On The Bridge January 13, 2012
Gesher Jewish Day School 18 Tevet, 5772
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| Shabbat Shalom | |
שבת שלום
Candlelighting: 4:51pm
Shemot
שמות
Torah Portion: Exodus 1:1 - 6:1
Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Isaiah 27:6 - 28:13; 29:22 - 29:23
Haftarah for Sephardim: Jeremiah 1:1 - 2:3
Yasher Koach to today's Torah readers: Jessica B., Noah M., and Talia S.
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| Greetings! |
Yesterday, Gesher hosted a session of the Jewish Federation's Planning and Allocation Committee's Jewish Learning Division. It was, admittedly, a friendly audience. My colleagues, fellow Heads of School, Naomi Re'em of Jewish Primary Day School, Joshua Levisohn of Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, and I were asked to make a compelling case for why Jewish day schools should remain a funding priority for the Jewish community of Greater Washington in light of the fact that for every student currently enrolled in our seven area Jewish day schools four times that number are enrolled in the many various area congregational religious schools (and an even larger number of children do not receive any formal Jewish education). One response we gave was that day schools are essential for a vibrant Jewish community. A hugely disproportionate number (40%) of young engaged Jewish leaders are day school alumni. Day schools attract not only Jewish professionals but many others as well to a community. Day schools produce rabbis and teachers for the next generation. A second response harkens back to research that shows that of all the things which parents can do to effect a wide range of adult Jewish connections of their children- the most important thing they can do is to enroll the child in nine years or more of Jewish day school. Hence, a community which is interested in planning ahead and self-perpetuation through investing in itself would do well to support the most effective strategy to reach that end: namely, Jewish day school education. A third response points to the effects that Jewish day school students, alumni, and families have on other aspects of the Jewish community and on children and families who for whatever reason do not enroll in day school. Jewish day school graduates, in overwhelming numbers, staff Jewish camps, lead Jewish youth groups, run congregations, manage college Hillels, etc. The whole community, not just those enrolled, benefit from the vitality of our seven schools. What response would you give? As we interact in the Jewish community it is important that we all make the case for Jewish day school in as many venues as we can and with as many people as we can influence. As Hillel taught long ago (Pirke Avot 1:14) : ?אם אין אני לי מי לי - If I am not for myself, who will be for me? Shabbat Shalom! 
Dr. Zvi Schoenburg Head of School |
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Upcoming Events
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See our full calendar of events!
January 16 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School
January 17 & 19 - MAP Winter Sessions begin
January 20 - End of Marking Period, Noon Dismissal
January 22 - Admissions Event: Open Toddler Gym, 10am January 23-27 - Middle School Interdisciplinary Week, Topic: Africa January 23 - Board Meeting, 8pm January 24 - Kitah Gimel Amidah Siyum, 8:30am January 27 - Parents Coffee, 8:30 am
January 30- Kitah Alef Siddur Ceremony, 7:00 pm
February 3 - Head of School Circle Breakfast
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| SCHOOL NEWS | |
Parent Survey - We Want to Hear from You!
We are now in the middle year of our five -year strategic plan, Destination: Gesher! We have added or strengthened a number of aspects of our school program in response and we are looking for your feedback as to whether and to what degree these have added value to a Gesher Jewish Day School education. We also are looking at a few new ideas and would like to know what you think about them. Please follow the link here to the parent survey. The survey will be open until midnight next Thursday, January 19. Every Gesher parent may fill out his or her own survey- or if you prefer you may work as a couple. One way or the other, we look forward to hearing from you! Your responses will be incorporated into our VAIS (Virginia Association of Independent Schools) accreditation process.
North American Jewish Day School ConferenceDay School leaders from all across the United States and Canada, and from all across the Jewish spectrum (representing Community, Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jewish Day Schools) will be gathering in Atlanta from Sunday-Tuesday, January 15-17. Dr. Schoenburg will be there to represent Gesher. We can all be proud that our own Morah Melanie Eisen has been invited back for the second year in a row to be a featured presenter on Differentiated Instruction. MLK Day and the Book of Exodus How can it be a coincidence that again this year we recognize the achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. as we turn to the Book of Exodus in our Torah readings and focus on the sufferings of the Israelites in Egyptian slavery- and the appointment of an inspiring leader, Moshe (Moses) who will lead them to freedom. Gesher United Girls Basketball Team Victorious Again The Gesher United Girls beat the Green Hedges Dragons, 20-5. What a great defensive game! Even the best team in the NBA does not usually hold its opponents to five points! Gesher United Boys are up next. As of press time, the boys game is yet to begin.
