Sylvia Burian <sburian@saracademy.org>

Chadashot 1.11.13- Parshat Vaera

chadashot@saracademy.org <chadashot@saracademy.org> Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 11:51 AM

To: sburian@saracademy.org

CHADASHOT Shabbat Parshat Vaera

January 11, 2013 29 Tevet 5773

Candle Lighting: 4:29 pm Havdalah: 5:32pm

Click here for PDF version of the Chadashot

A MESSAGE FROM RABBI KRAUSS

Dear Parents,

As we continue to read the

Parshiot that teach us about

Moshe Rabbenu and the values

of leadership, I would like to

thank our incredible Phys Ed.

team of Jenny, Tali, Renata, and Ken for making

the first SAR family fitness day a smashing

Mazal Tov

To Morah Sarah & Shalom

Richter on the birth of a

granddaughter, Rivka born to

Chani & Moishy Stewart. Mazal

tov to Aunt Simi (Gr. 2) and

Uncles Yitzy (Gr. 8) & Yisrael

(Gr. 6).

To Morah Elaine (ELC faculty)

success! Thank you to the PTC for organizing

the event, and to all of our parent volunteers.

We are looking forward to hosting our 6th grade

at SAR this Shabbat for their annual Shabbaton,

which will be full of Ruach, Learning, Tefilah,

and a wonderful Shabbat together with their

teachers and administrators.

If you have not yet done so, please make your

reservations to join us at our annual dinner on

January 26th. This is an opportunity to celebrate

the school, and provide support for all of our

students and our activities.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Binyamin Krauss

and Sam Samson on the birth of

a grandson born to Rina and

David Ben-David.

To Morah Frida (music teacher)

& Haim Nadav on the birth of a

daughter.

To Rafi Fischer and Joseph

Minkove on their recent Bar

Mitzvahs.

To Abby Minkove and Sophia

Bruder on their recent Bat

Mitzvahs.

ACADEMY NEWS

Yediot Klaliot

In the fifth grade Yediot Klaliot is an opportunity for students to memorize and learn

basic Torah facts (e.g. the names of the parshiot in each sefer). They receive a ticket

for memorizing/learning a page and then there is a raffle on Fridays in which students

who are picked get an extra 5 minutes of recess for their class!

These smiling students received sefarim for having completed the first Yediot Klaliot

booklet. Kol Hakavod to our winners--Tzuriel Ganzel, Noam Goldberg-Kellman, Talia

David, Meron Samuels, Adam Nerenberg, Eytan Spevack, Sophia Rozenshteyn and

Millie Helft.

The Fourth Grade celebrated their first Yediot Klaliot celebration this week. Over 30

students were invited to attend and celebrate together that they were able to recite at

least four different brachot by heart. Donuts were enjoyed by all. Kol Hakavod!

Project Runway – Season Two

The challenge was straight out of the TV show “Project Runway”— Make three

dresses. One for a Bat Mitzvah girl, one for the Mother of the Bat Mitzvah girl, and one

for the friend of the Bat Mitzvah girl. Oh, and one more thing—you may only use

materials found in school to make your designs! Those were the directions given to

eight sixth grade girls by Mrs. T for their “Project Runway”elective.

The girls split up into groups and within each group were “models” and

“seamstresses”. Even Morah Ali, Morah Chloe and Mrs. Glassberg got in on the act.

The models truly “rocked” the red carpet! The girls displayed creativity and a definite

flair for fashion. The dresses looked fantastic and at the end, three 7th grade judges

crowned the winners. Congratulations to Renna Eckstein and Leah Fenster on their big

win!

Click here to see more pictures.

Enrichment Clusters Continue

We have started our Winter Semester of Enrichment Clusters this week. Below is the

full list of the amazing clusters your children will be attending. Take a look at the list

and ask your children about it!

