תושדח Inside the Academy - Hebrew Academy of Cleveland

‫חדשות‬: Inside the Academy
January 1, 2016 | ‫פרשת שמות | כ' טבת תשע''ו‬
‫בס''ד‬
www.hac1.org
Educationally Speaking
JANUARY 6
Rabbi Simcha Dessler, Educational Director
Pre-School Parent-Teacher
Conferences
How can one effectively influence children and imbue them with positive ethical and moral
values?
• • • • • •
This question was posed by Rabbi Yaakov Kranz zt”l, the acclaimed Dubna Magid to Rabbi Eliyohu of Vilna zt”l, the venerable Vilna Gaon who responded with the following analogy: Take a
large cup, surround it with several smaller cups and pour liquid into the larger cup allowing its
overflow into the various smaller cups. Only upon the overflow of the larger cup will the smaller
cups benefit from its proximity to the larger cup. Similarly, explained the Vilna Gaon, only by
personally infusing one’s self with the traits and virtues one seeks to instill in his children can
they be influenced accordingly.
JANUARY 5
School Picture Retakes
Taylor Road Campus
9:00-10:00 a.m.
• • • • • •
JANUARY 9
Mother Daughter Melava Malka
8:00 p.m. at Young Israel
• • • • • •
JANUARY 10
Uncle Moishy Concert 2:15 p.m.
2:15 p.m. at Notre Dame College
• • • • • •
JANUARY 16
Yavne Jr. High Melava Malka
• • • • • •
JANUARY 23
Kollel Ateres Nochum Zev
Melava Malka
8:30 p.m. at Yavne
4:49
The relevance of this discussion, which took place in the eighteenth century, is timeless. Even
today, parents and educators grapple with how to effectively influence children in our modern
society. One must be passionate in order to instill passion, influenced in order to influence, and
inspired to inspire others.
In this week’s parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu was instructed by Hashem “ Lech veasafta ziknei Yisrael, Go and gather the elders of Israel and tell them that Hashem has appeared to me saying I
surely remembered you and what is done to you in Egypt (3,16).” After the elders and the rest of
the nation were approached, the Torah records, “Vayeman ha’am, The nation believed (4,31).”
Now Moshe and Ahron were able to plead the Jewish cause to Pharaoh, King of Egypt, asking
him to release Bnei Yisrael from slavery to freedom.
Rabbi Simcha Zissel Ziv zt”l, the Alter of Kelm ponders the sequence of events. Recognizing the
fact that the appearance of Moshe and Ahron in the King’s palace was miraculous ( as the Midrash tells us that lions surrounded the palace and unauthorized entrance was punishable by
death) shouldn’t the message have been presented to Pharaoh first and the nation second?
Rabbi Yechezkal Levenstein, zt”l, Mashgiach of Ponevez, explained that the sequence teaches
us a fundamental lesson in spirituality. Had the nation not had faith in Hashem, an audience
before Pharaoh would have been meaningless. One must be faithful to effect Divine intervention. Klal Yisrael’s subsequent freedom – their transition from exile to redemption – had its roots
in vayeman ha’am, the nation believed. Only when Bnei Yisrael themselves were inspired with
faith could they inspire others.
Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky, zt”l explained that the word mashpia, is derived from shipua, slant.
Just as rainwater slides off a slanted roof, so does the power of influence travel from the mashpia to the subject of his hashpaah, influence. Perhaps the Hebrew word shefa, abundance, conveys this idea as well.
If we are to have a lasting influence on our children we must set the standard and teach by example. If dignity and mentchlekeit, character refinement, are priorities in our lives, then our children will be inspired accordingly. If academics and spiritual growth are truly important to us - as
we ourselves are still learning and growing – then our children will be likewise influenced. If joy
permeates our home and satisfaction fills our lives then we will have filled not only our cups but
theirs a well.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!
I NSIDE T HE A C ADE MY
P AGE 2
Yeshiva High School
The Yeshiva High School was recently addressed by Mr. George Kronenberg who is a resident of Beachwood and was one of three hundred children on the second kindertransport from
Germany to England. He described what it was like to be sent away and being cared for by
others through the war years. Mr. Kronenberg also stressed how important it was for him to
remain a shomer Torah u’mitzvos despite all that he endured.
An informative and interesting panel
shared a presentation to the boys at
the Sapirstein Campus last week. Moderated by Rabbi
Simcha Dessler, the panel included Rabbi Naphtali Burnstein (Rav, Young Israel of Greater Cleveland), Dr. Brian
Gastman (Co-Director, Cleveland Clinic Melanoma Program and Associate Professor of Surgery at CWRMS and
the Cleveland Clinic), Mr. Andy Lefkowitz (President and
CEO, Ganeden Biotech Inc.) and Mr. David Seiger (Vice
President, Long Term Care Insurance Marketing Berson-Sokol Agancy). The panelists explained the dynamics of
their respective professions, discussed what they found rewarding about
their different fields and some of the challenges. All of the panelists conveyed the message that one must seek guidance from a Rav or mentor
when deciding on a career path.
With our seventh grade talmidim preparing for their bar-mitzvos, Rabbi
Eliyahu Jacobs was invited to share a demonstration on the complexity
of creating kosher tefilin. Rabbi Jacobs took the talmidim through the
process from beginning to end while showing real examples. It was an
informative lesson and gave the talmidim a greater appreciation for this
precious mitzvah.
Yeshiva Ketana
It was a very busy week in the Yeshiva Ketana filled with upsherins,
siyumim and a very special first grade Chumash Mesibah.
