SIHA Weekly for June 11, 2007

by admin | Jun 11, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Parashat Korach

Special Announcement

A very happy birthday to:

Charles Grego in the 6th Grade!

Maayan Malka in the 4rd Grade!

Michael Clift in the 8th Grade!

Congratulations to the SIHA 2021 Graduates!

This week, thanks to Mrs G. and Ms. Ilanit’s organizational powers, the 8th graders also had their graduation trip and found a surprise when they got back! A great big thank you to our chaperones: Rebecca and Rabbi Kuritsky! 

Mazal Tov to 5th grade upon receiving their Chumashim!

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade
We had wonderful week in Kindergarten Judaics. We learnt a new nekuda patach and have been having a wonderful time doing many patach activities! We have also been practicing for our graduation and are very excited for it!

In First Grade Judaics the children have been practicing a lot for our siddur play! Walk down the hall and you will hear us singing and practicing our parts! We cannot wait to get our siddurim and are looking forward to our play!

Second Grade
We had another productive week as we learned all about Parshat Korach. We learn from this weeks Parsha how destructive jealousy can be The worlds first earthquake took place in Parshat Korach as the earth swallowed Korach and his followers. We are working very hard practicing our Siddur Play and can’t wAit to see all of you Tueday G-d willing.

Third Grade
What an exciting week we had! Our intense learning in Hebrew reading, spelling and dikduk was rewarded with a fun day on Thursday. We made mazal tov cards for our classmates Ariella amd Sarina Elishayev for the brit mila of their new baby brother eliezer’s followed by Maayan birthday party.
We started a kibud av vaem vaem project and discussed the many aspect that could use improvement.
Shabbat shalom
Mrs Ivry

Fourth Grade
4A
This week we continued learning inside our Chumash, and we even covered Yom Seini! The children are learning new Shorashim and spotting them inside the text. They can translate on their own, and they scored beautifully on a grade average on their first Chumash Test. We learned the story of Korach and how bad machlokes (fighting is) We are reviewing Hilchot of Brachot and doing review sheets.

Shabbat Shalom!
Mrs. Bistritz

4B
Thank you Hashem for another wonderful week here in 4B. We are knee deep in exploring a peculiar Nekudah/ hebrew vowel- the Sheva. The children enjoyed the challenge of searching for examples of them in the Siddur. We discussed the rules of when to pronounce it and when to “let it sleep”. Our Chumash classes continue to go strong as our overall comprehension skills sharpen. We regularly sing and speak about our 13 principles of faith, btw, such as, “Hashem has always existed”. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Rosh Chodesh!
Morah Toba

5th and 6th Girls

Dear parents
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful exciting week in Judaics class!
Mazel Tov to our amazing girls who finished Perek Yud Daled in Chumash! We had a fantastic Siyum picnic at the pond with delicious Oreo cake, ice cream bars, pancakes and fruit roll ups.
We thanked Hashem for saving us from the Egyptians and splitting the sea for us by singing at the Pond/Red Sea.
Looking forward to a wonderful week with the girls!
Shabbat Shalom!!
All the best,
Miss Dershowitz

 

5th and 6th Boys

This week we continued our journey through the Mishna.
We also discussed the many lessons to be found in Tanach, especially Parshat Korach
which discusses the importance of Living in Peace and accepting the will of Hashem.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Levy

7th and 8th Girls

The end of this week has us feeling energized and alive, as it was a week of selfless giving. We learnt that the world stands on three things: Torah, work and kindness. We were conscious of the invisible buckert that every person has on their head. We can use our power of giving to fill the buckets of everyone around us. We wrote a couple of thank you letters, sprinkled in compliments ,and volunteered at the Bikur Cholim ( an organization that does many things, one of them being distributing food boxes to those who need) by organizing their giant pantry . We also stuffed arts and crafts bags for sick children and helped the kindergarden in our school with their hebrew reading. Wow, it felt good, as “giving is getting”. We spoke about why we mourn in the Hebrew month of Tamuz and celebrate it’s Rosh Chodesh ( head of the month).( Rosh Chodesh is always a special occasion, even if it begins a month that is mourning- themed.)
Shabbat Shalom, Happy Rosh Chodesh and thank you for sharing your treasures with us!!
Morah Toba

7th and 8th Boys

Elementary School

Kindergarten
If you walked into kindergarten this week you would have thought you were walking into a first grade classroom! I am so proud of them and how hard they have been working. They finished writing their non fiction books. They learned about adjectives and wrote 3 or more sentences to describe pictures using as many adjectives as they can. They also picked different parts and read a play. In math they learned how to use their knowledge of friends of ten to add 3 numbers using mental math. They also worked with tens and ones and can now add large numbers such as 60 plus 8 using mental math. In science they continued to learn about butterflies as they got to observe our caterpillars make their chrysalises. Kindergarten is so excited for the butterflies to come out of the chrysalis that the children can be found checking on the caterpillars many times a day. In social studies they learned how to find where they live on a map by learning about our continent, country, state, and borough.

First Grade
The first graders were very busy this week. We read a story called “The Ugly Vegetables” and learned the importance of sharing with our neighbors. In Social Studies we discussed the rights and responsibilities of US citizens to vote. We even held an election to choose our favorite ice cream!
In Math students continue to count sets of coins. They were excited to learn that each coin has the face of a former US president. Finally, as we enjoy the spring season, students identify plants and flowers. In Art students made a model of a willow plant in a vase. I think they did an amazing job.

Second Grade

This week the second graders have been hard at work. In ELA, they did a great job acting out a play! They also learned about pronouns. In math, the second grade has continued to work on mastering multiplication facts and reviewing topics from earlier in the year. In social studies, the students have been learning all about citizenship, rights and responsibilities, and laws. June 2nd was Ava Mekler’s birthday. Happy birthday Ava! Ms. Bronstein would like to commend Sarit Iunger and Benjamin Portman for doing such a great job at portraying emotions while acting in the play in ELA class!

Third Grade
This week grade three students reviewed the various types of verbs. From action to helping, as well as the linking verbs in all their tenses and quantities, students demonstrated their abilities to identify and use each correctly. During our Math lessons, students concentrated on analyzing and solving word problems that utilized their addition, subtraction, multiplication, and (long) division skills. During our Social Studies, students continued to explore the Cherokee history and culture. They discovered commonalities between the Cherokee and the Jewish people in not only the communal ties, but also the similar struggles that both people had gone through. On a lighter note, they also learned how the Cherokee would play stick ball to solve arguments and the Booger dance…which the Cherokee used as a prayer to keep the negative forces away. During our Reading lessons, students continued their journey on the giant peach across the open sky. They have been alongside the crew in their escapades and challenges, but the most suspenseful moment is still to come in our very next chapter.
Miss Sasha

In social studies the students learned about the colonization of America.

