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The Basic ESTER

Tuesday, January 11 - 3B/3G to Baltimore Museum of Industry. Mrs. Kasierer’s 2G Animal Habitat Presentations

at 2:45 in Room 179.

Wednesday, January 12 – 2B Animal Habitat Presentation

at 9:00 in Room 179. Mrs. Evans’s 2G Animal at Home Project

at 2:00 in Room 261.

Thursday, January 13 – Last day of classes before Winter Vacation. 3:30 Dismissal for all students. NO MISHMAR. NO P.M. DAY CARE.

Monday, January 24 – Classes Resume.

Thursday, January 27 – First Graders’ Chag HaChumash

at 9:20 a.m.

Erev Shabbos Parashas Bo January 7, 2011 Licht Bentchen: 4:44 P.M. Volume XVII, Issue 17

Dear Parents, Yesterday’s annual visit from the National Aquarium in Baltimore was the highlight of our week. As usual, the individualized, hands-on, kids-involved programs included animate and inanimate “residents” of the Aquarium. The exotic titles of these presentations were: Adaptations, Watermen Presentation, Marshland Mystery, Slither Slide, Chesapeake Bay Exploration, Mysterious and Dangerous, and Squid Dissection. The latter sessions (which had been eagerly anticipated for years) were really “gotten into” by our Sixth Graders. Our Fifth Graders used a hydrometer to measure water salinity and another instrument (whose name I don’t remember) to judge turbidity. Make sure to debrief your progeny about the details of what they learned, saw, heard, touched, and smelled, but didn’t taste. The Aquarium’s presenters all commented about how knowledgeable, well-prepared, well-behaved, and interested all our kids were. They also said that they always get the most insightful questions and comments from our youngsters, and they especially look forward to coming here each January. The rererererererererererererererereturn engagement is slated for January 5, 2012.

Attached or Accompanying

Today

Ooroo LaTefillah. Classroom Close-ups on Kindergarten by

Mrs. Donna Mack. SOVEYA Newsletter. Olomeinu for Shevat.

Calendarial Anticipations

Sunday, January 9 – 5th/6th Shiurim. Tuesday and Wednesday, January 11 and 12 – Full post-3:30 line-up including Yoga. Tuesday, January 11 –

Mrs. Kasierer’s 2G Animal Habitats program at 2:45.

3B/3G to Baltimore Museum of Industry. Wednesday. January 12 –

Nut House Pizza – Todah to all in-house helpers this Wednesday.

2B Animal Habitat Presentation at 9:00 in Room 179.

Mrs. Evans’s 2G Animal at Home Project at 2:00 in Room 261. Thursday, January 13 –

Last day of classes before Winter Vacation. 3:30 Dismissal for all students. NO MISHMAR. NO P.M. DAY CARE.

Monday, January 24 – Classes Resume. Tuesday, January 25 – Parshathon $ due. Thursday, January 27 – First Graders’ Chag HaChumash at 9:20 a.m. Thursday, February 3 –

12:00 Dismissal. P.M. Professional Day. No P.M. Day Care.

Sunday, February 27 – Eighth Annual TSGW Chinese Auction. We wish a Refuah Shelaimah to: Nachmi Kott. Karin Tulchinsky Cohen’s stepfather. Rabbi Biberfeld’s father.

$$””22"" TToorraahh SScchhooooll ooff GGrreeaatteerr WWaasshhiinnggttoonn

EE..SS..TT..EE..RR.. EErreevv SShhaabbbbooss ““TToorraahh”” EEvveennttss RReeppoorrtt

We extend a heartfelt Mazel Tov to: Sori Leiman, her parents, Rabbi Akiva and

Mrs. Shani Leiman, Chaiby, Aharon, Esti, Yitzchok Tzvi, Moishie, Pinchus, Matisyahu, Eliyahu, and her entire family, upon her becoming a Bas Mitzvah. The Sugars, upon their move to their new

home. Their new vial statistics are: 12308 Remington Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20902.