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| GESHER GREEN | |
Gesher's Carbon Footprint
Gesher Green works closely with the Environmental Sustainability Committee. This is a group made up of parents, teachers, administrators, and board members. The purpose of the Environmental Sustainability Committee is to evaluate how much of an impact the running of Gesher is having on the environment. To that end, one thing we have done is to monitor our use of gas, electricity, and water, and then try and find ways to lessen that usage. Some things we have done are to remove light bulbs from some fixtures (i.e. the gym and cafeteria) where there was sufficient light already. We are also regulating our use of heat and air conditioning more closely. During heat waves, we have agreed to turn off our air conditioning for short periods of time. These changes seem to be working, because our energy usage declined from 2010 to 2011. See these charts compiled by the 4th graders in computer class:
Electric
Gas
Water
The Environmental Sustainability Committee meets about once a month, usually on Monday mornings. If this topic interests you, we'd love to have you join our group. Contact jleckert@gesher-jds.org.
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| HEAD, HEART, AND HAND | |
Kitah Aleph has the Head Heart and Hand theme of kindness to animals. In class, they have been  enjoying animal books during reading group time. Some students are reading non-fiction books, such as Snap (a book about alligators and crocodiles). They are also enjoying many fiction books where animals are the main characters, such as Frog and Toad, Little Bear, and Henry and Mudge. The children often relate the stories to their personal animal experiences tying their HHH theme into their everyday learning.
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| PTO | |
Get Caught Wearing Purple...Don't forget to show your school spirit by wearing purple and/or white on Fridays.Those in need of GesherWear may contact Naomi Hutchins at neshicot1029@verizon.net.
We Want You...to volunteer.The PTO is always in need of extra hands. If you are interesting in helping out, please go to the PTO section of the Gesher website to sign up.
Thank you, Box Tops donors!
Our most recent submission of Box Tops earned Gesher $128.50. Box Tops never stop, so please keep sending in those Box Tops!
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| Admissions | |
Stay in touch with Gesher through Facebook and our new Twitter Feed on our homepage at www.gesher-jds.org
Community Family Fun Mitzvah Day at Gesher!
SAVE THE DATE for Family Fun Mitzvah Day on Sunday, March 25 from 1-4pm. Enjoy the funky sounds of the Mama Doni Band LIVE and participate in a number of community service projects that will be geared to families with young children. What a great way to celebrate our 30th anniversary year by helping others! If you are interested in participating in the Family Fun Mitzvah Day planning committee and/or volunteering that day, we need you!
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The Mama Doni Band!
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Development and Fundraising |
Calling all GesherJDS Families and Friends! We Need Your To Like Us!
Please click HERE and rate our 30th Anniversary Spring Gala invitation video for a chance to win in Avi Chai's Day School Video Academy contest! Also, when you're finished rating our video, please "share" by clicking on the Facebook (or other social media) icons right below the video to which you are a member and spread the word! We are celebrating 30 years and look forward to sharing a wonderful evening on May 20!
THANK YOU!
Tikkun Olam - Repairing the World
Mazal Tov to our 2012 Tikkun Olam Alumni Award Honoree, Sara Rosenthal, Gesher JDS Sixth Grade Class of 2000, W.T. Woodson High School Class of 2006, University of Virginia Class of 2010.
Sara, daughter of Carol Gordon and Steve Rosenthal, was among several strong nominees for this coveted annual award. Sara was chosen for her work on behalf of Grassroot Soccer in Cape Town, South Africa, from August 2010-August 2011. Grassroot Soccer is a non-profit that uses the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize communities to stop the spread of HIV with the ultimate goal of creating an AIDS free generation. What a wonderful, hands-on example of making the world a better place! Sara will be honored on May 20 at our Guardian of the Bridge Gala!
Grandparent Greeting
Alumni Greeting
Parent Greeting
Community Supporter Greeting
Business Ad Greeting
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| Mitzvah Coupon Donations | |
In memory of Malcom Frame
Miriam and Jeffrey Berkowitz
Eunice Oyungu
Amy and Michael Friedman
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
In memory of Annette Schwartz
Carol and Mark Weiss and Family
In memory of Stephen Book
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
In honor of the birth of Laura and Daniel Strouse's baby daughter, Abigail Esther
Ingrid and Zvi Schoenburg
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.
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| Community Announcements | |
Please click on the links below to view each flyer.
The Washington Jewish Week is now available for purchase from the newsstand in the office for $1
Camp Ramah Parlor Meeting
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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| Caring Community | |
Condolences to Michael and Beth Frame on the passing of Michael's father, Malcolm Frame, z"l.
Condolences to former Gesher parents, Robert and Mandy Book, on the passing of Robert's father, Stephen Book, z"l.
Visit Jconnect.org!
Jconnect.org is the one place where you can go to find information on everything Jewish in the Greater Washington community. This new community site features a robust community calendar that's easy to navigate for both posters and users. Please check the website often as the site is ever-changing!
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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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