BH. Sivan
3, 5776 / June 9, 2016
Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District Candle-Lighting: 8:15 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 9:26 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
במדבר
This newsletter is dedicated in honor of the upcoming wedding of MHDS alumnua Chaya Laber —————————and in loving memory of
Yetta Leifer Yartzeit on Shavuos
LOTS OF SHAVUOT LEARNING Aside for the Giving of the Torah, of course, our students learned a lot about Shavuot in various classes, including reasons why we eat dairy, the Akdamut poem, the story of Ruth SIXTY BLATT TALMUD SIYUM and its connection to Shavuot, the harvest aspects of the holiday, and it being the yartzeits Together with Rabbis Rubin and Simon, our HS boys learned 60 double-sided Talmud of King David and the Baal Shem Tov. pages (known as a Daf or Blatt) of the first 3 chapters of Talmud tractate Bava Basra: HaShutfin, Lo Yachpor & Chezkas HaBattim. On their last day before Regents testing begins they celebrated with a Siyum Kiddush.
CHANGES TO YEAR-END TRIP
LAYERS OF SAND UNDERNEATH
MT SINAI IN FULL BLOSSOM The Medrash states that Sinai was in full bloom at the Giving of the Torah. Our first grade students made (artificial) flowers for Shavuos with Morah Devorah, and Morah Mushky’s Kindergarteners enjoyed brown & green Har Sinai cupcakes. Looking back at a full year, we’re proud of how our students have grown and blossomed!
CELEBRATING OUR STUDENTS In this blossoming spirit, all are welcome to our Moving Up Day ceremony on Tuesday June 21, and 8th and HS graduation that evening, 6pm at Maimonides.
Not only did Nursery make Shavuot flowers but they used colored sand to create multiple layers for “the earth it grows in”. This is also a wonderful metaphor for Torah, its many enriching & nourishing layers support and nurture our continued personal and spiritual growth—at all ages!
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
Parents, please note some changes to the year-end trip on Tuesday, the day after Shavuos. See page 4 for updated times, reduced cost & transportation info.
MAZAL TOV KUDANS On the birth of a baby boy this past Shabbos to MHDS alumna Nechama (Kudan) and Yossi Kagan. The Bris will be IYH this 3-day YomTov weekend in Crown Heights.
TWISTABLE TURNABLE MAN Mrs. Maher’s 3rd graders read this poem by Shel Silverstein. Some students are trying to learn it by heart! So far 3 students know it…
FLAG DAY IN THIRD Flag Day is June 14th, so Mrs. Maher’s 3rd graders did patriotic themes in spelling and reading and even social studies! For several decades Troy NY had a Flag Day parade but it has BUTTERFLY LIFECYCLE been discontinued this year. These Kindergarteners are excited to see the process of change in the butterfly lifecycle SLURPIES AT SPEEDWAY right inside their classroom. Mrs. Hoffman is Morah Leyee took 6/7 grade explaining each step of the process. Chumash class on a Siyum trip to the new Speedway in Delmar for Kosher Slurpies. The connection? They learned in Chumash about the Mishkan’s multicolors (like the blues and reds in swirling slurpies) and about the speed of the Exodus, as in Speedway!
A PEEK INSIDE TEFILLIN Rabbi Rubin brought in various inside scrolls of Tefillin for 6/7 to look at, as they learned MESIBAT SHEMONA-ESRAY those very Parshiot in their Chumash class. He Earlier this year 3rd graders celebrated their also showed them Sofer “report cards” on the completion of learning the daily Amidah, now Tefillin scrolls they looked at. 2nd graders are celebrating that milestone before the year’s end. Most other classes came out to hear them sing various parts of the Amidah to sweet and catchy tunes, and they also sang songs about prayer in general. Each student got a picture of themselves with their Siddur superimposed on the Kotel, thanks to Chaya S., and Chana L. made sashes for the girls and bowties for the boys. The kids were THE KOMATZ GAME so excited about this milestone, they were beaming about it for days, and they prepared a Every word they read correctly with a Komatz, pushed them ahead one space! They are special giant Thank-You card for Morah learning their Hebrew vowels. Devorah Leah, with letters in their own handwriting and in their own words.
ONCE U POP U CAN’T STOP! That’s the Pringles slogan, and it also reflects these second graders and their eagerness to help and get things done! Ms. Ford asked them to help clean & organize their classroom before the end of the year, and they really got into it, so she got them each a can of Pringles.
