Maimonides Community

BH. Sivan

11, 5778 / May 25, 2018

‫ב“ה‬

Candle-Lighting: Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District 8:03 404 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 9:13 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY

MAZAL TOV RUBASHKINS Mazal Tov to Rabbi Meir Simcha and Fraidy Rubashkin on the birth of a baby boy named Peretz at the Bris in Oneonta. Special Mazal Tov to the newborn baby’s siblings Chaim and Tzilah and Rosie who attend Maimonides!

maimonidesschool@gmail.com

MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208

MAZAL TOV VOLOVIKS To Rabbi & Mrs. Volovik and family on their daughter Riki’s Bas-Mitzvah! Much Nachas…

UNGERMAN CONDOLENCES Condolences to Mrs. Barbara Ungerman on passing of her sister Joan Harriet Schwarzberg.

JOURNAL/YEARBOOK ALSO HONORS OUR GRADUATES! In our enthusiasm to honor Rabbi Rubin and Morah Rochel in this year’s Journal, we may have forgotten to point out that the Journal is also a Yearbook and there’s a page for each of our 8th grade and HS graduates and parents and families can put in ads or greetings to honor them as well. More info on ad sizes & costs etc: www.maimonidesschool.org/dinner Ads can now be placed until Tues night 5/29.

YEAR-END SCHOOL TRIPS DAY Parents please note! Year-end full-day trips will be this coming Wednesday (5/30). Look for orange permission slips sent home. Please return signed forms with trip costs by Tuesday 5/29! Thanks.

HIGH-SCHOOL: Away on year-end trip from Sunday through Tuesday this coming week.

GRADES 2-8: Rented bus to Old Sturbridge Village (OSV.org) in MA. Bus leaves 8:30am to return after 4pm. For more precise return time be in touch with Morah Rochel 518-526-0774 that afternoon. Subsidized cost is $10 per child.

GRADES K-1: Trip to Adirondack Animal Land. Subsidized cost is $6 per child.

NURSERY: Water-play and fun outside school.

Be sure to send lunches and snacks and water bottle for all ages. Possible rain-date for grades K-8 will be 5/31. Spending money should be limited and is optional. See permission forms for more info.

MAZAL TOV LEVINS! With thanks to Hashem, Ted and Susannah Levin announce the engagement of their son (MHDS alumnus) Eli Levin to Nechama Rabinowitz, daughter of Dov & Chavi Rabinowitz of London, England. The wedding will be in Israel after the Chagim.

This MC Newsletter is dedicated in memory of

Bernie Saul Yartzeit 10 Sivan

JOURNAL ADS DUE BY MAY 29 This year at 30th year of Maimonides Dinner Rabbi Rubin and Morah Rochel will recieve the Dr. Morton Berger Memorial Award.

WHY A DRILL PRESS? Our newest STEAM Makerspace gadget tool is Journal ads in their honor, recognizing and a mounted drill press. One of the things it will appreciating their constant dedication and be used for is Rabbi Shmuly’s 5th grade weekly guidance and leadership of the school since its founding in 1980—are due by May 29th, this craftsman class for our students to learn how Tuesday. See www.maimonidesschool.org/ to reinforce book-bindings when older, welldinner or call Raizy: 518-772-7299. Also worn books start to loosen and fall apart. looking for 30-60 second video clips (taken by phone is fine) for a tribute for the Rubins…

PRACTICE REGENTS TESTING please send your memory or appreciation to Now ongoing in High School as they prepare maimonidesdinner@gmail.com for Regents testing later in June.

CUBISM Morah Rivi’s art students worked with the cubism technique this week, using shapes as the basis for the art.

While cubism isn’t strictly about cube-shapes, it ties in to Shavuot when we got the set of 2 square Luchot!

VISITING FORT CRAILO Mrs. Maher took her 4th grade class to see Fort Crailo as they learn about early NY State history. (Top) standing alongside a stone wall with the Hudson River behind them. (Left) at the entrance to the fortified house that was first built in 1707—that’s 311 years ago! They saw split-doors (like “Nathan’s Kitchen” at Maimonides), shorter-length beds (babies slept in baskets), hanging plants that chased away bugs and other interesting things and reasons (from the tour guide) for why the early Dutch settlers did things that way. They learned about slave jobs and saw the slave quarters in the basement. They also happened to see a dead fish on the shores of the Hudson, and that itself turned into a whole science discussion about flies and decomposition, the health of the waterways, the flow and ebb of the tides, and other ecosystem topics. Good putting their science knowledge to work out in the world! As they couldn’t eat the Dutch cookies offered at Fort Crailo, Mrs. Maher got the recipe and they will be baking those historic cookies right here at Nathan’s Kitchen in Maimonides! Mrs. Maher also made blueberry ink (added salt and vinegar—more science on how that helps!) for them to write using a quill at school. This was a great way to make their history (and science!) studies come alive…

