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The Columbus Torah Academy
181 Noe Bixby Rd, Columbus OH 43213
614.864.0299

October 12, 2012

            26 Tishrei 5773

Bereshit
  Candlelighting 6:36 p.m.
This Week on E-Dateline
Headmaster's Message
CTA Preparing to Implement Common Core
Preview of the Week
Dates to Remember
Scrip Update - Places to Purchase Scrip
Give & Get Grapevine
Sports
News from the Lower School Judaic Studies Department
Say It In Hebrew
On the Up & Up: News from the Upper School Judaic Studies Department
News from the Lower School General Studies Department
Mazal Tov To
Condolences To
Parent Directory
Call & Deliver Comes to Scrip Program
Scholarship Dinner Tribute Book Sales Underway
Box Tops for Education
Sukkah Fun at CTA
Community News
Tzedakah
Parsha Bereshit Quiz
A Riddle from Israel
Join Our Mailing List
HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE

RabbiKahnHaving joyously completed the reading of the Torah on Simchat Torah, we now return to the beginning of the Torah and delve once again into the parsha of Bereshit. It is interesting to note that in the Order of Creation mankind comes last. The early Rabbis understood this fact in two very different ways. On the one hand, they said, this indicated the greatness of man as the crown and pinnacle of Creation. Only after the universe was fully prepared and ready were human beings introduced into the scene. On the other hand, they argued, this represents the lowliness of man because every other thing was created before him and can therefore claim to be more important than man. How do we understand these two competing interpretations? The answer is that it depends completely on us. If we act in an elevated manner and utilize our unique G-d-given talents and spiritual abilities, then we are truly demonstrating the superiority and specialness of mankind. However, if we allow our base instincts and animalistic desires to direct our lives, then we are showing that human beings possess no special merit and are just the last in a long list of mammals. As the Torah often points out: the choice is ours. 

 

Shabbat Shalom! 

Rabbi Zvi Kahn

CTA PREPARING TO IMPLEMENT COMMON CORE

Common Core Thursday morning, all General Studies teachers in grades K-12 joined together for a professional development opportunity coordinated by Mrs. Eliza Delman and Mrs. Patty Sapp, General Studies Principals for the Lower and Upper Schools.  The Common Core standards will be fully implemented across the state of Ohio in the 2014-2015 school year and CTA is preparing to align its curriculum to support the Common Core and be prepared for the new assessments.  The presenter for the program, Carrie Meyers, is a representative from Columbus Public Schools and is a specialist on the Common Core changes.

 

Along with 45 other states, Ohio has adopted a national standard for Language Arts and Math known as the Common Core Initiative.  Ms. Meyers gave some history and background to the shift as well as concrete information about the new guidelines.  Over the next year, the two principals will explore how the Common Core will be implemented at CTA.  Teachers found the session to be very informative and expect it to be helpful as they continue thinking and planning. Expect to hear much more about this important subject as the school gears up for the new state-wide standards.

 

PREVIEW OF THE WEEK
Sunday, October 14:  Steak & Jazz Night, Beth Jacob, 6-8pm
Monday, October 15: Ravioli-Volunteer: W. Almasanu
Tuesday, October 16: Tacos-Volunteer: D. Koppes
Wednesday, October 17: Lasagna-Volunteer: T. Levison
PSAT Exam - Grades 10 & 11
Thursday, October 18: Sloppy Joes-Volunteer: L. Schottenstein
Friday, October 19: Tuna-Volunteer:  R. Berger
Spirit Day - Wear your CTA polo shirt
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday, October 22: Turn in Tzedakah Box
Friday, November 2: End of 1st Quarter
Sunday, November 4: Daylight Savings Time Ends; turn clocks back 1 hour
November 4-8: 8th Grade Washington Trip
Wed. & Thurs., November 7 & 8: Prospective Kindergarten Open House
SCRIP UPDATE - PLACES TO PURCHASE SCRIP
CTA Scrip Office, 864-0299 ext. 112
Monday-Thursday- 7:30am-4pm; Friday- 7:30am-3pm