In math, 5th grade continued working on percent word problems.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th
In ELA, the sixth graders worked on their plot pyramid project! Students analyzed the genre and the plot of a story, and are ready to do their own creative writing next week. We also continued our novel study of the City of Ember.
Greetings and salutations!
6th grade had a good week this week.
In Social Studies they continued to learn about Ancient Rome. Specifically, they learned about how Rome went from being a Republic to being an Empire. The 6th graders were very interested in Julius Caesar in particular.

7th
In ELA, we continued working on our Hero’s Journey unit. Students wrote a creative short story that takes a character through the different parts of a hero’s journey. Everyone did a very good job! Mrs. Hazen was particularly impressed with Doron’s story!
In Social Studies, we started our final unit on the the role of United States as a world power at the turn of the last century.
8th
The 8th grade had a busy week! They had their graduation trip, and are busily practicing for their graduation next week.
In social studies, we wrapped up our unit on the Cold War, and are taking our final quiz of the year.

Middle School Math

6th grade learned about proportional relationships and the constant of proportionality.
7th grade finished their unit on probability.
7th grade honors finished learning transformational geometry.
8th grade reviewed core algebra concepts.
8th grade honors is working on regents prep.

Middle School Science
Jewish History
7th grade is rapidly approaching the end of the year flying high. We took a brief look at the times of Shmuel HaNavi and learned to be careful how we treat other people. We also learned how one person can change the world.\

8th grade took a walkthrough through history and took a look at the 21 prophecies in the Torah given for the entire Jewish people that applied for the future. The students proved how the first 18 already came true. We are eagerly awaiting the completion of 19, 20, and 21, very soon.

SIHA Weekly for June 4, 2021

by admin | Jun 4, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Dvar Torah Parashat Sh’lach,
This week’s Parasha is famous for discussing the M’raglim-spies. Moshe sent twelve men to “spy out” the land of Israel. Hashem did not want this. He only allowed it. Moshe requested it upon the request of the people. The “spies” were actually great men [at least before they acted as spies], but went bad [according to some commentators.
The Chidushei Harim [an earlier commentator] explains the rationale of the “spies” speaking negatively about Eretz Yisrael. He explains that while the Jews were in the Midbar the wilderness, they were totally taken care of. Food rained down from heaven daily. The clouds of glory afforded comfort and protection from the elements and potential [and real] enemies. Their clothing grew with them.
They were able to totally focus on spirituality. The spies were concerned that after the Jewish people would settle in the land of Israel, they would need to divert their attention from spirituality and focus on materialism and the mundane.
That was their concern. Hashem is the one who decided that B’nei Yisrael should go into Israel. He created us. He understands us. He wanted and wants us to still be spiritual even when we are not sheltered.
This is His plan. We should; go to work daily, [except for Shabbos, of course] go shopping, mingle amongst the people of the world, and still remain faithful to Hashem.
As parents and teachers, we like to “shelter” our children from “bad” influences. This is terrific. We do not want our children growing up with all the influences “out there”. It is a great way to raise and educate children, yet we must also strengthen them to be ready to “stay strong” even when the “winds are blowing” in a harmful direction.
The Jews had forty years of “shelter” from physical and spiritual enemies in the Midbar. After forty years though, Hashem decided that B’nei Yisrael was prepared to “go out in the world” and still succeed.
Let us raise our children as “sheltered” as possible yet prepare them to be able to succeed in “the real world”, and stay faithful to Hashem and his Torah.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Y.S. Kuritsky

Special Announcements

Dear SIHA family,

SIHA’s families were personally invited by the Rabbi of the Yeshiva for the completion of a new sefer torah.

We hope to see you all there,

SIHA administration

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

Kindergarten –  Coby Rosner
First Grade –  Brianna Sanders
Second Grade –  Amit Amos
Third Grade –  Lia Amos
4A –  Adiel Zadok
4-B –  Lila Havia
Fifth Grade – Matthew Tayrimov
Middle School – Eva Leivent
Middle School (Judaics) Leam Bilik 

Programming News

Dear Parents.
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week here at Siha!
We are greatly looking forward to Shabbat week, week of June 14-18. Details will be forthcoming.
Shabbat Shalom!
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade

We had wonderful week in Kindergarten Judaics. We learnt a new nekuda patach and have been having a wonderful time doing many patach activities! We have also been practicing for our graduation and are very excited for it!

In First Grade Judaics the children have been practicing a lot for our siddur play! Walk down the hall and you will hear us singing and practicing our parts! We cannot wait to get our siddurim and are looking forward to our play!

Second Grade

Another short week flew by as we continue to prepare for our Siddur Play June 15 G-d willing. The children are working hard practicing their parts and songs. In this weeks Parsha we learn about the mitzva of tzizit. The boys all received tzizit which they are privileged to wear on a daily basis. Shabbat Shalom

Third Grade

This week third graders started a new chapter in their Hebrew skills: spelling. After a weeks practice, most students are able to spell basic Hebrew words by dictation. We will continue to work on this important skill until the end of the year.
We introduce a Kibbid Av Vaem project with 2 important stories about respecting parents. This is one of the 10 commandments that also includes teachers, first born and elders. We will continue working on this important lesson while learning and putting in practice in class and at home the proper way to address and disagree with parents/teachers.
To finish off a great week of learning and growing, we made Challah as we learnt in this week’s parsha about the special mitzva of separating Challah that was given to the Jews before entering the land of Israel. This Mitzva serves as a reminder that Hashem is the One who provides for us.
Enjoy the Challah
Shabbat shalom
Mrs Ivry

Zach שי Garber wins the class davening prize, a soft hot pretzel

5th and 6th Girls
Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week. We moved on learning more blessings in the Shemoneh Esrei. We learned all about Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Bait Hamikdash (Holy Temple.)
We learned about how the more Mitzvot we do, the wealthier we’ll be forever.
We really enjoyed the Kotel (Western Wall) virtual reality. It was very cool!
The girls had a great time, (shrieking) and enjoying the amazing experience of the Kotel and the blessing which Kohanim bless the Jewish people.
We moved on in Chumash learning all about the miraculous splitting of the red sea. We had a great time at our makeshift splitting of the sea, as we walked through the dry land singing, “Thank You Hashem.”
We learned all about this week’s Parsha, Parshat Shelach.
Shabbat Shalom! Have an enjoyable weekend!
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th Boys

This week was fascinating!
As we approach the end of the year, we are on schedule to finish the 4rth chapter of Sukkah. We also learned the powerful lesson of the Meraglim/Spies and discussed the necessity of trusting in Hashem at all times.

