They Have Arrived!

Dear Parents,

 

Your Tawanga visitors have arrived safe, sound and happy to be there! I’ll update tomorrow when I hear more.

 

Carolyn McConnell

Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School

Administrative Assistant/Reception

650.378.2600

650.378.2669 Fax

 

Really last thoughts

Hi All,

First, I want to thank the parents who put on today’s Red Eye Saloon.  It was outstanding!  The miners had a wonderful time playing poker, sipping root beer, and partaking of some fine food.  They seem ready for tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, the students need to be at school by 8:00am.  Please do not leave until you have checked in with either Steve Blatteis or myself, as we want to make sure we have everything from you.

Have a wonderful, restful evening.

Debbi

Last minute information

Dear Parents,
 
In the day pack, for the first day, there should be:
 

• a reusable water bottle
• lunch and snack
• sunscreen
• sun hat
• water shoes or boots; (if they need to change into other shoes to go panning in the river)
• perhaps an extra upper layer if the weather gets cold while we are down at the river
• Optional – Items to use on the bus (playing cards, Sudoku book, reading book, etc.)
  

Please remember to turn in your "letter" to me by Wednesday morning at the latest and turn over any medications, clearly labeled, to Steve or myself. Also, other than a flashlight and a disposable camera, no electronic devices are permitted on this trip.

Boys, remember to bring a kippah.

I’m around tonight, so feel free to email if you have any questions.

Debbi

Letters, letters, letters

Shhh...

If you could send your Pony Express letters tomorrow, I’d appreciate it.

Thank you to the Scheinmans and the Engels for getting their letters in early.

Debbi

Head of School Message

Dear Parents,

 

I will be out of the school from Tuesday through Friday of this week. In my absence Marit Shmargad will be in charge of the school and Rachel Lewin of the Middle School.

 

Thanks for your understanding and support during my absence.

 

Warmest Wishes,

Mervyn

 

 

Tawonga Weather Report

Dear Parents,

It looks like we’re in luck!  The weather reports for the Groveland area (the closest town to Tawonga) show sunny days in the low 60’s and cool nights in the 30’s.  Perfect camping weather.  Best of all – NO RAIN is in the forecast!  So, pack your rain
gear (because you never know), but also pack sun screen and be sure you have a hat for the sun.  For the nights, be sure that you have warm sweatpants/pajamas, a hat for your head, and a warm sleeping bag.   As we have said, the miners will “earn” their mattresses the second night, but won’t have them on the first night, so a pad to put under their sleeping bag will keep them warmer.  You may want to also want to pack an extra blanket to throw over the sleeping bag.  The extra layer traps the air and adds considerable warmth.

If you have any questions about Tawonga or the Red Eye Saloon, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Happy packing!

Debbi and Steve

Re: Message about Red Eye Saloon

Hi All,

The students should BRING their "FULL-OUT FANCY" costume with them to school on Tuesday.  They will have time to change after Hebrew (1:45).

Debbi




On 4/27/08 2:40 PM, "Judy Fridman" <JudyF@magenic.com> wrote:

> Debi and Steve what is the answer to Elinoar's question?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Elinoar Almagor [mailto:elinoar@comcast.net]
> Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 9:48 AM
> To: Judy Fridman
> Subject: Re: Message about Red Eye Saloon
>
> should they be dressed up in school all day?
> On Apr 27, 2008, at 9:06 AM, 4th Grade wrote:
>
>> <logo.gif>
>

Havdallah Leaders 4/18 - 6/2/08

Hi Parents,
Happy Passover on this third day of the Omer!

Here is what I think will be our last Havdallah 'roundup:'

April 28:    Talia     Abigail      Cassidy     Josh L.     Matthew     Jacob

May 5th:     Sigal     Cami         Danya       Shura       Abby        Sam S.

May 12th:    Emma      Amit         Hannah      Noah        Josh F.      Ari F.

May 19th:    Ben       Lizzy        Sam W.      Jordan      Phillip      Jillian

June 2nd:    Ethan     Leora       Shayna       Becky       Dylan         Max    Sophie


Hope you are enjoying Pesach and the break from school;   looking forward to an 'event'-ful,
meaningful and spirited last trimester when we return next week.