Parshathon News $ has begun to slowly flow in for Chai Lifeline, and we’ve gone over the $1,000 mark. Please encourage your sons and daughters to collect pledges ASAP, as the monies are due by Tuesday, January 25.

Program Updates Middah

This week’s Middah focus was on the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos (4:1) where Ben Zoma tells us: “Who is honored? One who honors others.”

Masmid Govoha In 6B’s first week of this voluntary Talmud Torah project, the boys amassed over 2,400 minutes of learning. Way to go!

Chemdas Chemdas study and testing continue unabated. Once again, we are available to help you help your children pace themselves. We have lots of time left (136 days), but May 23rd will be here before you know it. Also, we ask parents of 5B/6B to make sure their sons have adequately learned and reviewed Mishnayos before asking to be tested.

Everybody Has An Angle

Although this headline is somewhat ambiguous, our topic is car pool parking. I

have seen some cars/vans/trucks/skates parked at unusual angles (acute, obtuse), especially at the front of the building. This causes a potentially dangerous situation because pulling out of these “situations” can be precarious. Please, please, please only park PARALLEL to our building or to the barriers. This will help ensure the safety of our precious youngsters.

Rosh Chodesh Treats We thank Sharon Graff and Shani Leiman (and crew) for handling and the following for sponsoring Rosh Chodesh Shevat treats: 1. Rabbi and Mrs. Baars, to thank Hashem for all His Berachos. 2. Rabbi and Mrs. Malka, in appreciation to all those who worked tirelessly to make the Torah School Dinner such a warm, joyous occasion and who graced the evening with their presence and heartfelt wishes. 3. Rabbi and Mrs. Scher, in gratitude to Hashem for their beautiful Bracha Adina, in honor of Shaya’s birthday in Shevat, and for the Fourth Grade boys, since Mrs. Scher can’t be with them until after Winter Vacation.

Some Stuff In the food preparation department, Mrs.

Mack’s K’s are writing recipes, Mrs. Fitzgerald’s K’s are putting together lunch menus, Morah Leigh’s 2G’s are composing recipes in Ivrit, and Morah Chani’s 1G’s had an Aleph Bais Script Party (made famous by Havi Schwechter on our school DVD) with “mud” and “worms.” (Ask your local First Grade girl for clarification.)

1B/1G made “watches” for their current unit on time and are comparing/contrasting children around the world.

Morah Rochel’s K’s made Go Dag games for the colors of Kachol (blue) and Sagol (purple).

Second Graders are writing and making speeches about various safety hazards and how to prevent or avoid them.

Morah Crane’s 2G’s set a Shabbos table in Ivrit.

In Parashas Toledos, 3B/3G learned about the cycle of Galus through the events that occurred to Yitzchak Avinu in Gerar.

3B/3G have been involved in experiments with and creation of simple/complex machines. As a culmination of this unit, they will visit the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Tuesday.

In Mishnayos, 5B studied the special Four Parashiyos we read prior to and after Purim. (This year, these readings are later than usual because it is currently a Jewish Leap year with an extra month of Adar.)

5B had great discussions in their Literature Circles focusing on Out of Darkness. This book is about blindness and Louis Braille’s creation of Braille writing.

4B (on VaYeishev) and Morah Cranes 2G (on Noach) had Siyumin. For last week’s 5G Siyum on Parashas Shemos, each of the girls wrote really beautiful Divrei Torah.

5G have discovered that both natural and supernatural events are really miraculous, as they are all the results of Hashem’s handiwork. Ramban at the end of Parashas Bo, discusses, at length, that we must see all the “laws of nature” as Nissim.

All classes have been engaged in very wonderful writing assignments. We can actually see our students’ writing skills soaring with our new program.

Read to Succeed hours are due on February 18, 2011.

