Newsletter for 2/11/2022

by admin | Feb 11, 2022 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Parshas Tetzaveh
Candle Lighting: 5:08

In this week’s Parsha, the Torah devotes an extensive amount of space to talking about the clothing the Kohen Gadol and the Kohanim wore while working in the Mishkon/Bais HaMikdash.

Why does the Torah give so much attention to their clothing? We have many commandments that have only one or two words in the Torah and the details are explained in the commentaries. Here the Torah explicitly writes out each detail.

The Torah is teaching us how important our clothing is. It is not just something we wear. Our clothing makes a statement. The way we choose to dress ourselves is an expression of who we really are. A dignified person dresses with dignity. More than that, dignified clothing push a person to act in a dignified way. Our actions reflect the clothing we choose to wear.

When serving Hashem in his own house, the Kohanim had to dress in a way that reflected the holiness of their position. The regal, white clothing they wore showed everyone that they were serving the true King of Kings in his palace. Their clothing helped each Kohen act in the regal, dignified manner required of a servant in the palace of his King.

We all must dress in a way that reflects our status of children to the true King.

Gut Shabbos,
Mrs. Rosskamm
Judaic Studies Curriculum Coordinator

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade
Baruch Hashem, we had another great week in Kindergarten and first grade Judaics.
In kriah, the first grade finished learning the nekuda cholam! Our word wall is growing; the children know so many Hebrew words! The kindergarten learned the letter NUN. They had a great time playing matching and learned about the mitzvah of “nikayon”- keeping clean.
In yahadut, the children continued learning the thirteen articles of Jewish faith, the ani maamins! They are learning a song for all the ani maamins and know it really well!
In parsha, we learned about the clothing which the High Priest, the kohen gadon, wore when he did his service in the Beit Hamikdash.
In kesiva, the first graders began a new booklet! They learned the letters samach and chaf.
The first graders also began learning another prayer – adon olam.
Looking forward to another great week!

Second Grade
We had a busy week reviewing our Brochos, doing projects, learning new vocabulary words and listening to a story when learning the first Brocha of Brichas Haschar (morning blessings) The first brocha is a wish for us to have the ability to distinguish between Yom-day and layloh-night. The ability to differentiate between good and bad. Right and wrong. We heard about the boy who had a hard decision to make, he had gevura(strength) to make the correct decision and made the right choice. We learned how to say the names of the seasons in Hebrew and how to say many other Hebrew words. Shabbat Shalom!

Third Grade
What a wonderful week! Third grade has made me so proud!
We finished learning Vihaya in Shema. They can now read it carefully and beautifully. Our Davening is truly something special to Hashem.
We even started a special contest. One student gets to take home the Third grade Siddur for Shabat. What a beautiful way on a special day of Shabbat to Daven from this Siddur and show our families how nicely we Daven during the week. This week Gal Zadok was chosen to be the first to bring it home. We are all so happy for her.
Our kriah skills are advancing. Some students even completed the first Kriah race!
We learned the exception of how to read a Patoch Chet at the end of the word. All we do is change the order. First the sound of the Nekudah then the letter. Like the name of our dear classmate נח.
This week Lashon Torah we reviewed our Rosh Milim as well as adding another 7 new words!! They are reviewing beautifully!
In Chayainu we moved onto learning the Five books of the Torah and chanted it well.
Parshah was learned nicely. We cut and pasted our Mishkan together just like it was in the Midbar. We learned bout the special clothing the Kohen and Kohen Gadol wore.
Have a wonderful Shabbat!

Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade
Dear Parents,

What a terrific week we had.
We started our week with a very moving story with Dr. Leibowitz who saved a woman’s life in the cafeteria in Boston Hospital. The woman after getting better was so thankful to Dr. Leibowitz for saving her life. We learn from this story how we have to Thank Hashem everyday for giving us life.
In Explaining the Davening we spoke about the amazing Tefilla of Yehi Chivod. We discussed how Hashem’s honor is all over the world.’ In every country and every city Hashem presence is there.
In Chumash we spoke about the famous story of when Avram came with Sarai to Egypt, he told Sarai to say, “you are my sister”. We acted out the Pesukim with Avi. We are very proud of Avi.

We practiced for the upcoming performance which we are very excited about. Stay tuned for details.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Grade Boys

5th and 6th grade boys

7th and 8th Grade Boys

What a fun filled week it was.
In explaining the Davening, we went through the Beracha of Sim Shalom, that we ask Hashem to Please put peace in the land. Students went on very well to explain what is the importance of having peace in the land.
In Gemara we learnt a classic Gemara. It discusses that even though there were not Arai Miklat – cities of refuge, Moshe did the Mitzvah right away. A great lesson we learn is to not push off a Mitzvah and do it right away.
Topics from the Parsha:
The Mitzva to light the מְנוֹרָה in the מִשְׁכָּן was done by the כֹּהַנִים.
מֹשֶה’s brother אַהַרֹן was the first כֹּהֵן גָדוֹל and his sons were the כֹּהַנִים.
Hashem told משה to make special clothing for the כהן גדול and for each כהן הֶדְיוֹט. When the Yidden would see these special clothes, they would realize that theכהנים are special and deserve special respect.
The כהן הדיוט had 4 בְּגָדִים: 1)כְּתֹנֶת- long shirt 2)מִכְנָסַיִם- short pants 3)מִגְבַּעַת- pointy hat 4)אַבְנֵט- long, colorful belt.
The כהן גדול had these same 4 but his hat was called the מִצְנֶפֶת and was not as pointy. The כהן גדול also wore 4 extra בגדים: 1) חשֶׁן on his chest with the אוּרִים וְתּוּמִים behind it 2) אֵפוֹד – colorful apron that tied in the front. 3) מְעִיל- long blue coat that covered both his shirt and pants. It didn’t have sleeves. 4)- צִיץ a strip of gold with the Name of Hashem on it. He wore it on his forehead and it tied at the back of his head.
Some Halachos about these בּגדים: Only a כהן can wear them. A כהן can only wear them in the מִשְׁכָּן. When he leaves, he needs to take them off. They can’t add any other clothing (sweater) or be missing any.

Keep it up,
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Berelowitz

7th and 8th Girls

We studied about the Giv’onim who tricked the Jews, Yehoshua included, into believing that they were not among the Seven Nations of K’naan. They did so in order to save themselves. Upon learning that they were tricked, Yehoshua does NOT kill, or punish them. He keeps his oath to them.They are to remain as slaves but not for Hashem/Mishkan, only to the B’nei Yisrael. We filled in our beautiful workbooks as well.
In Halacha, we completed Chapter five. The Laws of “How to say a Bracha”. We studied how to concentrate, when saying a Bracha. We learned that there should not be anything in our mouths and many other pertinent Halachot.
We learned about this week’s Parasha, Parasha T’tzave, which discusses the elaborate clothing of the Kohanim as well as the Kohen Gadol. We learned and were shown pictures [of course not real photos as they are not in our possession] of , not only their clothing but the ornamental items worn!
We learned about the Five special articles in the Mishkan and the miracles involved with each. We also learned that the purpose of these miracles was to prove that Hashem’s Shchina-Presence was in the Mishkan.
Weekly Parasha quiz on Monday and Halacha quiz coming up as well.
Recalling a week ago….we were visited by Batya, a wonderful woman came all the way from Lakewood N.J. to inspire the girls and tell them about upcoming events.

Elementary School

Kindergarten

This week kindergarten practiced reading and spelling ING words by making king of ING puppets.They read a story about an egg that fell out of a nest. They practiced retelling the story using all of the literary elements they learned so far. Then, they made a comic book strip to retell their own story using all the literary elements. In math they finished making their subtraction book. They practiced subtraction by playing games with toys, pennies, and a basketball. They also learned all the different strategies they can use to subtract. In science they learned all about force and motion. They worked in groups to make ramps that would make their toy car go the fastest and the farthest. It took each group a long time to problem solve to create a steep ramp but in the end both groups persevered and independently built their own ramps. In social studies they continued to practice their part in the Social Studies Fair and they worked on their tri-folds.

Second Grade
This week, in 2nd grade, we are wrapping up our unit on multiplication and division using 2 and 3. We are continuing to master the 2 and 3 times tables. We go around the room saying the 2 and 3 times tables as fast as we can! We were able to do the 2 times table up to 22 in 5.1 seconds! We did the 3 times table up to 33 in 6.3 seconds! Every day we try to beat our best time! In grammar we are wrapping up our unit on verbs. We have been analyzing poems also, while continuing to read Charlotte’s Web. In social studies, we continue to learn about the Three Branches of The United States Government, in preparation for the social studies fair.

In science, 2nd graders are so excited to learn about “Our Solar System”. 1st lesson students learned the causes of day and night. Using a flashlight, students demonstrated Earth’s rotation.

Mr. A. Ferrera B.S.Ed
Generalist Teacher, 2nd grade
SIHA

Third Grade
This week Grade 3 students spent much of their E.L.A. and Social Studies lessons preparing for their S.S. Fair. They worked on their research report drafts and practiced their play lines. They are very excited to put all the pieces together next week. They had also developed their letter writing skills while working on a gratitude project for our dear police officers. Students wrote well organized letters and made cards (decorated beautifully) to show their appreciations for the sacrifices and dedication of the N.Y.P.D. During our Math lessons students worked on solving multiple step word problems using all four operations. They also began to work with areas and perimeters of shapes.

In science, students learned and understood the properties of rocks; identified properties of minerals; explored the content of soil; compared the different kinds of soil; and explained how soil forms.