The Scrip Office keeps a variety of available scrip on hand. Special order scrip from hundreds of stores is available by sending your request to [email protected]. To see a complete selection of all of the Scrip choices, go to www.glscrip.com. To benefit CTA with online purchases, register at www.iGive.com.  
GIVE & GET GRAPEVINE

"I heard through the Grapevine..." ORIENTAL TRADING GIFTCARDS CAN NOW BE PRE-ORDERED from Lesa at the front desk!!  Remember:  For Scrip purchases, a FLAT 5% of  your gift card purchase is credited to your family's Give & Get commitment, and the participating retailers percentage goes to CTA (ie: Oriental Trading gives a whopping 9% back to CTA!)

 

"L'chaim and Todah Rabah to ... the Hazan family who responded to our request to maintain our beautiful bronze Alfred Tibor statue that graces our car park, to honor our first school headmaster, Dr.  Irving Fried!!  Their contribution goes towards their annual Give & Get commitment at $25/hr! And to the Schubach Family who have mastered the art of Scrip: Instead of picking from the Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy's Wedding Registry for a friend who's getting married, they purchased Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy's Scrip Gift Cards so that their friend can still purchase off of their registry while CTA gets 7% (from BB&B) and 10% (from Macy's)... AND 5% of the gift card value is credited to the Schubach's annual commitment!

  

The Give & Get (G&G) Commitment for 2012-2013 is $2,000 per family. G&G is fulfilled through donations, Scrip purchases, solicitations & volunteering.  The weekly G&G Grapevine gives you ideas of how to easily do your part. Send a record of all G&G volunteer hours to [email protected].

 

If you would like to volunteer, contact Volunteer Coordinator, Kim Abelman, at 855-5195 or [email protected]. Volunteer time is worth $25 per hour towards Give & Get. 

SPORTS

Monday, Oct. 15 

Varsity Boys Soccer at OSD, 5pm

 

Middle School Boys Soccer at St. Johns, 5pm

 

Middle School Girls Volleyball at Grace Christian, 5 pm

 

Tuesday, Oct. 16 

2nd Round Tournament

Middle School Boys Soccer at Genoa Christian, 5pm

 

Volleyball Tournament

Middle School Girls at CTA, 6:15pm

 

Thursday, Oct. 18

Championship Volleyball & Soccer Tournament at CSG

NEWS FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT

By Dror Karavani, Lower School Judaic Studies Coordinator

Dror-new

If you thought that we were busy before, wait to read ahead. For a few days, the sukkah became our classroom. We decorated, prayed, shook the lulav and etrog, studied and ate in the sukkah. Of course, as part of the celebration of Simchat Beit Hashoeyva, we danced and sang, and enjoyed eating our caramel apples. The children had the chance to even see real myrtle bushes and to see where the lulav comes from. These unique Israeli plants are on display throughout the year in our own school building. Fourth, fifth and sixth graders, led by Rabbi Tzion Elbaz and Morah Robin Elbaz, participated in a fun and exciting color war and "sukkahbiah," which is always an anticipated and wonderful learning experience.

 

Dror4 10-12 Sukkah Hop - On Friday, two busloads of students left our school in different directions to spread simcha throughout our community. Among some of the places they went were the Heritage House for a special activity with the senior citizens and the JCC to be with the younger children.

 

Simchat Torah - The First and Second Graders had the opportunity to learn about the sefer torah from up close. They learned how a Torah is written and what the other items on the outer coverings are used for and what they symbolize (rimonim, yad, etc.).   