Math classes have graphed, estimated, fractioned, divided, multiplied, added, subtracted, denominator-ed, remainder-ed, measured, drilled facts, solved, regrouped, and actually learned.

Last week, Mrs. Evan’s 2G’s had two visitors for their Pet Parade. Brownie, the hamster, was accompanied by Amy Sukol, and Princess Pickle, the beta fish, was joined by Maryanna Walls.

Have a Good Shabbos!

Sincerely,

Rabbi Yitzchak Charner

Headmaster

January 7, 1723

A Day in the Life of a Colonial… Sara Kayla Kanovsky

Hey, it’s running wild here in Fifth Grade! We had a fabulous Colonial Day with a doctor, innkeeper, wig maker, peddler, miller, shoe maker, silversmith, blacksmith, and many more. Preparing for Colonial Day was very busy and messy. When we painted, glued, cut, and colored, the floor got a makeover. The day before Colonial Day, everyone was rushing around trying to finish her project. We would like to thank the parents who came on Monday and Tuesday to help us. After an insane cleanup, the room sparkled, and we were ready, almost.

Finally, Colonial Day was here, and shops and props were everywhere, as we transformed our classroom into a colonial village. Once everyone had changed into costumes, we presented our oral reports to each other. Then, lots of parents came to look at our projects and. It was so much fun to have everyone looking and asking us about our exhibits.

I asked three different students what they thought about Colonial Day; this is what they said

Esti: “Colonial Day was very interesting and really awesome!”

Noam: “It was like we were living in the colonial times. It was amazing.”

Tamara: “We learned a lot from Colonial Day. Before and during Colonial Day it was hectic.”

To learn more about Colonial Day, ask anyone from 5G!

The Colonial Times בסײד

A Special Thank You to… • Rabbi Charner and Mrs. Malka for their support

and encouragement with this overwhelming venture.

• Mrs. Katz, Mrs. Mond, Mrs. Kott, and Mrs. Granatstein for all of their patience and assistance.

• Mrs. Rabinowitz, Mrs. Schwartz, Mrs. Biberfeld, and Mrs. Reingold for coming into school last week to help us prepare for the BIG event.

• Mrs. Hadar and family for coming to help the girls, prepare the snack bags, set up the classroom, and for not leaving until the classroom was put back together.

• The parents for their support and for joining us. • Last, but certainly not least, the girls, who put in a

tremendous amount of time and effort, not only for themselves and their own exhibits, but for each other.

We in 5G had such an exciting time, not just on Colonial Day itself, but during the preparations as well. The girls worked very hard for weeks, learning, writing, typing, researching, building, and, most of all, thinking! The most wonderful outcome of this project was that the class felt more unified, and more friendships were created because the girls were working so well together. Colonial Day was a huge success in many ways!

© 2007 by Education World®. Education World grants users permission to reproduce this work sheet for educational purposes only.

Classroom Close-up on Kindergarten

By Morah Mack Volume VII, Issue 11 January 7, 2011

As I sit down to write this snapshot of the learning in my classroom this week, I think about all the literacy and math activities going on. However, the most important learning experiences in my classroom, with respect to a kindergartener’s development, involve play. Today, one group of children is busy developing a puppet show, while others are engrossed in making a pretend meal as one of their weekly center activities. All youngsters are totally engaged in their respective dramatic play scenarios, honing their language, problem solving, and social skills as they prepare a feast or work out the story they will tell with their puppets. Both activities involve cooperation and negotiation as the boys and girls work out the details. These centers were so enjoyable that this play continues as soon as lunch is finished, and it is with reluctance that the puppets and play food are put away.