Miss Sasha

Fifth Grade
5th Graders are busily preparing for their Social Studies Fair! Students are in groups and are practicing for a play based on American history. In ELA, students are continuing their novel studies.

Students learned and identified characteristics of 6 major biomes; compare the adaptive characteristics of species that improve their ability to survive in a particular biome. 5th graders are working to represent each biome on a beautiful diorama.

5th grade learned about place value and adding/subtracting decimals.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies

6th Grade
6th graders had a great week! In Social studies, we are busily preparing for our social studies fair. Students are preparing a research paper and a presentation on an ancient culture they studied in Social Studies this year. We are all looking forward to seeing what they come up with!
In ELA, we started a new novel: Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963.

7th Grade
7th graders had a great week! In Social studies, we are busily preparing for our social studies fair. Students selected topics and are placed into groups, and are preparing for a riveting debate! In ELA, students worked on test prep and continued their novel study of Night.

8th Grade
8th graders had a busy week! In Social Studies, we are busily preparing for our social studies fair. Students have chosen topics related to American History and Culture and are preparing informative speeches on. In ELA, we continued our novel study of Fahrenheit 451.

Middle School Math

6th grade learned how to perform integer operations.
7th grade practiced solving equations with distribution.
8th grade reviewed piecewise functions.

Middle School Science

6th gr.

Students learned Earth’s changing position with regard to the Sun and the moon has noticeable effects; understood that Earth’s surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of water, which responds to the gravitational attraction of the moon and the Sun with a daily cycle of high and low tides. Students reviewed Unit: “Earth’s Water” concepts.

7th Grade Science

Students are investigating the connection between our brains and the nervous system. Students will be discovering the various parts of the brain including the cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, pituitary gland, the spinal cord and the hypothalamus glands and how important these parts are to our daily life. The cerebrum is the thinking part of the brain and it controls your voluntary muscles. You also need the cerebrum to solve math problems, figure out a video game, draw a picture, recall both short and long term memory, it also helps you reason. The cerebellum controls balance, movement, and coordination. The brain stem is in charge of all the functions your body needs to stay alive, like breathing air, digesting food, and circulating blood. The pituitary gland releases hormones into your body, including ones that control the amount of sugars and water in your body.The hypothalamus gland is like your brain’s inner thermostat and keeps your body in the state of homeostasis with reference to body temperature. The spinal cord the spinal cord and nerves — known as the nervous system — that let messages flow back and forth between the brain and body.

8th Grade Science

Students are in the process of completing two NYS labs. Making Connections Lab which is a lab that allows students to investigate which body systems work together to keep our body balanced during exercise. Students will make connections as to the waste products that are released during exertion and which body systems are responsible for making this happen, what our body needs more of during exercise and how our body maintains dynamic equilibrium during this process. They will also be working on the NYS Diffusion through Membrane lab. During this lab, students will conduct a simulation at which time they will make a cell, fill it with macromolecules, place it in water with an indicator and determine which molecules will either diffuse into or out of the cell. They will explain the molecular activity in areas of high concentration and low concentration and they will be able to explain why some molecules can pass through the cell membrane and why some need assistance to pass through the cell membrane.

Jewish History

7th grade learned 3 very important definitions this week. We learned what exactly the birthright was, what anti-semitism really is, and what it means to be the Chosen people. We had some really intense discussions as the class internalized these difficult concepts.

8th grade learned about the Herodian dynasty and how fighting leads directly to destruction, although the class disagrees if we woke up a sleeping lion or a sleeping bear!

SIHA Newsletter for 2/4/2022

by admin | Feb 4, 2022 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Parshat Terumah

Candle lighting: 4:59pm

Havdalah: 6:02pm

The Mishkan was the first home Jews made for G-d. But the very idea is fraught with paradox, even contradiction. How can you build a house for God? He is bigger than anything we can imagine, let alone build.

Not only does it seem impossible to build a home for G-d. It should be unnecessary. Hashem can be accessed anywhere, as readily in the deepest pit as on the highest mountain.

The answer, and it is fundamental, is that Hashem does not live in buildings. He lives in builders. He lives not in structures of stone but in the human heart. What the Jewish Sages and mystics pointed was that in our parsha Hashem says, “Let them build me a sanctuary that I may dwell in them” (Ex. 25:8).

For Hashem to connect with us He had to do what the Jewish mystics called tzimtzum, “contract” Himself, screen His light, soften His voice, hide His glory within a thick cloud, and allow the infinite to take on the dimensions of the finite. That was the easy part (As finite beings we couldn’t withstand His glory at Mt Sinai). The difficult part had nothing to do with God and everything to do with us. How do we come to sense the presence of God? It isn’t difficult to do so standing at the foot of Mount Everest or seeing the Grand Canyon. You do not have to be very religious or even religious at all, to feel awe in the presence of the sublime. However, how does one feel the presence of God in the midst of everyday life? Not from the top of Mount Sinai but from the plain beneath? Not when it is surrounded by thunder and lightning as it was at the great revelation, but when it is just a day among days?

That is the life-transforming secret of the name of the parsha, Terumah. It means “a contribution”. Hashem said to Moshe: “Tell the Jewish nation to take for me a contribution. You are to receive the contribution for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give” (25:2). The best way of encountering God is to give.

The very act of giving flows from, or leads to, the understanding that what we give is part of what we were given. It is a way of giving thanks, an act of gratitude. That is the difference in the human mind between the presence of God and the absence of God.

If God is present, it means that what we have is His. He created the universe. He made us. He gave us life. He breathed into us the very air we breathe. All around us is the majesty, the plenitude, of God’s generosity: the light of the sun, the gold of the stone, the green of the leaves, the song of the birds. The world is Hashem’s art gallery and His masterpieces are everywhere.

When life is a given, you acknowledge this by giving back.

But if life is not a given because there is no Giver, if the universe came into existence only because of a random fluctuation in the quantum field, if there is nothing in the universe that knows we exist, if our moral convictions are self-serving means of self-preservation and our spiritual aspirations mere delusions, then it is difficult to feel gratitude for the gift of life. There is no gift if there is no giver. There is only a series of meaningless accidents, and it is difficult to feel gratitude for an accident.

The Torah therefore tells us something simple and practical. Give, and you will come to see life as a gift. You don’t need to be able to prove God exists. All you need is to be thankful that you exist – and the rest will follow. That is how Hashem came to be close to the Jews through the building of the Mishkan. It wasn’t the quality of the wood and precious metals and drapes.” It was the fact that it was built out of the gifts of “everyone whose heart prompts them to give” (Ex. 25:2). Where people give voluntarily to one another and to holy causes, that is where the Divine Presence rests.

Hence the special word that gives its name to this week’s parsha: Terumah generally translated as “a contribution” but it actually has a subtly different meaning for which there is no simple English equivalent. It means “something you lift up” by dedicating it to a sacred cause. You lift it up, then it lifts you up. The best way of scaling the spiritual heights is simply to give in gratitude for the fact that you have been given.

God doesn’t live in a house of stone. He lives in the hearts of those who give and pay it forward.

—
Chana Uzhansky Ed.D.
Head Of School

Special Announcement

Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had an unbelievable week!

The joyful spirit of Adar has arrived; and this year, due to the Jewish leap year, we’ve got it double! (There are 2 months of Adar this year.)

Shout out to Mr Jaffe for sponsoring our spectacular magic show this week in honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar! The kids all had a fantastic time with Jerry and many kids even had him write them an autograph 😉

This month’s exciting contest:

We are working on spreading joy and making others happy by including one another. Lots of times, it can be difficult to invite another friend to join your sleepover, party, play date, etc or you’re playing a game and there are other kids watching who may be really happy if you invited them in..
Every time a student goes out of their way to include another person, they will add a paper clip to their class’s chain. At the end of Adar, whichever class has the longest chain will win a fantastic ice cream party!!
Ready, set, go!

Shabbat Shalom!
Have a happy and wonderful month of Adar!

Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz
Mrs Ferber

A great big SIHA congratulations to our amazing Students of the Month for January!

Kindergarten – Gadi Amos
First Grade – Liad Hanuka
Second Grade – Ari Leivent
Third Grade – Daniella Usubov
4th Grade – Joshua Applebaum
5A – Taila Badalov
5B – Hanna Kimerling
Middle School Judaic Studies – Ethan Shenkman
Middle School Secular Studies – Madison Graham

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade
We baruch Hashem had another great week in kindergarten and first grade Judaics!
In kriah, the first grade began learning a new nekuda “cholam – oh!”. They’re great at it. The kindergarten learned the letter mem sofit and its mitzvah of netilat yadaim.
In kesiva, the first grade learned the letter chaf sofit.
We began learning the 13 Jewish principals of faith, the “ani ma’amins”, through song and stories. We already learned four of them!
We also learned about the mishkan in parsha.
In honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar, we enjoyed an exciting magic show!
Looking forward to another great week!

Second Grade

It was wonderful being back at school this week. Wednesday in honor of Rosh Chodesh Adar (the new month of Adar Aleph) the children colored a decorative poster which says משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה which means ״When the month of Adar enters we increase our joy.” Ask your child to sing the song in Hebrew for you. We are learning so many Hebrew words as we build our Hebrew Vocabulary as well as perfecting our reading skills. We are continuing to review the various Brochos we make on different foods and we learned about the laws of Kashrut and different kosher signs. Shabbat Shalom.

