Central Backpack

BEYONDtheBACKPACK NEWS FROM THE MAY FAMILY NURSERY SCHOOL AT CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE

Photos by Sarah Merians

W MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION SUSAN ALPERT

hat is more precious than snuggling with your child while reading together? In our fast-paced technological world, our children are faced with the very real prospect that books as we know them will become scarce or non-existent. I cannot fathom feeling warm and fuzzy reading to my grandchild using a computer. Yet we as educators and parents know that literacy, the love of reading, and acquisition of knowledge cannot be sacrificed. It is our obligation to find ways to instill this valuable and essential skill. Research indicates that children who read are on a trajectory for stronger social skills, better creative thinking and imaginative play, more sophisticated vocabulary and communication skills, and tend to find that academic abilities are further enhanced.

We at Central Synagogue take this call as a mission. We are thrilled to introduce to our Nursery School families participation in The PJ Library program.

“Reading stories and listening to music are among the most powerful and nurturing early childhood experiences” (PJ Library). In 2005, The Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s newest initiative, The PJ Library, is modeled after a reading program founded by Dolly Parton that provides free books to families. Harold Grinspoon took this concept and made them into Jewish moments. More than 130 communities in North America participate, with more than 63,000 books sent each month to families. We are “literally” building stronger Jewish families/identity, one book at a time.

I encourage our families to avail themselves of this gratis (due to private funding and synagogue support) opportunity. Each child who participates receives an age appropriate book or CD, carefully selected by a team of experts. These selections transmit Jewish heritage, culture, and values. With each book and CD, families receive an invaluable resource guide. We will also be offering workshops on how to use the books beyond the mere reading of them with your child. As one PJ Library survey respondent stated, “The PJ Library really has made a BIG difference in the way we approach Judaism in our home…”

Join our crusade to promote literacy, to help provide family time in your busy lives, and to instill in our children the values of Judaism.

OCTOBER 27 9:30am-10:30am,Room503 Communicating with Your Preschooler: Encouraging Cooperation Workshop 28 Open House/ Curriculum Night NOVEMBER 11 8:30 am-3:00 pm, Pavilion Chanukah Book Fair & Boutique 14 10:00 am, Main Sanctuary 13th Annual Mitzvah Day

19 5:00 pm, Room 903 Grandparents Tot Shabbat 20 9:30 am, Room 903 Tot Shabbat DECEMBER 1 Parent Sandwich-Making 3 Classroom Chanukah Parties 10 5:00 pm, Room 903 Tot Shabbat 11 9:30 am, Room 903 Tot Shabbat 15 9:30 am-10:30 am, Room 503 Dealing with Challenging Behavior Workshop JANUARY 11 9:30-10:30 am, Room 503 Let’s Talk About Listening Workshop

B’shalom,

IN THIS ISSUE:

CALENDAR

OCTOBER 2010 • CHESHVAN 5771

CHANUKAH BOUTIQUE 3 CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS 4 & 5 WORKSHOPS FOR PARENTS 6 MITZVAH DAY 7 APPLE CRUMB RECIPE 8

21 5:00 pm, Room 903 Tot Shabbat 22 9:30 am, Room 903 Tot Shabbat 27 Parent Sandwich-Making

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF LIFELONG LEARNING

A

s Director of Lifelong Learning, one of the highlights is finding ways for families to engage in meaningful Jewish experiences and this year we have so many exciting opportunities.

Photos by Sarah Merians

Tot Shabbat Tot Shabbat, offered twice a month on Fridays at 5:00 pm or Saturdays at 9:30 am, is a brief, age-appropriate, and primarily musical service providing a special way for families with children from birth to age 5 to celebrate Shabbat together with other young families in our synagogue.

Reclaiming Shabbat Another way to enhance Shabbat is to enroll in our new initiative, Reclaiming Shabbat.

For less than $150 a year, families can receive a weekly challah along with the Shabbat blessings and a brief story with questions to discuss with your children as you share this holiday meal.

Mitzvah Day Central Synagogue’s 13th Annual Mitzvah Day is coming up on Sunday, November 14.

This is a perfect opportunity to model for our children the Jewish value of performing mitzvot, and helping those less fortunate. It’s never too early to begin teaching and a child is never too young to participate in this Synagogue-wide event. Craft projects have been carefully designed to simply engage even the littlest members of our community with their parent’s help.

Lamazel Tov For new parents and expectant couples, we now offer a class called Lamazel Tov that is geared toward parents in the early stages of family life as they begin to consider how they’ll incorporate Jewish rituals and traditions in their home.

PJ Library I am also thrilled that we are partnering with PJ Library, a Jewish literary initiative, to bring you the gift of your own Jewish children’s library into your home each month, free of charge. Susan writes more about PJ Library in this issue of Beyond the Backpack.

