#26 updates

��

Shaloh House Update #26 (5772) Friday, May 4, 2012 Light Candles at 7:30 pm Page # 1

Shaloh House

UPDATE May 4, 2012 12 Iyar, 5772 #26 The Shaloh House Jewish Dאy School Newsletter

SHAVUOT—NO SCHOOL

MON, MAY 28

LAG B’OMER

CELEBRATION/PARADE THU, MAY 10

OPEN HOUSE

MON, MAY 21

2012 Annual Science Fair

Sunday, April 29, the Shaloh House Jewish Day School

students joined in and competed with 12 other prominent

Jewish schools in the area to Celebrate Science and Ex-

plore the Possibilities at the 3rd Annual Jewish Day

School Regional STEM Exposition of 2012. This EXPO

boasted of 325 student projects and was proudly spon-

sored by the Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and

the Gelfand Family Charitable Trust (GFCT.) In addition

to the amazing projects our children came up with, they

were given the opportunity to explore hands on science activities through KnowAtom an interactive Science

Curriculum program.

The Shaloh House students who participated were: Alan Frishman, Ilana Mataiev, Levi Mendelev, Ilya Nemi-

rovksy, Chaim Rahmani, Aviel Danan, Yehuda Blank, Ethan Danan, Leah Rodkin, Daniel Shamis, and Shimon

Sherman. All their projects were brilliant, ranging from: the Impact of Soil types on Plant Growth to the Cor-

relation of Speech Range to Hearing Sensitivity.

In reflection, students wrote about how hard they worked: “ The process of getting ready for the science fair

was very hard. I went very late into the night researching and preparing my Powerpoint presentation. I

think it was fun to do the actual tests…” Another student wrote about the Science Regional: “…I liked meet-

ing people and showing them all the work I did. I liked seeing other peoples’ science fair projects and how

they got to their results.”

Continued on page 9

��


Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim

Can We Throw a Homeless

Person Out of

Our Synagogue?

By Tzvi Freeman

Question:

Dear Rabbi,

Recently, at our shul, a homeless man

named Joe, who has been attending

every week, was asked by the rabbi not

to enter the building anymore. The rea-

son was that Joe was storing things at

the shul without permission, and he

had washed up for Shabbat in the bath-

room in order to change his shirt and

made a mess. The rabbi has told me

that people do not want to sit next to

him, and some feel afraid. He said that

people have complained that Joe some-

times has an odor. It is interesting that they are mad at

him for having an odor, and also for washing in the

bathroom.

So I’m scheduled to speak on Joe’s behalf. I know what

the Torah says, and what Isaiah says, about treating the

homeless in our midst. But I need to provide a solution

as well. So, I would appreciate whatever advice you

could give me on how to address the board of our shul.

Sincerely yours,

Joe’s Rep

Answer:

Dear Rep,

The solution is quite simple: Provide Joe a place, either

in the shul or elsewhere, to store his things. Find other

ways that he can be helped without embarrassment.

When parents bring their children to shul, and the chil-

dren ask what the Torah is talking about, what does the

prophet mean, they can introduce their children to Joe.

They can show how the shul helps him out, without em-

barrassing him, as a peer and a friend—because we are

Jews, and this is what we were chosen to teach the

world.

And when they ask, “Where is the most special place in

our shul?” you can tell them: it is not the seat where the

rabbi sits; it is not the bimah where the

Torah is read; it is not even the aron

that stores the Torah—even though the

Torah is very holy and guides us in all

our ways. The most special place in our

shul is the little cubby we gave to Joe

to store his things.

King David said in his Psalms, “Let the

world sit before G-d.” The Midrash tells

that he was complaining to G-d. “Why

did You create inequality in the world?”

he said. “Why did You make some poor

and some rich, some wise and some

dull, some joyful and some sad? Make a

world in which all are equal!”

And G-d replied with the second half of the verse: “Who,

then, will guard kindness and truth?”

