BH. Cheshvan
ב“ה
3, 5780 / November 1, 2019
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 5:30 Shabbat Ends: produced by Rabbi Mendel Rubin & students in the TNT (Torah ‘n Technology) Program 6:30 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
MAZAL TOV KUDANS On the wedding of their daughter MHDS alumna Sarale Kudan to Yossi Rapoport last night (Thursday) in Atlantic City. Mazal Tov!
This MC Newsletter is dedicated in loving memory of
MAZAL TOV UNGERMANS To Heshy and Barbara Ungerman on the wedding this Sunday in Monsey of their granddaughter Basya Ungerman of Passaic to Avraham Yeshaya Safer. Much Nachas!
Risha Piekarski
Yartzeit this Shabbos Cheshvan 4 (she passed away on Shabbos, too) By her daughter Morah Rochel and Rabbi Rubin and Family May her memory be a blessing!
HISTORIC MABEE FARM TRIP Mrs. Mattice took first and second graders on a trip to historic There’s lots of Parsha-related learning and Mabee Farm in hands-on activities this week as Parsha Noach Schenectady County. has so many visual It was in connection concepts: animals, with their studies of weather, rainbows, early Dutch history construction… One in this region and of nursery’s activity they got to tour a learning centers historic house and see all kinds of house and this week was “Can farm equipment dating back to that time. They You Make a schlepped a bucket of water for the goat, and Rainbow?” with did an hands-on activity on building houses paint on paper. with wood beams without using nails! The They had another wood was cut in such a way with notches and creamy textured holes that made the pieces fit together. So they version (see learned animal care and old style construction Schneur Zalman on just in time for Parsha Noach! upper left) with colors and shaving NOW WHITE/BEIGE CANS... cream. And Mendy We got most of the tuna we need, now onto (on left) holds up a taller cans (usually 15.5 ounces or so) and best rainbow of a in white or beige colors. We’re building the different form! trials, so this coming week is best!! THANKS!
CAN YOU MAKE A RAINBOW?
WHAT WOULD RASHI SAY? This cute cartoon traveled the Jewish internet this week for Parshas Noach, but our students knew the Rashi on why G-d didn’t want Noach to but a pre-fab Ark to make things easier… Rashi says: G-d has many means at His disposal, why bother Noach with the long -term complicated project of building an Ark? It was a way to be a boldly visible, a noticeable inspiration for others of that time, a chance for them ask about it, and to hopefully change things for the better!
ALL ABOARD... … the pirate ship? Noah’s Ark? The Nursery kids love playing outside! The leaves add a whole dimension of fun and color...
FROM UNDER A MICROSCOPE
Middle School science students wrapped up a microscope learning project this week with Ms. Brown where they each put all types of TALMUD OUTSIDE TALMUD ordinary household items under a microscope This week we came across two mentions of as an exercise to learn how to prepare slides, Talmud in unexpected places. (1) the New use varying degrees of magnification, get the York Times Sports article (pictured above) on image into focus, and record and report on the Astros vs. Nationals World Series uses their findings. Can you guess what household Talmudic debates to describe a item created this very close up stunning hotly contested call during Game 6. detailed image??? And (2) we also got a link to a nice article by a cousin of Aviva Rossman (longtime UNREACTIVE, Albany now in Israel) about how his Talmud UNTIL... studies helps him with his college courses. See High School his short article online by searching for: Chemistry created a CJNews: My Teachers Were Right, Studying chemical reaction Talmud was Worth It! using potassium permanganate and glycerin. Each of FUN WITH LEAVES these are unreactive The new “construction corner” of the Nursery on their own, but playground is a fun place to do “work” with when mixed they leaves using tools & hands, whatever works! create fire, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other chemicals. It was also a good lesson on how to handle chemicals safely and properly. It’s also a nice life message about the magical things we can generate when working with others vs. doing it on our own.
BUILDING & STACKING BLUE/GREEN WORLD COOKIES Morah Devorah Leah’s Kita Bet just finished the second chapter of Breishis, concluding the Creation story. One way they celebrated is with baking blue-green round world cookies. They wanted to take this picture with the blue sticky dough on their fingers and hands!
PROPER POSITIVE SPEECH What in this week’s Parsha teaches this?
FINGER KNITTING Mrs. Gittel Laber taught our middle school girls a simple technique that requires no tools other than your own hands but creates some very beautiful, fluffy and warm fabrics that can become scarves, hats, even a big blanket! The girls got so into it, these two even took their yarn outside (the weather was so nice!) and kept at it one stitch and twist at a time!
Nursery students did a lot of handson learning this week about Noah’s Ark. One center was about stacking things, how high they could go, how many they could fit. (This is a great photo, follow her eyes to the top).
CHUMASH SKILLS BOOSTER 5th graders are now doing Chumash skills reinforcement using a wonderful curriculum focusing on root words, Rashi text and other tools (developed by Morah Nechama Hendel of the Joseph Kushner School in NJ) alongside their regular Chumash studies and sheets. The aim is to further improve and enhance their reading and understanding of Chumash.