Ariella and Yaffa baked a cake for Shabbat! They decorated it with a handmade baby Moshe in the basket being found by the Pharaoh’s daughter.

7th and 8th Boys
We have been continuing our lengthy and informative Y’diot K’laliot, i.e. what is a bride and groom called in Hebrew [Kalah and Choson], what is the procedure that ends Shabbat called [Havdalah] etc.
On that note..shout out to Josh Osher for making Havdalah for the 8th grade [on Tuesday]. A louder shout out to Shai, Amiel, Leam B and Noah for saying Havdalah at the proper time and in the proper way, on Saturday night [thanks to Rabbi Kuritsky’s email reminder] in Amiel’s home!
We learned a lot about the M’raglim-the spies who searched out the land of Israel.
We began with interesting questions from a sefer called Achas Sha’alti, actuel questions posed to Reb Yitzchok Zilberstein , a great posek – decider of Halacha. One day we had the question about a woman who faked being the mother of a groom in order to teach a lesson to two girls who had spoken Loshon Hara. about the Kalah.
The question; on one hand she taught a valuable lesson, on the other hand she lied and made them feel bad?
Another question; a fellow found a $100 dollar bill on Shabbos and when a pauper claimed he had seen it first , which clearly does not make it belong to him, the original finder who was standing on the bill [which is 100% permitted on Shabbat] said he would give part of the $ to him as Tz’daka. After Shabbat the finder realized that it was a fake bill!
Does the finder still need to give the pauper the $ that he said he would give?
Most boys said “yes!”
Yisroel Friedman correctly said “no!”

Shai, Doron and Yisrael practicing הבדלה so that boys will know what to do after shabbat

Rabbi Kuritsky explaining the מצווה of ציצית 4B

Josh osher saying הבדלה for the 4th Grade

Noga and Eliana giving a Torah presentation and skit.

Lana, Taylor, Arielle and Rachel’s Torah slideshow and skit

Elementary School

Kindergarten

I am so proud of kindergarten they are becoming such fluent readers! They began reading their 4th first grade reader and they are doing an excellent job decoding all of these first grade words. They read a funny story full of long vowel words about a child who was late to school. They learned all about syllables and what sounds y can make when it is a vowel. They continued to independently work on writing their own nonfiction books. In math they are really enjoying learning how to tell time. They can already tell time to the hour and they can identify the difference between AM and PM. They also began memorizing the friends of ten. In science they were so excited to meet their new class pets. They have been acting like real scientists as they carefully observe and record the growth of the caterpillars. They love to observe them walk and eat and they can’t wait until they become butterflies! In social studies they learned a fun dance to help them remember which way is north, south, east, and west.

Aaron did a terrific job on his science fair project. He taught the class the difference between organic and non-organic fruits, which one lasts longer, and which one is healthier for us to eat.

The first graders were very busy this week. We read a story called “The Ugly Vegetables” and learned the importance of sharing with our neighbors. In Social Studies we discussed the rights and responsibilities of US citizens to vote. We even held an election to choose our favorite ice cream!
In Math students continue to count sets of coins. They were excited to learn that each coin has the face of a former US president. Finally, as we enjoy the spring season, students identify plants and flowers. In Art students made a model of a willow plant in a vase. I think they did an amazing job.

This week the second graders have been hard at work. In ELA, they did a great job acting out a play! They also learned about pronouns. In math, the second grade has continued to work on mastering multiplication facts and reviewing topics from earlier in the year. In social studies, the students have been learning all about citizenship, rights and responsibilities, and laws. June 2nd was Ava Mekler’s birthday. Happy birthday Ava! Ms. Bronstein would like to commend Sarit Iunger and Benjamin Portman for doing such a great job at portraying emotions while acting in the play in ELA class!
In science, students finished Chapter 10 “Energy”. Students learned that sound, light, and heat are all forms of energy.

Third Grade

This week grade 3 students reviewed vertical multiplication and long division equations. During their Grammar lessons, students focused on identifying different types of verbs. They worked on locating the action, helping, and linking verbs. During their computer lesson, students learned about another software called PowerPoint. During their Social Studies lessons, students were introduced to the Cherokee tribe. Among other elements, they are exploring the different styles of homes that the Navajo, Yurok, and the Cherokee build.

In science, students learned about forces, what causes a change in motion, how friction works.An assessment is assigned to the students in the following week.
Miss Sasha

Fourth Grade
4A
This week in math we finished unit on bar graphs and line plots.
In ELA we finished unit on adverbs, prepositions, and expository writing. In Social Studies we read and discussed how people of the United States are linked by transportation, communication, trade, and shared heritage.
Our class started a new class chapter book Flora and Ulysses by:Kate DiCamillo.
In science, students learned about electricity, types of electric circuits, and what is an electric current.

Zach שי Garber wins the class davening prize, a soft hot pretzel

4B
This week 4B is working on their writing. Mrs. Rosskamm has been coming into the class and helping us with our paragraph formation. She is teaching the class how to properly format paragraphs, and make sure all of our sentences connect to our topic sentence. I also
assigned an open ended writing assignment to assess their paragraph writing skills. In math we are reviewing geometry. In social studies we are learning about the western region of the United States. Lila Havia received student of the month for the month of May! I awarded her with this honor due to her dedication and persistence in the classroom.
In science, students identified and reviewed the ways that thermal energy can be transferred.

Fifth Grade

Greetings and salutations!
In ELA the 5th graders had a busy week. The 5th graders learned about object pronouns in grammar. They finished their Coraline essays and learned about Terezin. They read poems and studied the art work made by the children of Terezin. Finally, they wrote a reflection on their selected poem and artwork. 

In math, 5th grade practiced percent word problems.

In science, students learned and understood the Laws of Motion. An assessment is assigned to students in the following week.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th Grade
Sixth graders had a great week!
We wrapped up our reading and writing workbook with a long response that compared and contrasted two fictional stories. Everyone worked very hard!
In reading, we continued our novel study of the City of Ember. The students are really getting into the mystery!
In writing class, we started our unit on different genres in fiction. We learned about what a genre is, what different genres exist and we came up with some great examples.

In social studies the students continued to learn about the Roman Republic. In particular, we focused on how the government of the Roman Republic influenced our government today. The students also learned about the Roman Republic’s system of law and the importance of the rule of law in particular.

7th grade
Seventh graders had a good week!
In reading, we are continuing our novel study of the Indian in the Cupboard. In writing, we started our unit on the Hero’s Journey. We took notes on the different stages, and read fiction stories and marked the different stages of the hero’s journey!

