the fifth grade boys’ hascholas g’marah breakfast marked a...

Kolenuc’’qa

eplewVolume XIX, Number 28 2 Iyar 5777News and Views of Torah academy April 28, 2017

Tazria-Metzora Hadlokas Neros 7:56 p.m.

2800 Joppa Avenue South · St. Louis Park, MN 55416 Telephone [952] 920-6630 · Fax [952] 922-7844 · [email protected]

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Thank you for supporting Torah Academy!

Upcoming Dates!Wednesday, May 3-Eretz Yisroel FairWednesday, May 10-Pesach SheiniSunday, May 14-Lag B’Omer

Note date changes! Correct your calendar now!

Sunday, June 11- Kindergarten GraduationMonday, June 12- Eilu Metzios Siyum

The Fifth Grade Boys’ Hascholas G’marah Breakfast marked a special beginning!

Rabbi Heisler speaking to his students

Volume XIX, Number 28News and Views of Torah academy

April 28, 2017Kolenu

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Rabbi Idstein, Menahel

A Torah Thought from Rabbi Idstein...This week’s parsha talks about the Metzora.

The Metzora, someone afflicted with a leprosy-like spiritual malady, was sent out from the Jewish camp upon confirmation by a Kohein. The afflicted resided there, in isolation, to contemplate the behavior that led to his ailment. Once the Kohein confirmed that the tzara’as had subsided, an elaborate purification process was undertaken with special rites and offerings. Through those procedures, the metzora’s purification would be complete and he would rejoin the community once again, as a full-fledged member.

The commentators note that the Torah introduces the commencement of the purification process with the description: “he shall be brought to the Kohein” (14:2). Why does the verse employ language that conveys an attitude of reluctance on behalf of the Metzora? It is likely that the Metzora would be eager to undertake the process that gains his re-admittance to the community. The Ibn Ezra answers that, contrite as the metzora had been during the presence of the

tzara’as, once the ailment recedes, and he is given a clean bill of health, he can become disinterested in carrying out the remaining obligations.

This powerful insight has great application to our lives. It is easy for us to be humble in our failures and misfortune, but how about in our success and triumph? It is common for us to be grateful during our illness and infirmities for the health we once had, but are we appreciative while we are actually experiencing the blessing of good health? Are we properly thankful for our loved ones so long we are surrounded by their tenderness and warmth, or do we fall prey to taking them for granted?

Fickleness of spirit is a prevalent human condition. We can, however, rise above it. With a little thought and contemplation, we can be humble and grateful for HaShem’s blessing in the good times, as well as gracious and introspective in the challenging times.

Have a wonderful Shabbos,

Spring RemindersAs Spring has arrived and more children will be taking the liberty of enjoying the nice weather and walking home we would like to remind and/or ask you to adhere to the following carpool/transportation procedures -• If your children are usually in carpool and now will be walking home let the office know. • Remember that the 28th St exit is not meant for picking up your children! It is used for those that walk home and those who have a medical need that precludes them from walking downstairs.• If your children bike to school -

o They need to wear a helmet.o They should lock their bike to the

bike rack on 28th St. o Torah Academy is not responsible

for children’s bikes even if they were locked up.

o Bikes are not to be used at recess.Thank you for your continued support.Rabbi Idstein

Mazel Tov to the winners for the Shteigo game for the middah of cleanliness:

Yossi SilverbergAbe Pergament

Avromi GreenbergZalman Sklare

Reuven BerezovskyNaftali Friedler

Yisochor Dov PreroDavid Klatzko

Shimon GreenbergAharon Goldberg

Dovid HeislerGitty Pam

Q: Does your child have spring allergies?

A: Please send in more tissues for runny noses and watery eyes!



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“General Studies Only Day” Survey

1. Do you feel the day before the Pesach Break should be:

___ regular school day for all students

___ regular day for students in grades K-5

___ keep it the same as it is

2. My child(ren) were:

___ very happy with their choices and experiences

___ somewhat happy with their choices and experiences

___ disappointed with their choices and experiences

3. In the future, I would suggest the following:

4. Grades my children participated in were (check all that apply)

__K __1 __2 __3 __4 __5

Thank you for your feedback!Return to the office or email [email protected]

From the Principal’s DeskShort Survey

The day before Pesach vacation was a General Studies Only Day for students in grades K-5. The day was meant to offer the students activities that were different from the usual school day and were very similar to the activities student choose to participate in on Friday Enrichment Days.

