BH. Tevet
15, 5777 / Jan 13, 2017
Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 4:27 404 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 5:32 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
“TORAH-TIMES” WINS AWARD The Giving Circle of the Jewish Educational Project awarded a $500 grant this week in NY to Rabbi Rubin’s “The Torah Times” project for making Torah fun, relevant, engaging, enjoyable & accessible - in newspaper format.
ב“ה
ויחי
To sponsor this newsletter for $54 in honor or in memory of a loved one or special occasion, please contact the school office.
JUST IN TIME FOR SHMOS... GRAND CENTRAL SIYUM! These kids are wearing big conductor hats for the big Breishis train pulling into the station and the Shmos train getting ready to depart. Many classes prepared a booth or two for the fun and engaging Breishis Chazak Carnival (some pictures inside, more pics next week) Next week, our Grand Central Siyum Station will be busy once again welcoming the Daf Yomi Bava Metziah Express as it pulls in from a long haul of study, and sending off an even bigger Bava Basra train on a long journey. Stay tuned!
As we conclude the Book of Breishis, all the Shmos Torah-Times for the Book of Shmos are now available to order on Amazon, order Shmos for $18 or one joint convenient volume of Breishis and Shmos for $24.99 printed and shipped to your door. See the Amazon link at: www.TheTorahTimes.com
MAZAL TOV MORRISONS MHDS alumna Fruma (Morrison) and Shaya Spielman had a baby girl this week, named Hodaya Chava. Mazal Tov to grandparents Reb Leibel and Elisheva, all the Morrison siblings especially Aharon Meir!
SOME CALENDAR CHANGES See page 4 for updates to communal events, but also these changes: No Melava Malka this week, its postponed to next week on Sat Night. And school will be off for February break Thursday 2/16 thru Monday 2/20. School resumes 8am on Tuesday 2/21.
WINTER ART NEW MATH/SCIENCE TEACHER What a strange winter week this was, a steep MODIFYING THE SOUND In Science class with Ms. Ford, these second grade students are experimenting with sound, seeing how changes to their makeshift tissue box instrument changes the sound it makes.
As Ms. Brennan is leaving, we welcome a new math & science teacher for our middle-school grades, Mr. Heath Martin from Florida, where he was a middle-school science teacher. He will be starting on Tuesday this coming week.
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 “LITTLE LIBRARY” BOXES For this month’s “Better Together” unit on “Bayit Moleh Seforim” (houses filled with books) middle-schoolers with Rabbi Shmuly built “Little Libraries” to fill with Judaic books for senior centers. If you have a Judaic sefer/book to contribute (in good condition) call Rabbi Yossi: 495-0772.
roller-coaster of temperatures! Morah Rivi and her art students made this artwork using paint on colored paper accented by bolder pieces of colored paper. The contrast of textures and styles creates an interesting effect.
PLEASE RETURN ESTY LIBRARY BOOKS, THANKS! We’re delighted that our students enjoy reading! But please remember to return your borrowed Esty Library books each THE BAVA-METZIAH TRAIN Friday so that other students can read the same book you enjoyed. All the grades pictured/sketched above are There are a considerable number of books out studying Talmud tractate Bava Metziah this now, please find and return them. Thanks! year and “on the platform” waving to welcome the Daf-Yomi Express as will arrive at their station in a week from now. Both preceding MC Newsletters in the column on left are from Bava Metziah learning by our students.
JOSHUA & ACHAN’S PRAYER
SWITCHING OF THE HANDS Nursery students colored the faces of the two boys Menashe & Efraim, and Yaakov’s two hands (that were switched) for their blessing.
MISHKAFAYIM FOR “MEM” Maimonides Kindergarteners do this “Mishkafayim” glasses project made of two opposing “Mem” letters almost every year, it’s a tradition! They love it every time…
DEATH BY AGAM This isn’t the title of a mystery nor does it have to do with the famous Israeli artist. It’s a Talmudic argument our 7/8 boys are learning on Bava Metziah 36b between Abbaye and Rava whether a contributing factor (like wetland toxins) can link a watchman’s negligence to the natural death of a sheep he was entrusted with. The Gemorah compares and contrasts this “Agam” case with another similar argument on page 42, and also shows exceptions to the case where Abbaye & Rava would agree. It doesn't end there, but that’s what they are up to now.
THE COMPLICATED COW CASE Rabbi Shmuly’s Mishna students are learning a complicated case of a rented cow that was lent to a borrower, the cow dies, and the renter makes money on the deal! The Mishna lists a strange legal twist whereby this can result in multiple profits by the renter, which R’ Yosi resists. It’s complicated, but Mishna kids are picking up on it, Shmuly G. reported on it very clearly for this newsletter article.
Do you know Aleinu that we recite (often sung at school) every day at the end each prayer? 3rd graders learned that it dates back all the way to the Jewish people’s entry to the Land of Israel. Joshua wrote the first paragraph which begins with the word Aleinu and a man named Achan (long story about him) wrote the second paragraph called V’Al Kayn. In fact, the initials of the first three words of V’Al Kayn Nikaveh spell Achan’s name. Going back this far in Jewish history means Aleinu is one of our oldest prayers!
