The 4/26/13 Shabbat Dinner

Thank you to all those who joined us for a meaningful Israeli themed Shabbat dinner this past Friday! We had a great time!

Lag B'Omer at the HAMC!

We're celebrating Lag B'Omer at the HAMC! Everyone's enjoying an awesome barbecue with hot dogs, burgers, and roasted marshmallows! 

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The ECC Challah Program

Thank you to all the parents who joined us for an afternoon of making challah in ECC! We had a great time!

4th Grade Science

The 4th grade is prepping for surgery as they learn about the medical sciences!

ECC at the Greenhouse!

We're having fun in the HAMC greenhouse!

First Grade Art!

The first grade is creating beautiful masterpieces inspired by Monet!

 

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An Update from Israel!

DAY 9

Today was Yom Hazikaron, Israeli Memorial day. It began last night. At the hotel, our two madrichim, Shir and Alisha, made a presentation for us to convey the seriousness of Yom Hazikaron in Israel. Because every Israeli knows somebody who died fighting for the Israeli Defense Force or died in a terrorist attack,everyone in Israel feels this day very personally.

This morning, we visited the memorial for 12 IDF soldiers who had died in the second Lebanon war. Then we visited the graveyard for the Shomer soldiers. After that, we attended a Yom Hazikaron ceremony that included some speeches and songs. Then we went on a nature walk/hike at Banyas. For most of the walk, the path followed a stream which eventually led to a waterfall. We then had lunch at Banyas.

After Banyas, we went to Arbental, an old army place, where we learned about the Yom Kippur War. Then we had fifteen minutes to explore the trenches and look at the beautiful view from which we could see Syria. Now we are on the bus to return to the Tel Chai YouthHostel where we are staying for three nights.Tonight we will go celebrate Yom Haatzmaut, Israeli independence day. Can't wait!!!

-sarahlily


DAY 10

Hello everyone it's Ryan and David reporting to you day 10 of our amazing trip! Last night we went to celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut in Kiryat Shmona. It was great, we danced, ate food, and had lots of fun! This morning we woke up at 7 and ate a very "yummy" breakfast after davening Halel for Yom Ha'Azmaut. We went for a 6 mile bike ride around the Lake and stopped multiple times to enjoy the beautiful nature around us. Afterwords we went rafting. There was a lot of action, and we even got to go down a rapid. We also had many water battles where we would ambush other boats and splash them.We are having a blast in Israel and enjoying every moment of our amazing trip with new and old friends.



DAY 11
Hi,

This is Moreh Moshe. It is Wednesday late, and the students are really tired from a long day. I decided to give them a break, and write a short Blog.

Today we left the North and went to Jerusalem. On the way, we stopped by a natural warm spring called 'Ein Ha Shlosha', AKA Sachne. The kids spent more than two hours swimming from one warm pool to another. It was so much fun.

Then, we took a long bus ride to Jerusalem. We went to the Malcha mall and had dinner and much needed shopping. Some children met some friends and family members.

We came back to the hotel and met Ari Chasid, a Harvard graduate who was the roommate of Mark Zuckerberg. He told us his incredible story.

It's late now. Good night from Israel.

Moreh Moshe 



Photos from this week:

Dance Caravan!

Everyone did a great job in the dance recital yesterday! To find out more about the Dance Caravan program and many other after school enrichment programs that the HAMC offers, please email Jen Gates at jgates@hamc.org.

Science in K

The Kindergarten finished up their science unit on trees today, by planting one for the HAMC!

Happy Birthday Israel!

To celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel's 65th birthday, we brought the country to us! Students participated in crafts, games, and learning fun! 

An Update from Israel!

DAY 3

Hi everyone!  This is Ophir and Sarahlily blogging from the desert in Israel!  Today is Wednesday, April 10th, and today was Rosh Chodesh. The girls had their own service outside because after all, Rosh Chodesh is a holiday meant for the women.  It was a gorgeous morning, and we really enjoyed davening outside under the beautiful morning sunshine.  After that, we went of to breakfast and left Shefayim, our hotel. From there we headed to Nagala'at, which means "please touch" in Hebrew. This is because it is a community center dedicated to the blind, deaf, and a mixture of both. We went into a pitch dark room where there was a blind guide. In the complete darkness, we made pottery and understood how it is to be blind through a Q and A with our  guide. When we got back out into the light, it was so difficult for our eyes to adjust!

 

After our trip to Nalaga'at, we took a brief walk around the pier at Yaffo.

Then we got onto the bus to go to the Olympic Experience, which is a training facility for Israeli Olympic athletes. In addition, it is a place for people to learn about the Olympics in general and specifically about the accomplishments of the Israeli athletes.  In here, we got to see how strong we are, our reaction rate, how fast we are, and our concentration level. Then we watched an interactive movie on Israeli athletes and the Olympics. 

Next we headed off to lunch outside on the courtyard of the Olympic Experience, and we bought ice cream. From there we headed to Shvil Hasalat, which is a farm the grows fresh vegetables and fruits on the desert.  We got to try tomatoes, cucumbers, and strawberries.  We even got to hold pigeons and release them into the sky!  Afterwards, we got onto the bus for about an hour and a half. We arrived at our new motel and went straight to dinner, followed by a night activity.  Tomorrow we will be going to the Bedouin tents, so we need to pack tonight for that. Also, tonight is the first night that we are sharing rooms with the other schools, and we're becoming closer to them. Can't wait for tomorrow!

