|
|
|
Hadashot
Vancouver Talmud Torah's Weekly e-Newsletter
Volume VIII, Issue 23
Mar 1, 2013 19 adar, 5772
|
LEADERSHIP TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Leigh Ariel (pictured left) as Principal of Primary Grades, effective July 2013.
Prior to joining the VTT primary faculty last year, Leigh spent 14 years as a public school teacher with the Richmond School Board. She has taught Kindergarten to Grade 4 and has focused her professional development on literacy, numeracy and special needs. Leigh holds a Bachelor of Arts from SFU and a B.Ed. and M.Ed in Curriculum & Instruction from UBC. Leigh has thoroughly enjoyed teaching Grade 1 at VTT and looks forward to contributing to our school in a new capacity. Unlike most VTT families, Leigh is born and bred in Vancouver!
In the summer, Jessica Neville (pictured right) will move into the position of Principal of Intermediate Grades/Student Services. In addition to overseeing the intermediate faculty and curriculum, Jessica will continue to supervise special education in K-7, our school counsellor and student services at VTT. Ms. Neville has been on staff at Talmud Torah for the last nine years and joined the admin team in 2006. She holds a Master of Education degree with concentrations in special education, counselling and assessment and has pursued advanced graduate work in these subject areas as well. Originally from Winnipeg, Jessica has been living in Vancouver since 2003.
We wish both educators much success in their new roles.
|
WEEKLY TORAH PORTION WITH RABBI MATTHEW BELLASShabbat Parashat Ki Tissa/Shabbat Parah Old Habits Die Hard Habits are very hard to break. Routines are very difficult to change. There are many examples in the world of this reality. Ask someone who has ever tried to stop biting their fingernails how hard it is to do it. Did you ever notice how basketball player LeBron James used to chew on his fingernails when he was sitting on the bench during a time out or when he was getting a short rest in his early years in the N.B.A.? Journalists and sports commentators regularly used to ask him about his habit because of the impact it had on his public image. It made him look childish, immature, and unable to control his nerves. His reply was that it had nothing to do with nerves; it was just a bad habit that he picked up when he was a really young kid. He knew full well that it was a bad habit, bad for his teeth, and damaging to his public image. He just had a really hard time breaking the habit. Old habits are VERY hard to break.Read more online....
|
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: DO YOU RECOGNIZE ANYONE IN THIS PHOTO?
|
Click on image to enlarge
|
David Bogoch, past VTT student, parent, board member and former chair of the Alumni Committee, has a treasure trove of photos, records, memorabilia and other mementos from VTT's past stored in his basement. (His father, Dr. Al Bogoch, z'l, was responsible for burning Talmud Torah's mortgage in the '60s.) For the last several years we have been working on digitizing the collection to make it available to our community and to help it last until perpetuity.
This week we bring you a series of class photos, beginning in Kindergarten in 1960 and ending in Grade 7 in 1968 (minus Grade 4). At least one of the graduates is currently a parent at VTT. Can you guess who it is? (Hint: It's a male and his signature is below.) Special thanks to Ed Lewin for sharing the collection.
The photo below represents the signatures on the back of the Grade 7 class photo.
 | |
Click on image to enlarge
|
Curious to see more photos from the past? Visit our alumni webpage.
|
WE ARE PLANNING OUR PASSOVER SEDERS. DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE AN EGG ALLERGY? We will be serving hard boiled eggs and egg matzah at our Passover Seders. Please contact Fred Cohen and your classroom teacher if your child has an egg allergy so we can make the necessary adjustments. Sorry! We are unable to make changes if your child simply does not like eggs.
|
DO YOU HAVE LEATHER BOUND BOOKS TO LOAN? The Beauty & The Beast crew is looking to borrow leather bound books (e.g., encyclopedias) to accessorize the musical set. They will not be used or touched. They are for display only! If you can loan books from your collection, please email Keri.
|
|
SCHOOL NEWS
Team Devorah reigns as handball champs in the Intramurals finals. Mazal tov!  Grade 5 students led a powerful assembly for Pink Shirt Day last Wednesday. Using poetry, song and interactive media, they spread a message of kindness, tolerance and respect. Special thanks to Jonah Ezekiel and the Grade 4s for the play they created demonstrating these ideals.  Katy Tritt poses next to some of the food that will be sent home in the backpacks she collected at VTT for the expanded "Blessings in a Backpack" program at Florence Nightingale School. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dates to Remember
| Light candles at 5:37 p.m.
