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24 Adar I, 5779 / March 1, 2019
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Community Newsletter of the Maimonides Hebrew Day School of the Capital District Candle-Lighting: 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208 (518) 453-9363/3434 www.maimonidesschool.org 5:27 Shabbos Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 6:28 Maimonides is accredited by the NYS Board of Regents & is a beneficiary of UJF-NENY
maimonidesschool@gmail.com
MAIMONIDES 404 Partridge Street Albany NY 12208
MASK, CROWN, HAMANTASCH Nursery students painted a big colorful Adar poster mural with triangular Hamantasch shapes, masks and crowns. They also have three giant color-filled brown paper Hamantaschen having up on their classroom wall. There’s lively Purim spirit throughout the school, and it’s not even Adar II yet until the end of next week.
This week’s newsletter is sponsored in loving memory of
Reb Moshe Rubin Yartzeit 29 Adar By his son Rabbi Yisroel and Rochel Rubin and family THE WIND LIGHTING THE WAY In STEAM class, these 4th graders took a minipropeller attached to a small device with LED lights, mounted it atop an empty seltzer bottle and held it aloft outside on a windy day, until the wind got the LED lights to turn on!
BEFORE OLD MAN & THE SEA Before reading “Old Man and the Sea” by Hemingway, Mr. Conley had the HS Girls do a crossword puzzle using words from the book. The array of words gave them a glimpse of the story before reading it.
WILL THE REAL MORDECHAI PLEASE STAND UP? Morah Devorah’s 1st graders dressed up in Purim masks that they made, and it sure is hard to tell who they are underneath!
WHO IS THE MASKED QUEEN Esther hid her identity in the Purim story, and this first grade Queen Esther is hiding, too!
SHABBOS MEMORIES This week, High School girls “Better2Lead” program did Shabbat candlestick decorating with residents at the Massry, and discussed various Shabbos memories with them, going back to their parents & grandparents homes in their youth. They also sang together “My Mothers Shabbos Candles” which became a little emotional for some. It was a meaningful & memorable visit.
WOMENS SPA IS THIS SUNDAY Annual event: Activities, Luncheon, Speaker!
GIANT JENGA IMPROV 6th graders spent some time with Kindergarten this week and built an oversized & improvised Jenga game using wooden blocks from their classroom. Clever resourcefulness!
100TH DAY OF SCHOOL For 100th day of school this week Mrs. Mattice and 1st graders made 10 starred tasty blocks in 10’s atop wafers among other projects.
GENETIC ENGINEERING HS Biology class this week learned about genetic engineering and cloning, transplanting DNA from one organism to another.
PAPER CRYSTALS
FINISHED CHEMISTRY BOOK
Mrs. Maher’s students are now learning about 8th grade chemistry finished their first book different shapes of crystals, so they cut out and (four units, five chapters each) about the basic folded and shaped them accordingly. fundamentals of chemistry.
WWI’S PERFECT STORM
PALACE ON PAPER Speaking of folded papers, first grade with Morah Devorah made the trifold Armon Shushan palaces on left (with colorful Leitzan clowns dancing around it) while Kindergarten made the shape-built palaces on right. Purim is around the corner!
There’s been some buzz online about the Systems Engineering Manager for the Israeli SpaceIL lunar launch being Alexander Friedman, a Chabad Chassid (pictured above). As it turns out this engineer (who has been working with satellite technology for 35 years) is related to the Hecht students in our school! This Alexander was born in Russia in 1950, and only met his father at age 7, SNAPwhen he was freed from Russian prison for CIRCUITS underground Jewish activities. In 1970 their family emigrated to Israel and Alexander got a These third degree in applied mathematics from Hebrew graders are University. The lunar module is now in orbit building their own snap-circuit and they are working towards a moon landing. in STEAM class in the school’s A BANKING EXPERIENCE Makerspace. 8th grade girls went this week to deposit They are another batch of Bake-Sale profits and learned learning what about filling out a deposit slip, find the each color-coded account numbers, and the the parts of a check part does. needed for a proper deposit.
