The Winding Down ESTER

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1 The Winding Down ESTER Wednesday, June 11 What: Annual Music and Poetry Program Who: Girls Choir Sixth Grade Girls When: 7:30 P.M. Where: School Why: For the fun of it Choir and 6G should arrive no later than 7:10 Thursday, June 12 6B/G Graduation Practice at SEHC at 1:00. If you can drive, please let us know. Friday, June 13 Kindergarten Graduations Boys 9:15 Girls 10:45 Kindergartners dismissed after Graduation until August 28. Last day of Torah School for Sixth Graders.

2 Erev Shabbos Erev Erev Erev Shavuos 47 th Day of Sefiras HaOmer 6 th Perek of Pirkei Avos Parashas Naso June 6, 2008 Candle Lighting: 8:13 Volume XIV, Issue 35 $ 2" Torah School of Greater Washington E.S.T.E.R. Erev Shabbos Torah Events Report properly influence her husband and children. The boys had the opportunity to individually shake hands with and receive a Bracha and a Mazkeres (a small gift) from the Rebbe. This very uplifting and memorable experience was due to the efforts of Mr. Judd Lifschitz and Rabbi Zev Katz. Candle Lighting for Shavuos Sunday, June 8 8:14 P.M. Monday, June 9 after 9:23 P.M. Dear Parents, We are winding down in high gear with lots of activities, special surprise events, final assessments, and heavy duty learning going on all over the place. In the Spiritual Realm Monday s 5B end-of-year MTT (Making Time for Torah) excursion to Baltimore was highlighted by time spend with HaRav Shragai Neuberger, Shlita. Rabbi Neuberger learned Hamafkid, our current Perek in Gemarrah, with the boys. He told me how impressed he was with them. On Wednesday, the Zville Rebbe, Shlita, head of the Sanz/Klausenberg community in Union, N.J. graced our halls. Our older girls joined the YGW young ladies in hearing words of inspiration from the Rebbe. He told them, based on a Possuk in Parashas Yisro, that the direction and focus of a Jewish home is determined by its Eishes Chayil. Therefore, each woman must strive for lofty goals in order to The Unexpected Wednesday s very timely tornado warning coincided with car pool time and led us to the safest place in the building. All 244 youngsters, their teachers, and parents from the car pool line gathered together (in very close proximity) in the windowless part of our basement. Thanks to our wonderful staff and students everybody (or almost everybody) remained calm. In fact, a few classes (sparked by themselves) recited Tehillim, and older kids read to and calmed down the younger ones. Since my evaluation can be somewhat biased, here are excerpts from a letter a very grateful and impressed parent wrote to me: Dear Rabbi Charner, :@&/3, Your staff is amazing! I knew the teachers would be keeping them calm and entertained, which is exactly what I found. Everyone was calm and knew exactly what to do and how to help each other, even the older students helping younger students, but what impressed me the most was after the all clear was given, seeing the staff help the students get their things and follow them outside to help with car pool. That made me say, Wow! Teachers from the older grades outside