Bridge Building Academy with Yehuda Najman, What If Picasso Had An iPad? With

Debby Schloss, Jammin’ Dramatic Drumming Studio with Adiella Shem Tov & Frida

Nadav, Fireworks, Fortune Cookies, and Fried Rice: Journey East with Chana Sommer,

Top Secret: Say It With Sign with Lauren Lieberman, Just

Clowning Around Institute with Tommi Blank, Destination

Imagination with Mark Shinar, Gears! Gears! Gears! Lights In

Action with Nick Fadda & Orit Smith, Snap, Crackle, Pop! Kitchen

Chemistry with Miriam Friedman, Write/Click Photojournalism

Group: Life in Pictures with Chavie Wilner, Wizards Of Wall

Street with David Gabay & Josh Landes, Be A Lego Master

Builder and Build It Like Betzalel: Lego and the Mishkan with Sharon Sturm,

International Culinary Arts Institute with Bina Brickner, Skype & Sticks & Strings Do

Good Things with Lynn Zadoff & Rivka Ivri, Kids In The Wild: Discovering The Skills To

Survive Outdoors with Aaron Steinberg, Mindbenders:

Riddles, Puzzles, & Lateral Thinking Consortium with Chana

Adatto & Gail Krasner, iBook Publishing, Inc: Photographs &

Memories with Beth Pepper & Alana Gelnick, Risk,

Monopoly, and Life, It’s How You Play: Become A Game

Designer: Section A with Renata Cohen and Chani Jaskoll,

www.build-a-computer.com with Caleb Fitzsimmons, Blood

& Guts: What’s Inside? Medical Discovery Lab with Naomi

Dreisinger & Rebecca Amaru & Yardaena Osband, Cupcake~and~Ideabake Culinary

Arts Institute with Joyce Kurz Raskas, Don’t Move: Still Life Studio with Eva Broder,

Whodunit: Mysteries, Clues, and Forensics with Tamar Kreiger & Jen Sokol, Institute For

Sports Science: Exploring Human Movementwith Ken Gleason, Music Producers In

Session: Let’s Make Music with Shim Craimer, From Fossils To Femurs: Big Bones, Small

Bones, Thick Bones, Thin Bones with Sharmilla Klestzick , Invention Convention with

Kathy Kafer, Lights, Camera, Action: Video Production Company with Rivka Heisler,

Whose Line Is It Anyway? Improvisation Company with Tali Cohen Zelentz, Chocolate!

How Sweet It Is with Ariana Reich & Judith Block.

We thank our staff and parents for facilitating these

Enrichment Clusters and look forward to an exciting and

enriching semester!

Making Tefillah Matter

Making tefilah more meaningful for the students is something we aspire to at SAR.

Every week Rabbi Motechin learns Halacha with the 7th grade during tefilah. From

preparing to daven, to how one should act when entering a Beit Knesset, the students

have been learning more than just the words to the tefilot. Rabbi Motechin has taught

the students about Birkot Hashachar, Ashrei, Yishtabach and Kriyat Shema by breaking

down each tefilah and focusing on that one prayer over the course of a month. This

makes for a more meaningful tefilah and better understanding by the students. It

inspires them to think about what they are saying and ultimately helps the students

get more out of their daily tefilah.

Morah Nicole Grubner’s 4th grade class is learning about

similes. Here is a poem which was a class wide collaborative

effort !

(For those of you who may have forgotten what a simile is…a simile is a figure of speech that directly

compares two different things, usually by employing the words "like" or "as".)

Like a shiny bubble floating in the sky,

As small as a speck of dust,

As white as the clouds on a summer's day,

As pretty as a rainbow,

Like a cold ice cube,

Like an angel in the sky,

As unique as a person,

Snowflake.

Siddur Sparks

In honor of the upcoming siddur play, the first grade parents were privileged to spend

an evening learning with Morah Sarah. Morah Sarah encouraged parents to

reconsider their own connections to tefillah, and shared insights on how to help our

children build positive tefillah experiences. Each parent left with a gift, a set of

"Tefillah: Love it, Live it" cards, designed to spark conversations about tefillah

between parents and children. Thank you to our hosts, Donna and David Salamon, for

so graciously opening their home and for preparing such a lovely collation for everyone

to enjoy.

Changing the World, a Penny at a Time….