INDIA IN SOCIAL STUDIES High School girls are now learning about India’s independence from Great Britain, and the partition that led to friction between Hindus and Muslims. Eventually, India remained primarily Hindu, and most Muslims went to present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh.
REFLEX MATH UPDATE 4th graders are making progress using this supportive computer program for math facts fluency and review. A few of the students already reached proficiency up to 12x12 in both multiplication and division, while about half the class has already mastered to the 10x10 level. They earn tokens and shtick for their avatars, it’s fun.
WHY DO WE NEED TO LEARN THIS? WHEN WILL WE NEED IT? This is one of the oldest and most oft-repeated questions students of all ages ask, in schools everywhere. Rabbi Mendel and the HS Girls DRAWING 12 TRIBES SYMBOLS discussed four answers explaining the How many 12 Tribes symbols do you know? relevance, usefulness or importance of Which tribes were represented by a deer, wolf, seemingly irrelevant or abstract subjects. lion & donkey? (They were hardest to draw!) How about a snake or ship? Fortunately they CAVE DWELLER CONNECTION found this hard work in time for the carnival. 4th graders learned in Social Studies about cave dwelling peoples and types of houses and KESHET communities they built. And in the COOKIES same week in their G.U.M. What’s a Keshet grammar books they did a page Cookie, you ask? about freshwater cave-dwelling fish, Kindergarteners which due to their environment have smaller made this sign eyes or almost no eyes at all and a much paler for their Parshat complexion than most other fish their type. Noach booth at the Breishis Chazak Carnival.
RULES FOR THE BUG CLUB Mrs. Kirkley’s Science Enrichment students learned rules for bugs to belong to the Bug Club, including: having 6 Legs, exoskeleton, and 3 segmented body parts: Head, Thorax and Abdomen. More about insects coming…
Keshet means rainbow. Find out more about their booth and these Keshet Cookies in this and next week’s MC Newsletter when we have pictures of the Breishis Chazak Carnival (this Friday as this newsletter goes to print).
“THE LITTLES” GO EXPLORING
3rd graders just finished this book about “The Littles” looking for their long-lost grandfather, That’s the latest now in High School math using maps & clues they found hidden away, class, learning how to do it. Calculators are an and all the adventures they had along the way. aid and tool, not a substitute for math skills!
GRAPHING ON CALCULATORS
THE MEALWORM RESCUE
THE TRAIN HATS
Science Enrichment students have been doing all kinds of observations and experiments with mealworms. Unfortunately, they learned that while they can digest Styrofoam, they can’t live in water. Two mealworms drowned, in even a small amount of water. But one that seemed dead, came back to life once they got it dried off quickly in a bed of grain (they love grain!).
UNFINISHED APPLES? Don’t throw away unfinished lunch apples! The mealworms will enjoy them very much.
BOOK DISCUSSION First graders did a think-pair-share workshop on some science they’ve been studying, and then got into a circle to discuss as a group what they learned.
Thanks Ms. Aricka Ford for making the big blue train hats for the Breishis Chazak Siyum Carnival! Rabbi Rubin loved wearing it, too, and he said, “Hats off to Ms. Ford!” Rabbi Shmuly put a video of 150 trains clanking along tracks on the screen as students went from station to station doing all kinds of fun Parsha activities.
RE: THE RUBIKS CUBE CRAZE Great fun, but PLEASE not during class time!
THE BREISHIS CHAZAK SIYUM CARNIVAL Get a glimpse of all the energy & creativity!
BREISHIS CARNIVAL VIDEO THE MACHPELAH CAVE Kindergarten students took a closer look at pictures of “Me’aras HaMachpela” as it appears today, because in this week’s Parsha that’s where Yaakov is brought to be buried.
You can get a glimpse of the energy at today’s Breishis Carnival by viewing the video online at facebook.com/maimonidesschool.albany
Blindfolded, pin Yaakov or Eisav in Toldot!
WELCOME BACK MORAH LEYEE HS Girls and 7/8 Chumash are very happy to have Morah Leyee return after maternity leave. HS Girls enjoyed a Siyum/post-Chanukah party with her with iced-coffee, smoothies and dollar-jumps using a Dreidel. Making real Challah!
THANKS MR. GIZZI! Mr. Vince Gizzi of “Delaware Trains” store in Albany gave us a 100-year-old picture of Albany’s old train station for our Grand Central Siyum Station event. Rabbi Rubin got tickets made up, with stops at each Parsha (booth), and hole punchers for the conductors… All aboard!
Once you peel away the tape, everyone’s coloring reveals:
LOVE! On Track with the Parsha! On Track with the Parsha!
Get up the Vayeitze Ladder to get chance at Pinata in clouds.
