December 13, 2018 - Tevet 5, 5779
This is a Special Year at
The Silver Academy...
75 Years of Exemplary Jewish Education!
Events at a Glance
  • Dec 14, 1:45 - Kabbalat Shabbat/Rosh Chodesh
  • Dec 24, 11:40 - Early Dismissal, Winter Break
  • Dec 25-Jan 1 - No School, Winter Break
  • Jan 11 - Kabbalat Shabbat/Rosh Chodesh
  • Jan 21 - Mitzvah Day / Bring a Friend Day
A Message from the Director of Development
Mrs. Samara Sofian, Director of Development
ssofian@silveracademypa.org
Students at The Silver Academy receive an outstanding education, but they receive so much more than that. They are fortunate to have the opportunity to be part of a very special community. A community where everyone learns from one another, across the grades, and cares for one another.
Chanukah at The Silver Academy was exciting and wonderful. In addition to singing at the Capitol's Chanukah celebration and performing beautifully at the Celebration of Light and Learning, each morning during Chanukah the whole school gathered in the JCC's Louise Gurkoff Grass Rotunda to light the Chanukiah. In the glow of the Chanukah lights, students were treated to a d'var Torah delivered by either one of our middle school students or Rabbi Gewirtz, followed by joyful singing and dancing. What stands out the most for me from our morning Chanukah celebration was seeing one of our sixth grade students sitting snuggled between a kindergartner and a second grader, all clearly enjoying the opportunity to be together. It is these special moments that make me so grateful for the opportunity to send my children to The Silver Academy. 
On January 5, we have our first Alumni Reunion. This exciting event will bring together Silver students, teachers and parents from across the years of the school. Everyone will get to share stories from their years at Silver, catch up with each other, learn more about Israel through an Israeli wine tasting and enjoy the musical talents of Josh Krevsky. Please  sign up  today and join us!  

The Silver Academy experience is made possible for our children because of the generosity of our community. Thank you to everyone who has donated their tzedakah and their time; you are each making a difference in the the lives of our students, their families and our community.

B'Shalom,
Samara Sofian
Director of Development 
D'var Torah
D’var Torah on Parshat Vayigash
by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
to read this week's D'var Torah

Good Things Happen Every Day at The Silver Academy
Middle School Science
Mrs. Susan Gaughan
sgaughan@silveracademypa.org

Our fifth and sixth graders had a special visitor last week, Dr. Katherine Baker. She talked to us about cells and DNA. As a special activity, students extracted DNA from strawberries using common household materials. Our young scientists were stunned at the amount of DNA they were able to see! We thank her for taking the time to share her expertise with us.
Computer Science Ed Week and Hour of Code
Mrs. Gail Rebuck
grebuck@silveracademypa.org

Last week was an exciting week in our computer lab...Computer Science Education Week! Silver Academy students participated in a global movement called Hour of Code. Students in grades 1-8, along with more than 690,000,000 children from more than 180 countries, spent an hour learning and developing their computer programming (coding) skills. If you happened to walk by the computer lab, you would have heard the sound of excited students as they experimented with coding while writing simple game programs and making characters speak, fly, play music, blink and change color. At times, the programming was challenging, building valuable skills in sequencing, problem solving, cause and effect, and logic. At the end of the Hour of Code, our elementary coders received a well-deserved Certificate of Participation.

In our daily lives, computers are essential and their use often involves some form of programming. To assure our students success, coding is a part of our regular computer curriculum. According to Steve Jobs, “Everybody in this country should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think.”


Students Shine at the PA State Capitol Celebration of Chanukah!




 to read the article at PennLive.com
We are thankful!
A BIG thank you to everyone who helped make last week's Celebration of Light and Learning successful! Special thanks to teachers for the extra time and care spent preparing the children for their presentations...they were wonderful!

Thank you to the Jewish Community Foundation for sponsoring the dessert reception following the Celebration in honor of the community's Life and Legacy donors.

Also, thank you Mrs. Cheripinsky for preparing and leading the students who sang beautifully at the Capitol Chaukah Celebration!

Condolences

We send our sincere condolences to the family of alumni  Richard A. Siegel who passed away on December 8, and to the family of Fae Morrison (a Silver Academy parent and active volunteer), who passed on December 9.

May the memory of each be a blessing.
Important Dates and Reminders!

PLEASE HELP US GET TO ISRAEL!
Our 7th and 8th grade students are excited to be planning their trip to Israel in the spring! As a way to help fund the trip, they are volunteering to deliver personal notes ( Chai Notes) from you to the Holy Land. Click on the link below for the note, which you can print and return to the school office with your donation. Thank you!

An Evening of Israeli Wine Tasting with
Wine Expert Steve Korbel

for more information about the Event and Registration Instruction

Middle School Basketball Schedule
Mark your calendar and come out to support
our middle school basketball players!


Support The Silver Academy!
Don't Miss This
EASY, Ongoing Fundraising Opportunity!
Giant Gift Cards

  • Purchase these dollar for dollar in the school office, and then spend them the same as cash.
  • The Silver Academy earns 5% - that's $50 earned for every $1,000 sold!
  • You may also purchase by calling Susan at 717-608-0190
Order your Challah!
Challah With a Twist 

Offers Weekly Challah Order and Delivery To Students and Teachers

  • Order your challah by 8:30 pm Thursday evening at challahwithatwist.com. The fresh baked challah will be given to your child to take home on Friday.
  • To pay, please send an envelope with your name on it to the school office, including cash, or a check payable to Challah with a Twist, or use Paypal or Venmo.

Challah With a Twist, (a.k.a. Varda Challah), has been providing home baked challah to the Harrisburg community for over 2 4 years.
For any questions, please call or text Varda Gewirtz at   717-919-1358   .
Silver Snapshots
Last week's Celebration of Light and Learning was filled with
creative song, dance and theatrical performances!
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