Ordinary is Extraordinary and Extraordinary is Ordinary

I remember my first rock concert. I was in third grade and New Kids on the Block were huge, and somehow my mom got me tickets. I was beyond thrilled. The whole day I couldn't wait to go to the concert with my friend Erin from across the street. We'd planned this amazing night. Sitting through the concert I was certain, from my third row in the first balcony seat, that Joey McIntyre was staring right at me. Erin and I couldn't contain ourselves. We had tears, we screamed, jumped up and down, and nearly passed out. Years later I saw Joey on the street in LA, and it turned out he was just an ordinary person. He wore ordinary clothes and shopped at Target, just like the rest of us. From my perspective as an awed fan he was superstar Joey, but in reality, he was just a regular Joe.

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You can review all of Rabbi Posen's weekly Parshah teachings by going to the Levine Academy website. Go to News & Events and click Publications or Click Here. 

Last week's Questions: 

We are now inviting our Levine Academy families who have children 12 months to 4 yrs and who are considering enrolling them in our early childhood center for the fall to come visit our classrooms, meet our teachers and discuss curriculum with our director, Sheryl Feinberg.

ENROLLMENT IS OPEN NOW!  If you are ready to complete the application form, please follow this link and do so online: apply here!

Keep in mind: in the fall, we will also offer Baby & Me/Toddler & Me programs, once weekly, for parents/caregivers who want to enjoy 2 hours per week experiencing music and movement, Powerbabies, story time, while learning about Jewish traditions the first year, alongside their child! Sign-up for the semester, or pay a drop-in fee weekly! Please contact Sheryl or Mireille to learn more!

Every contribution makes a difference...Help us reach our goal! 

Thanks to the generosity of friends like you, Levine Academy has already received over $280,000 in gifts and pledges to the Annual Fund. But we need everyone's participation to reach our $300,000 goal! If you haven't already done so, please make your tax deductible donation now. Your gift, of any amount, matters - the only gift too small is none at all.

Ann & Nate Levine Academy is a premiere day school in Dallas because students and teachers have the necessary tools to excel in their choices for personal growth and discovery. The sustained growth of the Annual Fund will help ensure immediate needs are always met.  

Gifts to the Annual Fund support:  
~Competitive salaries and benefits to ensure we can hire and retain the very best faculty
~Enhancements to curriculum, technology, and facilities for the betterment of our students
~Tuition assistance (over $620K in tuition assistance has been awarded this year alone
~Professional development opportunities for teachers
~Athletic events, team sports and other enrichment programs that set us apart 

AF Frequently Asked Questions!  

Thank you to our generous donors. Your support adds to the richness and opportunities of a Levine Academy education. 

Click here for a donor listing as of March 20, 2012.  

Borax Crystals

The 6th grade has been studying states of matter as we move into a study of compounds and mixtures.  In an effort to illustrate the main ideas we've been covering as well as combine these related topics, we have created our own crystals using Borax powder.  The students learned that heated water molecules move farther apart, making room for more borax crystals to dissolve into the water.  As the solution cools, the water molecules move closer together and can now hold less borax crystals.  The crystals then begin to form and build on one another as a solid as the water cools to room temperature.

1. Sam Weinstein and Seth Sugerman, 2. Noga Even and Emma Ableman, 3. Kayley Horowitz and Sophia Fineberg, 4. Vanessa Tanur, Brett Steinberg, Alexis Kane, 5. Evan Allen and Leah Witheiler

Is SCRIP ordering confusing to you?  CLICK HERE for some helpful hints! 

Yavneh's Students4Students: Building a School in Darfur!
 Tracy McGrady's "3 Points" Screening to Raise Funds
 
 Students 4 Students invites the community to the Monday, April 2 screening of "3 Points" at 7pm at the Angelika Film Center at 75/Mockingbird Lane. Proceeds from the screening, which details NBA All Star, Atlanta Hawk Tracy McGrady's humanitarian efforts in the Darfur region of the Sudan, including his 2007 visits to refugee camps in the region,and other fundraising efforts, will support S4S' 2011-2012 campaign, that, will assist in the building of a school in Darfur.

Yavneh's S4S co-founders Dalit Agronin '12, Jori Epstein '12, and Rachel Siegel '13 have teamed up with the Jewish World Watch Sister Schools Project, and hope to raise a minimum of $17,000 to begin construction on the project! Tickets are $15/thru March 28, and $20 after.

For sponsorship and ticket sales, email s4sdarfur@gmail.com or call 972.333.9541

 JCC Passover Break Camp, Monday, April 9-12 

Have an extra space at your Seder Table?
Do you have room at your Seder table for a member of our congregation who has no family or is new to our community, or for a college student who cannot go home for the holiday? We are looking for homes to provide a Kosher or a dairy holiday meal. If you can host at least two guests, please contact Dora Rudberg at cerudberg@sbcglobal.net or 972.247.6382.