Meaning: “If everyone had all that they need, then how

would kindness fit into My world? Rather, I made an un-

balanced world, so that the rich would have the opportu-

nity to give to the poor, the wise could teach the dull,

the joyful could cheer those who are sad. And this way,

all could merit to enter the eternal life of truth—those

who gave because they gave, and those who received

because they suffered only in order that others should

be able to give.”

“When you meditate on this,” the Lubavitcher Rebbe

once said, “that a fellow human being had to suffer only

so that your soul should have the opportunity to help

him out, then you give and give again, and the giving

crushes your heart and humbles you even more.”

From www.Shaloh.org/Magazine

��


The King’s Friend

By Bentzion Elisha

Once there lived a gentile king who delighted in having

an audience with a particular rabbi who lived in the king-

dom’s capital. The two would converse on various sub-

jects, and the rabbi’s acuity and sharp intellect amazed

the king again and again. No one

could compare in counsel and wisdom

to the charming rabbi.

The king had a fascination with out-

ings to the country, and he would

invite the rabbi so that they could

discuss the kingdom’s happenings.

The rabbi had a way of always weav-

ing into the conversation the idea of

hashgacha pratit, divine providence, constantly seeking

to connect the unfolding events with G-d’s underlying

presence and guiding hand.

On one of these outings, the king decided to go hunting.

Accompanied by the rabbi, his companion of choice, the

king insisted that the rabbi also hunt together with him.

Unfamiliar with the sport, the rabbi fumbled with the

rifle, and a shot accidentally escaped from the weapon.

A bitter scream pierced the forest, a scream from none

other than the king himself! The rabbi had mistakenly

shot the king, damaging his hand forever by shooting off

one of his fingers.

Enraged, the bleeding king had his guards imprison the

rabbi immediately, with swift orders to put him into one

of the dungeon’s prison chambers.

Months passed, and the king’s injury slowly healed. His

hand was getting stronger, and his desire to go on one

of his outings finally made him plan a most extravagant

trip to many far-off lands.

Throughout his trips, he missed the wisdom and com-

panionship of the brilliant rabbi.

In one particularly exotic location, the king was warned

not to leave the camp grounds, because hostile natives

lurked. But the king’s adventurous spirit was sparked by

the idea of seeing the area as it was.

On one of his forays outside the camp, the king was cap-

tured by cannibal tribesmen. As was their custom, they

inspected their “merchandise” before cooking. They were

alarmed to find that the enticing specimen before them

had a missing finger. Immediately they

declared it a bad omen, and discarded

the king close to his campgrounds.

The king was beside himself with joy.

The rabbi’s “blunder” had saved his life.

He immediately changed course and

directed his entourage to return home.

He had to speak to the rabbi.

When they arrived at the capital, the king immediately

set the rabbi free.

He asked him:

“Dear rabbi, you have always spoken of divine provi-

dence, and how everything comes down from heaven for

our good, and I see that here. But rabbi, I have one

question: what was the divine providence as it relates to

you? You were in the dungeon for months; where is the

good in that?”

The rabbi smiled as he answered, “Your majesty, if I

wasn’t in the dungeon, I would have been with you, and

the cannibals would have eaten me, G-d forbid.”

“What lesson can we take from all this?” asked the king.

After some thought, the rabbi answered.

“Perhaps the lesson is that everyone is essentially a

friend of the ultimate King, the Creator of heaven and

earth. Since He is a true and good friend who wants the

very best for us, we must have faith that all our experi-

ences, even the seemingly negative ones, are really for

the best.” From www.Shaloh.org/Magazine

��


Toddler Room

We were having a very busy week.

On Monday we start to make lady bug , painting plates and talking about spring.

On Tuesday, we finished our ladybugs and kids enjoyed

playing with them.

On Wednesday we introduced

the letter Q for Queen.