Drinking Contest like Yishmael’s Thirst
Spice Smelling Test for Parshat Vayeishev
“HAMALACH HAGOEL…” Rabbi Avraham Kelman shared with us this painting he made of Yaakov’s switched-hands blessing of Efraim and Menashe, words that bless Jewish children to this very day!
“Parsha-Pictionary” for Parsha Vayigash
Draw flowers & trees for 3rd day of Creation
Inside all that rice are Parsha questions
at Maimonides and in the Community 1/13: CBAJ SEPHARDIC SHABBAT
at the Dutch Quad Parking lot, the closest Sephardic song and foods, Kabbalat Shabbat songs, University lot to Shabbos House. communal Shabbat dinner (by prior reservation) and a lunch for middle-schoolers, with special guest 1/23: UALBANY KOSHER DINING Rabbi Yosef Albo, director of Sephardic UAlbany Kosher Dining (under Vaad HaKashruth) programming at Ramaz Upper School in NYC. to resume after winter break on Indian Quad at UAlbany. https://ualbanydining.com/diningchoices/kosher-kitchen.html 1/14: SHABBOS CHAZAK! This week we read Vayechi and conclude with a lively Chazak! as we finish Sefer Breishis. The new 1/28: PIZZA NITE III Torah-Times is out now for Shmos, you can now At “Nathan’s Kitchen” at Maimonides, run by the order (not on Shabbos, of course) a printed book of HS Girls, benefitting their extra-curricular. They’ve Breishis & Shmos (or Shmos alone) from the been very efficient, working as a great team, making Amazon link at: www.TheTorahTimes.com delicious pizzas.
1/14: MELAVA MALKA CHANGE
1/28: NCSY 8-12 SNOWTUBING
Special guest couldn’t make it, so we’re postponing this Melava Malka until next week, 1/21.
NCSY is taking teens in grades 8-12 snowtubing right after Shabbos, 6:05pm from CBAJ. $14pp.
1/14: “FREEDOM SUMMER” ’64
1/29: J-FED’S SUPER SUNDAY
Documentary film screening at Schenectady JCC, 7pm about the fight for voting right in Mississippi.
The Jewish Federation’s Super Sunday fundraiser supports both local and overseas beneficiary organizations, from Maimonides to Sderot, from PJ Library to summer camp scholarships. Parents: please sign up for a shift to call, or for one of the follow-up calling nights. It benefits the greater community as well as our school, and overseas Jewish needs as well.
1/16: MLK DAY FREE ADMISSION @ INSTITUTE OF HISTORY & ART Free admission at Albany Institute of History & Art. We have school that day, but you can go from dismissal until 5pm close.
1/21: TEVET 24 MELAVA MALKA Sat Night 7pm at Maimonides. Informal Melava Malka/farbrengen commemorates yartzeit of the Alter Rebbe (and locally Joe Saidel) at the same time it happened in 1813, Motzai Shabbos Shmos.
1/22: WELCOMING THE DAF YOMI GEMORAH EXPRESS AT SIYUM Our students (also studying Bava Metziah) are waiting at the “station” to welcome the Daf Yomi Bava Metziah Express - at Daf Yomi Sunday, after 8am Shacharis at Shomray Torah. This will be on the yartzeit of the Alter Rebbe, and of Joe Saidel obm, a founder of the local Daf Yomi.
1/22: LAURIE LANS TO SPEAK AT WOMENS SPA FOR BODY & SOUL
2/14: MEGA KIDS CHALLAH BAKE Several orgs are making this exciting hands-on Kids Mega Challah Bake experience for kids ages 5-13. Sunday, February 12th, 2:30-4:30 at the Albany JCC. Children should be accompanied by an adult. No Charge. Please RSVP by Tuesday, February 7. RSVP: www.CapitalKidsChallahBake.com Chanie@CapitalChabad.com 439-3310.
2/16-20: FEB BREAK UPDATE As on the original school calendar, there will be no school Thursday 2/16 thru Monday Feb 20th. School resumes Tuesday, the 21st at 8am.
3/3: UALBANY’S SHABBAT 360 Tentative rescheduled date (from 2/3/2017) for #ualbanyShabbat360 co-sponsored by Hillel, Shabbos House, Lchaim, Aish and other campus orgs, it’s the largest unified Shabbat dinner of the year, held in the Campus Center Ballroom. Open to students from nearby campuses as well.
Lt. Commander Laurie Lans of the US Navy (and wife of US Army chaplain Rabbi Moshe Lans) will be the guest speaker at this year’s spa for the body and soul. She has a unique story, both of her career and personal journey. $20 prepaid by Jan 15, $25 3/24-25: REGIONAL SHABBATON at the door. Spa treatments 1:30-2:30pm; soups, Chabad on Campus Regional Shabbaton to be salads, sweets, raffles and speaker 2:30-4:30pm. Call hosted at Shabbos House. Leyee 495-0779, Chanie 439-3919 with any questions or to RSVP. Please remember, parking is
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!”