On The Bridge January 13, 2011
Gesher Jewish Day School 8 Shevat, 5771
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| Shabbat Shalom | |
שבת שלום
Candlelighting: 4:52pm
Parashat Beshalach
בשלח
Torah Portion: Exodus 13:17 - 17:16 Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Judges 4:4- 5:31 Haftarah for Sephardim: Judges 5:1- 5:31
Yasher Koach to today's Torah readers: Mallory A., Jared G., Aiden S.
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| Greetings! | |
Kedushah, holiness, is the key concept around which we teach children at Gesher about reproduction, puberty, and what used to be called, "the facts of life." In Judaism, our estimation of Creation as being the work of a just and loving G-d lends us a positive orientation to nature. Furthermore, as humans are conceived of as having been created btzelem elokim, in the image of G-d, being human in all its various aspects- including our sexual sides- also is regarded with due reverence.
As a school, our job is to advance knowledge and vanquish ignorance. Our approach is to take on topics incrementally and in an age-appropriate fashion. Often this means giving students grounding in information a bit before it becomes personally relevant. We spiral the instruction throughout the subject areas and grade levels. Some of the teaching is done through our science curriculum. Some is done through our counseling program. Some is done as topics in health and hygiene. And returning to values, some will be filtered through Judaic Studies.
A description and discussion of our approach to teach sex, health and adolescence is on the slate for our next PTO Coffee, which will be tomorrow morning at 8:30 am. Laura Strouse, our school counselor, Sharon Yungshten, our school nurse, and Scott Bryant, our PE teacher, will be on hand to engage in conversation. We hope you can join us.
Shabbat Shalom!
Zvi Schoenburg
Head of School
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| Upcoming Events |
See our full calendar of events!
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 19 - Class picture day
January 20 - Tu Bishvat
January 25- Kitah Gimel Amidah Siyum
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| School News | |
Good luck to the Gesher United Boy's Basketball Team on their first game today!
Picture day has been rescheduled:
Class and group pictures will be taken next Wednesday, Jan 19th.
Spotlight on Gesher Students and Alumni!
Want to hear about current Gesher students doing amazing things in the community? Wondering what those Gesher Alumni are up to? Click here to view Gesher Students in the Spotlight, and click here to view the Gesher Alumni Page. You may be able to find out who...
- danced in 11 performances of the Nutcracker
- volunteers with the Rockville Fire/EMS Department
- plays clarinet in the McLean Youth Orchestra
- is the next International Sh'licha for the International Board of B'nai B'rith Girls
- preformed in the Little Theatre of Alexandria's production of Oliver!
- recently placed first all-around at the Commonwealth Cup Gymnastics Competition
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!
Our Tribute to Debbie Friedman, z"l
This morning at our Torah Service we remembered songwriter and liturgist, Debbie Friedman, z"l, and celebrated this week of Shabbat Shirah- the Shabbat of Song. We sang Debbie's Mi Shebeirach, Not by Might and Not by Power, Lechi Lach, Miriam's Song, Oseh Shalom, and Tefillat haDerech.
Thanks to Graciela Granek, Debra Mendelson, Chazzanit Ackerman, and Chazan Aaron Marcus for organizing and leading the singing!
Pictures:
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Kitah Vav prepares for the Great Debates!
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Allison G. argues anti-suffrage during the Great Debates.
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Ian S. argues pro-prohibition during the Great Debates.
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Gesher's basketball teams get excited during the pep-rally.
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Kitah Bet shows their school spirit during Gesher's pep-rally.
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Dr. Schoenburg teaches Kitah Alef how to do the wave during Gesher's pep-rally.
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Mrs. Rosenblatt and Sofia A. show off their school spirit during the pep-rally. Go Gesher United Girls Basketball!
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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!
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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| Gesher Green | |
Eco Brigade begins!
Gesher has a new weapon in the war against environmental destruction. It is our Eco-Brigade! The Eco-brigade is a group of 2nd-4th graders (5th graders were invited but none chose to come) who volunteered to eat lunch together and give up recess to help improve the school's carbon footprint.
We are joining an international movement called Eco-Schools. In order to become an eco-school, there are several steps we must follow. First we choose one of eight possible pathways. Gesher's Eco-Brigade chose energy. In the next few weeks, we will conduct an energy audit of the school, then create an action plan to diminish our energy usage. After putting our plan in place, we will conduct a follow-up audit to see if any improvements were made. If so, we can be certified as bronze level EcoSchool. To achieve silver or green levels, we will need to follow the same steps on other environmental pathways, such as water usage, waste and consumption, or spending more time outdoors.
The Eco Brigade will meet weekly until early April. There's still room if others want to join. This is a student-run program, so the more the better. Children will develop leadership skills and positive self-esteem as they learn to make a difference for the environment and Gesher.
Tu BiShvat -The Original Earth Day
Tu BiShvat, the birthday of the trees, is coming. This is a time to think about how we care for our environment. At Gesher this year we will be doing many "green" activities. One of them began this week. It is a contest about a poster in the Chadar Ochel, (the cafeteria)..
Last year we had a teacher named Mat Tonti who was (among many things) an extremely talented artist. When he and his wife Julie left to pursue Master's degrees in Israel, he gave us a gift. It is beautiful poster that he created and it hangs in the Chadar Ochel. The poster is called "Where Does My Lunch Come From?" It shows a child eating a cheese, tomato and basil sandwich. Then it goes backwards and shows how each of the parts of the lunch is grown, harvested, and carried to your home to be used in the sandwich. It even goes further back to show how they relate to the seven days of creation. Come see it next time you're in the building.
Here is the contest we are having. Each day there will be questions on several levels. The children whose correct answers are randomly chosen, will win a piece of fruit of their choice to be delivered on Thurs, Jan 20, which is Tu BiShvat.
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| PTO | |
Coffee and Tea, Come and See!
Tomorrow, January 14 at 8:45 am, come to the first PTO Coffee of 2011 for our annual discussion on sex and health - "Everything you need to know about your changing adolescent but were afraid to ask" with our counselor Mrs. Strouse, along with Mr. Scott and Mrs. Yungshten.
Here's the line-up of upcoming PTO Coffees, all on Fridays at 8:45. Mark your calendars now.
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
April 8 - Passover is right around the corner! Dazzle and impress your guests with tips and ideas for centerpieces and more with Heather Frank of Heather Frank Designs
May 13 - Shed those winter layers! Make the most of your wardrobe with tips and hints from the shopping godmother Kilmeny Chernys of Shopping Godmother
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".
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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| Caring Community |
Mazel tov to Natalie and Michael Bercovich on the birth of their daughter.
Mazel tov to Cynthia and Mark Rutzick on the birth of their grandson.
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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.
To Liz Maer for a Speedy Recovery
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
In honor of the birth of Olivia Lark Malet
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
Beverly and Neal Kramer
Eunice Oyungu
In honor of a Cynthia and Mark Rutzick's new grandson
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
Melanie and Jonathan Eisen
In memory of Harold Steingold
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
In memory of Ken Barnett
Sharyn and Richard Stahl
In memory of Louise Gabel
Sharyn and Richard Stahl
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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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Address or Email Changes
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