Kibitzer header 
Avi and Shalom Tzvi paint the rocking horse, their class project for the Silent Auction
 
Celebrate Akiba!

by Carla Goldberg

Preschool Director & Benefit Dinner Co-chair


We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at the Fairmont to Celebrate Akiba! The online Silent Auction will be closing at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday evening. Please continue to check your bids today and after Shabbat!  
 

This year we have a new addition to the auction - some extraordinary artwork created by the grade school students. Created in art class, these are all original works of art.  We chose to include the children's artwork and not to have the class baskets. We think that they will be a tremendous addition to the auction! Following is a sneak peek at what you will find at the Auction on Sunday, courtesy of Art teacher Debbie Lekousis.

 

Shabbat Shalom, and see you Sunday to Celebrate Akiba!

 

Silent Auction Art Projects!

by Debbie Lekousis

Eliana decorates popsicle sticks, and the finished project!

1st grade artists worked diligently on their all-class projects for the Silent Auction. One 1st grade class painted beautiful designs on wooden craft sticks; these have been assembled into a large colorful quilt-like picture.  

Rachel works on her clothespin doll for the clothespins art project.

The other 1st grade class made self-portrait clothespin dolls; they dressed them in clothes made from scraps of felt and used paint and markers to add finishing details. The kids worked hard and both projects look wonderful. 

Netanel works on the stool that has all the artists' pictures and names on the bottom.

2nd grade artists painted on wooden furniture for the silent auction. One class painted a wooden stool in bright bold colors. The other 2nd grade class did the same with a rocking horse. Both pieces are truly magnificent.  

Ava and Aaron decorate the umbrella.

 

Ms. Gorosh's 3rd/4th graders put the cows on parade again!
3rd and 4th grade artists did a variety of projects for the Silent Auction. One class drew cartoons and wonderful doodle-drawings on a white umbrella with black permanent markers. Another 3rd/4th grade class painted a wooden tote/storage box; the paintings on it are Chicago-themed, featuring the Chicago Cows on Parade. They painted carefully, often using very tiny brushes to make their edges and outlines very clean. The other 3rd/4th grade class painted a wooden rocking chair in the spirit of Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night". When these artists were only 15 minutes into their project, the Starry Night theme of the painting was already quite recognizable. The students took great care and patience in their work on these projects--and it shows!

Toibeh Sarah and Jac paint the Starry Night Chair.
Preschool Update
 
For Purim, Lucy and Ronit visited brothers Danny and Asher in the Purple Kindergarten.

In the Purple Kindergarten the week began with a Purim celebration including costumes, lots of singing and heading over to the grade school carnival. Then the class jumped right into exploring the next Jewish holiday, Passover. The children began in the land of Egypt, creating giant pyramids, the Nile river and a sphinx. Next, each child made a mummy wrapped in cloth and even a sarcophagus. They also began learning the four questions and preparing their Haggadot.  

Evan, Eyal, Nikolaos and Beatrice discuss the order of the planets as they work on a mural of space in the Yellow Room.

This week, the Upstairs Yellow Room has been enjoying an exciting "Space Study," inspired by the student's impressive knowledge and curiosity regarding all things space! So far, they created a beautiful space mural from glittery black paint and real planet photographs. They also started creating tin foil robots and thinking about the work they might do if they were sent to space (like photographing the surface of Mars or preparing special astronaut food on the shuttle)!


In the Green Room, Kennedy's Nana Norma visited and told a story about a tree that couldn't grow because there was too much trash on the ground. Then people cleaned up the trash, and the tree grew strong and tall. The kids then created their own trees using recyclables.
Grades 1-8 Update

On Monday, Middle schoolers put on a Purim Carnival for the younger grades and the preschoolers. Here, careful balloon shaving under the watchful eye of Mr. Cohen.
Purim brought with it a few queens, of course! More costume and carnival photos on our Facebook page!

