Upcoming Events

• Wednesday, October 2 - Friday, October 4 - Rosh Hashana Break - no school (Click HERE to donate to our annual Rosh Hashana campaign - your yomtov donation supports ICJA's scholarship fund.)

• Friday, October 11 - Erev Yom Kippur - no school

• Wednesday, October 16 - Friday, October 25 - Sukkot Break; no school

• Monday, October 28 - Classes Resume

• Tuesday, October 29 - Junior PSAT 9am - 12pm

• Wednesday, October 30 - Freshmen, Sophomore, and Junior Picture Day

• Motzaei Shabbat, November 2 - 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament - come play with your friends and rabbeim @ICJA 8:30pm (Click here to sign up)

• Friday, November 8 - End of First Quarter

Freshmen girls created simanim and brachot for Rosh Hashana.

Freshman Girls' Homeroom met again this week with a Top Chef-style challenge. Girls divided into small groups and were given random food items, then tasked with creating a siman for Rosh Hashana with them.

Students in each group then wrote a bracha for their peers based on their siman. It was a fun and meaningful way for girls to strengthen their connections with one another and also to share good wishes for 5785.

Thank you, freshman girls leaders Mrs. Alise Gold and Mrs. Noa Nussbaum for coordinating this fun event.

(Pictured above: Bella Schneider and Abby Monteros with the siman they created, representing having a plethora of good experiences in the coming year)

Pictured above: Elisheva Sudin, Chana Krupel, Atara Ehrenreich, Shira Kremer, Talia Bajtner, and Avigayil Loebmann

Pictured above: Adi Gryka, Ronit Kinar, Shiri Litwack, Chaya Suss, Emily Adler, Tziyona Mauer, and Dana Stein

Pictured above: Emma Elkaim, Emily Itzhaki, and Abby Macias with Mrs. Noa Nussbaum

Students discussed concepts community and צדיק ורע לו.

Seniors in Rabbi Mayer Simcha Stromer's Navi class are learning Kohelet. This week they discussed the concept of צדיק ורע לו, or why bad things happen to good people, and what makes a strong Jewish community.

Students referred to Ramban's comments on Kohelet and developed their own thoughts in a wide-ranging discussion which encompassed students' sense of justice, the strength of the Jewish people, and even included students' thoughts about baseball and the attachment that fans have to their teams.

How do you talk in Hebrew about making a mess? Junior boys are finding out.

Juniors in Mrs. Shelley Stopek's Hebrew class practiced talking about making a mess this week - all in Hebrew. Each student received a dialogue written in English about a family making a horrible mess in their house - then were challenged to translate the dialogue into Hebrew on the spot. Students did a valiant job, finding exactly the right words to convey the dialogue's nuances and including dramatic flourishes as they spoke.

It was a fun and challenging way to practice translating and also to brush up on their Hebrew vocabulary and fluency.

Pictured above: Avi Zayan and Yedidya Bechhofer

Pictured above: Eli Gelb

Pictured above: Aaron Katz, Macks Kroll, Noam Hellman, and Natan Rine

Freshmen performed a Paper Chromatography lab.

How can we measure the polarity of different substances? Freshmen in Mr. Peter Sahyouni's Biology class found out one method this week when they performed a Paper Chromatography lab to measure the relative polarity of different ink samples.

Students made ink marks on paper, then placed the edge of paper in alcohol, a highly polar substance. As the alcohol rose up the paper using capillary action, it reacted differently with each type of ink based on the ink's polarity. Students observed the reactions and wrote up the results in lab reports.

Pictured above: Amalia Srosberg and Zachary Kupietzky

Pictured above: Jacob Gordon, Asher Segal, and Emmett Gelman

Pictured above: Emily Adler and Menachem Steinberg showing their results to Mr. Sahyouni

ICJA teachers learn about Collaborative Problem Solving in the classroom.

Once a month, ICJA teachers go back to class! This year teachers are reading and learning from New Teacher Mindset: Practical and Innovative Strategies to Be Different from Day One by Trevor Muir and John Spencer.