B'Veracha,
Morah Kaylee
            

Gold rush work - take two

BTW,  I have told the students that they do not need to do any “redo” work. I want them to look at it and see where they can improve, but they don’t need to do it over.

Consider it my Pesach gift to them!

Have a restful break!

Debbi

Gold Rush work

Dear 4A Parents,

I am sending home a copy of your child's miner's autobiography, along with many other Gold Rush work, so that you can incorporate some of the information into the Tawonga letter you write to them.

I hope you find it useful.

Have a restful and adventurous break,

Debbi

FYI: dishes

FYI, I only have three sets of dishes left after giving to those who have already paid.  It’s first come, first served at this point.

Debbi

One more thing

I almost forgot...

These letters need to be in your teacher’s hands before we get on the stagecoach for Tawonga.  These are a surprise for the miners, so please don’t talk with them about it!!!

Mail! via Pony Express
”Mail” to these young gold miners comes from YOU.  Your child’s teacher will be asking you to secretly write a letter to your child in the era of the 1850’s.  Ham it up, as if you were the family left behind while your child has gone to the California gold fields to strike it rich! Things to write about could include: missing your child; new family members back at home; your fear of the dangers of your child’s travels; your excitement for their anticipated wealth.  Ask them if they’ve “seen the elephant?!”  Have fun with this one—it’s a great way to get involved with your child and share the experiences of this fun program!  
It’s very important that every child receives a letter via the pony express on the final day.  Please give the letter to your child’s teacher in advance of the program.  Thanks for taking the time to write one!

Tawonga update

Hi All,

We had a wonderful visit from Levi Strauss today.  He met with the students, asked and answered questions, and generally raised the excitement level up another notch.  He then met with the parents to answer their questions.  Here are a few of the items we discussed:

• Plates:  If you plan to rent plates from the school, we MUST HAVE YOUR $10.00 CHECK IN HAND TOMORROW!!! They will be distributed the Monday we get back, if not sooner.
  

• Shoes:  Be sure to bring two pairs.  One will get wet. The one that does get wet can be either water shoes, galoshes, old sneakers, hiking boots, etc.  Due to the cold water, it’s better for them to be closed toed.  The walk down to the river is a bit steep, so the shoes they wear should have a good sole.  They could change at the river, if they wish.
  

• Luggage: Rolly luggage/backpacks are fine, but there are areas where the trail gets muddy, so they may need to carry them.  Two small bags is often better than one large bag.  Put sleeping bags in either a stuff sack or a large garbage bag.
  

• Backpack:  They will need a smaller day pack with them.  This will contain everything they take with them on the bus.
  

• Lunch: They will need to bring a dairy lunch with them on that Wednesday.  We’ll feed them the rest of the time.
  

• Electronics:  There are no electronics allowed at camp or on the bus.  Flashlights and disposable cameras are allowed and encouraged.
  

• Labeling:  Please label everything you want to have come home with your child – including socks!  
  

• Clothing:  Essentially the boys will need two pairs of pants, two/three button down/flannel shirts, socks, underwear, a heavy jacket, a cowboy/straw hat, pajamas (do not need to be “of the time”) for their Miner’s costume and then whatever they need for their Full Out Fancy Costume.  Girls will need two long skirts, two/three button down shirts, and everything else on the above list.  I recommend that the girls wear leggings or long underwear under their skirts.
  

• Please do not allow your child to bring any type of weapon/gun/etc., either real or fake, to school or camp.  They do not need them as part of their costume!!!
  

I’m sure there were other items discussed.  If anyone who was there wants to add to this list, please do so.

Thanks,

Debbi

Thank you!

Thank you parent drivers, chaperones and students for making our field trip yesterday to Mission Dolores and Sherith Israel Yesterday quite a success!

Bob Flanagan
Lainee Engel
Judy Fridman
Hortensia Merringer
Michele Goller
Ron Mester
Emily Scheinman
Elinoar Amit
Julia Vaarshavsky

We couldn’t have done it without you!!!

