Hats, boots and snowflakes are hanging in the Toddler classroom. The children had a great time creating these symbols of winter and identifying them in both English and Hebrew. They are also enjoying “finger” poems which are fun to recite and which help them reinforce their counting skills.

       K is for kangaroo, kitchen and kite. We had so much fun making kites which are “flying” from our ceiling. Nursery also learned about Parshat Shmot, and each child made their very own baby Moshe in a basket.

     Why do birds fly south in the winter? Why do bears sleep all winter long? These were some of the questions that Kindergarten discussed this week when they learned about migration and hibernation. The children were fascinated by the behaviors of these animals. In conjunction with Parshat Shmot, kindergarteners made sticks that “magically” transformed from a snake to a stick.

Songs, activities and projects about penguins kept the Primer children busy this week. They even went outside to huddle like penguins! The students were eager to begin Sefer Shmot and learn about baby Moshe. They also became familiar with many Hebrew words associated with winter.

Mazal Tov Kitah Aleph

     This past Sunday, our Kitah Aleph children were thrilled to partake in their long awaited Siddur party. They worked so hard preparing for this special occasion and, with great pride and beautiful smiles, the children performed their Siddur presentation to perfection! Their family and friends sat in awe as they watched the children sing songs, recite their parts and receive their new siddurim. We would like to thank Morah Simona, Morah Hadassah, Mrs. McDermott, Mrs. Ross, Morah Adi, Morah Michal, Morah Mazal, and our very talented music teacher, Mrs. Irene Lopukhin, for their hard work and dedication. In addition, we would like to thank Mrs. Alkobi, Mrs. Ansel, Mrs. Davidson, Mrs.Goldzal, Mrs. Jacobs, Mrs. Masri, Mrs. Milman, Mrs. Mushnick, and Mrs. Nussenblatt, who volunteered their time and effort to help make this year’s siddur party the success that it was.

A special thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Abokhiyayev, owners of L’Esti’s Desserts, for donating the magnificent siddur cake. The cake was admired by all of us for its beauty and taste.

SST – Fun

     Last Friday students in grades 1-3 enjoyed an SST program with Morah Sheila. The theme was Hakarat Hatov, being thankful for all that we have. As we recently celebrated the chag of Chanukah, we tried to impress upon the children the importance of being thankful to everyone for all the gifts and treats that they received during the Chag. We also focused on our appreciation of all that Hashem gives us, as well as our family and teachers.

This year’s theme is “We’re on the ball with our Midot Tovot” and our activity was based on a soccer game. The children first ran a relay race with the goal of finding different “soccer” balls, many of which had special messages of thanks on them. If the “ball” had a message of thanks on it, the student then had the opportunity to kick a real soccer ball into a goal to earn ten extra points for their team. The students had a wonderful time playing the activity and made sure to say “thank you” to Morah Sheila for the fun filled activity and for the treats they received.

Third Grade

     Students in 3J are busy learning the Halachot of Shmirat Halashon and are trying very hard to make sure that the words they speak are positive and constructive. As a special activity, they made special Lashon Tov buttons. They are very proud to wear these buttons and hope that they will remind them to speak nicely to their friends and family. The children learned a beautiful song about Shmirat Halashon that we video taped for your enjoyment. Click on the image below to share the Nachat!

Science

         What is made of candy and fizzes and shoots ten feet into the sky? The 6th grade “Mentos and Coke fountain”! 6th grade had some “explosive” moments learning about the chemical reactions which cause the famous fountain. The experiment was a great way to launch a unit about food chemistry and chemical bonding that students are due to begin learning soon.

Our Parsha Corner

Parshat Shmot

ויאמר לרשע למה תכה רעך – שמות ב:י”ג

      “And he said to the wrongdoer, Why do you strike your brother?

Shemot 2:13

     The Torah forbids us to strike another Jew (Sefer HaChinuch Mitzvah 595). This negative precept is found in Devarim 23:3, where the Torah warns an officer of the court not to strike more lashes than a judge has determined to be fitting for the sinner. Now, from this injunction there is also an admonition against striking any Jewish person, for if we are commanded not to strike a sinner, how much more so should we not strike any other person.

This is very relevant because, unfortunately, students are often tempted to “hit” each other. We must learn from our Torah and how it characterizes this individual: it calls him a Rasha, a wicked person. We know this terrible appellation is usually reserved for our enemies like Haman Harasha, Paroh Harasha or Esav Harasha. Clearly, the Torah is conveying how serious this act is. Let us learn from this week’s Parsha and refrain from this bad trait and act appropriately as Jews should.

JFS Jottings

Second Grade Chumash Party: Thursday, February 16, 2012 – 9:30 at the Main Center.

JFS Dinner: Sunday, March 11,2011 Please save the date!

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Shmot

Candle Lighting Time – 4:33

Kitah Aleph

  Kitah Aleph students are very busy practicing for their upcoming Siddur party. This special performance will take place on Sunday, January 8th at 10:00AM at the Main Center. The children cannot wait to share their excitement and hard work with their family and friends.

