Upcoming Events

• Friday, September 29 - Monday, October 9 - Sukkot break

• Thursday, October 5 - Boys' Chol Hamoed Paintball - bus leaves from ICJA at 11am and returns approx. 5pm. (Sign up here and pay the $45 fee here.)

• Tuesday, October 10 - Classes resume

• Monday, October 16 - Kickoff dinner for ICJA's Friends Ambassador Network (FAN), a group of ambassador parents - 6:30-7:30 (All parents are welcome; RSVP to Suzy Nussbaum here.)

• Wednesday, October 18 - Junior PSAT in school (morning)

• Friday, October 18 - Assembly with Hollywood comedy writer Ari Blau

• Tuesday, October 24 - Yearbook picture day



• Friday, October 27 - Sophomore and Junior Friday-ton

• Wednesday, November 15 - ICJA Open House for 7th and 8th grade students and their families - 6:45pm - 9:15pm (Click here to register.)

Wishing all students, parents, faculty, and every member of our ICJA family a Chag Sukkot Sameach.

Students critiqued peers' persuasive essays.

What is the "Secret of Teenage Happiness?"

Seniors in Mrs. Marsha Arons's Creative Writing class are crafting persuasive essays explaining their view of the secret of happiness. This week, students listened to each others' ideas and offered constructive advice.

Pictured above: Hayden Gradstein, reading his essay arguing that exercise, team sports, and setting athletic goals create happiness

Pictured above: Shuli Falk, discussing her essay about how expressing herself through friendship, poetry, and arts fosters happiness

Pictured above: Ezra Comrov, discussing his essay about how an active lifestyle is conducive to happiness

Students enjoyed a hands-on lesson in selecting Arba Minim for Sukkot.

Seniors in Rabbi Yishai Broner's Accelerated Talmud class took a field trip this week to the WiFi building, where they handled arba minim and put into practice their learning about what makes arba minim kosher.

Students created children's books based on the different korbanot in the Beit HaMikdash.

After learning about the different korbanot in the Beit HaMikdash, sophomore's in Mrs. Ayala Zimmerrman's Chumash class formed groups to create children's books illustrating the meaning behind various korbanot. This week, each group read their children's book to the class.

Pictured above: Lily Douek, Libby Bleichman, Miriam Falk, and Mia Weiss in front of a slide from their book "Bubbie's Burnt Latkes," an interpretation of the Korban Aliyah

Pictured above: Ariella Pullin, Esther Fretzin, Caley Gordon, and Channie Gelerinter reading their children's book based on the values and meaning of the Korban Mincha

Students conducted experiments on insects.

After learning about crustaceans, students in Ms. Ruth Gleicher's freshman biology class made predictions about Isopods (a type of crustacean), then compared real-world Isopod behavior to their theories.

Students placed Isopods in connected chambers and altered their environments, observing whether they preferred cold or warm habitats and whether they choose to gather in wet or dry habitats, then discussed why.

Pictured above: Mrs. Gleicher, Maya Kutliroff, Caleb Novick, and Jacob Thomas observing Isopod behavior

Pictured above: Aryeh Lowenthal, Masha Perkins, and Maayan Engel taking a picture of their Isopods

Pictuerd above: Chaviva Campbell, Noah Ehrlich, Livia Baronofsky, and Goldie Boyarskiy recording their data

How does one tailor an argument for different readers?

"When you want something, you might ask your Mom for it one way, and your Dad for it a different way." Mrs. Tirza Kahan used this analogy this week as her students experimented with writing essays aimed at different readerships. Students practiced coming up with a thesis statement, then supporting it in various ways with different kinds of readers in mind.

Pictured above: sophomore Aiden Rich and junior Toby Burstyn

Pictured above: juniors Talia Linzer and Avi Meyer

Pictured above: juniors Meital Wittlin and Allie Stein

ICJA students and their fathers davened at Congregation Or Torah last Sunday morning.

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, some members of the ICJA family, including students, fathers, and other relatives, ravened at Congregation Or Torah in Skokie, then chatted with Or Torah Rabbi Zvi Engel, sharing breakfast, divrei Torah, and conversation.

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

Students discussed the impact saying Tehillim can have with local real estate developer Mr. Andrew Glatz.

Each week, students in Rabbi Louis Fliegelman's senior boys' Tehillim class invite a different guest to discuss their personal experience and feelings about saying Tehillim. This week, Rabbi Mayer Simcha Stromer's senior boys' Navi class joined in to hear from local real estate developer Mr. Andrew Glatz.

Mr. Glatz discussed how davening and reciting Tehillim enhances his life and answered questions from students. He emphasized that cultivating a daily habit of tehillah helps keep him motivated and energized. Thank you, Mr. Glatz, for sharing your experiences with our students.

