HAPPY 66th BIRTHDAY, ISRAEL!
Yom Ha'atzma'ut is a time to celebrate the miraculous existence of the State of Israel. Festivities marking the milestone took place for preschool, kindergarten and primary students throughout the school. Our intermediate students spent most of the day joining in the fun with their peers at King David High School. The day culminated with the entire school assembling to make a Magen David by standing in formation and then enjoying delicious birthday cake for the occasion. Thank you to Fred Cohen, Rabbi Bellas and all the teachers who supported the day's programming. Thanks, as well, to Rosemarie Dupaya and parents Jasbir Rai Kastiel and Debbie Jacobson, for helping out at the end of the day with cake cutting and distribution.
Our sister school in Israel's Upper Galilee Panhandle, Alei Givah, shared their Yom Ha'atzma'ut videos with us. You can see what they created here.
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WEEKLY TORAH PORTION WITH RABBI BELLAS
Shabbat Parashat B'har
Whose Land is it Anyway?
In this intercalated year (this is the fancy term for a "leap year" because it refers to the added month), we have the rare pleasure of parashat B'har having its own Shabbat. Most years, it is combined with parashat B'hukotai to make a "double parasha" because there are more parashiyot in the Torah than weeks in the year. Therefore, double readings are required to complete the Torah in one calendar year. The choice for which readings to combine was made strictly based on length so as not to make a reading for a week excessively long. Parashat B'har is one of the shorter weekly sections, so it was joined to its neighboring parasha.
It is not for a lack of interesting content that B'har does not get individual treatment. In fact, there are several other parashiyot whose content would better lend itself to being combined with another Torah portion. The rules of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years are found here, as well as some of the laws governing the acquisition, indenturing, and freeing of slaves. All of these laws get back to one essential idea: humans are but temporary inhabitants on God's earth; we are responsible for its care while we are here in order to ensure that it will be bountiful for the generations to come. To abuse the earth shows a sense of egocentrism that does not follow in the footsteps of the model of humility that is elevated by God in the Torah when God calls Moses the most humble individual that has ever or will ever be.
Read more online . . .
Shabbat Shalom,
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LEADERSHIP TRANSITION
For the 2014-15 school year, we are pleased to announce that preschool 4 teacher Lyora Nifco will assume leadership of our preschool. Lyora has been with us for the last five years. Prior to joining VTT, Lyora worked for over a decade as an early childhood educator both in Vancouver and in Mexico.
Gaby Lutrin, who has directed our preschool for the last five years, has decided to return to the classroom. This will give her the opportunity to pursue her passion: being back in the classroom with young children to allow them to grow, learn, thrive and unleash their potential. We sincerely thank Gaby for her dedication and leadership and look forward to seeing her surrounded by children again!
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WE ARE STILL LOOKING TO FILL THESE VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES . . . We are in the final stretch! Complete your obligatory 10 PPP hours before the end of school. Your help, as always, is much appreciated :)
The PPP is looking for volunteers to help facilitate Lag Ba'omer programming on May 15th and 16th. Please click on the following links to lend your support: Festival Ha'Rikud, the Israeli dance festival needs parents to help with supervision on the performance day (Sunday, May 11). Click here to sign up. We need an "apprentice" to learn from our current Grade 7 Grad Coordinator, Danna Marks, in anticipation of Grad 2015. Anyone taking on this position, will would receive a full 10 PPP hours in one fell swoop! You would also have the opportunity to send off our graduates and their families in a beautiful and meaningful manner. This is a relatively straight-forward job. Manual included! Interested in learning more? Contact Tammy Kalvari in the office. |
SCHOOL NEWS | | Annie Teaser |
Do you miss "Annie"? Did you hear about the little surprise at the finale? Check out what everyone was talking about . . .