Welcome back to Third grade at Siha!
We came back full swing Davening and learned wonderfully.
They know our Hebrew Milim Really well and the Rosh Milim as well.
In Chayainu we are still practicing Our Jewish months and Holidays, and their dates. A test is coming up for that.
In Pitgam with thanks to Noach Sharoni we learned about the happiness that comes during the month of Adar. We are all trying to make sure that no one in our class feels sad.
For this Rosh Chodesh we started to say Halell! The special prayer that is only said on Rosh Chodash. Third grade Davens really nicely and maturely with a lot of Kavanah. It surely makes Hashem proud!
This weeks Parsha came alive learning the parts of The Mishkan- the house where Hashem lived.

Have a great Shabbat!

Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade
Dear Parents,
It was a great week “getting back to business” after mid-winter break. It was great to see all the smiley children back in the classroom.
In Davening we started the beautiful Tefilla of Mizmor L’todah. We spoke at length about how we have to serve Hashem with a smile. We said a great story about how Mike loved always doing Mitzvot with a smile and it helped throughout his life.

In Chumash we learned about that Avraham Avinu was living in Eretz Yisroel and there was a hunger. He therefore went to Egypt to get food. We spoke about how a person cannot live even for a while without food.
Sarina and Matthew were the students of the week.
Keep it up.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Girls
Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had a fantastic week!
We continued on in Shemoneh Esrei learning Birkat Selicha and Birkat Geulah. We learned about the special Mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon, the after-blessing of bread.
The girls all enjoyed delicious sweet rolls and we blessed Birkat Hamazon out loud when we were finished.
The girls had a wonderful time at the Rosh Chodesh Adar magic show and we sang Hallel (Praise to G-d; sung on Jewish holidays) together.
We learned the 3rd Ani Maamin, Principle of Faith. We enjoyed the story of the Atheist college professor who asked his class, “Do you see the board?”
They responded, “Yes!”
“Do you see your professor?”
“Yes!”, they replied.
“Do you see G-d?”
“No!”
To which the professor rejoined, “Then there is none!”
A student came to the front of the classroom.
“Do you see the board?” He mimicked.
“Yes!”, the class replied.
“Do you see your professor?”
“Yes!”
“Do you see his brain?”
“No!”
“Then there is none!”
We’ve learned how we cannot see G-d. He is not physical in any way. However, we understand that there are many things we cannot see or comprehend
comprehend; yet we know that they truly exist.
The one thing we must understand is not what G-d is, but what He does. He created and controls the world, loves us, takes the best care of us and wants to connect and have a real relationship with us.
We can connect to G-d by talking to Him, praying to Him, keeping His commandments, learning Torah and being kind to others.

Shabbat Shalom!
Have a wonderful and relaxing weekend!

Best Regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th Boys
5th and 6th grade boys are getting ever nearer to the end of Parashat Va’eira. We are currently learning about the Maca of Barad = hail. This was hail like no other. A mixture of ice and FIRE. Yes, fire! They agreed to get along to do the will of their creator-Hashem and help punish the Egyptians for what they did to our ancestors, the Jews in Egypt.
In Mishna, we are currently learning the laws about if one made a Suka under a tree, or if one made a Suka and built another Suka on top of the first Suka! What happens if one built a Suka in a house?!
In Parasha we learned Parashat T’ruma which discusses the Mishkan, the resting place of Hashem, while our ancestors were in the Midbar-the wilderness. Rabbi Kuritsky brought in a beautiful book which illustrates/depicts the Mishkan and its Keilim-vessels.

7th and 8th Girls

7th and 8th grade girls
In Parasha we learned Parashat T’ruma which discusses the Mishkan, the resting place of Hashem, while our ancestors were in the Midbar-the wilderness.
Rabbi Kuritsky brought in a beautiful book which illustrates/depicts the Mishkan and its Keilim-vessels.

This week, we continued our “daily self marking Tfila” chart. Girls are motivated to daven daily as they realize the significance of both davening and being graded on it.

In Navi-Prophets, we are continuing our study of the Jews- our ancestors conquering the “Promised land”-The land of Israel. We discussed how six kings tried to fight against us but lost.The Giv’onim are trying to trick Yehoshua into thinking that they are some other country, not one of the Seven Nations, so that the Jews will not be compelled to kill them.
Stay tuned into the newsletter , and next week we will fill you in as to what happens.

We really enjoyed the Rosh Chodesh treat; cupcakes and a real live magician.
He changed a few students into …. No. Not really., but we did enjoy the merry making nonetheless. This Rosh Chodesh has a special significance, as it is the month of Adar I, as ther are 2 months of Adar, this [lunar] year. Although we do not celebrate Purim during this month, it is Adar and a month of happines, nonetheless.
Thank you Miss Dershowitzand Mrs. Ferber!

7th and 8th Boys
What a great week we just experienced.
In Davening we had lessons on the Beracha of Shemoneh Esreh of Modim. We questioned Students about what they are thankful for. Asher and Mark had really good answers.
In Gemara class we spoke about two main topics.
One. We spoke about what type of cities the A’rei Miklat were. Were the cities of the Ari Miklat big or small. Meaning to say, is it easy to conquer or not.
Two. We learnt a fascinating Gemara that a Student that goes to Galus his Rabbi comes with him. We learn it from a pasuk. The Gemara says a statement that here we see a person should not teach a Student that is not proper.

Topics from the Parsha:
Hashem told מֹשֶה to start collecting the materials that would be needed for the building of the משכן. Everyone would have the זְכוּת to join in. Each person would give however much they wanted to, and no one was forced to give. (Of course everyone wanted to give though!) Some of the materials collected would be used to make the clothing of the כֹּהַנִים.
The משכן was inside the חצר. The משכן had 2 parts: the קֹדֶשׁ and the קֹדֶשׁ הַקָדָשִׁים, which were separated by a curtain. The ארון was inside the קדש הקדשים; the שולחן and מנורה were inside the קדש.
The ארון was made of 3 boxes, one inside the other. The outside and most inside ones were made of gold, the middle one was wood. It was covered on top by the כַּפֹּרֶת which had the כְּרוּבִים on top.
The שֻׁלְחָן was made from wood that was covered with gold. It had 6 shelves, with 2 breads on each shelf. They were called the לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים. They were kept there the whole week and then eaten by the כהנים. They stayed fresh and warm the whole week.
The מְנוֹרָה was made from one big piece of gold. It had 7 branches (not like our מנורה) with flowers, cups, and balls on it for design. משה didn’t understand how to make it, so Hashem told him to throw the piece of gold into a fire and the מנורה was made.
The walls of the מִשְׁכָּן (קְרָשִׁים) were made from עַצֵי שִׁטִים covered with gold. Each beam was 10 אַמוֹת tall.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

Elementary School

Kindergarten

This week kindergarten became the King of ING! They learned how to read and spell many different words with the ING sound. They read a nonfiction story about a Fox and a Kit. In Math they continued to review subtraction by playing many games. They played subtraction games such as who stole the cookie from the cookie jar, a game with rubber ducks, dice, and they played subtraction bowling. They also reviewed their math facts and learned how to add plus 9 to a number using mental math. In science they learned all about the forces push and pull. In social studies they made a puppet for Groundhog Day. They also learned about the Washington Monument, the Great Seal of the United States, and they practiced their part for the Social Studies Fair.

Our fabulous first graders are having a blast learning about explorers. They have mastered the 7 continents and 5 oceans, and are now excited to hear about the voyages of exploration by sea. Students have researched about Ferdinand Magellan, Juan Ponce de Leon, Leif Erikson., and even Sacagawea We look forward to sharing this knowledge during the Social Studies Fair.
In addition, students are “exploring” the properties of matter. We learned that matter exists just about everywhere, and can be observed with the five senses. Students were interested to see how different tools help scientists gather data about the world. We gathered data about our classroom using magnets and paper clip chains. They were so happy to test objects for magnetism and measure them for length.

Second Grade
This week 2nd grade began learning about poetry. We learned some vocabulary words related to poetry, read and analyzed a poem, and wrote poems of our own! In grammar, we are continuing to learn about verbs. We are learning how to differentiate verbs based on tense. In math, we are mastering our 2 and 3 times tables. In social studies, we are continuing to learn about the three branches of government in The United States, in preparation for the social studies fair! In the picture, you can see Joseph Cohen, who is so determined to complete all of the remaining pages in his math workbook, that he brought it to recess with him, and worked on it during his free play time! Now that’s dedication!

In science, students learned the causes of endangered and extinct animals; the ways to prevent endangered animals. Putting the clues together and assembling dinosaur bones was an exciting activity during science/Art class.

Third Grade
This week grade 3 students began to use long division! They also continued to develop their problem solving skills using multiple operations. During their Social Studies lessons, students began to prepare for the Social Studies Fair. They reviewed what a true patriot is and were introduced to 10 key figures in American history. They each received their patriot to research and also embody during our play. During our Reading lessons students analyzed chapter 8 of our class novel as well as the elements of biographical stories.

In science, students learned and distinguished between endangered and extinct animals; 4th graders created camouflages of different animals.

In science, students inferred the effect of change in an environment; described how organisms, including humans, affect their environment; described physical and behavioral adaptations.

Fifth Grade
Fifth graders had a busy week! Both classes worked hard to write beautiful paragraph while using evidence from a nonfiction, historical text. We paid special attention to placing our textual evidence in context and making it a part of our paragraph, rather than just copying a quote and leaving it there. Students also worked on their vocabulary, and their class novels.

In Math, 5th grade finished their unit on ratios.

In science, students described some natural and human causes of extinction; identified ways humans can work to prevent the extinction of endangered species; identified the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in ecosystems; described how energy flows from one organism to another in food chains and in food webs.

5th Grade Social Studies

5th Grade will be working on their Social Studies production over the next couple of weeks. Both classes are assigned specific skits that they will perform. 5A will have 3 productions, “Child’s Work,” “The Declaration of Independence,” and “West to Hope” and 5B’s production is “Stealing Freedom.”