 

Dror1 10-12
 
Dror3 10-12

Dror2 10-12  

  

SAY IT IN HEBREW

By Galit Golan, Hebrew Language Coordinator

Galit 2010


If you ask what can make a student a better Hebrew speaker, the answer will probably be: increasing vocabulary, learning more Hebrew words. This, of course, is true. However, not less important is learning and being able to use different sentence forms in Hebrew, with which you will be able to apply all these new vocabulary words that you have learned.  In Hebrew class we emphasize both. The students gain new vocabulary each week, and also learn and apply different sentence forms.  During the last month the 9th & 10th grade students in my class learned to form different kinds of sentences: Simple verb sentence, question sentence, complex sentences with different additional words, negative and positive form and more.  The students applied their newly gained skills by writing an assay in Hebrew, using the different sentence forms.  Here are some examples:

  

 

Galit3 10-12 Chad Horowitz wrote:   אני אוהב ללכת הרבה בפארק הגדול כל יום. אני הולך לפארק כל יום, וגם אמא שלי הולכת לפארק כל יום. אני רץ בפארק, אבל אמא שלי הולכת בפארק. יש לי צלחת מעופפת בפארק. אני רץ בשמחה בפארק של קולומבוס כל יום. אין מחשב בפארק. אין אנשים בפארק. בפארק יש הרבה כלבים. אני אוהב לאכול גלידה בפארק כל יום.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Galit1 10-12 Judah Stein wrote:

אני לומד טוב בתורה אקדמי שלוש שנים. מורים בתורה אקדמי מלמדים דברים חדשים את התלמידים כל יום. אני לומד עברית בתורה אקדמי וגם יעקב לומד עברית בתורה אקדמי.   אני יושב בשולחן מספר שבע ויש מחברת על השולחן. בכיתה של גברת מורנו אין שולחן מספר שבע. אני צריך לעשות את שעורי הבית שלי בלילה.

 

 

 

 

Galit2 10-12 Susie Wilhelm wrote:

אני הולכת מהר בבית ספר כל יום. בבית הספר שלנו הילדים צריכים להתפלל טוב כל יום. יש לנו הרבה שעורים. אין לנו הרבה זמן לעשות את כל שעורי הבית שלנו. הילדים צריכים ללכת לבית ספר כל יום, וגם המורים צריכים ללכת לבית ספר כל יום. הילדים צריכים לעשות שעורי בית כל יום, אבל המורים לא צריכים לעשות שעורי בית כל יום. הילדים החכמים הולכים מהר לארוחת צהרים כל יום. יש לי עברית בשיעור אחרון. אין לנו שיעור ספרדית. אין לי שיעור הסטוריה השנה. מורה גלית מלמדת טוב שיעור עברית כל יום.         

  

 

 

ON THE UP & UP:  
NEWS FROM THE UPPER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT
By Rabbi Zecharia Weitz, Upper School Judaic Studies Coordinator

Weitz How We Study Chumash: As the Torah begins once again with the parsha of Bereishit, the High School begins its new round of Parshat Hashavuah - a component of our Chumash curriculum.  In a nutshell, our Chumash curriculum runs on a four year cycle in the High School in addition to what is covered in the Jr. High. The classroom curriculum provides in-depth exposure to many watershed events and key figures in the Torah. The Parshat Hashavuah component is used to enhance the curriculum and to familiarize students with the Parsha by exposing students to areas not covered in class as well as providing a quick review of topics they have already learned.

                                                                                             

In addition to the basic overview of the weekly parsha that is assigned to all High School students independently, each individual class covers selected topics every Friday as well. The Parshat Hashavuah quiz on Fridays are both cumulative and specific to the weekly parsha.

 

Ask your children to share a thought or good question at your Shabbat table!  Use the Shabbat questions in Dateline to start a lively conversation. 

 

NEWS FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL GENERAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT
Submitted by Mary Lynn Buster 
2nd Grade General Studies Teacher

The second grade wing can seem a little lonely sometimes, with us down here all by ourselves.  But there are small, little privileges that make it all worth it...like the past few weeks, for example.  The children have been in awe as we watch the fall colors emerge outside our window.  The beautiful view we have from our room has inspired some terrific poetry.  To begin the writing process, we first used our senses to identify what we were seeing, feeling and hearing and brainstormed a list of thoughts and ideas about fall leaves.  It was great to see the thought-process as they wove their observations with what they know about why leaves change colors.  From there, we wrote a class poem:

 

Leaves change color.

