| Mark Your Calendar |
Monday, June 7 - Your Turn to Learn Series 9:30am
Tuesday, June 8 - 6th Grade Matan Bat Mitzvah Program
Wednesday, June 9 - 3rd Grade Rashi Breakfast
Thursday, June 10 - 8th Grade Trip to Washington DC
Thursday, June 10 - 5th Grade Intergenerational Day
Shabbat, June 12 - Sunday, June 13- Rosh Chodesh Tamuz
Wednesday, June 16 - 8th Grade Graduation
Thursday, June 17 - Last Day of After School Sessions
Tuesday, June 22- ELC and Academy Last Day of Classes - Noon Dismissal
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Helpful Hints
 Private Busing Information 2010-2011
Registration forms for private busing for 2010/2011 are being sent out this week. Please keep an eye out for this important mailing and return the necessary forms back to the Business Office at 655 W 254th Street, Riverdale, NY 10471 by June 25th.
Please call Lisa Schwartz at 718-548-1717 ext 1202 or email her at schwal@saracademy.org if you have any questions.
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| Todah Rabbah! |
Thank you to Rabbi Baumol who led the Thursday, May 27th
faculty "Lunch and Learn". His topic was: "Consistently
Inconsistent: Finding Meaning in our Roller Coaster Spiritual Lives". |
| In Our Community |
Mazal Tov
Mazal Tov to Soonu Greenfield (1st Grade) and her husband Paul on the birth of a grandson born to their daughter Elana and her husband, Avi Spira.
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Can you name the SAR faculty member who was an actor in "The Chosen" and on "Law and Order"?
(See the answer at the bottom of Chadashot.)
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| | Auction Committee
Members Needed
We are looking for parents to get involved in planning one of our key fundraising events of the coming year, the SAR Auction!
Parents and community members raved about our online auction last year, and with your help, we will build on our past successes. Be part of this exciting event where you will get to know many SAR parents while raising much needed funds for SAR.
Please reply to sarauction@gmail.comto let us know if you can volunteer.
We can't wait to hear from you!
Deena Berger, Elana Minkove, Dana Teplitsky
2010 Auction Chairs
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| SAR IS FOR GRANDPARENTS TOO! | | Would you like your parents to have a window into their grandchildren's SAR world?
To receive Chadashot send their e-mail address to:
Click here for the second issue of Shutafim, the newsletter made especially for grandparents. |
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22 Sivan 5770 June 4, 2010
Candlelighting: 8:05 Havdalah: 9:08
Parashat Shlach |
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A Message from Rabbi Krauss |
Dear Parents,
This week in Parashat Shlach we read the story of the meraglim, twelve spies who went to survey the land of Israel. The meraglim all saw the same land, yet their interpretations and their responses differed greatly. I encourage you to spend some time this Shabbat discussing with your children the issues facing Medinat Yisrael, and the differing responses of the international community to the "flotilla" events of this past week. It is important for all of us to understand the perspective of The State of Israel, and to be able to articulate that perspective to others.
Congratulations to our Boys' Torah Bowl Team on coming in second in the competition. Kol Hakavod!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Binyamin Krauss
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How would you title
this Diego Rivera
painting? (See quotes throughout.)
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| ?מה חדש | |
*Academy Memorial Day Ceremony*
To send our students into a long weekend endowed with the meaning of the extra day to enjoy the freedoms we hold so dear, Grades 1-8 gathered on the steps for a Memorial Day Tribute.
"This Monday, is not only the day where families get together to have a barbecue or where stores have special Memorial Day sales. As we know from Yom HaZikaron one month ago, Memorial Day is a day of hakarat hatov to show how grateful we are for the freedom we have to practice our religion, to go to school, to be protected, to be safe." Rabbi Krauss began. "There are people-including today-who put their lives on the line so we can enjoy the freedom to study Torah and have barbecues with our families. We understand that these freedoms come with a sacrifice."
Even though our soldiers fight in far away places like Iraq and Afghanistan, they are American representatives of our country and we acknowledge their efforts to protect our freedom.
Beverly Nerenberg, SAR parent and sister of Major Stuart Adam Wolfer, z"l, who lost his life while protecting America in Iraq, reminded the students that many families gather together on Memorial Day to remember and mourn their relatives who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, the United States of America. "People flock to our borders," she said, "because of what we have to offer." While we mourn those we've lost, we also pray for those still fighting to return safely to their family and friends.