On Thursday we spent time learning about the Parshiyot. This week they were

Acharei Mot and Kedoahim.

We concentrated on Ke-

doshim. This Parsha talks

about the Mitzvot that are

understandable for children.

We discussed what it means to "love your neighbor as

yourself" and how we can keep this mitzva. We came up

with a few things that we can improve on - sharing toys in

the classroom, comforting a friend who hurt himself, greet-

ing everyone cheerfully, helping to clean up toys, etc…

We finished our week with a Shabbos party, singing songs and eating special treats.

We wish you and your family a Good Shabbos,

Morah Anna, Morah Leah and Morah Masha

��


Preschool Room

This week we discussed very important Mitzvah—Kibbud Av V’eim, respecting our parents.

We made a sign for the doorknob that says “Do not disturb. Abba and Imma are sleeping.”

Don’t forget to use it when you want quiet!

We also learned about the Mitzvah of V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha, loving other people. We made beautiful

heart projects to help us remember this mitzvah. Come see them hanging on our bulletin board.

Our song for the week is about V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha:

Amar Rabbi Akiva

Amar Rabbi Akiva

V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha

Amar Rabbi Akiva

Amar Rabbi Akiva

V’Ahavta Lere’acha Kamocha

Sheli Shelach, Shelach Shelach

Sheli Shelach, Shelach Shelach

Zehu Klal Gadol Batorah.

What’s mine is yours,

I’ll share with you.

What’s mine is yours,

I’ll share with you.

Zehu Klal Gadol Batorah.

This week in Aleph-Bet we made a “Resh for Rimon,” which we eat on Rosh Hashana. We also found other

words that begin with a Resh like rakeved (train), rosh (head) and ra’ashan (gragger).

In A-B-C, we are doing two letters, so we’ll have enough time to finish. We made R for ribbon and S for stars.

We learned a song about S:

(Sung to: “Skip to my Lou”)

I’ll sing a silly S song for you,

I’ll sing a silly S song for you.

A snake and a spoon went sailing in a shoe.

Sailing in a shoe by the seashore.

Shabbat Shalom,

Morah Ruti, Morah Polina and Morah Basya

��


Kindergarten Junior 1

As the kids in our class are getting older it is amazing how they are able to pack so much

more learning in to one week!

The double Parsha this week gave us a lot to talk about. We talked about using everyday objects to ‘be

holy’ and the kids wrote and drew their ideas with their objects. We talked about honoring one’s parents and

read a book about a man named Dama Ben Nesina who honored his father and didn’t wake him up. Dama

was rewarded with a red calf, Parah Aduma, being born in his cattle. We also started working on our

mother’s day gifts.

Show and tell this week was a great opportunity to talk about respecting those who are older then us. We

enjoyed meeting all of the grandparents of the kids in the class. We talked about the

different names we all call our grandparents but how everyone’s grandparents love

them so much.

We read our first book in English this week. It was called ‘Nan and Pap’ and the kids

were so excited to feel that they could read a whole book on their own. Especially at

the funny part when the dogs took a nap in a pan. We are also continuing to review

the short a words. Everyone took home flashcards this week that you can review at

home.

Parsha Questions:

1) The Parshas of the week are_________ and ________. Acharei Mos and Kedoshim

2) What is the holiest day of the year? Yom Kippur.

3) Who went in to the Kodesh Kodashim, the holiest room in the Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash on Yom

Kippur? The Kohein Gadol.

4) What did he do in there? He davened to Hashem for all the Jewish people.

5) What does the word Kedoshim mean? Holy or special

6) How does Hashem want us to be holy and special? Hshem wants us to use eve-

rything we have to do mitzvos and good things.

7) What is the Mitzva of Kibbud Av V’Eim? Honoring and listening to your father

and your mother.

8) When Dama’s father Nesina was sleeping on the key to the chest of jewels what

did Dama do? He didn’t wake him up.