It is always good to get feedback on the value of the activities and the scope of the day. Listed below is a short set of questions that we would love your feedback on in order to make improvements for next year. You may either download these questions and complete the form and return it to the office or you can submit your responses to me via email. My email address is: [email protected]. We appreciate your participation.

Sincerely,Mr. Ford, General Studies Principal

Dismissal RemindersAs the weather is getting nicer, parents are reminded that the 28th Street exit is reserved

for walkers and those who have a medical need to be dismissed on that level. Parents picking up their children by car should NOT be doing so on 28th St but should do so at the regular carpool area.

Additionally, if your carpool habits will be changing and your children will be walking home more often or going home with somebody else - please let us know by 3:30!

Rabbi Idstein



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We apologize if we inadvertently omitted your simcha or gotten the details wrong! To share news with the editor please call 952-285-8603 or email [email protected]

PassPort

שנים מקרא ואחד תרגוםProgram

"כל המשלים פרשיותיו עם הציבור מאריכין לו ימיו ושנותיו"

Your PassPort to a long life

Program for 5th-8th grade boys

Prepare what your Rebbe directs.Extra credit for additional !

May the Omnipresent console you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Thank you to the families who sponsored the Rosh Chodesh treats this week for the month of Iyar:

• Mr. & Mrs. Clifford & LeeAnn Ancier l’ilui nishmas her father Mr. Sheldon Carl Masnek, Yeshayahu Kalman ben Avroham a”h on on his first yahrzeit.

• Mr. & Mrs. Ron Mandelbaum and Family l’ilui nishmas Aharon ben Melech HaKohein a”h and Yaakov Avrohom ben Aharon HaKohein a”h.

You can sponsor Rosh Chodesh treats for the month of Sivan in honor of a simcha or

in memory of a loved one for a sponsorship fee of $36.

Contact the Torah Academy Parents Connection Group at

[email protected].

Our condolences to Mrs. Bracha Skolnick on the loss of her father, Rabbi Dovid Sharfman, a”h.

Our condolences to Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg on the loss of his brother Yisroel Meyer Ginsberg a”h.

Mazel Tov Mr. and Mrs. Moshe and Larissa Vortinov on the engagement of their son Isaiah Vorotinov to Shana Landau. May the wedding take place b’shaah tovah u’mutzlachas.

Mazel Tov to Dr. and Dr. Irv and Bev Thorne on the marriage of their daughter Miriam Thorne to Joseph Heller. May they be zocheh to build a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel.

Mazel Tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Dovid and Esti Silverberg on the birth of a baby girl. Mazel Tov to grandparents Rabbi and Mrs. Ephraim and Peshie Silverberg and Rabbi and Mrs. Shlomo and Sarah Newmark and great-grandfather Mr. Beryl Silverberg.

Mazel Tov to Mr. and Dr. Jeff and Val Kreps on the engagement of their son Dovi to Rochel Waxman. May the wedding take place b’shaah tovah u’mutzlachas.

Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Anthony and Chana Zucker on their daughters Amanda, Olivia, and Sophia reaching the age of bas mitzvah.

Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Tanya Farber on their daughter Naomi reaching

the age of bas mitzvah.

Mazel Tov to Mrs. Chaya Zuckman on her engagement to Mr. Isaac Zev Moskovits. May the wedding take place b’shaah tovah u’mutzlachas.

Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Chad and Neely Silverman on their son Asher having started to put on tefillin.

Mazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Shlomo and Tali Miller on their marriage. May they be zocheh to build a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel.

New! New! New!!! "On Time” Raffle starting this week!One day each week will be randomly chosen to hand out raffle tickets by the front

door for any student who comes before 8:00 a.m. Exciting prizes!!



