Issue #023
Upcoming Events
 

March 28- April 6
Pesach Break
School Closed

April 9
School Resumes

April 22
Barnes & Noble Bookfair
11:00am-2:00pm


April 29
7th Grade Seattle Trip

Hillel PTA
TEACHER & STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK  
Teacher and staff appreciation week is coming up after Passover. The PTA will be honoring and celebrating our teachers and faculty with a grand breakfast, and lots of fun treats and surprises during the week. 

To contribute to the teacher appreciation fund and show your gratitude,  click here or send your contribution via Venmo to @Hillel-PTA and reference Teacher Appreciation.  


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 that book 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. 

The next birthday celebration will be  Monday, March 26th.



ROSH CHODESH BREAKFAST
Thank you to Sandy Kreitenburg and the Deitcher, Schlacht, Melmed and Gruenbaum families for sponsoring this month's Rosh Chodesh Breakfast.



FRUIT CART
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 8   on Wednesday  mornings.  Sign up online here for the remainder of the year .




Mazal Tov!

18 of our students qualified for the National Chidon HaTanach Contest in New York which represents almost 10% of all of the students who qualified! Kol Hakavod to our all-star Mechanechet, Zippi Klein, who guided, taught, and coached them as well !


Parnas Hayom


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.

If you are interested in sponsoring a Parnas HaYom please  email  parnashayom@hillelhebrew.org
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ISSUE NO. 023
Friday, March 16, 2018
29 Adar, 5778
Erev Shabbat Parashat Hachodesh, Parashat Vayikra , Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Nissan 5778

Purity Deserves Purity
By Rabbi Sufrin, Head of School

We always read the opening of the book of  Vayikra - Leviticus in proximity to Rosh Chodesh  ניסן -Nissan, the Hebrew month that coincides with springtime. The Shalo'h Hakadosh teaches that the weekly Torah portion is connected to the time of the year during which it is read so that can we surmise there has to be a relationship between Vayikra and the month of
Nissan.

There is a midrash that declares: יבוא טהורים וילמד טהורים -- "The pure should come and study (the book) that which describes purity." It has become customary that when first teaching children Chumash, their learning begins with the book of Vayikra, based on this midrash that describes it as the book of purity. Since the majority of the book talks about sacrifices and laws of purity, it is considered to be a most special and pure book.  Children are also described by the midrash in the same terms טהורים - "pure." This is due to their pure hearts and minds that so readily absorb, learn and discover. We see from this midrash how special studying the book of Vayikra is, as it teaches us how to be pure of soul. We also see why this connects to children's Torah study, as they are themselves already so pure.  If we were to describe a time in the year that also could be described using the term טהור --"pure" it would be אביב -- "spring," which coincides with the Hebrew month of Nissan. This is when we see the world begin afresh with blossoms and sunlight and nourishing precipitation, hence the appropriateness of reading Vayikra at this time of the year.

As we prepare for Pesach, the message of purity as it connects both to the season of spring and to children is most fitting. Pesach is the holiday during which we celebrate the Exodus and transformation of the Jewish people into a holy nation. It is also the holiday when we highlight the role of each individual child with the utmost of purity and as having essential value in the future of our nation. Let us all approach this month through the awesome lens of the child and embrace all of life's blessings and Torah learning with purity of heart and soul. Chodesh Tov!

Enrollment is now open for Camp Hillel - Summer 2018!


We are so excited that camp is just a few months away! T his summer we are thrilled to announce that Camp Hillel will run for 8 weeks for the first time ever! 

We have many exciting activities planned and keep adding more each day. Some of these include:
soccer, yoga, dance, water play, gymnastics, performing arts (plays and puppeteering), and more.

Camp Hillel offers programs for children in grades Parent & Me (babies starting at 9 months old) though Kindergarten.

Register before April 10 and receive a 10% Early Bird discount!

Click on the link to sign up: https://www.hillelhebrew.org/camp-hillel/


For more information, contact Alexis Newman, Camp Hillel Director, at (310) 276-6135 or email
Rain or shine... it's Matzo Ball time!

The 3rd Annual Matzo Ball Run dedicated this year in honor of Ben Grossman z"l on Sunday at Dockweiler Beach was more than just "a successful event." It was an event that embodied true dedication and spirit, regardless of the rain and time change. It was camaraderie and competition, felt between new runners and seasoned runners. It was community coming together, to celebrate their love for health and wellness! Just wait until next year... you won't be disappointed!