A PRE-PRE-TEFILLIN PARTY
Yochanan starts putting on Tefillin as practice tomorrow, but there’s no school, so many of his friends may not be able to come to celebrate his first Tefillin with him as he does it for the first time at Shomray Torah’s 8am morning Minyan. So he and a few classmates brought some nosh in today to celebrate one day early to include everyone. They each shared a “Tefillin-wish” for him before he starts doing this daily “MOVING UP BALLOONS” (weekday) Mitzvah tomorrow. And the Mrs. Levin has been working with students on younger kids learned some Tefillin trivia as an art project for the year-end Moving-Up well (such as the black color requirement, the Day. Balloons move up, and so are our kids! 3-headed and 4-headed Shins, the 1-scroll in You’ll see the project on the last day of school. the hand-Tefillin vs. the 4 scrolls and compartments in the head-Tefillin…)
CITY OF DAVID
CHIDON FUN AT SKYZONE Morah Dini took all students who tried for the Chidon Mitzvos (based on the Yahadus books curriculum) to Skyzone for a trip appreciating their efforts (even if they didn’t qualify). They also made pita-pizza at school! Special thanks to our drivers/chaperones: Chaya Tilson Rubin, Ms Ford, Mrs Gurock, Rabbi Shmuli, Itche and of course Morah Dini!
King David’s yartzeit is on Shavuos, so it was quite timely for 6/7 grade to learn in Navi class all about when David established Jerusalem as the capital city of his kingdom.
ELIEZER & RIVKA 24:67 3rd graders finished the very long Chapter 24 of Chumash Breishis, which has 67 verses! That’s a lot of Chumash! It speaks of Eliezer looking for a bride for Yitzchak, finding Rivka, and the long repeated conversation with her father and brother. There are lessons learned from the lengthiness of this part of the Torah, including: Yafah Sichasan shel Avdei Avos m’Torahsan shel Banim…
people they met along the way. They stayed with a lady named Molly in Baltimore, who happened to have her 80th birthday that very night, and she was so energetic and youthful! She even made dozens of blintzes for a friend for Shavuos. Our students ate out Kosher pizza and Chinese (not at the same time, of course), and got the obligatory DC sweatshirts.
Have you submitted one yet? BETTER TOGETHER RECIPES We’re STILL looking for recipes our students can get from seniors, relatives or family friends. Hopefully we can get enough recipes (each with short stories, descriptions or backgrounds) to make a cookbook! Email to: maimonidesschool@gmail.com Please ask your friends & relatives! Thanks very much!
REGENTS PREP! Our HS students will be taking Regents exams starting next week after Shavuot! We wish them much success with all this testing.
DAYCAMP IS COMING... Have you registered? Morah Devorah Leah and her team of dedicated counselors have an amazing summer planned. Knowing bunk sizes and configurations helps a lot in planning the very best summer possible. Please be in touch with her, or use the online form at: www.tinyurl.com/ganisraelalbany
HEBREW ACROSTICS 2nd graders took Shavuot themed words like Har Sinai, Shavuot etc and wrote (typed up) poems that have phrases for each letter of the word, all relating to Shavuot themes.
BETTER TOGETHER TORAH
MAJOR GEMORAH REVIEW
We didn’t have the photos available in time for this newsletter, but our boys had another very memorable pre-Shavuot Torah reading with Jewish seniors at Parkview Apartments and a delicious brunch. The seniors were very grateful and expressed their feelings to the HS boys who will be moving on next year.
MHDS @ CBAJ FOR TORAH365 Our students practiced a Pirkei Avot song this week to present at the Torah365 Siyum BBQ at CBAJ on the second day of Shavuot after the morning prayer services. Parents and friends, and the whole community is very welcome to participate.
THE STOCK MARKET GAME It’s not real money, so there’s nothing to lose. Our HS boys have been playing a simulated stock market game (they all start with the same amount) and buy or sell stocks each day. It’s a way to learn about money, uses of math, take a closer look at companies and brands, and get a sense of how the financial world works.
THANKS MR. STEVE! Mr. Steve Caruso volunteers at Maimonides, he loves the kids and the school, and gave us this wonderful card of appreciation. We very much appreciate Steve, and will recognize volunteers on Moving-Up Day.
