A memorable STARS Season

This week, the RMBA Stars traveled to Waco to compete in the TAPPS State Basketball Championship. While the run ended with a loss in the semifinal round, the character of this team was evident from start to finish. Our players competed with grit, resilience, and pride, leaving everything on the court. This season was built on consistent hard work, sacrifice, and a deep commitment to one another, qualities that showed up in every defensive stop, every rebound, and every push to respond. We are grateful to our coaches, Chris Cole and Lew Disque, and to our amazing players for representing RMBA with strength, middot, and class. Thank you to our fans near and far for the energy, encouragement, and unwavering support all season long. We are proud of this team and excited for what comes next.

Yom Chessed: A Day of Service Across Houston

Last Sunday, it was incredible to come together on the RMBA campus for a full day of service projects in memory of Rabbi Joseph Radinsky zt”l. In partnership with United Orthodox Synagogues, Robert M. Beren Academy, and Bnei Akiva, 386 dedicated volunteers of all ages joined forces to make a meaningful impact across Houston. We are also grateful that this year’s Yom Chessed was graciously supported by the Houston Jewish Community Foundation. From caring for the environment to supporting neighbors in need, the day’s efforts were felt far beyond our campus. Volunteers donated blood, assembled first aid kits for local classrooms, prepared hygiene kits for the Emergency Aid Coalition, packed Shabbat boxes for JFS families, and donated blankets to the Rescued Pets Movement. Participants created birthday cards for Meals on Wheels recipients, baked treats for firefighters and security guards, and made friendship bracelets with notes of encouragement for IDF soldiers. Volunteers also helped paint a colorful mural on campus, and students and families picked up trash throughout RMBA’s Magical Forest to help keep the grounds beautiful. The Waiting Under the Willow Foundation brought dogs displaced by the recent freeze, giving families the opportunity to meet pets still searching for loving homes. It was a day filled with energy, creativity, and compassion, one that left a lasting mark on our community.

Debating the Future of Energy

High School students in Dr. Arnold's AP Environmental Science engaged in a lively, in-depth debate on the energy crisis. One team made the case for nonrenewable resources, while the other championed renewable energy solutions. Through careful research and preparation, students examined current U.S. policies and considered how today’s political climate influences energy decisions. The debate not only reinforced formal debate skills but also challenged students to think critically about complex, real-world issues. Their preparation, insight, and professionalism were truly impressive. Meanwhile, eighth grade Physical Science students brought energy concepts to life by designing and building paper roller coasters. This hands-on project allowed them to explore kinetic and potential energy, as well as the law of energy conservation, in an engaging and memorable way.

Understanding Anxiety

Tuesday was High School Mental Health Day at RMBA. Students heard from speakers Brenda Kemenetsky, Rabbi Goldstein, and Dr. Annie Simpson, gaining both insight and practical strategies. Dr. Simpson framed the conversation around recognizing and addressing anxiety in healthy, constructive ways. She explained the concept of neuroplasticity, highlighting how the brain forms pathways that can change and strengthen over time. She also described anxiety as the brain’s alarm system, reminding students that while alarms are meant to protect us, they can sometimes send false signals.

Dr. Simpson encouraged students to identify those false alarms and shared strategies such as externalizing anxiety rather than identifying with it, coaching themselves through anxious moments, reinforcing positive repetition and behaviors, and understanding that avoidance can often make anxiety grow. The program provided students with meaningful tools to better understand their minds and approach anxiety with greater confidence.

Hebrew Showcase

On Tuesday, our fourth and fifth grade students proudly showcased their work at the Hebrew Fair, Passport to Our Family Roots, a heartfelt celebration of family, heritage, and identity. It was inspiring to see the depth of their research and the care they put into exploring their own family backgrounds. Through detailed family trees, cherished heirlooms, and meaningful stories collected from interviews and personal discovery, students shared their journeys entirely in Hebrew, demonstrating both language growth and a deep personal connection to their learning. Families and guests moved from table to table, listening, asking questions, and celebrating alongside the students. The room buzzed with pride and enthusiasm as each child reflected on the roots that help shape who they are. The fair was not only an academic milestone, but also a meaningful reminder of the traditions, values, and stories that weave together the vibrant fabric of our school community.

Photo Album

Research, Creativity, and Ecosystems

This week, fourth graders in Ms. Morrison's class proudly presented their Animal Science Research Dioramas, blending creativity with scientific inquiry. Each child selected an animal, conducted research, and built a detailed habitat model to represent the ecosystem where their animal thrives.

Through the project, students explored physical and behavioral adaptations, diet, predators, camouflage, migration, life cycles, and the impact of climate and resources on survival. They also examined their animals’ roles within food chains, identifying producers, consumers, and other ecological relationships. Beyond science, students practiced note-taking, organizing information, writing informational paragraphs, and speaking confidently in front of an audience. During presentations, they shared their models, answered questions, and demonstrated a deep understanding of their topics. The dioramas were thoughtful, detailed, and informative. Most importantly, students showed growth in research, presentation skills, and scientific thinking, celebrating the amazing diversity of animals in our world.

Building Better Sentences

This week, Mr. Simon’s third grade students dove into learning about compound sentences and conjunctions. They practiced combining two separate sentences into one clear and complete compound sentence, discovering that putting sentences together can feel a lot like solving a math problem.

Working in teams, the students created their own compound sentences and brought them to life through illustrations. The classroom was filled with thoughtful collaboration, creativity, and plenty of excitement as they strengthened their writing skills together.