8th grade history learned how so many ism’s (imperialism, nationalism, militarism) and various national alliances of different types all lined up and fell into place to create WWI and lead to the deaths of over 20 million people and many more casualties and upheavals—and led to more in WWII.
NEGATIVES & POSITIVES SNAP-CIRCUITS & HALF-SHEKEL
In Psalm 25, HS Girls with Morah Raizy learned King David’s hope & prayer that G-d (and we as well) focus on the positive not on the negative.
Snap-Circuits are one of the most popular items in the Makerspace, with many possibilities & applications. Each part alone isn’t enough, you need it to STAYING BACK FROM SIYUM work together to complete a circuit One class was going off to a local shop for a and execute a function. Like the Half-Shekel Siyum but the van was short two seats. But of this week’s Torah reading: Each person’s two girls kindly volunteered to stay half-Shekel alone is only half, but when it joins back, while the others went off and up with someone else’s half-Shekel it brought them back their treats. completes the circuit and makes it whole.
SOUP OF THE WEEK? Parents, please call Mrs. Wildman to volunteer for your week to make hot soup.
TURN IT INTO A KIDS BOOK Morah Dini gave HS Girls a long-term yearend assignment: Take any Navi story in the book of Melachim (Kings) that they are learning and write it up as a children's book, geared to their level & understanding.
LOCAL SPACEIL CONNECTION
TUNNEL ART Tunnel drawing is complicated because you are trying to create (the appearance of) a 3D effect. Morah Rivi taught her art classes some techniques in achieving that this week.
RAMBAN ON HALF-SHEKEL HERE’S WHAT I WOULD GIVE
Ramban (R’ Moshe b’ Nachman) writes that he saw a half-shekel coin with Aaron’s staff blossoming on one side and a container of Manna on the other. More recent Israeli archeological digs found half-shekel coins with the same imagery on the front and back of the coin as the Ramban describes centuries ago!
Morah Chani asked her students, “If asked to give something special to the Mishkan, what would you give?” Kids talked about what they thought would be special and precious, and then illustrated and decorated their gifts which are now hanging (with their giving hands) in the hallway are between Nursery and the Kindergarten classrooms. It’s a good thoughtprovoking question… for adults, too!
END OF ANOTHER PERIOD Another marking period is coming to a close and Report Cards will be prepared this coming week.
LEADERSHIP ALSO MUST GIVE HS Chasynthesis class this week learned about leadership that’s above people, or leadership that is with people (see the Rashi about the princes’ gift in this week’s Parsha Vayakhel). Rabbi Mendel THE SALO MEMORIAL LUNCH tied in into Federation’s SuperSunday There was a special lunch at school with bagels (coming up on March 10th) when before and spreads, and cookies and fruit on the 2nd solicitors call others to give, they are first asked yarzteit of Salo Steper (20th of Adar). Johanna to make their own pledge. Steper spoke about how much Salo loved this school and how proud he would be of each of the students and their learning. Rabbi Rubin spoke about how Salo loved learning Torah and how we are developing a Beit Medrash and Talmud Resource Library in his memory. They also learned Mishnayot spelling initialing his Hebrew name: Shlomo Yaakov.
ORDER ARE DUE THIS WEEK ^ For 8th grade girls Pre-Purim Bake Sale. To find out more about 8th grade girls pre-Purim Bake-Sale (by 3/5, by the dozen) open to community, email: 78bakesale@gmail.com
ALUMNA NEW PICTURE BOOK
FOLDED OVER MEGILLA Morah Dini printed out the text of the Megillah in scroll form and while it is printed on paper and not handwritten on parchment it has the BETTER TOGETHER VISITS feel of a real Megilah Our 5th and 6th grade girls visited residents of scroll! They learned the Parkview Apartments this week, how it roll it up and with treats for Shabbos and Mitzvot to fold it under, just as is done with a Megillah. share. They are also completing their They are using this not just as a look-alike, but Better Together essays in time to be as the text they are learning Megillah from! judged first locally and then a winner sent off to the national competition.