In Ms. Rotfeld's Science classes, the 7th and 8th graders had a spirited debate on whether glass is a solid or a liquid. Turns out glass is an amorphous solid, meaning it has a shape that changes over time and does not have the crystalline structure of a regular solid. Students had to research their point of view and present their sides to the class. The 5th and 6th grade finished with the electromagnetic spectrum. They are leaving the text for a short while to learn about changes over time. Mrs. Esse's 3rd/4th grade class continued to work on their PowerPoint presentations about the solar system. 

 

After a fun Purim celebration, Mrs. Gold's 6th Grade Tanach class continued their learning of Sefer Shmuel. They discussed how Shmuel was able to withstand the influences of his peers in the Mishkan, Chafni and Pinchas. They also saw that the first time Hashem speaks to him, Shmuel doesn't even realize that it is G-d! Besides for learning Navi, the class has also started to prepare for Pesach (less than a month away!). Each student will be creating his or her own Hagaddah with original questions and answers to help enhance their families' Seder. 

 

This week, Mrs. Gold's 7th/8th grade Tanach class saw King David's pure desire to build the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple) and they were amazed at his beautiful response when he was told that he cannot build it. Students talked about possible reasons why Hashem did not allow him to build it, and how sometimes in their own lives, they might have a true desire to do something good and are unable to do it. Students are constantly learning important lessons and values from King David and it is exciting to be able to apply these lessons to our lives. 


Tamir and Sofie build their pyramid in Mr. Esse's History class. Remember, it has to be hollow inside!

Mr. Esse's 5th/6th History class has been experiencing some Ancient Egyptian lifestyle the last few weeks. First they learned how hieroglyphics worked and then attempted to write a short letter using hieroglyphics. It was a struggle to spell phonetically with so many years of practice spelling words correctly. Students then watched a great documentary about the mystery of how the Great Pyramid was built and tried to build their own pyramids out of sugar cubes. 

 

Mr. Esse's 5th grade Math class took a day off from their hard work to celebrate Pi Day. With the first three digits of pi being 3.14, the class used March 14th as an excuse to have some fun. They created a necklace made out of beads, with each bead representing a digit of pi. It was quite the collaborative effort and everyone enjoyed it. The class remains hard at work, with several students taking tests that will allow them to move into a new math book. As always, the Picture Perfect board continues to fill up. Mr. Esse will soon be forced to find creative ways to continue adding pictures to the almost-full board.

 

Issue Number
March 21, 2014
Volume 10, Issue 25
Candlelighting: 6:44 p.m.
Parasha: Parah
In This Issue
Celebrate Akiba!
Silent Auction Art Projects
Preschool Update
Grades 1-8
Benefit Parking Info
Dvar Torah
Quick Links

Parent Portal

 School Calendar 

 

Like us on Facebook    Visit our blog   View our videos on YouTube
Dates to Remember
Sunday, March 23
5:00 p.m.
Fairmont Chicago
200 N. Columbus Drive 
Friday, April 11
Passover Break Begins
 
Monday, April 14
First Seder in the Evening
 
Thursday, April 24
Classes Resume
Celebrate Akiba!
Parking Information
Celebrate Akiba is at the Fairmont, HOWEVER, our discounted parking rate is across the street at:
 
The Aqua - Radisson Blu Hotel
225 N Columbus Drive
Chicago, IL. 60601
 
Purchase your parking online for $12.50 and bring your ticket to event registration for validation. Limited discount validations will be available onsite Sunday evening.
                                       Purchase Parking  
parking sign
Dvar Torah
The Red Cow - Parashat Parah
by Rabbi Holman

 

This week we take two Torahs from the ark. From the first Torah we read the regular, weekly Torah portion. From the second Torah we read "Parah" ("The Red Cow"), which deals with spiritual purity.  When a person passes away, it is a great mitzvah to tend to the funeral, and yet the Torah forbids anyone who comes into contact with the body from entering the Temple Mount or participating in the Temple service until they become "pure" again. How can we understand this seemingly esoteric rule and not dismiss it as superstition? The Sefer HaChinuch explains that we are to value life, and that G-d as the ultimate source of life deserves that respect to the highest degree. When a soul is inside a body its potential benefit to create good is enormous, and when it leaves, the vacuum left behind is equally great. To recognize this, people in Temple times would purify themselves before returning to the Temple. The inherent lesson for us today is that we should always recognize the value of life - the immense potential we all have to effect a positive change in the world every day of our lives.  Shabbat Shalom!
Terra Nova Testing Coming Up!

