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Welcome!
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Dear Parents,
Please read on for the latest Elementary School news and information about upcoming events.
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| Dvar Torah - Wait Time | |
The last story in the parasha this week recounts Miriam speaking negatively about her brother Moshe. She is immediately stricken with tzarrat and as a consequence needs to be sent out of the camp for seven days. The Torah relates that the Jewish people did not travel for seven days as they waited for Miriam to be absorbed back into the camp. וַתִּסָּגֵר מִרְיָם מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וְהָעָם לֹא נָסַע עַד הֵאָסֵף מִרְיָם So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not travel until Miriam had entered. Why was Miriam deserving of this honor? Rashi answers: זה הכבוד חלק לה המקום בשביל שעה אחת שנתעכבה למשה כשהושלך ליאור, שנאמר (שמות ב, ד) ותתצב אחותו מרחוק וגו': This honor was accorded her by the Omnipresent because of the time she remained with Moses when he was cast into the river, as it says,"His sister stood by from afar to know what would be done to him" (Exod. 2:4) Rashi writes that this kavod was accorded to Miriam because she waited for a few moments* when Moshe, as a young baby, was thrown into the Nile. Miriam watched not to show kavod to Moshe, but to make sure he would remain alive. Because she waited and watched over him, the Jewish people waited for her 80 years later, and thereby she was given kavod. Chizukuni explains the magnitude of the moment. This event happened on 23 Sivan in the second year in the desert, just as Bnei Yisrael were about to travel for one more week to enter Eretz Yisrael. They were one week away from reaching their destination, and still they waited an extra week until Miram was able to rejoin the people for their journey. Targum Yonatan elevates this waiting further by explaining: ההוא זכותא הוון כל ישראל אשתין רבוון דהינון סכום תמנין לגיונין וענני יקרא ומשכנא ובירא לא זייעין ולא נטלין עד זמן דאיתסיאת מרים נביאתא ומן בתר כדין נטלו עמא מחצרות ושרון במדברא דפארן Through this merit all 600,000 people from Bnei Yisrael, the clouds of glory, the Mishkan and the well did not move and did not travel until Miriam was healed. More than 3,000,000 people (including men, women, and children) waited 7 extra days for one person. Now that is showing kavod. We discussed in class how important it is to wait for others who are just a few moments behind, as a way of demonstrating kavod to that person. Ask your children for the examples that we discussed. Just as the people waited in the desert for Miriam, we should also wait and show kavod for our friends, as that shows that we respect them as people and desire that they be part of the group. * Tosafot calculates the amount of time as 20 minutes, since we are rewarded 500x the amount of the mitzvah - go calculate it! |
| Lost and Found Items | | |
Only seven days are left to claim lost and found items! Please look carefully at these pictures and make arrangements to get your children's lost items, or come in and take a look in person. We hope that you will see something you recognize, and either pick it up or send us an email so that we can return it to your child.
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Color War Report
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Excerpted from Color War newspapers written by the students
The day everyone has been waiting for was finally here, COLOR WAR! All the fifth graders went across the street thinking they would be going to a Middle School meeting followed by gym and science. We went to the meeting in the shul. Rabbi Huff showed us a prank PowerPoint saying next year we would have no vending machines, we would have to wear overalls, and no more lockers. By that point we all knew it was Color War break out. After we heard all the teams, we were all relieved we did not have to wear overalls! All of the fifth graders were hard at work trying to make the best Color War for the other grades and to make it their best and last one. Thanks to Rabbi Huff for an awesome break out! Following breakout, the 5th graders went to work to produce a skit, banner, song, cheer, iMovie trailer, Dvar Torah, PowerPoint, and newspaper according to their team theme, which all had to do with a different aspect of kavod. The following morning the entire school went to the park to compete in sports organized by Mr. D and Mrs. Caban, followed by a scrumptious BBQ organized by Sharon Shapiro and the PTA. Team time and practice followed, until the final presentations, which began with the trailers made by each team (see link below). After all the presentations and a long day of work, many thank-yous were in order. https://docs.google.com/a/maimonides.org/presentation/d/1dNAFj0Xb0MsbtaD7YethX0zNm9GCYUeUR5nf7wTVO9A/edit?usp=sharingThen at 3:44, Mr. D, as he has been doing for the last 38 years, announced the winner, which this year was the blue team. All teams did a super job.
