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Completing the Circle of Judaic Education-
How We Educate our Students during the High Holidays
 Besides Shabbat, Yom Kippur is the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar. In fact, Yom Kippur itself is called Shabbat Shabbaton (Sabbath of a complete rest) in the Torah. A common misconception about Yom Kippur is that it is a solemn and sad day, mostly due to the fact that our focus is to be on forgiveness and regret for the past misdeeds, even though the day encompasses joy and renewal, linked to the kabbalistic wedding between God and the Jewish people. Each individual comes before God to be united or reunited with God and God's way. We even greet each other with G'mar Hatima Tova (May you conclude being sealed for the good). The crossroads of solemnity and happiness, seriousness and joy, is the core of Yom Kippur day, and retrospectively, of the entire Yamim Noraim (The High Holidays).
Throughout the month before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur at  BYDS, we educate the students to see both sides of reflection and joy. We gear our services in the morning to recite the prayers that express T'shuvah (repentance), having the students blowing the Shofar every day and sounding the traditional blasts of T'kiah, Shevarim,Teruah and Tekiah Gedolah, as we teach the story of the Akeida (the binding of Isaac) and implementing these terms to our daily school's values of respect, honor and menschkeit. From crafting the Shofar through making honey jars with the residents of the Medallion, experiencing the Tashlich service, creating Rosh Hashanah challah covers, participating in the High Holidays choir, learning from Hazzan Propis about his perspective of the holidays, learning our tradition from the text books, celebrating the Rosh Hashanah Seders in the classrooms and many more activities, we reassure that our students are learning through experience what it is to be part of a rich and long last tradition.
 As we approach the Holiday of Sukkot, we focus on the Simcha (happiness) that the Torah commands us to have during Sukkot, and what better Simcha can it be other than to welcome our newest addition to the BYDS community of learners with our Kindergarten Consecration Program. We invite you to join for this special program on October 18th, when the youngest students in our Elementary School will officially be called to lead us with the Sukkot celebration, explain the holiday's tradition, shake the lulav and etrogs, and receive their mini Torahs. Led by our congregation's Rabbis and Hazzan, we will complete this circle of Judaic education we started more than a month ago, connecting our Jewish values with the education of our children through reflection, experience and Joy.
G'mar Chatima Tovah,
Sharon Knafo
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Head of School Call for Green Thumb Parent Volunteers-
Monday, October 10, at 9am to Help Establish Garden
Put on your garden scrubs, grab some gloves, bring a rake, snatch a trowel and come join Mr. E. in the Pre K garden area (west side of the Early Childhood facility) for soil enhancing, bed tilling, grass raking, and herb planting. We'll spend about an hour outside doing some work...Our aim is to get the garden boxes up and growing and set the stage for our Early Childhood students as they begin to make their garden visits and learn about their environment, how things grow.
 We're meeting in the garden area where the raised boxes are located (outside Tootie's classroom).
Here's what to wear/bring:
--wear jeans or duds
--bring garden gloves and a trowel
--bring one or more of the following:
o Garden rake
o Bag of organic potting soil
o Some herb plants to get us started-rosemary, oregano, mint, etc.
o Shovel
o Bucket (for collecting rocks and cement pieces to discard)
This is just stage one of a longer term, ambitious project to establish a permaculture garden that will be entirely educational for our youngest children, with a variety of environmental features. Please look for the call for volunteers in upcoming PTO weekly newsletters, in which we will be asking for additional things like donations of garden books, equipment, seeds, etc.
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My Backpack is up and running!
Please remember to login to My Backpack so you know how to get in. Remember your password! You'll be using this more very soon as our new website launches and to access grades, student schedule, and online giving. If you forgot your password or can't login, click "I forgot my username or password" on the link.
Enter My Backpack
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Bon Appetit, Pre-K
Tuesday, October 4 was an exciting day in the Pre-K hallway! Our hot lunch program began and there were smiling faces all around. With hamburgers served, the Pre-K children who ordered lunch were rolling around with excitement about receiving a hot lunch. One student screamed with enthusiasm in the morning, "Its hot lunch day!" Parents have graciously volunteered their time to ensure the success of this program. They come to school on Tuesday and Thursdays, packaged up the lunches for the Pre-K students, and delivered them to the classrooms. One parent shared that his daughter came home and relayed every detail of the hot lunch experience to them; "she's definitely a hot lunch fan," says dad! We look forward to continued success with our hot lunch program!