Before school today, two of my students came to me proposing a time and way they could perform the puppet show they had worked on the day before. They suggest taking the puppets to before school care so that they can practice the play, and they also recommend a time to stage the show. They had taken the initiative to advocate for themselves and had clearly given some thought to how they would manage the project. Later that day, they did perform the show, and today another group wants to put on a puppet show, as well. One group’s choice of playing with puppets during free choice has now led to interest in this activity by other students. Often, this is the way of play. Several children create or play a game, and then others wish to become involved, as well. It is an opportunity to have child-driven play and learning occur simultaneously in the classroom. Play is so important to the development of a child’s cognitive skills, as well as to their social and emotional growth. It is through play that children interact and learn about the world around them on their terms. Play develops their creativity, allows them to learn cooperation and leadership skills, enhances their imagination, increases their dexterity, and promotes physical and emotional strength. It is particularly rewarding to see children involved in play activities whether on the playground, in dramatic play centers, or with board games as they learn to share, negotiate, and resolve conflicts. I am thankful that The Torah School values play and gives students many opportunities for this. Each week, I build time to play in our kindergarten schedule. I see joy in their faces as children play in the classroom, outside on the playground or in the gym, and I share in this joy as I watch my students grow in many ways through these activities.

rExEl©Y§t¦il

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Wake up to prayer!

s"xc

vkh ¦p §T©k UrUg______________________

Volume IV, Issue 12                        January 7, 2011HaRachaman #8

The final HaRachaman (in this series) is the only addition to the fourBerachos that is specified in the Gemarrah (Maseches Berachos 46a).  It is a specialTefillah for one’s hosts and their guests.  When eating at our own table, we includeour spouse, children, and guests.  After a meal at our parents’ home, we single outthem for this blessing, together with their guests.  We ask Hashem to bless allthese people with Berachos of our Avos: kf kfn kfc, In everything (AvrahamAvinu), from everything (Yitzchok Avinu), and with everything (Yaakov Avinu).

The Talmud actually specifies the following  longer Berachah for our hosts,and it can now be found in many texts of Bentching: j©k §m ¦h §u tC ©v okIg §k o¥kF ¦h t«k §u v¤z ©v okIgC , ¦h ©C ©v k©g ©C aIc¥h t«k ¤a iImr h ¦v §hiy«a yIk §a ¦h k ©t §u rh ¦gk oh ¦cIr §eU oh ¦jk §mUn Ubh ¥x §f ¦b §u uhxf §b Uh §v ¦h §u uhxf §b kf §C s«t §n r ©c §s oUa Ubh¥bp §k t«k §u uhbp §k t«k e ¥e ©s §z ¦h k ©t §u Ubh ¥sh h ¥a£g ©n §c t«k §u uhsh h ¥a£g ©n §c t«k /okIg s©g §u vT©g ¥n iIg §u vrh ¥c£g ©u t §y ¥j rUv §r ¦v                                   May it be G‐d’s will that the host not be shamed in this World norhumiliated in the World to Come.  May he have great success in his dealings.  Mayhis dealings and ours be successful and conveniently close at hand.  May evilimpediment not reign over his handiwork or ours, and may no semblance of sinfulthought, iniquity, and transgression attach itself before him nor before us fromnow to eternity.

A Project of the Torah School of Greater Washington

Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMC – Director p 1-888-8-SOVEYA (876-8392) f 443-379-0665 www.soveya.com info@soveya.com

Volume 4, Issue 15 6209 Western Run Drive, Baltimore, MD 21209

Copyright © 2010 by Soveya, Inc.

SWITCHH Newsletter (Soveya Wellness Initiative To Create Healthy Habits)

A Healthy & Holy Relationship with Food

Torah thought on health and nutrition:

