| HEADMASTER'S MESSAGE | |
In this week's Torah portion of Beha'alotcha we read about how Bnei Yisrael travelled in the wilderness. During the day there would be a huge pillar of cloud to lead them. At night, the pillar of cloud would be illuminated by what appeared to be a fire within it. The Jewish people would follow this cloud pillar, stopping whenever it stopped and moving on whenever it began moving again. The Rabbis of the Talmud teach us that this method was not always convenient for the people. They were often compelled to leave a pleasant location after they had just settled in, and relocate to a much less pleasant place where they might stay for a long time. In fact, they never knew if they should unpack when the cloud stopped moving, because sometimes the cloud would settle for only a short time and then begin moving again. Why did Hashem arrange matters in this way? Rabbi Yaacov Haber explains that the purpose was to strengthen Bnei Yisrael's bitachon, trust in G-d. Over time, the people began to learn to rely less and less on their own ideas and desires about where and when to travel and where and when to rest, and more on Hashem's plans for them. This remains a very important lesson for us as well. The events of Jewish history clearly demonstrate that we, as a people, are not really calling the shots. We are, whether we realize or not, still being led by the pillar of G-d.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Zvi Kahn
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BASEBALL, BRATS & CTA BRING THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER
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 The format for the Columbus Baseball Invitational may have been different this year, but the feeling of satisfaction still inspires our community. Beginning on Sunday night, hundreds of people gathered to watch the CTA Lions battle the Mizrachi Mayhem in the Opening Game of the 2013 Columbus Baseball Invitational. Through Tuesday morning, the tournament raged as high school baseball teams from Jewish day schools in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Cleveland converged on the 4th annual event. A fabulous tournament-wide chicken dinner on Monday night at Congregation Torat Emet with sponsors for the event was a great gathering.
The Championship game on Tuesday afternoon pitted the Kushner Academy Cobras against the SAR Sting with Kushner prevailing, but only after a good fight.
Kudos belong to the co-commissioners of CBI, Jonathan Hartstein and Bob Lane, and the many volunteers who helped arrange meals, sleeping accommodations, raffle, medical staffing, the youth clinic, concessions and more.
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Monday, May 27: Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, May 28: Chicken Nuggets-Volunteer: M. Napper
Senior trip to Put-n-Bay thru Thursday
Wednesday, May 29: Lasagna
CTA Twirlers, 4-5pm
Thursday, May 30: Sloppy Joe
Spring Show, Grades 1-4, 9:30 a.m.
Friday, May 31: Tuna
12th Graduation Rehearsal, 10am-4pm
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Sunday, June 2: 12th Grade Graduation, 1:00 p.m.
June 3-6: High School Exams
Tuesday, June 4: Executive Board Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 5: 8th Grade Graduation, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 6: Kindergarten Celebration, 10:00 a.m.
Last day of school for Kindergarteners
Friday, June 7: Awards Assembly, 10:00 a.m.
Last day of school, 12:00 p.m. dismissal
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SCRIP UPDATE - PLACES TO PURCHASE SCRIP
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CTA Scrip Office, 864-0299 ext. 112
Monday-Thursday- 7:30am-4pm; Friday- 7:30am-4pm
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.
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Thank you to all of the CBI volunteers who showed up ready and willing to help. The medical station was much too busy for the first day, but the boys were well taken care of by our professionals. Both Jon Hartstein and Bob Lane were on hand the entire time to answer questions and be of help in every way.
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IN ORDER FOR CTA TO RECEIVE ANY REWARD FROM your KROGER purchases, you MUST RE-ENROLL your rewards card ... This DOES NOT HAPPEN AUTOMATICALLY. The rewards program terminates EVERY APRIL, and you NEED TO RESTART IT!! UNLESS YOU RENEW YOUR REWARDS (every April), CTA will NOT BENEFIT AT ALL. Please take 5 minutes & go to: www.kroger.com. Select "community"; then "Kroger Community Rewards"; log in; (remember to find AND select Columbus Torah Academy) & save. If you have issues, Kim Abelman will walk you through it. Please call her at 614-855-5195.
Remember: Target Take Charge of Education Program; Box Tops for Education; Giant Eagle Apples for Students, Kroger card, and empty inkjet cartridges into the box at the front office. To view the vendors participating in the Scrip Program go to www.glscrip.com.
Call & Deliver Program for Scrip: email [email protected] or call 864-0299 to order scrip and have it delivered to your home!
The $2,000 per family Give & Get commitment for 2012-2013 is fulfilled through donations, Scrip purchases, solicitations and volunteering. 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.