Our first meeting took place this week as teachers met to discuss ways to promote Collaborative Problem Solving in the classroom. This week's topic was the importance of relationships in active learning.

Thank you, Mrs. Stephanie Pederson and Mrs. Alissa Zeffren, Collaborative Problem Solving Certified Coaches, for helping organize this year-long educational initiative. Thank you to REACH and Mrs. Tamar Shames for supporting this important program.

Pictured above: Rabbi Binyomin Segal and Mrs. Rachel Polsky

Pictured above: Mrs. Ayala Zimmerman, Mrs. Heather Hobbie, and Mrs. Marsha Arons

Pictured above: Mrs. Tirza Kahan and Mrs. Marlene Wasserstrom

Students decorated lock boxes for their phones and other electronicdevices on Shabbat.

Sophomores in Mrs. Kochava Yitzchak's AJSP class recently finished a unit on the 39 different melachot prohibited on Shabbat. Students examined all the different contexts in the Torah where Shabbat is mentioned and noted that only lighting a fire is listed in the Chumash. Students discussed the all-encompassing prohibition of "giving up your fire" and what that means today, including the prohibition of using electronic devices on Shabbat.

Last Friday, students created lock boxes in which to place their phones and other devices on Shabbat. "It's a way to be mindful of what we are doing and why we are doing it when we 'give up our fire' on Shabbat." - Mrs. Yitzchak

Pictured above: Sarah Cherney

Pictured above: Masha Perkins

Pictured above: Maya Kutliroff

Students listened to a moving short story, then discussed and wrote about their reactions to it.

Sophomores in Mrs. Marsha Arons's honors English class are practicing grammar usage - and making this otherwise dry topic fascinating in the process. Mrs. Arons is a published author; her books include Teen Miracles and contributions to Chicken Soup for the Jewish Soul book series.

On Monday, Mrs. Arons read one of her short stories, The Two for One Coupon, to her class. The room was silent as students absorbed this moving, heartfelt true story, then erupted into discussion as students began to talk about what the story was about and which of its themes most resonated with them. Students then wrote a short piece about how they reacted to the story's message.

What made Moshe Rabbeinu a great leader?

Freshmen in Mrs. Lizi Martin's Chumash class are learning Sefer Shemot. This week, they took turns giving presentations about the qualities that made Moshe Rabbeinu a great leader. Students supported their assertions with pesukim from the Chumash, and came up with political slogans that capture Moshe Rabbeinu's unique attributes.

Pictured above: Talia Baijtner focusing on Moshe's kindness and self sacrifice

Pictured above: Shireli Litwack explaining that Moshe's humility made him a great leader

Pictured above: Emily IIzhaki talking about the way Moshe's confidence in himself grew throughout Shemot

ICJA students study Art with their peers from Keshet.

This year, Keshet students are joining Art classes at ICJA!

This week saw the first classes featuring both ICJA and Keshet students.

(Pictured here: Advanced Art student senior Jacob Friedman with Mrs. Julie Thomas, Keshet student sophomore Sir Ian Leroy, and Keshet educator Alyssa Moseley)

Students discussed and created their own "kennings" while reading Beowulf.

Sophomores in Mrs. Michelle Prince's English class are reading the Old English epic poem Beowulf, which features kennings, non-literal metaphors in which two words are combined to form a poetic expression.

This week, students created their own kennnings about everyday objects (pictured). Students divided into groups, with each group receiving three items in a bag. Without showing other groups their items, students came up with kennings about them. When they were done, Mrs. Prince displayed all the objects. Each group then took turns reading their kennings while their peers guessed which item they were describing.

Examples included "a shiny orb of value" to represent a coin, and "savior of a knotty day" to represent a hairbrush.

Pictured above:Yair Elbaz, Nathan Rothner, and Asher Gadd

Pictured above: Rose Matatya and Zahava Volkov

Pictured above: Archer Gradstein, Solomon Robinson, and Ayden Mishkin

ICJA Mathletes won 1st and 3rd place this week!

