Day schools celebrate Purim, study science, hold Torah fair

East Valley JCC Day School

Students started Purim celebrations early this month. The first- and second-graders learned lessons in history and symmetry by cutting out paper-doll chains and decorating them to represent King Ahasuerus, Queen Esther, Vashti, Mordecai and Haman.

The third- and fourth-graders learned the story of Purim and collaboratively created a classroom Megillah. The fifth- and sixth-graders joined in the fun by pairing up with a third- or fourth-grader and making Purim-themed masks with Vaseline and plaster of Paris. After a little paint and glitter, the masks were ready to be worn for the school Purim carnival on March 20.

During the past month, each class studied different science and social studies units. The first- and second-graders focused on the ocean and its many creatures. They ended their unit with their annual field trip to The Ocean Floor, a sea-life store in central Phoenix, where they saw an incredible array of sea creatures.

The third- and fourth-graders continued learning about Arizona history by taking a trip to the Mesa Southwest Museum. Students were able to walk through an old mine, get locked up in a jail and see many Hopi and Navajo creations.

The fifth- and sixth-graders will learn through writing, math and art as they begin an extensive science unit about the solar system.

The school choir is preparing for the spring concert, which is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 6. Everyone is welcome to attend and join in on some favorite tunes.

Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School

The school is proud to share the college plans of its founding class as it nears graduation.

Ilyssa Adler, who applied as an early-decision candidate, has been accepted to and will attend Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass. Ben Beller was accepted in the Honors College at the University of Arizona and at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, and was offered a $19,000 scholarship. Chelsea DeOre was accepted at Northern Arizona University. Nicole Graff was accepted at both U of A and Arizona State University.

Jeremy Levy was accepted at U of A; however, he plans to travel to Israel next year to study. Anna Harris was accepted at U of A and Brandeis. Ari Lewine will attend Washington University in St. Louis and was also accepted at U of A. Rebecca Maiuri will attend ASU, and also was accepted at U of A. Jena Olgin will attend U of A and was also accepted at ASU. Ruth Storch was accepted at Indiana University with a $6,000 merit scholarship. Marc Troisi was accepted at U of A and New York University.

The school recently participated in the American Mathematics Competition (AMC). The main purpose of the AMC is to spur interest in mathematics and to develop talent through the excitement of solving challenging problems in a timed multiple-choice format. Paul Schaffert, Ben Beller and Ari Lewine were ranked the top three of the AMC 12 contest; Hannah Wasserman, Elana Rosengard and Yossi Rosengard were ranked the top three of the AMC 10 contest.

On March 10, the entire school went to see the movie "Paper Clips." This film depicted the story of students in a Whitwell, Tenn., middle school who, as part of their study of the Holocaust, set out to collect six million paper clips representing the six million Jews killed by the Nazis.

The King David School

Third- through fifth-graders participated in the citywide Torah Fair on March 10.

A Principal's List/Honor Roll program was held for the middle school students who achieved all A's and one B or all A's and two B's. The students led a Shacharit service, followed by a recognition program and a breakfast.

The seventh-grade class will go on its class trip to Washington, D.C., at the end of March where they will visit a variety of museums, both Judaic and secular, and Washington landmarks such as the White House and the U.S. Capitol.

The eighth grade is continuing to volunteer its time at Palomino Elementary School, reading to students in kindergarten through third grade, and serving as classroom helpers. They also are collecting materials for the students such as crayons, markers and other items. In addition, students are preparing for the Megillah reading on Purim holiday, and the entire school will be festive with activities, games, attractions, treats of hamentaschen and more.

The school welcomed Mendel Fletcher from California, who addressed the fifth through eighth grades on the Holocaust and his personal experience during that difficult time.

Student council is working diligently to prepare for the upcoming middle school dance and an off-campus lunch. They also are busy selling candy as a fund-raiser for victims of the tsunami and needy individuals in Valley communities.

