Next Week |
Monday, Sept. 14
Rosh Hashanah
No school
Tuesday, Sept. 15
Rosh Hashanah
No school
Wednesday, Sept. 16
Tzom Gedalia
3:00 p.m. Dismissal
Thursday, Sept. 17
Senior College Visit Weekend - No 12th grade classes
Friday, Sept. 18
Senior College Visit Weekend - No 12th grade classes
|
In Two Weeks
|
Sunday, September 20
Volleyball vs. Cristo Rey (JV 3:00, Var 4:00), Soccer @ Pope John (4:15)
Monday, September 21
COLLEGE REP VISITS: Syracuse University, Union College, University of Maryland
Volleyball (JV vs. South Shore Christian 6:00, Var vs. New Mission 7:00)
Boys' Soccer vs. South Shore Christian (6:15)
Tuesday, September 22 - Noon Dismissal (Erev Yom Kippur)
Wednesday, September 23 (Yom Kippur)
No school
Thursday, September 24
COLLEGE REP VISIT: UMass
Friday, September 25
No changes to schedule
|
Having a
MAIMO MOMENT?
|
Please click here
|
Online Photo Galleries
|
Hosted securely on Phanfare.com. Password to view all galleries is "horim".
For all Upper School photo galleries, click here!
|
| Find Maimonides On: |    
www.maimonides.org
|
|
|
D'var Torah
| |
by Rabbi Dov Huff
Last week we spoke about the great bracha and privilege we enjoy when we can drive our own spiritual growth. In building on last week's theme, I would like to look at an uncharacteristically reassuring pasuk which appears in this week's parsha:
For this commandment which I command you this day is not beyond you nor is it far off... But it is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it. (Deuteronomy 30:11-14)
This pasuk tells us that "this commandment" is within our reach. The commentators are divided as to which mitzvah this is referring to.
The first interpretation, that of Rashi, is that it is the pursuit of Torah learning and Torah knowledge, which is accessible to all of us no matter our skills and background.
The second interpretation, that of the Ramban, is that it refers to our ability to do teshuva. His evidence is that it follows naturally from the previous pasuk, which deals with our repentance and ultimate return to Hashem.
These two interpretations are not mutually exclusive. Both Torah and teshuva are within our grasp. We need not ask "who will go up for us to heaven and bring it to us," but should realize it is within our reach to grasp it ourselves. While this is encouraging, it also puts the onus on each and every individual in Am Yisrael to be owners of our own spiritual growth.
We have now embarked on this quest for teshuva, starting with the beginning of Elul and continuing today, on the cusp of the Aseret Yemei Teshuva. We need to encourage our students and our children to strive for teshuva this Rosh Hashana -- to be present in davening, to say the words, to reflect on their middot, and to fullfill the mitzvah of hearing the shofar.
We also must encourage them to reach for Torah. This year, the Upper School is learning Mesechet Megillah. As a result, both the Middle and Upper Schoolers have a unique opportunity. Rabbi Jaffe's Thursday afternoon "Mishmar and pizza" group will provide our students with a chance to finish the entire Mesechet Megillah and make a siyum at the end of the year. This is a truly special opportunity, and you should encourage your children to take advantage of it.
My bracha to our talmidim and talmidot is that they find success both in their Torah and in their teshuva, and remember that both are "near to you, in your mouth and in your heart."
Shana tova!
Discussion for the Shabbos Table
- What was your takeaway from the d'var Torah this morning?
- If teshuva is so accessible, why do we find ourselves with the same struggles every year?
- In what ways is Torah "in your mouth and in your heart"? Which parts of Torah are most accessible to you?
|
| Science Corner | |
A cool breeze was coming from Dr. Stewart's physics classroom this week! Check out his report about what he and his students came up with to cool off during this heat wave:
A big push in contemporary science education is to provide students with opportunities to engage with science in ways that are meaningful and relevant. What could possibly be more meaningful and relevant that rolling up our sleeves and fighting the brutal heat?! In addition, engaging students in this way fosters community growth, develops problem-solving skills, and addresses important engineering design principles, all of which are important characteristics of any good high school science course! - Dr. Stewart
Dr. Stewart's 11th grade physics students made classroom air conditioners using insulated coolers, fans, ice, and PVC piping.
Also in MS/US science classrooms this week:
- Biology students were exercising in the stairwells and taking their heart rates as they learned about experimental design, homeostasis, and metabolism by comparing data from before and after this exertion.