Pictured above: Meir Aberman, Joseph Amrami, Moshe Wiesenberg, Benjamin Lowenthal, Yehoshua Zagorin, Hayden Gradstein, Rabbi Mayer Simcha Stromer, Mr. Andrew Glatz, Jakob Wortman, Rabbi Louis Fliegelman, Josh Mishie, Jacob Pick, Jacob Friedman, Evan Comrov, and Yonah Rubin

This week, we caught up with Academic Services Case Manager Mrs. Reegan Goldstein and asked her a few questions about herself.

Mrs. Reegan Goldstein has helped ICJA students thrive academically for the past 8 years. This week, we asked her a little about herself.

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

I grew up in Wilmette. Now I live in Highland Park with my husband Brad and my kids, Jake (15) and Maya (12).

Why did you decide to go into education?

I like working with children and I like helping people. I appreciate that as a resource teacher, I can by my students' advocates.

What do you love about working at ICJA?

I really enjoye the fact that Ida Crown seems like a family.

Do you have any hobbies?

I enjoy spending time with my family. I play tennis, and I like to travel.

Is there anything most people don't know about you that you'd like to share here?

Yes - I lived in London for six months when I was in college!

What advice do you have for students?

Work to your potential freshman and sophomore year; too often, students begin to get more serious about academics only later on in high school. Remember, each year's grades count!

Listen to the first of five Eicha shiurim delivered by Tanach Department Chairwoman Mrs. Lynn Kraft on the OU Women's Initiative Torat Imecha Eicha Yomi website. Mrs. Kraft's shiur is adapted from her junior Navi curriculum.

Yasher coach, Mrs. Kraft. Click here to listen to the shiur.

• Nishmat - Oct. 23, during 6th
• Baer Miriam - Oct. 31, during 6th
• Midreshet Harova - Nov. 2, during 6th
• Midreshet Lev HaTorah - Nov. 6 during 6th
• Aish Gesher - Tuesday, Nov. 7 during 6th
• Midreshet Lindenbaum - Nov. 7 during 6th
• Machon Maayan - Nov. 8 during 6th
• Midreshet Moriah - Nov. 8 during 6th
• Midreshet Torat Chesed - Nov. 9 during 6th
• Sha'alvim for Women - Nov. 9 during 6th
• Midreshet Torah Va'avodah - Nov. 14 during breakfast
• MMY - Nov. 14 during 6th
• Midreshet Amit - Nov. 14 during 6th
• Migdal Oz - Nov. 15 during 6th
• Tiferet - Nov. 15 during 6th
• Amudim - Nov. 20 during 6th

For more information about upcoming seminary visits, please contact Mrs. Lynn Kraft, lkraft@icja.org.

• Yeshivat Har Etzion - Nov. 8 during breakfast
• Orayta - Nov. 15 during breakfast
• Yeshivat Aish Gesher - Nov. 15 during 6th
• Netiv Aryeh - Nov. 16 during breakfast
• Torat Shraga - Nov. 16 during 6th
• Migdal HaTorah - Nov. 20 during breakfast
• Lev HaTorah - Nov. 20 during 5th
• Amudim - Nov. 20 during 6th
• Mevaseret - Nov. 21 during breakfast
• Reishit - Nov. 30 during 5th

For more information about upcoming seminary visits, please contact Rabbi Shmuel Oren, soren@icja.org.

• Lamdeini High School Summer Program - Nov. 7 during breakfast
• Bar Ilan - Nov. 8 during breakfast

• Reichman University - Oct. 10
• University of Maryland - Oct. 11
• SUNY Binghamton - Oct. 12
• Indiana University Oct. 25
• Hebrew University of Jerusalem - Nov. 2
• Bar Ilan University - Virtual visit - Nov. 9

For more information about upcoming college visits, contact Ms. Susan Weiss, Director of College Guidance sweiss@icja.org (773) 973-1450 x121.

Watch our Open House video

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

Founded in 1942, ICJA is 80 years old this year. Please enjoy this 80th Anniversary Video which looks back on eight decades of excellence, close bonds, and memories.

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.

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.

Spread the word - all 7th and 8th grade students and their families are invited to come to our exciting open house and learn more about what makes ICJA the premier Modern Orthodox school in the Chicago area!

Thank you to all those who donated to our Rosh Hashana Appeal. 5784 is off to a great start for Ida Crown and we are so grateful for our generous community members who support our Annual Scholarship Fund.

We are still hoping to achieve 100% parent involvement; if you have not already donated, please use the link below to give. Your contribution helps ensure no child is denied a Jewish education due to lack of funds.

Last summer, ICJA gave its Class of '22 alumni the second 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.

The directory was sent out to the emails of '22 grads that we have on file. 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.