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“Classroom Close-ups” A detailed description of the exciting happenings in each grade at Torah Academy

5th Grade Boys General Studies~Mrs. KarakoWelcome to the day and life of the 5th grade boys! The boys General Studies class begins at 11:50am. They boys begin by answering a higher level thinking

question in their journals, such as, “Do you think Torah Academy students should or shouldn’t wear uniforms”? Or “Who do you think you are more like, your mother or father?” The children are given 20 minutes to answer the journal question. I require the boys to write at least 4-6 sentences to support their thinking. The journals help the boys use their creative imagination as well as deepen their thinking and problem solving skills. Journaling is a way for the boys to freely write without the pressure of grading. The boys have amazed me with their creativity and assessment of the world around them!

They also have Daily Oral Language that they complete as well. Their daily oral language is a quick way to strengthen their grammar skills. Every week the boys have a new reading skill that they improve on. These would include: main Idea, supporting details, authors purpose, sequencing, cause-and-effect, and inferencing. The boys are often given a model of “I do” “we do” “you do”. I show them how to recognize the skill first, then we do it as a class, then the boys are asked to work independently. The boys have shown much growth in this all-important area.

The boys enjoy when I read a novel to them. The latest novel I just read before Passover break was I, Dred Scott. This book is about an enslaved African-American man in the United States who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom. The boys thoroughly adored this novel. This book stimulated wonderful classroom discussion. Often the children write a compare and contrast paragraph or more. This includes “text to self” (how can they identify to the text), “text to text” (how does the text relate to another book that they have read) and “text to world” (how does the text relate to the environment and community within which they live.) The boys never cease to amaze me with their insights and understanding!

Social Studies and Science are taught weekly with exciting activities and thought provoking discussions from the students’ books. This year in Social Studies we have discussed Native People of North American Slavery and Emancipation, as well as The Modern Era. In Science we have covered Growth and Survival, Technology in Science, and Structure and Function of the Human Body.

Math is taught daily. After the daily lesson, the children are given work to complete during the school day and homework that helps reinforce the specific skill they are learning. Some of the skills the boys have mastered this year are place value to the trillions and multiplication and division of three or more digits. Additionally, the boys are able to identify the lowest common denominator and the least common multiple of any two given numbers. We are in the process of adding subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions. These are difficult skills to master, therefore much time is being spent teaching them.

Lunch, recess, and independent reading are woven within our school day. It has been a wonderful year of learning, growing, and working with the boys. They have made exciting academic gains this school year and I look forward to watching them grow, and grow, and grow!



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“Classroom Close-ups” A detailed description of the exciting happenings in each grade at Torah Academy

5th Grade Girls General Studies~Mrs. Gross“Learning is about finding out who you are, what you are, where you are and what you are standing

on and what you’re good at and what’s over the horizon, well, everything.” (Pratchett, 2010).“Good afternoon girls, stand next to your desks...” and so we begin another day in the Fifth Grade girls’

classroom. It’s quite a journey; a year that inspires, excites, challenges, ignites and tries to bring out the beauty and wonder of learning, the world around us, and every subject we touch.

The plunge into learning takes us to Daily Language Review or Journal - after all, where would we be without practice? Fifth graders become grammar experts, catching the mistakes in minutes!

Mondays are Spelling Pre-test Day, often with words chosen from the Literature books we are reading. We create interesting stories - and sometimes poems! - using every word on the list. Our Target Words includes up to 30 commonly misspelled words that we practice every week...even some adults have trouble with these words! The Spelling Test on Thursday always comes together with a Spelling Riddle to help us sharpen our thinking skills. We often match wits with Encyclopedia Brown, boy detective - and usually get the answer! (How much dirt is there in a hole six inches high and three inches wide?)

Accelerated Reading is an important part of the day. Without reading skills, and a love of reading, school is a much more difficult place. A trip to our school library, where we worked on lists of books to read, helped generate passion and excitement for this vital lifetime skill.

In Math we emphasize how we will be using these skills in the future - as Mrs. Gross can testify, Fifth Grade math is what we use for life! Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Fractions...We start the lesson on the board, and myriads of Math Points keep the girls on their toes. Afterwards, it’s practicing in our workbooks, where the girls become skilled at explaining and supporting their peers. We know that Math goes beyond numbers, and that’s why we are learning Problem Solving, creating our own problems. Math is thinking, and we have multiple opportunities to stretch our minds throughout the day.