A record number of forty-five first grade boys marched excitedly on
stage dressed in beautiful capes and gold crowns at the start of their
Chumash Mesiba. A slideshow depicting the stages of life a child
goes through - from upsherin through putting on tefillin - with pictures
of our first graders was shown before the performance. Next, the first
grade talmidim performed and recited many of the pesukim they have learned. Very proud parents, grandparents and siblings watched as their future talmid chacham received his Chumash from Rabbi Simcha Dessler and
Rabbi Asher Newman. Later, the guests were invited to the dining room for refreshments and dancing, in celebration of this very happy milestone. Many people put a lot of time and effort into this performance and we thank
first grade Rebbeim and Moros, Rabbi Zalman Berkman and Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Mann, Mrs. Rochel Burnstein and Ms. Leah Teren. Special thanks to Mr. Yudi Silber for his wonderful musical accompaniment, Mrs.
Sohela Lax for sewing all of the capes, and Mrs. Chani Gross for all of her technical assistance.
J AN U ARY 1 , 2016
P AGE 3
Yeshiva Ketana (continued)
May everyone shep much nachas from our first greaders, now, and always as they continue to grow in limud haTorah and middos tovos.
Mazel tov to Rabbi and Mrs. Borchardt on the recent upsherin of their son, Boruch which
took place in Rabbi Thav’s second grade.
In Rabbi Drazin’s fourth grade, Dovid Aryeh Rappaport made a siyum on Mishnayos
Sanhedrin which he learned with his father. May all of the
boys continue to learn and give much nachas to everyone!
Rabbi Klein’s fifth grade is shteiging away! Talmid, Ariel
Fine, son of Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Fine, made a siyum in
his classroom on Seder Nashim which he learned with his
father. Also in Rabbi Klein’s class, the boys who did chazara on their own over Shabbos were treated to popsicles.
Girls Elementary Division
Mrs. Ribiat and Mrs. Busel’s fourth graders held a grand siyum celebrating the completion of Sefer Bersishis.
Recognizing that this accomplishment was an accumulation of several years, the girls wrote thank you letters to
their previous teachers accompanied by a delicious brunch plate. One of the highlights was the special cookies
that spelled out ‫מזל טוב גמרנו ללמוד כל ספר בראשית חזק חזק ונתחזק‬. Divrei Torah were shared by classmates,
Chani Fleisher and Avigail Lichtenstein. May the girls continue learning with enthusiasm and be zoche to celebrate many more milestone occasions in their Torah learning. A special thank you goes to Mrs. Ranya Greenberger for all her assistance.
Mrs. Gross introduced the next middah at our monthly assembly. Over the next few weeks, the girls will be working on shalom and vatronus. Shalom is a key component in every friendship, as well as for all of klal Yisroel.
Being mevater, giving in, leads to increased shalom. An experiment with two vessels and liquid clarified the ‫חז''ל‬
‫אין כלי מחזיק ברכה אלא השלום‬. With the help of sixth grade lab assistants, Kyla Denton and Shira Mann, Mrs.
Gross demonstrated that a vessel that is whole (shaleim) and can contain the liquid poured into it (the brocha
Hashem bestows upon us). When the same liquid is poured into a vessel with cracks and holes, it spills right
out. Mrs. Meisels’ sixth graders led the division in songs that reinforced this invaluable message. Moros will be
on the lookout for students demonstrating shalom who will be entered in a weekly raffle.
Yavne High School
Rabbi Ellis' Psychology class participated in a project which consisted of over 350 observations of children between the ages of 4 and 11. It was experiential learning at its
best as the 12th grade students experienced the stages of cognitive development with
real, living examples.
(Continued on page 4)
J AN U ARY 1 , 2016
P AGE 4
Yavne High School (continued)
A thank you is extended to Dr. Schwartz and Mrs. Mager for helping coordinate this program between their two departments. Thank you to Mrs.
Batya Mann for assisting with transportation.
Mrs. Feigenbaum’s 9th grade Science class
took part in some STEM activities this
week. They used CDs, shish kabob skewers
and rubber bands to build cars that converted elastic energy
into kinetic energy.
They also built roller coasters for marbles using only pipe insulators and tape. They measured the gravitational potential energy, mechanical energy and kinetic energy of the roller coaster
and calculated how much energy was lost in the process.
The Jr. High will be having "Swim & Gym" on Sunday where the
girls will have a fun filled morning spent together with "Achdus-Unity" - this month's
theme. Girls were today given T-shirts to be decorated on Sunday. Girls, don't forget to bring your shirts!
Early Childhood Division
This week, we had our first evening of parent-teacher conferences. Many parents came, shared information with
their child’s moros, and shepped lots of nachas. These conferences are important because they provide a fifteen
minute slot for teachers to describe children’s behaviors and to inform parents of their child’s strengths and weaknesses. It also allows the parents a time to share questions and concerns and gives them the opportunity to
share what their child is like at home. We thank all of the parents who came on Tuesday evening and are looking
forward to meeting the remainder of our parents next Wednesday evening.
This week’s parsha has always fascinated our preschoolers: baby Moshe being hidden in a basket and put in the
river; Basya’s arm growing longer and longer to pull him out of the river; Moshe finding a burning bush, and all of
the nisim that Hashem performs!
Many of the children stuffed white socks and created baby Moshe “dolls” that they then played with, putting them
