ashreinews 3-4-16
Parshat Vayakhel
24 Adar I 5776
March 4, 2016
Candle Lighting 5:33 PM
ws Reminder: Parent-Teacher Conferences, Sunday, March 6, 9:30 am-1:30 pm
Building a Duo of the Biggest and Simplest by Rabbi Don G. Braunfeld "There
were two main contractors working on the mishkan together," says Rav Shimon Schwab. "The first was Betzalel. He was a child prodigy, to whom Moshe admitted defeat, and acknowledged that he was privy to special secrets of the Heavenly Court. He also came from the finest lineage in Klal Yisrael, being from the Shevet of Yehuda, the grandson of Chur, who was a leader of Bnei Yisrael, who died Al Kiddush Hashem at the hands of the mob at the Chait HaEigel, and the great grandson of Kalev ben Yefuneh.” His second in command was Oholiav ben Achisamach, a total unknown. The Torah never mentions any great details about him or his family. In fact, he came from Shevet Dan, from the “Lesser Ones” of the Shevatim. “Apparently," says Rav Schwab, "he was a simple Yid, a Yarei Shamayim, and was a straight and thoughtful person.” For such an important task, wouldn’t it make more sense to put together two people that are similar rather than men from different ends of the spectrum ? Rav Schwab answers that Hashem made this unusual team to teach us that while the Bais HaMikdash is made by a great man with fine Yichus, it is also made by a simple Jew who is a Tzaddik in Hashem's eyes. For true Hashra'as HaShechina/settlement of the Divine Presence, every single Jew to needs to be together with Hashem. No matter what each Jew looks like, he is a child of Hashem and he must stand together with all of Klal Yisrael. In the world around us, it seems as though in order to achieve a powerful position, one must belittle another. Not so with us! We want to always rise as one in the eyes of Hashem! Have an inspiring Shabbos.
Curriculum Matters... by Mrs. Jennah Schuh, Assistant Principal Ugggg… The dreaded essay. For many students, the idea of writing an essay can be anxiety provoking, leading to unfinished assignments and feelings of lack of accomplishment. In fact, writing in general is often fraught with resistance. As technology provides more and more shortcuts in life, the question arises, is writing still as necessary as it once was? Furthermore, what is the function and importance of writing in school and educational settings? Writing began as a way to record information for immediate and future use. People developed writing systems as a way to communicate ideas, regulate trade, and document facts. As writing became a tool of the general population, as opposed to being reserved for scholars and scribes, people relied less on memory and oral history. Rather they channeled their language to the written word. In doing this, the nature of cognitive development changed as well. (continued on p. 5)
Mrs. Ginsberg’s first grade reading groups have been working on some very important reading strategies. They have been learning to use picture clues to figure out unknown words, to make predictions, and to retell and sequence story events. This week, they read the book, Bet You Can’t, by Penny Dale. They used hand puppets to help them retell the story’s main events, while using transition words such as first, then, next, …
Classes 4G and 4B have completely finished Frindle! To celebrate, they have renamed ordinary objects like in the book. They did not stop there. The fourth graders each wrote a three paragraph persuasive essay about their renamed objects. Students then created posters and presented their essays to persuade their peers to buy their renamed objects!
...חנוך לנער by Mrs. Debby Jacobson, Assistant Principal Once again, ASHAR students are partaking in the annual community-wide ברכותprogram called “Brochos Out Loud.” The goal of this program is to encourage a greater awareness towards reciting ברכותout loud and responding with .אמן
In conjunction with our ברכותunit we had breakfast in Class 1B. Each boy ordered food and drinks from a Hebrew menu, which we will discuss next week .אי"ה
Students are rewarded weekly with special treats and prizes. We greatly encourage one hundred percent active participation. In the זכותof reciting ברכותproperly may we merit to see ’הקב"הs benevolence in helping כלל ישראל with . רפואות ישועות וכל טוב
The Coolest Thing we learned in school this week…. 1B/G We has our 100th day of school. We dressed up and did many fun activities relating to the number 100. 2B We finished learning Parshat Lech Lecha! 2G During centers, we built rollercoasters. Elle Shucht was able to use forces of motion to get her car to go upside down in a loop. 3B We sang a song about pizza… in French! 3G Rabbi Jacobson came into our classroom this week and heard us read our first Rashi inside the Chumash. He was so impressed! 4B/G We read the book Frindle and renamed common objects. We presented them to the class with a sales pitch. 5B In Gym we played there different types of dodgeball games; David & Goliath, thirty seconds, and elimination-back-in. 5G We went with Mrs. Salb to the Friedwald Center and are getting ready for our class Shabbaton this weekend. 6B As preparations are underway for our trip to Frost Valley, we met with Rabbi C and got some final instructions.