Students at all grade levels are preparing class art pieces to be auctioned off at the live and silent auctions at the school's annual fund-raiser, the ninth annual King David Ball. This event is open to the entire community and will take place on March 27 at the Arizona Biltmore. To attend, call 480-991-4333. Reservations are still being accepted.

The second round of parent-teacher conferences for this year will be held April 11.

Pardes Jewish Day School

The elementary children celebrated the Purim holiday in many ways. Mrs. Friedman's first-grade class took a "field trip" to her home to make hamantaschen. The kindergarten classes visited Sierra Pointe Assisted Living Facility to share the Purim spirit with the residents.

All of the students made plastic foam Purim masks in Orit Feinberg's art class. They used acrylic paints and were inspired by different artists. The masks are on display at the school.

The elementary students had a special Purim celebration. The staff and students had a great time dressing up in costumes and parading around the school. Brad May read the Megillah to the children, and the middle school teachers entertained students in the annual Purimshpiel.

The fourth-graders are preparing for their overnight trip to the Lake Pleasant Outdoor Learning Center. This is the culminating activity of their study of Arizona.

The middle school students attended a Purimshpiel put on by the middle school staff. Cantor Mikhal Shiff-Matter read the Megillah.

The student council for 2005-2006 is Freda Spencer, president; David Klemow, vice president; Nicole Cantor, secretary; and Shira Mizel, treasurer. Student council representatives are David Campbell, Erica Morris, Corey O'Malley, Samantha Bear, Rebecca Morris, Chelsea Gulinson, Hannah Licht and Leah Nomkin. The first big event they are planning is the end-of-school year dance at Temple Solel on Sunday, May 12. All sixth- through eighth-grade youth groups from partner congregations and The King David School will be invited.

Over spring break, Jill Kessler, head of school, and Tobee Waxenberg, middle school director, were invited to attend the Principals' Conference at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. The goal of the conference was to create and implement an Action Plan to continue improvement in teaching and learning.

Coming up: a visit to the Arizona Supreme Court to hear oral arguments, the Arizona Film Festival, Stanford Achievement Tests, and workshops for the eighth-graders on "surviving high school."

Phoenix Hebrew Academy

The month of Adar is the happiest of the Hebrew calendar, and the entire school has been celebrating. The festivities reached a crescendo when the parent-teacher association and the eighth grade hosted a gala Purim carnival for the entire community. Students and faculty dressed up in Purim costumes, exchanged mishloach manot and heard the Megillah.

Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders participated in the annual Torah fair held March 10 under the auspices of the Bureau of Jewish Education. Third- and fourth-graders studied and researched laws such as honoring your parents, being kind to animals, being charitable and much more. The fifth-graders depicted important events and personalities in the history of modern Zionism. The display boards are prominently displayed at the school for viewing and the community is encouraged to visit.

Students in grades 5-8 have been working very diligently in preparation for their science fair projects. The budding scientists outdid themselves with a wealth of creative, scientific display, and the school is very proud of their accomplishments. Winners of the science fair were Mark Eisenberg, first place; Sami Wilder, second place; Sonya Yagudaev, third place; Mark Tomasewski, fourth place; Illana Allayev, fifth place; J.J. Meyers, honorable mention; and David Shlomi, honorable mention. Many of the winning science projects will be brought to the Arizona State University science and engineering fair which will be held March 22-26.

Scores were officially tallied from the annual winter learning and davening contest. This contest encourages students to pray daily and to learn some Torah every day during school vacation. Many students participated and all received meaningful gifts. Winners of the contest were Rivka Shipkin, first place; Tal Avrhami, second place; and Brandon Welner, third place.

On March 1, upper-grade students joined people all around the world in celebrating the completion of the Talmud. The students had the privilege of viewing a satellite hookup at the Phoenix Community Kollel to events on the East Coast, and observed the multitude of Jews worldwide celebrating the joyous event.

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