|
|
|
April 30, 2004/Iyar 9 5764, Vol. 56, No. 32
Students take field trips around Arizona, U.S.Tri-City Jewish Community Center Day SchoolDuring the month of April all of our classes got together and had a student-led Passover seder. This reinforced the sense of family and community at our school.Parents, teachers and students all met at Arrowhead Park for a Day School Barbecue. Families came with their picnic dinners and the children played games. The fourth and fifth graders have mastered the art of Microsoft Publisher. They have created their own school newspaper called the J-BAM. It is written, edited and published by the class. Everyone looks forward to receiving the latest issue each month. The second and third graders have been learning about St. Augustine in Florida. They have been building their very own forts and they labeled each part with the correct terminology. The first graders finished a unit on the solar system. They wrapped up the unit by taking a trip to The Arizona Science Museum, where they saw all the planets in our solar system at the planetarium. Everyone has been taking the Stanford 9 test. The older classes will finish up the month by taking the AIMS test. Pardes Jewish Day SchoolElementary DivisionIn March, the children in kindergarten through fourth grade had a presentation about Outer Mongolia from Jan Kleiner, a Temple Chai member who spent time there in the Peace Corp. Kleiner talked about life in this remote region, bringing in clothing samples and toys for the children to see and feel. The fourth graders spent a night at the Lake Pleasant Outdoor Learning Center as part of their study about the state of Arizona. Children in kindergarten through third grade visited the World Wildlife Zoo. The school held a Passover seder, with each class taking turns leading parts of the seder, followed by sampling Passover food. Upon returning from Passover Break, the children visited the Orpheum Theater to see a production of "Slim Goodbody" and "Dinosaurs." On May 6, the children will present a program titled "A Celebration of World Music," organized by music teacher Julie Murillo. Middle School Division Grades five through eight participated in Hoops for the Heart, raising funds for the American Heart Association. The sixth and seventh grades will be visiting the Space Challenger Center, and the entire middle school will be guests of the Lyric Opera Outreach Performance of "The Magic Flute" at Arizona State University. The drama classes will present their popular monologues, and our sixth and seventh graders will begin work on their in school science fair project. The fifth graders are currently showing their science fair projects at the Maricopa County Fair. Yom Ha'atzmaut was celebrated with Hebrew skits about cities in Israel, Israeli food and Israeli dancing. Vicki Halphon, the Israeli emissary, taught about Israel, and the students played Israeli field games. The Spring Showcase will be May 6 highlighting the Shakespeare players, our Ensemble musicians, our Amazing Authors, and the outstanding work of all of our students. The eighth graders are preparing for their graduation trip to Washington, D.C., and for their aliyah ceremony. Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High SchoolStudents have been busy showing their enthusiasm for Yom Hashoah. Juniors Marc Troisi and Becca Mauiri were selected to be presenters at Temple Chai's Yom Hashoah event. They were chosen based on the outstanding pieces they wrote on the impact made by the Holocaust survivors. In addition, the junior class, along with their parents, was escorted to the AIPAC conference on Sunday April 18 by Mahlon Coop.Senior girls and art club members Maria Restivo and Sara Loeb were asked by Linda Zell of the Buearu of Jewish Education to paint a mural commemorating Yom Ha'atzmaut. Their beautiful artwork was created under the supervision of art teacher Dr. Judith Brandstadter. The mural was displayed at the Ina Levine Jewish Community Campus in Scottsdale on April 25 during the Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration. With finals less than a month away, students are trying to have a much fun as possible. The boys and girls have been competing in penny wars for the past few weeks. The competition comes to a close April 30. The winners will be awarded a full week of dress down. The Israeli Scouts put on a beautiful show and gave our students insight on growing up in Israel. Student body elections are also fast approaching. Phoenix Hebrew AcademyStudents in kindergarten and first grade invited family and siblings to model seders the week before Passover. The students demonstrated their knowledge in preparation for the holiday. The Chabad traveling hands-on matzo factory visited the school giving students in all grades an opportunity to mix and bake matzo by hand for a real Pesach experience. Students separated the grain from the chaff, ground it and added water to make flour, which they then rolled into matzo cakes and baked.Seventh and eighth grades participated in the American Mathematics Competition. PHA placed on the U. S. Merit Roll. Eighth-grader Yossi Rosengard placed on the Distinguished Honor Roll with a score in the top 1 percent of the U. S. and International students. He scored in the top 10 among Arizona students. Other students scoring well were Danielle Berger, Elana Rosengard, Yosef Silver, Mark Eisenberg, Bradley Hendrickson and Brandon Welner. Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, was commemorated in school on April 19. A display of Holocaust posters, which depict the history and atrocities of the Holocaust were explained to the students. The children were taught the importance of remembering so that the memory of the six million will never be forgotten. Students in Kitah Alef had their first Chumashim (bibles) presented to them in a festive ceremony. It was beautiful to see our younger students beginning to learn our sacred text. Pardes and the academy played an after-school softball game. It was nice to see the two schools get together in a spirit of cooperation and sportsmanship. Both teams displayed great prowess on the field and behind the plate. The King David SchoolOn March 15, fourth graders learned about natural habitats at the Desert Outdoor Center at Lake Pleasant.On March 18, first graders visited the Phoenix Zoo. Second graders also went to the Phoenix Zoo Overnight on April 22. The seventh graders traveled to Washington, D.C., March 15-17 for an exciting, educational adventure that included visits to Mount Vernon, the Smithsonian and the National Holocaust Museum. A ceremony took place on Yom Hashoah in memory of victims of the Holocaust. Students also participated in a community Yom Hashoah ceremony at Temple Chai. A commemoration of Yom Haziikkaron took place on April 26, followed by a Yom Ha'atzmaut program coordinated by the Israel Center of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix. On Lag B'Omer, the individual classes will celebrate with a special treat. Stanford 9 testing will take place for second through eighth graders on May 3-6. The sixth graders will be exploring Los Angeles from May 10-12. Sites will include the Museum of Tolerance, Universal Studios, Venice Beach, and the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum. The eighth grade trip to New York City will take place May 17-21. Students in all grades are creating works of art that will be on display at The King David School Ball on May 16. The ball will take place at the new King David campus, which is in the final stages of completion. |