9) What is the Mitzva of Ahavat Yisrael? Loving every Jew, Being kind to every-

body.

10) If someone doesn’t share with you, should you share with them? Yes, it is the

mitzvah of not taking revenge.

Have a Good Shabbos,

From Morah Yael and Morah Dasha

��


Kindergarten Junior 2

This week in Kindergarten Juniors 2 we completed our unit on insects. We read the

book Insect Detective and had a lot of fun learning about the jobs that insects do,

where they live, and what they eat. We made insects out of egg cartons, pipe cleaners, and stickers. Our

insects even had 6 legs and a set of antennae! We will be having our first

show and tell this week, too! Students will be bringing in toy bugs and talk-

ing about them. We are very excited to see and hear about all of the bugs!

One of the things we talked about in our bug lessons was how we should

treat bugs. We learned that some bugs, like beetles and dragonflies, are

really helpful and eat bad bugs that like to ruin gardens or bite people. We

can watch these bugs if we want, but we shouldn’t bother them. Some bugs

are not as nice—we can watch them from far away, or if we don’t want to

watch them we can walk away. We also learned that bugs are happiest

when they are outside.

In English this week we read our first story, Nan and Pap, using the short vowel “A” sound. We are continu-

ing to practice our reading. Reading is so much fun!

In Math we are continuing to add the numbers 1-10. We are now learning to add these numbers together

to make numbers that are bigger than 10.

In Hebrew we have been very busy learning how to read. The first group is reading stories and writing an-

swers to questions about the stories. The second group has started to read stories as well and is learning

the words “Ani,” “Atah,” “At,” “Ima,” “Abba,” “Saba,” and “Savta” (I, you (for boys), you (for girls), Mommy,

Daddy, Grandpa, and Grandma).

In Music class we have been practicing the songs for our end-of-year-concert that will take place on June

8th. Please make sure that you have appropriate clothing for your child to wear to the concert—the boys will

be wearing white shirts and black pants, and the girls will be wearing white dresses. All children will also

need to wear nice Shabbat shoes.

In Parsha this week we continued to talk about saying nice things and not speaking Lashon Hara. We also

talked about Pesach Sheini, which will be occurring this weekend.

On Wednesday we celebrated Rebecca’s 5th Birthday. Mazal Tov, Rebecca!

Thank you for sending in egg cartons and plastic bottles—we now have plenty to use

in our spring projects!

Have a Good Shabbos,

From Morah Marina and Morah Chava

��


Kindergarten Senior

Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim

Save the Date! On Friday, June 10th at 10:30 a.m., the Kindergarteners will have

their formal graduation ceremony from Kindergarten. We know you won’t want

to miss this important and festive occasion. Your child has been practicing for

weeks for the event!

Children Learn to Honor their Parents

This week, we learned the Torah’s laws for honoring parents. The Torah teaches us to treat our parents with

the greatest respect – the way we would treat a king or a queen. We have to know that we are not our par-

ents’ peers.

A few of the laws we learned include:

1) Don’t contradict your parents. Even if you know that a parent said something incorrect, you can’t say,

“You’re wrong!” You must find another more polite way to give them the correct information.

2) Unless it’s an emergency, don’t interrupt a parent.

3) Don’t call them by their first names. (Although this is a common practice in America today, calling parents

by their first names destroys the child’s natural understanding that their parent is on a higher level than

they are and must be respected.)

4) Never make your parent into your servant. If you are allowed to get something for yourself, do it.

5) Help your parent in any way you can. It’s a mitzvah to make your parents’ lives as easy as you can.

Please help your child keep these important Torah laws by giving them gentle reminders!