In Social Studies, we wrapped up our unit on the western expansion. We watched videos and looked at primary sources on the second industrial revolution, and are creating a research project (due Monday) on the important inventions and inventors of the 19th century.

8th grade
Eighth graders had a busy week!
The students are busily preparing for their graduation, and wrapping up the school year with style! In reading, we continued our novel study of the Book Thief and had some awesome class discussions. We also reviewed using textual evidence in paragraphs!

In Social Studies, we are in the middle of our unit on the Cold War. We learned about the war in Korea, the Red Scare, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Middle School Math

6th grade finished learned statistics and is learning how to perform basic operations with positive and negative numbers.
7th grade is learning how to use probability to make predictions.
7th grade honors finished learning about system of equations and will be learning transformational geometry.
8th grade finished reviewing multistep equations.
8th grade honors finished learning about sequences and series and will be learning about linear regression.

Middle School Science
6th gr.
Students finished the Chapter”Laws of Motion”. A final test was assigned to the students.

7th Grade Science

As a part of our journey through nutrition, the students are now learning how certain macromolecules affect our body. Sometimes the things that we eat give us energy and then very shortly thereafter, we crash. We get this overwhelming feeling of tiredness, loss of focus, and feelings of hunger. Students will be finishing up the year with a digestion project. Students will investigate various aspects of their diet and conduct research regarding their habits. Students will complete either a powerpoint presentation or an essay

8th Grade Science

As our SIHA Seniors wind down the year and finish up all of the necessary work to complete their Living Environment course, students are getting more and more excited about their next phase of life and their energy is quite invigorating. Students are completing their final LE Lab to fulfill their course requirements and sit for the NYS Regent. This lab allows students to investigate 7 different types of tests to determine the relationship between organisms. Once this is complete, we will be on a Regent Review until students sit for the exam, attendance is imperative.

Jewish History

This week has been very eventful as we move on towards the finish line. 7th grade cycled through 350 years of the period of the Judges and will soon meet the first Jewish king!

SIHA Weekly for May 28, 2021

by admin | May 28, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Dvar Torah Parashat B’ha’alolesecha
There is an interesting Mitzvah given to Moshe in this week’s Parasha.
To form trumpets .
Depending on how many “blows” or what type or with one or both of the trumpets, would signal something different, i.e. should only the princes come to the tent of meeting should all of the children of Israel come..
There are two more, yet very different occasions mentioned for use of these trumpets.
1 To announce a war.
2 To celebrate a happy occasion.
These seem contradictory.
Rabbi Yissoschor Frand explains the apparent incongruency based on what Rambam [Maimonides] writes regarding blowing the trumpets on fast days and troubled times. He writes that the trumpets is a way of crying out to Hashem to save us from our troubles and to remind us to repent.
Troubles come from sins.
Rabbi Frand says that this could answer the apparent contradiction. EVERYTHING comes from Hashem! The troubles AND the “good stuff”.
Therefore we “blow” at war time and at happy times to remind us that everything is from Him.
We tend to think that the bad stuff is from Hashem, and ask “why is He doing this?”, but when things are good, we say “hey, its to my credit”!
The sefer Shemen Hatov writes that if we remember to “blow the trumpets”-to thank Hashem when things are good, He will not ask us to remember Him “blow the trumpets”- for the opposite.
Let us all remember to “blow the trumpets” when He gives us good times so that we will not need to “blow the trumpets” in other instances.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Kuritsky

Special Announcement

Dear parents,
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week at Siha!
Round of applause to all the incredible boys and girls who did a kindness a day throughout the days of Sefirat Haomer, and completed their charts!
They all enjoyed italian ices as their prize.
We are looking forward to a very exciting week here at Siha, week of June 14-18. Details will be forthcoming.
Shabbat Shalom! Have an enjoyable and restful weekend.
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade
We had a great week in Kindergarten Judaics! We have learnt our first nekuda that says ah, and are practicing putting it together with the aleph bet letters. We have also been practicing a lot for our graduation and are very excited!
In First Grade Judaics we have been practicing our script writing, the students are doing a great job! We have also been practicing for our siddur play and cannot wait fo June 15th!
Shabbat Shalom!

Second Grade

The 2nd graders are working very hard preparing for their Siddur Play which will G-d willing take place Tuesday June 15 at 11:00. We can’t wait to greet all our wonderful parents at this grand celebration. We are practicing and learning so much when we use our new Purple Aleph Champ workbooks. In this weeks Parsha Beha’aloscha we learned about Aharon Hakohein (Moshe’s brother) who was given the privilege of lighting the Menorah. We also learned about the severity of speaking or listening to Loshon hora. In Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers which is all about character development) we learned that our friend’s honor should be as important to us as our own honor.
Shabbat Shalom

Third grade

In 3rd grade we are getting ready to learn chumash in 4th grade. We are sharpening our reading skills and speed. We are also working on spelling with daily drills.
In dikduk we learned to combine an adjective to the noun by matching the form zachar nekeva Rabim and rabot. We used flashcards on the board to build words.
In Parsha we learnt about the mitzva to light the Golden Menorah daily on the Bet hamikdash and the special mitzva of pesach sheni, the second pesach.
Shabbat shalom
Mrs Ivry

Fourth Grade
4A
It was AMAZING to watch how fast the children are picking up on our Brand New subject of Chumash.
The children sing the pesukim with the translation beautifully. We played review games with new words. On Thursday the children learned in a :Chavruta Shaft” (2 pair learning) the sounds of them saying the pesukim sounded like a real live Bet Medrash, and the sounds of Torah learning was awesome!
The children are learning new concepts such as Shorashim , prefixes and suffixes to the text.

Shabbat Shalom,
Mrs. Bistritz

4B
Thank you Hashem for another wonderful week! It’s with such great enthusiasm that we open our Chumashim each day. Translating the words in the Chumash is a thrill, learning all about that fabulous first week of the world when it was being created is fascinating. Hashem’s intention in creation, we discussed, is to give. Lately we’ve been really busy filling up our “suitcases” with Mitzvot in order to receive eternal reward. Two girls expressed their disappointment in having to come late to school sometimes because they don’t like to miss any Davening, wow. We spoke all about the Jew’s eventful journey in the desert in this week’s Parshah. Our Hebrew handwriting continues to pick up as we practice each holy letter in our workbooks ( and sometimes on the white board).
Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Toba