In Science, we create beautiful foldables to showcase the fascinating wonders in the world around us. From the Cell to Digestion, Circulation to Health, we foster an understanding and appreciation for Hashem’s creations. With review games, visual aids, delicious cell cupcakes, measuring our own digestive systems, and a lively curiosity, the fifth grade girls are always eager for more.

Foldables also make an appearance in Social Studies, where History comes to life through artifacts, stories, videos, amazing accordion books, Revolutionary War 3-D timelines and various activities. We want History to come to life, to understand that it is complex and multi-faceted, and that there are many points of view to consider. History

continued on page 7



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is REAL, and we feel it. Ask us about the Battle of Trenton! Do we know about Benedict Arnold? What kind of character traits did the Explorers have? What was it like being a Native American before the Europeans came? Who REALLY discovered America?

To foster a love of reading, we try to cover as many exciting, age-appropriate novels as possible, using discussion questions, projects and animated read-aloud to accomplish this goal. Beginning with “Follow My Leader,” where we learned how blind people manage to live productive lives, we have since read the difficult “The Phantom Tollbooth,” The City of Ember”, “The People of Sparks”, and we are currently in the middle of “The Diamond of Darkhold”. Walk into the classroom during Literature, marvel at the silence, and be swept away by the stories...

Writing is of paramount importance in Fifth Grade, and we do it constantly. Besides for Journal, we have written and perfected 4Square Essays, book jackets, Penny Writing Stories, poems, and we are now in the midst of authentic Revolutionary War letters (complete with aged paper, wax seals and candle drippings!). We revise, fix up and re-write until our heads swim, but we end up with beautiful, quality work that impresses everyone.

Of course, we can’t forget our “Around the World “ Program, where every week we focus on a new country, exploring its geography, customs and interesting features. Through articles, actual artifacts and pictures, we get a glimpse into life around the world. We also explore the Jewish life and history of every place we visit. At the end of each week, the girls fill out and stamp their ‘passports’ to record their journey. Grammar ties in to this program, with each lesson being ‘taught’ by a girl from the country of the week.

There is so much to write about that even an article like this can’t really encapsulate everything...daily STORY, the ABC projects, playing hangman for vocabulary, the monthly activities, raffles and rewards, the spunk and enthusiasm the girls bring to the classroom each day...Learning is important, but a love of learning is for a lifetime. In Fifth Grade we discover the reader, writer, scientist, mathematician, grammarian and artist that lies in each of us. We find out how much we really know, and how much there is still left to learn. We explore new ideas and challenge ourselves to build upon previous knowledge. We learn and grow and change...and we find out that Fifth Grade is one of those amazing years that come once in a lifetime...unless you’re lucky enough to teach it!

G.O. UpdateIs she IN or OUT?The outfit is not what it’s about. The girls tried to figure out who the

covered students were. They definitely couldn’t tell by their outfits. They each earned a little treat but couldn’t have guessed what it was from its covering.

4G Studying Habitats

G.O.

G.O.



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The Yedios Keloliyos trip is planned and as in previous years it is exciting and well worth the work. The students are waiting for hints where this year’s stupendous trip be. We now have 116 students who have passed their goal and many more who are almost there. The total points earned in school is 153,260. The deadline to accumulate points to the student’s individual goal is May 12th. With this in mind, I am going to repeat,

The Hint of the Week:Please check with your child, and if need be your

child’s Rebbi or Morah, how many points they have and how many they still need to attain their goal.

Note: the 5th-8th graders have requirements they need to be tested on in order to pass their goal.

As always, if your child is challenged by any of these requirements or needs help in any other way, please call your child’s Rebbi, Morah or Rabbi Prero.