After weeks of collecting donations for Penny Harvest, the second grade got together

and counted up the change. Groups of three to four children separated the coins into

pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters and half dollars. They took their jobs very seriously,

carefully counting each and every coin. When everything was tallied up—the second

grade could proudly say that they collected $4000! This money will be donated to

Hurricane Sandy relief. Tizku L’Mitzvot!

Below are the class winners and runners up for the 2013 SAR Spelling

Bee. Congratulations to all of the winners!

5W Shmuel Padwa, Miri Jonas

5X Sammy Klestzick, Ayal Smith

5Y Renee Metzger, Noam Goldberg-Kellman

5Z Eytan Spevack, Yamin Semer

6W Rita Feder, Manny Cohen

6X Rachel Blumenstein, Meital Eisenberger

6Y Leah Fenster, Duly Rosenberg

6Z Abby Fisher, Tamar Hoch

7W Nili Raskas, Gabrielle Cohen

7X Hadas Krasner, Sara Rosin

7y Winner- Miriam Liberman , Runner up- Jonah Stadtmauer

7Z Noa Mintz, Yonatan Sturm

8W Hank Stein, Deena Danishefsky

8X Gila Weinrib, Ami Ohring

8y Winner - Miriam Stern, Runner up- Ariel Katz

8z Winner- Erez Major, Runner up- Ayelet Senderowicz

**SCHOOL WIDE WINNER: Rachel Blumenstein 6X**

**RUNNER UP: Miriam Liberman 7Y**

Mazal tov to the school winners who will participate in the BJE bee, which qualifies

them for the city-wide bee. Good Luck!

Still Life with Hot Chocolate

Our talented artists from the Still-Life Enrichment Cluster had samples of their work

hanging in The Corner Cafe over vacation! They were prominently displayed on the

wall as you entered the café and as a special surprise, the student artists who came

into the café were treated to a complimentary hot chocolate.

Computers For Sale Below Market Built By Our 4th Graders!!!

Are you interested in purchasing a computer at a great price that was

built by 4th graders (Emma Schenker, Reyna Perelis, Mali Weitz, Erin

Shteingart, Benji Rosen, Lev Blumenfeld, Jakob Teplitsky, Boaz Kahn,

Adin Pepper-Fox, and Andrew Greenspun) in our Enrichment

Cluster, www.build-a-computer.com and led by our Tech Staff Member,

Caleb Fitzsimmons? The great price includes a keyboard and a mouse

and computer: Pentium Processor, 4 GB of RAM, nice big hard drive, Windows 7

licensed, MS Office 2007 Professional licensed, anti-virus and malware software

installed, built in Ethernet and Sound Card. Monitor not included. $180 per computer.

Contact Sharon Marson about these computers at marsos@saracademy.org or at 718-

548-1717x1212.

This Week in Sports

The SAR 8th grade boys basketball team improved to 7-0 with a 68-34

win over WDS. The team took control from the opening tip and found

themselves up 20 at the half. SAR's full court pressure defense was too

much for WDS to handle and turnovers led to some easy baskets. Ami

Ohring led all scorers with 14 points and Zach Reich scored 10 points.

The 7th grade boys basketball team played stifling defense against Moriah. SAR was

led by Sammy Sokol, Joseph Minkove and the clutch shooting of Alex Segal and Oshi

Bloom. Their strong season continued with a steady game against HAFTR. SAR was led

by the scoring of Oshi Bloom, Sammy Sokol and Yonatan Fine and the passing of Jake

Epstein.

The Lady Sting continued their strong season with a hard fought game against HAFTR.

SAR was led by the scoring of Sophie Hecht, Rebecca Hyman and Hannah Gabay and

the defense of Michal White and the rebounding of Bracha Eisenstat and Sarah Gabay.

The SAR boys hockey team defeated RYNJ this week 3 -1 with goals scored by Gordie

Kolb, Yonatan Sturm and Efraim Herstic and solid goal tending by Henri Kolb.