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NEWS FROM THE LOWER SCHOOL JUDAIC STUDIES DEPARTMENT
By Dror Karavani, Lower School Judaic Studies Coordinator
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We celebrated Yom Yerushalayim by decorating the windows in the Old Library with different informational posters of the Old City and other important places in Yerushalayim. This was combined with learning about the history and geography of our special city. For a week, the old library turned into a mini-Yerushalayim. Our friends from Shiloh School in Israel sent us a beautiful drawing of Yerushalayim. They also will be our Shliach Mitzvah and place prayers in the Kotel that our students wrote and sent to them. Through these activities, Yerushalayim was once again brought into the hearts of our children.
 Rabbi Elbaz's Fourth Graders are excited about their upcoming siyum on Parashat Vayetizeh, in which they'll perform a presentation which will be shared with other classes. Mazel tov and yasher koach! Moreh Dror's Third Graders created Megillat Ruth stories on "scrolls", representing the real megillah. Make sure to notice these hanging in the school hallway. Next week, we are going to have our first "Chidon Yahadut" for students in grades 3-6 in order to "show off" their knowledge in the various Judaic topics that have been taught throughout the year. Stay tuned...
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SAY IT IN HEBREW
By Galit Golan, Hebrew Language Coordinator |
 This week, the kindergarten students celebrated the completion of their Hebrew reading acquisition process, and rejoiced in the fact that they can now read in Hebrew. The kindergarten parents were invited to an Alef Bet Siym event. At the event the parents learned more about Hebrew Reading Magic, the reading program used in kindergarten, and watched a model reading acquisition lesson, led by our wonderful kindergarten teacher, Morah Aronowitz.
Later, children and parents participated in various fun and interactive reading stations: they fished rubber ducks and read the letters written on them, decorated "Mazal Tov" crowns, prepared cookies shaped as their Hebrew initials, read Hebrew books on the big screen, put together Alef Bet trains and shaped letters using push pins. The program ended with the receiving of their Alef Bet notebooks, and with a delicious Alef Bet cake baked by Morah Naomi.
Mazal Tov to the CTA kindergarten students for becoming Hebrew readers!
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| MAZAL TOV TO: |
Dr. Edie and Lawrence Needleman on Josh becoming a Bar Mitzvah
Ben Supowit (8th Grade Class of '97) on his engagement to Jenny Rolef
Chana Schottenstein (8th Grade Class of '05) on her marriage to Ari
Maronovsky
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| CONDOLENCES TO: |
The family of Dr. Ivan Gilbert. Dr. Gilbert was one of the founders of the school and he served with distinction as its third president (1968-1972).
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IMPORTANT - COLUMBUS BUS RIDERS - LAST 2 WEEKS!
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ALL (current and new) Columbus bus riders must fill out an Application for Pupil Transportation for the 2013-2014 school year. The form can be found on the Torah Academy website under "Downloadable Documents." Please fill it out and return it to Norma Whitmyre no later than the last day of school, Friday, June 7. Transportation cannot be guaranteed without a form.
Friday, May 31, 2013 will be First Student's last day to transport CTA students. Columbus City Schools will take over the routes on Monday, June 3. Please note that the route numbers will stay the same.
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| END OF YEAR MEDICATION REMINDER |
Please make plans to personally pick up your child's medication by the last day of school, Friday, June 7. For safety reasons, medications will not be sent home with your child. Any medication/inhaler not picked up by the end of the last day of school will be thrown away.
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7th GRADE FUNDRAISER FOR 8TH GRADE WASHINGTON TRIP
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 The 7th graders are well into their annual Magazine Subscription Drive. Please help them raise money for the 2013 8th grade Washington Trip! If you bought a magazine from a current 8th grader this year, all you have to do is renew the magazine and it will continue for another year. If you did not buy from a current 8th grader, here's your chance! The subscription drive will run through the end of the year. Please see any 7th grader OR go on-line to www.gaschoolstore.com. In the upper right hand corner, enter CTA's code, #2522449. Thanks for your support!
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LITERACY IN ACTION: BATTLE OF THE BOOKS
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 The Sixth Grade Team from CTA advanced to fifth place in this year's Battle of the Books. The regional event hosted 16 teams from New Albany, Gahanna, Westerville and others to compete by answering questions about different literary selections that they have read this school year. The sixth grade team, coached by Mrs. Kate Willis, has been reading the books and meeting during their lunch time since the Fall to prepare for the tournament. This is the second year that CTA has participated in this program. Way to go 6th grade!
