Passover Message from the Head of School

[...and a special "Mondays in May" announcement--read on!]

Ma nishtana ha-laila ha-zeh mi-kol ha-leilot?

Of course, to answer this question, the youngest will read/sing through the standard haggadah items: eating only matzah, eating bitter herbs, dipping into salt water, leaning on a pillow. But the Passover Seder here in America is an opportunity to enlarge upon what is unique about this night, indeed what is special about our families, our people, and our country. The Seder is a chance to go well beyond a list of long-established symbolism.

My extended family in Chicago (where I'll be this weekend) has had a tradition at Passover Seder going back for about twenty-five years--as I'm sure every family has its own Passover rituals and creative detours from the haggadah text.  Before the meal, one of us will write down words or topics of resonance and gravity on 3 X 5 cards, words like "Redemption" or "Liberation," and then distribute these cards to everyone at the table. During the haggadah go-around, we call several time-outs and select someone at the table to announce the word and then begin speaking extemporaneously on the topic for a minute: What significance does this word have for me or for the world? And for variety, we always throw a few humorous ones into the mix -- topics like "Ozzie Guillen," or "Favorite Robert NeNiro Movie."

We just celebrated our Model Seders today and yesterday at school, and there are plenty of words that could go onto a BYDS Passover 3 X 5 card. Words like "Best School Project," "Coolest Math Website," "Favorite Science Lab Experiment," or "Favorite Tal Am Character." There's a lot going on in our school each and every day, and while we're heading into our Passover break and some much-deserved rest for our teachers and students, the school will be ready for a strong finish to the year.  

But there's one big word I'd like to place on our collective school Passover card-Community.

In honor of Community, we're going to try something new in the month of May. It's going to be called Mondays in May, and it will work like this. For the three Mondays we have in May, we're giving everyone an opportunity to park and bring your child into the school in the morning--we'll have some coffee and fun bites available for everyone; we'll have a staff member serving as crosswalk guard; and we'll have a carpool person on hand ready to open doors and help your children should you need to use the carpool drop-off.  But it will be a chance to mingle and hang out for a bit, offering you a chance to start your week in a casual, friendly, and Haimishly-connected way.  Remember, make it an early arrival day for you, since all students will need to head over to Freedman-Levit at 8:00am for services, so the time to hang out with them will run up to 8:00am--but certainly you can stay in the lobby in order to continue mingling!

Here's to a great Passover break and to a strong finish this spring to the 2011/2012 school year!

Workers Tear Up EC Playground for Drainage Project

Workers have been on campus each day over the past two weeks, breaking up the ground and the cement walkways as the project to install an entirely new drainage system is now underway.   The project also calls for ripping out the old drains and piping, and then installing all new, larger drains, while tilting the grounds so that the surface declines away from the preschool classrooms.   It is expected that the project will be completed and ready for use next month.

Students have been able to catch a glimpse of the bobcat machines scooping up large mounds of dirt outside the administrative office windows. The preschoolers have been relocated to the southwest corner of the school for their recess time, but they have also been able to use the gym, Snap City, and Reiches Hall throughout the week.

We look forward to sharing photos as we progress through the project.

Pre-K Farmer's Market Set for Wednesday, April 25

Planning is already underway for a BYDS first--on Wednesday, April 25, going from 11:30am to noon, all preschool carpool pick-up families will be able to experience a real Farmer's Market Herb Sale, conducted by our Pre-K students.   About ten kinds of herbs will be available for purchase, straight from our West End Garden, and our Pre-K students will be serving as market sellers and cashier helpers. The child-decorated herb bags will go for $2.00 each, and the dollars will all go to support the West End Garden.  There will be recipes on hand so everyone can have an idea how to include some of these herbs in your dishes at home: oregano, dill, rosemary, fennel, cilantro, parsley, and many more!

There are several volunteer opportunities to help the school prepare for the Farmer's Market Herb Sale. Volunteers are needed to help clip and bag the herbs on 9am on the day of the Market, April 25.  We'll need help to set up the tables as well. If weather is nice, we'll be outside in the Sukkah courtyard; in the event of bad weather, the market will be placed in the main hallway and in the lobby.

If you want to help us with our Farmer's Market in any way, please contact Michelle Friedberg, at mgfriedberg@gmail.com, or you can check with Riana Sherman at school.  

 CALL TO PARENTS

A City of Bellaire Parking Permit was found in the BYDS Parking Lot. You must know address on permit to claim.

PASSOVER NEEDS

Please visit the

Beth Yeshurun Sisterhood Gift Shop

M-TH 9:30-4:30

Friday 9:30-2:30

Sunday 10-1:00