31 Nadolny Sachs Pr.
613-722-0020 www.hillelacademy.ca
| April 15, 2011
Volume 3, Issue 95 |
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In this issue ...
- Important Notes.
- Our special visitor.
- 'How Things Work' workshops.
- A Passover Play.
- Public Speaking Finals.
- Science Fair winners.
- Model Seders.
- Special Interest Leaning group.
- Looking for ... |
| Upcoming Dates:
April 18 - Pesach break.
April 27 - Back to school.
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From the Administration
Since school began this year, students have been asking us, their teachers and the office staff how Rabbi Simes is doing. As most of you know, he was in a car accident last spring and was severely injured. The students haven't forgotten him for a moment, and followed updates on his progress in rehabilitation and his return home.
It was wonderful to see the delight in their faces when Rabbi Simes came back to the school for the first time this Tuesday morning. He quickly demonstrated to them that he is exactly the same person they remember, carefully and seriously answering their questions about his accident, his faith and G-d. Once the official assembly was over, the older children swarmed around him, all wanting an opportunity to speak with him personally.
Several students asked Rabbi Simes, in one way or another, if he would teach again, and if he would be coming back to Hillel. He told them that it is still too soon for him to return but when it is the right time he will come back to Hillel. However, watching Rabbi Simes interact with the students at the assembly made it clear that even when he is not in the classroom, he is always a teacher.
We wish everyone a joyful Passover break, and shabbat shalom,
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Important Notes
- The PTA is looking for more volunteers to help with hot lunches, so if you have a few minutes to spare, please email Linda Melamed. The hot lunch program cannot continue without volunteers.
- The date for the uniform fitting is Tuesday, May 3, 3:30-7 pm, in the Hillel gym. We are also in the process of organizing our Used Uniform Sale again this year. Stay tuned for details.
- Yearbook sales will begin right after Passover. The cost will be $20 - for a hardcover, full-colour yearbook!
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Rabbi Simes Comes to Visit
Rabbi and Mrs. Simes came to the school in a surprise visit for the first time since their car accident last June. They were accompanied by two reporters from the CBC Radio show The Current, who are doing a documentary on their story. Right, one of the students asks Rabbi Simes a question. Below, the students surround him after the assembly for a chance to talk with him one-on-one.
The Current episode will air on Thursday, April 21 at 9 am, on CBC1, 91.5AM.
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Hillel mom Justine Sider has been coordinating with Mr. Lamb for the last couple of months to bring a series of workshops to the school to show students how science works in the real world. Ms. Sider brought in Bryan Rawlings and Dr. David Conn from the Radio Amateurs of Canada. They took the students through a brief presentation on wireless communications. They touched on the revolutions in communications brought about by electric telegraphy - Instant Messaging, version 1840s - wireless telegraphy - SMS, version 1901 - and the importance of antennas to wireless communications. The children then assembled a Yagi beam antenna and experimented with sending their names in Morse Code. Above, students in grade 5 line up to send Morse Code signals. (photo: Justine Sider)
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Hillel dad Andrew McGregor, came in to teach the students in grade 6 about elevator maintenance. While that topic initially sounds dry, the students discovered that it is remarkably interesting and involves cool instruments. For example, the students learned that heat sensors help find failing machinery behind elevator walls. Above left, Elizabeth gets to try it out on Talia. Above right, Rebecca, Zach, Talia, Maya and Elizabeth watch as an instrument measures the speed of the elevator at Hillel (it's really slow).
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The students in grade 2 and 3 got to learn how chemistry is useful in the real world. They solved a mystery presented to them by Hillel mom and chemist Lilach Aviram, by testing different substances for their ph levels (Above right, partners Haley and Sabrina help each other out). They also got to try a fun experiment - blowing up a balloon using a chemical reaction between soda powder and lemon juice. (Above left, Noah and Brandon start their balloon experiment).
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A Passover Play
The students had a great time Thursday afternoon watching a play written and directed by grade 6 students Allegra, Haley and Max, involving students from grades 2 - 6. The play involved a zaidy (Justin, really hamming it up for the audience) telling the story of Passover to his family (Dahlia, Rebecca, Tara, Dalia and Daniel M.) at a seder. Right, Maya is the princess finding baby Moshe. Bottom, Pharoh Oren oppresses the Hebrew slaves at the seder's retelling. (Not pictured because he never stayed still long enough to take a photo, Daniel S. as Moshe.)
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The public speaking finals were today. The winners for grades 4, 5 and 6 were Eliana, Oren and Gabriel (above left). The winners for grades 7 and 8 were Justin (silver), Meredith (gold) and Ethan (silver) (above right). Many thanks to our guest judges, Gail Ryan, Ester Tarasofsky and Toby Nathanson (grades 6-8), and Betty Gibbs, Sharon Brush and Stephen Waxman (grades 7 and 8).
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Only grade 7 and 8 sent Science Fair winners onto the Regional Science Fair, but the other grades had winners as well, and they got their certificates this week. Above, Morah Bethany with the grade 4 winners, Noah, Justin and Isaac; Mr. Lamb with the grade 6 winners, Gabriel, Justin, Max, Belinda and Madelyn; Ms. Coghlin with the grade 5 winners, Jonah, Steven, Noa, Jessica, Arielle, Samantha and Bailey.
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This week, the students in every grade participated in a model seder in the classroom, so they are all ready for the seder on Monday!
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The Senior Special Interest Learning group has been building solar rovers and experimenting with light sources to create electrical currents. They have been learning all sorts of interesting facts about solar power. Above, Ander, Jonah and Steven make due with lamp light while they wait for a sunny day to try out the rovers they built.
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Looking For ...
- Kosher food. We are starting to collect kosher food for the Kosher Food Bank and have a box in the front hall beside the PTA box. It will be there until Shavuot.
- Baby stuff! Grade 2 is doing their part to support the school vision of "Giving Back to the Community" and collecting donations of baby items. Right, Kole and Aliza hold some of the most needed donations - diapers, baby food and formula. Donations can be brought to the grade 2 classroom, room 109.
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