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COLUMBUS BASEBALL INVITATIONAL RAFFLE WINNER
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Congratulations to Carol Kahn and Menashe Szatmary who won the CBI Raffle, 1st and 2nd place respectively. 1st Place was a $500 gift card to American Eagle, and 2nd place was a $250 gift card to American Eagle. Thank you to our sponsor.
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HISTORY IN ACTION: 8TH GRADE DEPICTS BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
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 Mr. Guinan's 8th grade Social Studies class culminated their study of the Civil War with a water balloon battle of North vs. South depicting what transpired at Picket's Charge in the Battle of Gettysburg. It was great to see that the battle was only mock and the camaraderie in the 8th grade is as strong as the bonds and relationships they have forged in Jr. High at CTA.
 
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ART IN ACTION: FIELD TRIP TO THE COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ART
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 On Tuesday, May 21, the Second and Third Grade students had the opportunity to learn and explore at the Columbus Museum of Art. Focusing on the themes of color and emotion (which students study in their Second Grade art curriculum), the groups viewed the very special Mark Rothko exhibition, which is only in Columbus until May 26. The students impressed the docents with their knowledge of Mark Rothko (and art in general) and were so excited to see the paintings in "real life." In addition to touring the Rothko exhibition, students viewed other areas of the museum with their docents, including Czech puppets, a Chihuly glass sculpture, and Op Art that uses colors, shapes, and patterns to create optical illusions. During their time at the museum, students also participated in an hour-long hands-on studio workshop with CMA educators. Both grades created masks using specific colors and materials to represent certain emotions.
 The field trip was so much fun! We thank our incredible art teacher, Amy Neiwirth, for organizing the trip, and the PTO for their generous support in helping to supplement some of the cost of this educational, exciting, and exploratory adventure.
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SCHOOL SUPPLY ORDERS FOR 2013-2014
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Pre-packaged Supply Kits for the 2013-2014 School Year will be available for order for students in Grades K-7 from SchoolKidz. Order forms will be available next week or orders will be able to be made online. A detailed flyer is below. Online ordering will be available: May 28 thru June 14, 2013.
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SCHOOL SUPPLY ORDERS FOR GRADES K-7
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OLYMPIADS
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Academic athletes score big on two national science competitions! Student from Dr. Kennedy's upper school Chemistry and AP Physics classes competed in the Chemistry Olympiad and Physics Bowl. Our students had a chance to show their knowledge and mastery of science. In both competitions, our students placed in the top 15-20%! Our students learned that they could compete successfully with anyone! Yasher Koach to our academic athletes. Read below for the exciting details...
 Chemistry Olympiad: This past spring, four first year chemistry students competed in the 2013 International Chemistry Olympiad. Nationally, the Chemistry Olympiad is considered to be one of the hardest of the science and math competitions. Only a few thousand students, the best of the best, compete in this examination annually. There are two divisions, one for first year chemistry students and one for second year AP chemistry students. Orri Benatar, Noah Hazan, David Wolfson and Yehuda Rosenburg, all first year chemistry students, competed at the first year competition level. The results are in and all four of our students ranked in the top 20% in the state of Ohio. Yasher Koach to our Chemistry Lion Olympians!
 Physics Bowl: This past spring, our AP Physics class competed in the 28th National American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Physics Bowl. This is a very prestigious national competition with close to 100,000 students competing annually in the Physics Bowl. The national average score on this year's Physics Bowl was 14.7. Our class average score was 18, which put our school in the top 15% of all schools competing nationally. Our Physics Olympians are: Shoshana Ginsburg, Bradley Rosenstein, Nathaiel Keri and Max HerszAge. Mazel Tov to our AAPT Physics bowl team!
 Physics Day at Kings Island: Last week, Dr. Kennedy's AP Physics class got to put their physics knowledge to the test during the 29th annual National Physics Day at Kings Island amusement park. Imagine thousands of students at Kings Island, which is open only to physics students, armed with worksheets, calculators and accelerometers, all taking part in one of the largest physics lab activities in the world - Amusement Park Physics. Where can the experimenter step into the experiment and subject him/herself to forces in excess of 3 G's? Where can they experience zero-gravity and live to tell the tale? Where can they verify the physics they've been learning all year long? Where else but at Kings Island on Physics Day!Our AP Physics students were each assigned several rides to investigate and work out the physics behind the ride. Our students had a great time and said the day was worth all the hard work of AP Physics! Participates were: Shoshana Ginsburg, Bradley Rosenstein, Nathaniel Keri and Max Herszage. Way to go AP Physics!
