Maimonides Upper School

Upper School Weekly Update: September 9, 2016     
 
Shoftim
In This Issue
D'var Torah
Rav Thoughts
Fabulous First Day
Welcome Back!
Theme of the Year
Toast Our PTA
Vehicle Policies
Fall Hat Show
Yom Chesed
2016-17 Calendar
Directory Online
Division Newsletters
Next Week
Sunday, Sept 11
ACT exam
 
Monday, Sept 12
No changes  



Tuesday, Sept 13 
Senior Camping Trip

no 12th grade classes after periods 1 and 2



Wednesday, Sept 14

Senior Camping Trip

no 12th grade classes
Thursday, Sept 15

Seniors College Visit Weekend


no 12th grade classes
Friday, Sept 16
Seniors College Visit Weekend

no 12th grade classes
9th Gr. Shabbaton

no 9th gr. classes
10th Gr. girls' Shabbaton regular classes
In Two Weeks 


Having a

MAIMO MOMENT?



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D'var Torah



by Rabbi Dov Huff   
 
Sefer Devarim records Moshe Rabbeinu's final words to the people he has been caring for and guiding through the desert for forty years. But these people are not the ones that left Egypt. They are the next generation. Not the one that received the Torah or witnessed the powerful miracles at the Yam Suf, but a new group. A fresh crop, born in the desert. They have heard the tales but never saw the miracles for themselves. They are a clean slate, not tainted from the hardships of slavery or inspired by the miracles experienced by their parents. They are a young people who need to grow and learn at the feet of the master teacher - Moshe Rabbeinu.


This speech is introduced with the words Eileh hadevarim asher diber Moshe el kol Yisrael - "these are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Bnei Yisrael." Rashi and the Ramban disagree as to the nature of "these words." Rashi says that the words which Moshe shared with the people were words of tochacha - rebuke. "Remember your mistake here, your failure there. Learn from this and improve on that." For Rashi, this is the last opportunity for a Rebbe to offer musar to his students.
 
The Ramban, on the other hand, says the words were words of mitzvot - of instruction. The Rebbe's final message was about the commandments - what they are and how are they to be performed. What his students should do, and how should they do it. 


My Rebbe, Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt"l, said that when one reads Sefer Devarim, one finds both of these aspects. Rav Lichtenstein describes them in different terms: horaa - instruction, narrowly defined as the transmission of information - and chinuch - whole-person education, formation, and development of character. Rav Lichtenstein says that in teaching, both pieces are necessary, and each enhances the other. Refining the character of our students makes them better able to receive the knowledge we are trying to impart. And on the flip side, teaching them the material with passion and care, while role-modelling for them what it means to have a love for learning, develops them as people. In essence, there is a symbiotic relationship between the two pieces of Moshe Rabbeinu's message.           


As we embark on the journey that is this new year, our students arrive with their own clean slates. As they cross the threshold of our classrooms, we begin the noble work of teaching them material they do not yet know, developing skills they have not yet mastered, and nourishing
middot they have not yet internalized. At the same time, we are humbly realizing that after shepherding our students through this ten-month journey, they will not be the same people leaving our classes as they are coming in.


This year carries endless possibility and tremendous potential. As we start down this path, we think about what our lessons will be to our talmidim and talmidot. And b'ezrat Hashem, we will take our cues from Moshe Rabbeinu, interweaving moments of horaa and moments of chinuch, moments of instruction and moments of inspiration, moments of teaching curriculum and moments of teaching character.
 
 
Thoughts of the Rav


Devekut, Part 1
by Rabbi Dov Huff 
 
As we enter the month of Elul, characterized as a time of ani l'dodi v'dodi li - "I am for my beloved and my beloved is for me" - let us take the opportunity over the next few weeks to explore the philosophy of the Rav as it pertains to devekut, cleaving to Hashem. The Rav describes the experience of devekut as one which starts with with both love and fear, and then transforms to a pure love which overtakes the dread. "The man of G-d begins with duality and ends with unity... he looks with amazed eyes, full of fear and astonishment, until his gaze encounters the smile of the Shekhina."
 
According to the Rav, the purpose of redemption is "[not to] enslave or frighten man but to redeem him." Next week, we will explore this idea further: that the act of cleaving to G-d and following halacha is in fact liberating, rather than restricting. 
  
Fabulous First Day!


The new school year is off to a fabulous start!  Click here to watch a short video.
 
 
First Day of School 2016-17 -- Maimonides School
First Day of School 2016-17 -- Maimonides School
 
Welcome back!
The gloomy skies did not prevent us from having an awesome start to the school year! First day activities included an opening assembly and an Olympic-themed international breakfast.



   
"Areyvut" (Responsibility) Theme of the Year
by Benji Hain 



I am incredibly excited to join the Maimonides team as Director of Student Life in the Middle School and with schoolwide (ECC - grade 12) responsibility for experiential learning. This year, a major focus for all of our students will be on our schoolwide theme of the year, "Areyvut," or responsibility - toward each other at school, to our local community, to the Jewish people, and to all humanity.  As the Rav zt"l taught: Just as Hashem "assumed responsibility for whatever and whomever He created," so must we feel a sense of responsibility for the plight of others.  
 
We will explore the theme of Areyvut through experiential learning, text-based study, drama, music, art, chesed projects, Shabbatonim, and so much more. Stay tuned!


A toast to our PTA! Thanks for the water bottles!


We're so excited to have new water fountains throughout Saval campus! The new fountains feature updated filtration systems and water bottle filling stations with sensors, as well as electronic counters that indicate how many disposable water bottles have been saved.



Thank you to our PTA for providing new Maimo water bottles for our students and faculty! 


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Vehicle Policies and Procedures


Please see this link
for current information on the school's parking policies, as well as updated drop-off and pick-up procedures.
 
PTA Fall Hat Show on Sunday
 
Volunteer for Yom Chesed

Yom Chesed is December 4 -- Would you like to get involved?


Our third Yom Chesed is scheduled for Sunday morning, December 4, 2016Yom 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 later in the fall, 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 on Thursday, September 22 at 8:15 a.m. in the conference room in the Saval building (34 Philbrick Road). 
 
It is not necessary to attend this meeting to help out with Yom Chesed.  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact one of our parent coordinators -- Risa Gewurz, [email protected]Stef Mishkin, [email protected], or Alissa Muzin, [email protected] -- to learn how to get involved.


2016-2017 Calendar Online


The electronic calendar for 2016-17 is online!  You can visit 
http://maimonidescalendar.org/calendar throughout the year for the most up-to-date information on everything that's happening, both throughout the school and in each individual division.
 
The online calendar can be customized to show only the divisions and events you wish to see.  See http://maimonidescalendar.org/calendar-instructions for more detailed information on how to use the calendar.



In addition, you will be able to subscribe so that school events and alerts will appear on your personal calendar.  More information will follow soon.



Online Access to Directory
We know many of you are eager to connect with each other! The printed Maimonides School 2016-17 Directory is in production, but parents can access the directory information online via MyBackpack.  


In order to locate family or classmate contact information, follow these steps:
  1. Log into My Backpack
  2. To find a single family, search by last name in the Directory box
  3. 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         
NOTE: 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).


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:

[email protected]





Maimonides School | 34 Philbrick Road | Brookline | MA | 02445