HEBREW ANIMAL NAMES Kitah Alef and Bet learned (also in connection with Parsha Noach) many names of animals in Hebrew from the little Achbar = mouse to the huge Peel = elephant, the delicate Parpar = butterfly to the strong Aryeh = lion, the earnest Eforach = baby chick to the wily clever Shual = fox, and many others!
ONE LETTER AT A TIME Our Kindergarteners are eager learners and are working on mastering their Hebrew alphabet (especially the similar letters) with reading specialist Morah Raizel and getting to know English sight words with Mrs. Katie Hoffman. They can’t wait to learn how to read!
SOAKING GUMMY BEARS What happens to gummy bears after soaking in water for 24 hours? Ms. Brown’s chemistry class will be looking for changes in volume, mass and density this Friday afternoon after putting them in water yesterday and made their hypothesis. Also, what might happen to their colors or other changes? And they also thought of another experiment to test between the Kosher and non-Kosher varieties.
MATH BEHIND THE CANS
Middle schoolers working on the “Kids Can Build” project realized math and measurement are key to their project! Things like radius and gradient and increments, all carefully considered! A professional told Rabbi Yossi that the shape we’re doing is challenging even for professionals, and they usually use specialized computer programs to model it. But using good ‘ol math, and some trial and error we’re trying to figure it out. We’re using HISTORY FAKEBOOK tuna cans for the center because their profile Mrs. Ramsay’s US History classes are making size is good for our gradient, the value they “Fakebook” accounts for the founding fathers, bring to those in need, and how their blue/ making profiles & friend lists, status updates, green color matches our theme. We need a quotes & posts, likes... There’s a special whole bunch more white or beige cans now educational program with a platform for this. for the next part of the project, taller 15.5 size.
RUSTY STEELWOOL ACTIVITY Mrs. Mattice’s science students experimented dipped steel wool in different things to see what would make it rust first. Then they used the rusty steelwool in a painting project! Hope to have more details and pictures next week...
CONSTITUTION MATH Ms. Ramsay’s students took a look at the total number of words in the constitution, and how many words were each article, and worked out the percentages to discover that the founding fathers placed the most GETTING AROUND emphasis the Recess isn’t a break from learning! Getting out legislative and into the fresh air, and moving about is very executive important but also there are many life branches. lessons learned on the playground that books alone don’t teach.
MARKUPS AND DISCOUNTS
Ms. Coffey’s middle school math learned how markups (profit margins) & discounts (sales) are usually calculated by percentages and how to figure that out. The Gemorah also discusses markups because there are Halachic caps as to high a seller can markup product, especially CHALLENGES essential products that people depend on. Usually, Mrs. Maher’s Even nowadays government regulates (directly, class has this fun at or indirectly influences) prices on certain the end of the week, but this week (thanks to items such as electric and gas utilities, completing their Bingo Behavior Chart) 5th telephone and even milk - a big issue graders had their own challenge competition! upstate with its many dairy farms.
OUTSIDE CLASSROOM WORKS The school’s Aravot willow bushes (planted by Mr. Heshy Ungerman) have grown too large and unwieldy and needed to be trimmed down to yield better Aravot for next Sukkot. Yes, we could have brought a professional, but it was fun, engaging and team-building to involve our boys who look forward to seeing fruits (or leaves!) of their labor next year. They’re not done yet, but they worked hard, already accomplished a lot and learned a lot in the process…
BUILDING STUFF Another picture from another Nursery learning activity center: building arks out of Lego, Lincoln Logs, you name it!
at Maimonides and in the Community 11/2: SHABBOS NOACH
PARENTS please note: Regular school on 11/11 Veterans Day. Parent Teacher Conferences will be held in December this year.
11/8: FIRST SHORT FRIDAY
Kiddush this week at Shomray Torah/Shteeble is As the clocks “fall-back” an hour on Sat Night/ sponsored by Yosef Vinisky for his birthday and Sid Sunday of Nov 3rd. 2:15 dismissal on Fridays until Stark in honor of his Bar-Mitzvah Parsha Noach. Spring. Parents, please be prompt for all dismissal/ pickups, especially on short Fridays!
11/2: RABBI REISMAN IS BACK
11/20: CBAJ BOOK CLUB MEETS The first book is Elie Wiesel’s “Souls on Fire”.
12/23: MAIMONIDES AUCTION Monday night, second night of Chanukah, 5-7pm. Save the date for this special event! The Kochmans always prepare a delicious Chanukah feast!
