ECC Chanukah Program

Our Early Childhood Center had a Chanukah show of their own on Thursday!
Adorned in adorable costumes, our little ones did an incredible job serenading us with some classic Chanukah favorites.

Click here for photos from the show!

"A Window Into Chanukah"

At the Wednesday  night Chanukah show, "A Window Into Chanukah", our K-8th graders blew the audience away with their stellar performances! From clarinet solos, to synchronized dances, to hand-bell orchestrations, the show covered so many creative art forms. The students were beaming on stage and exuded such a wonderful energy.  The show culminated in a beautiful rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with the entire school on stage, glow sticks waving high in the air as they sang the meaningful words in unison. 

See below for photos from the show and a video of the finale.


  

Latkes, Latkes, and More Latkes!

You could smell the amazing aroma of latkes all throughout school today...
Chef Wolf, our parents, and our students worked hard in the kitchen making latkes for the whole school to enjoy!

HAMC Parents Association Comedy Night

HAMC staff and parents can have fun too!  Last weekend, the HAMC Parents Association hosted an "Open-Mic/Comedy Night" for our teachers and parents at a local venue.  The night included the comedic stylings of our very own Myles Bahar, a stellar band, and a few spontaneous performances from our very own parents and staff. Rumor has it that Sonny and Cher even made a special appearance...(aka: Moreh Moshe and Dr. Bahar) So many hidden talents were revealed and everyone had a blast!

Chanukah Crafts Galore!

From homemade menorahs to edible dreidels, our HAMC students spent this week fusing their artistic talents with the Chanukah spirit.  In the featured photos our 3^rd Graders used pretzel sticks, marshmallows, and Hershey Kisses to create the yummiest dreidels we’ve ever seen! The hallway bulletin boards are covered in Chanukah crafts and our ECC’ers decorated wooden dreidels with their own special touch.

Chag Chanukah Sameach!

Happy Chanukah!

This  morning at the HAMC,  the halls were flowing with the beautiful sounds of song and dance as the students have their final rehearsal before their big Chanukah show tonight, "A Window Into Chanukah".

Don't miss out on this festive performance featuring K-8 grades, 7:00-8:30 pm at the HAMC!


Check out this special Chanukah footage of our students lighting the Menorah this morning!

A Special Honor Roll Service

 On Friday morning, the HAMC students had a very special morning Tefilah service. Friday morning services are unique on their own because the students get to sing their favorite Shabbat songs with Moreh Moshe, the ECC girls light Shabbat candles, and Ha Motzi is made on the Challah. But this particular Friday  morning was even more special because after the service, Moreh Moshe distributed the HAMC honor roll certificates. We are very proud of our honor roll recipients and everyone's hard work at HAMC!

Students Learn the True Miracle of Channukah as they Make Olive Oil

Channukah was in the air when an “Olive-Oil Connoisseur” came to visit HAMC.  Not only did the students learn all about the Jewish history of olive oil, but they got to HAND-MAKE olive oil! First the students crushed up the olives to prepare them for the olive press. Then they got to help our special guest rabbi use the olive press and squeeze the juice out of the olives.  Once the olives were finally transformed into oil everyone lit the Menorah with the homemade olive oil and sang the Chanukah blessings in unison.  The students really enjoyed themselves and gained a new perspective on the true miracle of Chanukah.

Head of School Message 12.16.11

Live from the 5th Grade Classroom!

(with a very special "fluffy" guest star)

Shabbat Shalom!

Head of School Message 12.09.11

It's that time of the week again...

Moreh Moshe's Head of School Message, live from the 6th grade science lab!
 
SHABBAT SHALOM!
 
 

Mary Poppins on Broadway!

Last night, the 4^th-8^th graders ventured to NYC to see Mary Poppins on Broadway!! The students (and chaperones) loved the show and had so much fun experiencing the excitement of New York City theater together.

Check out some of the Mary Poppins “photo shoots” the students took!

