MIVASERET MERCAZ
מבשרת מרכז
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We returned to school after Pesach ready to count down the Omer to Shavuot! We ate pizza, we traveled back in time, we painted, we programmed, we looked at clouds that way. We remembered things both sad and happy. We celebrated Israel! Scroll down to catch a glimpse of a week in the life of Mercaz Academy...
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Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, Yom Ha'atzmaut:
From the depths to the heights with Mercaz
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Survivor Visits Mercaz Academy for Holocaust Memorial Day |
“I was eight years old when it started for me…”
Mercaz students marked Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, with a visit from Zelda Polofsky, a survivor of the Holocaust who lives just a block from the school. Students in first through sixth grade greeted Mrs. Polofsky by singing “Vehi She’amda.” This song, which students learned in music class before Pesach, is from the Haggadah and acknowledges Hashem as the mainstay of the Jewish people through countless attempts to destroy them.
Rabbi Fogel told the students that this moment in time marked a significant opportunity to meet a survivor, an opportunity that their children will probably never have...MORE WITH PHOTOS
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Mercaz Parent Shares Soundtrack of Loss on Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day |
Amir Kirsh, a Mercaz Academy parent from Israel, guided grades four through six through a short Yom Hazikaron program, focusing on the mood of the day as reflected by Israeli music written by or about IDF soldiers killed in the line of duty. Mr. Kirsh explained that in Israel, the day is commemorated with ceremonies in memory of these brave young men, stories of their heroism on radio and television, and a siren marking two minutes of silence in their honor. However, Mr. Kirsh told students, the music of Yom Hazikaron best represents the Israeli experience of the day, allowing us to feel all that we have lost.
To share the experience with our Mercaz Academy students, CLICK HERE for Mr. Kirsh’s moving presentation, complete with links to the music.
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Happy 75th Birthday, Israel! We Celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut |
Students at Mercaz Academy celebrated Israel’s 75th birthday with parades, dancing, and fun on Yom Ha’atzmaut. The day began with Rabbi Fogel’s recitation of the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel, which led to the whole school parading around the school’s bus loop with flags flying high. Many Mercaz families joined the procession, much to the delight of the students. Excited Mercaz pupils sang along to the music as they waved flags, and younger students wore the crowns and necklaces they had created in preparation for the day. The parade was a joyous one, with live music provided by Mercaz Academy’s music teacher, Craig Resmovits.
Kitah Vav had spent weeks preparing exhibits on five different areas of Israel: Tzfat, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be’ersheva, and Yam Hamelach (the Dead Sea). These sixth graders researched their areas and put together informative presentations on each city...MORE WITH PHOTOS
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Blue Dog Inspires Fifth Graders Working on State Reports |
Fifth grade students have been painting in the style of George Rodrigue, who preserved in his art his Cajun heritage and the uniqueness of his home state of Louisiana. Rodrigue’s most famous work, the Blue Dog series, was inspired by a Cajun werewolf legend as represented by his own dog. The artist began with Louisiana scenes, but ultimately placed his blue dog in many different landscapes.
This brought fifth grade art and social studies together for a creative cross-curricular study! The fifth graders are currently working on their state reports, with Mrs. Papaccioli assigning each student a state to research and present. As part of this overall project, our art teacher Mrs. Danziger guided students through the series for inspiration, and each painted a Rodrigue Blue Dog into a background representing the assigned state.
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Third, Fourth Grades Visit Old Bethpage Village Restoration |
Third and fourth graders took a trip back in time when they visited Old Bethpage Village Restoration last week. The restoration, which features original historic structures from all over Long Island, is considered a “living museum.”
Mercaz students enjoyed the opportunity to see what life was like in our area between the late 1600s and 1800s. Their time there included tours of homes, a visit to the general store and inn, a stop at the milliner’s, and a visit to the one-room schoolhouse. However, students were most interested in the 19th century working farm located on the site, particularly by two huge hogs whimsically named Hamilton and Captain Bacon.
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Second Graders Use Tech Savvy to Program a Robot Band |
The second grade has a great deal of experience programming their Dash robots, making them spin, blink, and drive around in accordance with instructions. But now, like many modern AI developers, they’ve brought art into the equation by programming the little robots to play a musical instrument. Mrs. Last provided the xylophone attachments and a goal, and students used their reasoning skills and the iPad controllers to create an algorithm. It wasn’t long before the Dash robots were able to play a tune, and it’s probably only a matter of time before they, too, have a song on the charts. CLICK ON THE PHOTO to listen to the robots’ musical performance.
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Mercaz GrowTorah Garden Offers Safe Nesting Site to Visiting Birds |
Just in time for the second graders’ STEM unit on birds, Mercaz has welcomed exciting visitors to Mercaz Academy! Two killdeers have decided that the middle of our GrowTorah garden is the perfect place to start their family. Killdeers are protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act, and Mercaz is taking every precaution to keep our feathered friends safe and sound. As of this writing, just one egg is evident, but a typical clutch is anywhere from four to six eggs. The incubation period is approximately 28 days, so it is possible that students will see the egg hatch before the Shavuot/Memorial Day break. Students have been observing the birds with a great deal of interest, enjoying the opportunity to see into the nest but maintaining enough of a distance to avoid agitating the bird parents. This is a wonderful opportunity for Mercaz students, and we will make the most of it. Watch this space for further updates…
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Kitah Aleph Looks at Clouds b’Ivrit
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In Kitah Aleph, the letter of the week is ע (ayin). Students began by reading a story in Hebrew about עננים (clouds). Students then conversed in Hebrew about their paper clouds, which Morah Shani distributed in three sizes. After using their vocabulary to speak and write about the big, medium, and small clouds, they extended their sentences to include the color of the clouds– white, gray, or black. Kitah Aleph labeled their clouds in Hebrew and colored them accordingly.
They also played a game called "Show Me That Cloud," in which students listened to Morah Levana describe the cloud she wanted to see and then held up the appropriate cloud. The children continued polishing their conversational skills b’Ivrit by choosing a cloud and describing it to the class. The week ended with the clouds turned into beautiful mobiles.
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Tuesday, May 9
- Lag Ba'omer bonfire and barbecue
Thursday, May 18
- Yom Yerushalayim hike and program at Sands Point Preserve, grades 1-6
Friday, May 19
Thursday, May 25
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1:45 dismissal, all grades (Erev Shavuot)
Friday, May 25 through Monday, May 29
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NO SCHOOL (Shavuot, Memorial Day)
Tuesday, May 30
- Author visit, Gordon Korman, grades 4-6
Sunday, June 4
- Celebrate Israel@75 Parade in NYC
Thursday, June 22
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12:30 dismissal, all grades (Last day of school)
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Graduation: Nursery Aleph, Nursery Bet, Kindergarten, and Sixth Grade
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