The Bess & Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy Highlights April 26, 2013 16 Iyar 5773 Candle lighting times for: Date 04/26/13 West Hartford: 7:25pm Havdalah: 8:32pm Parshat: Emor Date 05/3/13 West Hartford: 7:33pm Havdalah: 8:40pm Parshat: Behar-Bechukotai On Sunday, April 21st, Hebrew Academy 8th graders departed for Israel for a 2 week study program. On the Friday prior to their departure, 8th graders went to each classroom to collect dollars for Tzedakah. These dollars will be brought to Israel and disbursed directly to the poor by the 8th graders. Students celebrated with a cake decorated with Israeli flags. Every grade submitted prayer notes which will be placed in The Western Wall by the 8th grade students. Finally, each grade submitted items for the time capsule which 8th graders will bury for next year s class to find.
Be sure to check the school website, Facebook and the Lunchroom/Gym to read narratives of what the 8th graders are doing each day and to see photos of their adventures. Here are some photos of what the 8th graders have been up to so far during their study program in Israel!...back at The Academy, students are receiving narratives and pictures of exactly what the 8th graders are doing each day in Israel. The narratives and pictures are displayed on the school website and in the Lunchroom/Gym. On Wed., April 24th, a Skype call was set-up between the 8th graders and the rest of the school. The student body gathered in the gym to hear first hand about the 8th graders adventures!
This year, The Hebrew Academy introduced a new Middot program to empower students be stars in their community. We celebrate students who have been shining examples of implementing the 8 Middot! (left to right) Meira Goldfischer, Brian Silberman, Moshe Loew, Leora Trencher, Tamar Schreiber, Natan Glahn (lef t to right) Esther Adelstein, Aliza Jaffee, Tamar Chameides, Gavriella Davidovics, Yitzy Loew, Adi Davidovics, Yeshaiah Bernstein, Amitai Goldfischer, Zahava Brenner, Vered Wolpaw On Thursday, April 25th our students enjoyed The Energized Guyz performed by actors from The National Theatre for Children. The program was sponsored by the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund. With the help of a zany cast of characters, the students learned about energy efficiency and green energy decisions that will better the world!
Upcoming events Sun., April 28th 1:00 4:00 Celebrate Israel at JCC Mon., April 29th 3rd/5th gr. Standardized Testing Starts Tues., April 30th 2:45 Pre-K 2nd Bedtime Math Wed., May 1st 2:00 Skype from Israel Fri., May 3rd Middle School Trip Payments Due! Sun., May 5th 7:30 Parlor Meeting at 116 Brewster Rd. Mon., May 6th 9:00 8th graders return from Israel 1:30 Reading Buddies Wed., May 8th Yom Yerushalayim 1:00-3:00 Yerusha-Lego Parents Invited (see attached flyer) 8:00 Executive Committee Meeting Fri., May 10th Rosh Chodesh 9:00 Open House for Prospective Parents Sun., May 12th Mother s Day! 11:00 2nd gr. Chumash Program In honor of Ben Gitman on his birthday From Elana Doron In honor of your dedication on the search committee To: Yitz Moss Jeremy Pava Elise Black Elisha Russ-Fishbane Pinchas Schreiber David Glahn Karina Gitman Ira Feigenbaum From: Elana Doron In honor of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Pick From Etan and Anat Markus In memory of the mother of Eli Aroesty-Cohen From Tom and Debbie Freund In honor of Helene Hirschfeld on her birthday From Bob and Glenda Whatley In honor of the birth of a granddaughter, Lexie, to the Kostin Family From Tsion and Anita Cohen Flyers If you would like us to distribute flyers for your organization, please bring 75 copies to the school by Wednesday. The Highlights will be going home every two weeks on Friday, but we will send home flyers every Friday if needed. Mon., May 13th 1:30 Reading Buddies Tues., May 14th Erev Shavuot 2:00 pm Dismissal 9:00 4th-8th to Bushnell Wed., 5/15 & Thurs. 5/16 SHAVUOT NO SCHOOL Please be sure to Like The Hebrew Academy on Facebook! You can see current activities happening at the school in real time and learn about future events! www.facebook.com/sigelacademy Fri., May 17th Lag B Omer Field Day! (details to follow)
BIRTHDAYS! Attached please find a form to submit your children s birthday for publication in The Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy School Calendar 2013-2014. The cost will be $10 per name. ATTENTION! Middle School Parents!!! The final payment for the year end Middle School trip to Boston is due by Friday, May 3rd! Beware of Ticks! As the weather gets warmer and children are spending more time outdoors, it is important for us to re-visit how to prevent ticks and how to remove ticks. ~Preventing Ticks~ -Avoid contact with ticks. Stay out of wooded areas with tall grass and walk in center of hiking trails -Spray insect repellant with 20% or more DEET on clothing and backpacks -Take a shower when you come indoors -Perform tick checks on everyone coming inside (include under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist and in the hair) -Make sure to check your pets too ~Removing Ticks~ -Use tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin s surface as possible -Pull upwards with steady, even pressure. Don t twist or jerk the tick. -After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water. For more information, visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov/ticks Nurse Amy is here 8:30 am 2:30 pm during the school year. Please call ext 103 to report absences and health issues or email nurse@sigelacademy.org
Friday, April 19th was Kathy Owens last day with The Hebrew Academy. We thank her deeply for her dedication and all her hard work over the past few years. We wish her much success in her new position. She will be missed!
The Art program gives every student the opportunity for self expression through the use of different media such as paint, oil pastels, chalk, watercolor, clay, plaster and more. The students are experimenting with different techniques and acquiring new skills such as sculpting with clay or charcoal drawing. A goal of the Art Program is to get the students familiar with basic artistic terms such as the Color-wheel, different types of lines, texture, balance, movement, positive and negative space, optical illusions and more. We also identify the style and works of famous artists and discuss art movements such as Pop Art and Cubism. For example, 7th graders are currently working on wire art in the spirit of Calder, a famous Connecticut artist. An additional goal of the program is to encourage the students to explore and relate to different cultures through art. For example 5th and 6th graders created African landscapes while learning about African designs. 7th grade and middle school girls created plaster masks inspired by the Venetian Mask carnival. The Art Program serves to reflect, express and provide the students with new insights about their immediate surroundings. For example, 7th graders made still life drawings inspired by Rosh HaShana and 8th graders are working on a group masterpiece that will be left as a gift to the school. Last but not least, an important goal is to integrate art into our daily lives as Jews. The students create ritual objects from diverse media such as the copper foil channukiot made by the 7th graders and oil lamps made out of clay coils by 5th and 6th graders. Other examples include decorations for the Sukkah made by all middle school students and Israeli landscapes made in a variety of media in honor of Yom Ha Atzmaut. Don t forget to check out the walls to view your children s artwork!
On Tuesday, April 16th, Hebrew Academy students celebrated Yom Ha Atzmaut. The Israeli flag was unwrapped and unfurled followed by a parade around the school with Israeli flags and music. Booths were set up around the gym with different Israeli learning and activity stations. PTO sponsored a lunch for students and staff catered by Yossi Kosher Catering. Everyone enjoyed Falafel, Pita and Hummus, Moroccan Cigars and Israeli Salad. The celebration continued in the afternoon with Festival HaZemer (performances by each class) followed by festive music and dancing.