EIGHTH GRADE D.C. TRIP Thanks to all those bake-sales, 8th grade went on amazing trip to Baltimore and Washington DC. Special super thanks to Morah Rivka Kochman for driving and chaperoning and giving them a great time. In Baltimore they visited the National Aquarium, with many floors of exhibits, all kinds of marine life and shows. They got up very early to see the famous Red, Blue and Green Rooms and the East Room inside the White House, but the Secret Service weren’t as formal as they expected. They even saw President Obama’s dog, Bo! Special thanks to Congressman Chris Gibson (and the Hechts) for arranging a tour of the Capitol, and Ben was an amazing tour guide who made it all a lot of fun. They have tons of pictures but here are three: at the Washington Monument and with the US Capitol in the background. The bottom picture is of a Yiddish inscription on a plaque “Yerusha Shpatzir” which is sort of a translation of “Heritage Walk” in Baltimore. Interestingly, some of their most memorable experiences weren’t at the grand and famous monuments or museums but with interesting
Rabbi Mendel’s 6/7 boys Talmud class is now reviewing the key sugyos (Talmud topics) they learned this year. The 3-day YomTov might be a good time to review some more of the main topics they studied in tractate Sukkah: • 3 Reasons for Maximum Sukkah Height • Minimum Sukkah Size VS Table Placement • 10 Laws about a House Less Than 4x4 • Abbaye’s “Trending Permanent” List This was a great year for them to acquire the skills of Talmud study, gaining a good grasp and understanding of the issues & arguments.
NEWS @ FEDERATION MEETING Thursday night was the Jewish Federation’s annual public meeting. Several highlights for MC readers include: Rabbi Rubin gave the Dvar Torah (about “Bamidbar” vs. “Numbers”) at this meeting for the first time, Rabbi Zalmy Simon was installed as a Federation board member, and half of the pictures shown in an excellent presentation about the “PJLibrary” program were of Maimonides students! The President of the PJ Library Foundation was the keynote speaker. She shared the backstory of the program, its founder Harold Grinspoon and the current scope of its reach in America and around the world, especially in Israel.
LOOKING FORWARD As this school year comes to a close, the school is already planning for next year, making book orders, configuring classes and much more. The school is now in its 36th year (founded in 1980) and looks forward to making it a special year for our students and community.
at Maimonides and in the Community 6/10: NO SCHOOL THIS FRIDAY Thanks to no snow days and families requesting the day off for travel or to prepare for the holiday, there’s no school this Friday as we prepare for the 3-day Shabbat & Shavuot combination.
6/14: YEAR-END TRIP
This Friday will be Yochanon’s first time to put on Tefillin in preparation for his upcoming BarMitzvah this summer. All are welcome for this milestone at Shomray Torah 8am Minyan.
School begins 10am. Drop-off for Grades K+ at Crossgates near the new Lucky Strike Social, at the bus-stops Mall Entrance on Western Ave side. Nursery will begin 9:30am at Maimonides. Students in Grades 2+ will be traveling back to school via CDTA bus, probably between 1:30-2pm. Each child should bring $2 for the trip. Parent volunteers will be needed to drive our K-1 students back around midday. School ends 3:30pm as usual.