5th and 6th Girls

Dear parents.
Thank G-d, we had a wonderful week!
Happy Bat Mitzvah to Lily! We all had a great time at her Bat Mitzvah party on Monday. We went around the table and the girls all gave her a Bat Mitzvah blessing.
We moved on in Shemoneh Esrei to learn the next few blessings. We had a very exciting Translation-A-Thon game, which tested the girls’ knowledge of the translation of the Shemoneh Esrei blessings.
Round of applause to Sophie and Ruti who got 83 points and won the prize???
We moved on in Chumash, learning about how the Jews were trapped on all sides, as the Egyptians chased them. They trusted in G-d tremendously and were therefore all fighting to jump into the sea, even before it split!
We learned the Parsha, Parshat Beha’alotcha, about the Jews encampment in the desert.
Shabbat Shalom! Have a restful weekend.
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

7th and 8th Girls

Thank you Hashem for another wonderful week! We began to speak all about the wonderful genes that we have from our Sara Imeinu, our mother, the first Jewish woman. She remained calm and serene all her life despite the many difficulties that she faced in her life because she believed and trusted in Hashem through thick and thin. She lit the first Shabbat candles which miraculously lasted from week to week. We spoke all about the importance and beauty of this Mitzvah. Hashem helps a woman bring serenity into her home as she lights. A Tefillah that we’re exploring is the Tefillah of Shema. We spoke about it’s significance and are now translating it’s beautiful phrases. We had great fun making potato kugel in honor of Shabbat!
Shabbat Shalom!
Morah Toba

7th and 8th Boys

7/8 boys blurb
We learned a lot about Parashat B’ha’alosecha.
We learned about Aharon ha’cohen lighting the Menorah.
Aharon and Moshe purifying The Levites, using three methods
A Sprinkling parah aduma water on them
B shaving them
C washing their clothes in the mikvah

L’viyim taking the place of the b’chorim first borns because they served the golden calf
Pesach Sheini
We also learned laws of washing hands properly according to halacha Rabbi Kuritsky did a live demonstration.
Shai Nisim Koldin did a demonstration on how to make havdalah on Saturday night, with grape juice, cinnamon and fire.
And more!

Amiel preparing the meat for the cholent

Elementary School

Kindergarten

This week kindergarten practiced spelling and reading words with the long E vowel sound. They worked in groups or they worked independently to research a topic they were interested in learning about. They filled in a graphic organizer about their topic by reading nonfiction books and watching videos about their topic. They picked topics such as cheetahs, sharks, whales, snakes, dinosaurs, butterflies, and astronauts to write about. They also read a story about children in a band. In math they became money experts. They used money to buy items in our fake store and they played games to practice counting money. They are even able to read and answer word problems about money! In science they learned all about the parts of the plant, what each part of the plant does, and they sang a fun song to help them remember the parts of a plant. The class also dissected a seed to learn about the parts of a seed. In social studies they learned about what is on a map and a globe and about the differences between maps and globes,

The children did an amazing job presenting their science fair projects to the class! They were all able to teach the class different ways to stay healthy. I am so proud of all of them and how well they presented their projects!
Ilan taught us which brand of chips are healthier to eat.
Liad taught us which bandage brand is better to buy because it will keep out germs the longest.
Joseph taught us which type of candy is not good for our teeth.
Emanuella taught us how our sense of smell can impact our sense of taste.
Ethan M. taught us which drink is not healthy because it has the most amount of sugar.
Max taught us which drink is not healthy for our teeth.
Alexander and Yosef taught us about our sense of taste.

First Grade

The fabulous first graders were busy with SATs this week. However, they did a great job with the Science Symposium. Students were excited to share all they learned about plants. We discovered sugar keeps flowers fresh longer than water alone. Students were delighted to see white carnations change to blue, green and yellow as the stems soaked in the food coloring. Lastly, we were surprised to observe that lemon juice could keep apples from browning. Overall, the Symposium was a success, thanks in large part to the contributions of our awesome first grade parents!!!

4B

This week 4B was very busy! We had a grammar test on Monday, on pronouns. On Tuesday we had a social studies test on the states in the midwestern region of the United States. On Thursday we had a math test on operations with decimals. We are happy and relieved to be done with all of the tests this week, and are looking forward to our last few weeks together before the summer!

Fifth Grade
Greetings and salutations!

This has been an incredibly busy week for the 5th grade. I want to give a huge shout out to the 5th grade for hanging in there and doing their best during the Stanford Tests. They really worked hard! I’m incredibly proud of all of the 5th graders for their hard work this week!

In more mundane news, in social studies class the 5th grade continued to learn about the Age of Exploration!

In math, 5th grade practiced solving the percentage of numbers.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies

Greetings!
Congratulations to the 6th graders for finishing their Stanford Tests!

In social studies news, the 6th grade has begun their journey into Ancient Rome. The class is excited to learn about the Romans and their impact on the world.

Great job 7th grade! The students worked very hard on their SATs this week.
In social studies, we wrapped up our Civil War unit and started learning about the Reformation Era. Students made a newspaper page reporting on a major Civil War battle!

8th graders had a busy week! In grammar, we reviewed active and passive voices. In writing, students reviewed evaluating an argument, and wrote beautiful paragraphs. In reading, we continued our novel study of The Book Thief!

In Social Studies, we wrapped up our World War II unit and took a test. Everyone did a great job! We also started our unit on the aftermath of Victory and the beginnings of the Cold War.

Middle School Math

6th grade finished learning about measures of central tendencies.
7th grade learned about theoretical probability.
7th grade honors finished the unit on solving of systems of linear equations.
8th grade practiced solving multi-step equations with parentheses.
8th grade honors is learning about arithmetic and geometric series.

Middle School Science

7th Grade Science

As a part of our journey through nutrition, the students are now learning how certain macromolecules affect our body. Sometimes the things that we eat give us energy and then very shortly thereafter, we crash. We get this overwhelming feeling of tiredness, loss of focus, and feelings of hunger. Students will be finishing up the year with a digestion project. Students will investigate various aspects of their diet and conduct research regarding their habits. Students will complete either a powerpoint presentation or an essay

8th Grade Science

As our SIHA Seniors wind down the year and finish up all of the necessary work to complete their Living Environment course, students are getting more and more excited about their next phase of life and their energy is quite invigorating. Students are completing their final LE Lab to fulfill their course requirements and sit for the NYS Regent. This lab allows students to investigate 7 different types of tests to determine the relationship between organisms. Once this is complete, we will be on a Regent Review until students sit for the exam, attendance is imperative.

Jewish History

7th grade is moving forward quickly into the Land of Israel. We learned about the fall of Yericho, the battle of Ai and the war against the Gevonim. Yehoshua stopped the sun when he needed more time!
8th grade is learning quite a bit of Roman history as we explore their interactions with the Jewish nation.

