~my brother, the drum player . . .Shimmy Wohlberg
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? מה חדש
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Scott Joplin Assembly
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Dennis Kobray returned to SAR on Tuesday to perform a piece on Scott Joplin, the King of Ragtime music. Mr. Kobray gave the history of the Texas-born African American musician and played pieces of his music all the way through the very early 1900s when his hit song "Maple Leaf" sold one million copies. Joplin's music was inspired by African music, which was first heard in America in the 1880s. Ragtime music gets its name from its raggedy, syncopated beat, which accents the off-beats as opposed to heartbeat rhythm music, which accents the down-beats. To demonstrate Ragtime's syncopated beat, Mr. Kobray played one of Joplin's songs as written and again with a heartbeat rhythm. "It's boring," he announced. To play Ragtime music on the piano, the pianist actually has to play one rhythm with his left and a different with his right hand. Mr. Kobray asked the students to tap out one rhythm with their right hands and another rhythm with their left hands to get a feel for the beat. It's just about as hard to do as it sounds!
Striking Vikings
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The Striking Viking Story Pirates performed a series of short plays written by third, fourth, and fifth graders. The stories were silly and funny, full of many interesting characters.
During the plays, the characters asked the student-audience for help, and sometimes came into the audience as well. The most special play came right in the middle, and was told completely from student suggestions. "Flagpole" told the story of a phone named Humpty Dumpty who stole a dog owned by a purple flagpole. After the final play, the Striking Viking Story Pirates told the students to keep writing-because they need the stories! The group strives to "celebrate the imaginations of kids". Click here to find out how you can submit your story to Striking Viking Story Pirates! This is the link to imbed: http://www.storypirates.org/sendstories.html
Students from Grades 2, 3, and 4 have been enjoying the Videography Afterschool Club with the official videographer of SAR to learn the art of video. The class will include script writing, acting, videoing and editing its own video. Our talented Gilar Mor led the students through the process in a systematic way.
Click here to watch a video from this afterschool club.
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~my cousin Elie . . . Alex Hersh
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Insights on Theater Education . . . by Stacy Horowitz |
Children have so many things to say and so many hidden talents to reveal to us if we only take the time to listen to and notice them. Children's perspectives of life are clear and raw and honest-the perfect tools for any art form, particularly for theatrical productions.
In the theater world, professionals think working with kids is a stepping stone to working with adults; children's theater is often labeled "cute" and dismissed. But children rise above these low expectations day in and day out. In the theater, shy children can come to life, and all children experience "a-ha" or "light bulb" moments that light up their faces for all to see. When working with the children in the theater, you are teaching them about life as well as theater. While children's theater can produce good, professional, theatre on an appropriate level for the age group, the process of putting on an ensemble show is full of educational learning opportunities that cannot be overlooked. Focusing on process above the product, theater becomes the tool with which to teach preparation and letting go, responsibility, deadlines, and how to look people in the eye and actively listen while engaged in a conversation. On stage, the students learn how to create truthful moments on stage, how to act a scene or song using their entire voice and body, how to sing with confidence, and how to trust themselves and the group of people onstage with them.
Creating an ensemble show gives each student a chance to develop and showcase his or her strengths while supporting the vision of the show as a whole. In an ensemble, every child's part is necessary to the overall show. In rehearsal, I consistently stress the importance of working together on stage to tell a story. Without each child in his or her individual part, the story would not be complete.
The type of children's theater I most enjoy is going through the process of actually creating a show with the student actors. Teaching children to write as well as create theater not only gives them a venue to voice their ideas and opinions, but it also gives them a feeling of ownership over the material that a published piece may not grant them. When writing a script, a piece of each actor goes into the work and makes the work feel that much more important. I care about every line that's said on stage, and when the actors write the script, they care about it too.
Last month, second, third, and fourth graders in the After School Musical Theater program performed their original musical, A Friend Like You. The actors worked together to create a show where every part was important. Click here to watch a clip from the ensemble performance.
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| חדשות בכיתות : A Class Act
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Students so excited about the weekend? Who ever heard of such a thing? But it's true, in 4Z, could you believe it? The kids were all abuzz with exuberance on a Friday and upon investigation it was discovered that that Motzai Shabbat, January 31, the students were attending a Melaveh Malka at their teacher, Morah Mindy Reiss' house! Now it was all clear, only more school could be the cause for such jubilation!
When the children arrived at Morah Mindy's house, their backs were taped with a card saying the name of a character they had learned about in school. They took turns asking yes or no questions to try to figure out who they were. 4Z's sense of humor came in handy, particularly when a boy was Rachel, Dena was Dina, and a little tzadik or tzadeket was Esav or Eshet Potifar.