Thank you to all our sponsors!


Helping Students Manage the Transition to 6th Grade - Organization and Success 101

Judy Pollick, Director of Student Support and School Psychologist

Moving into sixth grade and starting middle school is an adventure but also a huge jump for most students. There is a multiple-step schedule to follow and master, several teachers to engage with, increased homework demands, multiple binders to keep organized, the need to learn to use a locker and navigate combination locks - I am sure that every middle school student can add more examples to this list.

In the 2016-17 school year, we began a program to help selected students who needed more support after the initial "Stepping up to 6th grade" program for all students ended. These students met in small groups once a week to review the basics of organization in school - binders, planners, backpacks and lockers - as well as discuss the need for a well-equipped, sacred study space at home. They also discussed managing their time in order to fulfill homework requirements. Some students benefited from year-long weekly monitoring to regularly reinforce basic organizational skills and to set regular goals to ensure gaps in meeting assignment requirements were remedied. What we found is that basic organizational skills improved, the grades of many of the students went up, the students learned to juggle an exacting middle school curriculum, and students supported one another and celebrated each others' successes and struggles. The students' beginning-of-year and end-of-year ratings of their study skills showed many positive shifts. Parents' partnership in this whole process truly helped.

This program continues this year but some additional instructional components have been added. What happens in the classroom clearly makes a huge difference. Each student completed ratings when we started the groups on what factors "derail" them from being successful before, during and after class. Many felt that they had trouble with listening carefully in class, working during class, and following classroom rules. We then built in instruction on these skills. As the success drawing above shows, "Success is an Iceberg" and for some of the students, it is helpful to underscore the importance of arriving on time to class, bringing all the materials needed, the need for academic perseverance and positive mindsets ("If I keep trying, I can do better"), and resisting classroom distractions ("I am not going to let my friend get me off track"). We are working on all these factors - and more.

The students are proving their ability to visualize their success, and they want to demonstrate that they can do well. I am looking forward to reporting even greater success this year.
Motzaei Shabbat Learning
Chaya Kenigsberg, Director of Judaic Studies ES



This past Motzaei Shabbat marked the final Motzaei Shabbat Learning Program of the year. It was a bittersweet evening for me. It was bitter in the sense that while I am confident that everyone will continue learning at home next Saturday night, we will not experience it together at Hillel until next season. However, it was a joyous evening filled prizes and grand prizes, pizza, ice cream and of course, parent-child learning. It was an opportunity to reflect on the success of the program and all who attended.

Each Saturday night, parents and their children come for an optional night of learning, followed by an activity with the Bnot Sheirut or sports activities. This year, the grade levels rotated with a different grade level and were given an additional opportunity to learn and have an activity with their teachers and parents. From candle-making to intense Torah Quizlet live games, there was never a dull moment! We thank Rabbi Kenigsberg and Rachel Lee for their hard work and dedication to this vibrant program. We thank the Bat Ami and the teachers who participated every week, doing everything from handing out pizza to leading sessions and activities. To get a taste of our Motzaei Shabbat Learning Program, please see the "memories" video shown this past Saturday night.

Middle School P.E.
Coach Jenna Kinsbursky



Middle School Physical Education is a time for students to take a break from their other classes and devices so they can focus on getting much-needed physical activity. Students engage in various fitness exercises, as well as playing sports with their peers. Additionally, the middle school students are coached on their athletic skills and educated regarding how to make good nutrition choices. It is important for the students to use this time to release stress and learn how to live a healthy lifestyle. Through the games students play, they learn that although they may not always win, it is still important to have confidence and pride - regardless of the outcome. As a kehillah, we emphasize the importance of being a mentsch by treating our friends with kavod, respect, and through playing honestly and fairly.

Students are responsible for arriving on time to ensure they receive the most fulfilling PE experience. We aim to help the children decide which sports they like most and hope that they continue to play more in the future, whether recreationally or on a formal team. The Athletic Department provides classes that are student-centered and we are constantly introducing new games to keep things fresh and exciting.

The middle schoolers look forward to P.E. and leave feeling recharged and focused for the rest of their school day. We look forward to a fantastic remainder of the year during which students will continue to learn new skills, and activities that the Athletic Department has planned for them.

Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy accepts paid advertising if it conforms to the values of the school.  However, the school and it's personnel with the Board of Directors do not accept liability or responsibility for advertisers' claims or kashrut of products advertised.
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