SIHA Weekly for May 21, 2021

by admin | May 21, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Parashat Naso
In this week’s Parasha – Portion the Torah discusses the laws of what is to be given to the Kohen/Levi. The Torah says the following words Ish et kadashav lo yih’ye “A man his holy [stuff-that he was supposed to give to the kohen/Levi] to him[self] it shall be”. This means that in some way, even though we must give it to the Kohen/Levi, it is nevertheless his to some degree.
The Midrash says that if someone holds onto the gifts that are to be given to the kohen/levi he will inevitably have to give it away in some other manner, i.e. to a doctor for medical expenses.
This is very scary! At times we are “not in the mood” to give charity, but if we remember the alternative, it will not be so difficult.
We must remember that the $ we are holding onto really belongs to Hashem. We are merely his treasurer.
Rabbi Yissoschor Frand Shlita brings a story from the Sefer Lulei Sorascha written by rav Shach’s grandson that one time a man named Tzvi Genauer once dropped off $5,000.00 by Rav Shach’s door and exclaimed “this $ can be distributed to the charity of your preference.
Why did Tzvi send this $ ?
The response was “Tzvi was scheduled to have an operation [to make a longer story, a little shorter] and saved $ that he thought he would need towards that end, and felt that the opposite of the above is also true; since he did NOT need the $ for medical, he SHOULD give it to charity.
Let us give charity how and when we are supposed to, so that we will never Chas V’shalom need to give it elsewhere.
Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Kuritsky

Special Announcement

Happy Birthday to:

• Lily Shamay in 6th Grade!
• Liad Hanuka in Kindergarten!
• Tanya Shutman in 3rd Grade!
• Eva Leivent in 6th Grade!

Note from Mrs. Hazen

This week’s newsletter is very short! The week was short, with everyone getting back into school and coming back from Shavout. Students reviewed, and got ready for Stanford testing next week in grades 3, 5, and 6.

Please enjoy the brief notes from the teachers below, and please look forward to a full newsletter next week!

Judaics

5/6th boys

Coming on the heels of Shavuot, this week was special!
We spent a lot of time discussing the idea of “Derech eretz kadma ltorah” That basic human decency needs to be the starting point to any growth in Torah.
We ended the week with a Yom Iyun on the topic of Shalom, a full day, in depth look at the vital topic of living in harmony with people.
As we explained to the boys, “Dont be right,be smart”.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Levy

7/8th boys

This week, albeit a short week, was concentrated with learning.
We learned a subject that is brought up in this week’s Parasha, in depth. The subject is referred to as Sota . We also discussed a very important and very relevant Halacha called yichud. The laws about men, women, girls and boys over a certain age not remaining alone in a house, apartment or even a locked room. The laws of Yichud are connected to the law of Sota.
We also discussed the laws of washing one’s hands , and the reasons and conditions.
Great exciting prizes and raffles were awarded this week.
Make sure to see the pictures of last week’s Har Sinai cupcake decoration in honor of Shavuot. Also see pictures of the bike ride with the Rabbi enjoyed by students and the Rabbi as well.
Last week boys, girls and staff alike enjoyed potato kugel created by Mrs.Kuritsky. It was hot and delicious! potato kugel is a Jewish comestible [fancy word for food], usually served on Shabbat. It is mainly an Ashkenazi comestible, but enjoyed by Sephardic Jews and non Jews as well.

Leam’s 100% in his פרשה test, again!

Boys proudly decorating cupcakes to look like הר סיני at מתן תורה in honor of שבועות

Elementary School

Our amazing first graders explored many topics regarding plants. In preparation for the Science Symposium we conducted several experiments involving plants and their parts. We made observations about seeds, fruit, flowers, and stems. Students are really engaged as we collect data and discuss our findings.
Students also presented reports about US National symbols such as the Liberty Bell and Mount Rushmore. Did you know that the Statue of Liberty is 151 feet tall? In Math we practiced counting coins. Students were so excited to tell which president and monument are on the penny, nickel, and dime.

Middle School

7th grade Science
As a part of our journey through nutrition, the students are now learning how certain macromolecules affect our body. Sometimes the things that we eat give us energy and then very shortly thereafter, we crash. We get this overwhelming feeling of tiredness, lose focus, feeling hungry. So students are answering this question “How long does the energy from a buttered bagel last? Students will consume a buttered bagel and fill in the chart below throughout the course of 3 hours. Their hypothesis is “If we eat a buttered bagel, our energy will last for approximately 21/2 hours. We will keep you apprised of our findings.

8th Grade Business

SIHA Senior Trip has been finalized!!! Woohooo!!!! Congratulations 8th Grade Students and Parents, you made it, you did it, you overcame some obstacles that most of us never experienced before. We can reflect on the last year and sob about all of the changes that Covid 19 brought us, but I believe Hashem wants us to see the positive side of all things. Covid taught us to think outside of the box, a skill necessary for critical thinking and success in many areas of our lives, it brought many of us closer to family, as a result of being quarantined, it taught many of us our weaknesses (zoom) and strengths (zoom–lol), which is imperative for us to move forward. Being aware of what we need to change is important part of who we are, as being reflective permits growth and helps us incorporate change. Parents, please be on the lookout for an email with all of the trip specifics, once again thank you for all of your support.

SIHA Weekly for May 14

by admin | May 14, 2021 | Newsletter

Dvar Torah

Dvar Torah Parashat Bamidbar-Shavuot
This week’s Parsha is Bamidar- In the wilderness/Desert
Interestingly, Parashat Bamidbar always precedes the holiday of Shavuot-it is always read the Shabbat immediately prior to Shavuot.

The holiday of Shavuot actually has quite a few names;

Z’man matan Torateinu -the time of giving of our holy Torah
It is thus called because this is the date that we received the Torah

Shavuot Weeks, because we will have completed the seven weeks from the omer until Shavuot

Chag Hakatzir – Holiday of harvest, in the land of Israel this is the time of harvest. It is also
the day that Hashem judges on the coming year’s harvest.

Chag Habikurim – “Holiday of First fruits”, because This was the holiday when a farmer would bring his first fruits/grain of that year’s produce.

Getting back to “why is Parashat Bamidbar always read the Shabbat immediately preceding Shavuot?”…
One answer given is; The last Parasha in Sefer Vayikra-Leviticus was B’chukotai, which included the B’rachot-blessings and the Klalot-curses.
Shavuot, as we mentioned above is the day when Hashem determines the fruit harvest.
The connection could be as follows;
R’ Tzadok Hakohen z”l (died 1900) explains that before Adam sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, he was surrounded by abundant fruit trees that had been planted by G-d’s own “hands.” After his sin, he was cursed that he would have to work the ground to earn his food. However, when Bnei Yisrael received the Torah, they (temporarily) returned to the spiritual level that Adam had before his sin, and thus Shavuot is a propitious time to judge the fruit harvest favorably. (Pri Tzaddik: Vayikra p.209)
Another explanation as to why the holiday of Shavuot is when we are judged regarding the harvest is;
R’ Moshe of Kobrin z”l (late 18th century) offers another explanation: The Torah (Devarim 20:19) refers to man as “Adam eitz hasadeh” – ” man is a tree of the field”. Man is judged for the fruit harvest on Shavuot, based on how he accepts the Torah on this holiday. (Torat Avot)
The main “celebration of Shavuot” is that we received and continue to receive the Torah. This is what separates us Jews from all nations of the world. it is what makes us special. Let us renew our kabalot hatorah by accepting it again. Let us all accept a little more upon ourselves. Shabbat/Kosher/Family purity etc.