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th graders had a busy week!
In Reading, we finished our unit on Milkweed. Students are creating a theme poster that will analyze the ‘big ideas’ behind the writing. Students also reviewed and studied for their unit three vocabulary test. Congratulations to Ruti for getting the highest score!
In Social Studies, students wrapped up their unit on China with a creative project in which we learned about the pottery of the Hmong people.

7th Grade
7th graders had a great week! In Reading, we started our novel study of Elie Weisel’s Night. Students read in class and had some fruitful discussions! We also continued practicing our writing using textual evidence, and worked on our next vocabulary study chapter.
In social studies, we started our unit on the American Revolutionary War. Students took notes and looked at primary sources from this time in our nation’s history.

8th Grade
8th graders had a busy week! In reading, we continued our novel study of Fahrenheit 451 by learning about the setting of this novel and examining key characters. We also worked on our next vocabulary unit.
In social studies, we continued our unit on the Cold War by learning about the Vietnam War.
Middle School Math

6th grade finished their unit on rates.
7th grade is reviewing percent change and proportionality.
8th grade reviewed graphing and solving absolute value functions.

Middle School Science

6th grade science

Students were able to identify fresh water sources; understood the breakdown of the ocean zones by depth, characteristics and organisms that inhabit those zones.
Mrs. Belli wants to mention Avigdor for an excellent participation during science class and great score on the Quiz.

7th Grade Science

Students are investigating the connection between our brains and the nervous system. Students will be discovering the various parts of the brain including the cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, pituitary gland, the spinal cord and the hypothalamus glands and how important these parts are to our daily life. The cerebrum is the thinking part of the brain and it controls your voluntary muscles. You also need the cerebrum to solve math problems, figure out a video game, draw a picture, recall both short and long term memory, it also helps you reason. The cerebellum controls balance, movement, and coordination. The brain stem is in charge of all the functions your body needs to stay alive, like breathing air, digesting food, and circulating blood. The pituitary gland releases hormones into your body, including ones that control the amount of sugars and water in your body.The hypothalamus gland is like your brain’s inner thermostat and keeps your body in the state of homeostasis with reference to body temperature. The spinal cord the spinal cord and nerves — known as the nervous system — that let messages flow back and forth between the brain and body.

8th Grade Science

Students are in the process of completing two NYS labs. Making Connections Lab which is a lab that allows students to investigate which body systems work together to keep our body balanced during exercise. Students will make connections as to the waste products that are released during exertion and which body systems are responsible for making this happen, what our body needs more of during exercise and how our body maintains dynamic equilibrium during this process. They will also be working on the NYS Diffusion through Membrane lab. During this lab, students will conduct a simulation at which time they will make a cell, fill it with macromolecules, place it in water with an indicator and determine which molecules will either diffuse into or out of the cell. They will explain the molecular activity in areas of high concentration and low concentration and they will be able to explain why some molecules can pass through the cell membrane and why some need assistance to pass through the cell membrane.

—
Mrs. Giordano
Science Teacher
Staten Island Hebrew Academy

Jewish History
7th grade learned what it means to have been born a Jew and what it gives us! We had some really intense discussions this week!
8th grade continued to review the last few units as we prepare to move on.

SIHA Newsletter for 1/21/2022

by admin | Jan 21, 2022 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Parshas Yisro
Candlelighting: 4:43

This week’s Parsha teaches us about the greatest moment in all of world history, the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. This event was the highlight, the point of it all. Hashem himself came down and gave His Torah, His guidebook for a perfect life to the Jewish people.

Yet, the Parsha begins with an interesting incident. The Torah tells us that Yisro, Moshe’s father in law, came to join the Jewish people. Why is it important for the Torah to tell us about this, especially right before telling us about the giving of the Torah.

Hashem is teaching us a very important lesson. The Torah tells us, “And Yisro heard.” Rashi explains that Yisro heard about the miracles that Hashem performed for the Jewish people. The Torah is teaching us something unique and incredible over here. The entire world heard about Kriyas Yam Suf and the other miracles Hashem did for the Jewish people. Yet, only one person listened. Only one person paid attention to what happened, took its lessons to heart, and acted upon those lessons. Yisro head about the miracles. He listened. He paid attention. He acted upon what he heard about.

The rest of the world also heard about these miracles, but they chose to ignore what they heard. They did not listen or pay attention.

Hashem is constantly sending us messages through what happens in the world around us. It is up to us to listen and pay attention to those messages.

This incident is the perfect introduction to the giving of the Torah. Before we can be ready to receive the Torah, we must first be ready to listen and accept the messages we are given.

Good Shabbos

Mrs. Rosskamm
Judaic Studies Coordinator

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade

We baruch Hashem had another great week!
In kriah, the first grade was busy reviewing the loud and sleepy sh’va rules. They’re very good at reading long words and had a great time guessing Morah’s mystery word. Our word wall is growing each day! The kindergarten learned the letter mem who brought them to visit an eye doctor to read the eye chart and check if they need ‘mishkafayim’ (glasses) or not.
In kesiva, the first grade started their second kesiva book and learned to write the letter taf.
We had an exciting BRACHOT PARTY to celebrate finishing to learn all the brachot! The kids also did a great job on their brachot tests! I’m so proud!
In parsha, we learned about how the Jewish nation received the Torah on Har Sinai who was the most humble mountain. We learned how important it is to be humble and not to brag.
Enjoy your vacation!
Morah Chavi

Second Grade

The weeks zoom by in 2nd grade. On Monday we celebrated Tu’beshevat by making beautiful edible fruit projects and learning about Tu’beshevat. The rest of the week we reviewed the various Brochos we make on different foods. We practiced our Kriya and spent time learning the significance of “Shema Yisroel.” We heard a story about an older lady who was a young girl during WW11. Before she was separated from her mother. Her mother taught her “Shema Yisroel.” One day a Rabbi visited the Gentile Orphanage and said “Shema Yisroel,”three children recognized the prayer and were rescued and taken out of the orphanage. This Shabbat we read Parshat Yitro. We learned about Yitro and about the giving of the Torah in this weeks Parsha. Have a wonderful break. Shabbat Shalom!

Third Grade
What a wonderful week we had in 3rd grade!
I’m so proud of the class. They are learning beautifully, and Davening beautifully.
We made a lovely Tu Bishvat project and practiced our Brachot. They are continuing to practice what brachot to make on each food they eat.
In Chayainu we learned the 3 festivals Shalosh Rigalim and the month they fall out in.
The boys and girls learned the Parsha so well! I’m really proud!
Hope you all enjoy your winter break!
Stay warm safer and healthy!
Shabbat Shalom!

Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade

It was a great week being it started with Tu B’shvat fun. The school gave out supplies to make our own fruit tree. The children were tree experts, and the trees were very big it hardly fit into the bag. There were many delicious treats on the tree.
In Davening we continued explaining the Second part of Baruch She’amar. It was amazing to see all the different ides the children had about the Tefilla.
In Chumash we continued learning about the test of Avram, that he left his land and birthplace to follow Hashem’s commandment. It was one of the tests that he had.
We spoke about that the first place Avram came to was Shechem. Avram knew that his children would be there, and he Davened for them. We have to realize how much our Ancestors did for us, and we have to be very thankful to them.
In Parsha we spoke about the greatest gift we got; it was the Torah. There is no joy in the world like learning Torah. We must try to do the best we can and learn as hard as we can.

Congratulation to Matthew and Maayan on being in this week Major Raffle winners.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Boys
Another super week!
We began our “mark yourself daily daven chart”. All boys are expected to daven daily and then fill in their chart to receive credit.
We are plowing through the beginning of Masechta Suka, studying intricate laws of the size of the Suka, the covering of the Suka and the age [yes, you read correctly, the age] of the Suka. We had our first comprehension quiz on Masechta Suka and the boys aced the quiz.
We studied this week’s Parasha, Parashat Yitro which mentions Hashem giving the Torah , which is paramount to Judaism as well as the world at large. Even the supreme court has the ten commandments in front of the building as the Torah is The law of the land = planet earth.
We are getting ever closer to the end of Parashat Va’eira, the Parasha that we study more in depth. Hopefully very soon when we return after mid-winter break we will reach that milestone and celebrate it.
Wishing everyone two Shabat Shaloms, and a very enjoyable vacation.
Rabbi Kuritsky.

7th and 8th Girls

Thirteen Ani Ma’amins
Wow, what an amazing accomplishment!
We learned ALL of the THIRTEEN Ani Ma’amins. The girls wrote beautiful notes and now, filled in an outline beautifully.
We also learned and completed the laws of Sh’mone Esre. We had a quiz, and, of course, all the girls aced the quiz.Because we are heading into mid-winter break, we had our weekly Parasha quiz already on Thursday. Of course, the girls aced that as well. Thanks to Miss Dershowitz and Mrs. Ferber, the girls made exquisite Tu biShvat flower pots, using dried fruit as flowers. Naturally,most of the girls chose to give their gorgeous creation to Rabbi Kuritsky as a birthday present vs taking it home for themself.
We are looking forward to more inspiring accomplishments after the break. Enjoy!

Noam Tisona saying Havdala for 7th and 8th grade girls

7th and 8th Boys

What a great week we just experienced.
In Davening we had lessons on the part Shemoneh Esreh that says Hashem listens to our Tefillot. The next Beracha we discussed was that we say to Hashem “Please be appeased with our Tefillot.” We watched an amazing story, how after Praying a person can be answers in a tremendous way.
In Gemara we learnt that as soon as a person kills, he goes to the Arei MIklat. Following that, Bes Din sends someone to get him and the court puts him on trial. We discussed many words in the Gemara.