After the students made their own ice cream sundaes and ate them, they played a charades game that many adults would not have been able to play. A student received a card with one of the 39 melachot written on it and acted out the melacha for the class to guess. They consistently amazed Adam, Morah Ariana's husband by guessing all of the melachot correctly. The excitement that began on Friday in school was multiplying and overflowing in Morah Mindy's already leibidik house!
Their knowledge of the Lamed Tet Melachot was only matched by their talented acting abilities, which they use frequently in class as well. In addition to the Navi play, in school they act out pesukim with perush Rashi, they play charades using new vocabulary words, and they write and act out skits of concepts such as teshuva. Some students wrote and acted out a vikuach (argument); others made up songs with hand motions to help memorize facts.
There are plenty of drama opportunities in 4Z's Limudei Kodesh, and more to come. There are plans for recording a class collaboration on CD, which will be sent to a 4th grade class in an Israeli "twin" school in Beit Shemesh.
4Z is one "class act"!
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~Beethoven . . .Tamar Jonas
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It's That 'KIND' of Week:
Stars On The Court . . . Sixth Grade Basketball-A-Thon
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The sixth grade students organized a fundraiser on their own. In light of the recent war in Israel, students have been moved to activism. They asked the question "How can we help?" and came up with their own answer: a Basketball-A-Thon to raise money for Israel!
Through the students' ideas, the student organizers--Dylan Schwartz, Zalman Friedman , and Gilad Fortgang, Mrs. Horowitz, Rabbi Linzer and the entire sixth grade faculty's encouragement, the Basketball-a-Thon took place on Wednesday, February 18th, during the sixth grade gym periods. The money came from the kids themselves. Every child was encouraged to contribute up to $5 of their own money. The funds are for an organization called Pizza IDF, which delivers pizza, burgers, doughnuts and soda to soldiers serving in the IDF as well as to residents of Sderot. Almost every child contributed and over $800 was raised. If parents would like to contribute as well, they may send in a check made out to SAR with "Pizza IDF" in the memo and we will send it along with the students' donations. For more information on the organization, visit http://pizzaidf.org/
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~Dan Zings . . . Nistar Steinerman
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דבר תורה : Parashat Mishpatim I
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 By: Ethan Friedman
Grade: 3
In this week's parasha, Parshat Mishpatim, we learn about 53 mitzvot (out of 613) that Hashem commanded to the Jews. This parasha is basically a list of things we have to do and things we cannot do.
Perek 21, pasuk 28 says: "And if an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die, the ox shall be stoned and it's flesh shall not be eaten." An ox is a kosher animal when killed according to the laws of shchita. In this case, the ox is killed by stoning, not shchita, so it cannot be eaten. The question is: 'Why does the pasuk have to tell us that it is forbidden to eat the ox if we already know that is not kosher for eating because it was stoned and not properly shechted?' Rashi explains that the pasuk says it is forbidden to eat the ox to show that even if the ox that is gored is properly shechted (instead of stoned) it is still forbidden to eat from the ox.
Maybe we can learn from this Rashi that because the animal acted in a bad way, its meat should not be enjoyed by people.
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~myself on recorder . . . Ariella Bulman
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| בראשית : ELC News
. . . the beginning steps |
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Music To Our Ears
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~Miriam Kaminetzky
It's music to our ears to hear and see the enthusiasm the children have for our instrument unit! We learned about three different instrument families: percussion, string and wind. The children know the differences between the three and are eager to identify the groups when they hear different music playing in the classroom. Along with seeing, touching, and listening to string instruments, the children painted with strings as well. We covered pegboards with plastic and then stretched rubber bands around the boards. The children drizzled paint and then strummed, stretched, and plucked the strings to splatter the paint. It was just like playing a real guitar! We also experienced wind instruments with paint. The children helped us mix bubbles and paint and then they blew into the solution with straws. The bubbles rose to the top of the cup and we placed a paper on top to capture the design of the bubbles. They are so colorful!
