 | |
On Monday the Preschool and Kindergarten classes held a special Appreciation celebration for our caretaker Jefferson. |
|
Last Monday I was invited to a surprise "Thank you, Jefferson" celebration in the atrium. Each Preschool and Kindergarten class prepared gifts and cards for him. Jeff (and I) had tears in his eyes as the Peach Room performed a song they had written themselves. Here's an excerpt (listen to the Peach Room singing the song here):
Here's a little song I wrote / I want to sing it note by note / Don't worry...Jeff's here
We love Jeff / He's our favorite guy / Maybe we can bake him a pie / Don't worry...Jeff's here
Chorus: Do do do do do doo doo do do doo... / Don't worry; Jeff's here!
Jeff's good at his job / He's the very best / That is why he should take a rest / Don't worry...Jeff's here
If there's water, vomit, or pee on the floor / Don't worry; he'll be at your door / Don't worry...Jeff's here
Chorus...
When I listen to songs like this, I'm reminded of one of the key parts of our mission: fostering students who are "committed to the performance of mitzvot." I think of this again as we prepare for next week's 8th grade graduation. As you can see, teaching those values begins early. Just last week, the Afternoon Explorers held a boutique to raise funds for the families of Moore, Oklahoma, and raised $333 just by selling the items they had created in their own classroom.
In Grades 1-8, too, so many activities are about continuing that sense of doing for others, whether it's the Buddy Program's older-to-younger relationships, the Chesed Club's myriad efforts throughout the school, or the Middle School's packing Maot Chitim (food for the needy) during holiday seasons. Most recently, the 7th/8th graders took a field trip to The Ark, an organization that supplies food, medical assistance, and counseling to people in crisis. Afterward, they visited Bigelie Yisrael, where they sorted and packed clothes to be given to the needy in Israel.
As we end the school year and take pride in our students 'accomplishments - awards, acceptance into their first choice of high schools, the Israel Trip - we remember that our goal is even greater than academics. It's about creating caring young men and women who will be a credit to their whole communities.
Shabbat Shalom! |
 | | The 7th graders at Lincoln's Tomb |
On Wednesday and Thursday, Bill Coleman and Carole Groover took the entire 7th grade to visit Springfield, the state capital, to tour the Lincoln historical sites and to see the Illinois state government in action. The tour included the Old State Capitol Building, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Lincoln's Tomb, the present State Capitol, the Governor's Mansion, and Lincoln's Home. The class also visited with former Akiba parent Senator Ira Silverstein and enjoyed a stopover at Baskin-Robbins.
|
 | |
The Yellow and Lime Rooms over at Akiba 2 celebrated Alejandro Appreciation Day. They sang "thank you" songs, gave Alejandro special thank you gifts and enjoyed delicious cookies together. Thank you, Alejandro, for all your hard work! |
|
 | | Sarah, Beatrice and Chaya Bracha in their Purple Room
tie-dye t-shirts |
"School is over for the year, so say goodbye. Oh we've had a lot of fun, but now the year is done. School is over for the year, so say goodbye." And what a wonderful year it has been in the Purple Room! The purple tie-dyed t-shirts say it all - "Purple Room 2013" on the front and "no bad guys" on the back. Barbara Simon, Dara Henning, and Angela Moore will miss all of the kids and look forward to seeing them next year when they will be walking upstairs to their new classes. They wish everyone a safe and fun summer. Once again, thank you to all the parents for sharing their children - what a privilege!
