EVENTS AT A GLANCE

  • Nov 2, 6-8:00 - Conferences
  • Nov 3, 11:00-1:00 - K-8th attending Young Person's Concert at the Forum
  • Nov 12, 4:30-6:30 - PTO Skating Party at Doc's Family Fun Center - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
  • Nov 22, 11:40 - Early Dismissal
  • Nov 23-24, No School - Thanksgiving
  • Dec 1, 10:30 - PTO Friday Coffee at Giant - All parents welcome
A Message From Our Head of School
Mrs. Debra Freeburn
Dear Silver Academy families and friends,

This week was a fabulous week at The Silver Academy!! For me, it was a time for self reflection… a time for me to examine how I might best communicate to our families and the Harrisburg Community the Zerizut that I feel when I walk through our doors and into our school.

My son thinks that I have found my calling. My friends think that it’s about time that I become more involved. My daughter looks at me quizzically. Rabbi Muroff said he thinks that I’m spiritual. My husband is very proud of me, and I feel extremely fulfilled and full of joy and Zerizut !!!!

In a little over two months, I have learned so much!!! I have learned why my friends, the Cohens (Marcia and Sandy), are so involved in the Harrisburg Jewish Community and how integral a part Silver plays in perpetuating our community. I have learned why the Maisels, for years, have been involved with The Federation and the JCC and every other aspect of the Harrisburg Jewish Community. I have learned why the Rubins and the Schwabs and so many other families have amazing, successful kids who are leaders in their own right...understanding the importance of Tikkun Olam. And I understand why my daughter Sarah and her husband Jordan chose to send Max, Michael, and Maddy (when she’s old enough) to the Hillel Jewish Day School - Rochester’s version of The Silver Academy. Now, I know why Emily and Gregg will, without a doubt, choose to send Lillian and Sydney to Silver!!! 

While visiting Rochester last week, my grandson Max, almost nine years old, said to me, “I like when you’re around and in Rochester because when you talk to me and tell me stories and stuff... you do it with such passion.” I guess that’s Zerizut in action!!! 

The Silver Academy has opened up a part of me that I didn’t even know existed. Morah Alla said that it’s my Neshamah, my soul. I believe that she’s correct and that my soul and my heart have been allowed access to the delight of learning at Silver. New life has been breathed into my heart and I recognize the unique education that Silver provides and the joy of what Silver has to offer our students and our community. My own zest and zeal for learning from Rabbi Gewirtz and Morah Alla, from Mrs. Gaughan and Mrs. Hurley can not happen quickly enough...because I see the beauty in learning through the lens of Judaism.

In this crazy world we live, there is no time to be short sighted, no time to not give your support to the institution that will provide the future leader of the Jewish Communities, wherever our children choose to reside. Visit The Silver Academy, anytime, and experience the love and the beauty of learning through the lens of Jewish values and Jewish life. Stop in my office and let me know if you feel the energy, if you feel the love and the joy that I’m referring to. Tell me if there’s room in your soul, in your Neshamah, for additional learning. And finally, tell me if you feel the Zerizut - the zeal and passion - that permeates the walls on the third floor of the JCC.

Shabbat Shalom,

Debra
D'VAR TORAH

D'VAR TORAH
for Parshat Vayeira

by Ethan Schmidt

to read this week's D'var Torah
Inside the Classroom
Kindergarten Judaic Studies
Mrs. Yasminah Huberman
Kita Gan is off to a great start! We explored the Hebrew months Elul, Tishrei, and now Cheshvan. We also had a lot of fun learning about the holidays. During our study of Rosh Hashanah, Mr. Rosenberg gave us a lesson on proper shofar blowing technique. We also joined Ganeinu and made yummy honey cookies! During Sukkot, students enjoyed making their own Sukkah out of pretzels and crackers while sitting in Morah Tamara's Sukkah. 

Students have enjoyed being introduced to the Hebrew alphabet, one letter at a time. So far they can recognize letters Alef through Hay. They can even write them! Many of the words that we hear everyday begin with these letters, for example: abba and ema for the letter Alef and Hayom and Havdalah for Hay. 

Hebrew Yoga is fun! Can you spot letters Alef, Bet and Hey?   
4th and 5th grades General Studies
Mrs. Jessica Wenzelburger
The fourth and fifth graders became authors this month as they published their own realistic fiction stories. Click on the links below to enjoy each student's writing.
Middle School Science
Mrs. Susan Gaughan
Last Thursday, Silver Academy's 7th and 8th graders joined students from Melrose Elementary for a rocket launch, as part of the "Neighbors Joining Neighbors" collaboration. Engineering professors and their students from Penn State University helped our students load their engines and prepare for take off. Through this joint effort, students were able to share knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm for learning, while working on a meaningful and exciting STEM project. The two schools worked together as neighbors to construct and launch rockets at the John Harris campus. In addition, cameras were placed on the rockets to catch video footage of the ascent and altimeters were used to measure their travel speed and distance. Our 7th and 8th graders will now analyze the data that was collected from the rockets during science class. Students' enthusiasm shot sky high during the entire project! We will be working with our neighbors again in the spring to build derby cars.

We wish to send a special "Thank you" to the law practice of Freeburn and Hamilton for funding this collaboration.
We need your help!
Don't Miss These
EASY , Ongoing Fundraising Opportunities!  

Giant Gift Cards

  • Purchase these dollar for dollar in the school's 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.
  
Register your Giant card! Our school earns $$ everytime you shopt at Giant...
It's soooo easy to help!
Development Office News
Our Annual Campaign

Ring, Ring! It is time again to answer the call. The Annual Campaign is in full swing at The Silver Academy. We had our fabulous phon-a-thon on Sunday October 22 with over 30 volunteers who hit the phones. Then we hit the courts for a little basketball and nosh. Our callers reached out placing over 500 calls on Sunday. Then on Wednesday November 1 and Thursday November 2, we continued to ring out to raise scholarship dollars for our students. Our goal is $400,000 this year. It is a big goal, but I have faith in our team of parents, alumni and dedicated volunteers that we can reach this goal. Remember, as Rabbi Silver said, “No child should be denied a Jewish education due to financial need.” We need your help to make it happen,
Click the link below to Donate NOW and pay by Paypal or credit card.

Looking forward to hearing from you and thank you for keeping The Silver Academy strong,
Shari
Exciting News!

The Silver Academy has been selected as one of three Jewish Day schools in the country to participate in the Amplifier Giving Circle Incubator program sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We will be receiving guidance, training and one-on-one coaching on how to build our Alumni Giving Circle. Anyone interested in participating in this once-in-lifetime opportunity should contact Shari Dym. For more information about this program, you can go to AMPLIFIERGIVING.ORG .
ATTENTION EITC PARTICIPANTS...

DCED business approval letters have been mailed!  

CLICK HERE for more information

 HELP SILVER ACADEMY STUDENTS THROUGH PENNSYLVANIA'S EITC PROGRAM!
(Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program)

Watch this video to learn how...
Order Your Challah Here!
Challah With a Twist 

Offers Weekly Challah Order and Delivery To Students and Teachers

  • Order your challah by Thursday at this website: challahwithatwist.com. It will be delivered to school on Friday.
  • Send check to school, payable to Challah with a Twist, or use .

"Challah With a Twist", (a.k.a. Varda Challah), has been providing home baked challah for the Harrisburg community for over 20 years.
Varda Gewirtz,  717-919-1358  
Silver Snapshots
1st Grade learns about buoyancy by floating vegetables...
and uses pumpkin seeds for math activities! It was a great day in Mrs. Hurley's classroom!!!