6G In Science we received our Cloud projects. For six days we need to observe clouds in the sky. We need to identify the type of clouds we are seeing. 7B In Science we flipped pennies to check the probability of them landing of heads or tails. 7G In Art we created “pour paintings,” inspired by the work of Holton Rower. 8B In Lashon we wrote cards to the soldiers in Elon Moreh. 8G In science we performed acid and base tests. We tested red cabbage and watched it change colors.
(Schuh… Continued from p. 1)
In education today we use writing for more than just communicating ideas. The very act of writing aids in memory, comprehension and organization of information. Therefore, teachers incorporate writing into almost every lesson, allowing students to interact with the material in the most meaningful way. Haptics, the study of learning through touch, looks at how people learn through a multitude of disciplines. Research in this area has concluded that putting pen to paper imprints knowledge in the brain. Since writing involves a number of senses, when writing by hand our brain receives feedback from our muscles and finger tips. Using this understanding of how writing provides active engagement in the classroom, students are encouraged to write constantly aiding in deeper comprehension across various subjects. In a recent article by Timothy Shanahan, he explains, “Stephen Graham and Michael Hiebert analyzed data from more than one hundred studies on writing
about text. What they found was that writing about text had strong impacts on reading comprehension. In fact, writing about text was clearly better than just reading the text, than reading and rereading the text, and than reading and talking about the text.” Based on Graham and Hiebert’s study, Shanahan suggests that students benefit greatly from writing summaries, structured and unstructured notetaking, and reports combining information from multiple sources. As we continue to type, use touch screen and voice recognition software, we need to be cognizant of the skills developed at the non-technical level. Those foundational writing skills introduced and honed throughout the elementary and middle school grades are the basis of all future formal communication in the lives of our children. For further information, check out: http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/2016/02/heidi -or-giselle-writing-as-response-to.html? utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm _campaign=Feed%3A+shanahanonliteracy% 2FmQPL+%28Shanahan+on+Literacy%29
The 6-8th grade girls were privileged to hear Mrs. Ayelet
HaShachar
HaCohen. Mrs. HaCohen is
from
settlement
a
hilltop
outside
of
Shechem. She spoke to the
girls
about
the
triumphs and challenges of living alone with her family as they fulfill their passionate dream in Eretz Yisrael. Mrs. HaCohen was truly inspiring. Class 2G, Morah Sarah Braun Introducing Mrs. המוציאby Raizy Friedman and Ms. האדמה by Avital Morrison. The class was divided into 6 groups, each group got one ברכהand a lot of food/drink clippings. The girls worked cooperatively in groups and subsequently learned the correct ברכהfor each food/drink.
24 Adar I 5776
March 4, 2016
Candle Lighting 5:33 PM
ws Reminder: Parent-Teacher Conferences, Sunday, March 6, 9:30 am-1:30 pm
Building a Duo of the Biggest and Simplest by Rabbi Don G. Braunfeld "There
were two main contractors working on the mishkan together," says Rav Shimon Schwab. "The first was Betzalel. He was a child prodigy, to whom Moshe admitted defeat, and acknowledged that he was privy to special secrets of the Heavenly Court. He also came from the finest lineage in Klal Yisrael, being from the Shevet of Yehuda, the grandson of Chur, who was a leader of Bnei Yisrael, who died Al Kiddush Hashem at the hands of the mob at the Chait HaEigel, and the great grandson of Kalev ben Yefuneh.” His second in command was Oholiav ben Achisamach, a total unknown. The Torah never mentions any great details about him or his family. In fact, he came from Shevet Dan, from the “Lesser Ones” of the Shevatim. “Apparently," says Rav Schwab, "he was a simple Yid, a Yarei Shamayim, and was a straight and thoughtful person.” For such an important task, wouldn’t it make more sense to put together two people that are similar rather than men from different ends of the spectrum ? Rav Schwab answers that Hashem made this unusual team to teach us that while the Bais HaMikdash is made by a great man with fine Yichus, it is also made by a simple Jew who is a Tzaddik in Hashem's eyes. For true Hashra'as HaShechina/settlement of the Divine Presence, every single Jew to needs to be together with Hashem. No matter what each Jew looks like, he is a child of Hashem and he must stand together with all of Klal Yisrael. In the world around us, it seems as though in order to achieve a powerful position, one must belittle another. Not so with us! We want to always rise as one in the eyes of Hashem! Have an inspiring Shabbos.
