31 Nadolny Sachs Pr.
613-722-0020
www.hillelacademy.ca
| November 5, 2010
Volume 3, Issue 77
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In this issue ...
- Important Notes.
- Grade 7 to MacSkimming.
- Learning about MS.
- Reading Buddies.
- D'var Torah - Rabbi Finkelstein
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Coming Up ...
- Grades 7 - 12 to the Shenkman Centre, Wed. Nov 10.
- Remembrance Day, Thurs. Nov 11.
- Dress-down day, Fri. Nov 19.
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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 - 2:30
Feb 4 - 3:00
Feb 11 - 3:00
Feb 18 - PD Day
Feb 25 - 3:00
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From the Administration
Our Sock and Snowsuit Drives are really getting underway. The socks students brought in for dress-down day really helped, but we still want more! And we can give you two very good reasons to remember to buy socks on your next trip to the mall. First, the students from grades 4 - 8 are having a contest. The class that brings in the most socks will win their own dress-down day. If you have children in those grades, you should give the socks to them to bring to their classrooms. The students in the lower grades can put them right into the bin in the front foyer.
A more important reason is Rabbi Simes. As most of you know, tikkun olam and the performance of mitzvot are very important to Rabbi Simes. Last year, he developed a close relationship with Ross Munro, a volunteer at the Ottawa Mission, and launched the Sock
Drive at our school. We donated over 1000 socks. (You can read a newspaper article about it here.) This year, Rabbi Simes is working hard at rehab after his accident, but his spirit of tikkun olam remains at our school. Mr. Lamb is in charge of the Sock Drive this year, and would love to honour Rabbi Simes by doubling the number of socks we donate. Whenever anyone visits Rabbi Simes and asks if there is anything they can do, he always responds by saying, "Do an extra mitzvah." So send in those socks!
Shabbat Shalom,
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Some Important Notes
- Intent on discovering the mystery of the missing voicemail messages, Ellie finally found out this week from our phone service provider that we have had a 'ghost mailbox' set up for the past two years. Callers have been accessing the box by pressing '0', which is not one of our voicemail options. So, to all those whose messages went missing, we extend our deepest apologies - and a plea to choose one of the options provided by our message, never '0'!
- Now that Pearl has left, for financial services, please contact the CFO of the Federation, Shelley Crawford, at 613-798-4696, ext 244.
- 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). With the wet and cold weather, this is extra important!
- Save the date! Our Chanukah Celebration will be on Wednesday, December 8th at 7 pm, this year.
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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
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Grade 7 Visits MacSkimming
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| The students in grade 7 visited MacSkimming Centre this week. They spent the day participating in a variety of team-building exercises. They focused on the qualities of trust, leadership, teamwork and inclusion. Above, Noah gets ready to fall backwards, hoping his classmates will catch him. Below, the class catches Taylor. |
The students made the most of the first snowfall of the winter. Above, a group of elementary students pose with their snowman (who is wearing Rabbi Burger's black hat to look good for the shot).
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Learning about MS
Michael teaches his grade 6 class about the effects of Multiple Sclerosis, with the aid of Laurie Cucheran-Morris from the MS Society (right) and a woman named Bev who is affected by MS.
They also provided a few simulations for the students to help them understand what it is like to have MS. This included oven mitts with which they had to do up their shoelaces; strap-on weights for their wrists and ankles; and greased up goggles to simulate blurred vision, which Michael helps Jake with, below).
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Part of the school's mandate is to appeal to all types of learners. With a smaller class, Morah Sheli can take this further than some other teachers. Above, she works on teaching directions ('Oleh' - He goes up. 'Yoredet' - She comes down!") to one of her Hebrew classes and has them run off some steam at the same time.
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D'var Torah
The opening sentence of this week's parsha seems to be redundant, as it indicates within a space of a few words that Isaac is the son of Abraham, and that Abraham is Isaac's father. While Rashi states that the apparent repetition is designed to remove any doubt as to Isaac's paternity, there is a more important message that one may derive from this sentence.
While parents may be the progenitors of their children, their influence as their children's primary educators comes to the fore in this opening sentence of Toldot. The Torah emphasizes that there should be no doubt that Isaac is Abraham's son in every sense of the word, not only in terms of biology, but in terms of emulating his parents' example in following the pathway of life that is imbued with the sense of holiness that G-d wishes us to preserve in our lives and in those of our children.
- Rabbi Howard Finkelstein
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The grade 8 and grade 2 students had their turns with their reading buddies this week. Above, Ryan and Shira read together and below, Ben animatedly tells Shanna a story.
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Looking For ...
- Morah Ruthie is looking for more empty yogurt, cottage cheese or margarine containers for painting. You can drop any you have off at the office.
- Morah Ann-Lynn is looking for Little People garages, towns and fire stations.
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