English

We have two wonderful learning groups for English studies. Group One is continuing work on the long-vowel

“a” sound. They also are reading words with the “bossy e” at the end, like “snake” and “ape.” Group Two

are working on reading with comprehension. We read a book about how to keep our bodies healthy by avoid-

ing junk food. The children truly enjoyed the discussion that followed about how to reduce the amount of

candy they eat. They also practiced creating and writing stories on their own. This activity is to encourage

them to explore the world of written expression. Please note: In this exercise, we are emphasizing freely ex-

pressed creativity, and we did not correct their spelling mistakes. We work on spelling in different activities.

If you would like to see your child make faster progress in reading, please ask your child to read to you the

book (or word cards) he or she brings home on Fridays.

Math

In math, we also have two hard-working groups. Group One focused on adding three numbers together and

subtracting numbers with a sum of 20 or less, including problems where they need to “regroup” numbers,

such as 14-8 in order to come up with the answer. Group Two students are adding double-digits, including

��


problems where they must “carry” the number from one column to the next. They are also naming which

number comes “before and after” numbers up to 1,000.

We encourage you to bring math into real-life situations with your children when shopping or preparing food.

Hebrew

This week, Group One has finished all the major vowel sounds and worked on the “hataf” vowels, Group

Two, which has finished these as well, worked on exceptions to the rule, in particular, the tricky differences

between the “Shva Na” and the “Shva Nach.” We can read long, complicated words, and we know the mean-

ing of many of the words we read. Both groups completed worksheets, games and activities to enhance our

reading skills.

With wishes for a wonderful Shabbos,

Morahs Esther, Shulamis Yehudis and Tova

Continued from the front page

Our students’ projects paralleled our mission of

expanding a student’s natural intellectual curiosity

and capabilities. Providing them with an engag-

ing, challenging, and well-rounded academic pro-

gram. Each student is encouraged to live his or

her life in a compassionate, Jewish way and given

building blocks to be a future leader of our com-

munity.

This Regional EXPO is one way our students are

reaching these mission statement goals. The stu-

dents who part took in this EXPO were exemplary

to the type of student we are proud to have repre-

sent our school.

Congratulations to all of those who participated and we hope you walk away with a feeling of being con-

nected to a larger community who truly cares about your educational success and commitment to your fu-

ture.

Cindy Rubin, M.A.T.

Science & Technology Consultant

[email protected]

��


Elementary School NEWS

Judaic Studies

Sara Wolosow

Between Pesach and Shavuos we count Sefiras Haomer. These are sad days

for the Jewish people as Rabbi Akiva’s students passed away. During these

days we read Pirkei Avot each Shabbat and try to improve in our behavior

and be more respectful of each other.

At school we have been studying different Mishnayot of the Pirkei Avot, we are encouraging the students to

study these by heart. We have begun a Mishnayot Baal Peh contest. Each class has been doing a great job

with collecting Torah study by heart. In addition, we have been learning about Lag B’Omer, Rabbi Akiva and

Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Of course, we are continuing with our Parshat Hashavua each week.

Social Studies

Andrew Countis

1st Grade

The 1st Grade has a happy thematic coincidence between their Social Studies and Science pursuits. Currently

in Science we are studying the environment and what people can do to help preserve it. In Social Studies, we

have arrived at a similar subject with the unit entitled “A Healthy World.” This unit addresses the need for

conservation from a social perspective, and helps students understand the vast amount of work that goes

into keeping the world clean and safe, from trash collectors to firefighters. The first grade even took this les-

son from the academic to the literal and spent a short while cleaning up the school grounds.

2nd Grade

The 2nd Grade has reached the point in our textbook where we discuss “People Who Have Made a Differ-

ence.” This chapter discusses the lives of individuals who had a positive impact on those around them. Some

of the people identified in the book are the inventor Thomas Edison, Louis Braille, who invented the means

for the blind to read, and Roberto Clemente, the Latino baseball player and humanitarian. We have been dis-

cussing in class this idea of making a difference, and students will now have an individual of their own to do

a project on. The project will consist of a short biography of the person in question, how they made a differ-

ence, and a simple form of artistic representation of their contribution. Students will also have an opportu-

nity to present this project to their classmates.