Pre-Passover Food Drive
Please bring non-perishable food items to the main entrance of Shearith Israel the week of March 26-April 1. Items needed include canned fruits, vegetables, tuna, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, paper goods and personal hygiene products. All donations will go to the JFS food pantry. Also, please consider making a donation to Mazon, the Jewish Response to Hunger. Envelopes are at the reception desk, or visitmazon.org to make an online donation.

A Taste of Freedom: The Real Story of Uganda
Sponsored by The Mitzvah Community of Congregation Shearith Israel
In cooperation with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Monday, April 9 at 7:00 pm, Congregation Shearith Israel-Topletz Auditorium
The issue of the Invisible Children and Kony 2012 has swept social networking sites and has captured the attention of millions of people across the world. On Monday, April 9th, Congregation Shearith Israel congregant and former JCRC intern, Gabbi Lewin, will share her experiences living and working in Uganda with AJWS, American Jewish World Service. Information will be provided on how we, in Dallas, can make a difference by helping the people of Uganda. For additional information about this evening, contact Mona Allen at mallen@shearith.org or 214.939.7318. For information about AJWS, visitajws.org.

A Taste of Hebrew
Mondays, April 16, 23, and 30, 7:00-8:00 pm, Shearith Israel - Room 18
As we prepare for a fall term Hebrew class, we invite you to join this Taste of Hebrew. Dina Eliezer, our Weitzman Family Religious School Director and educator extraordinaire, will be teaching both this and the fall class. All students must be able to read Hebrew and various levels are welcome. There is a guest cost of $20 for the series, members are free to attend. Space is limited so RSVP to Lindsay Gray atLGray@shearith.org or 214.361.6606.

Help Us Raise Money For This Sweet Pesach Fundraiser
Let's make this Pesach extra sweet with delicious, all-natural, gourmet quality treats while raising valuable funds for our program department. Project Passover is a fundraiser developed by Urban Nosh. For every box of Matzel Toff!, Matzel Bits!, and/or Holy Macaroon! purchased at matzeltoff.com, we earn 30%. This offer good while supplies last! To order, go tomatzeltoff.com. DON'T FORGET TO USE THIS SPECIAL PROMO CODE WHEN ORDERING: CSIT.

Benefitting Family Education and Family Programming
2012 CSI Golf Tournament, Wednesday, May 9, The Tribute Golf Club, The Colony, Texas
Whether you are Tiger Woods, a novice, beginner or don't play at all, join us for a great day at The Tribute Golf Club.
Consider becoming an individual Hole Sponsor or a Non-Play Sponsor and help our family education and family programming throughout the year. For sponsorship and additional information, click on the Golf Tournament button atshearith.org.

5th Annual Zweig Family End of School Year Bash
Sunday, April 15 from 2:00-4:00 pm, 300 Dallas, 3805 Beltline Road, Addison 75001
 Now is the time to make and renew your commitment to help our schools and institutions develop and implement special needs programs. All proceeds from this event go to The Gladys Golman/Faye Dallen Special Needs Fund and the Special Needs Partnership of Jewish Family Service. Sponsorships are available on many different levels. For more information, go towww.djcf.org/make-a-donation/donate online.php. The 7th grade class of the Weitzman Family Religious School has visited all the classes to inform them about the fundraiser. The class that gets the most participants will win a prize! Pre-register through the Religious School office by contacting Leah Singleton atLSingleton@shearith.org or 214.939.7325.

Yellow Candle Program
The Men's Club is joining with the other Conservative Jewish Men's Clubs in the nation in the Yellow Candle program. A yellow yarzheit candle will be provided to all families in the Weitzman Family Religious School, to be lit on Yom Hashoah, Thursday, April 19, in Memory of the Six Million and others who lost their lives. A suggested donation of $18 or multiples thereof will help fund scholarships for Shearith Israel youth programs. Extra candles will be made available to congregants who wish to have one, but who do not have students in the religious school. Contact Jonathan Bard atjbardmri@yahoo.com or 214.448.5450.

Did you know that CSI has collected almost 5,000 pounds of clothes, shoes, and other items since the beginning of last year? Shearith teamed up with the World Wear Project to donate our collections to underdeveloped countries in return for money back to our Mitzvah Fund. During the month of April, World Wear Project will double our commission on clothes donated, so bring those things you always say you'll wear, but never do! A bright blue collection bin is outside the tollway side of Shearith YEAR ROUND and ACCESSIBLE 24/7 so it's easy to help others! If you have questions, would like a tax donation form, or would like to arrange a possible pick up of clothing, please contact Shirley Davidoff, co-chair of IMPACT at 214-987-2515 or SDavidoff@CIVADALLAS.com.