“How I Made the Front Page”

This week in the art room, the 6^th grade is working on a project entitled, “How I Made the Front Page”. The project involves each student drawing their self-portrait and then pasting their portrait on a real page of newspaper with a news article of their choice.  But, making a self-portrait is not an easy task! The students used mirrors to analyze their own facial structure and then did an amazing job translating their mirror images onto paper.  With the help of Mrs. Knapp and the students’ artistic talents, the final products are bound to be "front-page worthy”!

4th Graders in the Israeli Restaurant Business!

This week in Hebrew class, the 4^th grade is focusing on everything FOOD! To get a real hands-on Israeli restaurant/food experience, Morah Louisa helped the class create their own “misadah”, restaurant. The lesson began with the entire class gathering in the kitchen with our very own, Chef Wolf, and making the food to serve in the “restaurant”. The menu included peanut butter and nutella sandwiches, egg salad, fruit salad, tuna salad, and more! The students had a blast in the kitchen and abided by the main rule…HEBREW ONLY!

After the students finished cooking their delicious entrees, they brought it to their restaurant (classroom) and practiced serving and ordering from the menus in Hebrew. Once, they mastered this, they invited the others grades into the classroom to serve them! Everyone really enjoyed this Hebrew lesson and left with happy tummies as well!

Wrapping Up Our Travels

At the last session of "Go Geography" the students recapped all of their travels!

Read this message about the last class from head of "Go Geography", Julia Benz.

Dear All,

At our last class, once we completed Argentina, we divided the children into three groups, each one representing one of the countries we covered during the Go Geography Fall program: Australia, Ukraine & Argentina.  The children had a friendly competition answering who remembered the most about their countries (customs, language, animals, endangered animals, food, etc).  We had so much fun!

Near the end of the class, we "returned" to South America to learn more about rain forest monkeys.  The HAMC girl scouts (Stacey Kellar's team) prepared an especially wonderful presentation about monkeys and the rain forest.  The children were divided into 4 groups and enjoyed story telling, games, coloring, and Q&A.  Each of them also received a special monkey tail!

The children snacked on organic strawberries and raisins.

At the end of the class, each child received a country-specific toy animal to take home.

Special thanks to Lorena Burga, Liz Fenton, our 8th and 6th grade assistants, Stacey Kellar, and HAMC girl scouts.   

Warm wishes,

Julia Benz

Book Fair 2011!

Our HAMC students LOVE to read!

Check out photos from the 2011 Book Fair!
But there's more...the book fair fun continues on Tuesday (12/06) and Wednesday (12/07)
 from 8:30 am-4:30 pm!
Get ready for all of the wonderful books your children will bring home...

Message from Head of School 12.02.11

Live from the 1st grade classroom, Moreh Moshe and the students talk about the weather in Hebrew!

It's Electric!

In science class this morning, the 5^th graders learned all about creating electricity and the difference between conductors and insulators.  The students conducted an awesome experiment using batteries, wires, and a variety of objects to make a small ‘motor' spin.  One group of students found that a paper-clip and steel sheet caused an electric current, making the motor spin, but the popsicle stick and piece of yarn did not.  Once again our HAMC students had a great time learning about science!

An Israeli Chumus-off!

Today, our Shlichim, Lior and Noga, held a Chumus competition in the cafeteria! Lior represented “Abu Shukri Ha Mikori”, “the original chumus” and Noga represented “Abu Shukri Ha Mikori Ha Yoter”, “the even more original chumus”.  The students learned that there are two different ways of eating the two different kinds of chumus. For Lior’s chumus, the students had to wipe the pita in the chumus and for Noga’s chumus, the students had to spin the pita on the chumus in a circular motion. The room was overflowing with school spirit as each student chanted for the chumus they were rooting for!  

7th Graders get the 411 on Viruses

Guest speaker, Dr. Stein, came in this week to teach the 7^th grade an informative lesson on "the virus”.  Although the students already knew many characteristics of viruses from their science class, they learned so much more from the comprehensive discussion that Dr. Stein held.  After hearing all about viruses and their many qualities, the students did some hands on work and had the opportunity to make their very own viruses using paper cutouts.