Now that's one happy smile! 1C students earned their Hebrew reading and writing certificates this week. See the proud students displaying their awards here.At last count, Daniel Nurick and Ro'i Jankelowitz raised $570 towards VTT's Mitzvah of Valuing Philanthropy program by making and selling sugar cookie dough to our community. Perhaps Sunday's Mother's Day celebration helped accelerate sales? This first grade student proudly shows off his relative's VTT t-shirt from eons ago--worn to mark the occasion of Yom Ha'atzma'ut. Can you see the outline of "chai" on his shirt? Impressionist artist and VTT grandma ("Nana") Val Sewell came to share her art expertise with our P4-2 class. Originally from New Zealand, she has sold thousands of paintings around the world. You can learn more about her and her art at valsewell.com |
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NEED TO REACH THE OFFICE TEAM IN A JIFFY?
| Send an email to office@talmudtorah.com to reach Debbie, Lihe, Natalie and Tammy in one fell swoop. Use this email for late notes, absent notes, bus requests, etc.
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DATES TO REMEMBER
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Light Shabbat candles
8:22 p.m.
Shabbat ends 9:38 p.m.
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Deadline to submit class placement request (for extenuating circumstances only!)Friday, May 9
Festival Ha'Rikud Shabbat Dinner
Friday, May 9
11th Annual Festival Ha'Rikud at the JCC (with many VTT dancers)
Sunday, May 11
Lag Ba'Omer at 6-Pack Indoor Beach (Gr 1-3)
Thursday, May 15--
no Jewcy Cuisine
Lag Ba'Omer at 6-Pack Indoor Beach (Gr 4-7)
Friday, May 16--
no Jewcy Cuisine
Victoria Day--NO SESSIONS
Monday, May 19
PRO-D Day--NO SESSIONS
Tuesday, May 20
Cookies & Classrooms for Incoming K students
Tuesday, May 20, 10-11 a.m.
Cambridge Uniforms will be at VTT on Friday, May 23 from 11-4
Call NOW to book your appt
604.924.9009
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
PPP HOURS REDUCTION (TO 10)
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This year we have seen a reduction in the amount of volunteers needed by our school. We recognize that many of the volunteer hours typically available to our parent body were not available this year and that, as a result, many people may find it difficult to complete their 12 hour requirement. With this in mind, the P.P.P. volunteer requirement for the 2013/ 2014 school year has been reduced from 12 to 10 hours.
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DOES YOUR CHILD VISIT THE LEARNING COMMONS AFTER SCHOOL?
Hours of Operation:
Monday - Thursday:
Open until 4:30 p.m.
Friday: CLOSED
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Please pick up your children on time
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| We are so grateful to the many gentlemen who attended the Gentlemen's Dinner, a major school fundraiser that will support our physical education and technology initiatives. Special thanks to co-Chairs, Jonathan Barnett and Jonathon Leipsic and to Shawna Merkur and Carly Leipsic for working so efficiently behind the scenes. We appreciate the many canvassers who recruited guests and prizes and take our hats off to the dynamic duo of Todd Monge and Tirzah Abraham in our development office. This was a group effort and the wonderful evening was due to the collaborative efforts of so many dedicated volunteers.
Todah Rabah!
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COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
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11th Annual Youth Festival Ha'Rikud--come see a beautiful display of Israeli folk dancing with many VTT students participating Sunday, May 11, 1 & 3 p.m.
Siblings Without Rivalry, part of the JCC's Parent TALKS series, with VTT parent Suzanne Ferera (certified in the Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting method) Tuesday, May 13, 7 p.m. JCC
Beth Tikvah Synagogue presents, A Place at the Table, a documentary about hunger Tuesday, May 13, 7 pm
NEW! Family Camp at Camp Miriam in the serene setting of Gabriola Island.
Long weekend of May 16-18.
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SHONOT/ODDS 'N ENDS
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| Our Running Club will be participating in BC Children's Hospital's ChildRun on Sunday, June 1st. How about you! Come support Team Celia!
Click this link to sign up.
Has Holocaust denial gone mainstream? Read about a school district in California that asked their eighth graders to confirm or deny the veracity of the Holocaust.
Read about it here.
How "social" is social media? Is it bringing us closer or tearing us further apart? 30 million of us have already formed an opinion...
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Mazal tov to Morah Myra Michaelson on the birth of her FIFTH grandchild, a boy! She is one ecstatic bubba!
Our Glee Club achieved SILVER in this year's Kiwanis Music Festival. They earned bronze last year so this certainly demonstrates improvement. Kol Ha'Kavod!
Parents need to educate themselves: 7 Dangerous Apps that Parents Need to Know About
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MISSION STATEMENT
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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.
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