On The Bridge January 6, 2011
Gesher Jewish Day School 1 Shevat, 5771
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| Shabbat Shalom | |
שבת שלום
Candlelighting: 4:45pm
Parashat Bo
בא
Torah Portion: Exodus 10:1 - 12:16
Haftarah: Jeremiah 46:13- 46:28
Yasher Koach to today's Torah readers: Avi S., Zach N.
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| Greetings! | |
It's hard to believe but we are now halfway through the school year. During the month of January, you can expect a phone call from either Jo Gordon (our Academic Dean), Debra Mendelson (our Parent Liaison), or me. Our goal is to have a midyear check-in with all the parents in the school in order to see how the school year is going from your point of view. When we call, we hope not to keep you long, but we do wish to learn what's on your mind. Our job is to do what we can to attune our program with your children and their learning needs. If we call when you are not home, please call us back, or if you prefer to initiate a call, go right ahead- we will be waiting to hear from you.
Some of the best events of the school year are on their way soon: January will feature everything at various grade levels from the Great Debates to the Kitah Alef Siddur Ceremony. Three of our competitive teams will be on the loose over this coming week. Our MathCounts Squad will be competing on Friday at the 2nd annual Carderock Math Contest and our Boys and Girls Gesher United Basketball Teams will kick off their seasons. We hope that you will come and cheer on the Gesher United basketball teams, especially when they will be playing at home. The first home games are this coming Tuesday, January 11.
Student Council is doing a great job supporting the Yemin Orde orphanage and children's village which was devastated by the terrible fire last month in the Carmel. Another way to help out is to support the Jewish National Fund. We will be sending home a special JNF packet to mark Rosh Chodesh Shevat (the beginning of the month of Shevat). Tu Bishvat, the birthday of the trees, is only two weeks away!
We look forward to our upcoming conversations with you over the course of the month.
Shabbat Shalom!
Zvi Schoenburg
Head of School
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| Upcoming Events |
See our full calendar of events!
January 8 - PTO Bingo Night
January 9 - Admissions Open House
January 14 - PTO Coffee, 8:30 a.m.
January 14 - Kitah Dalet Kabbalat Shabbat Siyum
January 17 - Martin Luther King Day, no school
January 18 - Board Meeting
January 20 - Tu Bishvat
January 25- Kitah Gimel Amidah Siyum
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| School News | |
Gesher Photos
Class and group photos will be taken next Wednesday, January 12th.
Parents who carpool to school: We are planning for your transportation needs for next school year. As always, we will work to do all we can to meet the needs of individual families, while maintaining an efficient route. We would like to know if you anticipate using the bus or car service next year or would like to request service or suggest a bus stop. Please email dmendelson@gesher-jds.org to let us know. Thank you!
MAP Deadline The winter session of MAP begins this coming week. Basketball will start on Monday the 10th. On Tues the 11th we will be having Arts and Crafts, Mad Science, and Fencing. Thurs the 13th is the first day for Karate and Robotics. If we get a few more participants, we can also have Intro to Dance and Puppetry on Thursdays. It's not too late to have your children join in the fun. Click here for the full brochure.
Thank You! Thank you to the Yager and Freeman families for their donations of books, CDs and games to the Kitah Gimel classroom. The students are looking forward to using the new materials!
Pictures:
 | | Kitah Gimel students enjoy tasting New World and Old World foods. |
 | Ami enjoys the Old World, New World food tasting.
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 | Kitah Dalet writes a fruit salad recipe in Hebrew.
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 | | Stephanie and Alyssa preparing the fruit salad. |
 | | Kitah Hay having fun! |
 | Holocaust survivor Irene Weiss speaks to Kitah Chet students.
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 | | Gan students show off their tree costumes. |
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| Development and Fundraising | |
Save the evening of March 27, 2011 for ALL THE MAGIC THAT IS GESHER!
Click here to see all our wonderful honorees!