An Evening of Jewish Threads and Mandel Bread

Last night, Diana Drew, author of the new book “Jewish Threads”, gave us a history and baking lesson on mandel bread. We baked this uniquely Jewish “cookie” together and the final product was delicious!

See post below for Diana Drew's recipe!

The complete title of Drew’s new book is "Jewish Threads: A Hands-On Guide to Stitching Spiritual Intention into Jewish Fabric Crafts". 

 “Journey along with talented Jewish fabric craft artists from throughout the United States and  Israel as they retrace their steps in the creative process used to make thirty evocative projects.”

Explore the history and learn the process of making these crafts, including tallitot, seder plates, Tree of Life, and more!

Click this link to learn more about the book and purchase online:

 http://www.jewishlights.com/page/product/978-1-58023-442-9

Book is also available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com

Check out this “Daily Record” article on the event!

http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201111290600/NJNEWS/311290043

Diana Drew's Mandel Bread Recipe

See above for more details on the Jewish Threads and Mandel Bread event!

Hebrew Academy of Morris County Master Chef Series

Jewish Threads and Mandel Bread

Diana’s Mandel Bread (P)

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup pure vegetable oil (I use canola oil or safflower oil)

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup orange juice

4 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup chopped walnuts or diced dried apricots

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar and oil until light, using a wire whisk. Add baking powder, vanilla, and orange juice, mixing well. Add flour one or two cups at a time, mixing well each time. With a wooden spoon or spatula, mix in walnuts or apricots until well distributed throughout the dough. Form into six loaves on two ungreased cookie sheets. (Because the dough is a bit sticky, have a low flat bowl with water on hand to wet your hands so they don’t stick to the loaves as you’re forming them.) Bake until brown (about 15 minutes). Remove from the oven. Using a spatula, gently lift the loaves off the cookie sheet, cut them into horizontal strips measuring about 1 or 1-1/2 inches, and place the strips cut side down back on the cookie sheet. Return to the oven for a few minutes for the strips to toast lightly. Cool on a cooling rack and store in an airtight container. (Tip: These may be frozen for months and taste just as good when they’re defrosted.)

4th Graders Build Weather Vanes

Mrs. Silvestri’s 4^th grade class is learning all about the weather this year. What better way for the students to learn about the weather than to measure the weather themselves! In science class, the 4^th graders built weather vanes and tried them out this morning. Since it was quite a windy morning the weather vanes went wild, spinning in every direction! Check out these photos of the creation process and final product of these awesome weather instruments.

Message from Head of School, Moshe Vaknin 11.22.11

4th Grade Thanksgiving Festivities!

This morning in the 4^th grade classroom, Thanksgiving was in the air! All of the desks were adorned with orange tablecloths and the walls were covered with fall infused leaves.  The students created festive necklaces out of string and popcorn, went bobbing for apples, and ate some delicious Thanksgiving themed foods.  The best part of the morning was a special visit from Moreh Moshe. The students sang songs of thanks with him and shared what they were thankful for this year.  The project highlighted the true meaning of Thanksgiving…

8th Graders Explore Different Perspectives of “The Chosen People”

This morning in Rabbi Rudin’s Chumash class, the 8^th graders conducted a debate of sorts on the meaning of the Hebrew phrase, “Am Nivhar”, “The Chosen People”. Throughout the Torah, the Jewish people are referred to as “The Chosen People”, but what does this really mean? The class split up into three separate groups, each group taking on the perspective of Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox Judaism on this matter. The presence of two visiting Rabbi’s from our community really enhanced the lesson and supplemented the students’ research with real-life accounts of the differing perspectives.  Rabbi Rossoff, from Temple B’nei Or of Morristown, represented the Reform viewpoint and Rabbi Adler, from White Meadow Temple of Rockaway, represented the Conservative viewpoint.  Unfortunately, Rabbi East of the Mount Freedom Jewish Center could not make the lesson, but Rabbi Rudin stood in for him to represent the Orthodox perspective on the matter.  While there is no one “correct” answer to this question of the “chosen people”, it was very interesting for the students to research and learn from these visiting Rabbi’s what the different sects of Judaism have to say on the matter.  Overall, the lesson was very informative, interactive, and eye-opening.

