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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.
Note that our next newsletter will be sent on April 13 (the week after Pesach). Best wishes for a
chag kasher v'sameach!
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D'var Torah
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by Rabbi David Saltzman
The Torah in Parashat Tzav discusses a number of korbanot a person brings to G-d. One of these mentioned is the Shelamim:
וְזֹאת תּוֹרַת זֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים אֲשֶׁר יַקְרִיב לה'.
This is the ritual of the sacrifice of well-being that one may offer to the Lord
A form of this korban is brought by a person who must give thanks to G-d for deliverance from one of the following four dangerous situations: Those who travel by sea, those who travel through a desert, someone who was imprisoned [or taken captive] and freed, and a sick person who was healed.
Usually a korban is not permitted to have chametz; however, this korban has 10 loaves of bread and 30 loaves of matzah.
Two questions emerge: First, why does the petitioner need to bring 40 loaves to be consumed in one day and night? Second, why is this korban different from most other korbanot? Why is it that for all other korbanot, chametz is not allowed, but for this korban leavened bread is required?
Seforno explains a reason for the first question:
שֶׁאִם הֵם עַל אודות הוֹדָאָה, יִהְיֶה עִמָּהֶם ״לֶחֶם״, בְּתוֹכוֹ מִין ״חָמֵץ״. כִּי אָמְנָם סִבַּת הַסַּכָּנָה אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיהָ הַהוֹדָאָה הוּא ׳שְׂאוֹר שֶׁבְּעִיסָה׳, מִכָּל מָקוֹם מִינֵי הַמַּצּוֹת רָבוֹת עָלָיו
For instance, if they involve thanksgiving the animal offerings are accompanied by breads, some of which are leavened. Granted that the underlying reason for the need to offer thanks is what our sages call the
שאור שבעיסה
, "the element of ego in the 'dough,'" the aspiring human personality, by consisting predominantly of unleavened loaves, this element becomes subordinate.
Meaning, Seforno is of the opinion that the chametz in the korban represents the negative behavior of the person, of which the consequence was so dangerous that they needed a miracle in order to be saved. At the same time, the person should realize that the matzot, the good deeds, outweigh the chametz 3:1, and fundamentally they are still a good person.
Regarding question #2, Seforno answers that the reason so many loaves need to be brought and consumed in so little time is:
וּבִרְבוֹת הַלֶּחֶם יִתְפַּרְסֵם הַנֵּס לְאוֹכְלִים רַבִּים
to enable as many people as possible to become aware of someone having been miraculously saved.
Imagine needing to eat 40 (really 36, as 4 are given to the kohen) loaves of matzah and bread in one day and night. You would ask anyone and everyone to partake. As more people join, each new person would learn about your hakarat hatov to Hashem for saving your life. The dispersion of the multiple loaves to many people will promote the attitude of gratitude one has to G-d for rescuing them from imminent danger.
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
וּפֶתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד תֵּשְׁבוּ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת מִשְׁמֶרֶת ה
'
וְלֹא תָמוּתוּ כִּי כֵן צֻוֵּיתִי
:
And you shall stay day and night for seven days at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. You shall observe the Lord's command, so that you will not die, for thus I was commanded.
The Rav states that proper preparation is a necessary condition for any encounter with holiness. For example, in the prelude to giving the Torah, the people were cautioned not to go near their wives for three days. Similarly, in our parasha, Aaron had to submit to a seven-day preparation period prior to the dedication of the Mishkan, and every Kohen Gadol went through a similar sequestration prior to Yom Kippur. Both involved an encounter with holiness.
The same is true of Shabbat. One is not worthy of celebrating it unless one prepares for it. The Rambam states that it is a mitzvah to wash one's hands, face, and feet in hot water on Friday afternoon before Shabbat in order to honor Shabbat.
Holiness does not arrive suddenly; it only comes from the invitation inherent in the act of preparation.
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| Pinat HaParasha |
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Please click here
to view the
Pinat
HaParasha for Parshat Tzav. You are encouraged to print the document and use it as a source for discussion at the Shabbat table.
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Chagigat HaSiddur
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Our first graders and their guests were very excited last Friday as we celebrated their learning and growth in tefilla at their Chagigat HaSiddur. The students demonstrated their knowledge through several presentations. The first was a display of work done throughout the year, showing what the students have learned about tefillah and how they made the meaning personal. Then the students presented songs which reflected their learning about tefillah. Other highlights of the morning included a video highlighting the students' feelings and thoughts about many aspects of tefillah, and our Head of School, Naty Katz, blessing the children with Birkat Kohanim. The students were thrilled to receive their personal siddurim, which we know they will use for many years to come.
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| Yom Orchim is May 4! |
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We Need Contact Information for Your Child's Special Guests
We are gearing up for another wonderful Yom Orchim! All Early Childhood Center and Elementary School students are encouraged to invite grandparents or another special guest to spend the morning of Friday, May 4th at Maimonides. There will be singing, eating, and lots of fun! But we need the contact information to invite your child's guests.