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COMMON CORE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT III
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 On Monday, May 20th, all CTA Math teachers from Kindergarten through 12th grade, participated in a Professional Development Workshop from 8:30 to noon. Jenny Meade, a teacher trainer for Columbus City Schools, gave the CTA faculty a thorough introduction to the Common Core curriculum for Math. This was our third Common Core workshop this year, and it's been wonderful for k-12 teachers to learn together. All 46 states who have adopted the Common Core for Language Arts and Math will be fully implementing the new standards in the 2014-15 year including Columbus Torah Academy. While the curriculum has been set, the assessments are still a work in progress. CTA has begun the process of evaluating our curriculum through this new rubric and will be making decisions about the potential impact. Mrs. Sapp and Mrs. Delman are investigating further professional development opportunities so that our Math departments are up to date and in sync with other college prep schools.
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BAR MITZVAH PROJECT
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Over the course of the next 12 months CTA 6th grader Joshua Levy is raising awareness and funds for his Bar Mitzvah project benefiting Flying Horse Farms, a sleep-away camp for children with serious illnesses. He is currently collecting costumes, bridesmaid dresses, funny hats, etc to help replenish their costume closet (anything that could fit an 8 year old on up through adults). Please email him at [email protected] so his family can arrange to pick up any donations you may have.
This link will take you to the camp video:
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COMMUNITY NEWS
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Former CTA alum, Ilan Levine, will be biking across America this summer, from Seattle to the White House. He is committed to raising $3,600 for Hazon, the largest Jewish environmental organization. If you would like to help sponsor Ilan in this awesome adventure, please contact him at [email protected] or follow the link:
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1045336&lis=1&supId=375143368
COTA'S ZOO BUS SERVICE: COTA's seasonal Zoo service (line 98) operates between Downtown Columbus and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on weekends and holidays May 1-Sept. 2 and weekdays June 3-Aug. 30. The service also makes stops at COTA's Griggs Dam Park & Ride and Dublin Park & Ride. The cash fare for the Zoo Bus is $2 each way. Brochures with more information are at CTA's front desk.
THE BEXLEY HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMMITTEE, in partnership with Bexley Recreation and Parks and a grant from the Bexley Community Foundation, is excited to announce the first Bexley Family Fit and Fun Expo on Sunday September 22, 2013 from 12-4 p.m. This event will take place at the Bexley School Cassingham Complex. The Expo is for all children in grades K-8 in the Bexley community. Online pre-registrations will take place starting in June. An adult must accompany all participants. The first 50 participants to pre-register online will receive a free t-shirt. Please email us at [email protected] with your questions.
MARSEA MODEST SWIMWEAR for women and girls. Check out the website: www.marseamodes.com for photos of styles and colors available. 10% of sales will be donated to CTA. For more information, contact Nancy Kay at 237-8699.
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TZEDAKAH
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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:
Seth Hoffman in honor of Adam Chaykin
Rabbi Howard & Linda Vlosky Zack in honor of their children, Etana, Shifra
and Meira
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1. Toward which direction did the wicks of the menorah burn, and why?
a. They leaned toward the middle wick so people wouldn't say that the menorah was lit for its light.
2. From what material and in what manner was the menorah made?
a. It was made from one solid piece of hammered gold.
3. Moshe was commanded to cleanse the levi'im by sprinkling on them "mei chatat". What is "mei chatat"?
a. Water containing ashes of the para aduma.
4. Which three "t'nufot" (wavings) are in the parsha?
a. The wavings of Kehat, Gershon and Merari.
5. Why did G-d claim the first-born of the Jewish People as His possession?
a. Because in Egypt He spared them during makat bechorot.
6. Why are the words "Bnei Yisrael" repeated five times in verse 8:19?
a. To show G-d's love for them.
7. When a levi reaches age 50, which functions may he still perform?
a. Closing the courtyard gates of the Mishkan and Beit Hamikdash; singing during the avoda; loading the wagons to transport the Mishkan.
8. Why was the mitzvah of Pesach Sheini not commanded directly to Moshe?
a. The people who asked about it were rewarded by being the catalyst for the teaching of this mitzvah.
9. What similarity is there between the menorah and the trumpets?
a. They were each made from a single, solid block.
10. What three purposes did trumpet signals serve?
a. Announcement of the gathering of Bnei Yisrael, the gathering of the nesi'im (princes), and the beginning of a move of the encampment.
(Parsha Beha'alotcha Quiz originally appeared on the
Ohr Somayach website, www.ohr.edu)
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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.
 What is the connection between the picture and our Parsha? Look in Chapter 9, Verse 10. You will find the answer there.
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.
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