When leaves fall off the tree, they die and turn into good soil.

Leaves fall at different times.

Sometimes the leaves are still colors when they fall.

Leaves are different kinds and different shapes.

Leaves change color.

 

As you can see, they leaned toward the facts for our class poem.  There was a very good conversation about how this "could not be a poem because it did not rhyme."  They were shocked to learn that not all poems rhyme!  After further discussion, the children wrote their own leaf poems...some rhymed (they couldn't help themselves!) but a few broke out and did not rhyme.  Here are a few examples of what they wrote. 

 

Leaves change color.

Leaves can flutter.

We meet each day

Each one has something special to say.

YEA LEAVES.

By Avigdor Steinberg

 

Leaves fall in autumn.

Leaves help nature grow.

When leaves fall, that means they died and changed color.

They turn to good soil to help nature.

By Anna Bornstein

Leaves change color in the fall.

Leaves are good for one and all.

Leaves are very fun to play in.

Leaves are great to spend the day in!!!

By Becca Hoffman

 

Want to read more?  Stop down in our wing sometime, check out our view and read our book of poems about fall leaves!

 

In next week's Dateline, Morah Robin Elbaz will report on 2nd grade Judaic Studies.

MAZAL TOV TO:

Rebecca Weisfogel Fink (Class of '02) on the birth of twin sons

CONDOLENCES TO:

Dr. Naomi Myers on the passing of her brother-in-law, Scott Fierstein  

PARENT DIRECTORY

The CTA PTO Directory was sent home with the youngest child of ALL PAID PTO members last week. Don't miss out on this important booklet. Become a member of PTO for just $20! Please send your check, made out to CTA PTO, to the school office. We'll send the Directory. Please make the following corrections to your copy of the Directory:

 

CORRECTIONS:  Stacy & Ari Bandler, phone: 238-3165

                 Dr. Yaffa Gewirtz

                 Page 4: Mon, Dec. 24 - Start of Winter Vacation - No School

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: John Shindel, 108 N. Harding Road

CALL & DELIVER COMES TO SCRIP PROGRAM

We are making it easier to purchase Scrip with our new Call & Deliver Service.  Just email [email protected] or call Lesa at the front desk and make your Scrip order.  Parent volunteers will deliver scrip to you or you can have the Scrip sent home with your child.  Payment can be made over the phone or when you receive youR delivery (not in the case of children delivering).  This Service is available to non-CTA parents as well.  Let's sell Scrip!

SCHOLARSHIP DINNER TRIBUTE BOOK SALES UNDERWAY

All parents should have received an email about solicitations for the Scholarship Dinner Tribute Book which will be published at the Scholarship Dinner on December 2. If you have made calls in the past, you should have received a list of those ads that need to be renewed.  If you have not or would like a list to call, contact Shari at [email protected]. The deadline for ads is November 2.  Remember, ads that you purchase or ads that you solicit count dollar for dollar towards your Give & Get commitment.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

My name is Hillari Klynn and I am thrilled to say I have taken over as the Box Top Coordinator for our school. Box Tops for Education have helped America's schools earn over $475 million since 1996. You can earn cash for our children's school by clipping Box Tops coupons from hundreds of participating products. Box Tops also offers easy ways to earn more cash for our school online (www.boxtops4education.com).

 

Thank you to all of those who have been actively clipping Box Tops from various products. Based on our current collection of Box Tops, CTA will be receiving approximately $150.00 to go towards wishes from The Wish Tree.

 

To encourage our students to participate in collecting Box Tops, there will be a flyer sent home monthly that allows space for each child to glue or tape 10 Box Tops to the page. Once completed, the flyer can be turned into the CTA front desk for a prize of a pencil top eraser (please, no photocopying of Box Tops).