in little baskets and covering them carefully with small blankets. Some of the classes also included science activities this week, experimenting with “what floats and what sinks”.
The threes learned the letter “bais” and the children in Morah Channa and Morah Dina’s class each brought their
favorite buba (doll) to school to show all their friends. Because the word besamim (spice) begins with a bais the
children made a besamim holder with real yummy smelling cloves.
The dessert recipes are rolling in but we are still missing some. Please bring your recipe in as quickly as possible.
Because we are licensed by the State each child’s paperwork must be on file. We therefore send out reminder
notes to our parents when they need to make an appointment for a well visit. If a note is received, please call up
immediately to schedule an appointment with your pediatrician, as we must have up to date paperwork for each
one of our preschoolers.
J AN U ARY 1 , 2016
P AGE 5
General Studies Division
Classroom Close-up from Mrs. Forouzan
We are integrating Carol Dweck’s research and bestselling book, “Mindsets,” into motivating and encouraging our students to unlock their growth potential. It
is wonderful to see how students who have expressed “they can’t do this,” with rephrasing “how can
I improve,” yielded greater productivity and motivation. Mindset focuses on and praises the efforts one
exerts verses praising ones sole intelligence. Mindset
believes ones intelligence is malleable. The ability of
the brain to change is called Neuroplasticity—a big
word for a kindergarten class, but our class was determined to know it and they did! We spoke about
how taking on challenges makes our brain stronger.
The brain is made up of billions of neurons. The neurons are what grow and get stronger as we work
through challenges. Neurons learn from mistakes, the
harder the challenge, the more the neurons grow!
Challenges can get easier over time, with enough
practice and tefilah, the challenge can become a new
ability or developed strength! We read many books,
watched brief motivational clips, songs, and had class
discussions to help us develop a growth oriented
mindset and environment.
B”H our growth mindset has helped us soar in learning our letters as we follow the systematic phonics
approach set up by Fundations! Furthermore, our
class has been working hard on Writer’s Workshop.
We are in the middle of a challenging “How To” unit,
however, the class’s motivation and perseverance is
remarkable! They are facing the challenge head on
and with pride! We are also enjoying developing our
strengths in our center based classroom. Our newest
center addition is the use of Chromebooks! Students
look forward to using the Chromebooks independently to further practice their phonics skills. B”H our kindergarten classroom is filled with extraordinary fun
filled learning adventures, and we enthusiastically
look forward to many more!
The
Power
of
Positive Thinking
I can’t because I
think I can’t!
One of the most
famous classic short
stories for children
is “The Little Engine
that Could.” In the tale, a stranded train needs assistance to get up a hill. The train asks several different
passing trains to pull her, however, for various reasons they each refuse to provide assistance. The
book ends on a positive note when a little railroad
engine tries to do what is a seemingly impossible task
and pull the train up the hill. The little railroad engine
is successful as she tries her best while repeating the
famous mantra “I think I can, I think I can.”
We were delighted to hear the proud report of one
HAC parent that told us about her experience reading
the book to her four year old daughter and five year
old son. When she got up to the part of the story in
which the stranded train encounters an old train that
claims to be too old and tired to pull the engine up the
hill, this parent heard a wise comment from her
daughter. The four year old girl looked at her mother
and very casually insisted that the old train was not
capable of helping “because he doesn’t have a
growth mindset!” The five year old boy added that
the little engine was able to help “because she had a
growth mindset!”
We are proud!
Morah Sima’s Kindergarten Class
It's a good thing it didn't get too cold before we
learned the letter “h”. We are now well equipped for
the cold weather with our very own hand-made hats!
The children designed adorable pom-pom hats and
were proud to bring them home this week.
J AN U ARY 1 , 2016
P AGE 6
Boxtops for Education
Did you know that our school has earned $18,758 (and counting) since we
began participating in the box tops program? And almost half of that was
earned in the last five years! The participation of our students and their
families has been key in our success. Please, keep sending in those box tops! The collection bin is in the
main office and they can be submitted at any time.
Give & Get
Help is needed for the PTA Uncle Moishy concert, January 10, 2016 at Notre Dame 2:15 pm. Selling Tickets,
ushers/usherettes, selling CD’s , airport pick up and drop off for the day of the concert. Sponsorships and callers
to get sponsors are needed for this week already. For more information and to sign up call or email Mrs. Esther
Keller 216-321-5838 #172 or [email protected]. Thanking you in advance.
Lost & Found - this Sunday
Once again, there will be a lost and found display this Sunday in the girls dining room from 11:00-noon. The
weather has turned colder and there are many winter coats and important accessories among the items.
Please stop by to claim your things before they are moved out of the building.
Mazel Tov! !‫ מזל טוב‬Mazel Tov! !‫ מזל טוב‬Mazel Tov! !‫מזל טוב‬