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| 5th Graders visit Lexington and Concord | | |
This past Monday the 5th graders wrapped up their social studies unit on the American Revolution with a field trip to Lexington and Concord. Despite the dreary, wet weather, our spirits could not be dampened.
We started at the Concord Museum, where the students participated in colonial family roles that took place on the fateful day of April 19, 1775, the start of the revolution. The students then visited the gallery, where they sketched colonial artifacts, including one of the actual lanterns that hung in the Old North Church on the night of Paul Revere's famous ride. They also saw period furniture, and tea that came in an imported brick from China.
Then we went on to the Old North Bridge, where the students were able to see the famous Minuteman statue erected 100 years after the battle in Concord. They "met" a colonial woman -- Mrs. Bliss -- who shared what was happening with her family on that day.
Back at the museum, the students participated in a town meeting that debated having Harvard students stay with Concord families for an indefinite period of time while their campus was taken over by the Continental Army.
Then we were off to the Minuteman National Historic Park Visitors' Center, where we watched a multimedia presentation about the battles. Finally the students met Ranger Rick, who presented a program entitled "Rebels, Redcoats, and Homespun Heroes." The students learned how to carry a musket properly and how to determine whether products were imported or domestic. The finale and highlight of the day was the musket-firing demonstration.
Thanks to the many chaperones who helped make our day special: Batya Greene, Sharon Taieb, Lee Weiss, Seth Kosowsky, Morah Renee, and Mrs. Gerber. Despite all the bus stops and the standing in the rain, the students enjoyed experiencing all that we have learned this year.
 
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| 4th Grade Visits Heifer Overlook Farm | |
Grade 4 feeds their minds while learning how to help others feed themselves
Cultivated by a lifetime of religious values and laws, traditional practices, and spiritual beliefs, tzedakah is a fundamental component of Judaism and an integral part of the fourth grade General Studies curriculum at Maimonides. For the third year, Maimonides 4th graders have been participating in Heifer International's renowned "Read to Feed" program. Each fourth grader has been keeping a record of the books he/she reads, recruiting sponsors to donate money upon his/her completion of a book, and of course actively reading in school and at home.
To further enhance their education, the class visited Heifer International's Overlook Farm in Rutland on Tuesday and participated in their Animal Connections program. The trip began with an introductory video about Heifer's life-changing impact on impoverished and orphaned children and families from countries like Peru, China, and Rwanda. Learning about the harsh reality some of these children have faced -- such as living alone and frightened on the streets, becoming sick from unsanitary conditions and dirty drinking water, and suffering from malnutrition and starvation -- was truly eye-opening for the fourth graders, further reinforcing their desire to make a meaningful, lasting difference for those in need. Later, the children experienced some of the sustainable agricultural practices Heifer trains communities across the globe to implement, as well as eagerly exploring the farm, livestock areas, and Global Village sites. The class eagerly asked their trip leaders questions, shared their wealth of knowledge with their peers, and walked around model homes from Peru, Tibet, and Guatemala. Of course, milking goats, comparing store-bought chicken eggs to free-range eggs, spinning wool, and feeding the pigs were the most enjoyable parts of the trip.
After a great day on the farm, the class headed back to school with an even deeper understanding of how their gifts of animals and training can empower families to feed themselves, move towards self-reliance, and prosper.
A big thank you to Tami Wald and Eliana Vidan for accompanying the fourth graders on their field trip!
  
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| K Visits Drumlin Farm | | |
We want to thank all the Kindergarten parents for providing our students with enough snacks and lunch, and making sure they were warmly dressed for the rainy weather we had for our field trip to Drumlin Farms this past Monday. What an amazing, eye-opening time we all had, students and teachers alike. Our program was called "Farm to Market." One of our Kindergarten parents -- Norah Mazar, mother of Lev Weglein -- is a teacher-naturalist who led one of the two groups of the Kindergarten class. We want to thank her for feeding our curiosity and incorporating science and math into our field trip experience. We also would like to thank farm employee Rachel for leading the other half of the kindergarteners. Rachel was a great teacher and engaged the students in so many ways!
