvot that are understandable for children. We discussed what it means to "love your neighbor as yourself" and how we can keep this mitzva. We came up with a few things that we can improve on - sharing toys in the classroom, comforting a friend who hurt himself, greeting everyone cheerfully, helping to clean up toys, etc‌
We finished our week with a Shabbos party, singing songs and eating special treats.
We wish you and your family a Good Shabbos, Morah Anna, Morah Leah and Morah Masha Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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Preschool Room This week we discussed very important Mitzvah—Kibbud Av V’eim, respecting our parents. We made a sign for the doorknob that says “Do not disturb. Abba and Imma are sleeping.” Don’t forget to use it when you want quiet! We also learned about the Mitzvah of V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha, loving other people. We made beautiful heart projects to help us remember this mitzvah. Come see them hanging on our bulletin board. Our song for the week is about V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha:
Amar Rabbi Akiva Amar Rabbi Akiva V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha Amar Rabbi Akiva Amar Rabbi Akiva V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha Sheli Shelach, Shelach Shelach Sheli Shelach, Shelach Shelach Zehu Klal Gadol Batorah. What’s mine is yours, I’ll share with you. What’s mine is yours, I’ll share with you.
Zehu Klal Gadol Batorah. This week in Aleph-Bet we made a “Resh for Rimon,” which we eat on Rosh Hashana. We also found other words that begin with a Resh like rakeved (train), rosh (head) and ra’ashan (gragger). In A-B-C, we are doing two letters, so we’ll have enough time to finish. We made R for ribbon and S for stars. We learned a song about S: (Sung to: “Skip to my Lou”) I’ll sing a silly S song for you, I’ll sing a silly S song for you. A snake and a spoon went sailing in a shoe. Sailing in a shoe by the seashore.
Shabbat Shalom, Morah Ruti, Morah Polina and Morah Basya Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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Kindergarten Junior 1 As the kids in our class are getting older it is amazing how they are able to pack so much more learning in to one week! The double Parsha this week gave us a lot to talk about. We talked about using everyday objects to ‘be holy’ and the kids wrote and drew their ideas with their objects. We talked about honoring one’s parents and read a book about a man named Dama Ben Nesina who honored his father and didn’t wake him up. Dama was rewarded with a red calf, Parah Aduma, being born in his cattle. We also started working on our mother’s day gifts. Show and tell this week was a great opportunity to talk about respecting those who are older then us. We enjoyed meeting all of the grandparents of the kids in the class. We talked about the different names we all call our grandparents but how everyone’s grandparents love them so much. We read our first book in English this week. It was called ‘Nan and Pap’ and the kids were so excited to feel that they could read a whole book on their own. Especially at the funny part when the dogs took a nap in a pan. We are also continuing to review the short a words. Everyone took home flashcards this week that you can review at home. Parsha Questions: 1) The Parshas of the week are_________ and ________. Acharei Mos and Kedoshim 2) What is the holiest day of the year? Yom Kippur. 3) Who went in to the Kodesh Kodashim, the holiest room in the Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash on Yom Kippur? The Kohein Gadol. 4) What did he do in there? He davened to Hashem for all the Jewish people. 5) What does the word Kedoshim mean? Holy or special 6) How does Hashem want us to be holy and special? Hshem wants us to use everything we have to do mitzvos and good things. 7) What is the Mitzva of Kibbud Av V’Eim? Honoring and listening to your father and your mother. 8) When Dama’s father Nesina was sleeping on the key to the chest of jewels what did Dama do? He didn’t wake him up. 9) What is the Mitzva of Ahavat Yisrael? Loving every Jew, Being kind to everybody. 10) If someone doesn’t share with you, should you share with them? Yes, it is the mitzvah of not taking revenge.