Please help us find our 2010-11 Tikun Olam Alumni Winner! Nominations are being accepted now through DEC 31, 2010. Please submit two brief paragraphs describing the work and life of an alumni deserving of our annual Tikun Olam honor- we're looking for someone who is making the world a better place! Email your nominations to Rebekah Dickinson: rdickinson@gesher-jds.org. The winner will be announced the first week in January.
Giant Food Bonus Cards
Please register your Giant Food card. Giant cards need to be registered each fall. Gesher will earn cash from Giant Food every time you shop at Giant and use your card. This even includes Peapod purchases. So please register your card now. Our school number is 02238. See more grocery stores you can register with on Gesher's website.
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| Admissions News |
Gesher Middle School Information Session
Monday, January 24, 6:45-8pm
For current Gesher parents and open to the community! Learn more about our dynamic middle school curriculum. There will be an opportunity for Q&A with Gesher grads currently attending area high schools. Light dinner fare will be served at 6:45. RSVP to Debra Mendelson, 703-962-9216 or dmendelson@gesher-jds.org.
SAVE THE DATE
Every Family Bring a Family to Community Family Fun Day, Sunday, April 3rd. Our 4th annual Community Family Fun Day is an afternoon of entertainment, Passover activities and learning, outdoor fun, jumpin' on a moonbounce and lots more....plus the launch of our giant PTO used book sale! This is a great way to introduce friends to Gesher Jewish Day School! To volunteer on our planning committee or just for that day, contact Debra.
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| PTO | |
We hope everyone had a pleasant winter break. Welcome back and happy 2011!
Over winter break the PTO sponsored a Gesher afternoon of fun at Pump It Up. Everyone there had a blast. Even the parents got into the act.
We have a lot of fun and interesting events to look forward to in the coming months. Here are a few of the highlights:
Bingo Night: this Saturday, January 8 at 6:30 pm. Come for an evening of good old-fashioned family fun.
Upcoming PTO Coffees:
January 14 at 8:45 am - Annual discussion on sex and health - "Everything you need to know about your changing adolescent but were afraid to ask" with our new counselor Laura Strouse, and Mr. Scott and Mrs. Yungshten.
March 11 - "Mom? Dad? Can I get a Facebook page?" Learning to navigate the internet safely for your child with Officer Twombly of the FCPD.
Gesher Used Book Sale: Save your books for our 3rd annual used book sale. Collection begins in March.
For an overview of PTO events, and/or to volunteer to help out and have some fun, go to the Gesher homepage, click on "My Gesher" and then "Volunteer Sign-Up".
For those of you concerned about your children's brains turning to mush during the next school break, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City has a new exhibit running through August 15, 2011, Brain: The Inside Story. Throughmore than 20 activities visitors can learn about how their own brains work. Interested, but not planning an excursion to NYC? Then visit amnh.org/brain.
Keep sending in those Box Tops! So far, Gesher has earned $127. The next check will be issued on April 15th!
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| Mitzvah Coupon Donations |
Mitzvah Coupon donations can now be made on-line through our secure website, www.gesher-jds.org. Simply log in and click on the Donate link at the top of our homepage.
In honor of Mollie A Koffler
Samuel Koffler
In memory of Judith Salzberg
Milton and Rosalie Tulkoff and Family
In memory of Kenneth Barnett
Milton and Rosalie Tulkoff and Family
In memory of Zelda and David Katzin
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
In honor of Shoshana G.'s Bat Mitzvah
Sherri and Howard Kohr and Family
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| Community Announcements | |
Hebrew Teen Club for Gesher Alumni
The Jewish Federation Wants to Help! If you are in need of financial
assistance at t his time, or if you know anyone in the community who
is in need, please do not hesitate to contact the Jewish Federation's Warm Line at 1-866-950-4AID.
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We welcome your inquiries. To schedule a tour, or for more information about admissions or making a donation to Gesher Jewish Day School, please contact us at (703)978-9789.
Sincerely,
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Gesher Jewish Day School
4800 Mattie Moore Court
Fairfax, VA 22030
phone: (703) 978-9789
fax: (703)978-2668
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