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Welcome!
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Dear Parents,
We had a great week at school!
Please read on for the latest Elementary School news and information about upcoming events.
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D'var Torah
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by Rabbi David Saltzman
רְאֵה קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם בְּצַלְאֵל בֶּן אוּרִי בֶן חוּר לְמַטֵּה יְהוּדָה.
See, I have called by name Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur, of the tribe of Judah.
In the parasha this week, the Torah elaborates on some of the details regarding the construction of the Mishkan. We are told that Betzalel - the son of Uri, the son of Chur - will be the one to build the Mishkan. The question is, why does the Torah need to mention Betzalel's grandfather? It is understood why his father is mentioned, as this is a way to determine Betzalel's family and lineage. What is the Torah adding by including Chur, the grandfather of Betzalel?
The Torah tells us earlier that Aharon and Chur, who was the son of Miriam, were appointed to be in charge when Moshe ascended to Har Sinai. After that appointment, Chur is never mentioned in the Torah again, until now. What happened to this important character? Where did he go? The Midrash states that when Bnai Yisrael were building the Golden Calf, only one person rejected the idea and defended G-d's honor. Chur rallied against the people and rebuked them for their actions. The people were outraged and murdered Chur! The Midrash states that the appointment of Betzalel has a direct link to this incident with his grandfather. Since Chur defended the honor of G-d and sacrificed his life doing so, as a demonstration of hakarat hatov to Chur and his martyrdom, his grandson was chosen to build the Mishkan, which also served as atonement for the people. This explains why Chur is mentioned in connection with the appointment of Betzalel.
Just as Hashem showed hakarat hatov to Chur for his sacrifice, we must have hakarat hatov for those who expend time and effort on our behalf to make the school run smoothly, keep the building clean, and concern themselves with the many logistics and details that keep the daily routines humming. Next week we are going to concentrate on the concept of showing hakarat hatov to specific people who fulfill these roles at Maimonides. Watch your email for updates and information.
Questions for review:
- Who are some people in your life who have sacrificed for you, and how did you demonstrate your hakarat hatov?
- How was Chur related to Moshe? How was Betzalel related to Moshe?
Click here to save or print the D'var Torah
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Thoughts of the Rav
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by Rabbi David Saltzman
The Rav asks: How is it possible to stand upright in prayer in front of G-d when we daven Shemona Esrei? Really we should prostrate ourselves, praying bent over as we plead to G-d for our lives. What allows us the audacity to speak to G-d while standing upright, in a near-equal manner?
The answer is in the parasha this week. The source for tefilla b'amidah (standing upright during prayer) may be the description of the process by which the 13 middot were given to Moshe. It is a detailed and unprecedented description of Moshe standing with Hashem and calling out His name. "Calling in Hashem's name" is indicative of the closeness of the relationship as you eliminate the distance between two parties. Another example given is when Moshe and Hashem stand together, and there is a beautiful description in the Talmud of Hashem wrapping Himself in a talit as if He is our shliach tzibbur.
These examples, from the process of how the 13 middot were given to Moshe by Hashem, allow us to stand upright in prayer, to come close and pray as if with Hashem, instead of only to Hashem.
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| Pinat HaParasha |
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Please click here
to view the
Pinat
HaParasha for Parshat Ki Tisa. You are encouraged to print the document and use it as a source for discussion at the Shabbat table.
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Financial Aid Application Deadline
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The deadline for filing a financial aid application for the 2018-19 school year is
March 19.
The deadline for submitting the required tax documentation is
April 19.
The link to the financial aid page on the school website is
Please contact Arline Tannenbaum at ext. 425 or
[email protected]
with any questions.
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Purim Carnival
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We were welcomed back from Purim today with a
super Shushan Purim carnival, expertly managed by the
5th grade. On Tuesday the 5th graders were assigned booths and made posters depicting the games' rules and connecting them to Purim.
All students, from ECC through 5th grade, had a blast participating and playing games at the carnival.
There were more than 15 booths, including Skee Ball, Frog Hop, Tic-Tac-Toe, an egg drop race, a ring toss, and many others.
Students went from booth to booth collecting tickets to be used in the raffle - another Purim theme! All students received a goody bag of prizes as well. It was fun to see many of the children and teachers dressed up for Shushan Purim.
Many thanks to Mrs. Shifra Gerber, who left her new baby at home (with responsible care) in order to organize and attend this super carnival. A special thanks to our 5th graders for running the booths.
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Parent-Teacher Conferences
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It's time to sign up for spring Parent-Teacher Conferences! The registration website will open on Monday, March 5 at 9:00 p.m. and close on Monday, March 12 at 10:00 p.m.
Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences for the Early Childhood Center, Elementary School, and Middle School (the Upper School does not have spring conferences) will be taking place:
- Wednesday, March 14 - noon dismissal, conferences 2:00 - 8:00 p.m.
- Thursday, March 15 - no school; ES/MS conferences 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., ECC conferences 2:00 - 8:00 p.m.
The registration website can be found at https://pickatime.com/maimonides/spring2018. Please note that the link will not work until the website opens for conference registration.
If you did not receive your student(s) ID and registration information, please contact the division office.
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Dinner and Concert with Gad Elbaz on Thursday!
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Maimonides is 80 years strong! Join us
next Thursday, March 8 as we celebrate our 80th Anniversary with dinner at 5:00 p.m. and a concert featuring Israeli superstar Gad Elbaz at 6:00 p.m. All Maimo families, faculty and staff are welcome to attend, but you must reserve your spot by this coming Monday, March 5.
Click here to sign up!
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3:00 Dismissal on Tuesday
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There will be a
3:00 p.m.
dismissal
for the Early Childhood Center and Elementary School on
Tuesday, March 6th due to a faculty meeting. The schedules for grades K - 2 will not change. Those students will still have bus recess, after-school programs, and Mates
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Please click here to fill out a form for students in grades 3 through 5 to let us know if you will be picking up your child(ren) at
3:00 p.m. or if they will be staying at school (for recess, an after-school activity, or Mates) or taking the bus.
We need to hear from every 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade parent, so please read carefully and complete a form for each child by the end of
Monday, March 5th.
- The weekly Tuesday after-school programs will meet at their usual times, from 3:00 until 3:50 p.m. and 3:55 until 4:50 p.m.
- The buses to Sharon will leave at 3:45 p.m.
- There will be Bus Recess until 3:45 for students who will be taking the bus, attending an after-school activity or Mates, or whose parents are unable to pick them up until 3:45.
- Mates at 3:45 is only available for those who are already signed up.
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Third Grade Purim Play
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The third grade's annual Purim play was performed for parents and other family members this past Tuesday morning, and was preceded by a dress rehearsal on Monday afternoon to which Elementary School students were invited. Both audiences watched with rapt attention, and older siblings could be seen mouthing the words of some of their favorite songs as they relived their own participation in this musical rendition of the Purim story.
HaMorah Michal Bessler, playwright and producer of the Purim play, delighted us with some of our favorite tunes from previous years and also surprised us with a new song, "Way Back Home," written by third grade assistant Morah Ilana Herst to the tune of a song from the new movie
The Greatest Show. The students impressed us with their beautiful voices and dramatic presence, as well as their wonderful command of Hebrew language. The play was preceded by a video of personal reflections by third grade students about who was the hero/ine of
Megillat Esther.
A special thank you goes to third grade instructional assistant Ilana Herst, who provided expert guitar accompaniment, and to third grade General Studies teacher Tamar Benjamin for her help preparing the students.
We are grateful to parent Stef Mishkin, who came early to put make-up on the students, and to room parents Annie Aliphas and Talia Fromer, who along with their team of parent volunteers decorated the room and provided the festive refreshments.
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| Engineering Fair on March 20 |
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We would like to inform you that the engineering
fair for grades K-5 will be
Tuesday, March 20.
The
fair will run from
3:30 - 4:00 p.m. for grades K - 2, and from
3:45 - 5:00 p.m. for grades 3 - 5.
Currently, there is a
3:00 p.m. dismissal scheduled for that day, followed by a faculty meeting. Instead, we are going to have REGULAR DISMISSAL and regular bus recess that day.
- Students in grades K-2 will be dismissed as usual at 3:00.
- Students who usually stay for bus recess will go to their usual location at 3:00.
- Students who don't usually stay for bus recess, and would like to remain for the engineering fair, need their parents to inform LaShanta in order for them to attend bus recess.
- Any child that wants to stay between 3:30 - 4:00 for the fair must have a parent or parent's friend attend with them.
A signup form for bus recess and parent supervision will be sent as we get closer to the engineering fair.
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| Purim Spirit |
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This year the theme for Purim was emotions in the
Megilla, and we used the movie
Inside Out as a way to discuss our own emotions and how emotions may have affected the Purim story's outcome. The entire school was decorated with characters from the movie, and
on Monday the students from each grade dressed in a color associated with a given emotion.
On Wednesday, the 3rd - 5th graders had a pre-Purim program with the
shlichot to continue this theme. Many thanks to Renana and Avigail for all of their work on this program.