Message from Head of School, Moshe Vaknin

Tikun Olam:Preparing Packages for the Homeless

This morning, the 4th and 5th graders prepared brown-bag meals for the homeless.  This Tikkun Olam project was conducted in collaboration with Bridges Outreach Inc., an organization that distributes prepared meals on Friday evenings to homeless individuals and families in Newark, Irvington, and other locations.  As part of the experience, the students had a lesson on homelessness, emphasizing the merit of performing this mitzvah.

Thank you to all the HAMC families who contributed and gave a helping hand to this crucial project. We couldn't have done it without your efforts and generosity.

For more information on Bridges Outreach Inc. click here:
www.bridgesoutreach.net/aboutus.php

5th Graders Mosey around Monsey

The 5^th grade took their annual field trip to Monsey, NY where they experienced a local community infused with Jewish culture and tradition.  With our very own Rabbi Hami, a native Monsey-er, as their guide, the students were exposed to all the best Jewish “hot-spots” in town…From the kosher bakery, to the kosher supermarket, to the kosher butchery, the students saw it all! They even had a special scavenger hunt in Shoprite where they had to scout out all of the kosher food in stock; the options were endless! The trip ended with some delicious kosher pizza and the students went home with happy stomachs and smiles on their faces. Make sure to ask your 5^th graders about their favorite of the trip!

“Rishonim" Beach Party!

This week our Israeli “Rishonim” brought the Tel Aviv beach to HAMC! Lior and Noga converted the auditorium stage into a “flowing ocean” and got everyone into the beach spirit by giving out Hawaiian leis and playing the Israeli beach game of “matkot”, paddle-ball.  Once again, our Rishonim successfully gave us a real taste of Israeli culture!

Buddy Day!

Yesterday was “Buddy Day”! Each ECC student was paired up with a 5^th grade student and the dynamic duos spent a fun filled day together. Some of the buddies read PJ Library stories together, while others built with Legos or played dress up.  The students also learned Hebrew together as they participated in Morah Nechama’s Hebrew class in ECC 3.  All in all it was a great day that both the 5^th graders and ECC-ers really enjoyed!

Commemorating Kristallnacht Through the Arts

“Kristallnacht”, also referred to as the “Night of Broken Glass”, was a series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria in November,1938.  Students in the HAMC art elective commemorated the 73rd anniversary of Kristallnacht through artistic expression, covering tiles with historic photographs and newspaper clips recounting the event and adorning them with pieces of broken glass. These works of art are being displayed in our hallway and are a reminder of the shattering effect that Kristallnacht had on  European Jewery.

Kindergarteners Come to their Senses

Today our Kindergarteners learned about the human “senses” of touch and feel through some festive arts and crafts projects. The first project taught the students about their sense of “touch” and what different things feel like on our hands. The students had fun painting their hands and using their handprints to create the turkey feathers on their Thanksgiving turkey pictures. The students loved the feeling of the paint on their hands and also enjoyed getting their hands messy! The second art project that the class worked on was making homemade maracas using paper plates, some “noisy” items, and colorful tissue paper decorations. The students had a blast shaking their maracas and hearing the rhythmic music they were creating.

Go Geography travels to the Ukraine!

What excitement we had to share with each other on our trip to the  Ukraine. The children learned how to map their way on the globe from US to the Ukraine, how to say hello in both Ukrainian and Russian (both languages are widely spoken in Ukraine), and even how seals have become an endangered animal because of the water pollution in the Ukraine.  They answered questions about how to improve the quality of our Eco-system so the seals can survive. The children also learned about horses, cows, foxes, bears.

The children loved the Ukrainian costumes and toys like the stacking dolls (matreshka), beautifully painted boxes, and scarves.  They also played with the wooden animal toys that Ukrainian children would play with and listened to children's folk music.