 | |
Enjoy the Blue Room Butterfly Festival! |
This week the children in the Green Kindergarten have been busy wrapping up the school year and saying goodbye to some of their friends and teachers. They visited the 1st grade and got to know the teachers and classroom. They also discussed the similarities and differences between Kindergarten and 1st /2nd grade. It was so much fun to do some special projects with the 1st/2nd grade. On Wednesday the class went on a "last hurrah" to the zoo. The students had a blast visiting the animals! In addition, the children helped take care of their classroom and cleaned their toys and room to get ready for the summer. On Friday, the last day of school, they enjoyed a party/Shabbat celebration with their friends and families. What a fantastic way to end the school year! |
 | | Timor's Chicago Tribune Tower made of newspaper. |
Ms. Kass's 3rd/4th graders have been happily immersed in a study of Chicago architecture for the past six weeks. In addition to class lessons guided by the Chicago Architecture Foundation curriculum about everything from skyscrapers to bungalows, each student independently studied a specific Chicago building of his/her choosing. They researched their buildings online, in books and in person; they created PowerPoints using their research and some photos; and built models using all sorts of creative materials. One student made a fantastic model of the Tribune Tower using Chicago Tribune newspapers; another made a sweet model of the Chicago Board of Trade out of sugar cubes.
 | | Natan, Isabel and Sam in front of the Civic Opera House during their docent trip. |
Today, both 3rd/4th grade classes embarked on the much anticipated Building Docent Field Trip when they visited all the students' buildings in small groups. Each student was a "docent" for his/her building and lead a tour for the others. Thank you to the many parent-chauffeur volunteers for making the trip possible! Be sure to come see the students' building models on display in Loeb Hall or visit our blog for more photos.
Wow, time flies by so quickly. Mrs. Brackman's 5th grade Chumash class has finished their studies about the Shoftim (Judges) and each student is being given a chance to review his or her favorite story. It's been a wonderful year of academic and social growth!
After completing their Tuck Everlasting essays, the 5th graders in Mrs. Willner-Schreiber's English class are closing out the year with a creative writing unit, writing and sharing stories based on different fun and interesting prompts. They also plan to complete reading Tom Sawyer next week. Over the course of the year the class has discussed many deep concepts, from the importance of choice and even failure, to the value of the finality of life, which enables us to truly appreciate living. From developing their skills in literary analysis, writing and oral presentations, to learning to manage their time and work load, the 5th graders have grown a lot this year. They should be proud of all that they have accomplished and, as they move forward, they should not be afraid to think about the bigger questions.
Mrs. Willner-Schreiber's 6th grade English class have just completed the final drafts of their Huckleberry Finn essays. They each chose to explore different facets of the novel and the way Twain attempted to both critique and impact society at that time. Last week they joined Ms. Gorosh's 6th grade English class to read, analyze and act out 12 Angry Men, a play written by Reginald Rose, which follows a jury preparing to decide the fate of a young man accused of murdering his father. The men represent a variety of people one could find on a jury, from rich and educated to blue collar, from bigoted and emotionally biased to those only persuaded by facts. The students enjoyed playing their different roles as they acted out this drama in class and are now watching the film. If there is one thing Ms. Willner-Schreiber hopes students leave her class thinking about, it would be: what kind of people they want to be in this world. Would they rather be like Huck or Tom? Juror number 3 or 8?
As the 8th graders left for Israel, Mrs. Willner-Schreiber's 7th/8th grade English class concluded the study of Twelve Angry Men (see above). The 7th graders then began to explore methods in creative writing. They discussed writing driven by plot, character, conflict, theme and setting. Each student has been working on his or her own short story, which she/he will present to the class next week. In looking back over this year, the 7th/8th graders explored the depth and complexities of friendship through Of Mice and Men and A Separate Peace. They have been exposed to the best and worst parts of society through stories like The Most Dangerous Game and A Spark Neglected, and they have studied the ever changing philosophies of people over time through the eyes of poets. Hopefully students will leave this year with a heightened sense of awareness, looking beyond the surface of literature and social media to see the depth of the human spirit and to ponder who they want to be in this ever-changing world.
 | | In Science class, the 5th/6th graders built Rube Goldberg machines. This one waters plants! |
Mrs. Kahana's Kitah Gimmel students have been making very good progress. They have excelled beyond expectations, and Mrs. Kahana is so proud of their accomplishments. The students' reading has been improving constantly and they have been building a very nice vocabulary. All this will be very helpful next year. Wishing everyone a great summer!