A goodbye to Mikai on his move to Yisroel. We miss him already. Hope he has great success wherever he goes.

A Mazal tov to Oren Deri on putting on his Tefillin. He had a beautiful occasion in School on this occasion. We want to wish him, a long happy life with much Beracha.
.
Topics from the Parsha:
יתרו heard about all the great ניסים that Hashem did for the Yidden: Splitting the Yam Suf, winning עַמָלֵק, the מָן, water from a rock and most of all, the ניסים that happened in מצרים and when the yidden went out of מצרים. He left all his riches in מדין and came to join the Yidden in the מדבר. He brought משה’s wife and 2 sons with him.
משה went out to greet יתרו and all the Yidden followed. We should always follow the ways of צדיקים.
יתרו saw how long משה רבּינו sat each day to answer the questions of the Yidden, and how long each Yid had to wait to ask his question. He gave משה an idea to appoint other צדיקים to also answer questions. Hashem said that this was a a good idea.
On ראש חדש סיון the Yidden arrived near הר סיני and the preparations for מתּן תּורה began.
On ב’ סיון, משה went up הר סיני and Hashem told him that He wants to give the תּורה to the Yidden. “Go and ask them if they are ready to keep all My Mitzvos.” The Yidden all together answered נעשה ונשמע” ”, we are ready and willing to do all of the Mitzvos. משה went back up to Hashem to tell Him that the Yidden want the תּורה.
We briefly discussed each of the עשרת הדברות.

Keep it up,
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Berelowitz

Elementary School

Kindergarten
This week kindergarten read a story all about a Big Blue Ox. They learned how to identify the setting of a story and then they painted the setting of the Big Blue Ox. They learned the CH sound and about the schwa sound. All week they kept finding and pointing out lazy vowels everywhere! They even found them in their names! In math they learned about different strategies they can use to add. The class played many games to practice adding and filling in number bonds. They are also almost done with their Math KB books! In social studies they continued to learn about the symbols of the United States. They learned about the Statue of Liberty, the White House, and they picked which symbol they wanted to represent in our Social Studies Fair. In science they did an experiment to review the three states of matter. They saw how a solid, like raisins, reacts in a liquid like soda. They found it hilarious to watch the gas in the soda make the raisins look like they were dancing in the cup.

First Grade

First graders continue to be amazing. We have learned so much this year. First graders learned about the phases of the moon in Science. Students loved identifying the crescent, gibbons, and full moon shapes. We even created a mini book about the moon wherein we made up names for the moon.

Students solved Math puzzles for fact families. In Reading We learned about different types of jobs and put them into categories. Finally, in Social Studies we began a unit about famous world explorers. Students understand that anyone can be a great explorer if they are willing to venture outward. Students are excited to see how these brave men and women traveled across great distances to discover new lands.

Lastly, we were privileged to say Happy Birthday to two of our classmates: Aviel Raytburg and Raquel Ashraf.

Second Grade

This week 2nd grade had a math test on multiplication and division. We have been continuing to read our book, Charlotte’s Web, and we have been writing paragraphs describing some of the main characters, as we continue our descriptive writing unit. We continue to learn about verbs in grammar. In Social Studies, we have started to explore the 3 branches of government in the United States.

In science, students learned and understand what is left of living things from the past. 2nd graders were so excited to know and learn about fossils; they can not wait to make their own.

Mr. A. Ferrera B.S.Ed
Generalist Teacher, 2nd grade
SIHA

Third Grade
This week Grade 3 students continued to practice their problem solving skills using multiplication and division. They drew bar graphs to demonstrate and organize their information in order to solve one and two step word problems. During their Grammar lessons, students practiced identifying and correctly using common and proper nouns as well as irregular plural nouns. During their Social Studies lessons students continued to learn about the early age of exploration. They read about the indigenous people early explorers had come across in the North American territories. They also learned about Samuel de Champlain and the various navigation tools that were used during his journey.

In science, students described adaptations that protect organisms in different ecosystems; learned and described how ecosystems change during natural disasters.

Miss Sasha

Fourth Grade

This week in ELA students worked proper adjectives, adjectives that compare, and spelling adjectives that compare. Completed explanatory writing activities.
In math students found fractional part of a given whole, multiply a whole by a fraction, and solve word problem with the use of a bar model.
In Social Studies students started to read about Living in the South. Read and discussed about the Memphis transportation hub, activities visitors can do while traveling through the Upper South, and what jobs people can do in the Upper South.
In science, students identified scavengers and their role in a food web and learned about decomposers and their role in an ecosystem.

Fifth Grade
5th Grade ELA

Greetings and salutations!
This week has been busy but exciting. The students practiced their vocabulary, began in earnest their new class novel, and focused on composing both long and short responses based on a passage on the Italian Renaissance. I am happy to say that we have had quite a few excellent discussions over the Renaissance and how things were back then.
The students were particularly fascinated about how rare books were before the invention of the Gutenberg printing press.

In science, students learned and identified the roles of producers, consumers, and decomposers in ecosystems; described how energy flows from one organism to another in food chains and in food webs. 5th graders created their own food web using different animal pictures.

In Math, 5th grade started their last unit on ratios. They also created geometry word problems. Here are two examples from Liam and Ariella K.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th ELA
This week has been all about paragraph structure! Students explored the difference between the central idea of a story and its theme, and after filling out graphic organizers, wrote beautiful paragraphs. Students also continued their novel study of Milkweed.

6th SS
Greetings and salutations!
This week we wrapped up our unit on ancient China. The students enjoyed learning about the ambitious but short lived Qin Dynasty. The students were particularly interested and fascinated by the famous Terracotta Army that the first emperor of the Qin dynasty created to guard his tomb.

7th ELA
Greetings and salutations!
This week has been all about finishing our literary essay over The Master Puppeteer. I am looking forward to reading what the hard working 7th graders have come up with. Based on their drafts, I can tell that they would have written some amazing things.
In addition to essay writing the 7th grade practiced their vocabulary and threw themselves into testprep. Overall, it has been a rather heavy week and I know the 7th grade has earned their rest in the coming week!

7th SS
Students wrapped up our chapter on the road to the American Revolution by looking at the historic primary sources surrounding the battle of Lexington and Concord. Students discussed the sources and wrote about them.

8th Grade ELA and SS

8th graders had a busy week! We started our novel study of Fahrenheit 451 by discussing science fiction, and its place within literature. Students also did a close reading of the first part of our novel, and discussed metaphors and similes. In social studies, we wrapped up our unit on the Civil rights era and read about the key leaders of the Civil Rights movement.

Middle School Math

6th grade started their unit on rates.
7th finished their unit on exponents and scientific notation. They also learned how to solve multi step equations.
8th finished their unit on systems of equations.

Middle School Science

Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

6th Grade

Students learned that Earth has continuously been recycling water since the outgassing of water early in its history. This constant recirculation of water at and near Earth’s surface is described by the hydrologic (water) cycle; identify fresh water sources as being either surface or underground.

Jewish History
7th grade learned about the cycle of history and how what happens to the father is a sign for his children. We had a small assessment this week. Gabby did an amazing job.

8th grade finished the unit and did a review. We will be moving on the the next unit right after the break.

SIHA Newsletter for 1/14/2021

by admin | Jan 14, 2022 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Beshalach
Candle Lighting 4:34pm
Havdala 5:38

In this weeks Parsha, the megalomaniac Pharoah regrets his decision of freeing the Jews and so he sends his army out to get them back. The Jews now trapped between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army begin to berate Moshe: “Why did you have to bring us out here to die in the desert? You should have just left us alone to work for the Egyptians!” (Exodus 14:11-12)

How could the Jews, after 210 years of intolerable suffering in Egypt, complain to Moshe for liberating them?!

About 20 years ago, an incident occurred in Stockholm where terrorists captured and held hostages. The hostages were abused both physically and emotionally. Following their release, the hostages all spoke in complimentary, glowing terms about their captors! Psychologists have since identified the “Stockholm Syndrome,” whereby prisoners develop comfort and satisfaction in captivity.

For the Jews in Egypt, life was comfortable. In slavery, the rations may be meager and the bed made of straw, but all of one’s needs were provided for and there were no challenging decisions to be made. The Hebrew word for Egypt, “Mitzrayim,” means a “place of confinement.” Sometimes it’s the smallest box which makes us feel the most secure.

The Egyptians are thundering closer. The Jews are panicked. Nachshon, from the tribe of Yehuda (Dynasty of Kings) steps foot into the sea and the water rises to his chest, but the sea still does not split.

Nachshon’s mind races to the memories of supposed comfort and he realizes that this is his live or die moment. He reminds himself that life is about growing by leaving the place of confinement/small place of the known to moving forward into the unknown and a world of unlimited possibilities. He understood that choosing stagnation was ultimately a choice death. Egypt was not an option at all. As the water reached his nostrils, at this last possible moment, the Red Sea splits. The Jewish People all rush in after him. Finally, freedom.

Although every Jew passed through on dry land, the experience of Nachshon was qualitatively different. When Nachshon walked through the sea, he was alive and invigorated because he took the plunge. The future had issued its challenge, and Nachshon confronted it head-on. Slavery was baggage he’d left behind. He was liberated, both body and soul.

The Red Sea appears in our own lives as well. Ultimately, the story of our lives comes down to a few key moments of decision. These spell the difference between a life of achievement versus one of regret. Sometimes the answer is just “do it.” To jump into the sea and trust in the Almighty.