Have a Good Shabbos, From Morah Yael and Morah Dasha Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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Kindergarten Junior 2 This week in Kindergarten Juniors 2 we completed our unit on insects. We read the book Insect Detective and had a lot of fun learning about the jobs that insects do, where they live, and what they eat. We made insects out of egg cartons, pipe cleaners, and stickers. Our insects even had 6 legs and a set of antennae! We will be having our first show and tell this week, too! Students will be bringing in toy bugs and talking about them. We are very excited to see and hear about all of the bugs! One of the things we talked about in our bug lessons was how we should treat bugs. We learned that some bugs, like beetles and dragonflies, are really helpful and eat bad bugs that like to ruin gardens or bite people. We can watch these bugs if we want, but we shouldn’t bother them. Some bugs are not as nice—we can watch them from far away, or if we don’t want to watch them we can walk away. We also learned that bugs are happiest when they are outside. In English this week we read our first story, Nan and Pap, using the short vowel “A” sound. We are continuing to practice our reading. Reading is so much fun! In Math we are continuing to add the numbers 1-10. We are now learning to add these numbers together to make numbers that are bigger than 10. In Hebrew we have been very busy learning how to read. The first group is reading stories and writing answers to questions about the stories. The second group has started to read stories as well and is learning the words “Ani,” “Atah,” “At,” “Ima,” “Abba,” “Saba,” and “Savta” (I, you (for boys), you (for girls), Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, and Grandma). In Music class we have been practicing the songs for our end-of-year-concert that will take place on June 8th. Please make sure that you have appropriate clothing for your child to wear to the concert—the boys will be wearing white shirts and black pants, and the girls will be wearing white dresses. All children will also need to wear nice Shabbat shoes. In Parsha this week we continued to talk about saying nice things and not speaking Lashon Hara. We also talked about Pesach Sheini, which will be occurring this weekend. On Wednesday we celebrated Rebecca’s 5th Birthday. Mazal Tov, Rebecca! Thank you for sending in egg cartons and plastic bottles—we now have plenty to use in our spring projects!
Have a Good Shabbos, From Morah Marina and Morah Chava Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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Kindergarten Senior Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim Save the Date! On Friday, June 10th at 10:30 a.m., the Kindergarteners will have their formal graduation ceremony from Kindergarten. We know you won’t want to miss this important and festive occasion. Your child has been practicing for weeks for the event! Children Learn to Honor their Parents This week, we learned the Torah’s laws for honoring parents. The Torah teaches us to treat our parents with the greatest respect – the way we would treat a king or a queen. We have to know that we are not our parents’ peers. A few of the laws we learned include: 1) Don’t contradict your parents. Even if you know that a parent said something incorrect, you can’t say, “You’re wrong!” You must find another more polite way to give them the correct information. 2) Unless it’s an emergency, don’t interrupt a parent. 3) Don’t call them by their first names. (Although this is a common practice in America today, calling parents by their first names destroys the child’s natural understanding that their parent is on a higher level than they are and must be respected.) 4) Never make your parent into your servant. If you are allowed to get something for yourself, do it. 5) Help your parent in any way you can. It’s a mitzvah to make your parents’ lives as easy as you can. Please help your child keep these important Torah laws by giving them gentle reminders! English We have two wonderful learning groups for English studies. Group One is continuing work on the long-vowel “a” sound. They also are reading words with the “bossy e” at the end, like “snake” and “ape.” Group Two are working on reading with comprehension. We read a book about how to keep our bodies healthy by avoiding junk food. The children truly enjoyed the discussion that followed about how to reduce the amount of candy they eat. They also practiced creating and writing stories on their own. This activity is to encourage them to explore the world of written expression. Please note: In this exercise, we are emphasizing freely expressed creativity, and we did not correct their spelling mistakes. We work on spelling in different activities. If you would like to see your child make faster progress in reading, please ask your child to read to you the book (or word cards) he or she brings home on Fridays. Math In math, we also have two hard-working groups. Group One focused on adding three numbers together and subtracting numbers with a sum of 20 or less, including problems where they need to “regroup” numbers, such as 14-8 in order to come up with the answer. Group Two students are adding double-digits, including Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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problems where they must “carry” the number from one column to the next. They are also naming which number comes “before and after” numbers up to 1,000. We encourage you to bring math into real-life situations with your children when shopping or preparing food. Hebrew This week, Group One has finished all the major vowel sounds and worked on the “hataf” vowels, Group Two, which has finished these as well, worked on exceptions to the rule, in particular, the tricky differences between the “Shva Na” and the “Shva Nach.” We can read long, complicated words, and we know the meaning of many of the words we read. Both groups completed worksheets, games and activities to enhance our reading skills.