Rabbi Reisman’s Navi Shiur resumes once again, to 11/9: CBAJ MINCHA CHANGE be screened live from Brooklyn 9pm on Sat Nights After clocks change, CBAJ will do Mincha on at the CBAJ Conference Room. Shabbos afternoons following morning services/ 1/23: F.C. WINE AND DINE EVENT Kiddush, and schedule Maariv 15 minutes after At Glennpeters to benefit the Friendship Circle. Shabbos each week (until Spring) so people can 11/2: SAT NIGHT LOOKING FOR W.O.W. GUESTS Shabbos ends 6:30pm this week, early enough to go drive back to Shul after saying Baruch HaMavdil. We’re looking to bring back the school’s WOW out and do something. The first Pizza Night is next (Wide Open Windows) program featuring local 11/9: FIRST PIZZA NIGHT week after the clocks fall back an hour. Shabbos people sharing their talent, expertise, or ends next week at 5:23! Sat Night at Maimonides, by the High School girls hobbies with our students - opening their in “Nathan’s Kitchen” stay tuned for updates and minds’ windows to the world! If you have details. Eat-In/Take-Out. Hoping for new ovens!!! 11/3: ALBANY AUTO SHOW something you can share with our students or 150 new vehicles (all types!) on display from 30 know someone who has something interesting 11/11: VETERANS DAY PARADE manufacturers, plus vendors and accessories and to share, please contact Rabbi Rubin 518-423auto related displays. 10am-5pm at Times-Union 11am to 2pm, kicks off at the corner of Central Center. $10pp (kids under 12 are free). Free Ave and Ontario Street at 11am, with the reviewing 4103 or Morah Rochel 518-526-0774. parking in garage behind north of) TUC, via stand on the steps of the State Education Building Beaver or Market Streets. on Washington Ave, just across the NYS Capitol. SOME NEW AUCTION PRIZES A robotic vacuum, a junior shopping spree (in addition to the main shopping spree package), a 11/3: ALBANY COMIC/TOY SHOW 11/11: VETERANS DAY stroller, a projector and speaker, an Instapot 10am-5pm at the Red Lion Inn 205 Wolf Road. School is open. Parent Conferences will be in Dec. (that’s pretty popular these days). Stay tuned! This show is for collectors and aficionados of comic The event date is Dec 23rd, but it should be books and action figures and other collectibles. 11/11: MY FATHER’S LOST GOLD mailed & online before Thanksgiving. $10pp admission fee. Dr. Mark Biederman shares his 20-year quest to find gold coins which his father's family buried in 11/4: REALLY NEED CANS BY NOW their backyard in Poland before being deported and OUR CAN COLORS: Most of the tuna Please send in cans or funds by this date or the discoveries about his family learned along the cans needed are in (we could use a few more, sometime this coming week as we will need to start way. 3 times/locations in our area: Sunday, the but only blue/green colored) All Kosher, of the trial builds. See right column or inside this 10th, 7pm at Saratoga Chabad; 5pm at Union course, since they will be donated to Shalom newsletter for the colors/types we now need most! College’s Old Chapel; and 7:30-9:30pm with Kosher Food Pantry after they are assembled Clifton Park Chabad at the Clifton Park Senior and displayed… Now we need mostly 15.5 oz. taller cans, preferably white or beige colored. 11/4: SHTEEBLE MAARIV CHANGE Community Center: 6 Clifton Common Court. We are building the trials this coming week… Now that the clocks changed, Maariv will be each 11/12: THE LIGHT OF HOPE night (Monday thru Thursday) at 8pm. Sunday Mincha-Maariv will be at the Zman. We are still … is the title of the Holocaust film to be screened COMPOST UPDATE exploring the possibility of a 3:15pm Mincha at Page Hall UAlbany Downtown Campus, 135 Remarkably (and probably thanks to the thick Minyan at school (Mon-Thurs) before pickup but Western Ave at 7pm based on the true story of depth of the compost pile) our worms are still that will depend on how many are able to come. Elisabeth Eidenbenz (1913-2011) and her female co alive and eating, enjoying the compost, even -workers who saved almost 600 infants in with the few days of cold weather we had. In 11/5: FIRST IN MED-ETHICS SERIES Southwest France during World War II. This 27th the meantime, we’ll keep adding to the pile. This will be the first class in a medical ethics series annual Kristallnacht Interfaith Commemoration is sponsored by Holocaust Survivors & Friends by Rabbi Roy Feldman at CBAJ. DOWNTOWN IS PAWSOME Education Center, Community Relations Council of Jewish Federation of NENY, and UAlbany’s See the 10 Nipper little dog Sculptures now on a 11/7: ZAYIN (7TH OF) CHESHVAN Judaic Studies program. Downtown walking tour: 683 Broadway, 30 S. This Hebrew date (when the last Jew arrived home Pearl Street, 374 Broadway, 25 Orange Street, after the Sukkot Jerusalem Temple pilgrimage) is Green Street btwn Beaver St & Hudson Ave, 25 11/14: IVAN VAMOS IN COLONIE always a big deal at school. Rabbi Roy Feldman will Quackenbush Square, Tricentennial Park Ivan Vamos (born in 1938) will tell the personal be speaking at school together with Rabbi Rubin Broadway & Columbia Street, corner of Eagle story of a young boy’s survival of the Holocaust in about a 20+ page Albany community feature in a & State Streets, 16 Sheridan Avenue. Hungary. 6pm at the Colonie Town Library. More Yiddish “Moment” magazine. Riverfront Garage at Hudson River Walkway info? Chaicentercolonie@gmail.com
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!”