Of course, we cannot always know what’s waiting on the other side of the sea. But that’s part of the beauty in our living a life traveling with G-d. It’s our chance to become invigorated with the fullness of a relationship with Him, in His love and ultimate desire for our happiness. Growth, obstacles, and even suffering are there as a reason to become the best we can be (Victor Frankel, prominent psychologist and survivor of the Holocaust).

The Torah tells us: Nachshon chose life. We must do the same. The feeling is liberating, our self-esteem depends on it, and it is our only true option.

Shabbat Shalom

Dr. Chana Uzhansky

—
Chana Uzhansky Ed.D.
Head Of School
SIHA
(718)987-9700

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade
We had another great week in Kindergarten and first grade Judaics this week!
In kriah, the first graders learned about ‘sleepy’ and ‘loud’ sh’va and are really great at reading real words! Our word wall is growing! The kindergarteners learned the letter ‘lamed’ and had a great time making the lamed from candies and lollies and showing the class all the lamed items that they brought from home. They also learned how lamed was very careful to never say ‘lashon hara’ (gossip) about others!
In yahadut, we finished learning all the brachot and are so excited for our brachot party next week! We always make sure to say our brachot before we eat our food!
In parsha, we learned how Hashem split the sea for the Jewish people to go through even when it seemed like all was lost. We learned that Hashem loves us and is always taking care of us and how “Hashem is watching over me and I’m not scared!”.
In tefilla, the first graders finished learning the prayer ‘asher yatzar’ which is said to thans Hashem for constantly keeping us healthy!
We also learned about the Shabbat mitzvah of kiddush and made our very own kiddush cups to use by our Shabbat meals!
Looking forward to another great week.

Third Grade

Another week in third grade flew by.
The weather may be cold but our class is warm and welcoming.
We learned and reviewed nicely new and old words in Lashon Torah. The list is really growing. This will help us when we begin learning Chumash. We also reviewed the Hebrew months of our Jewish calendar. We are really practicing our brachot. I see them really remembering them. They are getting wonderful mitzvot and creating angels-Malachim by answering Amen.
We had special visitors this week from The Zone! They came to introduce their summer camp and in addition their weekly program right here in Staten Island. Thursday evenings for girls, And Saturday night for boys.
We are also working on a special something for Tu Bishvat! We can’t wait to bring it home and show you!!
We ended off the week with Parshat Bishalach where the Jews finally left Egypt and had the miracle of the Yam Suf. Boy were they excited to learn about it! Let us not forget about our Noach who we truly miss at school. We hope you feel better real quick!
Shabbat Shalom to all!
Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade

Dear Parents,
It was another terrific week here in SIHA.

In Tefilla class we started a brand new Tefilla. The Tefilla of Baruch She’amar. We explained that Hashem is Blessed. Hashem did not have to build anything, Hashem just said and there was a world. We sang a beautiful tune to it and it was really inspiring.

We had the great joy of starting Chumash. We started learning the Parsha of Lech Lecha. We first had an introduction, then we started learning how Hashem tested Avram to leave his land and his birthplace. It was a big test for Avram going on a journey that he did not know where to, and did not have GPS. We were honored as Dr. Uzhansky shared with us a Nesivos Shalom, an amazing commentary on the Chumash.

We had many great questions in the class.

We had our Lashon Tov contest to teach the students how to think positively about their friends. It was a great success.

Have a Shabbat Shalom,
Stay healthy and well.
Rabbi B.

5th and 6th Girls

Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week!
We learned the 5th blessing of Shemoneh Esrei, Birkat Teshuva. We learned about the gift and power of repentance (Teshuva) to completely get rid of all sins, without a trace.
We continued on in Perek Bet of Shemot. We learned about the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu and how he was saved from being thrown into the river.
We learned the Beracha of Shehakol, which we make on all other foods that aren’t grains, fruits and vegetables or wine/grape juice. Shehakol foods are, for example – drinks, candy, chicken, fish, eggs, etc.
The girls all made a Shehakol out loud and ate a special treat.
We spoke a lot about the meaning of the Beracha and how everything comes through the word of Hashem. Hashem is in control of everything. Everyone is in exactly the right place at the right moment and He is planning it all perfectly. We heard an amazing story of Hashgacha Pratit (Divine providence), clearly seeing Hashem’s hand through it all.
We can all look at our own lives and find the Hand of Hashem. The more you look for It, the more you’ll see It. The more you trust in It (Him), the more you’ll receive His extra divine providence and assistance.
Have a wonderful Shabbat! Thank you for allowing me to steal your girls for Shabbat. I am truly looking forward to the most amazing Shabbaton ever!
Enjoy your weekend. Shabbat Shalom!
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th Boys

This week was a spectacular week.
We continued on our journey through Parashat Va’eira, our in-depth study. We are currently studying the maka Arbe.
We are getting ever so close to finishing and having a Siyum.
This week Rabbi Kuritsky handed out the beautiful Mishnayos Suka to each student.
The boys were very excited, as was Rabbi Kuritsky. These new Mishnayos have N’kudot and illustrations, to help the students learn with visual aid. We rae learning about the measurements of the Suka
We studied and reviewed this week’s monumental Parasha, and of course we daven, daily.
New Classmate
Boruch Hashaem we were joined by a wonderful young man. His name is Nathaniel aka Nate, Alterman. He has already proven himself to be a real asset to our class.

Dear Parents,

It was another great week in class.
In Tefilla class we spoke about the Beracha of Shemona Esreh that we ask Hashem to return Yerushalayim. Yerushalayim is every Jews dream and yearning to go back to. We played on the smartboard the famous song of Abie Rottenberg that is “Yerushalayim we’re going home”.

In Gemara class we had a vote. Does a blind person go to Galus. The Mishna tells us the argument. We also learnt the Gemara that says the reasons of the opinions. We said a story that Billy could not see and by mistake killed someone. He did not know if he goes to Galus. However the scholars in our class knew the answer.

In Chumash we had a great time wondering what was created the first and second day, We spoke about how Hashem separated the waters and called the water above “Shamayim”.

Topics from the Parsha:
Hashem directed the Yidden to take the long route towards אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל to avoid the פּילשתּים.
The Yidden were protected on 6 sides with special clouds, and another cloud to lead the way. At night a fire came down to give them light.
פַּרְעֹה regretted that he let the Yidden go and wanted his gold and silver back, so he decided to go with his army and chase them. He hesitated as he remembered all the מַכּוֹת that had happened not that long before. Hashem made פרעה decide to chase them because he wanted to punish him and the Mitzrim again by the Yam Suf. Hashem then told משה to travel backwards towards מִצְרַיִם. This way, the Yidden would look like they were lost and then פרעה would come to chase them.
The Yidden saw פרעה and his army coming and got scared. They were now stuck between the מצרים and the Yam Suf. They began to daven to Hashem to save them. The רְשָׁעִים started to complain to משה, “ Why did you take us out of מצרים?” ( Story with the pigeon and the eagle. )
Hashem told משה to travel forward, and the Yidden will be saved. They did, but when they reached the water, no נֵס happened. Hashem was testing “Do they trust Me? Are they going to travel forward like I told them to?”
נַחְשׁוֹן בֶּן עַמִינָדָב from שֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה was the first to show his full trust in Hashem, and he walked right into the water. After him, others followed. Hashem saw the great trust they had, and then split the water. As they traveled through the dry land Hashem did many ניסים for them, and there was clean water for them to drink and fresh fruits for them to eat.
The Mitzrim chased after the Yidden right into the water. As soon as the Yidden reached the other side, the water came down on the Mitzrim and drowned them.
The Yidden saw all of these ניסים and the way Hashem punished the Mitzrim and they were so thankful. They sang a special שִׁירָה to Hashem. משה led the men, and מְרִיָם led the ladies.
After traveling for 3 days without water, Hashem told משה to throw a branch of a tree into the bitter water and the water will become clean and fresh.
מָן- Each person got an עוֹמֶר. No matter how much you took or how little you took, when you got home, you had an עומר for each person. You were not allowed to save from one day to the next, except for ערב שבת when you got double.
בְּאֵר מַיִם- Hashem told משה to take his stick and hit the rock, water will come out- enough for all the Yidden.

A big Mazal tov to Noam on his beautiful Bar Mitzvah. It was very special to be part of this beautiful event.

It is hard to say Goodbye to our wonderful Student Mikai who will be going to Eretz Yisroel next week. We want to wish him much success in the future.

Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Berelowitz

Elementary School

Kindergarten
This week kindergarten read the second story from the first grade reader and once again they did a fantastic job! They learned what a character is and they made a puppet of the main character in the story. They were able to put the story in sequential order using pictures and then they wrote about the story using the time order words first, next, and last. They took their first spelling, decoding, and comprehension test this week and I am so proud of them and how well they did. In math they learned how to fill in the missing part of a number bond. They continued to work on their math facts and they played different games to practice adding. In social studies they continued to learn about American symbols. They painted the American Flag and listened to many songs about America. They also learned about the Liberty Bell and the Bald Eagle. In science they reviewed the states of matter and learned about the properties of gas. They went on a scavenger hunt for solids, liquids, and gases and sorted pictures based on if the pictures were a solid, liquid, or gas.

First Grade

First graders continue to be amazing. We have learned so much this year. First graders learned about the phases of the moon in Science. Students loved identifying the crescent, gibbons, and full moon shapes. We even created a mini book about the moon wherein we made up names for the moon.

Students solved Math puzzles for fact families. In Reading We learned about different types of jobs and put them into categories. Finally, in Social Studies we began a unit about famous world explorers. Students understand that anyone can be a great explorer if they are willing to venture outward. Students are excited to see how these brave men and women traveled across great distances to discover new lands.