3rd Grade

The 3rd Grade is continuing its study of American history. The different sections of our textbook all address a

specific region of the United States and the history behind that region’s development. Having studied the ef-

fect of agriculture upon the South or the automobile industry’s effect on the Midwest, we are now moving

��


towards linking up these regions and building a better understanding of overall American history. We do this

by studying the major events in American history that effected each region of the country – the Louisiana

Purchase, the Civil War, the Great Depression and so on. We are also continuing our geographic studies, not

only to improve our map skills, but also to enhance an understanding of the larger world. We have recently

covered latitude and longitude, reading and interpreting road maps and waterways maps.

4th & 5th Grade

The 4th and 5th Grade are deep into the study of the Roman Empire. We have already covered the origins of

Rome and the effect that the Etruscan civilization had upon it, and we are due for a quiz on that subject. We

are now in the midst of studying Roman life, from how they entertained themselves in amphitheatres and

hippodromes to their construction of roads and even what Romans ate. We will soon transition into a study of

the chronology of how Rome came together as a Republic, transformed into an empire, and how and why

that empire eventually fell. When we have completed all of this, we will study Rome’s effect on the civiliza-

tions that came afterward.

6th Grade

The 6th Grade has wrapped up a study of the English monarchy, from the Tudors to the Stuarts, down to the

House of Hanover and then Windsor, and will soon be tested on the subject. We have since moved on to

French royalty and studied the French Revolution, from its economic, political and social causes to its role in

bringing about the Napoleonic era. Soon we will move into a study of 19th century Europe, when the great

European powers worked together to maintain relative peace between each other while dealing with social

unrest internally. This will lead us toward the twentieth century and the origins of the First World War in the

near future.

��


Mazal Tov Teachers, students and staff would like to offer a hearty Mazal Tov to Rostislav and Sophia Zilber on a birth of a boy, Eliyahu Yisrael May he grow up to bring much happiness to his parents and all of Klal Yisroel.

NEXT WEEK AT SHALOH HOUSE NEXT WEEK AT SHALOH HOUSE NEXT WEEK AT SHALOH HOUSE NEXT WEEK AT SHALOH HOUSE

TASTE OF HEAVEN TASTE OF HEAVEN TASTE OF HEAVEN TASTE OF HEAVEN

CHALLAH BAKING & TORCHALLAH BAKING & TORCHALLAH BAKING & TORCHALLAH BAKING & TORAH CLASS AH CLASS AH CLASS AH CLASS FOR MOTHERS WITH FOR MOTHERS WITH FOR MOTHERS WITH FOR MOTHERS WITH

DAUGHTERS DAUGHTERS DAUGHTERS DAUGHTERS EVERY THURSDAY FROM 6:00EVERY THURSDAY FROM 6:00EVERY THURSDAY FROM 6:00EVERY THURSDAY FROM 6:00––––8:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM

DONATION $5 TO COVER THE COST OF THE INGDONATION $5 TO COVER THE COST OF THE INGDONATION $5 TO COVER THE COST OF THE INGDONATION $5 TO COVER THE COST OF THE INGREDIENTS REDIENTS REDIENTS REDIENTS

��


Please support our advertisers

Mass Capital Mortgage Corp

Yakov Krivoy 617-233-8281

Michael Pipko 508-479-5752

License MB 1190 (MA), MBB 0505720 (Florida)

Your ad could be here

Babushka Deli 62 Washington Street , Brighton, MA

The Best Produce in Boston!

Gil Regev Financial Services Professional New York Life Insurance Company Licensed Agent T. 781 398 9817 The Company You Keep®

OZ Drain

& Plumbing Repair

Oleg Zlotin

(978) 360-8280

Call me for all your plumbing needs

��


#26 updates

Documents

shaloh house students

shaloh house update

science regional

science activities

annual science fair

open house

peoples science fair

student projects