Curriculum Matters... by Mrs. Jennah Schuh, Assistant Principal Ugggg… The dreaded essay. For many students, the idea of writing an essay can be anxiety provoking, leading to unfinished assignments and feelings of lack of accomplishment. In fact, writing in general is often fraught with resistance. As technology provides more and more shortcuts in life, the question arises, is writing still as necessary as it once was? Furthermore, what is the function and importance of writing in school and educational settings? Writing began as a way to record information for immediate and future use. People developed writing systems as a way to communicate ideas, regulate trade, and document facts. As writing became a tool of the general population, as opposed to being reserved for scholars and scribes, people relied less on memory and oral history. Rather they channeled their language to the written word. In doing this, the nature of cognitive development changed as well. (continued on p. 5)
Mrs. Ginsberg’s first grade reading groups have been working on some very important reading strategies. They have been learning to use picture clues to figure out unknown words, to make predictions, and to retell and sequence story events. This week, they read the book, Bet You Can’t, by Penny Dale. They used hand puppets to help them retell the story’s main events, while using transition words such as first, then, next, …
Classes 4G and 4B have completely finished Frindle! To celebrate, they have renamed ordinary objects like in the book. They did not stop there. The fourth graders each wrote a three paragraph persuasive essay about their renamed objects. Students then created posters and presented their essays to persuade their peers to buy their renamed objects!
...חנוך לנער by Mrs. Debby Jacobson, Assistant Principal Once again, ASHAR students are partaking in the annual community-wide ברכותprogram called “Brochos Out Loud.” The goal of this program is to encourage a greater awareness towards reciting ברכותout loud and responding with .אמן
In conjunction with our ברכותunit we had breakfast in Class 1B. Each boy ordered food and drinks from a Hebrew menu, which we will discuss next week .אי"ה
Students are rewarded weekly with special treats and prizes. We greatly encourage one hundred percent active participation. In the זכותof reciting ברכותproperly may we merit to see ’הקב"הs benevolence in helping כלל ישראל with . רפואות ישועות וכל טוב
The Coolest Thing we learned in school this week…. 1B/G We has our 100th day of school. We dressed up and did many fun activities relating to the number 100. 2B We finished learning Parshat Lech Lecha! 2G During centers, we built rollercoasters. Elle Shucht was able to use forces of motion to get her car to go upside down in a loop. 3B We sang a song about pizza… in French! 3G Rabbi Jacobson came into our classroom this week and heard us read our first Rashi inside the Chumash. He was so impressed! 4B/G We read the book Frindle and renamed common objects. We presented them to the class with a sales pitch. 5B In Gym we played there different types of dodgeball games; David & Goliath, thirty seconds, and elimination-back-in. 5G We went with Mrs. Salb to the Friedwald Center and are getting ready for our class Shabbaton this weekend. 6B As preparations are underway for our trip to Frost Valley, we met with Rabbi C and got some final instructions.
6G In Science we received our Cloud projects. For six days we need to observe clouds in the sky. We need to identify the type of clouds we are seeing. 7B In Science we flipped pennies to check the probability of them landing of heads or tails. 7G In Art we created “pour paintings,” inspired by the work of Holton Rower. 8B In Lashon we wrote cards to the soldiers in Elon Moreh. 8G In science we performed acid and base tests. We tested red cabbage and watched it change colors.
(Schuh… Continued from p. 1)
In education today we use writing for more than just communicating ideas. The very act of writing aids in memory, comprehension and organization of information. Therefore, teachers incorporate writing into almost every lesson, allowing students to interact with the material in the most meaningful way. Haptics, the study of learning through touch, looks at how people learn through a multitude of disciplines. Research in this area has concluded that putting pen to paper imprints knowledge in the brain. Since writing involves a number of senses, when writing by hand our brain receives feedback from our muscles and finger tips. Using this understanding of how writing provides active engagement in the classroom, students are encouraged to write constantly aiding in deeper comprehension across various subjects. In a recent article by Timothy Shanahan, he explains, “Stephen Graham and Michael Hiebert analyzed data from more than one hundred studies on writing
about text. What they found was that writing about text had strong impacts on reading comprehension. In fact, writing about text was clearly better than just reading the text, than reading and rereading the text, and than reading and talking about the text.” Based on Graham and Hiebert’s study, Shanahan suggests that students benefit greatly from writing summaries, structured and unstructured notetaking, and reports combining information from multiple sources. As we continue to type, use touch screen and voice recognition software, we need to be cognizant of the skills developed at the non-technical level. Those foundational writing skills introduced and honed throughout the elementary and middle school grades are the basis of all future formal communication in the lives of our children. For further information, check out: http://www.shanahanonliteracy.com/2016/02/heidi -or-giselle-writing-as-response-to.html? utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm _campaign=Feed%3A+shanahanonliteracy% 2FmQPL+%28Shanahan+on+Literacy%29
The 6-8th grade girls were privileged to hear Mrs. Ayelet
HaShachar
HaCohen. Mrs. HaCohen is
from
settlement
a
hilltop
outside
of
Shechem. She spoke to the
girls
about
the
triumphs and challenges of living alone with her family as they fulfill their passionate dream in Eretz Yisrael. Mrs. HaCohen was truly inspiring. Class 2G, Morah Sarah Braun Introducing Mrs. המוציאby Raizy Friedman and Ms. האדמה by Avital Morrison. The class was divided into 6 groups, each group got one ברכהand a lot of food/drink clippings. The girls worked cooperatively in groups and subsequently learned the correct ברכהfor each food/drink.