CLASS TRIP TO ONEONTA BRIS Morah Devorah Leah and Mrs. Mattice took the second graders on a trip to Oneonta to be at the Bris of their classmate Chaim’s newborn baby brother. They enjoyed seeing where Chaim lives, went in/out/around the grand ol’ building (that Mrs. Mattice knew growing up!) and got a sense of how long it takes for Chaim to get to school and back home each day!

PICK A MATH PROJECT

A WHITE LIE IN “WONDER”

5th graders each chose one math topic they 5th graders read in the book learned this year, whether dividing fractions or “Wonder” about one kid who lied graphing data, finding patterns, dealing with about something to save a friend from decimals etc, reviewed and researched that embarrassment. They discussed if this would topic enough to write a page plus about it, and be an appropriate thing to do or not. then turned that info into Powerpoint slides.

HEBREW RESTAURANT MENU That’s the final project for 7th grade Ivrit class this year with Morah Rivi. They each have to design a restaurant menu, all in Hebrew, typed up and designed attractively.

MORNING STARTERS REFRESH Mrs. Mattice’s first graders are using this “Morning Starters” workbook to exercise some of their skills and warm up for learning.

Her afternoon 2nd grade students call it the “Afternoon Finishers”.

READING BUDDIES

One day this week first grade students HASHEM GAVE US A PRESENT teamed up with Many people know this Shavuos kids song.

Kindergarten For Shavuos students to read Nursery students books to them. It’s made a flap-book a win-win situation with icons from the as the first graders song. And the cover get practice and the has a big presentKindergarteners learn from their peers. type of box that they Parents! It is excellent practice to have your decorated with children read aloud to you once a day, both colorful paint dots. English & Hebrew, especially in the summer!

FINISHED PARSHA MISHPATIM

NESANEL SAVED THE CBAJ DAY

What a Parsha! This was the most complex Parsha, so many laws and details, and some of the Rashi’s were very difficult. But 7th grade with Rabbi Mathless learned the whole thing, most of the Rashi’s included.

He was up studying all Shavuos night, and was there at CBAJ for their early morning Minyan Shacharis. But the Ashkenaz custom is not to say the morning blessings if you didn’t sleep all night, while Chabad custom is to say them anyways. So Nesanel said them aloud for everyone and saved the (start of the) day!

STINK BUGS & PESTS This casual classroom conversation about stink bugs turned into a science discussion about insect identification, migration, invasive species, natural predators, the food chain, and pest control. One little bug has a huge story!

Our Nursery students made their own Legotype bricks (with both the indented and protruding sides) as they learn how each Mitzvah is considered another brick in rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash!

MOSHIACH QUALIFICATIONS Morah Dini’s Yahadus class learned original Rambam texts from the end of Mishna Torah to learn about the qualifications and conditions for Moshiach.

THE SINAI FILES—SCI-FI TORAH The Pre-Bar-Mitzvah class with Rabbi Motti enjoyed reading aloud and discussing this science-fiction-style version of a Shavuot Midrash written by Tzvi Freeman.

WAR-HORSE PACKET After completing the “War-Horse” book they are doing the last ELA packet of the year, partially to do for homework with the discussion portions in class. They’ll have a test on it next week and perhaps watch the film.

FLYING MAPLE AVIAN AERODYNAMICS We take bird flying for granted but Rabbi Yossi brought in a mechanical bird model in for STEAM class that shows in slow-motion how bird wings work. And it is connected to this week’s Parshas Naso, for its opening words are “raise (or uplift) the heads”.

They learned about four key terms in flying (bird or plane): Gravity, Lift, Thrust & Drag (that are like the 4 directions of down & up, forward and backward) and how “Airfoil” or the shape and actions of a bird’s wing deals with all four of these issues.

CUT CORNER OF A CLOAK During Saul’s jealous pursuit to kill David, the latter had opportunity to kill the former but did not, instead he only cut off the corner of his cloak. Morah Rochel’s Navi class saw in this an important character lesson that can be applied in life, even not in a life & death situation.