In addition to experiencing instruments through art, we created our own Instrument Game, Instrument Bingo. All year the children have been playing different kinds of bingo such as Animal Bingo, Letter Bingo, Number Bingo, Phonics Bingo, Button Bingo, Sesame Street Bingo, and more. Combining their love for the game and enthusiasm for our instrument unit is making for a great experience. The children have been working hard at cutting out pictures of instruments and separating them by their different instrument families. Then they labeled their boards and are almost ready to play. For our bingo markers we have decided to recycle and reuse bottle caps. Everyday the children have been bringing in caps to add to our collection. We have been estimating, counting, and then charting the number of caps until we reached our goal of 144 bottle caps. The children even sewed their own pouch for their bingo bottle-cap markers. Our bingo game is quite unique as the "caller" is on our class Moodle site. Through a link, the children can play bingo at home by clicking on different instruments to hear their sound. We have been having a great time playing in class and it's always exciting to hear shouts of "Bingo" from across the room. This strengthens their learning in N6 and reinforces the joy and fun of learning at home.
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~Bon Jovi . . . Hannah Lipskar
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דבר תורה : Parashat Mishpatim II
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By: Adam Nerenberg
Grade: 1
This D'var Torah is in red in honor of Adam's uncle
Stuart, z"l, whose favorite color was red.
In this week's parsha, we learn that if you want to be an eved (slave) then you can be an eved for the first year, the second year, the third year, the fourth year, the fifth year, the sixth year, and in the seventh year the master must ask the slave if he or she wants to go free. If the slave doesn't want to go free the slave owner needs to then go to the bais din (the Jewish court) and the master drills a hole in the eved's ear. Hashem commands us to do that because at Har Sinai, we became slaves to Hashem. By being an eved to a person, you can't fully serve Hashem because you have another master too and you always have to be ready for your master to give you another job. If the eved wants to go free then the slave master must let him go free.
Another halacha in the parsha is that if the Jew steals, then the Jew has to pay back twice as much as he stole (for example, if the Jew stole a pen, the Jew would have to pay back two pens or give back one pen and the money for the second pen).
The Torah also teaches that if a husband lost his wife, or a wife lost her husband or if someone lost a mother or father then you have to be extra nice. This is because they will be sad because they lost their mother or father or husband or wife.
My uncle Stuart died serving in the USA Army. He was a Major and he was studying to be a Colonel. He got killed on April 6th, 2008. His funeral was on April 11th in Iowa. I'm telling this story because my cousins' father died and we learn from this week's parsha how nicely we need to treat orphans. My cousins' names are Lillian, Melissa, and Izzy. We should treat them well.
In this parsha there is so much halachah after weeks of stories about the Jewish people. Why is this? Now the Jewish people are learning many halachot because they just got the ten commandments. The Jewish people need some more stuff in order to learn how to live by Hashem's laws. Many laws in Parshat Mishpatim are about how to treat others. Hashem is teaching us how to treat others. That is what it means to be a good Jew.
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~The Natural Wonder Band . . . Aaron Weinstein
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This Week In Sports 
7th & 8th Grade Girl's Basketball:
SAR Girls Varsity basketball team had another strong showing against Flatbush. After falling behind by more than 10 points, SAR made a great comeback only to fall a little short in the end. SAR was led by Cora Wiener, Dani Marson and Talia Laifer.
7th Grade Boys Basketball:
SAR 7th grade boys played another strong game against HALB. SAR was led by Sammy Hyman, Sammy Marcus, Josh Shenwick, Avi Chefitz and Efraim Tepler.
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~Yaakov Shwekey . . . Pammy Brenner
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK! |
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"Acting Out."
The Striking Vikings
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~Kanye West . . . Seffi Jonas
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| Friends, Partners, and Allies With Israel
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 The Israeli Consulate has launched a project of designing a stamp to honor Israel at 60. Students up to age 18 can submit designs representing the theme: "United States and Israel: Friends, Partners, and Allies."
The United States of America and Israel have been great friends and close allies ever since Israel's independence was established in 1948. Our two countries have many common attributes and share ideologies such as democracy, economic freedom and environmental preservation.
As a country formed on the basis of immigration, Israel can relate to American history and how learning to live together and realize one's dream is a driving force in life.
This year Israel celebrates her 60th birthday. This competition provides a great opportunity to express creativity through art and design, while also learning about the strong connections and similarities between our two countries.
Stamps are important symbols of a nation. They reflect the past, present and future, in a range of topics such as sports, culture, nature and politics. We invite you to design a stamp representing US-Israel shared values and accomplishments.
For complete details, visit www.israel60stamp.com
If you have any questions, please contact us-israel@newyork.mfa.gov.il or Dana
Erlich Project Manager, Consulate General of Israel in New York, at mailto:danae@newyork.mfa.gov.il or (212) 499 5427.
Feel free to bring in your designs to Mrs. Jaskoll. She would love to help you.