We visited chicken coops where we provided feed, collected any visible eggs, and viewed many types of chickens. Students also fed hay to sheep at the sheep and goat shed. We then visited the big red barn and threw bales of hay one story down from the hayloft through the cow drop to feed the cows. We took a peek at the piglets. All the students were gleefully shouting "Wilbur! Wilbur!" We are currently reading Charlotte's Web in class, and the students were delighted to see pigs on a farm. They were trying to find Charlotte!
Garden chores were part of the day's activities as well, and our students prepped the soil by removing weeds and tilling, followed by planting turnip seeds. We then visited more sheep and lambs. We also saw a beehive, housed in a wooden structure on the farm, where thousands of bees are busy at work pollinating flowers and making honey.
The students also learned how to make yarn. They were given wool sheared from sheep on the farm and they used carders to card the wool and smooth out the fibers. They were able to twist the carded wool into yarn and take it home as bracelets.
Students were asked thoughtful questions throughout the field trip, such as "Where does our food come from?," "What does a farmer need to provide the animals?," "What does a farmer get from animals?," and "What kind of animals would make good farm animals?"
Math was also incorporated into the field trip activities. For example:
- A pig gains a pound a day. Therefore, how many days does it take for a pig to reach 200 pounds?
- If it takes 21 days for a chicken egg to hatch, how many weeks is that?
- A cow drinks 40 gallons of water a day, and your bucket holds 4 gallons. How many trips will you have to take with the bucket to get to 40 gallons?
The students were able to answer all of these questions!
A discussion on wild and domesticated animals and their habitats was woven into the program as well. Ask your children what kind of animals use the following environments as their habitat:
- Forest (birds, foxes, chipmunks, woodchucks)
- Wetlands (fish, ducks, frogs, salamanders)
- Farm (cows, chickens, pigs)
- Urban/suburban (turkeys, raccoons, skunks)
The next day, Ms. Mazar came into class and taught the students how to make butter using just heavy cream and a jar. We made both plain butter and chive butter. As each step of the butter-making process was described, the students took turns shaking the container of cream. A lot of muscle power was needed by each student to create the butter by shaking the container continuously for many minutes. As we did this, we sang this song:
Shake, shake, shake that butter
We got that milk from a farm cow's udder
Shake, shake, shake that butter
Pass it to the left! (to the next student)
What a delicious batch of butter we were able to taste at the end of all our hard work!
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Spring Concert June 9th
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 Our spring concert is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9th at 3:30 p.m. This performance will feature the school band and chorus as well as songs performed by the 2nd grade, 3rd grade, and 4th grade music classes. Please let music teacher Katie Moy know if your child will be unable to attend at kmoy@maimonides.org. |
| Tutors Available for the Summer | | |
If you are looking for summer tutoring for any of your children, you might consider contacting one of our fabulous Elementary School teachers. Please see this list for additional information:
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Every gift counts for our annual campaign!
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We are constantly reminded that Maimonides is more than a school -- it's a community bound together by a common mission. Our 2015 campaign goal is $1.7 million and we cannot reach it without you, our parent body. Every single gift to our annual campaign is meaningful and goes toward improving our school. To make a donation to the campaign now, please click here. Thank you for your consideration and support.
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| Online Access to Directory | |
We know many of you are eager to connect with each other! The Maimonides School 2014-15 Directory has been distributed. Parents can also access the directory online via MyBackpack. In order to locate family or classmate contact information, follow these steps: - Log into My Backpack
- To find a single family, search by last name in the Directory box
- To generate an entire grade list, click on "Advanced Search Options" and follow these steps:
- Click on the "Search for Student" tab
- Select the grade you want and click on "Search"
- Click on "Detail" to see email address information
- IMPORTANT - in order to return to the entire grade list, do NOT hit the browser back button. Instead, click on the "Back to Search Student/Parent" button, found above the student name (at top left)
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See What's Happening in the Other Divisions
| |  Lots of wonderful things are happening at Maimonides School!
If you'd like to take a peek at the other divisions' newsletters, please click here.
If you would like to contact a specific school office, please use these emails:
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| Maimonides LinkedIn Group | | |
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| Check us out on Facebook! | |
Let's be friends... on Facebook!
Fans of our Maimonides School Facebook page get an insider's view of all that's going on at Maimo, with the latest photos taken in the classrooms, on the playgrounds, and all around the Brener and Saval campuses. If you'd like to be in the know, just click here to "like" us on Facebook.
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!שבת שלום
Rabbi, Reena, and the Maimonides ES Faculty
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