test

Grades 1-2 will begin their yearly Terra Nova Achievement testing next Tuesday, March 25th and on the following week the children in Grades 3-8 will start. The testing takes place during the secular part of the day.The first half of the morning will be used for the 1st and 2nd graders, four mornings for Grades 3-4 and two afternoons for the middle school students.  More details will follow next week for Grades 3-8. 

 

Please see that the children get a good night's sleep, eat breakfast, and bring two number 2 sharpened pencils to school the days of their testing. It would also be a good idea to send a healthy snack with your child for a mid-morning or afternoon break.

Tzedakah & Recycling
After the Purim carnival
this Monday, the 3rd and 4th graders were offered the opportunity to recycle any plastic prizes they earned which they expected would end up in the garbage. They were offered an incentive of five cents toward tzedakah for each prize they returned, to be used next year.  Thany you to Ava Noth who volunteered to keep a tally. In the end, $9.30 was donated to tzedakah thanks to the 3rd and 4th graders!
Middah of the Week
Two students noticed when Ms. Gorosh showed Simcha - Gladness, Joy and Being Cheerful - when her students walked into the classroom.
Middle School Report Cards
for the second trimester
are available on the
They will no longer be mailed and are only available online.
If you require your username and password again, please contact the front desk.
Summer Program
While it might be hard to believe right now, it will be summer again!
Check out our
Summer Programs for Children Ages 1-6
Charlie Brown DVDs
Please email Mindy Schiller if you'd like to order a free DVD of our all-school production of
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!
Free Hebrew Books
PJ kid
for children ages 2-8
Sign up for Sifriyat Pijama B'America!
More info at:
Lunch Volunteers Needed
  hot lunch  We are always looking for lunch volunteers for Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and especially for 3/25, 3/26, 4/1, 4/2, 4/8, 4/9, 4/29 and 4/30. Tuesday volunteers are here from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. and Wednesday volunteers are here from 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Even if you can only do part of a shift, we will gladly accept your help. To volunteer, please email Havah Hope.  
Jewish Day School Night

Dessert reception for parents, teachers and board members of JUF's affiliated day schools.

 

Bully, Bullied or the Bystander; The Roles Children Play

 

Presentation by Dr. Rona Novick. There is no cost to attend - reservations are required.

 

Tuesday, April 1

7:15 p.m.
Holiday Inn North Shore

5300 W Touhy Ave
Skokie

 

For further info, contact Mindy Bass (312) 444-2839
Email: [email protected].

ATT Educator of the Year Award

This award was won by two Akiba-Schechter teachers, Michelle Rotfeld and Scott Salk, thanks to nominations by parents!

 

The ATT is now looking for nominations for the Fifth Annual Hartman Family Foundation Educator of the Year Awards.

One award of $15,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be presented to three outstanding teachers.

Nomination Form

Nomination deadline:

May 9, 2014.

For more information, call the ATT at 773-973-2828 or visit www.att.org.

Don't Forget About Box Tops!

 

Please keep collecting Box Tops for Education, found on many General Mills products, and drop them off at the collection boxes at both the Preschool and Day School front desks.

Thanks!

 

Kehillah Korner

  Kehillah Fund logo

Since 2004 Akiba-Schechter has received $308,300 from the Kehillah Fund. Our average monthly allocation is $4,000.

 

We are grateful to 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 1400 community members participate in the recurring donor program in support of day school education.  To date, Kehillah Fund allocations to schools across Chicagoland have reached $5.5 million.

 

Kehillah Fund

8180 McCormick Blvd.

Skokie, IL 60076

(847) 745-1668 [email protected]

  

Find us online!

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter   Visit our blog   View our videos on YouTube