Sports in the Ukraine are much like sports in  the United States, e.g. soccer and tennis. Badminton is also popular. As a hands on experience, boys practiced badminton in the gym while the girls created friendship cards to send to the children in the Ukraine. We have amazing artists who even decorated the envelopes!  

The 8th graders prepared a special space program for children to learn about the first man in space, Ukrainian (at that time Former Soviet Union), Yuri Gagarin. The students filled out Space Travel Cards and buckled up for a trip to outer space. The kids were treated to an actual space launch with the help of technology –smartBoard. Each student drew their favorite planet and received a space medal for being such a wonderful space traveler.

All the kids snacked on organic treats and talked about their exciting travels into space and beyond!

It was wonderful to see children's faces being so excited about learning.

Special thanks to HAMC students, Charlotte Schreiber, Sarah Bacharach and Josh Trif for their help with Go Geography. Thank you also to Liz Fenton and Lorena Sperber who helped Julia Benz with the class.

HAMC Fall Fever!

From pumpkin projects to autumnal attire, the HAMC hallways were overflowing with the fall spirit this week!

Today our students dressed in the rich autumnal colors of orange, red, and brown and some even came in full feather headpieces, taking on the Thanksgiving spirit!

Earlier in the week, our ECC had a special unit on the Hebrew word for the color "orange"..."Katom!" The morning involved science, cooking, and art! First, all of the students sat in a circle and got to pick out special "katom" items from a special bag. Then they moved to the "magic table" where they became scientists as they watched red dye and yellow dye magically turn into orange dye! Last, but not least, our very own Chef Wolf impressively cut open a big "katom" pumpkin and our students got to see and feel what the inside of a fresh pumpkin looks and feels like. Then, as a class, the students decorated the outside of the pumpkin with markers and crayons. Who knew learning about the color orange could be so much fun!

The HAMC AlphaBots!

The HAMC First Lego League Robotics team, the AlphaBots, is hard at work on this year's 'Food Factor' challenge. The team has to design and program their robot to perform 14 food-safety tasks - all in under five minutes! The team built everything - including the wooden table that 'challenge mat' sits on'. The AlphaBot team consists of Ben Pincus, Coby Schneider, Lielle Lev, and Jesse Kellar and is coached by HAMC parent, Stacey Kellar.

8th Grade Enjoys "To Kill a Mockingbird"

The 8th grade students enjoyed seeing the play To Kill A Mockingbird at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey at Drew University…and so did the chaperones! It was a wonderful play that the students really enjoyed.  After the performance, we stayed for the “talk-back” with the actors and director. The girls were even able to get a photo with the male actors, Jem and Dill. The play was the perfect culminating activity for our study of the novel and a wonderful way for us to show our support for the arts!

The “Rishonim Program” brings Israel to HAMC every Wednesday!

We are so lucky to have our new “Rishonim” (young emissaries from Israel), Lior and Noga, at HAMC this year!  Lior and Noga are two young Israelis who will be teaching the students about Israel through fun activities and interactive lessons.  On Wednesday, Lior and Noga introduced the HAMC students to two important aspects of Israeli culture; the Israeli “shuk” (market) and the “Kibbutz”. In the morning, the 2^nd grade classroom was transformed into an Israeli “shuk”, where the students had the opportunity to “buy and sell” a variety of fresh foods and then enjoy the food afterwards. The students really experienced the “hustle-bustle” and excitement that one feels when entering an Israeli shuk!

Later in the day, during lunch and recess, the auditorium was transformed into an Israeli Kibbutz with an English and Hebrew sign posted on the door saying, “Welcome to Kibbutz HAMC!”  The students ate their lunches on special blue trays that people who live on a Kibbutz eat on in their communal “Chadar Ochel”, or cafeteria.  Everyone’s favorite part of the afternoon was dancing the Israeli “horah” to old Israeli music. Everyone joined hands and danced in a big circle. We can’t wait to see what Israeli activities Noga and Lior are planning for next Wednesday!