 After a moment of silence, the school joined together in the Pledge of Allegiance and listened to two fifth grade students, Adam Auerbach and Miriam Stern, speak about Memorial Day's significance. The program closed with a tefila and the National Anthem, accompanied by Morah Naomi on the piano.
Thank you to Georganne Garfinkel, who created the video shown on the large TV screen in the lobby throughout the day depicting our troops serving in a variety of capacities while supporting the U.S., some even while observing chagim like Sukkot, lulav and etrog in hand.
To help your family further understand Memorial Day in the spirit in which it is intended, remembering those who never returned home from war while defending our freedoms, and to acknowledge and appreciate those freedoms that we enjoy each day, please click here and use the tabs at the top to guide you.
*Torah Bowl Competition*
Kol Hakavod to the SAR boys' Torah Bowl team for coming in second place at the Torah Bowl World Series, held on Tuesday, June 1st at Yeshiva of South Shore on Long Island. The team included: Yakir Greenberg--manager, and players: Alex Leibowitz, Matthew Heisler, Uri Hoch, Azriel Fine, Shalom Goldscheider, Yoni Rawson, Zvi Kaminetsky, and Yishai Chamudot. The boys competed against North Shore Hebrew Academy and ASHAR in an intense 100+ question game that tested them on Sefer Breishit. The team displayed a combination of knowledge, skill, and sportsmanship, and were cheered on by a group of spirited SAR fans. A good time was had by all and the team is looking forward to the new season beginning next fall. Thank you to Rabbi Sheldon Schwartz and Morah Aviva Feit for all their efforts leading and guiding Torah Bowl.
*Around The World*
 Last Friday, Reuven Fishkin's uncle, Gilad, visited Class 1X. For their Around the World unit, the class is studying China. Gilad spent a year there. He taught the children many Chinese words and numbers and how to write them. He also talked about his experiences there, including places he visited, how they pray, and what kinds of food they eat. The children loved the visit, especially learning how to count to ten in Chinese.
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~Taking Care Of Each Other . . . Danielle Dorfman |
| It's That "KIND" of Week |
*Grade 5 and Grade 6 Charity Soccer Tournament*
 Grades 5 and 6 held a soccer tournament this past Wednesday and Thursday to benefit Neve Michael's Children's Crisis Center in Israel. Neve Michael provides a safe haven for Israeli children at risk whose biological parents can no longer care for them. The center houses an emergency crisis center, therapy rooms, and Israel's first Teenage Girls' Crisis Center. For more information, please visit www.NeveMichael.com.
Eliana Lubofsky and Liana Katz (5th grade girls) helped the cause by raising $126 for Neve Michael by running a lemonade stand this past Monday.
Kol Hakavod to all who participated in making this event a success and thank you to Rabbi Rafi Muller for organizing and leading this initiative.
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| ~Village . . . Meital Eisenberger |
| Out of the Mouths of Babe . . . | |
When reading Donovan's Word Jar in a first grade reading group, the students came across a fictitious location in the novel called, Dixieland. One student asked, "Where's Dixieland?" Alex Lebowitz answered with great assurance, "That's where paper plates are made."
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~Reading Outside . . . Isaac Block |
| בראשית : ELC News
the beginning steps . . . |
*A Taste of Milk and Honey*
  N-8's week started out with an exceptional trip to the restaurant Milk and Honey. Many thanks to Jonah Schenker's dad and mom, Zachary and Alisa, for making the outing to the restaurant such a rewarding and delectable one!
Before leaving on their trip, the class predicted what they might see enroute as well as what they might find inside the restaurant. The children accurately predicted that Milk and Honey would have bagels, pizza, tables, and people, though they never expected to see along the way: a tractor, a policewoman on a horse, a horse and buggy, huge billboards of favorite Disney characters, and last but not least a billboard of Derek Jeter and the Yankees!
Once N-8 arrived at the restaurant they had the amazing experience of baking their own bagels (which they took home as an added bonus), and had the unique experience of watching one of the restaurant employees flip pizza dough and then cover the dough with sauce and cheese and bake it in the oven for their consumption. While waiting for the pizza to bake, the children sampled another delicious snack: fresh, tasty sushi! All in all, it was a fabulous and delicious experience!Todah rabba to the Schenker family for hosting N-8.
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~School Circle . . . Tani Lewis |
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באמצע: JHS News
. . . in the middle of Middle School |
*In Conversation*
On Thursday, May 27 we had the pleasure of meeting with each of the 8th grade classes. The purpose of these meetings was to offer the students a forum to discuss the coming transition to high school and some of the challenges (and opportunities) they will face as teenagers in high school. The theme of our discussions was that as adolescents and high school students, they can expect to experience more independence and autonomy as well as more responsibility for their own decisions. Some of the topics we addressed within this theme included managing a high school workload, eating and sleeping habits, substance abuse, and navigating the high school social scene.