On Wednesday, ICJA hosted our first Mathletes meet of the year, welcoming Fasman Yeshiva, Woodlands Academy, Prospect High School, and Elgin Larkin to ICJA for an evening of math problem solving and ICJA victories.

Senior Levi Polsky won 1st Place in the Oral Competition, in which he presented on "Taxi Cab" Geometry". The Aces won 3rd place overall and also won the fun bonus Candy Bar Contest at the end!

Thank you to the teachers and parents who chaperoned this amazing event. For more information about Mathletes or to join the team, contact Mrs. Stephanie Pederson.

ICJA's Running Aces enjoyed victories this week in two meets.

Yasher koach to the Running Aces on several victories this week! Last Sunday, we sent approximately three dozen runners to race at a meet hosted by the Latin School of Chicago. The location was scenic - just south of Lincoln Park Zoo - though the weather was poor. The Aces recorded 19 Personal Records.

On Wednesday, the Aces traveled to Northbrook to compete against Rochelle Zell High School. Aces took 1st and 2nd Place in the women's races. Congratulations to junior Elisheva Deangeles on winning 1st Place and senior Allie Stein on winning 2nd Place!

This Shabbat, team members will enjoy an ICJA Cross Country Shabbaton in New Jersey, then compete against other Jewish schools in the New York - New Jersey Yeshiva League on Sunday, September 29 in Newark. Best of luck - Go Aces!

Pictured above: seniors Levi Polsky and Ami Czeko at the Latin meet

Pictured above: juniors Elisheva Deangelis and Libby Bleichman at the race against RZ

Pictured above: juniors Penina Benjamin and Dina Gottlieb at the race against RZ

Freshmen and their relatives davened together last Sunday at Adas Yeshurun.

Many Sunday mornings, ICJA's freshmen boys' rebbe, Rabbi Louis Fliegelman, arranges for students and their fathers (or grandfathers or other relatives) to meet at a different Chicago-area shul to daven Shacharit together and enjoy breakfast and learning.

Last Sunday, students davened at Adas Yeshurun. Afterwards, they spoke with Rabbi Zev Cohen.



For more information about the Veshinantam Levanecha program, email Rabbi Louis Fliegelman at lfliegelman@icja.org.

Fathers of freshman boys joined ICJA davening.

Freshman fathers continued their involvement in school davening during the week too, joining their sons for Shacharit in ICJA's freshman boys' minyan.

ICJA dad Mr. Joel Gorenstein '93 davening with freshmen boys

ICJA dads Mr. Noah Mishkin '99 and Mr. Schott Burgher '02 davening with freshmen boys

This week's learning dedications include:

Monday, the 20th of Elul - Friday, the 27th of Elul, 5894, September 23-27, 2024, by Kinereth Meyer, in memory of Lawrence "Lorry" Meyer, z"l, '60, in commemoration of his 30th Yahrzeit

Tuesday, the 21st of Elul, 5784, September 24, 2024, by Susan Stein and Jeff and Sima Neiger and Family, in memory of Howard Stein, הירש יעקב בן אהרן, z"l, on the occasion of his second Yahrzeit

Friday, the 24th of Elul, 5784, September 27, 2024, by Howie Perlstein, in memory of Rav Benjamin Perlstein, הרבני יהודה בנימין בן הרב משה דוד ז״ל in commemoration of his Yahrtzeit which is observed on כ׳ו אלול

If you would like to sponsor a Day of Learning, please contact our Director of Development, Deva Zwelling, at (773) 973-1450 ext. 115, or dzwelling@icja.org.

This week we caught up with ICJA's Math Department Chair and popular math teacher.

Mrs. Stephanie Pederson leads ICJA's Math Department, is the faculty sponsor of ICJA's award-winning Mathletes Team, and teaches a range of different math classes. This week we caught up with Mrs. Pederson and asked her a few questions about herself.

Where did you grow up? Where do you live now?

I grew up in Aurora, IL and today I live in Chicago with my husband Steve. We have two daughters who are both at Northern Illinois University.