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| PTC News |
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PTC PARENTING SEMINAR
Sunday, March 1st: 9:30am - 12:30pm
9:30 Keynote Address
Helping You and Your Family Cope with the Realities and Uncertainties of Difficult Economic Times
Speaker: Norman Blumenthal, Ph.D., Education Director, Kollel Elyon and Semikha Honors Program at REITS, Yeshiva University.
10:30 Sessions:
Positive Parenting that Works! Enhancing Parent-Child Relationships Through Improved Communication
Speaker:Dr. Daniela Montalto: NYU Child Study Center, Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Institute for Learning and Academic Achievement.
This session is appropriate for parents of pre-school through grade 6.
BBB; TTYL; LOL; GTG:
Practical Strategies for Managing Pre-Teens and Technology
Speaker: Eli Shapiro: LCSW, Psychotherapist
For parents of grades 5-8
Helping our Children Learn Values and Improve Their Middot
Speaker: Stephen Glicksman, Psychologist
For parents of all ages
11:30 Sessions:
Homework Without Tears: Helping your Child Develop Great Study and Organizational skills and Foster Efficient Time Management
Speaker: Susan J. Schwartz, M.A., ED., Clinical Director, Institute for Learning and Academic Achievement, NYU Child Study Center, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine.
For parents of all ages
Inside / Outside: Adolescent Sexual Development
Speaker: Shana Yocheved Schachter, CSW, Psychoanalyst.
For parents of grades 7-12
From High Chair to High School: How to Raise a Responsible Child
Speaker: Mary Ann LoFrumento, Pediatrician, Author of the Simply Parenting Series of Books and DVDs, Attending Physician, Goryeb Children's Hospital, Morristown, NJ.
For parents of all ages
This program is open to all SAR parents from ELC to High School.
Please note: this seminar is for adults only.
Child care will be provided for children ages 3 to 9.
Continental breakfast will be served.
There is no charge for the seminar, but registration is required. Please register by emailing the PTC: ptc@saracademy.org. We will be providing babysitting for ages 3 to 9. Please register your child by emailing the name and age to ptc@saracademy.org.
Deadline February 24, 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Mishloach manot program is up and running!
Please log on to www.sar.happypurim.com to contribute to packages for teachers, staff members and administrators. If you have any questions, please email sarpurim@optonline.net. For technical support please email support@happypurim.com
Click here for more detailed information.
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 Boxtops for Education SAR has the potential to earn up to $10,000 dollars per school year with the General Mill's BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION clipping program.
Just start clipping ...There are numerous participating products! A complete list can also be found at www.boxtops4education.com.
We have a box in the SAR Lobby (outside the Business Office). Please have your children bring in their Box Tops in a sealed envelope clearly marked with their full name and class (VERY IMPORTANT) so that the appropriate class receives credit for your contribution!
KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN . . . START CLIPPING . . . AND WE CAN ALL MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR SAR ACADEMY!!!
Thank you for your participation! |
| Community News |
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Tefillin For Sale
Two mitzvot with one act. Support Israel and purchase kosher tefillin from Israel at a wholesale price. All profits from the sale go directly to the sofrim and the tefillin makers in Israel. Contact Rabbi Drelich for details email drelim@saracademy.org or 718-548-1717 ext 1212.
Mother-Daughter Learning with Bracha Rutner, Yoetzet Halacha
Danielle Lebowitz (Grade 6) invites mothers and daughters to a night of learning and fun with Bracha Rutner, Yoetzet Halacha, on March 14 from 9-11 p.m. at Young Israel of White Plains, 135 Old Mamaroneck Road. The event, for grades 5 and up,will benefit Miklat-Bat Melech, an Israeli organization that offers shelter from domestic violence and legal assistance to religious women. Admission is $18 per person. Danielle is working with Miklat-Bat Melech as a chesed project for her Bat Mitzvah.
For more information call 914-683-5883 Alice Lebowitz
NORPAC Mission to Washington
SAVE THE DATE! If you wake up in the morning wondering what happened in Israel overnight then you will want to go on the NORPAC mission to Washington on Wednesday, May 20st. This is a rare opportunity to meet with Senators and Congressman to talk about issues vital to Israel's security. Sign up by March 10th and take advantage of the $50 early bird discount. To sign up, go to www.norpac.net. If you have any questions, contact David Frankel at dlrs.frankel@verizon.net
Special "Jewish Week" Forum on Organ Transplantation
Featuring SAR parent, grandparent and patron, Blu Greenberg, who will relate how her
family made the decision to donate their son JJ's organs upon his tragic death; with
medical background provided by Elaine Berg, President/CEO, NY Organ Donor Network, moderated by our Honorary Trustee, Rabbi Charles Sheer of HealthCare Chaplaincy (HCC). Program co-sponsored by HCC and The NY Jewish Week. No fee; refreshments. At UJA-Federation, 130 E. 59th Street, Sunday, February 22nd at 7PM.