The following students have passed their goals during the past few weeks:Binyomin ShermanYehuda Leib WeissYosef Shalom RobertsAharon GoldbergAsher ShertokAlexander LowingerTamar PittermanJosh SilverbergYissachar KutoffShmuel Tzvi Prero

Deena ShermanAida WeissYosef SilverbergSofia Malka FelmanHannah WeissMenucha DraySruli SilvermanYiscah SilvermanYechiel Kutoff

Sarah IdsteinRoi TsadokBracah IdsteinBryna SilverbergDevora CohenReuven BerezovskyGavriel KupferChaya Dalya BerezovskyTzvi LowingerSophia Zucker

Yedios Keloliyos

Liba AncierChaya Dalya BerezovskyEsther BorensteinGuita BorensteinMoshe BorensteinAharon Pinchas BotnickRuchama BotnickSigalit CassutoNoam ChodosNaftali CohenHillel DeitelMiriam EbsteinBracha EngelsonChaya Sara EngelsonRena Chana FeldmanBinyomin FriedlerMeir Emanuel Galili

mazel Tov To The pesaCh hasmada FinalisTs!Yael Reena GhermezianAvraham GreenbergEliyahu GreenbergSarah GreenbergDovid HeislerShaindy KalatskyAteret Batya KleinShaked Chana KleinEytan Yair KrebsDena KupferGavriel KupferNachum KutoffYakov KutoffYechiel KutoffYissachar KutoffSara Miriam Kvasnik

Alexander Chaim Lowinger

Chani LowingerTzvi LowingerTova MandelbaumCarmit MaruaniEsther PamGitel PamAyelet Tehilla PittermanTamar Liel PittermanChaya PreroShmuel Tzvi PreroMordechai SchulmanRivka Michal SchulmanDeena ShermanEsther Sherman

Esther Tova ShertokBryna SilverbergYechezkel Elazar

SilverbergAsher SilvermanMijael SkapinoDovid SklareMalka SklareMichoel SklareZalman SklareBatsheva SmithRoi TsadokMordechai Aryeh

WeinbergShabsi WeinbergHannah WeissEsther Bracha Zahtz



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continued on page 10

Around Torah AcademyBrief snippets of what is going on in the classroom from the teachers

Torah Academy’s Middos & Mentschlichkeit Program

This week we are working on

Being Considerate

Not interrupting people while they are talking – parents, teachers, friends, and

classmates!

Torah Tot 16-Month OldsSPRING in our classroom to see how much

we have GROWN this year!!! We have begun learning all about spring flowers and we are enjoying decorating them. We even planted a flower, let see if it grows!!!

Mrs. B. Weinberg & Miss WeinbergTorah Tot Two Year OldsWhat is a good friend? We spent the week really

delving into good friendships and what they mean. It’s that time of year of Sefiras HaOmer and Rabbi Akiva. A friendship web was really special. We are great friends.

Mrs. Goldberger, Mrs. Skapino, Mrs. Gepner, & Mrs. Rotkin

Pre-KindergartenThe children had so many wonderful stories to tell

us about Pesach!Now back to the classroom…We made an Alef-Bais Train () with all of the

letters we know for the letter . We can put them all in order!

A flower is placed on our Har Sinai each day as we count the Omer.

We learned from Rabbi Akiva about the mitzva of V’ahavta L’raiacha Kamocha—being a good friend.

What does a stop sign have to do with Parshas Tazria and Mitzora? Just ask a Pre-K student!

Mrs. Heisler & Mrs. RapoportThis week Pre-K is focusing on the food groups

and learning what makes a healthy meal. Logic puzzles and counting food cards help us develop our math skills, while sorting food letter sounds will help us with literacy. This week we also introduced our last three letters of the alphabet, we are about to become alphabet masters!

Mrs. WennerKindergartenBack to a full week of school… and we were so

busy!Kindergarten is excited as we count the days until

Shavuos. The students decorated Sefiras HaOmer charts for home and created beaded charts for in class. The children are enjoying the inspiring story of Rabbi Akiva and know so many details. We also learned

about the important mitzvah of Shemiras HaLashone (careful speech) from this week’s parshios!

Mrs. C.R. Weinberg & Mrs. SmithThis week the kindergarteners experimented with

plants to see what was needed for them to grow. They started to journal and tie shoes. In math we finished subtraction and started a unit on money. What a busy week!

Ms. Haase & Ms. StrandFirst GradeHope everyone had a wonderful Pesach! We are

back into our routine and quite busy. We are moving along in Chumash and are almost done learning Yom Shlishi. We are also learning about Sefiras HaOmer and Pirkei Avos!