GO STING!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK:

Moshe and Aharon go to speak to Pharaoh in this week’s parsha. Who would

you take with you if you had to speak to Pharaoh and why?

THAT "KIND OF WEEK"

Congratulations to our Junior High School students for raising over $900 for Sharsheret

on “Pink Day".

Tizku L’Mitzvot!

“Dumbledore from Harry Potter because the Egyptians were performing

magic and since Dumbledore is today's most knowledgeable modern day

wizard, he would give me something to counter their magic with.”

-Caleb Siegel 5Y

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

“I'd take Sally (Oshins) because in the SAR safety reflector video, she

spoke up and was protective.”

-Yisroel Richter 6Z

DVAR TORAH

Parshat Vaera - by Jason Burian 7X

There is a Midrash on this week’s Parsha about Pharaoh’s behavior.

From the beginning, Pharaoh won’t recognize Hashem, let alone say

that Hashem is right and he is wrong. Yet, after the plague of hail,

Pharaoh says, “I am wrong, God is right, And I and my people are

the villains." (Shemot 9:27)

What made Pharaoh change his mind?

The answer suggested by the Midrash is an interesting one, and shows how we can

influence other people in our own lives. The Midrash says that it is normal for men to

surprise their enemies, attack them, and take what they want, but Hashem does not

act in this way. When Hashem strikes human beings it is to educate. When Hashem

sent the hail to Egypt as the 7th makah, Pharaoh was told to make sure all of

the animals were in from the fields to protect them and to protect the servants who

tended them. The Sforno comments on this: “So that I might show you my power – to

move you to repent.” As it is written: “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that

dies…” (Yehezkel 18:32).

The thing that changed Pharaoh’s attitude was not the strong hand of Hashem, but it

was the way in which Hashem showed his mercy that impacted Pharaoh.

It is important for us to remember this when trying to influence the people around us.

Most of the time people are influenced more by understanding behavior than

by forcing them into accepting that our way is correct.

Shabbat Shalom.

“My older sister, because if I was bullied when I was little she always helped

me deal with it. "

-Abigail Erlichman 4Z

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

1.26.13

www.sardinner.org

Journal Ad Deadline: Tuesday, January 15th -- only a few days left to participate.

RSVP Deadline: Monday, January 21st

Consider a tribute in honor of first grade teacher Lisi Benovitz Mandel ('89), Alumna of

the Year, and Laurel Hecht, Chair, Academy Board of Education and Michael Schreck

Memorial Community Service Award recipient.

SAR Anniversary Dinner Raffle!

Win "His & Hers" Apple iPad Mini's 16GB Wi-Fi

$25 per ticket - only 200 tickets to be sold

to benefit the SAR Scholarship Fund

www.sardinner.org/raffle

Thank you to the raffle committee:

Lauren Altholz, Sara Blechner, Bina Dabbah and Robyn Raskas

For Dinner Journal Ads & Reservations: www.sardinner.org

“Moshiach because he's like a good luck charm for the Jewish people.”

- Tani Lewis 4W

PTC NEWS

SAR Family Fitness Day

Last Sunday over 100 families participated in SAR’s Family Fitness Day. Families ran,

jumped, played and had a great time.

Thank you to our incredible Physical Education team for their time, energy, creativity

and great ideas! Kol Hakavod to Jenny Horowitz, Tali Cohen Zelenetz, Renata Cohen

and Kenny Gleason. Thanks to Stephanie Minkove, Sara Blechner, Adeena Shames and

the SAR PTC for organizing and sponsoring this amazing event and special thanks to

the following students, parents, faculty and alumni, for volunteering last Sunday:

Yoni Saks, ZJ Saks, Samantha Hororwitz, Anna Nuchims, Leah Fenster, Annelle Small,

Lela Fand, Joshua Dorfman, Yoni Perla, Rebecca Perla, Ayelet Spira, Lianna Katz, Anna

Jonas, Katriella Hirsh-Hoffman, Eliana Sastow, Emma Tropper, Hadas Krasner, Sarena

Jacobs, Jessica Major, Aliza Meller, Abby Minkove, Avital Schwartz, Talya Kronisch,

Esti Ben Meir, Eli Ben Meir, Avital Katz, Danielle Dorfman, Louis Tuchman, Amram

Zeitchik, Rebecca Hyman, Rinat Ganzel, Adi Ronen, Shira Schneider, Aliza Schneider,

Amichai Zierler Feit, Miriam Stern, Josh Morris, Sara Morris, Ravi Schwartz and Sarah

Rosin, Shoshana Winter, Margaret Danishfsky ,Melissa Rothwax, Randi Shane, Alli

Kahn, Lynda Vidomlanski and Tami Weitzman.