The Torah obligates every Jew to have a healthy relationship with food. We are commanded to refrain from eating more than our bodies need (אכילה גסה) and from eating any food that causes harm or illness (see Hilchos Deios, 4:15). A seemingly simple directive, never-the-less one to which many people find difficult to adhere. A key component to having a successful relationship with food is the ability to distinguish between its function and its benefit. The purpose of food is to nourish our bodies. Plain and simple. אלא יאכל וישתה רק כדי להעמיד ולהברות את גופו מזומן rather eat and drink only to support and to . . .“ לעבודת הנפשgive health to the body to prepare it for the service of the soul,” (The משנה ברורה at the very end of סימן קע citing the .(של''ה Contrary to popular behavior, eating is not for alleviating stress, removing boredom or for motivating or rewarding ourselves or our children. These actions are primary causes for over indulging in food and developing tendencies toward overeating. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying food while using it for the sake of nourishment. The fact that it tastes and smells good is a real and positive benefit – a wonderful gift from HaShem. More importantly, eating gives us an opportunity to show appreciation to the Al-mighty by making a brocha over the food He provides for us. But we’re still engaging it for the primary purpose of giving fuel to our bodies. This week’s parsha, however, teaches us two exceptions – albeit still within the same framework. As part of our commemoration of the exodus from Egypt, we are obligated to consume a כזית of מצה and קרבן פסח.

The function of these foods is exclusively for the performance of a mitzvah. They are above and beyond the meal – focusing solely on nourishing our souls. But they are still governed by laws of healthy eating. In fact, the gemara in :פסחים, קז, rules that if one consumes the מצה after having overeaten (אכילה גסה), it’s not considered an act of eating and therefore he has not fulfilled the mitzvah of אכילת מצה (see תוספות for further detail). We see clearly that even when we eat for no other reason than a spiritual gain, we are still directed to maintain a healthy relationship with food on the physical level – and therefore truly elevate our worldly behavior for a higher purpose. Good שבת.

The SWITCHH newsletter is provided free of charge to schools across the country through the generous support of our underwriting partners including:

718-252-2332 1-800-875-0100

SWITCHH is a coalition of Jewish Day Schools committed to effecting real and lasting changes toward our approach to eating and nutrition. The Wellness Initiative uses a Torah educational approach combined with practical tools and the latest news and information to inform and empower parents, teachers and students about the obligation to properly care for our bodies by developing and enjoying healthy eating habits. SWITCHH is presented by Soveya, providing nutrition & wellness coaching, educational programs, teleconferences,

seminars and newsletters concerning healthy, nutrition, and obesity prevention.

Changing the Jewish World – One Pound at a Time

Easy & Healthy RECIPE CORNER

Roasted Beet Chips

Ingredients: Beets; Salt; Garlic powder; Onion powder; Parsley

Directions: Peel the beets and slice very thinly or use a food processor to slice them. Spray several cookie sheets with nonstick spray, lay the beet slices down in one layer, then spray the top of the vegetables with nonstick spray. Sprinkle lightly with spices. Bake on 400*F until the beets just start to turn brown. From Soveya’s Incredibly Easy & Healthy Cookbook (300 no sugar, No flour, recipes – all but a few gluten free & kosher for Pesach)

BUY FOR YOURSELF OR FOR THE PERFECT GIFT – ORDER TODAY!

News, information and practical advice:

QUICK TIP TO BETTER HEALTH

GREAT SOURCE OF VITAMINS & MINERALS Beets are plump with important nutrients and health benefits. Betacyanin, the antioxidant that gives beets their deep hue, has cancer-protective effects. Beets are a good source of folate, fiber, potassium, manganese, and Vitamin C.

Thumbs Up

Roasted Beet Chips (4 oz.) Benefits: 48 Calories 1 gram of Fat

Thumbs Down

Deep Fried Potato Chips (4 oz.) Drawbacks: 612 Calories 40 grams of Fat

and the Beet goes on . . .

Choose beets that are small or medium sized, firm and smooth-skinned, deeply colored and without spots or bruises. Beets will store unwashed in the fridge for 2 to 4 weeks.

Jewish Meditations for Women

an extraordinary new CD by Zakah Glaser

"I absolutely love this CD. It warms my heart and stirs my soul."

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The CD is amazing!!!! Thank you. I wish I could've had this type of thing years ago! It's a totally new

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