Debbi

This week

Hi All,

This is just a quick reminder of the events of the week:

Today:  Moroccan Seder 1:00-1:45

Tuesday:  Fieldtrip to Mission Dolores and Temple Sherith Israel.  We will be leaving at 8:45am and returning before 3:15pm (hopefully).  Please be sure your child is appropriately dressed to visit two religious institutions and has a kosher/dairy lunch with them.

Wednesday:  Levi Strauss from Camp Tawonga will be visiting to answer questions and get everyone excited. The presentation for the students is between 1:45-2:30. The discussion with the parents is from 2:30-3:15.  We hope you can join us.

Thursday:  1:15pm dismissal.  Report cards will be handed out.  If you do not plan on being here for that day, please let me know so that I can either give you the report card early or mail it to you.

Thanks in advance for you help  and participation this week.

Debbi

Havdallah Leaders

One more time?

Havdallah leaders 4/14

Hi Parents,
This is beyond frustration for me.
Sorry!
Tomorrow's havdallah leaders are Becky, Sophie, Jules and Phillip.
Regards,
Morah kaylee

Havdallah 4/14

I hope this reaches you, parents of 4A and 4B.
Morah Kaylee

Havdallah Leaders - hopefully with the attachment this time.

Sorry parents,
The attachment didn't get attached.
I'm trying again.
Kaylee

Havdallah Leaders ya'all

Ok everyone,
Here we go!
Morah Kaylee

Fourth Grade Judaica and Last round of Havdallah Leaders for the year!

Hi Parents,
Our sages teach that it is a Mitzvah for us to talk about the Exodus,
involve ourselves in the foods and symbols of the holiday, and 'relive'
the experience. We read and analyzed sections of the Hagaddah, (sharing
some of our discussions with you through questions that you answered in our
notebooks) including the following:
~~Why did Pharoah merit so many chances when his behavior was so blatantly
evil?
~~Why did others who erred not get a chance to respond, but got immediate
consequences, such as Adam and Eve, Jonah, and Moses?
~~How can we make sense of the song 'Dayenu' when a surface reading leaves
us baffled all the way through to the end (i.e., 'If you had brought us to
Mt. Sinai but not given us the Torah, it would have been sufficient!?!"
~~How would that have been suffient??)
~~What is the symbolism of the "four sons?"
~~Why do we drink wine - and not water- to remember the slaves and relive
the Exodus?

We practiced the Passover Kiddush for Saturday night (incorporating
Havdallah), talked about the Omer and reviewed the blessing and historical
background from the three time periods (walking through the desert,
bringing gifts and sacrifices on the Shalosh Regalim = pilgrimage holidays,
and the chapter of Rabbi Akiva and the Romans). We begin to count the Omer
after the second Seder and continue for 49 days, with L'ag B'Omer in the
middle of it all.

Lastly, we learned and practiced the "Prayer for the Welfare of the State
of Israel," which will be part of the Tefillah service at Camp Tawonga's
Gold Country trip.

Separately, I will be sending an attachment of the last round of Havdallah
leaders. Inasmuch as there are only 5 Mondays left to the school year, we
will have 6 leaders per week so that every student can have a turn.

Early wishes for a Happy, healthy, kosher Passover.
B'Veracha,
Kaylee

Gold Mining Teams (Wornick)

Hi All,

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the mining teams have been announced!  The excitement and positive energy in the classroom this morning after the announcement was palpable!  Once the students got into their groups they came up with a team name and have begun creating team posters.   (Please note that no chaperones have yet been placed with the groups.  That information will be given as we get closer to the trip.)  So, without further ado...