Lastly, we were privileged to say Happy Birthday to two of our classmates: Aviel Raytburg and Raquel Ashraf.

Third Grade
This week Grade 3 students continue to develop their problem solving skills. They are now working with multi-step multiplication and division word problems. We also began to solve multiplication equations using the vertical formation. During our Reading lessons, we continued to read our class novel as well as examples of procedural writing. During our Writing lessons, we wrote and analyzed a full essay (introduction, body, and conclusion), which students used as a model to write their own essays. Next week, students will be able to revise, and share their hard work. We are very excited to hear and take notes on the variety of culinary and creative skills students are writing about.

In science, students learned and explored how living things they need; explain how populations avoid competition; describe adaptations that protect organisms in different ecosystems.

Fourth Grade
This week in ELA students completed explanatory writing activities. Identified adjectives and correctly used articles a, an, and the in sentences.
In math students subtracted mixed numbers, solved word problems,and multiplied whole number and fraction.
In Social Studies we read about People of the South in the past and present.

In science, students learned and described the flow of energy in a food chain and explained the predator-prey relationship; students found possible food chains on the food web.

Fifth Grade
5A
This week students finished their novel essay. They practiced their vocabulary and learned about appositives in grammar.
They also practiced making an outline for a long response type of answer and then writing a long response.
They composed thank you notes for Tu B’Shvat!
Lastly, they began their new novel- The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks.
In science, students learned and understood the importance of the Water Cycle. A visual “Water Cycle Model” was created during the science lab.
In math, 5th grade is finishing up the unit on geometry.

5B
This week students finished their novel journal. They practiced their vocabulary and learned about appositives in grammar.
They also practiced making an outline for a long response type of answer and then writing a long response.
They composed thank you notes for Tu B’Shvat!
Lastly, they began their new novel- Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli.

In science, students learned and understood the importance of the Water Cycle. A visual “Water Cycle Model” was created during the science lab.
In math, 5th grade is finishing up the unit on geometry.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th Grade
In grammar, students started their chapter on verbs. We reviewed action verbs and linking verbs, and learned how helping verbs help make tenses. In writing, we learned about plot and characterization. We also continued our novel study of Milkweed, and wrote a characterization journal about one of the major characters.
In social studies, this week the 6th graders continued their journey through China’s Shang dynasty. They learned about how silk and kaolin was made. Students were particularly amazed by the process of silk making!
They wrote a journal on the previously learned Chinese philosophies.

7th Grade
Students practiced their vocabulary. They also finished their class novel, The Master Puppeteer with no small amount of triumph. They then began the task of prewriting their literary analysis essay.
In addition to their novel, the 7th grade continued their state test practice finishing both a long response and a couple of short responses.
In social studies, students started our unit titled ‘Road to Revolution’ and learned about the political atmosphere in the colonies right before the American Revolution. Students also studied several primary sources. Mrs. Hazen is particularly impressed by Oren Dery for his awesome participation!

8th Grade
8th graders had a busy week! They learned new vocabulary, and practiced using it in different contexts. We also finished our essay on Animal Farm. Mrs. Hazen is particularly impressed by Doron Glickman’s essay. Excellent job!
In social studies, we wrapped up our chapter on the aftermath of World War 2 and started discussing the Cold War.

Middle School Math

6th grade is finishing up the unit on ratios.
7th grade is finishing up the unit on scientific notation.
8th grade is finishing up the unit on the system of equations.

Middle School Science
Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

6th
During an activity students described each type of weathering as well as find an illustration or picture to show an example of each.
Students learned and understood soil formation as the result of weathering and biological activity over long periods of time; the natural agents of erosion: glacial features include moraines, kettle lakes, finger lakes, and outwash plains.

Jewish History

7th grade is making sure class stays very interesting with some very stimulating questions. This week we spent time learning about Yitzchok Avinu and the legacy he left for the Jewish people.

8th grade is learning about what happened after the Chanukah miracle!

SIHA Newsletter for 1/7/2021

by admin | Jan 7, 2022 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Parshas Bo
Candle Lighting: 4:27

This week’s Parsha tells us of the first Mitzvah given to the Jewish people, the Mitzvah of sanctifying the beginning of the new month. The Hebrew word for month is Chodesh, from the same root as the word, Chodosh, new. Each month is a new start, a new opportunity. No matter what may have happened in the past, the new month gives us a chance to start again. We can correct the mistakes of the past as we move forward into the future. Hashem is constantly giving us the opportunity to start fresh and correct past mistakes.

More than that, this Mitzvah also teaches us an important lesson about time. Time is not something that merely passes by, moving forward from one day to the next. Each moment of time is an opportunity, a chance for greatness, a chance to build, to progress towards a goal. By sanctifying the beginning of the new month, we are santifying time itself, transforming each moment from the mundane to one of holiness.

Each month, we start again, refreshing our relationship with Hashem, just as the moon begins its cycle once more. Take advantage of the opportunity Hashem is constantly giving us once a month.

Good Shabbos
Mrs. Rosskamm
Judaic Studies Coordinator

Special Announcement

A great big SIHA congratulations to our Students of the Month!

Kindergarten – Navah Hecht
First Grade – Aviel Raytburg
Second Grade – Sophie Braun
Third Grade – Lielle Garber
Fourth Grade – Benjamin Shindelman
5A – Noilee Oz
5B – Abby Jaffe
Middle School General Studies – Ruti Applebaum
Middle School Judaics – Avigdor Tovshteyn

Judaics

Second Grade
We had a busy week as we are continuing to master our reading skills. Yosef Cohen read a line in 12 seconds when we played Beat the Clock. Congratulations Yosef. We had a exciting assembly on Monday in honor of Rosh Chodesh Shevat. The new Hebrew month of Shevat. The mitzva of Rosh Chodesh was actually the first mitzva given to the Jews as they were preparing to leave Egypt which is discussed in this weeks Parsha. The students saw how in Rosh Chodesh the moon is very small, but it continues circling around until it is a complete circle mid month and then becomes smaller littleby little again until the end of the month. The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar. Aaron Schwartzman told us that he saw the moon one night and it was indeed very small. Morah took a picture of the moon to show all yilaydim (children) how small the moon is at the beginning of the month.For a Shabbat treat this week the class enjoyed Moon cooklies. The final 3 makot are described in this weeks portion as well. We learned the makkot in Hebrew and English.

Third Grade

This month we are having a school wide Brochos contest. The children have to color in a box every time they either make a Brocha out loud or answer Amein to a Brocho someone else made. We just got the blue contest sheet today and some boxes are already filled in. Your child has to remember to bring the blue contest sheet back to school after vacation for a prize. Shabbat Shalom!
Third Grade
Third grade had a wonderful week of learning!
We are happy to have all of our classmates healthy and back in school with us.
We continued to review our Hebrew words and we know them cold! We also learned what the four seasons are and the four directions- all in Ivrit! In Pitgum this week we learned how important it is to learn! Even Rabbi Akiva at age 40 went to learn the Aleph Bet. We should all try to do our best. The only way to learn is to ask.Thank you Benjamin Portman for doing such a nice job.
For the new month of Chodesh Shevat, We began the new unit of Brachot. Learning about it and trying to remember to say it BEFORE we eat. It’s our way to say thank you to Hashem.
The third grade Davening is absolutely beautiful! We’ve added so much already to our prayers yet we are starting slowly to say the entire Shema! Every day we will say another line of V’haya then continuing with Vayomer until the end!
It is so important to say these words every day.
Shabbat Shalom!

Morah Ferber

Fourth Grade
What an accomplishing week we had in 4th grade.
In our beautiful Tefilla, we spoke about how we should be used to doing Hashem’s Torah, and that we should be attached to all the Mitzvot. We gave examples of this concept. The children really understood it well.
In our Chayeinu lessons we spoke about, what Hashem did on every day of creation. Which day were the scary lions created? Which day were the beautiful trees created? The children know it well. Of course, on Shabbat we know Hashem rested.
We spent much time on practicing our Kriah and Kesiva. We read Pesukim of Tehillim. It is a pleasure to see the children grasping the Kriah well.
I did not have a chance to wish everyone a Shabbat Shalom in person being that it snowed today, however please make a snowman and bring a picture of it on Monday. Looking forward to seeing them.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Berelowitz

5th and 6th Boys

BRAND NEW MASECHTA
This week the boys had the amazing privilege of beginning a new Masechta in sha”s [=sheesha sidrei) mishna] aka a new tractate. The new Masechta is called Suka! Yes, like the holiday! We began learning the laws of the measurements of the Suka. How high is too high. how low is too low. How many walls. And more.
We are continuing our detailed journey through Parashat Va’eira, and we are getting closer to the “finish line”. We can already smell the Siyum that we are anticipating when we complete the Parasha. This is in addition to our weekly study of the Parasha in outline form.
We are, of course, davening daily and wearing Tzitzis as well. [Rabbi Kuritsky lends 2 Tzitzis garments, that he purchased for all students who did not bring their own, to say a Bracha on while they wear them, briefly].
Special “shout out” to those boys who continually, proudly wear their very own Tzitzit, daily!
Adiel Zadok. Shai Garber. Yadun Sanders. Yisrael Hanuka. Avigdor Tovshtein.
We look forward to more boys, younger and older following their wonderful example
ᐧ
7th and 8th Girls

Pretty impressive that we began a new section in Parashat B’ha’alos’cha, even with half the girls not attending class in person!
We are learning about Moshe purifying the L’viyim in preparation of their service in the Mishkan. We learned that the l’viyim were required to undergo being sprinkled with a mixture of water and ashes from the Para Aduma aka red heifer. Their clothes also had to be washed = dipped in a Mikve. We learned about the Karbanot that had to be brought as well. Not only did we study the above, but we also utilized the opportunity for girls to exercise their Hebrew reading skills at the same time. Parasha Outline was covered for this week’s Parasha, Parashat Bo. The girls have practiced Sh’mone esre, reading aloud from our new smart board using “siddur online”. This is a viable option for praying at home/on vacation if you happen not to have a siddur handy.
We happily welcome back those girls who were not able to come into school to study with us and we eagerly anticipate the return of those who still have not returned.
Shabbat Shalom

7th and 8th Boys
Dear Parents,
What a great week in 7th and 8th grade boys.
In out Tefilla period we spoke about the Beracha of that we ask Hashem to keep our great Tzadikim. We always look to the Tzadikim for guidance and strength.
We said a story about some boys on a block that made a Kiddush Hashem with Dave Rothman and we emphasized how important it is to make a Kiddush Hashem and be nice to others.