DEVORAH LEAH’S BIRTHDAY She brought in a delicious creamy cake for all her classmates to enjoy and also announced her birthday resolution of Torah study. It could be quite the challenge as it is not that easy but it is a finite and focused goal and has to do with her eleventh birthday.

TORAH AS A GIFT AND SALE Rabbi Motti was showing how verses compare Torah to both a gift & a purchase, how could it be both? 7th graders thought of B.O.G.O.!

MAKING LEGO BRICKS

This time of year there are flying helicopter maple seeds everywhere, so Mrs. Mattice’s students scooped some of them up to learn about it, and also to do a project using them.

CARING FOR BLUEBERRIES You don’t just plant it and leave it. Menachem has been looking out for our blueberry plants, making sure they are watered and care for in their first few weeks. He remembered that the LabDisks we got from Israel for our Science Lab have probes and sensors that can test PH levels in the soil, so we will be doing that next week. Good thinking Menachem!

GEMORAH CHECKBOXES

MEET GALLON-MAN! Mrs. Mattice’s 2nd graders are learning about different size measurements so she drew Mr. Gallon-Man on the board, with 2 quarts for arms and 2 more for legs, with pints pouring into the quart, & cups pouring into the pints.

They had a lot of fun with this!

REMEMBER ALAN & BUNNIE? Not many of the local families in Albany lived here when the Perlmans did (on Weis Rd), but they still remember Albany! They will be in for a visit from Israel (they moved to Israel from Albany many years back) this summer on Wed -Friday August 22-24 and look forward to meeting with and catching up with as many Albany friends as possible. Stay tuned!

Rabbi Mendel’s 7th grade Gemorah class is doing a comprehensive yearend “Sugyot” (Gemorah topics) review of the dozen or so Sugyot they learned in the first ten pages of Gemorah Sukkah. They are working with 4 charts with topics or names or issues in the columns and the pages and names of Sugyot in the rows and you have to check off which apply where for a birds-eye view review.

FIRST OF THE REGENTS TESTS Regents testing doesn’t begin until the middle of June, but our earth science high school students had a “lab performance” test that is 15% of their total earth science regents score.

RUBINS VIDEO GREETINGS? As we prepare for the Maimonides Dinner this June 5th, we’re asking friends, alumni etc. to share a 30-60 second recorded video greeting or memory for Rabbi Rubin & Morah Rochel.

It can be done on your phone and emailed to: maimonidesdinner@gmail.com by Tues 5/29.

at Maimonides and in the Community 5/26: SHABBOS NASO & 12TH OF SIVAN

6/3: CELEBRATE ISRAEL PARADE IN NYC w/J-FED

Parsha Naso has 176 verses (like the 176 verses of Tehillim’s 119 and 176 pages of tractate Bava Basra). This Shabbos is also 12th of Sivan which marks the end of the “Yimei Tashlumin” closing any loose ends (in Temple times) after Shavuot and we’re back to Tachanun in Sunday morning prayers.

J-Fed’s bus to 5th Ave parade in Manhattan. $30pp includes bus trip (leaves 7:30am, returns to Albany 8pm) & t-shirt. RSVP/Info: 518-783-7800 x239.

5/26: GRAND KIDDUSH SENDOFF FOR MOISHY K! Before Moishy Kudan leaves for Israel on a birthright trip, there will be a grand sendoff Kiddush this Shabbos at Shomray Torah.

5/26: WOMENS SHABBOS AFTERNOON SHIUR

6/5: 30TH ANNUAL MAIMONIDES DINNER HONORS RABBI RUBIN AND MORAH ROCHEL! webpage with journal info: www.maimonidesschool.org/dinner journal ads due by May 29th (please share link with friends, family, old Albany families and alumni!). This year, the 30th year of the dinner & the Dr. Morton Berger Memorial Award honors Rabbi Yisroel & Rochel Rubin who founded the school in 1980 and continue to shepherd it daily!

4:45pm by Susannah Levin at the home of Ellen Kaplowitz, 44 Oakwood.

6/10: CBAJ REDEDICATION CELEBRATION 5/27-28: LAST DAYS OF COOK PARK CARNIVAL RIDES 10am at CBAJ to showcase shul renovations and growth.

Weeknights 5-9pm, Sunday 1pm-10pm. Ride tickets are $1 each, wristbands available some days. More info at: http://www.gilletteshows.biz/

5/27: HUCK FINNS PLAYLAND OPEN FOR SEASON Huck Finns (formerly Hoffman’s) Playland in downtown Albany (near the 787) is open for the season 11am-8pm daily through September 3rd.

