MIVASERET MERCAZ
מבשרת מרכז
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In the past two weeks, we flew our flags and marched with pride, toured our states, bubbled with curiosity about the scientific method and the process of writing fiction, and came to our senses—and still had time to harvest and weed the garden! Scroll down to catch a glimpse of life at Mercaz Academy....
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A message from our principal, Rabbi Kalman Fogel:
There’s More to Mercaz Than Meets the Eye
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As we end our first year at Mercaz Academy, we look back at our community’s excitement, a wonderful increase in student learning, parent volunteering, and the innovations that engage students in higher level learning and skills.
You might have heard from students or read in this Newsletter about some of the many programs that have made this past year stand out—you might have even seen a few for yourself. Because the Mercaz Academy environment was so rich with programs and projects, a brief recap is in order so you can appreciate the fullness of what our school community experienced since September. Here’s a list of only some of this year’s hidden innovations, just part of what we do at Mercaz Academy. We can’t wait to build on them in the future!
Here are just a few highlights:
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Mercaz Community on Parade for US and Israel |
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Mercaz Academy on the March for Memorial Day |
Mercaz Academy honored our military by marching in Plainview’s celebrated Memorial Day parade, which was led by veterans and vintage military vehicles, along with the local police and fire departments. Our contingent, with students ranging from early childhood through sixth grade, as well as administrators, teachers, lay leaders, and friends paid tribute by marching down Plainview’s main thoroughfare, American flags waving all the while. Assembled behind our new banner, Mercaz Academy’s marchers displayed abundant pride in the United States, greeting the many onlookers and well-wishers along the route.
Memorial Day celebrations are an old tradition. With our school community’s enthusiastic first-time participation in the local first Memorial Day parade, a new tradition has begun.
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Mercaz Puts it Best Feet Forward at the Celebrate Israel Parade |
Mercaz Academy students from third to sixth grade synchronized their steps as they joyfully danced up Fifth Avenue to salute Israel at the Celebrate Israel Parade. Students of all ages, parents, grandparents, administrators, teachers, and lay leaders joined, with all wearing bright orange t-shirts emblazoned with an Israeli Flag and the number 75.
The enthusiastic mood was matched by the upbeat Jewish music that set the pace as the Mercaz marchers celebrated Israel’s 75th anniversary by marching along the parade route. With thanks to Sharon Stochel and Ellen Zimmerman, the dancers rhythmically led the school up the avenue.
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Nursery Bet Students Fill Up Their Senses |
Each of our five senses works every minute of every day to help make us aware of the world around us. This week, Nursery Bet learned all about our five senses and how they work separately and together. To emphasize the roles that our senses play, children were briefly blindfolded. Instead of relying on sight, as they so often do to understand what they experience, the young explorers employed their other senses—touch, smell, hearing and taste—to identify common objects while blindfolded. Now our four-year-olds get the full picture of how their bodies work to give them the full picture of what happens in their world. |
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Future Authors Learn Tips From Novelist Gordon Korman |
Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders listened with rapt attention as Gordon Korman, author of popular novels for children and young adults, gave an insightful and entertaining behind-the-scenes view of writing fiction and how he creates his works. Relating his personal introduction to writing, Mr. Korman told the students that he wrote (literally—he wrote it by hand in a notebook) his first book when he was 12, which was published when he turned 14. Since then, he has published 100 more, with several others in the pipeline.
The students learned from Mr. Korman that the two most powerful words for sparking creativity are “What if?” From there, ideas for different scenarios can flow. Research is also an important component of writing fiction. As an example, Mr. Korman described how he researched amnesia for his book Restart, in which the main character loses his memory.
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Fifth Graders Report on the States of the Union |
Have you ever toured Rhode Island, North Carolina, Massachusetts, California, Texas, Hawaii, Idaho, Washington, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Florida, Arizona, Alabama, and Pennsylvania in one day? Our elementary school students did—courtesy of our fifth graders’ State Fair.
No prize pumpkins were displayed here but a scavenger hunt was underway as first through sixth grade students competed to answer questions about the states, with answers at the various state exhibitions set up by the fifth graders. Students scurried to learn state capitals, to identify state flowers, or even to find out about what food a state is known for. Ribbons were not awarded but satisfaction abounded.
The Fair was capped off with students speaking entertainingly about their chosen state, with the goal of convincing their parents to take them there. At the end of the Fair, it was clear—the States of our Union are indeed interesting, diverse, and strong.
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First Grade Explores Bubble-ology |
STEM is popping in the first grade, as the students are discovering the science behind bubbles. First, the students learned some basic characteristics of bubbles, such as: What's the only shape a bubble can be? Why do bubbles pop? What's trapped inside the bubble? Ask any first grader and they will provide the correct explanation.
Before designing an experiment to create the best bubble solution, the class mastered certain concept basic to testing hypotheses through experimentation. Under the guidance of STEM teacher Ms. Gonzalez-Spagnolo, the young scientists explored what is a solution, what is a control, and why is a control important to an experiment’s design.
The class tested three solutions--glue, hand soap, and the control, bubble solution. After a very messy test, the class compared the bubble efficacy in the first two groups with the control. The result? A combination of glue, water, AND hand soap created the best bubbles!
Next, the first grade will design and conduct a more scientifically accurate experiment. Before blowing bubbles, the class will record the amounts of soap and water using graduated cylinders. If such a periodical exists, we will report their findings to the journal of Science and Fun.
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GROWTORAH: Living Fully in Our World
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Students reflected on the need to participate fully in the world that Hashem created as they worked the GrowTorah garden last week. Parshat Naso instructs that a nazir, who chooses to abstain from certain worldly activities (such as drinking wine or grape juice and cutting hair) must bring a korban chatat, sin offering, when one’s time as a nazir ends. The students considered that the need for a sin offering shows that we should not be removing ourselves from Hashem’s world—rather, we should actively engage in it.
Which is what the students did. The fifth and sixth graders actively engaged in our garden by harvesting radishes for tzedakah. The classes also tasted some of the radishes, as well as spinach, which grew in our garden only with Hashem’s help— and recited brachot to express our thanks to Hashem. The students did not only take. They then gave back to the garden by removing weeds, composting, and planting parsnip and radish seeds. By the end of the day, over 50 radishes and several bunches of collard greens, spinach, sage and a handful of sugar snap peas were harvested from our garden for donation to a JFS food pantry.
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Tuesday, June 6
- Grade 6 Graduation Trip 9:15-6:15
Monday, June 12
- The Parrot Rebbe - ECC and Kindergarten
Wednesday, June 14
- Mishmar Dinner (4:00-5:00 pm)
Monday, June 19-Tuesday, June 20
- Rosh Chodesh Tamuz- Special Program
Tuesday, June 20
- Sixth Grade barbecue with HANC
Thursday, June 22
- School Ends 12:30
- Kindergarten Graduation 9:00
- Nursery Aleph Moving UP 10:00
- Nursery Bet Moving Up 11:00
- Sixth Grade Graduation 7:00 PM
- Professional Development 1:00 – 3:30
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