Have a great Shabbos.Mrs. Herron & Mrs. BotnickThis week in Superkids the first graders worked

on adverbs, synonyms, multiple-meaning words, and “bossy R” trickers. In math we worked on fact families, 3 addends, and missing addends. In social studies we reviewed unit 3 on American history. We also began an art unit. We are practicing drawing



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different kinds of lines. All first graders should be reading and testing AR books.

Mrs. SingerSecond GradeIt is sure great to be back in Kita Bais. With the

Shoresh Bee pilling up and the being completed, we are learning a lot! We are deep into our Ivrit booklets and already writing short sentences. Our Pirkei Avos unit was introduced; please take time to look at it over Shabbos. We are looking forward to the Eretz Yisroel Fair and finishing creating our mobiles. Did you hear about our siyum? I’m sure you did!

Mrs. Rothstein & Mrs. C.R.WeinbergI was very pleased to hear from my talmidim

about how they used their special Hagados over Pesach; hopefully, they supplied you with a large amount of nachas!

As we begin the last segment of the school year, we are doing anything but slowing down! There is still so much more that we wish to accomplish… and we will! Please help us in this regard by seeing to it that your son does his nightly review with at least the same attention to detail as in the past. In this way you will help me reinforce the sense that we are still learning for real, in spite of the fact that summer is “right around the corner”!

Rabbi HeislerThis week in Superkids the second graders

worked on prefixes, characters’ feelings, and words that begin with w. We read “Love and Roast Chicken” for book club. In math we worked on comparing amounts of money, making change, and adding and subtracting money. In social studies we learned about service jobs, taxes, and volunteer workers. All students should be reading AR books and working to finish their third trimester goal. The trip to Old Cahill School is this Monday!

Mrs. SingerThird GradeBusy, busy week. Yaakov Avinu is a caring

person. He constantly thought of others. Ask your daughter why the possuk says the word passed over the river in singular form if he was with his wives and children.

We are enjoying learning about the Shivtai Yisroel, their flags, and which portion each shevet had.

Remember to review Pirkei Avos!!!Have a wonderful Shabbos.Mrs. Prero

Baruch Hashem the third graders got right back into learning after the Pesach break. We are now learning difficult pesukim about the deals between Lavan and Yaakov. Lets learn up from Yaakov Avinu, how to be very honest people! We hope that you will have a chance to stop by School next week and view our Eretz Yisroel project.

Have a great Shabbos,Rabbi FriedlerThe third graders worked on setting goals for the

remainder of the year. We looked at our Accelerated Reader progress, tried to estimate when we could finish our grammar books, went over what we still have to do in math, and spent time completing our science unit. We also looked at the classroom behaviors and rountines that will help us to do our best.

Friday was All Science Day! As I am writing this, I am looking forward to a day spent with experiments and other activities to wrap up our science unit on simple machines. We are enjoying our chapter on geometry in the math books before heading back to multiplication and division for more experience with our math facts and larger products and quotients.

We are looking forward to a fieldtrip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in May, where we will learn about pollination. More information will be coming shortly.

1st Grade M

emory G

ame



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Rabbi Idstein’s Morning Inspirational Quotations• Do it now as many times “later” becomes “never.”• You can do anything if you have enthusiasm!• Believe you can and you are ½ way there!• If and when life gets tough just remember YOU ARE TOUGHER!

Your third grader was given the very last Scholatic Book order form for this school year.

Mrs. HalekFourth GradeIn Navi, we finished Perek Vav. To summarize

the perek, we are making a mini-book about what happened in the perek. In Chumash, we finished Perek Mem Bais. Do you know how Rashi knows that it was Levi who opened the bag and found money and food in it? Ask a 4th grade girl!

Mrs. IdsteinThis week we studied the for . There

are 11 extra brought: bulls, rams, sheep, and a goat. One of them is a sin offering for “HaShem”—as if HaShem needs atonement for minimizing the size of the moon. How can we understand this? Ask our 4th graders!

Rabbi WaxmanThe 4th grade boys and girls are moving forward

into the depths of division, they are enjoying their art time, and excited about the study of ecosystems and habitats.