A Rosh Chodesh Welcoming

Our HAMC students brought in the month of Cheshvan with joyful prayers and singing as the students sang the special Rosh Chodesh prayer of Hallel in unison. We also had a special treat from the HAMC choir as they took their places on stage and entertained us with their soulful rendition of an oldie but goodie, Dobie Gray’s, “Drift Away." Both students and teachers couldn’t help but clap and sing along! The morning ended with a special bagel breakfast for the upper grades in celebration of the new month.

Eighth-Graders Become Sizzling Scientists!

Last week in the science lab, our eighth-graders learned a unit on chemical building blocks. The students did an experiment using everyday items to create a fizzy explosion! First the students inserted Alka Seltzer tablets in to a latex balloon and then they attached the balloon to the top of a bottle filled with water. The students watched the chemical reaction in awe as the water became completely fizzy from the release of carbon dioxide. This experiment confirmed once again that science can be fun!

An Evening of Culinary Genius!

More than 50 current parents, alumni parents, and HAMC staff participated in the HAMC Master Chef Class with Susie Fishbein, sponsored by the Parent Association. The Kosher by Design author and chef demonstrated three recipes -- Chummus with Morrocan Cigar, Chicken Lollipops, and Pear-Apple Tartlet for dessert.

The evening included a book signing with Susie and a three-course meal, which was delicious! Everyone walked away with books, recipes, an HAMC MasterChef Apron -- and, of course, full stomachs!

A Simchat Torah Shindig

This morning at HAMC we had a special morning prayer service as we celebrated the holidays of Hoshanah Rabba and Simchat Torah!

The auditorium was overflowing with excitement as the entire school marched around with their mini Torahs and Israeli flags in hand. After a beautiful Torah service, we said the blessing on the lulav and etrog and had a blast smacking the aravot on the floor to “get rid of our sins.” 

The festivities concluded with singing and dancing as Moreh Moshe played his guitar and the entire school joined in song, waving their flags high in the air.

Chag Sameach everyone!

Slurpin' in the Sukkah

Our annual Spaghetti in the Sukkah was a huge success! 

More than 120 people attended for singing in the sukkah with Moreh Moshe, a spaghetti dinner, pumpkin decorating, and fresh dipped caramel apples by the eighth-grade girls!
What was your favorite part of the event? Have any pictures of your own? We'd love to hear more about your spaghetti and sukkah experiences!

In Touch With Nature, Jewishly

Our sixth-grade students are busy on their four-day, three-night Teva Learning Alliance trip in Connecticut with so many activities including night hiking, bread-making, and nature art. The trip is flying by for the students with hot chocolate in the Oolam and hearty meals together.

We want our sixth graders to focus on merging Jewish values and culture with the caring and preservation of the Earth, and we hope they'll return with a deeper understanding that as an individual or as a community, we need to take care of the planet that takes cares of us -- Earth!

Every year, our sixth graders go on this four-day, three-night trip with several other Jewish day schools, too. What is Teva?

"The Teva Learning Alliance, North America's foremost Jewish Environmental Education Institute, is a non-denominational educational service for participants from throughout the Jewish community. Working with Jewish Day Schools, Congregational Schools, synagogues, camps and youth groups, Teva's programs touch the lives of 3,000 participants annually."

For more information, click here. 

Unmasking Minerals with the Fourth Grade

Earlier this week, fourth-grade students had a lab testing the hardness of minerals, including Quartz, Flourite, Graphite, Hornblende, and Calcite. They scraped the minerals using different tools and recorded their answers. Did your student have anything exciting to report about the project? We'd love to hear it!

An Adventure Down Under

What a great kickoff "Go Geography" had last Friday! The students marched to the maraca beat throughout the hallways as onlookers happily heard them say we were traveling to Australia. We found Australia on the globe and mapped our travel from New Jersey to Australia. We had a mystery box in filled with animals that the students picked, including whales, camels (who would have thought they live in the land down under) crocodiles and dolphins, everyone loved learning about the animals.