We spent some time talking with the students about alcohol and drugs. We feel that it is vital for adolescents to have accurate information as well as clear messages from their parents and teachers upon which to base their decision-making. We shared information with the students about why some teenagers use alcohol or drugs and about the manifold risks involved in substance use that teenagers often ignore or overlook. We addressed the concept of "gateway" substances - namely alcohol, tobacco/ nicotine, and marijuana/THC - particularly because these are the substances to which teenagers tend to have the most exposure.
Another main focus of the discussions was the importance of fostering open communication about issues that affect teenagers. We urged the students to consider how all of the information they learn and all of the values and expectations they receive from their parents, teachers and community apply to them. We urged them to think this through and plan ahead of time how they hope to use their adolescent independence or respond to social and academic pressure. Doing so will empower them to make positive, healthy choices based on their values, their understanding of the risks, and their personal aspirations, and not on the immediate appeal of the moment or the need to fit in.
The students asked engaging, productive questions, and we were quite impressed by their thoughtfulness. We encouraged the students to talk about these issues with their families, and we likewise encourage you to discuss them with your children. Consider this an opportunity to help prepare them for adolescence and for responsible, independent decision-making. We also encouraged any of the 8th graders who will be 9th graders at SAR High School next year to approach us in school and continue the conversation!
~Russell Hoffman and Michelle Humi, SAR High School psychologists
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~Helping People . . . Yakira Bergman |
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דבר תורה |
 By: Yaakov Fishman
Grade: 8
*The Power of Self-Image*
This week's parsha, Parshat Shlach, tells the famous story of the meraglim, the spies who were sent to scout out the land of Israel. The spies reported that there were giants living in the land as the passuk states, "We saw ourselves as grasshoppers, and that's what they thought of us, too" (Number 13:33).
A very obvious question arises from this statement: How did the spies know what the giants of Canaan thought of them? They did not communicate with anyone while scouting out the land and therefore would have no idea what anyone else was thinking. So on what basis do they make this statement?
Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt offers an interesting explanation. He explains that the spies saw themselves as grasshoppers, thereby leading them to assume that "that's also what the giants thought of us." It is hard to know whether the giants in fact did look at them as grasshoppers, but because the spies saw themselves that way, they could only imagine that was how others were seeing them, too. They projected their self-image onto these giants.
On the contrary, the people living in Canaan were actually intimidated by B'nei Yisrael since we had a reputation of being a strong and mighty nation. Although we were physically smaller than the Canaanite giants, our reputation of destroying the Egyptians and the Amalekites in battle made B'nei Yisrael feared by all. Had we not projected such an image of insignificance on ourselves, we would have been able to enter Canaan without any obstacles- including the giants.
Often we set limitations on ourselves, thinking we cannot do something or that someone views us in a certain way. From the incident with the spies we can learn to see beyond the limitations we place on ourselves and begin to recognize the incredible potential each of us holds.
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~Praying . . . Tamar Hoch |
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~Sitting In A Circle . . . Avi Tepler |
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SAR AMAZING FACT
Can you name the SAR faculty member who was an actor in "The Chosen" and on "Law and Order"?
Rabbi Eliezer Gevirtz!
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| PTC News |
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Volunteer at SAR and help make a difference at your child's school. The following opportunities are available for 2010-2011:
SAR Auction
Get involved in planning one of the key fundraising events of the year! Chairs: Deena Berger, Elana Minkove, Dana Teplitsky. Committee members needed!
Orientation Day & Lice Check Help plan, organize and staff the lice check and school supplies sales. Help start the school year off. Project Coordinator & Volunteers needed. Meet and Greet Help plan and organize social evening for parents with children ages K-4. Project Coordinator, Committee Member, or Volunteers needed. Parenting Seminar Help set up event make event run smoothly. Project Coordinator: Elissa Shay Ordan, Jessica Rezak Schwab. Volunteers needed. ELC Night A social event to facilitate ELC parents meeting each other. Project Coordinators: Liz Spevack, Erica Edelman, Nava Cohen. Volunteers needed. Friday Challah Program at SAR Help distribute challah Friday mornings at SAR to students to take home. Project Coordinators: Shari Brody, Laura Brem - volunteers needed. Cookie Dough Help collect cookie dough order forms, and distribute cookie dough. Project Coordinators: Malka Spier and Judy Friedman Volunteers needed SAR Cookbook in memory of Sheri Raskas, z"l Help edit and organize into a book for publication and sale. Project Coordinator Shoshana Winter. Mishloach Manot Drive Help prepare and distribute Purim packages for teachers and staff. Project Coordinators - Simone Rudoff Semer, Toby Smith. Volunteers needed. Database Coordinator Needed. Yom Ha'atzmaut Chagiga Help plan and set-up a spirited celebration for this special day. Marcella Marcus Project Coordinator. Committee Members, volunteers needed. Passover Barton's Candy Drive
Help collect and distribute Bartons candy. Project Coordinator, Marcella Marcus. Volunteers needed.