The Golden Grizzlies
Ben Engel
Josh Levy
Danya Sandler
David Vendrow
Shura Boz

The Golden Sardines
Jules Merringer
Jacob Scheinman
Sam Sorkin
Noah Helterbrand
Sam Wolf
Phillip Yurchenko

The Rattlesnakes
Dylan Bienenstock
Matthew Flanagan
Josh Fridman
Ethan Hyman
Max Leiberman
Ari Fridman

The Golden River
Leora Alcheck
Shayna Bronstein
Talia Gordon
Sigal Alcheck
Hannah Bodin
Cami Nemschoff

The Golden Miners
Lizzy Doctorov
Amit Netanel
Becky Berman
Cassidy Kornfeld
Sophie Talcove-Berko

The Gold Buffalos
Jordan Berke
Jillian Osheroff
Abigail Amit
Emma Mester
Abby Sorkin

Upcoming Events and Class News

Hi All,

Once again, thank you to the drivers for Tuesday’s field trip.  We couldn’t do it without you.

I just want to remind you of a few important dates and times, and then fill you in on what’s happening in fourth grade.

First, our Mission Dolores/Sherith Israel field trip is Tuesday.  It is an all day trip. We will leave at 8:45 and return (hopefully) by 3:15.  The students will need a dairy bag lunch with them.  As we are going to two religious buildings, we ask that the students dress appropriately.  Please, no sweats, torn jeans or shirts with messages on them.  They do not need to be dressed as fancy as they might for a Shabbat service, but let’s call it “business casual for kids”.  

The very next day, April 16, Levi Strauss from Camp Tawonga will be visiting.  This is the students’ first opportunity to really connect with our Tawonga trip.  He will be asking questions, telling stories, and getting the students excited about the upcoming trip.  It is also an opportunity for you as parents to ask questions, discuss concerns, and get excited about the trip.  The student presentation is from 1:45-2:30 (which you’re welcome to join us for) and the parent presentation is from 2:30-3:15.  Please try to attend, if at all possible.

Speaking of the Tawonga send-off, the fun continues on April 29 with the Red Eye Saloon.  This is your opportunity to see the students in their “full-out fancy” costumes and participate in the fun. The saloon will be open from 1:45-3:00 in the Ulam Gadol.  We hope to see you there.

Then, finally, we will be leaving for Tawonga by 8:30am on Wednesday, April 30. You must be on time that day!!! If you are late the bus will leave without you!!!  We expect to return at 5:00pm on Friday May 2.  We will call the school on the way back to keep you apprised of our progress.

One last thing, if you are interested in renting dishes from us, you must let us know by Wednesday evening, April 16.  We ask for a $10.00 rental fee to cover any dishes lost and the time it takes to sort through and put everything together.  We’ll send the dishes home with your children the Monday after break.  

In class, we’ve been studying every aspect of the Gold Rush, from mining techniques to the beginnings of San Francisco's Jewish community.  Last week we looked at early photos of San Francisco and used these primary sources to study the beginnings of the City.  It was fascinating to see the changes over the course of a few years.  We also watched a video on the first Jewish synagogues in the City.  Did you know that Temples Emanu-el and Sherith Israel were started within two weeks of each other?  Ask your children why the community split into two different congregations.  (Hint:  It had something to do with food.)  

This week we are studying the ways to mine for gold. There’s more than one way to get that gold out of those hills!  We’ll be creating a guessing game on the techniques.  Speaking of gold production, today we graphed the amount of gold produced during the Gold Rush.  We then took the year with the highest production (1852) and determined how much the gold would be worth in today’s market.  The students figured out the formula on their own, and then did the math. It was a fascinating exercise.  (The price of gold went up over three dollars/ounce just in the hour I was checking it!)  Very cool stuff!

Finally, the students’ homework is to create a nickname for their Gold Rush character and tell the story of how they got their nickname.  This assignment is due on Thursday.  I can’t wait to see what creative ideas they come up with!

That’s enough for now.  If you’ve managed to stick with this email to the end, you get a gold star for persistence!  Have a wonderful evening!

Debbi

re: Drivers Needed!

Thank you to Emily Scheinman and Ethan Hyman’s mom for offering to drive. I think that puts us over the top.  Thank you, thank you for your help!

Debbi

BTW, we will be leaving school right after t’filah on Tuesday, (8:45) so please be on time.  We’ll be back by 3:15.  Your child will need a dairy bag lunch.