With wishes for a wonderful Shabbos, Morahs Esther, Shulamis Yehudis and Tova
Continued from the front page
Our students’ projects paralleled our mission of expanding a student’s natural intellectual curiosity and capabilities. Providing them with an engaging, challenging, and well-rounded academic program. Each student is encouraged to live his or her life in a compassionate, Jewish way and given building blocks to be a future leader of our community. This Regional EXPO is one way our students are reaching these mission statement goals. The students who part took in this EXPO were exemplary to the type of student we are proud to have represent our school. Congratulations to all of those who participated and we hope you walk away with a feeling of being connected to a larger community who truly cares about your educational success and commitment to your future. Cindy Rubin, M.A.T. Science & Technology Consultant crubin@CurrentInstruction.com
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Elementary School NEWS Judaic Studies Sara Wolosow Between Pesach and Shavuos we count Sefiras Haomer. These are sad days for the Jewish people as Rabbi Akiva’s students passed away. During these days we read Pirkei Avot each Shabbat and try to improve in our behavior and be more respectful of each other. At school we have been studying different Mishnayot of the Pirkei Avot, we are encouraging the students to study these by heart. We have begun a Mishnayot Baal Peh contest. Each class has been doing a great job with collecting Torah study by heart. In addition, we have been learning about Lag B’Omer, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Of course, we are continuing with our Parshat Hashavua each week.
Social Studies Andrew Countis 1st Grade The 1st Grade has a happy thematic coincidence between their Social Studies and Science pursuits. Currently in Science we are studying the environment and what people can do to help preserve it. In Social Studies, we have arrived at a similar subject with the unit entitled “A Healthy World.” This unit addresses the need for conservation from a social perspective, and helps students understand the vast amount of work that goes into keeping the world clean and safe, from trash collectors to firefighters. The first grade even took this lesson from the academic to the literal and spent a short while cleaning up the school grounds.
2nd Grade The 2nd Grade has reached the point in our textbook where we discuss “People Who Have Made a Difference.” This chapter discusses the lives of individuals who had a positive impact on those around them. Some of the people identified in the book are the inventor Thomas Edison, Louis Braille, who invented the means for the blind to read, and Roberto Clemente, the Latino baseball player and humanitarian. We have been discussing in class this idea of making a difference, and students will now have an individual of their own to do a project on. The project will consist of a short biography of the person in question, how they made a difference, and a simple form of artistic representation of their contribution. Students will also have an opportunity to present this project to their classmates.
3rd Grade The 3rd Grade is continuing its study of American history. The different sections of our textbook all address a specific region of the United States and the history behind that region’s development. Having studied the effect of agriculture upon the South or the automobile industry’s effect on the Midwest, we are now moving Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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towards linking up these regions and building a better understanding of overall American history. We do this by studying the major events in American history that effected each region of the country – the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War, the Great Depression and so on. We are also continuing our geographic studies, not only to improve our map skills, but also to enhance an understanding of the larger world. We have recently covered latitude and longitude, reading and interpreting road maps and waterways maps.
4th & 5th Grade The 4th and 5th Grade are deep into the study of the Roman Empire. We have already covered the origins of Rome and the effect that the Etruscan civilization had upon it, and we are due for a quiz on that subject. We are now in the midst of studying Roman life, from how they entertained themselves in amphitheatres and hippodromes to their construction of roads and even what Romans ate. We will soon transition into a study of the chronology of how Rome came together as a Republic, transformed into an empire, and how and why that empire eventually fell. When we have completed all of this, we will study Rome’s effect on the civilizations that came afterward.
6th Grade The 6th Grade has wrapped up a study of the English monarchy, from the Tudors to the Stuarts, down to the House of Hanover and then Windsor, and will soon be tested on the subject. We have since moved on to French royalty and studied the French Revolution, from its economic, political and social causes to its role in bringing about the Napoleonic era. Soon we will move into a study of 19th century Europe, when the great European powers worked together to maintain relative peace between each other while dealing with social unrest internally. This will lead us toward the twentieth century and the origins of the First World War in the near future.
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Mazal Tov Teachers, students and staff would like to offer a hearty Mazal Tov to Rostislav and Sophia Zilber on a birth of a boy, Eliyahu Yisrael May he grow up to bring much happiness to his parents and all of Klal Yisroel.
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Shaloh House Update #26 (5772)
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