31 Nadolny Sachs Pr.
613-722-0020
www.hillelacademy.ca
| October 22, 2010
Volume 3, Issue 75
|
|
In this issue ...
- Important Notes.
- Grade 8 Visits CBB.
- Reading Buddies.
- Students Vote.
- Teacher Profile: Rabbi Fine.
- D'var Torah |
Coming Up ...
- Grade 7 to MacSkimming, Fri, Oct. 29.
- Dress-down day, Fri. Oct 29.
|
Early Dismissal Dates:
Nov 12 - 2:30
Nov 19 - 2:30
Nov 26 - PD Day
Dec 3 - 2:00
Dec 10 - 2:00
Dec 17 - 2:00
Jan 7 - 2:00
Jan 14 - 2:30
Jan 21 - 2:30
Jan 28 - 2:20
Feb 4 - 3:00
Feb 11 - 3:00
Feb 18 - PD Day
Feb 25 - 3:00
|
|
|
From the Administration
Our tikkun olam program is getting started. We kicked it off with our Terry Fox Run, which raised $1,500 for cancer research. Now, as the cold weather has arrived, we are starting our annual collection for the Snowsuit Fund. The Fund can use snowsuits, boots, mitts, hats and scarves, so as you go through your winter gear and find out what fits your child, please consider dropping anything that no longer fits in our front foyer, where we will have a coat rack.
We are also collecting new socks for the Ottawa Mission again this year. As with last year, we are cooperating with all the schools on Broadview for this project. We have a little bin with a few socks already and our new student council (elected this week) will be decorating a bigger one, so start sending in those socks! You can take the opportunity of next Friday's dress-down day to send in socks with your children instead of a loonie.
Giving back to our community is part of the wider values that our school upholds, which we presented to our students in two assemblies this week. Each grade will be in charge of promoting one aspect of those values, from respecting our environment to promoting Jewish values. All the values, in English, Hebrew and French, are up on one of our bulletin boards, if you would like to take a peek.
Shabbat Shalom,
|
|
|
|
Some Important Notes
- Dress-down day is Friday, October 29th. This month, instead of a toonie, bring in socks for the bin!
- Photo retake day is Wednesday, November 3.
- Please note that silly bands are no longer allowed at school. They have become a significant distraction and the source of great distress when lost or broken.
- Please send in an extra set of clothing for your child, particularly for the children in the lower grades, in case of an accident (it doesn't have to be a uniform).
- Save the date! Our Chanukah Celebration will be on Wednesday, December 8th this year.
|
Friday Aftercare
Registration for Friday Aftercare has begun. Join us on Fridays when school dismisses early for Shabbat for some fun in a safe, nurtured and structured environment. We will have a variety of activities every Friday, from sports to crafts, with some special guest instructors. This program will run inside Hillel Academy. Please contact Gail Lieff by email or at 613-798-9818, ext 303.
Fall Term: November 12th - December 17th - HFC1001
$55 per child, a $10 discount provided for additional children of the same family
Winter Term: January 7th - February 25th - HFC2001
$55 per child, a $10 discount provided for additional children of the same family
|
|
Grade 8 Visits Camp B'nai Brith
|
The grade 8 leadership/teamwork trip was on Tuesday and Wednesday at CBB of Montreal. The students had fun participating in various leadership exercises (above and below). They also held their elections. Abigail and Meredith are the co-presidents of the Student Council and the yearbook editors are Noa, Matthew and Jacob.
|
The Reading Buddies program has started off well. Above, Ben in grade 4 reads to Zachary in Kindergarten. Below, Jonah, in grade 5 reads to Jordan from grade 1.
|
The Students Vote
As the municipal election race draws to a close, students in grades 4 and 5 have been learning about the structure of a municipality in social studies class, as well as how the election will work. Hillel Academy also participated in a student voting program, studentvote.ca. Using ballots and equipment provided by the city, the students voted on Wednesday. The results will be added to the results from other schools and will be reported in newspapers along with the official results next week.
The students learned about the main issues of the campaign and the candidates, and impressed their teacher with their knowledge of and passion for the issues. Right, one Adam places his ballot in the ballot box, and below, another Adam hides behind the screen as he fills out his ballot.
|
|
Learning About Plants
Grade 3 is learning all about plants. This week,they got to cut open wet lima beans to examine the different parts of a seed with magnifying glasses. (Left, Rom examines his bean closely.) They also planted some lima beans to watch them germinate (below, Justin and Temima plant their beans in cups).
|
|
|
Teacher Profile: Michael Fine
Rabbi Michael Fine is one of the newer teachers here at Hillel. He started teaching at Yitzhak Rabin High School last fall and in our senior school in January. This year, he splits his time between the senior school and the high school.
But that doesn't make Rabbi Fine new to the school - he was a student here, attending Hillel from JK to grade 8. In fact, his first teacher was Morah Yaffa. Rabbi Fine says he is delighted to be back at his old school. He loves it and finds it very rewarding to be part of all the great changes in the school. He also feels that being a student here in the past gives him a particular insight into his own students.
When asked what differences he sees in the school, he says it is a very different place now. The classroom is a much more engaging place for students, both because of the activities and the technology we now use. He also finds the students to be far more sophisticated, citing last year's Science Fair as an example.
While Rabbi Fine did study in Israel, he has spent the rest of his life here in Ottawa, and he is happy about that. He says that any spare time he has he spends with his wife and son. (Below, Rabbi Fine teaches Hebrew at Yitzhak Rabin High School.)
|
|
The Critters are Back
Our clubs have started again and Little Ray's Reptiles brought some great animals in to show us. Right, David gets to pat Allie the Aligator. (Note the rubber band around her mouth!) Below, the kids all line up to hold the snake.
|
The soccer season for the grade 7/8 soccer team is now over. This year's team played with a lot of courage and determination, but unfortunately, they didn't do as well as they hoped. Coaches Mr. Cinanni and Mr. Morenstein are very proud of how hard their players worked. Great season, Hurricanes!
|
D'var Torah - Vayera
The essence of Jewish education is summed up in a soliloquy appearing in this week's Torah reading. G-d praises Abraham as one who instills in the members of his household an appreciation of justice and righteousness. As an exit goal of Jewish education, it is imperative that our students walk out of school with a sense of what is right and wrong from a Judaic point of view, especially in the area of ethics. The study of ethics pervades every area of life, professional and personal, and our students have to be prepared to deal with crises of conscience that may affect them in the years to come, directly and indirectly. It is not enough for Jewish day schools to simply provide instruction in the rituals and texts of our faith. Our instruction must be couched in the terms of justice and righteousness as declared by G-d and exemplified by Abraham.
The rabbis of the Talmud tell us that the descendants of Abraham are compassionate, humble and moral in their actions and beliefs. Our challenge as educators, professional and parental, is to ensure that the legacy of Abraham continues in the lives of our students.
- Rabbi Howard Finkelstein |
|
|
|
|
|
|