We went outside, after discussing the variety of habitats found around school. The students, after choosing an animal, discussion habitats, and designing ideas for habitats, set off to build new habitat spaces for the local fauna.

The students enjoyed Earth Day, and showed their appreciation by collecting the rubbish in the areas surrounding the school.

Many of the girls and boys completed art projects this week that combined science and art! Ask your son and daughters about it! They have many art projects hanging in the halls for your viewing pleasure!

Mrs. AndersenFifth GradeWelcome to the last stretch of the year! We

excitedly began Parshas Beshalach and finished Perek yud gimmel! We started learning about shimshon hagibor, the next shofet to protect klal Yisroel from the enemy.

How did we end up learning about an insurance policy for our health??

In tefilla, we continued on in shmone esrei ,



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learning the translation of Barech Aleinu. Have a wonderful Shabbos! Mrs. LichtmanIt was truly so special having our class’s parents

(and grandparents!) join us for our Hascholas G’marah Breakfast this past Monday. Hopefully, the entire event made a very positive impression upon the talmidim and will be something that they will remember fondly! Now, in addition to our regular limudim, we have added G’marah! We are learning the sixth perek of Masechta Bava Kamma—and although we recently learned this perek in Mishnayos, we are now going very slowly and carefully and learning Rashi as well.

Continued nachas!Rabbi HeislerIn our first full week after Pesach, we are moving

ahead to maximize the last few weeks of learning! With a test on Problem Solving and the beginning of Graphs, nearing the finish line on our Health Unit in Science and beginning our newest novel, “The Diamind of Darkhold”, there is so much to do. We are also working hard on our authentic Revolutionary War era letters, visiting Myanmar, and beginning a short unit on Poetry - besides for creating our own poems for the National Poetry Contest! It’s great to be back again. Have a wonderful Shabbos!

Sixth GradeWelcome back to 6th grade.We are heading into the home stretch.We feel like we never left picking up on the

learning from where we left off. One exciting addition in our schedule is practicing for our special and exciting performance at the end of the year in honor of our Bnos Mitzvah .We look forward to wowing you all then….

Good Shabbos,Mrs. AbramczykThe sixth graders hit the ground running! We

started the next mishna, learning about what needs to be announced, and had four answers to the Gemara’s stirah! In Chumash we learned about Amalek attacking us in the midbar and how we should never complain. The boys are also getting ready for their Eretz Yisroel project! Come next week to see what it’s going to be!

Have a great Shabbos!Rabbi LichtmanIn Science, we planted some vegetables and will

do an experiment later on different types of plant food

and liquid types. We are also studying the water cycle chapter in the textbook.

Social Studies- we are studying chapter 15 in the textbook on before and after the stock market crash. But, the class is also studying the government of Minnesota as a precursor to next week’s field trip to the Capitol.

In Language Arts, we are reading, “The Boy Who Saved Baseball,” and are doing some vocabulary and comprehension from the readings. We are also working on descriptive writing and vocabulary.

Finally, in Math, group A is working on percents and decimals and group B is working on ratios.

Just a reminder that next week we go to the Capitol on Tuesday, let me know if you’d like to chaperone.

Mr. TiemannSeventh GradeWe’re back to learning and have begun . What happened to the pans? What did Bnei

Yisroel complain about? Thank you girls for enhancing the G.O. activity!Mrs. EngelsonWe start off each morning with a Bein Adam

L’Chaveiro tidbit and exercise of the day. We don’t want to just count the days, rather to make each day count!

Our new Pirkei Avos unit is off the ground. We are giving our wardrobes a Middos Makeover—come check out our bulletin board! This week’s Middos were: —Don’t lash out; —In one “ear” but not out the other, and —thin “far-head.”

Good Shabbos!Miss MandelbaumEighth GradeThe eighth graders are taking advantage of their

last few weeks here at School. There is still so much to accomplish in very little time. We are moving ahead full steam in Gemorah.

Have a great Shabbos,Rabbi FriedlerMS Geography & HistorySixth graders are currently studying the effects of

WWII on the Home Front and Minnesota in particular. They’re learning how many Minnesota companies ceased making the products they were known for in order to help produce ammunition, raw materials and manufactured goods to be sent to US troops in Europe.

