Volume 2, Issue 2 | September 28, 2023 | |
MIVASERET MERCAZ
מבשרת מרכז
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Mercaz students are learning about the chagim! We're playing some ball and getting a new perspective. We're growing vegetables and mitzvot. We're shaking lulavim and sniffing etrogim. We're designing robots! Scroll down for a glimpse into a week at Mercaz Academy...
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Sukkot Celebrations at Mercaz... | |
Mercaz students have been preparing for Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, the last of the Tishrei holidays, with practice, projects, and a dose of pizzazz...READ MORE HERE
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A toddler shakes the lulav in the school sukkah with Rabbi Fogel. | |
Nursery Bet students demonstrate lulav-shaking technique. | |
Kindergarten student practicing for Simchat Torah. | |
Nursery Aleph using mixed media to make a sukkah decoration. | |
Rabbi Kramer in the sukkah with Grades 4 and 5. | |
The sixth grade building the school sukkah. | |
A Nursery Bet student with his flag for Simchat Torah. | |
A third grader displaying her ushpizin-themed sukkah decorations | |
Kitah Daled's Hebrew cartisei bracha, Rosh Hashanah cards. | |
Second graders creating transparencies to decorate their sukkahs. | |
Sixth graders learn to tie lulav binders from Rabbi Dr. Grossman. | |
Music class in the sukkah with the fourth grade. | |
Aquarium Donation Offers New Perspective in Art Class |
All Mercaz students are familiar with the cozy viewing area for the large aquarium in the office; many go there to decompress, do homework, or wait for delayed buses and parents after school. But fifth grade art students were surprised when their teacher took them there to introduce an art lesson.
The aquarium–donated by the Mordechai family, generously maintained by Avinoam Biderman of Tank Love Care, and resting on a custom stand crafted by former Mercaz parent Lior Levi–offered the perfect opportunity for the young artists to gain a new perspective. Under Mrs. Danziger’s direction, students armed with sketch pads took turns peering down into the aquarium while perched on small stepladders, observing the fish and the appearance of their bodies from above.
Students busily sketched the fish from this unfamiliar perspective in preparation for a paint-based project back in the classroom, and enjoyed the opportunity to examine aquarium life from a whole new angle.
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The Mile-High City’s loss is our gain, as Morah Phyllis Tessler recently moved back to Nassau County from Denver, Colorado. The multi-talented Morah Tessler is the Navi (Prophets) teacher for sixth grade and provides Hebrew support in the Learning Center. She is Montessori certified, with experience teaching fourth through eighth grade at Manhattan Day School and Bais Yaakov Bnos Aliya on the Upper West Side (where she also served as educational coordinator), and at the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy in Connecticut.
Morah Tessler brought us not only her considerable talents, but her children, who are Mercaz students in the ECC. The threesome love being at Mercaz and enjoy commuting together from home.
Morah Tessler feels that the best part of working at Mercaz has been her opportunity to work with students in every grade. “It’s been a wonderful way to get to know everyone,” she said, “and it’s been so easy to feel comfortable and integrated into the school community.”
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Mercaz Academy To Field Robotics Teams in CIJE Competition |
The Center for Initiative in Jewish Education called and Mercaz Academy responded! Mercaz is fielding a team of sixteen fourth and fifth graders to compete in CIJE’s inter-yeshiva competition in robot building.
This exciting new enrichment opportunity will bring together these students once a week for a combined lunch/recess meeting. During these weekly gatherings, our five robotics teams will be designing, building, and coding robots, completing a series of tasks to earn points. They will be meeting other Jewish day school teams at competitions in December and April.
These robotics students received their first glimpse into what they’ll be accomplishing on Tuesday by watching an introductory video. Excited team members followed that by unpacking and examining all the VexGo pieces they’ll be using to construct their robots, making for a thrilling unboxing day.
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Mercaz Mustangs To Ride Again |
Mercaz Academy students are looking forward to a new basketball season so they can cheer on the Mercaz Mustangs! This year, both the boys team and the girls team will be playing approximately ten games each–of which five will be home games, and five away–in the Metropolitan Jewish Day School League.
Players on both teams are excited to compete. The boys team has already held its first practice, and one of the fifth grade boys reports that even this early, they are “definitely not bad!” Players on the girls team admitted to feeling a little nervous, particularly the fourth graders, but an excited fifth grader is brimming with confidence. “I’ve been practicing with my older brother (a former Mustang) every day, and my father says that it’s only by playing someone better than you that you can improve!”
Coach Mordy Yankovich and Coach Ari Gross of the boys team and Coach Karen Leeper of the girls team will guide our players as they develop their skills and grow as team players. As always, Mercaz students can’t wait to cheer them on!
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Diving Into the High Holidays at Mercaz Academy |
With the Yamim Noraim beginning just a week and a half after school started, Mercaz Academy in Plainview jumped directly into preparing their students for the holidays....MORE PHOTOS
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Sukkot in the Mercaz GrowTorah Garden |
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This week in the Mercaz GrowTorah garden, students learned that Sukkot is also known as “Chag Ha’asif,” the Festival of the Ingathering. Why? Because in Israeli agriculture, it is a time to celebrate the harvest of many fall crops. Here in Mercaz Academy, students noted that we also have an abundance of crops in our own GrowTorah garden.
Farmer Menuchah explained that Rabbi Chaim Joseph David Azulai, popularly known as the Chida, wrote that erev Sukkot is a time to give extra tzedakah. Students were eager to share their bounty of fresh organic vegetables and herbs with people in need, so Farmer Menuchah arranged to take a share to the JFS Food Pantry “Corner Market” in Teaneck. Mercaz students tasted tomatoes, chives, and lemon balm, but simultaneously picked a portion for donation, too. They also harvested eggplant, butternut squash, green peppers, cabbages, and okra to give to the less fortunate.
Mercaz students found that it feels wonderful to share the products of their love and nurturing with others, and look forward to doing many more mitzvot in the tzedakah-oriented GrowTorah garden this year.
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Monday, October 9
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No busing, Columbus Day
- Regular classes
Friday, November 3
- Grandparent Shabbat Project, Grades 1-6
Monday through Wednesday, November 6-8
Tuesday, November 7
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No school, Election Day
- Staff Professional Development Day
Friday, November 10
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No busing, Veterans Day
- Regular classes
Thursday, November 16
Tuesday, November 21
- In-Person Parent-Teacher Conferences
Wednesday, November 22
Thursday, November 23
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No school, Thanksgiving Day
Friday, November 24
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No school, Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, November 29
- Remote Parent-Teacher Conferences
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