Rebbetzin Miriam Dessler on the birth of a great-granddaughter to Rabbi & Mrs. Shiya Bernath

Rabbi Calman Fishman on the birth of a great-granddaughter and two great-grandsons

Rabbi & Mrs. Moshe Freedman on the engagement of Simcha to Leah Abraham of Lakewood

Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Gottesman on the birth of a daughter. Mazel tov to Dr. & Mrs. David Gottesman.

Rabbi & Mrs. Pincus Klahr on the engagement of Brocha to Moshe Schubert of Baltimore

Dr. & Mrs. Shlomo Koyfman on the bar mitzvah of Yitzchak

Rabbi and Mrs. Motte Perlstein on the birth of a daughter
2016
YEARBOOK ADS
Full Page: $200
Half Page: $100
Business Card: $25
Quarter Page: $50
2 Lines: $10
Nikki Belkin
Devora Greenberger
Leah Seiger
Malka Cohen
Shani Heifetz
Shoshi Shalom
Miriam Feld
Yehudis Kazen
Zeissa Spadone
Esther Fink
Estie Kupfer
Chaya Warszawski
Meira Goldbaum
Gila Lipton
Poey Weiss
Sarah Leah Mann
Yael Goldish
Miriam Goodman
Esti Nadoff
Goldie Wolf
Chani Wolovitz
To place an ad:
Write your ad on this form or your own paper
Or
Email your ad to [email protected]
Hand your check to a member of the senior class. No ad will be accepted if not accompanied by a
check.
If you have any questions, please call:
Chaya Warszawski: 216-544-4762 or
Malka Cohen: 216-789-2846
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School Picture Retake Day
Aharon Denton Photography will be here for picture retake day.
Tuesday January 5, 2016
9:00 to 10:00 a.m.
What qualifies for a retake opportunity?

A child who was absent.

You forgot it was picture day and didn’t send the form with your child.

A technical error on our behalf (an example would be eyes closed).

Unflattering expression
If you would like a retake please bring the old package and prints with you on retake
day. Sorry we cannot rephotograph a child without the unwanted prints.
If you wish to have a retake because of other reasons, like wrong clothing or wrong hair
bow, then you will need to purchase a new package.
Order forms will be available in the Hebrew office
For any questions, please call Aharon Denton Photography at 216-453-0867