DAYS 4 and 5

Hi everyone! This is Jesse and Sam writing from Israel! On Thursday April 11th, we went on the Ein Avdat hike where we hiked to the top of a large cliff where we had to climb steep steps and tall ladders to get to and see beautiful sites. Following this, we went to Mitzpe Revinim and learned how the Negev was first settled by the pioneers. We found out that because we were able to settle the Negev, we were able to obtain all that land and keep it from the Arabs.  An actor came and put on a show, which made us laugh hysterically.  Jesse and Yonatan had cameos, which you'll see in our pictures.  Later that day, we went to a Bedouin-style hotel where we rode camels, ate a delicious Bedouin-style dinner, and had a bonfire complete with smores.  We all slept in one big tent, which was a little cold, but overall really fun. 

The next day, Friday April 12, all the kids woke up at 4:30 in the morning for a very special event - to see the sunrise on Masada. Gesher arrived at Masada at around 5:30, right before sunrise and rushed up the mountain to see the beautiful sunrise from across the Dead Sea. Afterwards, the group went around Masada and learned about its history and story. Right afterwards we went to have breakfast and head towards the Dead Sea where we floated away to our next hotel - Karei Deshe.  Now we're off to get ready for Shabbat tonight.  Shabbat Shalom!

DAYS 6, 7, and 8

Hi everyone this is Yonatan and Michael writing from Israel. On Saturday, We had a late wake up at 9:00 and had an entire day of resting in total. We had about 6 hours of down time and used it up playing basketball. After our adventures on the court, we had dinner and services and left to go off into the city of Tiberius(Teveriah). We were in for a big night as we explored the wonderful city full of life and lights. After shopping for about an hour, we went to the "Party Boat." The Party Boat was a vehicle that rides on the water and plays music at the same time...AMAZING RIGHT!? Well, the party lasted about an hour and was an amazing time as we all danced. Of course, we(Yonatan and Michael) broke it down on the dance floor as we busted our moves. As we were on the boat, we were amazed by the lights and sights of the beautiful city. After the Party was over, we headed to our hotel and crashed. The next day I (Michael) was requested to wake up 30 minutes early to wake up the rest of the group with other friends. To start off the day we hiked down Mount Arbel. It was a great experience because we climbed down steep cliffs and met some cows along the way. After that hike we went to a camp where they showed us how life was before our time, about 1800 years ago. Thank you for reading our blog and have a good day!

Photos from this week:

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2nd Grade Science

Spring is in the air, and the 2nd grade class is learning all about the life cycle of a Painted Lady Butterfly. Each student received caterpillars to take care of and observe as they transform through the metamorphosis.

Greetings from Israel: Day 1 and Day 2

DAY 1

Hi everyone! This is Michael and Yonatan writing from Israel.  We arrived at the airport this morning approximately 8:17 a.m. on Sunday April 7th. We entered terminal 4 and walked up to gate B31 as we had our passports checked and luggage weighed. Security asked us about 436 questions, and then we were on our way! We went back to the entrance of the gate to say our final goodbyes to our beloved friends and family. At this point it was about 9:30, 3 hours to take off and 2 hours until boarding.  Upon departure, we switched seats to be next to our friends.  We landed with applause at 5:30 in the morning in Israel and the city of Tel Aviv lit the sky right before the sunrise.  After receiving our luggage, we hopped on the bus and went on to go to the archeological dig at Beit Guvreit. This was one of the many highlights of the day. Our group headed down to the caves. We explored the cave that had been a place where pigeons were raised. After the exploration we headed up to the surface and listened to the siren for Yom Hashoah.  Following the siren, we continued on to go into the hole called Buffy. In here we found: pieces of animal bone, pottery, shells, and glass. All of these objects had been used by people that lived 2,200 years ago!  After the archeological dig, we went on to pull out turnips at a local farm for the soup kitchen in the area. We pulled up approximately 250 turnips. In between both activities, we went to a mall to have lunch. All of these activities are just a taste of what is to come during our Israel trip. Finally, we went to our hotel - Sh'fayiim - ate dinner, did an activity, and called it a night.  We miss you all!

DAY 2
Hello everyone! This is Ryan and David writing from Israel. Today was great!  We started off the day by going to the Tel Aviv beach to meet students from an Israeli school.  While we were waiting for them, we got to dip our feet into the Mediterranean Sea, which you'll see in our pictures.  The Israeli students brought us welcome gifts, and we got to hang out and talk with them for awhile. Later in the day, we went to The Independence Hall, Palmach Museum, Shuk Ha Karmel, and The Port of Tel Aviv. In The Independence Hall, we learned in detail about the declaration of the State of Israel. In the Palmach Museum, we saw a semi-live action exhibit. We went from room to room joining in on the experience with one of the squads of the Palmach by participating in mock events such as the bombing of several bridges, siege of Jerusalem, attempting to sneak into Palestine via boat, and of course, singing at a campfire. At the Shuk Ha Karmel, we saw many beautiful works of art, and purchased many goodies. We bought items such as clothes, chocolate, food, and other goods. We also watched a street performer sing very beautifully. At the end of the day, we went to The Port of Tel Aviv in which we split up in groups and ate dinner.  Oh, except for Michael and Yonatan who ate ice cream.  They had a big lunch.  We watched the waves from the boardwalk, and some of us got wet! Overall we had a great time! 

 

Technology at the HAMC!

Technology is an integral part of the educational experience at the HAMC! With our new mobile iPad lab students are able to enhance their academics in every class! 

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4th Grade Science

The 4th grade is busy learning about the skeleton! They even got to build their own!

An HAMC Drum Circle!