In Mrs. Kahana's Kitah Dalet the students have continued to make good progress and grew to love the Hebrew language. They became more confident using the language in different ways. Their writing skills became quite good and they are prepared for middle school. It has been such a blessing to see their progress.
It has been such a great and productive year in Mrs. Kahana's 7th/8th grade Hebrew class. All the students have made so much progress that Hebrew became a very useful language for them. While the 8th graders are definitely speaking the language at this very moment while touring and experiencing Israel, the 7th graders continue to advance their skills. Wishing all of the students a great summer and good luck to all graduates in the future and at their new schools! |
 | | At their year-end concert, the Akiba-Schechter Orchestra plays "Tzena Tzena." |
|
|
with Dara Henning
After spending a few weeks at the Hyde Park Art Center, 7th grade artists have returned to art class at school and experimented with book binding. They folded paper and cardboard and then used needles and thread to sew signatures into their book.
6th grade artists finished their Artist Trading Cards- 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" works of art to keep and trade.
 | | Sarah, Sarah, and Tamir show off their exquisite corpse drawings. |
5th grade artists played artist games inspired by Dada artists. Students folded paper to make Exquisite Corpse drawings of fantastical creatures, passing the drawings among each other.
Afternoon Peach and Blue Explorers also created crazy Exquisite Corpse drawings with their friends - folding their papers into four sections and then each taking turns to draw sections of a body which then unfolded revealed some crazy surprises!
|
|
by Sara Price
It is hard to believe the school year is over! Much fun and physical development was crammed into the school year. Kindergarten began the year exploring basic movement skills, including locomotor movements, body awareness, and spatial orientation. From there they moved on to non-locomotor skills like balancing and stretching, and manipulative skills like throwing, catching, kicking, striking, jumping rope and hula hooping. The Kindergarteners were able to put many of these skills into a sport context when they played kickball at the beginning of the new year. This past term they explored rhythmic movement, dance, basic tumbling, and scooter boards. They even made time for challenge activities and team building games. Each unit they covered this year helps form the basic building blocks for skilled movement and sports. Most importantly, young students gain the confidence to learn new sports and try new physical activities, like riding a bike or swimming. Hopefully the active Kindergarteners will keep moving their bodies all summer long!
1st/2nd graders tried something completely new for their last unit. While I try to stay away from competitive sports at this stage, and focus on skill development, the 1st/2nd graders took on the challenge of learning to play badminton as part of the striking skills unit. Being able to hit the birdie with control and precision is challenging at any age, but the 1st and 2nd graders were persistent and determined, and by the end of the unit, most of them were able to expertly serve the birdie across the net and even return shots. It was frustrating and difficult at times, but exciting and satisfying in the end when these young students proved that they were able to do it!
 | | A game of Ultimate Frisbee! |
3rd through 8th graders finished up the year with the Ultimate Frisbee unit. Although the weather did not always cooperate, they managed to play a little indoors and outdoors. Ultimate is the one competitive team sport that has no referees, umpires, or judges. The athletes themselves call all fouls. By the end of the unit, the students had learned the game and its rules so well, that I could just sit back and enjoy. Most importantly, they all truly internalized what all Ultimate players refer to as "the Spirit of the Game" - the spirit of honesty, sportsmanship, and fair play that permeate the sport. More than the physical demands of the game, this "spirit" makes it my favorite team sport to teach. I wish you all a fun, active, rejuvenating summer! Keep your children moving, and I'll see you all in the Fall! |
|
| Issue Number | |
May 31, 2013
Volume 9, Issue 33
Candlelighting: 7:58 p.m.
Parasha: Shelach |
|
Dates to Remember | |
Monday, June 3
Field Day
Grades 1-8
Wednesday, June 5
First Day of Preschool Summer Program
Field Trip Day Grades 1-8
Thursday, June 6
8th Grade Graduation
7:00 p.m.