Book Fair
Help unpack books, stock shelves, sell books and pack up. Give two hours of time or more. Project Coordinators Rachel Berger and Adina Garbuz. Many volunteers needed.
Class Parent
Help coordinate communication between your child's class, teachers, parents and the school. Volunteers Needed, general volunteer.
Lend a hand for an hour or two at additional PTC and other SAR events throughout the year. Volunteers needed.
Chesed Tent Volunteers
Help with chesed projects the week before Parshat Vayaira. Volunteers needed.
SAR Annual Dinner
Help plan our 42nd Annual Scholarship Dinner; assist with phone calls, journal editing, etc. Volunteers needed.
SAR Spiritwear Showcase
Help sell SAR Logo merchandise at showcase. Project Coordinator Susie Loberfeld. Volunteers needed.
8th Grade Graduation
Help organize, decorate and set up graduation. Project Coordinator, committee members needed.
Salute to Israel Parade & Decorations
Help organize & create decorations for the parade. Project Coordinator & volunteers needed.
Click on the following link to volunteer today! www.saracademy.org/volunteer
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| Community News |
World Science Festival Street Fair
FREE Sunday, June 6, 2010, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Washington Square Park The New York University/Washington Square Park area will become a science wonderland when the World Science Festival Youth and Family Street Fair returns to New York City on Sunday, June 6. This free, day-long extravaganza showcases the intrigue and pure fun of science with a non-stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games, and shows, all meant to entertain and inspire. Join us for a day of family fun. Click here for a detailed map and schedule. Click here for some highlights of this year's Fair
YOUNG ISRAEL OF WHITE PLAINS 2010 GALA
This year's Young Israel of White Plains 2010 Gala will honor SAR parents Susan and Sim Shapiro. The Keter Shem Tov Award for Community Service will be given to Helene and David Schonbrun. Sunday June 6, 2010 For more information and to donate/make reservations click here: https://yiwp.adjournal.com/
Riverdale Riverfest 2010
Sunday, June 13, 2010, from 1 to 5 p.m "Riverdale Riverfest 2010," a celebration of the Hudson River, which will feature music, entertainment, food, educational programs about the river, and a variety of environmental and river-oriented exhibits, including one about the Hudson River Greenway project. The festival will take place on Marillac Lawn, on the campus of the College of Mount Saint Vincent, which offers spectacular views of the Hudson and Palisades. In addition, a two-acre plot of land at the water's edge, connected to Marillac Lawn by a bridge across the Metro- North train tracks, will get people close enough to the River to reach out and touch it. Check out the event Web site at riverdaleriverfest.org for more details and to see how you can get involved.
THE PARTY GOES ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FROM YOUR SIMCHA ........TO THE NEXT ...........
SAR IS PROUD TO PRESENT A NEW, EXCITING, ONGOING PROJECT.
ENRICH YOUR SIMCHA BY DONATING YOUR UNUSED PARTY ITEMS TO OTHERS.
WE ARE COLLECTING PARTY GIVEAWAYS (HATS, GLASSES, Wigs . . . . .)
ITEMS AND CRAFT PROJECTS TO GIFT TO THE NEEDY HERE AND IN ISRAEL.
WE WILL EVEN ACCEPT BENCHERS IN QUANTITIES GREATER THAN 50. PERSONALIZED FOIL LABELS WILL BE CREATED FOR POOR BRIDES IN ISRAEL.
PLEASE DROP OFF @ ZELDA'S OFFICE
INQUIRIES TO SHOSHANA @ 914-632-7902; dsnoble@pol.netMAZAL TOV! Items will be distributed in Israel by KEDMA.
Tefilin 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. |
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SAR Academy
655 W. 254th Street Phone:718-548-1717
Riverdale, NY 10471 Fax: 718-601-0082
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