3 in the rain helping younger students find parents, directing traffic, making sure everyone got safely into their cars. It gave me a very warm feeling. It helped me realize once again what an incredible family the Torah School is and how lucky we are to be part of that family. A special thank you goes to that famous sister duo of Rochel Rabinowitz and Adina Gewirtz for their alertness to the alert. I Hope everyone has gotten back their power. Once again, the weather reminds us that HaKadosh Baruch Hu is in charge of everything. Even modern technology cannot withstand the ravages of such a heavy-duty storm. We d all be better Ovdei Hashem if we were always cognizant of this. Chemdas Trip #12 Yesterday s 3 rd -6 th Chemdas trip was a rousing success, B H. It was, as you all know, the culmination of many hundreds of hours of Talmud Torah and study of basic, essential Torah knowledge. The over 120 boys and girls who went were rewarded in a very fine fashion. The main attraction was the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. After that, the girls had the privilege of being addressed by Rebettzin Kaminetzky, Shetichyeh, and the boys were spoken to by Rav Wilner, Shlita, of the Mesvita of the Philadelphia Yeshiva. Special words of HaKaras HaTov go to Rabbi Hoffman for his year-long coordination of this extremely valuable and exciting program, to our entire staff for encouraging and testing the kids, to all parents for assisting their children, to anyone who helped in any way, to our PTA for underwriting the busses, to Mr. and Mrs. Nechemia Mond and Mr. and Mrs. Mordechai Hyatt for sponsoring the program in memory of Yehuda Mond, Z L, to our wonderful office staff, and to the following chaperones who really made it happen: Mrs. Shulie Bergman, Mr. Ronnie Bergman, Miss Miriam Berger, Rabbi Biberfeld, Mrs. Karin Rosenthal, Rabbi Samberg, Mrs. Anne Cohen, Morah Shirah Charner, Mrs. Elaine Rubin, Mrs. Esti Teitelbaum, Mr. Mark Ferneau, Dr. Hirsh Komarow, Mrs. Mara Sanders, Miss Golda Rivka Sanders, Miss Leah Sanders, Mrs. Miriam Singer, Mrs. Lisette Young, Ms. Michal Dorfman, Mr. Hyam Singer, and Mr. Max Kates. We are, above all, grateful to the Ribono Shel Olam for Hatzlacha in this endeavor and for bringing everyone home healthy and safe. Seneca Schoolhouse Also assisting yesterday in keeping the building empty were 2B/2G, as they got their lessons at the Seneca Schoolhouse. This is a one room schoolhouse in Poolesville where the kids went through a day of school as they would have in the 1800 s. (Perhaps the main point that got across was that there was no a/c in the 1800 s.) Todah to Mrs. Malka and Miss Ruchoma Schwarz for leading the troops. Calendarial Anticipations Sunday, June 8 Erev Shavuos No Shiurim. Monday and Tuesday, June 9 and 10 Shavuos. Wednesday, June 11 Pizza. Todah for this week to lots of staff members. Annual Music and Poetry Program at 7:30 in the evening, starring our Sixth Grade Girls and our Girls Choir. Location: School. Dress for Choir: Blue uniform skirts, white button-down blouses, and Shabbos shoes. Thursday, June 12 6B/G Graduation Practice at SEHC at 1:00. If you can drive, please let us know. 4G celebrate a year of great accomplishments with ice skating. 1B/1G will also have a special day. They re going bowling and eating at Max s. Friday, June 13 Kindergarten Graduations Boys 9:15 Girls 10:45 Kindergartners dismissed after Graduation until August 28.

4 Last day of Torah School for Sixth Graders. Sunday, June 15 5B Shiurim. Monday, June 16 Last day of school for 1 st -5 th 12:00 Dismissal. 6 th Grade Graduation at 8:00 P.M. at Southeast Hebrew Congregation. Mincha at 7:45 P.M. Thursday, August 28 First Day of school year. Sunday, December 7, 2008 Fourteenth Annual TSGW Dinner. Sunday, February 8, 2009 Chinese Auction. Today s Attachments Chosen Words. Classroom Close-ups on 4G by Mrs. Idstein. Car Pool APB The Kavanagh s are searching for A.M. car pool partners starting August 28. To enlist, call Torah School Alumni News Two of our graduates have recently become engaged, so we wish a heartfelt Mazel Tov to: Tamar Feldman (Class of 2000) and her family upon her engagement to Joey Schmerling of Philadelphia. Yiscah Goodman (Class of 1998) and her family upon her engagement to Ezra Baldinger of Silver Spring. May all four families continue to be blessed with Simachos. We express HaKaras Hatov to: Simmy Pollock for covering the front desk on Sunday. Anne Cohen for handling Rosh Chodesh Sivan treats and the following sponsors: In honor of Tzippy s Bas Mitzvah. The Goldstein Family In honor of all the teachers and staff of The Torah School we couldn t ask for a better place for our children! The Edelsteins In honor of Tatty, Aharon Tzvi and Sara Verschleissers birthday s. In honor of the 6 th Grade Graduates. The Fisher Family Mazel Tov to our son Avi and the entire 6 th Grade class on your upcoming Graduation. Abby and Jeff Pines In honor of Shlomo s birthday. Moshe and Rachael Starkman In honor of the teachers and staff for another great year at the Torah School and Esti s graduation from the Yeshiva. Rabbi and Mrs. Shemtov Thank you to Rabbi Samberg and Ms. Jones for a wonderful year in 3 rd grade. Yosel Cohen In honor of the teachers at the Torah School. The Geisinsky Family On the Yarzheit of Rabbi Backman s father Avraham Shmuel. A great thank you to all the teachers and staff Have a wonderful summer. The Lombardo Family Todah Rabah for such a great first year. The Vogel Family