The students had their waists measured and compared them to the size of a whale's length. It was a 30ish-inch difference! Then they dipped their fingers in warm water to see what tropical temperatures whales prefer to swim in. During these activities, we told the students whale facts to reinforce all that we'd discussed.

After a brief four-minute movie in which they saw Australian coral reef, manta rays swimming, clams and sharks on the smart board, the boys played soccer (aka football!) in the gym much as boys in Australia would do (or rugby and tennis), while the girls made a collage of Australian sea and land life animals.

Many thanks to eighth-graders Charlotte S. and Sarah B. for graciously volunteering their time to assist in the learning experience.

G'day mate! And be sure to check out our other Go Geography adventures. 

Growing Green at HAMC

Here at HAMC, we are green with ... pride! We know, it's not the usual expression you find attached with "green," but we're happy to announce that during the summer, our school qualified for the Green Schools Honor Roll.

That makes us the first school in New Jersey to make the prestigious list from the Green Schools Initiative! Check out our profile here.

Students with our new composter!

Our HAMC Green Team is so fortunate to have an administration and staff that fully supports our environmental efforts -- especially because the green message dovetails with the core Jewish value of Tikkun Olam.

We're encouraging parents to pack eco-friendly lunches for their children (with thermoses instead of juice boxes and reusable containers instead of plastic baggies) and to follow the new school policy of "No Idling" in the pick-up line. Also, we hope that all staff members will join us in our efforts to help keep our green school its greenest. With our new Green Schools Honor Roll status, we feel the added responsibility to "walk the walk and talk the talk." Please help us, in any way that you feel comfortable, to spread the message of Tikkun Olam and how it relates to environmentalism. Here are some suggestions:

• Join your students in packing a lunch that reduces waste at school.
• Turn off the lights whenever the class leaves your classroom--even better, let the students do it. At the end of the day, please turn off all computers and monitors.
• Use paper cups instead of plastic cups at snack time. Without liquid (preferably water), these can go into your mixed paper bin. The school is working on supplying compostable cups for all classrooms--which can go into our brand-new composter, located near the greenhouse.
• Your mixed paper bin is not just for paper--cardboard boxes from snacks can be disposed of there, too.
• Avoid plastic or styrofoam for arts & crafts projects, instead choosing "green" materials such as recycled cardboard.
• Encourage the kids to drop off their old, broken crayons in the school's crayon recycling bin, or at the front office.
• Read green books to the children and discuss ways that even the smallest students can make big differences for our planet. It's very empowering for them to learn that their choices have real and measurable effects.

We have another wonderfully green year ahead, from poster contests to special guest presentations to "green captains" in the student body -- all tied into the core Jewish value of Tikkun Olam. We can't wait to share all of our green goings-on here on the blog!

The green message is universal -- how do you go green?

Having a Blast with Shofars!

In preparation for the holiday, Rosh Hashanah, the 5th through 8th grade students had a special Shofar Factory program where they learned about the origin of the shofar, practiced their own blowing skills, and made personal shofars to bring home.




Will you be blowing the shofar at home with your students? We bet your students would love to hear any fun and inspiring shofar stories you have from your own childhood! Let us know!

Remember 9/11

Our Sixth Graders offered a very meaningful and powerful presentation in memory of September 11, 2001. We hope you'll watch the video and let us know what you think!

A New School Year!

See more photos on Flickr ~ A New School Year!

We are so thrilled to welcome back all of our students! The first two days went very smoothly and we are looking forward to a wonderful school year.

Shana Tovah!

Happy and Healthy New Year!

Summer Fun at Camp Kef Lee

Camp Kef Lee has gotten off to a great start! Our two groups, Tiny Bubbles and Shining Stars can be heard laughing and singing on their way out to water play, the playground, playtown and the field for sports.

Last week was our first full week and our theme was sports. We continue with sports through our six weeks with soccer, tee ball, basketball, and more. This week is Patriotic Week, and we made flag fans and decorated cupcakes to help us celebrate. We still have Beach Week, Safety and Transportation Week, Nature and Animals Week and we end with Carnival Week.