- In 8th grade science, students are participating in a "Vector Voyage" - vector basics are applied to a scenario in which students predict locations for their arrival on the other side of the Atlantic based on winds of different directions and speed.
|
Senior Camping Trip
|
|
According to student Ayelet Ehrenkranz, "Everyone had a great time! Setting up the tents and making our own bbq required teamwork and created a bonding experience that really brought the grade together."
|
| Activities Fair | |
On Thursday, with the sounds of the Maimonides Jazz Band adding a festive air to the room, our Upper School students had the opportunity to scope out the more than 30 clubs and activities that Maimonides offers at the annual Activities Fair. While this is most exciting for our new freshmen, our upperclassmen also had the chance to learn more about some long-standing activities that might not have interested them previously, and to explore some of our new clubs.
There are five new clubs offered this year:
- Maimodesty, a newly-invigorated take on the former Maimonides Fashion Club
- Friday Morning Herring Club, where students get into the pre-Shabbat mood by eating herring with crackers and sharing Divrei Torah
- Early Childhood Education Club, a group of students who will be assisting weekly in the new Maimonides Early Childhood Center, creating regular ties to our very youngest students
- Environmentalist Club, which hopes to institute a series of environmental measures focused on protecting our planet
- Humans of Maimo, a Facebook group which allows us to get a closer look at our individual students
Among the highlights were watching Baruch-Lev Kelman driving the Robotics team's hand-crafted robot via remote control, listening to Uriah Durani blow shofar to kick off the Jazz Band performance, and watching the beaming faces of the excited eighth graders who joined the Upper School to get a sneak peek at next year.
Kudos to the over fifty student leaders who planned presentations and manned their booths, many with posters, colorful handouts, and bowls of candy.
A special thank you to all the members of the faculty who regularly give their time to serve as faculty advisors for our many clubs.
The clubs are overseen by the Department of Student Life.
  |
| School calendar available on our website | |
Important school dates - including faculty meetings, special dismissal times, and division events - have been uploaded to our website calendar. To learn how to subscribe to the calendar, please click here.
|
Parent and Student Handbooks Now Available
| |
This year's Parent-Student Handbooks are all linked to the Maimo website and are password-protected.
Username is: maimoparents Password is: horim
You can find the handbooks in two places:
(2) The handbooks are also linked to each division's section under the "For Parents and Students" menu:
For Middle School:For Upper School:
|
Yom Chesed Needs Volunteers
| |
Our third Yom Chesed is scheduled for Sunday morning, November 1, 2015. Yom Chesed is an all-ages community service initiative for our entire Maimonides community. Our past Yom Chesed events have each involved over 500 participants helping a broad range of community organizations.
Registration will begin in October, but in the meantime, we are looking for volunteers to help with this event. Even if you can't attend Yom Chesed, we would love your help prior to the event with planning and coordinating activities, shopping for supplies or making phone calls.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can help, please join us at our first Yom Chesed meetings. We will be offering two meeting options -- both on Wednesday, September 9. The first option is after drop off, at 8:00 a.m. in the Saval conference room (34 Philbrick Road). The second meeting option will be in the evening, at 8:00 p.m. at the home of Batya Greene at 7 Hillside Avenue in Sharon.
It is not necessary to attend a meeting to help out with Yom Chesed. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact one of our parent coordinators -- Risa Gewurz rzgewurz@gmail.com or Stef Mishkin stefmish@msn.com -- to learn how to get involved.
|
|
PTA Schach Fundraiser
| | |
Order fresh-cut cedar schach for your sukkah from the Maimonides PTA! The Schach Sale is a great fundraiser, while also making it easier for you to fulfill the mitzvah of leshev ba'sukkah. Minimum order is $52 for two bundles, plus $26 for each additional bundle.
Orders must be received and pre-paid by Wednesday, Sept. 16. Pick-up is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 24 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Saval Campus.
|
| Lulav and Etrog Fundraiser for the Class of 2016 | |
The Maimonides School Class of 2016 is selling arba minim -- lulav and etrog sets -- as a fundraising project for senior class activities.
Price is $45 for an assembled set. Orders may be placed by writing to info@maimonides.org; they must be received no later than the end of the day Thursday, Sept. 24. Pickup is planned for Friday, Sept. 25th at the school -- as well as on Erev Sukkot, Sunday, Sept. 27th- with times and locations to be announced.
The seniors are appreciative of the community's long record of generous support for this milestone year in their lives, and extend thanks and best wishes for a year replete with good health and fulfillment.
|
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:
us@maimonides.org
|
|
Shabbat Shalom!
Warmly,
Rabbi Dov Huff
Interim Limudei Kodesh Principal
|
|
|
|
|
