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Upcoming Events
October 21
Kehilla Shabbat
see flyer
October 22
PTA Mom's Night Out
see flyer
October 25
Picture Make up Day & All School Photo
October 26
All School Early Dismissal
2:00pm
Teacher Work Day
Accreditation Workshop
(No HAS, HW Club or Stay & Play)
October 26
The Big Los Angeles Challah Bake at Shalhevet High School
7:00pm
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Mom's Night Out!
Join your fellow Hillel Moms for a night out on
Sunday October 22nd at 7:30pm. We'll provide all the instructions and supplies you need to make your own
beautiful succulent arrangement, while you enjoy wine and cheese with friends. Bring a friend, sister, mom or neighbor and get ready to have some fun!
It's easy to sign up online. But hurry, we expect this to sell out early!
Give your children the gift of healthy food. A fun and enjoyable treat! Fruit cart sign-up entitles your student to a bag of fresh fruit once a week during the entire school year. Fruit cart is available for Grades Pre-1 to 5 on Wednesday mornings. Sign up online here for the remainder of the year.
Co-Sponsor a Rosh Chodesh Breakfast for the teachers and staff in in honor of your child's bar mitzvah, birthday, or teacher; or in honor or memory of someone you love. The teachers
really appreciate
this gesture
! The next Rosh Chodesh teacher breakfast will be Friday, October 20th for Cheshvan but you can sign up online in advance for any month. $100, or add multiple times to your cart to contribute $200 or $300 if desired.
Join The Birthday Book Club!
Your birthday child will get to choose a new book for the library with a dedication to him or her inside, check it out first, and have their picture proudly on display in the library.
Kids love to see their names in the books!
Excess funds will be used for recreational supplies like games, balls, hula hoops and jump ropes.
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Alexis & Jonathan Newman on the birth of a baby girl!
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...Our sincerest condolences to Nick Parsons and his family on the loss of his grandmother.
...Our sincerest condolences to the Moussai family on the passing of their grandfather.
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Parnas
HaYom
is a beautiful way to honor a yarzheit, merit a refuah shelemah, or celebrate a simcha. Dedicating the Torah learning of students at Hillel to mark an occasion helps us to imbue both a love of learning and appreciation for the value of Torah scholarship.
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ISSUE NO. 004
Devar Parashat Noach Rosh Chodesh MarCheshvan, 5778
Kehilla Shabbat - Bat Mitzvah Yalee Schwartz
Friday, October 20, 2017
30 Tishrei 5778
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E Pluribus Unum
By Rabbi Sufrin, Head of School
 This week's
parasha
introduces the story of מגדל בבל -
Migdal Bavel
- the Tower of Babylon and the intentions of its builders. When reading the text, we see that the builders attempted to do something that many people want in this world. They sought to build a sky-reaching edifice as a monument of their identity and accomplishment as a community. History is full of examples of these types of structures. What went wrong in Babylon, such that the builders of מגדל בבל earned a harsh punishment for wanting to achieve these goals?
The commentaries of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch focus on the diction used by the people of Babylon to help us understand their intentions. They said, "let us build a tower" and added: ונעשה לנו שם - "Let us make for ourselves a name." This verbiage reveals two challenges in the mindset of those constructing the tower. First, they attempt to rid themselves of subservience to a higher being, a confrontation to Gd, as shown by their words: נעשה לנו שם - let us make for ourselves a name. In effect, their message is: "
We want our own name."
The builders did not view themselves as part of a group under a divine umbrella. Secondly, they sought personal glory, both initiated and endorsed by humans. They sought to destroy the role of the individual within the community in proclaiming, "
We want the name to be our name."
Thus, they erred by privileging individual accomplishments and talents over the community.
When Gd created humankind, He created us as one person: אדם נברא יחידי - mankind was created as an individual.
Though there is tremendous emphasis on צבור - community - in our lives as Gdly inspired people, we deduce from the language here that a community is only as good as the sum of its individual parts. The builders of the מגדל בבל lacked an appreciation of these values and hence their intentions were antithetical to the fundamental tenets Gd ascribed to His chosen nation.