History Comes Alive in Fifth Grade – Mrs. Davis

     Betsy Ross, Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin….These are just a few of the many famous people who visited Mrs. Davis’ fifth grade class. Her students did an excellent job on the written portion of the biography report. The oral presentations were most exciting as each student dressed up and presented special projects that they created to portray the lives of their famous personalities. Their next book report will involve a mystery novel and a “board game”. Sounds very intriguing!!

Fifth Grade – Mrs. Kellerman

      We have been very busy writing about the winter season. Some students chose to write fiction stories, and others chose non-fiction. Class 5P created a beautiful bulletin board with a fireplace as the background. When the students were asked how they feel about their class, they replied, “We are a “warm” family in our classroom”.

Sixth and Seventh Grade Boys’ Trip

     Rabbi Uzhansky’s sixth and seventh grade students were so happy to have the opportunity to meet the renowned boxer, Mr. Uri Foreman. They joined Mr. Foreman at the gym and watched while he trained. Mr. Foreman discussed with the students the difficulties of combining his profession with his dedication to being Jewish, and how he succeeds at both. The students were especially excited when they were able to join him in the rink and learn a few boxing moves.

Science

Mrs. Grant

Ice Cream

6th grade recently had an extra tasty dose of science. Using the “quick” ice cream-making process as a model for freezing point depression, the students mixed and made their own creamy concoctions. This tasty treat was a perfect way to end the unit on “solutions”.

Geodes

The 8th graders “dug out” their mining skills to crack open some geodes and reveal the beautiful crystals inside. The geode project was an excellent way for students to add to their knowledge of rock classification and crystal properties.

Mrs. Weintraub

7th grade science class worked on a special lesson to learn about the properties of yeast. They learned how yeast reproduces and what it needs to survive. Yeast was put into three cups of water. In cup A, they put in room temperature tap water, in cup B warm water, and in cup C warm water and sugar. The students then predicted what would happen in each cup and why. The majority of students predicted that the warm water in cups B&C would activate the yeast. What actually happened was that cup C had the most activity. The sugar is eaten by the yeast which then creates a carbon dioxide gas which bubbles in the water. Don’t be surprised if your daughter or son becomes very interesting in baking Challahs for Shabbos!

E2K

      Four times a year, the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) sponsors an “International Riddle Contest”. Our seventh grade class was given a very challenging math and science enrichment assignment. We are very proud to announce that Michelle Steiman was our school winner! She solved and explained the solution to a very intriguing puzzle called Calculation Sudoku. She was one of thirty seven winners from schools around the globe!

Girls’ Basketball Team

     Our 6-8 grade girls on the JFS basketball team are having so much fun playing various teams from other schools. Although they lost to Noam last week, they still get an “A for effort”! Better luck next time!

JFS Welcomes back Morah Galila

      Our entire faculty is so excited to welcome back Morah Galila. Morah Galila is a veteran JFS staff member who has worked in the second grade class for many years. We wish her continued good health and much Nachat from her beautiful family.

4th grade Candy Sale

      We are so proud of our 4th graders for organizing their own Tzedakah Candy Sale for Bikur Cholim. All our students were so excited to participate in this Mitzvah project and they certainly enjoyed eating the delicious candies that they bought!

After School Cooking Class

      Who ever heard of a smiley face on a pizza? The students in grades 1-3 are enjoying their after-school baking and cooking class. At the first session, they created delicious sprinkle- covered chocolate truffles and we are sure that many of the treats did not make it home as the students could not wait to eat them. “Create you own pizza” was the theme of the second session. They created interesting designs on the pizza dough by using various colorful vegetables and cheeses. One student even made a smiley face! They could not wait to share their culinary skills with their families.

Our Parsha Corner

Parshat Va’yechi

      In this week’s Parsha, Shimon and Levi do not receive a blessing from Yaakov. Instead, he curses their anger. Yaakov had been very upset when Shimon and Levi wiped out the city of Shechem, as their actions put everyone in danger. The Mishnah says in Pirkei Avot, “Who is strong? One who can control his Yetzer Harah.” The commentators explain that this refers to someone who can control his anger.

     When we think of someone who is strong, we often think of someone who can bend metal bars or lift heavy weights. The Mishnah tells us that controlling our anger requires an even greater sense of inner strength. This is also what Yaakov was telling Shimon and Levi. True strength is not wiping out a city, but controlling anger and stopping to think if that is the correct course of action.

      Let us learn from this the importance of being able to control our anger and consider our actions. If someone does something to get us angry, instead of reacting out of anger by hitting or shouting, let’s try to control our anger and figure out what a proper response should be.

JFS Jottings

First Grade Siddur Party: Sunday, January 8, 2012 – 10:00AM at the Main Center.

Second Grade Chumash Party: Thursday, February 16, 2012 – 9:30 at the Main Center.

Keep Kids Safe Workshop: Tuesday evening, January 10, 2012 – 8:30PM at the Young Israel of Staten Island – 835 Forest Hill Road. For more information, please click here to view the flyer.

Shabbat Shalom

Parshat Vayechi

Candle Lighting Time – 4:26