D.



Our field trip to Sherith Israel Synagogue and Mission Dolores is next Tuesday.  

Confirmed drivers are:

Engel                      -(3) students
Fridman                  -(6) students
Merringer                -(5) students
Elinoar Amit             -3 students
Bob Flanagan           -6 students
Julia Varshavsky       -4 students

As we have 33 students, we still need a couple more drivers.  Anybody else interested in attending?

HELP!!!

Debbi

Drivers Needed!

Our field trip to Sherith Israel Synagogue and Mission Dolores is next Tuesday.  

Confirmed drivers are:

Engel                      -(3) students
Fridman                  -(6) students
Merringer                -(5) students
Elinoar Amit             -3 students
Bob Flanagan           -6 students
Julia Varshavsky       -4 students

As we have 33 students, we still need a couple more drivers.  Anybody else interested in attending?

HELP!!!

Debbi

4th Grade Performance

Dear 4^th Grade parents!

 

As you know, the kids have been learning a Passover story, and well, while we don’t want to “give away” too much, we can tell you that after some hard work (in Ivrit) by the kids, they will be performing the story (in Ivrit) in the Ulam Gadol on Monday, April 14^th, for the 6^th grade class, at 1pm, and you are all invited!

 

We hope to see you there!

Moreh Jakie and Morah Dina

 

Havdallah Leaders tomorrow, 4/7/08

Hi Parents,

Chodesh Tov  (today is Rosh Chodesh Nisan!)  and I hope you had a nice weekend.

Tomorrow morning's Havdallah leaders are:

 

 Abigail,  Amit,  Josh Levy and Matthew.

 

Looking forward to a wonderful Monday.

Kaylee

4th grade Hebrew & Judaica

Hi Parents,
In our previous e-mail, we shared that the students in Morah Dina's class
were completing their Purim character stories, using their best imagination
in hebrew. It was a combination of creative fun and serious work (yes, in
Adar it's possible!) and the students had a great time while learning a new
level of vocabulary. The students in Moreh Jackie's class created original
Megillah scrolls. They illustrated and wrote about the characters and
events of the Megillah, all the while learning about the Mitzvot and
customs of the holiday. Our classes are quite creative and enjoyed this
unit.

Looking towards Pesach, the fourth graders of both Morah Dina's and Moreh
Jackie's groups are learning the story in the textbook, "Elijah's Cup,"
which takes place in Morocco. The students, in their Hebrew classes, are
reading about the Jews of Morocco, how Pesach is celebrated and what
customs are specific to that group of Jews. In the coming weeks, the 4th
graders will be summarizing and paraphrasing the story, getting ready to
perform the story for the upper grades! The theme of this in-class
performance will be "The jews of Morocco" in song and dance, with Hebrew
dialogue all the way.

Over the last few weeks in Judaica, the fourth graders read and analyzed
the Megillah from historic and Judaic perspectives, and some of our
discussions included:
(a) the role of women in ancient (and modern day!!) Persia (i.e., Iran).
(b) the importance of titles in the Kingdom of Achashverosh (and nowadays
for some people)
© the family background of Haman the Aggagite and how the history of King
Saul centuries earlier teaches us that we need to be firm and strong in our
responsibilities, even when it's unpleasant, and,
(d) why it is important to know when to speak up and when to just listen
and NOT talk, especially when people are at odds with one another.

We learned that G-d's name does not appear in the Megillah, and that we
need to rely on our own strengths and devices, in addition to the belief
that G-d is in our lives and that everything happens for a reason.

When Esther and Mordechai wrote the Megillah, it was truly a lesson in
discretion ("How to Win Friends and Influence People?") that we can all be
wiser to follow.

We are now studying Passover, reading the verses from Chapter 12 of Shemot
(Exodus) to see the original story line, and discussing the topics of
reward and punishment, 'violence' in the Torah, and why good people seem
to have so many life challenges. In the coming weeks, we will be studying
the haggadah and reviewing customs of the seder to be really ready.

B'Veracha,
Morah Dina, Moreh Jackie, Morah Kaylee