In education, the connection and joy in each of us being a part of a Divinely inspired community and understanding the value that each of us has in making our community a Divine dwelling place are quintessential values. Recognizing unique strengths and special attributes of individuals is of tremendous importance. Lifting up each person for their Gd-given gifts is the greatest way to build a "skyscraper" that genuinely serves to elevate the holiness of an entire
kehilla
and enhance the whole community.
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Natural Consequences and Student Responsibility
By Mrs. Ilana Zadok, Director of Campus Life
 At Hillel, we work to ensure that students consider their personal choices and their impact. One specific area that students continue to consider their personal
achrayut
/responsibility and accountability to self is through the use of natural consequences. Unlike punishment or logical consequences, natural consequences occur as an organic result of a specific action. Natural consequences are not administered by the adult; rather, the child chooses the consequence because of his or her experience. For example, if a child forgets an assignment at home, he or she has to explain the situation to the teacher in class, and the child will not be able to contribute fully to class conversation, possibly losing a few points. If a child stays up too late on a school night, he or she may have a harder time getting up the next day and will feel tired all day. If a child is busy talking to a neighbor in class or is otherwise distracted, that child will miss important instructions and have a harder time doing an assignment. An uncharged iPad brought to class may mean the child has to use other means to get the assignment done that day. The goal of natural consequences is that through respectful and relevant means, the student has to own the responsibility for his/her action and then consider his or her choices the next time he or she is in a similar situation. As much as we, the parents, want to help our children through challenging times by sometimes saving the day (and getting a Mommy/Daddy of the year award, an amazing tight squeeze, or a grateful comment about how amazing we are!) the next time your child tells you he forgot his homework at home, instead of bringing it to school for him, try saying, "That's frustrating. Have you thought about what you are going to say to your teacher?"
It is not a coincidence that the first character pillar of the school year is Achrayut/Responsibility. At a time of the year that emphasizes setting procedures and classroom norms, Achrayut/Responsibility specifically focuses on one's responsibility to one's self. As we move into the pillar of Kehilla/Citizenship, the students will consider the impact they have on others and their community.
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Counting Numbers Makes Sense
By Mrs. Benhamou and Morah Shima, First Grade Teachers
The skill of counting may seem like a simple task; however, it is an important skill and sets the foundation for future math learning. In first grade, our goal is to develop number sense through various hands-on experiences. Students play games including "Look and List," a game that engages their visual awareness and encourages counting skills. They count the number of legs on an object or the number of dots on a domino. Number tiles act as manipulative tools as students match the number tile with the correct picture. Each tile can only be used once, allowing students to self-check their work. Our Singapore Math curriculum moves students from pictorial identification to abstract thinking. Counting and one-to-one correspondence are introduced early on as essential building blocks of mathematics. Our first graders are discovering the use of numbers while gaining the confidence to "do math" with a level of mastery and deeper understanding. We are off to a great start this year and we look forward to counting on.
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Looking Forward to Israel!
By Shelly Smith, Middle School Ivrit Teacher
 In Grade 8, our students excitedly anticipate their upcoming trip to Israel. They talk about the trip and visualize it. They can hardly wait to see the magnificent sites and attractions and interact with Zeitlin students.
As part of enhancing their Hebrew proficiency and preparing for their trip, this year we added a new Israel Studies curriculum. By learning and experiencing Israel's geography, history and culture, the students will gain appreciation for the language of Medinat Israel.
The first unit is Shorshim (Roots). The students discover the Jewish people's relationships to Israel through texts, both sacred and secular. The students appreciate Israel's spiritual inheritance, as well as Israel's tradition of prayer, both historically and currently. The students also practice speaking about relevant conversational topics such as shopping, restaurants, Israeli food and more. These additions enhance their motivation and sense of purpose in their Hebrew studies, making learning more fun and strengthening and deepening their current and future connection to Israel.
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Play it forward at Hillel's Annual Anne Samson a"h Memorial Golf Tournament on November 15, 2017!
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Thank you to our Rosh Chodesh breakfast sponsors: The Heumann Family, in honor of our teachers; The Bollag Family, in memory of Reuven ben Shlomo, and The Nelson Family, in honor of Aiden's birthday.
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Chidon Hamesorah, is a hands-on, after-school learning opportunity for all Jewish children in grades 2-4 focusing on studying Mishna using the acclaimed Bonayich "Mishna Kids" program.
Medallions will be awarded to participants for their achievements!
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