Volume 4, Issue 15 | May 14, 2026

A busy, bustling week at Mercaz as we spelled words, battled robots, and traveled far and wide! Read on for a glimpse inside the latest happenings at school, and scroll down for graduation invitations and important dates.

Around Mercaz Academy

🐝 Spellbound at the Bee

With 12 competitors representing three grades, this year’s Spelling Bee put students’ spelling, composure, and public speaking skills to the test over the course of ten exciting rounds, as fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students faced off in front of classmates, teachers, and proud family members.

Along with thousands of schools throughout the country, Mercaz participates in the Scripps National Spelling Bee every year, distributing a study list of 450 words to the upper grades to help them prepare. This year, Karen Leeper, Assistant Principal of General Studies, included the part of speech and definition in the word list to support vocabulary building.

“The Spelling Bee makes spelling exciting for students. They’ve been looking forward to it since the beginning of the year,” said Ms. Leeper. “In addition to students learning new spelling patterns, being up on the stage and having that experience of public speaking is very important, as well as learning good sportsmanship.”

Four students from each grade qualified for the Bee by delivering top performances in class-wide contests held last month. Morah Leah Levy served as the Bee’s announcer, while Mrs. Katherine Papaccioli and Mrs. Jenny DeMeo acted as event judges.

On the main stage, the words were tough, but our students were tougher, spelling challenges like “vacuum” and “frustration” with concentration and confidence. As the rounds advanced, so did the difficulty level, and slowly, words like “garishly” and “deferential” winnowed down the competitors, until there was only one left standing. Fifth grader Arianna clinched the trophy after correctly spelling “prestigious,” leading to cheers and applause from the audience. Mazal tov to Arianna and all of our courageous spellers!

🥈 Another Victory for Mercaz Robotics!

We never get tired of announcing this – the Mercaz 4th and 5th grade Robotics Team once again medaled in the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education (CIJE) Lower School Robotics Competition, with a Mercaz team winning second place out of 54 teams!

The event was CIJE’s largest-ever for this grade category, featuring 300 students from 18 Jewish schools competing on 100 teams total. Because the field was so large, the teams were split into two divisions. The competition format is by now familiar to the seven Mercaz teams: two teams of two or three students pit their custom-built robots against each other to gain points by successfully completing various mechanical challenges on a playing field.

“It was scary, but really cool,” reported fourth grader Noa, adding that her team, which came in eighth, had broken three of its personal records since the previous competition.

“It was fun. It was tough. It was competitive, but we were never negative. We were always positive,” said fourth grader Leo, whose team came in 11th.

“All our teams did the best that they’ve done all year in this competition,” added Technology Director Lynda Last. “They learned throughout the year to work together as a team, help each other, support each other, root each other on. They were amazing in every way.”

🚌 Mercaz Goes on the Road

Classroom learning hit the road this week at Mercaz, as nearly every grade headed off-campus for hands-on educational adventures around the tri-state area. Let’s check in…

First Grade: Long Island Children’s Museum

On Tuesday, first graders experimented, built, created, and learned through imaginative hands-on play designed to spark curiosity in science, art, and everyday problem-solving. (But don’t tell them that – they thought they were just blowing bubbles.)

Third Grade: Safety Town

At Safety Town on Wednesday, third graders learned important real-world safety skills, practicing everything from traffic rules and pedestrian awareness to emergency preparedness in a kid-sized interactive town.

Fourth Grade: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Fourth graders stepped back in time at Old Bethpage Village Restoration on Thursday, exploring life in a 19th-century Long Island village through historic homes, trades, and demonstrations.

Fifth and Sixth Grades: Philadelphia

Fifth and sixth graders traveled to Philadelphia on Thursday for a journey through early American and Jewish history, visiting landmarks like the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Congregation Mikveh Israel.

In the Classroom

🦋 Nursery Bet: Stretching Wings

For the last several weeks, Nursery Bet has been observing the life cycle of the butterfly in real time. They started their exploration by welcoming five monarch caterpillars to the classroom, voting on names (the winners: Rex, Cookie, Sprinkles, Butter, and Jack), and learning about the different stages of a butterfly’s development through books, crafts, and classroom discussion. They carefully observed the caterpillars’ progress every day, noting how quickly they grew, what they ate, and how they climbed to the top of their container when they were ready to form chrysalises. Nursery Bet was beside itself with excitement when Rex became the first butterfly to emerge, followed over the next few days by his four companions. The students released them with a special send-off in the yard, wishing them well as they marveled at the miracles of nature.

🕍 Second Grade: Yom Yerushalayim

In honor of Jerusalem Day on Friday, which celebrates the day that the Kotel returned to Israeli control after the Six Day War, Morah Leah Levy presented her class with a very special book this week: The Waiting Wall, written by… Morah Leah Levy! The book describes the experience of children visiting the Kotel, a remnant of the most special place on Earth, for the first time. They learn that the Kotel had once been part of the Beit Hamikdash, and that it is still the best place to feel close to Hashem. Morah Leah shared how she was inspired to write the book after a family trip to Israel, when her own kids had lots of questions about why the Western Wall is important. The class also got a special behind-the-scenes peek into how editors, publishers and illustrators help an idea become a book.