6/10: LOCAL FARMERS MARKET
THE YEAR-END BBQ QUESTION
6/10: YOCHANON’S FIRST TEFILLIN
This question has been resolved! The year-end Shavuot is associated with greenery! Check out BBQ will follow Moving-Up Day ceremonies, near these two local Farmers Markets this Friday: noontime on Tuesday June 21st. • Outdoors on the Empire State Plaza 10am-2pm • Cohoes Farmers Market 4-7pm on Canal Square 6/19: MEET THE SIMON KALLAH on Remsen Street Meet Aharon Simon’s Kallah and wish Mazal Tov 3-5pm at the Simons home, 109 Elsmere, Delmar. 6/11: TEFILLIN KIDDUSH We don’t wear Tefillin on Shabbos, but there will 6/21: MOVING UP & GRADUATION be a Kiddush at Shomray Torah celebrating Yochanon’s first time Tefillin on Friday. • Moving Up Day: School begins with davening at 8am. Ceremonies with parents, family & friends begins 10am. A year-end BBQ will follow near 6/11: WOMENS SHABBOS SHIUR noontime. $25 per family, $7pp. This week, an Eruv Shavuos Special, given by • Graduation (HS and 8th grade) at 6pm that Chaya Bracha Rubin at her home 419 Partridge evening. Families & Community very welcome! Street (just across Maimonides) at 4:45pm. Rabbi A. Kelman of Beth Israel will be our graduation speaker, and each of our graduates 6/11: LATE NIGHT LEARNING will speak as well. It’s customary to stay up studying Torah on the first night of the Shavuot holiday. 6/21: LEAP OF FAITH @ CHOPPED • CBAJ has a “Breakfast for Dinner” then several Airs this night at 10pm on the Food Network. classes lined up until midnight with ice-cream, Look for Rabbi Hanoch Hecht! YU students will lead study groups until 5am. • Shomray Torah Tikkun Leil Shavuos at 1am. 7/11-8/19: CAMP GAN ISRAEL Rabbi Rubin will also summarize his recent Registration is now open! A great staff is lined up, “Nano DNA Power of Single Torah Letter” and there are exciting plans in the works for this summer. Call Camp Director Devorah Leah 6/12-13: SHAVUOT HOLIDAY Sunday and Monday. No School on Monday 6/13, Mathless 698-1836 for more info. The day camp is based at Maimonides, but you don’t have to go to school resumes 9:30am on Tuesday 6/14. It’s Maimonides to attend and have a really fun, customary to eat dairy foods, and people make a special effort to bring even the smallest children to enjoyable and meaningful time. You can sign per the synagogue, since “children are our guarantors” week or for the whole summer season. Check out the FB page “Camp Gan Israel of Albany” or visit: for continuing Torah into the Jewish future. Yummy Dairy Kiddush Sunday at Shomray Torah. tinyurl.com/ganisraelalbany for registration forms.
6/13: TORAH365 SIYUM (auspicious secular date!) Maimonides students will be part of the celebratory Torah365 Siyum at CBAJ on the second day of Shavuot morning. Families are welcome, of course. They began to prepare their presentation this week. It’s a funny but meaningful song, you’ll enjoy it.
7/25: “3 WEEKS” LUNCH & LEARN Stay tuned for a Lunch & Learn at Shabbos House on Monday, at the start of “Three Weeks” in conjunction with Jewish Summer Fellowship.
8/8: SIYUM BBQ IN DELMAR An annual “9 Days” tradition. As Rabbi Simon says, “Stay tuned!” More info 439-8280.
$1800 SCHOOL TORAH BIMA DEDICATION OPPORTUNITY One of our HS students wants to build a Bima (with guidance and assistance) for school as his final Eagle Scout project. We are pleased with this student initiative and desire to give back to school and community. If you are interested in dedicating this Bima (with an embroidered inscription on the velvet cover in honor/memory of a loved one) please contact Rabbi Rubin.
YEAR-END TRIP INFO
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See calendar. Here’s the main points: • In addition to fun and games, we’ll be adding Torah relevance throughout This will be Tuesday, the day after Shavuot Nursery dropoff starts 9:30am at Maimonides Grades K+ drop off 10am at Crossgates Mall entrance near Lucky Strike Social (bus stops) Pack Children Snack and Lunch as Usual K-1 carpooled back to Maimonides @ midday Grades 2+ ride back to school later via CDTA Please send $2 per child to cover costs Pickup as usual 3:30pm at school BBQ will be on Tues 6/21 after Moving-Up
A BOOKLET ON ONE LETTER! Rabbi Rubin’s recent discussions on the power of a single Torah letter and its ramifications in areas of Halacha, Aggadah and Jewish thought turned into a scholarly booklet. He’ll share the summary of these ideas on Shavuos at Shomray Torah. At CBAJ: Rabbi Lehrfield’s Torah365 Siyum will be on: “Can Torah Stop Terrorism?” and his Shavuot night talk on: “Was Torah Edited by Man?” Dr. Rachel Anisfeld will share “Hasidic View of Shavuot: A Personal Torah”.
MAIMONIDES SCHOOL & COMMUNITY (Nursery / Elementary / High School) 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 maimonidesschool@gmail.com Founded in 1980, Maimonides is chartered by the NYS Board of Regents and is a JF-NENY Beneficiary “A Beautiful Blend: Torah & Worldly Experience!”