MHDS alumna Chana Laber is making her own children’s book. Stay tuned for info! The particular expression and theme pictured “a small, still voice” is something our HS Girls are now learning in Melachim Book of Kings about the revelation to the prophet Elijah.
SHEPHERDS: THEN & NOW 8th grade Talmud is now learning Hamafkid 36b, an argument between Abbaye and Rava on how we ought to weight and how much to consider contributory factors. The context of the case is shepherding negligence that led to a (seemingly) accidental death. It so happens that this week Rabbi Mendel spoke with a Shabbos House alumna doing Peace Corps in Lesotho (a tiny country inside South Africa) MAGNETS IN MAKERSPACE who is working on educational programs and health initiatives with youth More Makerspace concocting this week, only this time with metals and magnets. shepherds, so it was a fun and interesting connection.
DELTA MATH PROGRAM
Ms. Coffey’s students now started a weekly In Ivrit class, Morah Rivi’s students are assignment online on a program called Delta Math which they each have a login, do their reading a Hebrew story about a Russian own work, it has options for examples and émigré who doesn’t know anyone and feels other assistance, and Ms. Coffey sees your alone, until a girl brings her Mishloach work as well so they can discuss it with her, in Manot. Purim is a time to think of others! the classroom as well.
PURIM SENSITIVITY
ALEPH-BEIS PARTY Kindergarten is excited for their Aleph-Beis Party scheduled for Thursday, Rosh Chodesh Adar II, March 7th. They decorated these beautiful watercolor apron invitations.
PURIM FINGER PUPPETS Second graders made colorful finger puppets of the Purim characters.
MATONOS L’EVYONIM Not too early to set aside money for the needy for Purim. Speak to Rabbi Rubin, your local Rabbi or reputable charitable organizations.
at Maimonides and in the Community 3/1: SIX HOUR OF READING DUE
dedicated gourmet chef Olga (she’s a good cook!) Kids up to grade 6 can submit a log of six hours of now offers themed dinners on certain nights. It is a student cafeteria, community is welcome. reading by today to be eligible for free Six Flags entry tickets. Morah Dini is our school coordinator 3/6: K.P.C. WEEKLY SPECIAL for this Read To Succeed program. To pre-order the weekly Wednesday prepared dinner special at Kosher Price Chopper, email 3/2: VAYAKHEL—SHEKALIM JohnPiccolo@pricechopper.com to be added to the In addition to Parsha Vayakhel this Shabbos has the bonus Torah reading of “Shekalim” (about the weekly email list with menu, pricing & other info. half-Shekel contribution). It’s the first of 4 bonus 3/7: CRUSADES & MARTYRDOM Torah readings this time of year. And it is also Shabbos Mevorchim, when we bless the new Judaic Studies at UAlbany hosts Dr. William month of Adar II (and get closer to Purim!) Chester Jordan of Princeton University to speak about Jewish martyrdom during the first crusades at 7pm in the Standish Room of UAlbany’s Science 3/2: YARTZEIT KIDDUSH Library building. Info? 518-442-5300 & Dr. Rabbi Israel and Morah Rochel Rubin are sponsoring this week’s Kiddush at Shomray Torah Federica Francesconi: ffrancesconi@albany.edu in memory of her father R’ Michel Piekarski’s 3/7-8: ROSH CHODESH ADAR II recent yartzeit, and his father R’ Moshe Rubin’s upcoming yartzeit. It’s Adar II and (unusually for Adar II) two days of Rosh Chodesh. 8am Minyan at school on Thursday
3/2: RABBI REISMAN NAVI CLASS Sat nights Navi class live from Brooklyn at the CBAJ Media Center at 7:30pm.
3/9: LAST PIZZA NITE!
3/3: (INDOOR) GREENMARKET
Before the clocks change later that night… this last Pizza Nite of the winter season will also feature a shiur by Rabbi Roy Feldman of CBAJ.