Collaborative Learning

Second graders in Ms. Morrison's class explored a fresh approach to learning through Pods, small groups designed for problem solving, skill practice, and peer support. Pods foster collaboration, communication, and responsibility, giving each child the chance to lead and learn from one another. The class also launched Language Stations, where students rotated through engaging activities with their pods. Each station reinforced literacy skills in unique ways, from interactive memory challenges to workbook exercises that focused on spelling patterns and phonics rules. Hands-on materials like Playdough allowed students to build and manipulate words, while the “Spelling Sun” encouraged analysis of roots, patterns, and word families. These stations offered meaningful repetition, strengthened confidence, and promoted teamwork. Introducing pods and stations has already brought new energy and focus to the classroom, and students are excited to continue learning collaboratively.

Celebrating Adar

It’s been a week full of simcha in EC4B! The children began by exploring the Purim story and learning about Queen Esther’s bravery in approaching the king without an invitation. They put their creativity to work making hamantashen, groggers (noise makers), masks, and Mishloach Manot (gifts of food or treats) bags. Amid all the Adar fun, students focused on their letter of the week, “Pp,” and discovered interesting facts about Texas. They practiced fine motor skills by ripping and gluing blue paper onto green stems to create bluebonnets, the state flower, and used a similar method to make the Texas state flag. Centers offered hands-on learning with activities such as forming the letter P out of playdough, cutting and gluing items that start with P for their end-of-year book, lacing projects inspired by Adar, and creating graggers in the Science Center. Students experimented with different materials like beans, lids, and beads to test sound levels and discover how many items are needed to make noise. In math, they counted how many foods could be combined to make halachically acceptable Mishloach Manot (gifts of food or treats) and calculated the number of people to gift. It was a week filled with learning, creativity, and celebration.

Fizzy Fun and Purim Learning

Morah Aviva's class started the week with silly hair and hats for Pre-Purim days fun! The excitement carried right into their classroom activities, where it was all hands on deck for festive, hands on learning. Students eagerly explored the Fizzy Shushan sensory table and worked diligently on special multi step Purim crafts. They created their own raashanim (groggers) and designed silly Mishloach Manot (gifts of food or treats) bags, blending creativity with skill building. As they painted bottles with glue, carefully placed colorful tissue paper squares, decorated cheerful faces with markers and stickers, and filled their creations with rice and beans, they strengthened fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. Their finished groggers were ready to help drown out Haman’s name during the Megillah reading.

The class also explored the letter "Pp" through engaging multi sensory stations and continued reviewing beginning sounds and letter movements from "Aa" through "Pp". Share and Tell added to the fun as friends proudly presented their Pp themed items. To top it all off, students joined the EC4B class to bake hamantashen with Morah Aliyah, and the sweetest moment was enjoying the delicious treats together at snack time.

From Purim Puppets to Texas Hats

Morah Clara’s EC3B class's excitement was contagious as students fully embraced both Purim and Texas spirit! They dove into the Purim story, meeting King Achashverosh, Queen Esther, Mordechai, and, of course, booing loudly for Haman. The class explored the four mitzvot of Purim, Megillah, Mishloach Manot (gifts of food or treats), Matanot La’Evyonim (gifts to the less fortunate), and Seudah (Purim meal), through songs, dramatic play, puppets, groggers, and creative art projects. Children crafted Purim door signs, decorated groggers, and prepared special Megillah puppets to bring home. Students also explored Parshat Tetzaveh, learning about the beautiful Choshen (armor) with its twelve colorful gems and creating their own sparkling mini versions. To cap off the week, the class celebrated Go Texan Day with bluebonnet fingerprint art, yellow rose painting, cowboy hats, and singing “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” It was a week full of learning, creating, singing, building, and celebrating, with big smiles all around!

Puppets, Parsha, & Plenty of Noise

This week, the students in EC3A were busy bringing Purim to life in the most hands on and meaningful ways. They created Purim puppets and their own Shushan “theaters,” practicing how to retell the story with growing confidence and excitement. As part of the celebration, they experimented to see which item would make the loudest grogger when placed inside a can. After making their predictions and testing them out, dry beans were the clear winner. The class also explored how members of a community sometimes wear special clothing for important roles, connecting this idea to the Kohen Gadol in the Mishkan as they learned about Parshat Tetzaveh. Inspired by this learning, the students designed and created their own choshen mishpat (justice armor), carefully gluing and tying each piece to complete their beautiful creations. It was a joyful week filled with creativity, curiosity, and meaningful connections to both Purim and the parsha.

A Week of Wacky, Wonderful Dress-Up Fun

The halls at RMBA have looked a little different this week! We kicked things off with Early Childhood and Lower School celebrating Crazy Hair/Hat Day and PJS Day for the Upper School. Students rocked silly socks and shoes, brought funky backpacks, dressed up as their favorite teachers, and showed school spirit by wearing jerseys from their favorite sports teams. Today was Twin Day, and we loved seeing all the fun pairings!

We can’t wait to see the creativity tomorrow for Dress Up Day:

• EC & LS: Go Texan Day
• 6th Grade: 1920’s Glam & Jazz
• 7th Grade: 1960’s Hippie Fashion
• 8th Grade: 1970’s Disco
• 9th Grade: Babies
• 10th Grade: Teenagers
• 11th Grade: Adult/Business Attire
• 12th Grade: Elderly

It’s been a week full of laughs, creativity, and school spirit!

Candyland Event at RMBA

Join us for Candyland, a whimsical and elegant evening in support of RMBA, where every step along the sweet path helps strengthen our school and community!

Saturday, March 7, 2026

8:30 PM

Enjoy a curated dessert showcase and candy bar, sip cocktails, connect with friends, and bid in a small silent auction with raffles, all in support of RMBA’s mission and students!

Tickets and Sponsorships

Extended RSVP Deadline: March 1

Questions? Please reach out to Tania at tlevenstein@berenacademy.org