Click here to see photos from the event.

“My father because he’s the strongest of all my family members and I

wouldn't want to take a stranger.”

-Judah Hain 2X

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

January 2013

Saturday, January 19th – 5th Grade Melave Malka. Click here to RSVP

Monday, January 21st – Martin Luther King Day – No Sessions- Teacher In-

Service Day

Tuesday, January 22nd – 6th Grade Matan Bat Mitzvah Program

Wednesday, January 23rd – 1st Grade Siddur Play

Saturday, January 26th – SAR 44th Anniversary Dinner

Wednesday, January 30th – Sunday, February 3rd - 8th gr. Ottawa trip

"The President, with his bodyguards of course, because he's the most

powerful man in the world."

-Jacob Morris 3X

COMMUNITY EVENTS

SAR V. RAMAZ HOCKEY TOURNAMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE ALAN T. BROWN

FOUNDATION TO CURE PARALYSIS, JANUARY 12, AT SAR HIGH SCHOOL

On Saturday night January 12, SAR will be hosting the annual hockey tournament to

support the ATBF’s goal of raising funds to find a cure for spinal cord injuries and to

raise awareness of risks to injury. The JV game at 7:30 and the Varsity game at

9:30 will take place at SAR high school. Raffle tickets for great sports tickets, gear, and

other great prizes are being sold. We are looking for sponsors for this fun event!! For

further information contact: rlo2598@gmail.com

Bash The Trash Environmental Arts

Sunday, January 13th, 11:00AM - 12:30PM, The Jewish Center, 131 W 86th St.

In honor of Rosh Chodesh Shvat please join the Jewish Center Youth Department for a

very special show featuring Bash the Trash Environmental Arts. Bash the Trash

introduces the basics of sound, vibrations and instrument design. The show includes a

workshop in which participants will make their own musical instruments from found

objects.

For more information please email Beth Schwartz at willowwolf18@yahoo.com or

click here to register online.

Join us for our upcoming adult education classes!

Daytime Classes at SAR HS

These classes are free of charge, no registration required. Classes meet in the 3rd

floor conference room.

Peshat and Derash: Between Tradition and Freedom of Interpretation by Rabbi Nati

Helfgot

Wed 12:00-1:00 - Jan 16, Jan 23, Jan 30

This course will examine the basic attitudes of Hazal and key Rishonim as to the

interaction between the plain sense of the biblical text and the "traditional" one that

has been received. It will focus on the tension between freedom of interpretation and

authoritative tradition and its parameters.

Evening Book Club at SAR HS

Join other parents and community members for a fascinating discussion of important

works of literature.

Classes meet 7:30-9:00 PM, in the high school library.

In order to run the program this year we will require a minimum number of participants

to pre-register for the entire 5 book series.*

Next Book Club

Monday, January 14, 2013 - with Ms. Molly Pollak

Hope: A Tragedy: A Novel by Shalom Auslander

Cost: $85 for the 5 book series, $20 at the door. Register online:

www.sarhighschool.org/adulted

URGENT!

IDF soldiers stationed on the border with Syria are desperate for gloves and thermals.

They are freezing cold and they need our help now! Standing Together can get them

the things they need, but they need your help to do it. To donate, please go to

www.stogether.org/golanwinter

SAVE THE DATE

The Mikvah of New Rochelle 4th Annual Breakfast

Featuring Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, Guest Speaker

Please join us for a morning of inspiration in support of our beautiful mikvah.