Stay tuned for more fun and excitement from at Camp Kef Lee!

Stepping Up!

As our Kindergarteners prepare to "step up" to first grade, they took some time to fill us in on their favorite bits and pieces of their Kindergarten experience!

The first vote came regarding the favorite song chosen by students to be heard during their Friday lunch period, and the winner was "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz with "Down by the Bay" by Raffi coming in as a close second! (Kindergarten Teacher Mrs. Nancy Delman facilitates this every-Friday treat!)

Their favorite class was a tie between Art and Gym, and second place was Journal Writing and Smart Board Games.

Lastly, our kindergartners' favorite saying of the year was "If you want a friend, be a friend!"



Don't be confused! The older students in these photos are sixth-grade buddies!
We're so proud of our students as they head onward and upward to First Grade!

Recap: The Walk for Dawn

We wrote not too long ago about a very special event that was coming up -- the Dawn Levin Volunteer Appreciation Day and the Walk for Dawn. The event took place on June 2, and the entire school and so many parents came out to support the efforts of Dawn z''l and her family to raise funds to improve the conditions at The Katlego Creche, a nursery school and preschool in the village Rooiboklaagte in northeastern South Africa. Dawn was a huge part of HAMC in every way, and her legacy will live on through this project. The walk on June 2 alone raised more than $3,000!

Here's a short video of the event. To read more about Dawn and The Katlego Creche, check out this post.

A Graduating Class

Congratulations to our very own Class of 2011! We know they will do great things, and we are so excited to watch them continue to impact the world around them!

Thank you to Caroline for the photos!

More photos can be found on our Facebook Page!

Join Us As We Walk for Dawn!

Students at The Katlego Creche nursery school.

Please join us in celebrating our many HAMC volunteers at this year’s Parent Association volunteer appreciation day from 9 a.m. until noon on June 2, 2011.

As you may or may not know, HAMC lost a most extraordinary member of our family and a true friend, this year, when Dawn Levin z”l passed away. Thus, we've renamed the special day to the Dawn Levin Volunteer Appreciation Day. Dawn was likely one of the most tireless, inspiring and engaged volunteers at HAMC, often doing so out of the sight and without the knowledge of so many people in the community. She worked behind the scenes to make various fund raising events go off effortlessly as well enhancing a lot of programs. She was a gem. She is missed and will continue to be missed. In honoring her memory, we ask for your assistance, in honoring a commitment that was very important to Dawn, and to her family.

Dawn and her family have been working to raise funds to improve the conditions of the facilities of The Katlego Creche, a nursery school and a pre-school located in a village called Rooiboklaagte in north eastern South Africa. Once improved, the school can apply to be registered with the local municipality, and, once registered, the school will receive food assistance so that the school can serve a hot nutritious lunch to the kids. As part of this year’s Dawn Levin Volunteer Appreciation Day, the students at HAMC will participate in a Walk for Dawn. One-hundred percent of each pledge made will be placed directly into a fund for The Katlego Creche school. If our school can do a mitzvah for this school, and for Dawn and her family, then we are certainly participating in Tikkun Olam, or Repairing the World.

Please take the time to speak with your children about this special Walk for Dawn, so that each child will know the reason behind the walkathon. This will be a special morning for the whole school to walk as one to honor the life of a wonderful woman and to make a difference in the lives of children who touched her life and whose lives we can touch. Parents and friends are invited to celebrate Dawn and walk with the students!

Rather than pledge for each lap walked (and, especially if the weather is inclement and we have to move indoors and do this event a bit differently), we are asking for a pledge for participation. Please ask your family and your friends to participate, and please pledge generously so that each child will not only participate in the walk, but will feel like he or she has made a difference in another child’s life. The form can be downloaded at http://jewi.sh/dawnlevinwalk.

Please send in your donations/pledge forms as soon as possible. The Parent Association will match up to $500 of all money raised! Please mark your calendars for this important morning. And be sure to RSVP on Facebook!