Year ’round farmer & crafts market at Proctor’s Theater Arcade, 10am-2pm every Sunday.
3/9-10: CHANGE THE CLOCKS
3/3: BUTTERFLIES BACK @ MiSci MISCI Museum in Schenectady has their indoor interactive butterfly exhibit house back, even with the winter cold outside. Exhibit/experience is free with museum admission, and some local libraries have museum passes to cover (part of that) as well.
3/3: SPA FOR THE BODY & SOUL 1-4pm joint communal event at Shabbos House. Spa activities 1-2pm, luncheon and speaker 2-4pm. Featured presenter is the dynamic, humorous and meaningful Miriam Lipsker of Emory University Chabad in Atlanta, Georgia. Her talk will be on relationships. Stay tuned for updates & details.
3/3: 1ST SUNDAYS FREE AT CLARK 10am-5pm in Williamstown MA. Explore Clark Institute’s classic art museum, modern architecture and gorgeous grounds in the Berkshires. Free 1st Sunday each month, theme is Hearth & Home.
3/5: PURIM BAKE SALE ORDERS Order by this date to: 78bakesale@gmail.com
3/5: SPECIALS AT INDIAN KOSHER Kosher Dining (Vaad Supervision) at UAlbany’s Indian Quad open for lunch and dinner has a new
After pizza night, the clocks change as we “Spring Forward” and the start of longer days and full Fridays at school. The official time switch happens at 2:00am Sunday. Remember that Sunday morning Minyan is on the “new” changed time.
3/21: PURIM PRUNCH AT MHDS Maimonides’ late morning Purim Prunch allows many to see each other in costume, swap Mishloach Manot and celebrate. Stay tuned for this year’s theme! And more Purim events to be listed soon…
3/21: MANY PURIM DAY EVENTS
1:30-2:30pm at the Jewish Federation, story-time and craft during the heart of Super Sunday. Please register ahead: Contact Amy Drucker at (518) 7837800 ext. 229 or adrucker@jewishfedny.org.
Some of these Purim events have costs, please contact them ahead for more details. Maimonides Purim Prunch: Megillah 10:30am, Prunch follows. Theme TBA soon! “Purim in the City” with Saratoga and Clifton Park Chabad at the Hyatt Place in Malta 5:30pm with interactive Megillah, a deli buffet, Graffiti wall art, Make NY-style deli pickles, and more! “Purim at the County Fair” at Bethlehem Chabad with a dog show, caricatures, live game show, and fair booths, corn dogs and more! Purim Party at the historical Pruyn House in Latham with Colonie Chai Chabad, 5:30pm. Purim Celebration with Labers and Chabad of S. Renssalear County at 12 Thompson Rd 5:30pm CBAJ + Hebrew Academy Bounce Party and Carnival and Purim Meal on Purim afternoon.
3/20: PURIM NIGHT EVENTS
4/7: FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE GALA
3/10: J-FED’S SUPER SUNDAY Call-a-thon reaching out to Capital Region area donors to support the Jewish Federation and its local beneficiaries (including Maimonides) and its overseas & Israel partners. Maimonides parents are asked to kindly volunteer a shift for this effort.
3/10: PJ LIBRARY SUPER-SUNDAY
University Heights and NextDor plan a Purim
party for grad students & young professionals. 7:30pm, Location TBA. Stay tuned. PurimTini at Bethlehem Chabad, a Purim night celebration for adults. Shomray Torah to have festivities (and possibly Purim Seudas—stay tuned!) for night and day. CBAJ Mincha 6:50 Megillah+Break-Fast 7:30pm.
6:30pm at the Albany Elks Lodge. $54pp or $72/a couple. Register www.capitalfriends.org/events/gala honors Jeff Weiss of Glennpeter Jewelers & more. For info call Chaya: 518-488-8992.
6/4: MAIMONIDES DINNER Stay tuned for honorees and info. Important annual school fundraiser & communal event.
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!”