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Engineering Fair and Book Fair
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The Engineering Fair and Book Fair on Tuesday afternoon were a wonderful success, with students and their families visiting classrooms, viewing engineering projects, and buying books.
Kindergarten, first, and second grade students
stayed in their classrooms, showing their hands-on science and engineering projects to their guests.
- Kindergarten students demonstrated how they used the Engineering Design Process to design and create windmill blades which were capable of catching the wind created by a fan.
- First graders used the same process to design and build arcade games. They created design drawings of their models, and then used recycled materials to make their designs a reality. Visitors had so much fun playing the games and earning tickets. Some of the games included an obstacle course, basketball, a claw machine, and bowling.
- Second graders presented projects created with computer programming and LEGO robotics. The students learned all about programming using Scratch Jr. and LEGO. They then sequenced instructions and modified their programs to achieve a goal. Their final projects included cooling fans, race cars, and science rovers.
Third, fourth, and fifth graders displayed their individual and shared projects in the gym. The focus of the experiments this year was
engineering
.
- Third graders made cars out of cardboard, straws, wheels, paper, and other classroom items. Students tested and rebuilt their designs to see how far each model could travel.
- Fourth graders built different types of electrical circuits in an attempt to light up miniature buildings they had constructed. Swimming pools, baseball fields, houses, and movie theatres were some of the projects.
- Fifth graders had to create a design that would solve a problem using at least one simple machine. Every design followed the engineering design process and focused on redesign.
While all of this math and science was taking place, families were able to wander into the lunchroom, which had been transformed into a bookstore. The wide-open space was conducive to browsing, shmoozing, and reading on the floor. The Book Fair was a great success. Thank you for joining us and supporting the PTA through your purchases!
A big thank you to
Sophia Zilber and
Caryn Wolfe for organizing this year's Book Fair! We also thank volunteers
Shira Goldenholz, Sarit Helman, Cheryl Levin, Irit Levitan, Alla Kessler, and
the Gorfajn family
for their help running the Book Fair.
Congratulations to our Book Fair raffle winners:
- Israel Book Shop gift card - Slater family
- Brookline Booksmith gift card - Sapir family
- Amazon gift card - Sims family
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Financial Aid Application Deadline
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The deadline for submitting the required tax documentation is
April 19.
The link to the financial aid page on the school website is
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| Family Learning |
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We had a fabulous Family Learning on Sunday, with over 70 attendees learning about
Matzah Making, Music, and Miriam. Participants had the opportunity to compose original songs to their favorite
haggadah selections, bake
matzah, and make a tambourine in honor of Miriam. Families learned together about why Miriam was playing musical instruments, and the dual nature of
matzah on
Pesach.
The final Family Learning of the year will be on
Sunday, April 22. We hope to see you there!
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Science Camp
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Registration is now open for science camp!
Camp will run for two weeks again this year:
Week 1: June 25-29 -- STEM
Week 2: July 2-6 (no camp July 4) -- Art, Food, and the Environment
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Understanding Our Differences
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The third graders had their second Understanding Our Differences unit this week. The lesson focused on individuals with visual impairments. Students learned about Braille, mobility tools, and how people with visual impairments use other senses to identify objects in their day-to-day lives.
The students were given the opportunity to type their names in Braille and walk down the hallway using a cane to feel for objects in their path. The session ended with a fantastic and engaging speaker. She talked about what it is like to be blind and how she goes about her daily life. The students enjoyed learning about the devices she uses to help her identify paper money, her talking calculator, and the machine that tells her what colors her clothes are.
The third graders learned a great deal during the session, and enjoyed having this important opportunity.
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Down Syndrome Awareness
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Next Tuesday, March 27, as part of our Understanding Our Differences program, we will highlight Down Syndrome Awareness. Our 3rd - 5th graders, along with the Middle School students, will be viewing the movie "My Hero Brother." This film documents pairs of Israeli siblings, one of each who has Down Syndrome, as they travel and hike together through India, jointly supporting each other and overcoming hardships. For more information, see
https://www.myherobrother.org/
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Tzionut
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by shlichot Avigail and Renana
This week we visited the 5th and 4th grade, and did our fourth
Tzionut class! According to our yearly theme of
Tzionut we talked about "70 years to Israel - then and now." This week we talked about Aliya to Israel throughout the years. We learned about the "Ma'apilim" that came to Israel secretly in the middle of the night with help from the "Hagana." We also learned about the "Hatikva" and how the Jewish people had always hope in their heart to go back to Tzion.
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Lost and Found
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With Pesach coming next week, we are putting a final deadline on retrieving items from the Lost and Found. Next
Wednesday, March 28
, all remaining items will be donated. If you look closely at the photos, you will see lunch boxes, practically new boots, hats, winter jackets, and sweatshirts, as well as pairs and singles of gloves in good condition. Please ask your child to check these lost items, or come yourself to see if anything looks familiar to you.
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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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