@ Congregation Rodfei Zedek
Friday, June 7
Last Day of School for Grades 1-8
12:00 p.m. Dismissal
Planning for next year? Click here for the tentative
|
| Dvar Torah |
Pirkei Avot - Chapters of our Sages
by Rabbi Holman
(1:14) Hillel used to say, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?" This last quote from Hillel was written in his youth, as he struggled with developing his own character. He realized that life is a balance between taking care of one's self and one's obligation toward others. Nonetheless, Hillel also realized that not a moment could be wasted pondering the possibilities, for tomorrow would be a new day with new challenges and new opportunities.
Hillel worked on his character to the point that he could not be angered. The Talmud relates the story of two men discussing Hillel's calm and pleasant disposition. One man then wagered the other that he could anger Hillel. During the busy Shabbat preparations on Friday, he banged on Hillel's door repeatedly, and asked him a series of ridiculous and insulting questions, which Hillel patiently answered. Upon failing in his mission, the man divulged to Hillel that he had lost a huge sum of money for not angering him. Said Hillel, "It is better that you lose your money, than Hillel ever become angry."
Shabbat Shalom! |
| Mazal tov |
...to Judaics teacher Alise Gold and her family on the Brit Milah of her son Nachshon. |
| Thank You |
...to our May lunch volunteers:
Barb Cohen, Tracy Koppel, Cathy Bowers, Jordana Friedman, Etti Burov, Elisheva (Aaronson) Ariel, Dana Gersten, Sandra Aranoff, Sherry Glick, Michelle Alt-Gold,
Wendy Malkin, Dolores Erlebacher, Alison Toback-Hofeld and Miri Lowey.
A special thank you to our chef Mordy Spero. |
|
5-7th Grade Parents |
It is a long-standing tradition at Akiba-Schechter that the students in 5th - 7th grade participate in the 8th grade graduation ceremonies. This is an important and enjoyable event to which all of the students look forward - as a way of showing support and an opportunity to come together for the last time. Please note the following important information:
8th Grade Graduation
Thursday, June 6
Congregation Rodfei Zedek
5200 S. Hyde Park Blvd.
Performers please arrive by 6:30 p.m.
Attire:
White tops, navy blue bottoms, dress shoes.
(No denim, mini-skirts or sneakers.) |
|
Library Alert |
If your child has taken out a book from the school library and has not yet returned it, please do so ASAP. Books can be left with Elisa or Miriam at the Main Office front desk, and they will be returned to the library. |
|
School Bus Registration |
We are excited to announce busing for the 2013-2014 school-year!
The deadline is June 5.
Due to the school's growing enrollment, we have experienced a considerable increase in demand for busing. It is critical that registration be completed by the deadline so that our school is allocated the proper number of buses.
Please note that bus registration involves two entities and fees: Akiba-Schechter and Agudath Israel of Illinois. Please contact Elliot Cohen with any questions. |
|
Free Hebrew Children's Books! |
Sifriyat Pijama B'America (SP-BA) is a Hebrew and Jewish Family Engagement literacy program implemented on a local level throughout the United States. They promote Jewish Values by mailing free, high-quality Hebrew children's literature and music to families on a monthly basis.
Register for Sifriyat Pijama B'America ASAP by visiting www.sp-ba.org. |
| Bring in your Box Tops | |
Please continue to bring in your Box Tops (found on all General Mills products and many others). It does make a difference!
Collection boxes are found in the school offices on Elisa's and Millie's desks. |
 | |
Our Partnership with
Kehillah Jewish Education Fund
Akiba-Schechter receives $4,015 each month that helps us offer enrichment, programming, and scholarships, amounting to $47,414 this year. In fact, we are receiving $15,475 more in allocation this year than the previous year.
We salute our leadership and parents who contribute to the fund. Kehillah Fund represents the broad Jewish community and advocates for day school support.
We endorse the Kehillah Fund and are proud of our partnership. Over 1360 community members participate in the recurring donor program in support of day school education. To date, Kehillah Fund allocations have reached $5 million.
Kehillah Fund
8180 McCormick Blvd.
Skokie, IL 60076
|
|
