TEVA 2014

Eyes of the Wild

What do a chinchilla, tortoise, skunk, and wallaby all have in common?They were all hanging out in the HAMC auditorium this past Monday! 
Special guest and science educator of "Eyes of the Wild", Travis Gale, gave our lower grades a special presentation on wildlife animals.  The ECC through 1st grade students had the experience of "imitating" a chinchilla, petting a skunk, and witnessing a baby wallaby stick its adorable head out of its mother's pouch.  Travis was a wonderfully animated teacher and our students were interested in every word he had to say, causing them to ask dozens of questions about the lives of these furry friends.  We learned that skunk "gas" is not green, tortoise shell's are stronger than an elephant's foot, and skunks dance to defend themselves :)

Do you have any questions about these animals? Ask your kids; they can probably tell you the answers!

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.