5/27-28: MEMORIAL DAY PARADES SUNDAY: Rensselaer: Ceremony 1pm on Washington Ave across Beverwyck cemetery leading to Huyck Park. MONDAY: Albany: 10am at Central Ave & Partridge Street down to Education Building on Washington Ave. Bethlehem: 11am from American Legion on Elsmere Ave to Veterans Park near Stewarts.

Glens Falls: 10am down Glen Street (Route 9) to Upper Glen Street’s Peace & Victory monument. North Greenbush: 1:30pm from Town Hall.

6/10: FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE WALK IN TAWASENTHA 1-3:30pm in Tawasentha Park (188 Rt 146) in Altamont. Wear sneakers!

BBQ after walk/run, ArtsCrafts for kids & fire-truck demonstration. $10pp/ $30 family. RSVP: capitalfriends.org/events/friendship-circle-walk-2018/

6/10: NEIMAH CHORUS + KATZ: “AFRICA TO ZION” 7pm at Massry Center for the Arts at College of St Rose. $15pp, $10pp for students/seniors. The 35-member co-ed Neimah Chorus will be accompanied

by Rabbi Noam Katz and his band with a theme of “From Africa to Zion”.

6/12: THE YEAR-END SCHOOL BBQ This year it will be a few days before the end of the school year, on Tuesday during the last full week of school. Cost per family is $25 or $5pp.

5/28: MEMORIAL DAY—NO SCHOOL

6/13: MENDEL C.P. PUTS ON TEFILLIN

Enjoy the extended weekend off. School resumes 8am on Tuesday.

Mendel R. (of Clifton Park) first-time Tefillin at 8am Shachris at Shteeble.

5/28: MEANDERING MONDAYS AT MOREAU PARK

6/17: DAD FEST IN WASHINGTON PARK

A beginner guided hike for families and children along the Wetland Trail. $2pp, kids & seniors $1pp. RSVP 24-hours prior to: 518-793-0511. This state park is north of Saratoga, and surrounds a lake with lots of picnic tables.

A Fathers Day celebration by the City of Albany, with music, vendors, kids activities and a day in the park. 1-6pm, no admission charge.

5/29: TUES DEADLINE FOR DINNER JOURNAL ADS Honoring Rabbi Rubin & Morah Rochel: maimonidesschool.org/dinner. At this point for any journal/dinner questions, please call Raizy 518-772-7299.

5/30: YEAR-END SCHOOL TRIPS DAY

6/17: WILDERNESS CRAFTS AT VAN DYKE PRESERVE 1-4pm at Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy’s Van Dyke Preserve in Delmar led by Dave Muska of Ondarta Adventures. No cost. Info? 518-436-6346.

6/18: MOVING-UP DAY AFTERNOON

As a number of families are getting their kids to camp (some starting earlier All day Wednesday trip (possibly delayed return pickup at 4:30pm) for Grades this year) on Tuesday, we’re moving Moving-Up Day to Monday afternoon at 2-8. School is renting a bus to take us to Old Sturbridge Village in MA. See 2pm. Parents and families are welcome and encouraged to attend. www.OSV.org. Cost is $10 per student, school subsidizes rest of cost. Grades K-1 will be going to Adirondack Animal Land. Subsidized cost per K-1 student 6/19: SCHOOL CLEAN-UP & PACK-UP DAY is $6. Nursery will have water-play outside school.

Teachers are all encouraged to come to school on “day-after” to close up year.

6/3: EAT LOVE PRAY—WOMENS LUNCHEON & TALK

6/20: EIGHTH GRADE & HS GRADUATION

Featuring guest presenter Rus Devorah Whalen LCSW PC, along with a buffet brunch, silent auction, and musical presentations. 11am at Hyatt Place in Malta with the Clifton Park Jewish Womens Connection. 518-495-0779.

Wed evening, after 8th grade returns from graduation trip.

7/9-8/17: CAMP GAN ISRAEL DATES

Gan Israel Day Camp dates for Summer ‘18: July 9th thru Aug 17th.

Dedicated staff, engaging program, meaningful memories. For more info call At Shteeble 8am Sunday Minyan in preparation for summertime Bar-Mitzvah. Morah Devorah Leah: 518-698-1836.

6/3: ELI G. PUTS ON TEFILLIN

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!”