Shabbat ends at 6:43 p.m. |
Jewcy Cuisine's website is open for orders for March & April
Order your hot lunch by Sunday, March 3 at 11:50 p.m. New round begins Monday, March 4
www.jewcycuisine.com
|
Even though she's no longer a parent at our school, Astrid Visscher continues to run our Used Uniform Sales. A big Todah Rabah to her, Naomi Evans, Tanyss Bugis and the other volunteers who helped at the sale. Thanks, as well, to our IT Manager, Marko Milisavljevic, for setting up the iPad credit card payment for the sale.
|
Community Announcements
The Vancouver Jewish Food Bank is accepting kosher for Passover food donations for Pesach. Please consider dropping of matzah, gefilte fish, horseradish and other traditional foods to the school by March 19, 2013.
The Pacific Chai Dragon Boat Team is looking for 6-8 more paddlers to complete their team of 20. Join the gang to a meet in Israel in May with 1000 other competitors.
Contact Gary if you want more information.
Show your support!
VTT's Maya Bellas, Grade 5, and Yael Toyber, Grade 6, will be performing in a musical adaptation of Peter Pan
Sunday, March 10, 2:30 & 5 p.m.
Cruising with Camp Hatikvah
For students in Grades 2-6
Saturday, March 2, 5:45-8:00 pm
$20 per person
Camp Hatikvah
Family 5K Fun Run
On Sunday, March 10th, join Camp Hatikvah for their first annual Fun Run at Jericho Beach to help raise funds and awareness for their exceptional summer programming. This is a new and unique fundraising event for the whole family and will surely be a blast.
For more information or to register, please click here
Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! Musical Theatre Summer Program
Deadline for applications: April 1, 2013
Visit the JCC's website to learn more
Danielle Horwitz Social Justice Award Benefit Evening: Artists for Education
Saturday, April 6, JCC
JFSA's Innovators Lunch 2013 presents Joel Cohen, Writer & Co-Executive Producer of The Simpsons
Wednesday, April 10, 12 noon
Hyatt Regency Hotel
|
SHONOT | ODDS 'N ENDZ
Mazal tov to Asher Freedman and his family on his his Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat weekend.
Are you leaving early or returning late for Pesach holidays?
If so, please submit absent notes to Lihe ( lkatz@talmudtorah.com) in the office so your child's absence can be properly recorded in our system.
Did you enjoy your Mishloach Manot on Sunday?
1300 packages were delivered to homes throughout the Lower Mainland. This is the third year VTT has participated with the other Jewish day schools (VHA, PTI, KDHS, RJDS and Shalhevet) in the community initiative. You can read more about the program in an article in The Independent. Read this article in the Canadian Jewish News about Rabbi Philip Bregman's retirement from Temple Sholom after 33 years of dedicated service.  It's never too late to join our parent-moderated Yahoo! Group. Searching for child care? Need a plumber? Have a sofa to sell? Do this and more on this engaging and supportive parent forum. Contact Laura Rosenthal to sign up.
|
WE HAVE LOTS OF PPP JOBS FOR BEAUTY & THE BEAST One need not be a cast member parent to help. We also have a need for strong parents to help with the set load in. Click this link to see all the opportunities to help out in our spring musical. Questions? Contact Keri Smith.
|
GIVING TO VANCOUVER TALMUD TORAH
Did you know that giving to VTT is easier than ever?
Click this link to access our secure online giving page
or feel free to email Tirzah Abraham in our development office. Please consider a minimum donation of $18 for tribute cards so that more funds can go towards our students.
Your contribution can be allocated to the following funds:
Alumni Fund
VTT Campus Campaign Fund
General Fund
Gita Kron (z"l) Fund for Special Education
Library Fund
The Lorne (z"l) & Sylvia Cristall Tikkun Olam Chair
Mitzvah of Valuing Philanthropy Fund
Performing Arts and Band Fund
Strathcona Fund
VTT Family Fund
To read more details about these funds, download our "Generosity" flyer. Beautiful tribute cards, designed by Jasmine Sasky, are sent by the school development office to mark any number of occasions, milestones and/or life cycle events.
|
|
GRANDPARENTS ARE VTT COMMUNITY MEMBERS TOO!
Bubbes & Zaydes, Sabas & Savtas, Grandmas & Grandpas are vital members of the VTT community. We'd like to include them in relevant school communications, including invitations to our annual Hanukkah concert and other events of interest. Kindly forward email address to Jennifer Shecter-Balin, our Director of Communications.
|
|
Vancouver Talmud Torah is a traditional Jewish community day school dedicated to excellence in an engaging and respectful learning environment in which Jewish children can become proud, caring, responsible, and dedicated members of the Jewish people and Canadian society.
|
|
We are a community of faculty, staff, students, parents, grandparents, alumni, family and friends! Feel free to join us.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