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October
- Tuesday, 11th: EC/ES Prospective Parent Open House 7PM
- Wednesday, 12th: EC/ES Early Dismissal, NO EDC/ASA, Parent Teacher Conferences, Erev Sukkot
- Thursday, 13th: NO BYDS/EDC/ASA, Sukkot I
- Friday, 14th: NO BYDS/EDC/ASA, Sukkot II
- Tuesday, 18th: ES Kindergarten Consecration 9:30AM
- Thursday, 20th: NO BYDS/EDC/ASA
- Friday, 21st: NOBYDS/EDC/ASA
- Wednesday, 26th: EC/ES Dad's Breakfast
***ALL EARLY DISMISSAL Release Times: EC 11:30; ES 12:00*** |
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Blowing the Shofar at school is not just how well you sound the shofar, or how clear the blowings are are, but this is a daily opportunity to teach about values. The students are required to be attentive, respect the instructions and their peers, follow the rules of the different shofar blowings, blow the shofar in an orderly manner, and of course, use their instruments appropriately.
This year we recognize more than twenty students who will exemplify these characteristics daily:
Elan Goetz, Carly Schneider, Aaron Stein, Alex Wigder, Benjamin Zadok, Daniel Leibman, Sam Toubin, Harvey Gibbs, Rachel Lovitt, Spencer Gibbs, Mia Kalinsky. Jack Greenberg, Kai Rubenstein, Sophie Kalmin, Hayden Deutsch, Noa Strauss, Leor Hadar, Serena Schwartz, Sophie Sorkin, Joshua Danziger, Garrett Kaplan, Taylor Bazarsky, Ellie Gibbs, Cassidy Rubenstein. Thanks to ALL the Shofar blowers for bringing the shofars and being dedicated to this Mitzvah.
Yasher Koach to all students who lead the Tfillot this past two weeks:
Chazzanim/Chazzaniot: Hadar Zeevi, Julia Strug, Jenna Talisman, Eliana Roisman, Maya Zehavi, Leah Fields, Sydney Daniels, Gabe Sondock, Jacob Roubein
Torah readers: Katie Faour, Gabe Sondock, Katie Zivley, Mr. Knafo
Aliyot: - Jenna Talisman, Taylor Kalina, Jacob Trachtenberg, Abby Kleban, Timothy Yeh, Josh Erani
Gabbaim : - Rebecca Knafo, Jacob Roubein, Sam Rosen, Maya Pazgal
Kabbalat Shabbat
Yasher Koach to our Kabbalat Shabbat leaders this Friday:
Elaina Roisman, Makayla Wigder, Jacob Trachtenberg, Meira Silverman, Joelle Sokoloff
Many students presented high values of kindness and entered the Mensch Box (which is located next to the Reiches Multipurpose Room.)
The winners of this week (and last week) are:
- Joelle Sokoloft:Helping a new classmate organize her Spelling Readers Writer's notebooks.
- Hadar Zeen: Helping a classmate organize his composition notebooks.
- A student in Ms. Krost Class: Did an act of kindness by continuing to use integrity and do the right thing without even being asked.
Ari Strauss, Micah Weinstock, Daniel Johary, Tayo Kol, Reubin Kessler, Alex Widger, Sammy Mellon, Maya Malev, Moi Camhi, Romi Bellili, Taylor Kalina
Tzedakah
- Thanks for the wonderful participation this past week. 100% Tzedakah was collected by all classes grades K-5!
- Thanks to Francesca Romero and Melissa Dreyer for coordinating this weeks' project.
- Special Yasher Koach goes to Mrs. Bonnie Suchart and Mrs. Jeane Kessler, Mrs. Natascha Gotesky and Mrs. Angie Siegell, Mrs. Monique Turner and Michelle Hadar who donated their classrooms' tzedakah box to the school tzedakah project . TODAH RABAH
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