May 28, 2015

Sivan 10, 5775

Good Things Happen Every Week

at The Silver Academy

Rachel Zilbering

Assistant Principal

It is hard to believe that summer is almost here and that this is my last weekly column for The Silver Summary. The year has flown by partly due to all of the support I was given during my first year here at our wonderful school.

So what are some of the highlights for me?

Watching nervous and excited students arrive on the first day of school
Throwing bread into the Susquehanna River (or maybe just the grass) for Tashlich
Having a blast at Hershey Park for Sukkot
Observing emerging writers at the first grade writing celebration
Student council elections
Celebrating Chanukah with dancing and singing in the JCC
Dancing to "Shake it Off" (the Chanukah version) at our Celebration of Learning
Working on mitzvah projects during Bring a Friend to School Day
Science Fair!
Lots and lots of winter weather
Kitah Aleph's Siddur Celebration
Glee Club singing their hearts out at the open house
The Purim Seudah on a very snowy day
Model Seders
The 7th and 8th Grade Israel trip, which deserves way more than a bullet point
Lag B'Omer Field Day and especially the teacher tug-of-war
The Celebration of Learning and singing songs from "Matilda"

I wish everyone a relaxing and enjoyable summer. See you in August, but hopefully sooner.

D'var Torah

Nachum Chasan, Head of School

nchasan@silveracademypa.org

זכור את יום השבת לקדשו

CANDLE LIGHTING - 8:08 PM

HAVDALAH - 9:05 PM

SHABBAT PARSHAT - NASO - NUMBERS - 4:21 - 7:89

סיכום - Summary

This weeks Torah portion continues with a description of the Tabernacle and the duties of the Levite families.
They were responsible for carrying the holy objects from one encampment place to the next.
When the Tabernacle was taken down, the Levite families were to transfer the curtains, tapestries and the frames, to six covered wagons.
The most sacred objects, like the Ark and the Menorah were carried by certain Levites on their shoulders from one encampment to the other.
We are also informed of the laws relating to the Nazirites, who were dedicated to the Service of G-d and took upon themselves religious obligations beyond those required of the Israelites.
The portion ends with the Priestly Benediction.
This Priestly Benediction of fifteen words has been recited among our people for several thousand years. It is as meaningful today as when it was first spoken by Aaron and his sons.

SHABBAT SHALOM שבת שלום -

Nachum Chasan

Head of School

Inside and Outside the Classroom

1st Grade Language Arts

Mrs. Brandy Hurley

First grade students have been turning their writings into published books throughout the year. They each have quite a collection of original works! Last week the young writers hosted a story time for the Kindergarten students. The younger students enjoyed seeing the illustrations and hearing the first graders read their own stories. Tomorrow the activity will be reversed; Kindergarten students will have an opportunity to read their stories to the visiting first graders. Both classes have become confident authors with improved writing skills. This has been a wonderful sharing activity for both grades!

Cultural Studies

Mrs. Lillian Rappaport

It's been quite the eclectic year for our 7th and 8th graders! We started the year with la clase de espanol, continued with our in-depth unit on the Holocaust and its lessons et maintenant, en fin, nous etudions le francais! After having chosen some very unique French names, the students are learning how to greet one another, count, recite days of the week, months of the year--all en francais! We'll round off the year with some French cooking - omelettes, baguettes, croissants et chocolate. Nous amusons bien dans la classe de francais - we're having a great time in French class!

7th-8th Grade Science

Dr. Katherine Baker

Our young scientists in 7th and 8th grades recently learned how to make a potato-powered volcano. Although they did enjoy seeing their "volcanoes" bubble over, they were actually studying chemical reactions, and more particularly, the chemistry of cells. One of the 8th grade students, Batsheva G., made and edited a video of her class conducting the experiment. You can watch the video by clicking on this link:

Potato-Powered Volcano Video