 

There is a collection drawer for Box Tops at the CTA front desk.

 

Thank you in advance for your support!

 

Happy clipping!

SUKKAH FUN AT CTA

Sukkot3 Enjoy pictures of all of the fun that our kids had last week in celebration of Sukkot.  2nd and 3rd graders went on a Sukkah Hop to spread holiday joy at several locations around town.  It was very meaningful to see the children interact at Heritage House and share their beautiful singing with the residents.  Kindergarteners also had a fun time preparing for Simchat Torah with dancing and celebrating at their classmate, Jacob's sukkah, to the sweet sound of Community Shaliach Noam Even's guitar.  The impromptu dancing and celebrating by the Upper School was heard throughout the building and everyone enjoyed the caramel apples and the buzzing bees in the Sukkah during lunch.  Enjoy the pictures!  (and look for more on our Smug Mug site)

 

Sukkot1 Sukkot2  

COMMUNITY NEWS

JCC Jewish Bookfair: Susan Levine, author of Packard Takes Flight: A Bird's Eye View of Columbus, Ohio, will be speaking on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1:30 pm. For more information, call 231-2731.  Mrs. Levine visited CTA last year to share her book and falcon with us.  What a wonderful opportunity to visit with Mrs. Levine again.  Pizza is available for pre-purchase from 12:30-1:30 by contacting the JCC at 231-2731 or [email protected].

TZEDAKAH

It has been a time-honored Jewish tradition to give tzedakah in recognition of important events. Todah Rabah to the following for their donation:

 

To the Scholarship Fund:

Ian and Pam Rodier in appreciation of Norman Schneiderman

Frances and William Bloch in honor of Sigal Import's Bat Mitzvah
PARSHA BERESHIT QUIZ

1.  Why does the Torah start with the account of Creation?

     a.  So that when the nations accuse us of stealing Eretz Canaan from the Canaanites, we can respond that Hashem, as Creator, has the right to give the land to whomever He sees fit, and He gave Eretz Canaan to us.

 

2.  What happened to the light that was created on the first day?

     a.  Hashem saw that the wicked would be unworthy of it so He hid it for the righteous.

 

3.  Why isn't the word "good" associated with the second day?

     a.  Because the work with the water wasn't completed until the third day. Anything that is incomplete is not "good."

 

4. How were the trees supposed to taste?

     a.  The wood was to have the taste of the fruit.

 

5.  On which day were the sun and moon created?

     a.  They were created on the first day and suspended in the firmament on the fourth day.

 

6.  Hashem blessed the birds to be fruitful and to multiply. Why did He not do so with the beasts?

     a.  He did not want the serpent, who was to be cursed, to receive a blessing.

 

7.  In whose likeness was man fashioned?

     a.  In the likeness of the angels.

 

8.  What kind of food did Adam eat?

     a.  Vegetation.

 

(Parsha Bereshit Quiz originally appeared on the

Ohr Somayach website, www.ohr.edu)

A RIDDLE FROM ISRAEL 

As part of our partnership with the Shiloh school in Israel, we will be receiving riddles each week relating to the Parasha.  You will notice this each week on this back page.  The goal is to have the parents and children discuss the parasha, while trying to figure out the connection between the picture and the parasha.  All answered riddles should be given to the Judaic teacher on Monday. The names of the winners will be announced and sent to our friends in Israel. 

  

Riddle 10-12
What is the connection between the picture and the parasha? 
Look in Chapter 5, Verse 27. You will find the answer there.


Leora Hazan  
 
 
The winner of last week's riddle is 
Leora Hazan.


Moreh Dror Karavani will collect all of the submitted answers, put them into a box, and save them for the big raffle! You will hear more about this very soon. Keep your answers coming.

I hope you enjoy the electronic version of our Dateline. Please check out our website at www.torahacademy.org.