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Elementary School Students in Choral Festival on Sunday
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For the past nine years the Maimonides 2nd through 5th Grade Chorus groups have participated in the annual Jewish Day School Choral Festival, along with elementary, middle, and high school students from other Jewish day schools in the greater Boston area. Since the festival is taking place this coming
Sunday, March 4th, right after Purim and a few weeks before Pesach, the Maimonides students will be singing one song for each of the two holidays. This festival is a wonderful way for the whole family to spend an hour on a
Sunday afternoon, with proceeds going to a great cause. Please see the flier below for more details.
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Alumni Newsletter Online
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The monthly alumni newsletter for February is now online, and can be found here. This issue's articles include:
- Young Grad's English Skills Help Dominican Ballplayers Pursue Their Dreams
- Retired Alumnus Now a Volunteer with Religious Families in Galilee Community
- Maimonides Alumni Here and There
- Class Notes
If you would like to receive the alumni newsletter each month, contact Mike Rosenberg at (617) 232-4452 x 405 or
[email protected]
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PTA Skating Party on March 18
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Ezra Schwartz Memorial Baseball Tournament
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There are still three weeks until spring, but planning is already well underway for the second Ezra Schwartz Memorial Baseball Tournament in Sharon, scheduled for April 19-22. Visiting teams will be from the Frisch School, Yeshivah of Flatbush, and Yeshiva University High School of Los Angeles (YULA). Ezra,
זק"ל
, a 2015 Maimonides graduate and varsity baseball player, was killed by a terrorist in Israel in November 2015. The tournament was established by family and friends to honor Ezra's passion for baseball and create a fun environment in which to remember him. More information can be found at http://ezraschwartzbaseballmemorial.com/.
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| Lost and Found - השבת אבידה |
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We are in the process of collecting items that have been sitting in the Lost and Found collection for several weeks and will be donating them shortly.
Please take a look at the photos below to see if anything looks familiar and retrieve it.
We request again that you put your child's names on their items so that we can easily return them when
found. Most jackets
and coats come with sewn-in labels which only require a marker to write your child's name.
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| Important Cold Weather Reminder |
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Although the cold New England winter weather has arrived, we continue to enjoy outdoor recess unless the temperature is below 20 degrees. Students should be reminded that they must bring warm winter coats, hats (or hoods), and gloves to school each day. They are required to bring these out to recess with them, but may take off layers as they warm up when playing outdoor recess games. When there is snow on the ground, students need to wear boots in order to walk on snowy areas and snow pants if they want to play in the snow. Students will not be permitted to stay indoors during recess.
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| Screen Time for Students |
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We know that many parents try to limit screen time for their children and would like better guidelines or alternative means for students to practice their skills.
We have compiled the chart below with our recommendations and requirements for each grade. If your child does not do well with these programs and you would like alternative ways for them to work on their skills, please let the teachers know and they will be glad to make other suggestions and/or supply other materials.
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Lexia
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Reflex Math
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KeyboardingWithout Tears
or Typing Club
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DreamBox
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Ariot Cal or iTalAm
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Dah Ber
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Kindergarten
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Required
20 minutes a week; possibly more for specific students.
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Recommended
2x week
15 Minutes
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First
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Recommended 15 minutes a week;
possibly more for specific students
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Recommended 15 minutes a week
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Recommended
1 x week
15 minutes or more
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Second
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Recommended 2x week
10-15 minutes;
possibly more for specific students
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Required
2x week
10-15 minutes
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As assigned by teacher
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Third
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Recommended for specific students
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Required 3x week
15 minutes
between school & home
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KWT
Required 2x week
15 minutes
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Optional
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As assigned by teacher
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Optional & Occasional
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Fourth
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Recommended for specific students
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Required
3x week
15 minutes until completed
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Typing Club: Optional up to
3x week 15 minutes
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As assigned by Teacher
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Fifth
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Recommended for specific students
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Required
3-4x week
15-20 minutes until completed
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As assigned by Teacher
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Social Time!
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There's so much going on here at Maimo! Be sure to check out our social media to get the inside scoop (with lots of great photos) on happenings at school.
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See What's Happening in the Other Divisions
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 Lots of wonderful things are happening at Maimonides School!
If you'd like to take a peek at what's happening in the other divisions, click to visit the Early Childhood Center, Middle School, or Upper School newsletter pages.
If you would like to contact a specific school office, please use these emails:
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!שבת שלום
Rabbi, Reena, and the Maimonides ES Faculty
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