Seventh graders are currently wrapping up



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learning about the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and how it affected the entire country by sparking the ten-year long period of economic hardship known as the Great Depression.

Eighth graders have embarked on their last full-scale project of the year focusing on African countries south of the Sahara Desert. They will produce a number of items of their choosing to display their learning. The end of the school year is approaching quickly!

Mrs. GraifMS Language ArtsThis week, students were busy working on the

rough drafts of their short stories. 7B will hand in their rough drafts on Friday. I will update the calendar and send out an e-mail when a rough draft due date is picked for the other classes. I’m excited to read the many creative stories that students have been writing so far!

Ms. StrandMS MathematicsAs we get closer to the end of the year and

graduation for the 8th grade students will get a taste of working with Systems of Linear Equations in Two Variables. In this unit, students will solve a system of linear equations (2 equations or more) in three ways: 1) by graphing each equation, 2) by substituting an expression for one variable, then solving to get a value which can be used to obtain the value of the second variable and, 3) by using the elimination method. Students have already graphed linear equations so they should have little trouble solving a system!

Mr. MunozMS Science6G—Many of the students used their imaginations

and resources as they decided how to present their facts and information, as they presented: Rock Cycles: Where do rocks come from? They delivered and presented: informative-fun skits, a few wrote stories, while others used posters and songs! We are having fun while learning! We are moving through the movements of Earth!

7G & &7 B—These students are creating Super Heroes, genetics style! We have been developing Punnet squares to determine traits of various living things, from plants to animals. The students will be creating a new line of Super- Hero and sharing their genetically crossed creations in the form of poster presentations, clay creations – or power point

presentations and sharing them with the class. They are following a rubric as they do so.

8B—We are moving quickly through Newton’s Laws of Motion, Force and Energy as we prepare for Rockets and our Upcoming launch! Lots to do, and much intense study time is needed for these students!

Mrs. Andersen



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BS”D

The Kolenu Parsha Page (Please use to enhance your Shabbos Meal)

Who Am I? (Guess who I am from the following clues; often the answer is Parsha related)

1. I am different every day, 2. I am only blessed in the evenings, 3. I always miss the 1st Seder but I am never late for Shavuos, 4. If you miss me it is not a blessing!

1. I cause separation, 2. Go to the barber, 3. I can make you wealthy, 4. Watch your mouth!

Answers can be found below the Inspirational Story!

Torah Riddle Why do snakes have spots? Answer can be found below the Inspirational Story!

Inspirational Story of the Week – An envelope addressed to the Chofetz Chaim's yeshiva in Radin arrived in the mail. The secretary was shocked when he opened the envelope and found a 100-ruble note! This was quite unusual, since such a large sum of money in cash would normally be sent as registered mail or personally hand-delivered, not sent through regular mail.

He went to the Chofetz Chaim zt’l and asked him what to do. The Chofetz Chaim instructed that the money should not be deposited until the donor was contacted to clarify this strange occurrence, since it might have been sent in error. The secretary wrote a letter to the donor, inquiring why the money had been sent in such an odd way.

The man replied that it was not a mistake and explained why he purposely sent the money in this manner: "I was involved in a major business deal with an enormous sum of money at stake. There was potential for me to make a very large profit, but at the same time a risk that I might lose a considerable amount. I made up in my mind that if the deal would be successful, I would donate 100 rubles to your yeshiva in Radin. In fact, the deal turned out to be even more successful than I had hoped, and I wanted to redeem my mental pledge to tzedaka as quickly as possible. I was afraid that if I waited until I had a chance to get to the post office, buy a money order and arrange for the envelope to be sent `special delivery,' I might have a change of heart and reduce or even negate my pledge. Although I realized that I took a risk by putting the money into an envelope, I did it in order to prevent a change of mind!" ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Answers – Who Am I? Sefiras HaOmer (Left side) Tzora’as (Right side) Torah Riddle –They were punished with tzora’as for speaking Loshon Hora against HaShem. (Rabeinu Bachya)

the fifth grade boys’ hascholas g’marah breakfast marked a...

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