Science is Happening!

Why were Moreh Moshe and Moti spotted on the HAMC roof on Wednesday??

The only answer could be..."Science is Happening Day"!! Our 4th graders were tried with the mission of constructing a casing that would cushion and protect an egg from a one story drop.  Moreh Moshe and Moti dropped the encased eggs from the school rooftop while we all awaited the results. While we did witness some SPLATTS!, many of the eggs landed safely. The 5th graders had to create parachutes with everyday materials that would stay up in the air for as long as possible. We watched each parachute smoothly float down from the rooftop. Science was definitely "happening" at the HAMC!

4th Graders Go Back in Time to the Colonial Days

"Hear ye! Hear ye!

Welcome to the Fourth Grade Colonial Fair!

Our 4th Graders have gone back in time to the Colonial days of the 1700's in New Jersey.  We have converted our classroom into many craft shoppes for you to visit.  In those days, master craftsmen would take young apprentices and teach them their trade.  Our 4th grade town has many talented craftsmen too, and we want YOU to be our apprentices! Every shoppe has interesting things for you to SEE and DO.

Be sure to visit our Calligrapher, Potpourri Shoppe, Toymaker, Potter, Broom Maker, Apothecary, Baker, School Master, Tinsmith, Stenciler, Weaver and Candler!

Please try to visit them all and HAVE FUN!"

HAMC Remembers Israel's Fallen Soilders

Yesterday marked the day of Yom HaZikaron, the day that we commemorate Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror.  Our 4th graders led us in a beautiful service, capturing the emotions and words of real people who have lost loved ones in Israel.  They serenaded us with melodies of hope for the future and recited words of poetry that moved our hearts.  We concluded with the Yom HaZikaron Yizkor and sang a heartfelt rendition of the Ha Tikvah in unison, with our brethren in Israel in our thoughts.

Commemorating Yom HaShoah

Today marks the date of Yom HaShoah, a day commemorating the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust and the heroism and strength that allowed others to survive. This morning we held a very special Yom HaShoah program for our middle school students and parents.  The ceremony opened with the "Kel Maleh Rachamim" (a prayer said in memory of those who perished), led by Rabbi Rudin.  Our fourth graders then took the stage and shared a beautiful presentation capturing the lives of Jewish children during the Holocaust. They recited poetry, sang beautiful songs and chanted the "Kadish".  Following this presentation , we had the privilege of hearing from Holocaust survivors, Alex and Judy Buchler (our very own Morah Edna's parents).  They shared with us their own stories about what it was like to be a child during the Holocaust; being torn from their homes, living in the ghettos and struggling to survive.  After the war, both Alex and Judy were blessed with emigrating to Israel where they met and married.  This program reminded as once again of the importance of learning about the Holocaust, listening to the stories of our grandparents and continuing to pass on those stories so we will never forget.

The Arts at HAMC

March is "Youth Arts Month"! This week's Head of School Message is in honor of the incredible arts program at the Academy. Check out our talented 4th graders singing a little preview of the upcoming Yom Ha Zikaron ceremony.
 

Trip to the Jewish Children's Museum

This week our 4th and 5th graders took a field trip to the Jewish Children's Museum in Brooklyn.  The incredible museum is overflowing with hands-on exhibits, focusing on Jewish holidays, biblical history and the land of Israel, all bringing Jewish culture and history to life.  From being contestants in a game of Jewish Jeopardy to crawling through a "life-sized" challah, our students loved this museum experience and had great stories to share when they returned to school!

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!

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.

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…

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

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!