I hope these programs whet your appetite for further family involvement, and if you have other suggestions, please be in touch! To learn more about anything I’ve mentioned, e-mail me at ymw@censyn.org.

New York, NY 10022 212.838.5122 www.centralsynagogue.org backpack@censyn.org

Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein Cantor Angela W. Buchdahl Rabbi Maurice A. Salth Rabbi Michael S. Friedman Cantor Elizabeth K. Sacks

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TOV

Rabbi Salth and wife Hilary Hotchkiss on the birth of their first child Caleb Jack on October 10 Susan and Allen Alpert on the birth of their grandson Max Jay on August 11 Karen and Jonathan Schildkraut and big brother Aaron (Tzefardim) on the arrival of baby sister Hannah Gene on June 22 Joanie Leeds, our music teacher, for winning Nickelodeon’s Parent’s Pick Award for Best Party Entertainer 2010

Yonni Wattenmaker, RJE Director of Lifelong Learning

123 East 55 Street

MAZEL

Livia D. Thompson, FTA Senior Director

Jessica Fleitman Administrative Assistant

Daniel A. Nadelmann Director of Development

Wendy Epstein Jessica Etra Karly Klein Backpack Editors

Yonni M. Wattenmaker, RJE Director of Lifelong Learning Susan Alpert, Director of Early Childhood Education Ann Obsatz, Associate Director of Early Childhood Education

Denise Kleinman Contributor Danielle Freni Director of Communication

RABBI SALTH ON TECHNOLOGY & OUR KIDS

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few weeks ago on Rosh HaShanah, I delivered a sermon on being present titled “Hineni, Here I Am: A Jewish Response to Personal Technology.” I want to share some thoughts from this sermon in this first issue of Backpack.

The inspiration for my sermon was born out of my witnessing many of our own Religious School children asking their parents in our lobby to “please put down the BlackBerry.”

We know that technology connects us, but technology can also disconnect us from what is happening around us. And our draw to technology is so strong that technology has begun to control us, rather than the other way around—even when our own children are waiting at our side for our attention.

Technology has changed our lives in significant ways and many are for the better. For example my wife, Hilary, and I use video-chat to “visit” with our beautiful nieces who live 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles. And we use our technology to keep ourselves organized, but in my opinion all of us need to set clear limits on our use of the technology around us.

Judaism’s focus on being present and setting limits can help guide us on doing just this.

The Torah teaches that one of our greatest priorities is to be present and aware. Why was Moses chosen to lead our ancestors out of Egypt? One answers lies within Moses’ first encounter with God in the form of a burning bush. Exodus describes a moment when Moses noticed this marvelous site. “When God saw that Moses had turned aside to look, God called him from out of the bush. Moses replied, ‘hineini,’ here I am. (Exodus 3:1-4) If Moses were surfing the Web on his iPhone, he would have surely missed his calling.

Recently, New Yorker Michael Malone wrote about his observations at city playgrounds: “With a so-called smartphone seemingly at every adult’s fingertips, many parents are finding playtime to be the ideal time for answering e-mails, firing off text messages and browsing the Web—leaving their children virtually unattended.” This situation is so prevalent that Mommy and Me classes are implementing no camera policies because parents spend more time behind their recording devices than interacting with their children.

Beside answering our children with the word ‘hineini,’ here I am, when we are with them we can also set limits on how often we check our phones and keep the television and laptop on. Jewish rituals around Shabbat are in part about turning off our work and tasks and focusing on what is most important—ourselves and our loved ones. As modern Jews we can apply our tradition’s priority of setting limits to technology by, for example, only checking our emails and voice mail messages a few times a day and finding time each day where our technology is turned off. Each of us is asked to determine what limits would work best for ourselves and our families.

I pray that this new Jewish year that we have entered is one where we are truly present with each other. And I wish us all strength in doing the work to harness technology in positive and productive ways so that we can prioritize the personal relationships we value most.

I, and all the clergy, look forward to spending quality time with you and your children at school, during Tot Shabbat, at holidays, and other Central Synagogue events.

If you are interested in reading or listening to my Rosh HaShanah sermon in its entirety you can find it under the worship tab at www.centralsynagogue.org.

CHANUKAH BOOK FAIR & BOUTIQUE Thursday, November 11 Get ready to shop and support the NS at the same time! Our annual Chanukah Book Fair and Boutique will be held in the Pavilion from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. We’ll have more than just a large selection of new and dynamic books for sale. We will also feature a boutique with several vendors showcasing jewelry, handbags, housewares, toys and more. Come and discover wonderful items just in time for the holidays!