How did you decide to become a math teacher?

I always wanted to be a teacher. I chose to teach math because of lot of people feel like they can't do it, and I wanted to change that. Everyone can do math; I was motivated to help people overcome their fear of math.

Were you always great at math?

No: In 8th grade I was failing Algebra! I had to retake it in freshman year in high school. Then, it was easy. Some people decide they can't learn something and, that blocks it and makes people feel they can never master a subject. But you can. Sometimes you just have to wait until you're ready.

What do you love about ICJA?

I love that ICJA is a community, that you get to know the students and faculty so well. I also like that in a small school like Ida Crown I get to teach a lot of different math classes instead of just focusing on one topic in math. I also enjoy leading Mathletes and chaperoning events like Retreat and Chesed Days. I feel like my voice is heard here in the school.

What's a favorite ICJA memory?

One of my first favorite memories is ICJA's All School Retreat. It was the first time I got to know (former English teacher) Mrs. Rosenwald and the other teachers, and to see them in a different place outside of school.

Do you have any hobbies?

Recently my daughters told me that someone had asked what their mom does for fun, and they answered: Calculus! It's true; when I need to relax, I do some Calculus. I also enjoy playing volleyball and sewing. And I love card games!

What advice do you have for ICJA students?

Know that it’s okay to be you and know that it’s ok to ask for help. Don’t take what other people think so seriously.

(Pictured above: Mrs. Pederson playing card games at last week's All School Retreat with junior Temima Marshak and Mr. "Doc Phil" Zbaraz)

Watch "Connect with ICJA," our newest video

for prospective students - and share it with people you know who'd like to learn more about ICJA!

Watch this moving video documenting some of the volunteer activities our seniors participated in during their month-long Mission to Israel!

In addition to many thousands of physical books and journals, ICJA's Learning Commons contains tens of thousands of online books, journal articles and other resources, including subscriptions to newspapers such as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, the Encyclopedia Britannica, and more. Students are able to access these resources through our portal.

Please stop by our librarian Mrs. Steinberg's desk in the Learning Commons or email her at  librarian@icja.org her to pick up your updated passwords to access our online material. ICJA's subscriptions are available at icja.libguides.com/home.

Review ICJA on Niche.com and enter a sweepstakes.

Help let people know how fabulous ICJA is! Whether you're a parent, student, teacher, or alumnus/alumna, the popular school ranking website Niche.com wants to hear from you. Plus, every person who reviews ICJA (or any other school) is automatically entered into a monthly $1,000 sweepstakes by Niche.com. For more information and to leave a review, click here.

Do you have school-related news you'd like to see in this newsletter? Let us know!

If you have exciting ICJA-related news to share about classes, sports, clubs, or other projects, please tell us! Send news items and/or photos to Dr. Yvette Miller, Director of Communications at ymiller@icja.org. Your items can enhance our newsletter and ICJA's social media presence.

Join our New Alumni Facebook Group

We are excited to announce that we have a new private Facebook group called “ICJA Official Alumni Page.” It is a space for alumni from all graduating years to join. We will periodically post alumni reunions, events, fundraising opportunities, information about ICJA today, and news.

We are proud to have some families with us for four generations. If you are an alum, please join the group HERE and be sure to share the link with your family, friends, and fellow graduates. You can also share this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/UeTsqg16DDx4JHGK/?mibextid=hubsqH. Thanks for staying connected to ICJA!

Please reach out to Ilana Levy at ilevy@icja.org if you have any questions about this new effort.

Last summer, ICJA gave its Class of '24 alumni the third edition of our directory listing ICJA alumni who live in Israel and have graciously offered to open their homes to recent ICJA grads who are currently spending a gap year in Israel.

Thank you to the many alumni who have reached out to us, offering to host.

If you have any questions or would like to update our contact information to help recent ICJA grads obtain a copy, please contact Dr. Yvette Miller, ICJA Director of Communications, at ymiller@icja.org.

We are still taking submissions from alumni who are willing to host, to include in future copies of this directory. Please contact Dr. Miller to be included.