Day schools celebrate holiday spirit

East Valley JCC Day School

East Valley Jewish Community Center first- and second-graders spent the last few weeks learning about Chanukah, making decorations, and doing a lot of fun Chanukah activities. The first-graders continue to master their mathematics. They have been focusing on learning geometry and symmetry. The second-graders have been working on writing personal narratives.

Geology has been the theme in the third- and fourth-grade classrooms. Each student had to demonstrate a force of the earth's crust by creating a model and writing a report. Some students chose to make volcanoes, while others chose to create seismographs. The third- and fourth-graders have also been working on fiction stories, which they turned into actual books.

The fifth- and sixth-graders have been focusing all year on ancient civilizations. Their most recent study has been of the Incas, Mayans and Aztecs. After winter break, the students will be focusing on ancient Greece and Greek mythology.

Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School

The entire school participated in a game called Ganad/Anak during the days of Chanukah. The object of the game, facilitated by junior Tslil Feinberg and teacher Eliana Lipsky, was to do a nice thing for your Ganad each day while keeping your identity a secret. Each student acted as an Anak, or midget, and was assigned his or her own Ganad. There were lots of smiles and a spirit of joy among all the students and faculty members throughout the duration of the game.

The high school and the Jewish seventh- and eighth-grade students from the greater Phoenix area will join together for a rock climbing and yoga party at Arizona on the Rocks over winter break. The seventh- and eighth-graders will spend a few hours getting to know a little bit about the Jess Schwartz community and why they should be a part of it. In addition, Admissions Coordinator Katie O'Connor and Headmaster Dr. Janice Johnson, along with a few Jess Schwartz students, are going to have lunch at The King David School on Jan. 7.

On Sunday, Jan. 9, the school will hold an open house for prospective students and their families. Current students and faculty will provide activities, demonstrations and music. Tours will be given by parents and students, and the choir, directed by Lipksy, will perform several songs.

The King David School

The King David School joined with other day schools throughout the Valley for the Maccabiah games.

The entire school celebrated Chanukah with daily candle-lighting programs, songs and festivities. Several classes baked latkes.

A schoolwide production of "Grease: The Chanukah Musical" was held for a crowd of 500, including parents, grandparents and community members. All grades sang and acted the story of the Maccabees to lyrics developed especially for this production. Parents participated in creating the costumes for this extravaganza.

A Shabbaton for grades seven and eight was held Dec. 3-5. Students from The Tucson Hebrew Academy joined their peers at KDS for a fun-filled weekend. On a Saturday night, the sixth-graders joined the group for a dance. Student Council helped organize many of the events from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening.

Student council is busy preparing for a number of dress-up days for after winter break, including pajama day and Wacky Wednesday in January and February.

Parent volunteers of the Parent-Teacher Organization organized and carried out the annual Scholastic Book Fair. This event raised valuable funds for KDS programs and events. In addition to purchasing books for themselves, families also bought selected books as gifts for the individual classrooms.

Pardes Jewish Day School

The holiday season was very evident at Pardes Jewish Day School. In keeping with the core values, the children celebrated with giving as well as receiving.

The kindergarten classes went to Kivel Campus of Care, where they sang and enjoyed refreshments with the seniors. The second graders visited Sierra Pointe Assisted Living, where they performed for the residents and shared cookies. The eighth-graders wrapped holiday gifts at Borders to raise funds for their trip to Washington, D.C. They also viewed the movie "National Treasure" as part of their social studies unit about the Declaration of Independence.

Grades kindergarten through eighth performed in a musical program. Parents enjoyed the elementary grades singing songs, the fifth-graders playing the recorder, the middle school music ensemble, and the Pardes choir under the direction of Temple Beth Israel cantor Mikhal Shiff-Matter. The choir also performed at Temple Chai with adult and student choirs from Temple Beth Israel, Temple Chai and Temple Solel.

Middle school students led Chanukah activity centers for the elementary children. The middle school students also celebrated Kabbalat Shabbat at Culver Street Synagogue. Afterwards they distributed socks, shirts and water to the homeless.

Grades kindergarten through fourth will attend the Phoenix Theatre to see "The Quiltmaker's Gift."

Phoenix Hebrew Academy

The Parent-Teacher Association held its annual Chanukah celebration on Dec. 8. The party was very well attended. The parents were treated to lively Chanukah songs by the lower grades and to original Chanukah poems by the middle school. Sufganiot and levivot added to the celebration. Other Chanakah activities included an arts and crafts fair and Chanukah bowl, where the students were able to display their vast knowledge of Chanukah laws and customs. Chanukah Bingo and a Chanukah magic show rounded out the events. The highlight was the Maccabiah games held on the last day of Chanukah.

The first grade celebrated its annual Mesibat Siddur, where each child received his and her own siddur. The first grade performed many beautiful songs, which entertained the audience. More importantly however, is the fact that the children have all learned to read and daven in Hebrew.

The second grade went to the Katydid Insect Museum. The students had fun holding cockroaches, feeling tarantulas, having a python wrap around them and finding lots of insect and arachnid cases.

The third-graders have been talking about different ecosystems in science. The students worked in groups to create a rainforest, ocean and desert ecosystem.

Fifth- and sixth-grade students finished Parsha Mish-patim and the fifth grade finished Parsha Yito. The fifth- and sixth-graders had a siyum together. Each student read one pasuk and explained it. They sang a few songs and had some refreshments.

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