Let this renewed acceptance be a merit for us and the people of Israel.

Shabbat Shalom
Chag Sameach
Rabbi Y.S. Kuritsky
Judaic studies curriculum coordinator

Special Announcements!

Congratulations to our wonderful Students of the Month!
Kindergarten – Ethan Sandler
First Grade – Robin Greenstein
Second Grade – Mira Elkaiev
Third Grade – Ryan Svyatkovsky
4A – Joshua Ryzhikov
4B – Sapir Benlulu
Fifth Grade – Gabi Mekler
Middle School – Noga Sayag
Middle School Judaics – Amiel Lavy

Programming News

Dear parents.
We had a wonderful week in Siha, thank G-d!
In honor of Rosh Chodesh Sivan, (the 1st day in the month of Sivan) which was on Wednesday, every student received delicious Torah Oodles because we received the Torah this month of Sivan.
Everyone had an amazing time decorating Har Sinai cupcakes and putting them in the beautiful boxes.
Enjoy the Siha family Shavuot packages! Look up the Shavuot recipes, they are delicious??
Shabbat Shalom, have a beautiful Shavuot!
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz and Miss Weitzner

Judaics

Kindergarten and First Grade

What a great week we had in K and First Grade Judaics, we spent a lot of our week learning about Shavuot! We made clay har sinais, flower projects, and har sinai cupcakes! We also played a really fun battleship Shavuot review game! We cannot wait to show all our projects and knowledge at home! Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!

Second Grade
We had a terrific week as we began preparing for our upcoming Siddur Play. In honor of Rosh Chodesh Sivan which was this past Wednesday the students were treated to White Chocolate Sefrei Torah. Shavout also known as “Zman Matan Torahtainu””The time of the giving of the Torah” is celebrated the 6th day of Sivan which is Sunday night. The children enjoyed creating their own Har Sinai pictures and cupcakes.A special thank you to Miss Dershowitz for her outstanding work as program coordinator and for supplying all the classes with materials for these yummy special cupcakes. Have an inspiring,meaningful Shabbat and Shavout.

Fourth Grade
Thank you for joining us at our Chumash Mesiba! It was with such pure anticipation that we cracked open our brand new Chumashim on Thursday and began to learn. We each got a piece of clementine, smelled it and then tasted it. We discussed how until this point of the year, we were only “smelling” Chumash by learning some of its content out of the text. But on this fabulous Thursday, we were going to actually taste it! We began to discuss the creation of the world. A lively philosophical discussion broke out- what was created first the orange, as in the fruit or the color orange? The Torah enthusiasm in the room kept going strong as we spoke about Matan Torah, which we’ll be celebrating on Shavuot. We also ran through the different customs that we have on Shavuot. Have the most amazing Shabbat and Chag!
Morah Toba

Diane Sarah Ashraf wins the davening prize and receives a lolly from Mrs. Polasek for knowing about her namesake

5th and 6th Girls

Dear parents.
We had an awesome week in 5 and 6 Judaics, thank G-d! You have amazing daughters, keep on raising them well:)
We continued on with the next blessing of Shemoneh Esrei, about Teshuva/repentance for our sins.
We learned all about the holiday of Shavuot. We enjoyed learning about the Story of Ruth (Megillat Rut), the laws and customs of Shavuot, the giving of the Torah and the beauty and joy of learning Torah and a Torah life.
We learned a nice song about the ten commandments.
We had a great time doing different Shavuot activities. The girls did a beautiful job on their Har Sinai (Mount Sinai) cupcakes, although admittedly some of them ate theirs up instead of packing them in the pretty white boxes..
Shabbat Shalom! Have a wonderful Shavuot!
Best regards,
Miss Dershowitz

5th and 6th Boys

This week,coming on the heels of our Shabbaton, was special.
We had many stimulating discussions about the meaning of shavuot and how we can apply those lessons to our lives. We also discussed the unrest in Israel and what we can do about it.
Have an enjoyable and peaceful Shabbat and Holiday!

7th and 8th Girls
We had another fabulous week here! Learning about Matan Torah was exciting, especially considering the part about the Luchot. Yes,special shout out to all my talented girls who presented the 10 commandments of the luchot to us! We discussed the various customs that we have on Shavuot and why we have them. Shabbat and Chag Shalom!
7th and 8th Boys

This week we learned about M’gilat Rut.
Rut/Ruth was a convert to Judaism and had the zchut merit to have King David aka Dovid Hamelech as her great grandson. Dovid Hamelech was born and died on Shavuot The holiday that we celebrate the giving of the Torah aka Matan Torah.
We also discussed the Mitzvah of Yibum. When a brother dies childless the living [oldest ] brother has the Mitzvah to do Yibum which is a continuation of the original deceased brother’s marriage, [if the oldest brother chooses not to do Yibum, any other brother may do the Mitzvah]. In the case of Rut/Ruth, Boaz was the closest relative and therefore had the Mitzvah [actually there was a closer relative, but he chose not to do the Mitzvah].
We continued our fun , interesting and informative Y’diot K’laliot lessons.
We continued our Pirush Ha’t’fila on [Amida aka] Sh’mone esre.
We learned about PArashat BAmidbar and how, when and why HAshem counts us, because he loves us!.
We reviewed our subject in Gmara.
The boys are continuing to proudly don their Kepa,TAlit and Tfilin and daven nicely.
In honor of Shavuot the boys decorated cupcakes with grass, flowers and a chocolate Luhot on top [they also made sure to eat it.].
Mrs. Kuritsky cooked delicious kugel which the boys, and staff enjoyed.
Boys are about to spend the afternoon biking with Rabbi Kuritsky… stay tuned…Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach

Pesach שני is studied, taught and experienced with rabbi Kuritsky’s class.