Hatzalah Purim Cards
Purim is coming! Mishloach manot cards are available from RIVERDALE HATZALAH
specialized cards are also available for all occasions.
Please contact: Charlotte Hammerman 718-548-0599 (evenings) or ask for Charlotte at
Riverdale Kosher Market 718-884-2222. Support Hatzalah in its life-saving work.
League of Our Own- Riverdale Softball
It's almost spring time and that means baseball season will be starting.
Announcing registration for A League of our Own-Riverdale's girls' baseball league.
We invite girls in 3rd -8th grades to register. Click here for the registration form
and more info. http://www.sarhighschool.org/files/leagueofourown09.doc
The Carlebach Minyan of Riverdale welcomes Raz Hartman for a very special Shabbat.
February 21st: 9am Shabbat morning services at Riverdale Neighborhood House, 5521 Mosholu Ave. Kiddush sponsored by Hindy and Lewis Weinger.
5pm Seudah Shlishit at Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, the Bayit, 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway
8:30pm Melave Malke at the home of Dr. Elli and Adinah Kranzler, 4640 Delafield Avenue
February 22nd-12:45pm, learning and singing at the Carlebach Shul, 205 W 79th St. NYC
RJC Youth:
Attention All Ball Players:
The KLL draft for the 2009 season will be taking place next week!
Your coaches will be reaching out to you soon with details on this year's schedule and Rosters!
Coming up....Sensational Sunday
Mad Science in the RJC gym!!!
"Fire & Ice Show"
Get ready for some sizzlin' excitement!
Join us for SAFE and scientific fun with fire and ice!
Learn about the amazing properties of fire and combustion.
Then, cool off with spectacular demonstrations involving dry ice!
Sunday March 15th 2009 @ 11AM in the RJC Gym
RJC Youth members
$10 for 1, $15 for 2 or more
Non-members
$15 for 1, $20 for 2 or more
Contact Dovid Freund
RJCYOUTH@GMAIL.COM
917-548-2703
Movie and Pizza Night
Who: 1st-3rd Grade
Where: Black Tile Room
When: March 7th, 2009 (Motzei Shabbat)
Time: 7 PM - 8:30 PM
RJC Girl Scouts (Date Change & Update)
Sunday - March 8th @ 6PM
The First Training session for Girl Scout Parents will be held on March 8th @ 6PM @ the RJC. We are looking for leadership roles from the parents:
Leadership opportunities include joining as a committee member, Girl Scout master, Den leader etc...
RJC Boy/Cub Scouts
The next Scout meeting for parents will take place on February 22, at 5:00 PM in the RJC Hashkama.
Boys/Cub Scout children will have their first meet @ 6:00 PM in the RJC Gym. (parents and children are invited)
Thank you to all our leaders!
Junior Cong Trip: Super Sunday Snow Tubing!
If You love riding down steep snow slopes at super high speeds then this is the trip for you!
If you did not RSVP, but are still interested in attending please speak with Andrew Bochner: 845-659-6902
Parents: Please come to the bus early to fill out snowtubing forms!
When: Sunday, Feb. 22nd, 2009
Bus leaves RJC @ 10:45 AM
Bus returns to RJC @ 3PM
Where: Campgaw Mountain
Who: Junior Cong Trip (Grades 3-7)
Cost: $50 after 02/11/08
(Lunch and Bus fee is included)
Please RSVP to Andrew Bochner @
dreman510@aol.com
http://www.skicampgaw.com/index.html |
| Condolences |
Condolences to Marion Fishman on the passing of her beloved mother, Beatrice Kirsch, grandmother of Ahron, Nesanel, Tzivia (10th grade) & Yaakov.
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| Mazal Tov |
| Mazal Tov to Nancy and Douglas Rose on the birth of a daughter, sister to Hannah in N1. |
If you are interested in sponsoring the Chadashot in memory or in honor of someone special, please call Sim Herring at 718-548-1717 ext. 1233 or email him at herris@saracademy.org.
If you would like to submit a Mazal Tov or a Condolence, or general Community News, please email chadashot@saracademy.org
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SAR Academy
655 W. 254th Street Phone:718-548-1717
Riverdale, NY 10471 Fax: 718-601-0082
www.saracademy.org | |
Music and Theater Issue 
Dear Parents,