In our Gemara lessons, we discussed a classic Gemara that says an argument if a blind person goes to Galus. We discussed the reasons of each opinion. It was fascinating to hear the boys try to understand the case well.
We started learning Chumash this week. We started from the beginning of the Torah where it discusses what Hashem made on each day of creation. The worksheets the class did were surely incredible.

Topics from the Parsha:
מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ warned פרעה about the eighth מַכָּה: אַרבֶּה. פרעה agreed to let the Yidden go, but he said that the children need to stay in מצרים. Of course, משה didn’t agree. Millions of grasshoppers then covered the whole מצרים and they ate up all the food that had not yet been destroyed.
The next מכּה was חֹשֶׁך. First there were 3 days of complete darkness, that even a candle couldn’t help. After that they had 3 more days of heavier darkness, that wouldn’t let them move.
2 reasons for the extra darkness: 1) So the Yidden could go into their houses and see where they hid their money. 2) So the Mitzrim wouldn’t see that some Yidden had also died.
פרעה now agreed to let even the children go, but he said that the animals need to stay. משה didn’t agree because they would need the animals for קרבנות.
משה warned פרעה about מכת בכורות that every firstborn would die by חצות.
Hashem told משה and אהרן about the first מצוה- ראש חדש – on the first day of ניסן. The Yidden would be able to do this Mitzva when they have a בית דין.
Hashem then told them about 2 מצוות that they should do now in מצרים: 1) קרבן פסח 2)ברית מילה. The Yidden would need to get a sheep or goat that is less than 1 year old on י’ ניסן and check it for 4 days to make sure it doesn’t have any מום. On י”ד ניסן in the afternoon they should bring it as a קרבן. Then they will take some of the blood and put it on their doorposts. The Yidden would also need to roast the meat and eat it all that night. Only a Yid with a ברית מילה can eat from the קרבן פסח, so all the Yidden would do the Mitzva of ברית מילה first.
Hashem also told them about the מצוות of פסח: to eat מצה and not to eat חמץ for 7 days, and to remember and talk about all the great נסים that Hashem did for the Yidden in מצרים.
מכת בכורות: On the first night of פסח, exactly at חצות, all the firstborn Mitzrim and all of the firstborn animals died. Hashem skipped over (פסח) all the houses of the Yidden, who were busy eating the קרבן פסח.
That night, פרעה had gone to sleep (in his pajamas) as usual. He woke up when he heard all the crying and screaming coming from every Mitzri house. He was scared that he would also die because he was also a בכור. (Why didn’t פרעה die?) He went running for משה and אהרן and told them to leave together with all the Yidden and their animals as soon as possible.
Exactly as Hashem had promised אברהם אבינו 430 years before, the Yidden left מצרים with a lot of gold and silver.

Keep it up,
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Berelowitz

Elementary School

Kindergarten

This week kindergarten began reading from a first grade reader and they did an excellent job! They also took their first spelling pretest and did amazing on it! Almost the entire class finished the level 1 primary phonics book and began the first grade spelling book. In math they took their test on nonstandard measurement and began learning how to find the missing whole in a number bond. They also began working in the KB math book. In science they learned all about solids and liquids. They did a fun experiment by putting solid objects into a liquid to see if the object would sink or float. In social studies they began learning about American symbols. This week they learned all about the American Flag.

First Grade

This week the first graders read the fable of the Grasshopper and the Ant. We learned that Ant was prepared because she planned ahead while Grasshopper played all day. Students also practiced making inferences about characters. 
In Social Studies we learned about how communication has changed over time.  Students were surprised to see how people communicate in many different ways such as talking, sign language, and text messages. We even learned about how the Pony Express brought messages across the country by horseback. In Art class students created snow pictures. They also wrote beautiful sensory poems recalling all of the wonderful things about winter.

Second Grade
This week 2nd grade started a new math unit, multiplication and division! In the picture, you can see Aaron Schwartzman turning a multiplication problem into an addition problem to show the connection between the two operations. In grammar, we just completed a test on nouns. The class did really well! We are also working on a descriptive writing piece, which we will continue editing next week. Sophie Braun won student of the month for the month of December! Her excellent grades, neat workspace, and good behavior were all factors in her victory!

Third Grade
This week grade three students were introduced to procedural writing and the many forms it can take. We read about how we can create a homemade ice-cream with a few simple ingredients. We used this piece of writing to analyze the different elements they will need to include next week when creating their own procedural report. During our Grammar lessons, we reviewed common and proper nouns to help us improve our writing skills. During Math lessons, students continued to practice multiplication equations and were also introduced to division. They learned what each part is and then were able to use both operation to solve word problems. During our Social Studies lessons, students began to learn about the early explorers that first visited North America. We learned of the Vikings who came here 1,000 years ago. We learned about Christopher Columbus and Joan Rodriguez Cabrillo who was a mighty conquistador claiming all he stepped on as Spanish land (even California!). Students found it fascinating to learn of what it was like hundreds of years ago for both the men that sailed the globe (which some believed to be flat) as well as the woman who were not permitted to join in any fun.

Fourth Grade
This week in math we started a new unit Operations On Fractions. Students added and subtracted fractions with unlike denominators. Solved word problems by adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators and added mixed numbers.
In ELA students completed persuasive essays and started practicing for the state exam.
In Social Studies we focused on the South’s land and climate. Economic concepts and discussed how people use the resources of the South.
In reading we started a new class chapter book Walk Two Moons.

Fifth Grade
5A
Greetings and salutations!
This week the 5th grade has been busy finishing up their Maniac Magee essays. They have prepared all week for a vocabulary test.
They also learned about possessive nouns. Lastly, they dove into their long response practice with gusto!

5B
This week the 5th grade has been busy finishing up their final Holes Journal. 5B was very excited to finish Holes. They are also looking forward to their new novel!
They have prepared all week for a vocabulary test.
They also learned about possessive nouns. Lastly, they dove into their long response practice with gusto!

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th Grade ELA

Students learned all about pronouns and antecedents. They practiced in class and wrote some awesome paragraphs. In writing, we reviewed the plot pyramid, and diagrammed stories. In reading, we continued our novel study of Milkweed.

6th (Social Studies)
Greetings and salutations!
This week has been all about Ancient China. Students learned about the three major philosophies of Ancient China; Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.
They also learned about the geography of China as well as the Shang Dynasty.

7th ELA
This week students have been reviewing for their vocabulary test. They also learned about the antecedent – pronoun agreement.
Lastly, they finished off their state test practice with a long response mini-essay.
In reading, we are beginning to wrap up the Master Puppeteer. Students got into it quite a bit as we discussed the true identity of the mysterious thief, Saburo.

In Social Studies, we completed our unit on the French and Indian War. We reviewed for a quiz, took a quiz, and everyone did absolutely amazing. We also did an activity in which we examined two primary sources from the era: an excerpt from the proclamation of 1763, and Benjamin Franklin’s ‘Join or Die’ poster.

8th Grade
In ELA, this week has been all about our Animal Farm Essay. Students created outlines and cited textual evidence to support their analysis. Mrs. Hazen is particularly impressed with Yaffa, whose contributions to our class discussion and writing have been phenomenal. Students also reviewed for and took their vocabulary tests.

In Social Studies, we wrapped up our World War II unit and moved onto the Cold War unit. We learned about the Korean War and practiced our map skills.

Middle School Math
5th grade finished multiplication and division of fractions and began working on area of rectangle and triangles.

6th grade finished operations with fractions and decimals and s began working on ratios.

7th grade finished statistics and probability and began working in classifying real numbers.
7B math has completed another unit! We have been working on statistics – mean, median, mode, and range; histograms; box plots; and dot plots. The students have really been impressing their math teachers! We have a test on Tuesday.

8th grade finished solving absolute value and piecewise function and began solving systems of equations with different methods.

Middle School Science

Students are discovering what it means to be alive! Students will be completing a Scientific Explanation answering the essential question “What does an organism need to be deemed alive?” They are investigating various articles and will watch a few videos to begin their investigation, so they can determine a position and make a claim. Once their investigation is complete, students will make their claim and support it with evidence from the sources they used to complete their investigation.

Students learned and understood that the viscosity of the lava that erupts from a volcano can lead to the creation of different volcanic landforms; Students reviewed Unit 6 “Volcanoes”.
6th graders completed a research paper about the most recent Volcanoes on Earth.

Jewish History

7th grade spent quite a bit of time taking a closer look at Hashem’s creations as we learned how Avraham Avinu discovered Hashem. The students surprised me with their insights and I learned some interesting new facts.

8th grade broadened our understanding into Greek influence in Jewish life, why the Greeks targeted specific Mitzvos, and why the Jews fought back at the point as opposed to the many other times they were persecuted earlier in our history.