Sunday, January 20th, 10:00am at YINR

To make a reservation go to: nrmikvahbreakfast@gmail.com

Are you looking for guidance about educating your children about intimacy &

sexuality?

Please join us at our upcoming parenting lecture"Teenagers, Sexuality & Halakhah:

How do we educate our children?" By *Dr. Yocheved Debow Wednesday, January 23,

8pm- SAR MS area (geared toward parents of 6th-8th graders)

*Dr. Yocheved Debow recently published a book for parents titled “Talking about Intimacy and Sexuality: A

Guide for Orthodox Jewish Parents”. Dr. Debow co-authored the text that SAR uses for its Life Values

curriculum and is a frequent guest lecturer at Jewish Day Schools.

Please click here to RSVP

Need a babysitter for the SAR Dinner?

How about the Riverdale Y’s – Kids Night Out!

Saturday night, January 26th, 2013

For more information, call Joe Smith at (718)548-8200, ext. 261. To register, call Ricki

at (718)548-8200, ext. 201 or click here to see flyer.

Join the Discussion!

The Catholic & Jewish Community Forum on the Affordability of Catholic & Jewish

Schools. Thursday, Jan. 31, 7-9pm, Schechter Westchester Upper School, 555 West

Hartsdale Avenue, Hartsdale, NY. Click here to see flyer.

"How To Talk So Kids Will Listen"

This course helps parents learn to hear and respect their children's feelings while

staying in charge. Topics covered include how to: Engage your child's willing

cooperation, Deal with your child's negative feelings - frustration, disappointment,

anger. Express your anger without being hurtful, Set firm limits and still maintain

goodwill, Use alternatives to punishment that promote self-discipline, Encourage

positive relationships between your children.

The course will meet at Kidaroo on Thursday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30, on the

following dates:

January 24th, February 7th, March 7th, March 21st, April 4th, April 18th--Space is limited!

The cost is $120 for the 6 meeting series, plus $25 for the book and workbook which

you will receive at the first class meeting. For more information please contact:

EmilyShapiroConsulting@gmail. com

PURIM IS COMING!

MISHLOACH MANOT CARDS ARE AVAILABLE FROM RIVERDALE HATZALAH

SPECIALIZED CARDS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR ALL OCCASIONS

PLEASE CONTACT CHARLOTTE HAMMERMAN 718-548-0599

SUPPORT HATZALAH IN ITS LIFE-SAVING WORK

Bnei Akiva & Camp Moshava invite you to their 6th Annula Scholarship Dinner!

Honoring: Howard and Debbie Jonas, Yisrael Dov and Karen Meyers, and Shlomo Stern

Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 - 6:30 PM, Reception

Bridgewater , 11 Fulton Market Building, South Street Seaport, New York City

Raising Your Game in the Classroom

Interested in updating your teaching skills as a Jewish Educator? Then this is for you!

You are invited to join an inspiring day of Torah study, focusing on practical subjects

that are relevant to today's Jewish teens and pre-teens, with workshops led by leading

educators from Israel's Lifshitz College of Education in Jerusalem. The program will be

offered in 4 locations:

*Manhattan: Thursday, February 7, 2013, at the Jewish Education Project, NYC

* Riverdale: Monday, February 11, 2013, at SAR Academy

* Brooklyn: Tuesday, February 12, at the Yeshiva of Flatbush

* Manhattan: Wednesday, February 13, at the Jewish Education Project HQ, NYC

Educators can choose the most convenient date and location, and may register for

either a half day or full day program. A light lunch is offered for an additional charge.

Participation Fees: Half Day: $80 Full Day: $120 Lunch: $15

For further information, please contact Yossi Tsurel at tsurel@012.net.il

Note: All Submissions to the Community Ev ents section are due to Chadashot@saracademy .org the Tuesday prior to publication in

copy ready f ormat. The Chadashot reserv es the right to f urther edit submissions due to space constraints.

SAR ACADEMY~Jesselson Campus~655 West 254th Street~Riverdale, NY 10471

718.548.1717~www.saracademy.org

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