5 Judd Lifschitz for making it possible for the Zville Rebbe, Shlita (son-in-law of the Klausenberger Rebbe, ZT L) to visit us this week. (See elsewhere in this communiqué for details.) Jeff Pines for driving and chaperoning 5B on its MTT end-of-year excursion to Baltimore. (See elsewhere in this communiqué for details.) We wish a heartfelt Mazel Tov to: Tzippy Goldstein, her parents Chaim and Rivka; her siblings Meir, Menachem, Basya, Mordechai, and Rochel Leah Tova; and her entire family upon her becoming a Bas Mitzvah. Jessica Eizenstat, who was honored Sunday evening by the Mikvah Emunah Society. May they continue to be blessed with Simachos. Shoresh Bee On Tuesday, 2B/3B had a Shoresh Bee focusing on 94 Shoroshim, and the boys showed their great familiarity with these crucial-for-learning-chumash root words. The following eleven boys finished in a tie with perfect records: Binyamin Broth, Avraham Gottlieb, Mikhael Hammer-Bleich, Yaakov Kerchner, Akiva Miller, Aharon Yaakov Myers, Eli Newman, Eli Shemtov, Aryeh Singer, Chaim Singer, and Noach Shmuel Solomson. We wish a Refuah Shelaimah to Chani Feldman. water, how to make a homemade slurpee, how to make jello, how to prepare a peanut butter (but not in school) and jelly sandwich, how to dress a build-a-bear, how to eat a vegetable garden, how to jump on a pogo stick, how to annoy a teacher and not get sent to the principal, how to ride a roller coaster and not get scared, and lots more. Lost and, Hopefully, to be Found The high-class (primarily) outerwear filling up our Lost and Found is now on prominent hanging display in our lobby. Come claim stuff you thought was lost forever. Giant A+ We received a check for $1, from Giant for those who signed up using the TSGW ID. Too bad Magruder s in Kemp Mill is not included in Giant s program. Correspondence Dept. We received the following letter from the woman who hosted our Sixth Graders at her pool in Lakewood. Your school was a pleasure to host. The boys and girls were so polite and well behaved, and the Rebbeim and teachers were very dedicated and involved with the kids. Sincerely, Mrs. Yurowitz Good Shabbos! Chag Sameach! Sincerely, How Do You Do It? 5G had loads of fun demonstrating their how to essays. Among the highlights: how to brush your hair, how to get a drink of Rabbi Yitzchak Charner Headmaster

