Day school students celebrate Passover

Day School Roundup

The Day School Roundup is a monthly feature in which the local day schools update the community on what is happening on their campuses.

Phoenix Hebrew Academy

Jessica Roussel, Irina Kuchinskaya, Mark Eisenberg, Anna Kuchinskaya and Daniella Abramov won the school Art Essay Contest. Kristin Reed, the art teacher, accompanied the winners on April 7 to the Phoenix Art Museum.

Our eighth-grade students, under the guidance of Myra Shindler and the Bureau of Jewish Education, helped prepare Passover packages for distribution to needy Jews.

As a culmination of a project on kosher symbols and kashrut, Naomi Silver and her first-graders went to a local supermarket to find kosher symbols on food products. Second grade, under the direction of Diana Young, presented poetry book reports to their families. The children memorized two poems and recited them. In addition, they drew pictures to accompany their selections. Third grade, under the direction of Debbie Schechter, prepared TV book reports which were on display in the school's office.

Grades two and four participated in the Maricopa County Fair by entering projects in the multimedia category.

Kindergarten with Sari Gelber and grade one with Naomi Silver conducted model seders. The students in the lower grades performed for their parents and family members displaying their knowledge of Pesach. Sixth-grade students were treated to a Yemenite model seder under the direction of Yair Shlomi and they too showed all that they learned about the seder. Our eighth-grade students are trying to raise money for their class trip. On April 13 they held a Pesach Car Wash at the school.

Tri-City Jewish Community Center Day School

Student Council elections are scheduled for May 13. This is the first year student council officers and representatives have been elected at the school. Candidates strategized their own election campaigns, which included posters and election speeches before the student body.

The annual Pizza Dinner and Open House took place on April 9. Students in each grade had an opportunity to showcase various projects they had completed while parents had an opportunity to kvell over the work the children had on display. Congratulations to Alex Hizme and Moriah Greathouse for winning the coveted class quilts in the annual school raffle. The quilts showcase artwork from each student as well as the classroom teachers, and are sewn into beautiful quilts by Diane Umeda and Diane Burns. A treasured keepsake, the classroom quilts are a culminating tradition in the JCC school programs.

Preparation for Passover has been the focus for much of the month. Rabbi Mendy Deitsch brought the Model Matzah Bakery for the younger grades. Passover foods were collected for the community food drive to provide for the needy. Seniors from the JCC Senior Program, along with parents, volunteered to man specific stations during the school's Interactive Seder. It was very informative, as well as a meaningful experience for all. Several of the classes also attended the JCC's preschool seder, led by Rabbi Bonnie Koppell of Temple Beth Sholom.

The end of the year is fast approaching with lots of activities and special events planned for May, including the Day School Spring Choir Concert scheduled for May 4. The choir, led by Emily Zappa and Marni Pinkwasser, will display their musical talents followed by a family barbecue.

The King David School

The middle school students joined with the Pardes Jewish Day School for a rockin' good time at the Middle School Dance on March 30. Both schools coordinated the event.

Two events highlighted the Purim celebrations: a megillah reading and a Purim Carnival complete with games, rides, cotton candy and snow cones and a petting zoo.

Passover activities followed in April as grades kindergarten through second held a mock seder with parents and grandparents. Two hundred and fifty people were in attendance. On April 14, the middle school held a Passover Scavenger Hunt. The next day third and fourth grades recreated the experience of the Israelites' wanderings in the desert as they took a hike through the mountains at North Park.

A Dor L'Dor participant from Kivel Campus of Care, Morris Riff (AKA "Saba Morris") celebrated his 97th birthday with the fourth-grade students.

In a series of three visits to the Palomino Public School, middle school students are participating in the literacy program which is sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.

Stanford 9 testing begins in May.

Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School

Students will be sending articles written in Hebrew to the Jewish National Fund publication Gesher L'Kesher. The publication is entirely in Hebrew and this is the first year we have been invited to submit articles.

May is filled with lots of activities including a Diamondbacks game, a Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration with the Council for Jews with Special Needs and an opportunity to hear the Judaic Cultural Orchestra performance. On Thursday, May 8, in observance of Yom Hashoah, Flora Singer from the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., will be a featured speaker at the high school. She is a Holocaust survivor and serves on the board of speakers for the museum. We are honored to have her at school.

The first spring salute Hats Off! will be held on Sunday, April 27. This will be a tribute to retiring Headmaster Jay Schechter and the faculty and staff. A silent auction of student artwork will also be available for bidding. Thanks to the co-chairpersons, Claudia and Michael Gilburd and Cantor Sharona and Dr. Daniel Feller.

Saturday, May 10 will be STUGO Spring Formal Dance and student body officer elections will follow the next week. Juniors recently ordered class rings and yearbooks are due to arrive. A Lag B'Omer celebration, the annual Kol Chadash Coffee House and an Awards assembly are all in the works for May.

Pardes Jewish Day School

The Sally Ride Space Club, created by astronaut Sally Ride, the first woman in space, has, along with Smith College and Hasbro, challenged students in grades five through eight to a Toy Challenge. The contest is based on a first-year engineering course at Smith College called Toy Tech. Students in the program work with adult coaches to design toys that can be used to help teach scientific principles.

Four students at the school decided that they were up to the challenge. During lunch and on their own time, four students along with "coach" Barbara Lewis, mother of Nicole Damari, created a board game. They competed against students nationwide and are currently in the top 10.

Pardes Jewish Day School placed 11th overall in the State Team Competition in chess for grades kindergarten through third at Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria.

Jacob Zweiback, with 7 wins and 1 loss, placed sixth out of 380 players in the first through third grade division, while Noah Zweiback placed 11th out of 70 kindergartners. Other contributors to the team effort were: Jordan Lee, Jordan Addison, Josh Steinberg, Julian Weinstein, Aaron Goodman, Avi Goodman, Andrew Shalen and Mike Waxman.

Students in grades kindergarten through fourth hosted a Friday night service for families on March 21, followed by dinner, Israeli dancing and sing-a-long.

Home

ERROR: Random File Unopenable