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CLASSROOM…

IN THE

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e’re so excited to “fall” into our autumn routine. Each classroom is exploring our favorite fall themes, such as apples, pumpkins, and leaves. We are even learning about bees, the honey they make and the different ways they communicate. The holidays have been a cause for celebration. We have had lots

of fun visiting the sukkah, learning about Simchat Torah, and making place mats for Shabbat. Most importantly, we have really enjoyed reconnecting with old friends and making new friends this school year!

TZEFARDIM

TUTIM

ANAVIM

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TZIPPORIM

BANANOT

KESHETOT

TAPUZIM

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COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER:

ESTABLISHING A POSITIVE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP

By Ann Obsatz, Associate Director of Early Childhood Education

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arenting is a journey of intense emotion. It is the most wonderful and most challenging job we will ever have. Each child is different, each parent is different and each family is different. We can get off to a good start by improving our communication skills and using words and actions that encourage rather than discourage cooperation.

How we communicate with our children when they are very young can set the stage for positive communication.

When we respond to our children with positive messages, encouraging eye contact, showing interest and listening with full attention, we are helping to build feelings of self worth. By showing our children that they are important and likeable and that we enjoy being with them, we are on the way to establishing a strong healthy foundation.

Finding the balance of respect, love, and limits, can make parenting a satisfying and positive experience. Our children need us to model behavior and to help them express their feelings appropriately. The more skills we have, the better prepared we will be to set boundaries and limits and create a successful parent- child relationship, now and in the future.

To this end, Central Synagogue Nursery School will host three workshops for parents on the topics of communication, behavior and listening.

PARENTING PODCASTS WITH

DR.WENDYMOGEL Dr. Wendy Mogel is an internationally known clinical psychologist, public speaker and author of the New York Times best-selling parenting book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee. She contributes articles to many publications, including Independent School Magazine, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Reform Judaism Magazine and Camping Magazine. Dr. Mogel’s new book The Blessing of

At our first two sessions, we will be joined by Ann and Bonnie Goldblatt, offering information and techniques for making those difficult stressful family times more enjoyable. Bonnie is new to our school this year. She is a psychologist and our early childhood consultant from the Jewish Board of Family Services. At our January session on listening, we are privileged to be joined by Louise Levy, prominent New York Audiologist, for a worthwhile and important discussion about the difference between hearing and listening. Louise will provide tips and games to improve processing and listening skills.

a B Minus hits bookstores

We hope to see you at one of the following. Please note, you do not need to have a child in the Nursery School to attend these workshops.

which to view the challenges

later this year.

In these exclusive podcasts, Dr. Mogel uses Jewish teachings as a lens through

of parenting, to discuss our children’s talents, and self-

COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR PRESCHOOLER: ENCOURAGING COOPERATION Wednesday, October 27, 9:30 am-10:30 am, Room 503 DEALING WITH CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR Wednesday, December 15, 9:30 am-10:30 am, Room 503 LET’S TALK ABOUT LISTENING Tuesday, January 11, 9:30 am-10:30 am, Room 503

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esteem and to address the idea of keeping our children safe while not overprotecting them.

Go to http://urj.org/learning/ forparents/ to listen!

13TH ANNUAL MITZVAH DAY Sunday, November 14 Mitzvah Day is an annual synagogue tradition that teaches children and adults about the importance of doing good deeds for others.

It is a wonderful learning opportunity and a great family fun day!

Nursery School families are encouraged to register online at www.centralsynagogue.org/mitzvahday2010 where we have listed many social justice projects geared toward young children. We will begin the day with a clergy-led song session in the Main Sanctuary at 10:00 am. For questions, contact socialjustice@censyn.org or call the Nursery School office.

MEET THE TEACHERS Danielle, can I have a little filler copy to go here? enienis ut aut quiaectemqui aute reprem volut omnieturio cuptatusdae etureiustiam nusant aliquo et quis que optatur? Nem. Nequati ut verionsedios maio blautessita ipici.

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APPLE PICKING Tzipporim and Tutim went on an exciting apple picking excursion to Camp Mohawk. The kids enjoyed picking apples off of trees, riding a train to the animal farm and singing their favorite songs.

FALL RECIPE

APPLE CRUMBLE PIE Topping: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups rolled oats 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon Pinch fine salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

What To Do: 1. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350째F. 2. Peel, core, and slice apples into small chunks 3. Place apples in a large mixing bowl and toss with sugar, lemon juice, flour, and cinnamon.

4. Pour into graham cracker pie crust, and spread out into an even layer. Set aside.

5. In another large bowl, mix together the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and salt for the topping.

Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, gently work in the cold butter until pea-sized lumps are formed.

6. Top apples evenly with mixture and bake until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes, rotating once halfway through cooking.

7. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

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Design by Julie Farkas Graphic Design 201.280.9437

Filling: 4 Golden Delicious apples (about 3 pounds) 1/4 cup sugar 1 lemon, juiced 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 large graham cracker pie crust