6 Dear Parents, LAY T: Classroom Close-ups Volume IV, Issue 23 Mrs. Nechama Idstein - 4G Judaic Studies June 6, 2008 As the school year closes, I d like to share with you the wonderful accomplishments of your children. They have gained a love of learning and confidence in their ability to translate, understand, question with intelligence, and delve deeper into what they have studied. All of this is done in a relaxed and joyous way. Some things are taught by song, some by stories, some by drawings, some by self-motivation, some in groups and some by me! This gives the children opportunities to learn in many ways and for each student the chance to succeed in the most appropriate way for her. On a personal note, I would like to express my HaKaras HaTov to Rabbi Charner for his constant support and guidance in helping to achieve these goals. In Chumash, we have finished Sefer Beraishis, and the girls have experienced a love for learning. Aside from the enjoyment of knowing the storyline, they have understood each word, its meaning, its place in the story, and to whom or what it is referring. They are curious and inquisitive and are constantly asking questions - many times those asked previously by Rashi and other commentaries. We have been working on our Rashi skills, especially understanding Rashi s question and his answer. We have spent time on key words in Rashi, words that appear often and give direction, those that separate the question from the answer, those that separate two different ideas, and those that will bring proof from other sources. In addition to learning the story, asking questions, and finding out how inspiring the Chumash is, while learning Chumash we also constantly practice finding Shoroshim and decoding words throughout the lesson. Navi Navi is a new subject introduced in the 4 th grade. After the intense manner in which we learn Chumash, the students enjoy a bit of a change in pace when we learn Navi. We concentrate on the general story, which is always interesting. We compare the leadership of Moshe and the leadership of his disciple, Yehoshua, and draw conclusions from these comparisons that are applicable to our daily lives. After each perek, the students are given a worksheet that they work on and complete in groups. These worksheets are primarily text-oriented and are completed in the student s own words or in the words of the pesukim. As an all important side benefit, the girls learn how to constructively work in groups and to be tolerant and understanding of their classmates needs. Pirkei Avos Pirkei Avos is another new subject introduced in the 4 th grade. As an introduction to Torah She bi al Peh, we discuss that historical time period and places where the Tanaim quoted in Pirkei Avos lived. Here too, we read the Mishna, translate it and discuss the lesson(s) it teaches. We often try to apply this lesson to something

7 practical that happens at school, recess, with friends or at home. This is nice schmoozing time and allows the students to talk about their feelings and attributes. It is an opportunity to talk about one s middos and how our behavior affects others. Halacha - Before an approaching Yom Tov, packets are given out discussing the basis of the Yom Tov and its pertinent Halachos (laws) in more detail than the girls were taught in previous years. These packets are in Lashon HaKodesh, and the students are able to read and translate the majority of their content on their own. This is also a nice time for my Talmidos to share their individual customs. In addition, arts and crafts projects may be done to enhance the Yom Tov for the student and her family. Aside from the Yomim Tovim, a special unit on Hilchos Brochos is covered, in conjunction with Tu B Shevat. Ivrit- This subject is divided into several categories: vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing. The students rotate in centers and work on these different facets of the Hebrew language. In these centers, they have vocabulary games to enhance their vocabulary, grammar packets which concentrate on all three tenses (past, present and future), numbers, possessive nouns, and many other rules needed to make a good Hebrew sentence. There is a center for writing where the students write a short book report on a story that we read in class. They identify and describe the characters and write a short summary. Their writing and understanding of Hebrew sentences has greatly improved over the year, and I am very proud of their efforts. Parashas HaShavua - Weekly sheets, which the girls find quite challenging, are given in class. These sheets have questions on the Parsha and the girls are asked to independently find the answers from the Pesukim. They look forward to these exercises, enjoy the satisfaction of achieving success, and are very proud of their newly found abilities. In addition, on Friday, we review these sheets, speak about the parasha, and learn a Dvar Torah that I hope enhances your Shabbos meal. Last, but not least, for the last 20 minutes of the day, I read part of a book which is a historical fiction. This year we have finished The Adopted Princess and The Family Y Agular written by Marcus Lehmann. It relates how Jews lived in Spain during the inquisition. This story is continued weekly and is finished at the end of the year. What a way to end a week and to look forward to the next one! Now..after all this, don t you think they deserve a vacation?!? Enjoy this quality time with your children! Mrs. Idstein

8 An extra thank you and extra credit for your school. Preferred Schools can earn a 3% rebate on everything you buy from Lands End from July 1 to September 5, It s our way of saying thanks. Start shopping, and start earning money for your school or LANDSEND.COM/SCHOOL But, when summer s over, so s our offer. The more you stock up on all the things you need for a summer of fun, the more your school benefits. Your Preferred School number is required at the time of purchase. All Preferred School Contribution Program rules apply. (See Landsend.com/School for details.)

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