Boys continue to daven nicely with טלית and תפילין

Boys learning בחברותא

Elementary School

Kindergarten
This week kindergarten became experts at spelling and reading bossy e words. They have been collecting interesting facts about tigers from nonfiction books to create write their own nonfiction book about tigers. They are also really enjoying listening to our chapter book about an invisible boy. In math they reviewed the penny and they learned about the nickel and the dime. They have been singing and dancing to practice counting by 5s and 10s to help them count nickels and dimes. In social studies they learned all about needs and wants. They sorted objects based on if a person needs an object or if they want an object. In science they determined which animals migrate, hibernate, adapt, or camouflage to survive. They made a project to show how a chameleon can camouflage. They also learned about what a plant needs to survive.

Max did an excellent job sharing his science fair project with the class. He taught the students which drinks are healthier for them to drink because they are better for their teeth.

This week the first graders learned about children who perform on symphony and dance company. They were interested to see how all sorts of instruments come together to create music. In Language Arts we brainstormed topics for writing stories. Students came up with great ideas! In Math we began telling time by the hour and half hour. The first graders love to read the time on the classroom clock. In Science we continue to.explore the properties of matter. We discovered that matter can be categorized and even tested by using our senses.

Second Grade
This week the second graders have been enjoying some of the warmer weather at the playground. In ELA, the students have been reading short stories. They also have been continuing to draft their research reports. In math, the second graders have moved on to the 4 times table. They’ve been continuing to use repeated addition and arrays to solve tougher problems. On top of that, the class has been reviewing math topics from earlier in the year! May 13th was Ella Hanuka’s birthday. Happy birthday Ella! And congratulations to our Student of the Month, Mira Elkaiev! Way to go Mira!

Third Grade
This week grade three students continued to review their overall English and Math concepts to prepare for the upcoming S.A.T ‘s. They practiced shedding time and identifying methods of increasing their chances of success as they read and solve both math and English multiple choice questions. Along side, students further developed their long division skills and ability to analyze an equation and word problem to be better equipped in choosing the most appropriate operation. During their Reading sessions, students explored the literary world through our class novel. Through James’s journey to the “Promised Land”, students were able to identify similes and examples of personification. During their Social Studies lessons, students went further in their understanding of the Yurok economy system. During their Computer class, students reviewed the word processing vocabulary that have learned thus far.
Miss Sasha

4B
This week was very exciting for 4B! On Wednesday we had our Chumash play! Parents came to see us perform and sing songs! The class was very nervous, but they did a great job! Thank you to Mora Toba and Ms. Ety for helping us prepare! In ELA we have been working on how to properly structure paragraphs, with the help of Mrs. Rosskamm. In math, we continue to learn how to do operations with decimals. We are focusing on dividing with decimals this week. In social studies we are learning about the plains states and the Midwestern region of the United States.
Fifth Grade
Greetings and salutations!

This week for the 5th grade has been pretty busy.
They practiced identifying prepositional phrases and writing sentences that use them.
They wrapped up their theme essays for the class novels Moon Over Manifest and The Westing Game.
They also began the new class novel – Coraline!

In Social Studies the students dove into the age of exploration!

In math, 5th grade learned how to convert between decimals, percents, and fractions.

Middle School

Middle School ELA and Social Studies
6th Grade
Sixth graders had a busy week! In grammar, this week was all about prepositions and objects of prepositions. Students did a great job identifying and using prepositions. In reading, we started a new novel unit! We started reading City of Ember. In writing, this week was all about setting up and writing extended responses. Everyone did a great job, but Mrs. Hazen would really like to commend Gabby Fishman!

6th Grade Social studies

Greetings and salutations!

This week has been busy but fun for the 6th graders!
This week the 6th grade learned all about ancient Greek culture. They were able to read some of the most fun Greek myths and make posters based on their Myths.

7th Grade
Seventh graders had a busy week! In grammar, this week was all about active and passive voice. Students learned to define what each type of voice was and the situations in which it is appropriate to write in passive voice. In writing, this week was about evaluating arguments. Students learned to evaluate claims and wrote their own in response! In reading, we started a new novel, and we are reading Indian in the Cupboard!

In social studies, we continued our build up to the civil war by discussing the political divisions between the North and the South. Students read primary sources, and wrote an excellent journal over our essential question: how do we judge people from the past?

8th Grade
Eighth graders had a busy week! In grammar, this week was all about participles. Students learned to identify them in sentences and write their own! In reading, we started a new unit. We are reading The Book Thief. In writing, this week was all about using textual evidence from nonfiction sources.

In social studies, we continued our unit on World War II by learning about the war in Europe and North Africa. We also watched a documentary video on D-Day.

Middle School Math

6th grade learned how to calculate area and distance on a coordinate grid.

7th grade learned how to calculate mean, median, mode, and range and interpret the results.

7th grade honors learned how to define functions.

8th grade reviewed solving multi step inequalities and equations.

8th honors learned how to find the discriminant of a quadratic equation and interpret it.

Middle School Science

6th grade
Students learned and reviewed what a chemical formula reveals about a molecule. They were so excited to learn about the Periodic Table.

7th Graders will be embarking upon the unit of Nutrition. Students will make connections to their dietary decisions and identify whether or not they need to make nutritional lifestyle adjustments. Our diets are made up of 6 basic nutrients: Carbohydrates, Vitamins, Proteins, Fats, Water, Minerals. Upon consuming these different macromolecules our body must convert them to a smaller molecule or a building block in order for our body to obtain the nutrients it needs from each. Students will be able to identify a healthy nutritional lifestyle and explain how our body uses these nutrients. In addition, students will be working on a 3D nutritional project or powerpoint.

8th Grade

Students will be completing their two remaining NYS mandated Living Environment labs, The Beaks of Finches and Relationships and Biodiversity. During their hands-on experience with the Beaks of Finches, students will learn how structural differences may affect the survival rate of members within a species, simulate competition for resources among different species of organisms and see the role of the environment as a selecting agent. During the Relationships and Biodiversity lab, students develop a hypothesis on which plant species is most closely related to the plant Botana Curus. They will collect and analyze data to determine which species is most closely related to this valuable, but endangered species. Students will conduct 7 tests to determine the most closely related organism, 3 structural tests and 4 molecular tests. They will investigate the structural characteristics of plants, structural characteristics of seeds, microscopic internal structure of stems, paper chromatography of separate plant pigments, indicator test for enzyme M, simulated Gel Electrophoresis to compare DNA and translating the DNA code to make a protein. In addition, they will explore the importance of preserving biodiversity.

Jewish History
7th grade had a fantastic week. On Tuesday we had our long awaited outdoor lesson, where we sat in a circle, passed cards around and remembered facts that we learned throughout the year! They did a great job. We then continued our unit. We are almost up to 8th grade work,

8th grade began learning about the beginning of our long perilous exile and the persecutions the Jews experienced under Roman rule.