Director's Desk 12/18/09Special Thanks
We had so much fun last Sunday at our school's Chanuka party. I am sorry we had to start sharp on time, but we are working on children's schedule, and their best concentration time is early hours of the morning.
I wanted to thank again, our fabulous PTO Chair, Jackie, the the Secretary Zita, for a wonderful job. There were so many helpful volunteers the we owe our thanks. It is with such a great team work, that all went smoothly. Special Thanks goes to the following people (and anyone else who showed up to help that Zita don't know about and forgot to mention to me):
Shoppers:
Janel Herman
Ximena Dagan
Ngina Shulman
Jacky Mizrachi
Set Up/Clean up :
Elizabeth Koza
Robin Paley
Morris Schreim (who volunteered but was too sick to attend...)
Thanks to Karen Galanti for arranging the teachers' gifts,
and Zita Weinstein - for coordinating, reminding and staying with us for another year! Nature Center Class - Second Session
This week is our last class in the current session of the Nature Class. The kids had a ball and learned tons of new things through short nature walks, stories and hands-on craft activities.
The Nature Center offers a Second Session starting February 4th, 2010, on Thursday's at 16:00 at the Croyden Creek Nature Center (about a 7 minute drive from the school). Session is over 8 weeks, at cost of $50 per child, for children ages 2 - 5. Parents are more than welcome to join their child, though it does not need to be on a 1 to 1 ratio. Classes run for about an hour and include a short hike outside (weather permitting), a story and craft, all related to that weeks nature subject. Any parent that wants more information or is interested in signing up can feel free to contact Renana Dolev Harel, mother of Be'eri and Ta'eer from the school, at 240-744-6437 or via email at assafusa@hotmail.com.
Chanuka - What is it about?
Someone asked me to brief it - What does Chanuka mean - Here you go:
Means Dedication (of the temple). In Hebrew, we use the word Chanuka when we dedicate a new home. With a tiny pitcher of oil, we were able to dedicate the Temple building, at mount Moriah in Jerusalem. The Temple Building was desecrated by the Greeks 2,000 years ago in Israel.
Understand what happened: The Greeks, the largest empire at the time, wanted to rule the world, eliminate Judaism & allow only beauty of the body, Hellenism, to rule. Who were the Greeks? Think about Athens, the Olympic games, the mastery of their bodies. They tried to drive Judaism out of the world.
There was a war - we won - let's eat - kind of thing. The war was initiated by offering a pig/pork on the Temples' alter (the most sacred place for Jewish people). The Macabis fought the war, few against many thousands of Greek soldiers. Against all odds, the Jewish soldiers, the Macabis, won. The Macabis went back into the Temple to clean it up, and could not find oil to light the Menora. Until they found a small pitcher, that lasted for 8 days.
Oil - what's the big deal? we are not talking about simple oil, extra virgin. What we are talking about is ancient Oil manufactured in a special process that takes over weeks to produce.
Symbols - Dedication, Oil, 8 days, Light the Menorah. Jewish people resemble oil - they do not mix with the crowd, they stand out. Our job - to be a light to the nations, as a role model in our behavior.
Hope that helps. More info and great articles could be found www.aish.com.
Next PTO meeting
Jackie and Zita announce that the next pto meeting is scheduled for wed, Jan 6 at 9:00am at the school.
Director's Absent
I will be out of the office Friday and the whole of next week, on another trip to Israel for a special wedding. Have a wonderful holiday, and a great Winter break. We will see you all on January 4, Monday.
Happy Chanuka.
Ellie Director's Desk 12/11/09Gymnastics - New Session Starting Jan
a message from Morris Schriem
Our gym class at MarVa-tots each Monday at 3:30 p.m. is scheduled to end this Monday, December 14th. Everyone has really enjoyed the classes and many are ready for some more! MarVa Tots 'n Teens has agreed to provide our school with the same (Mondays at 3:30 pm) time slot for a new 10-session program this winter, from January 11th through March 22nd (no class on Feb. 15th). The cost is $180. Returning participants are requested to pay at the Gym by December 14th. New participants may try the class on January 11th for an $18 fee. If you are interested please email Morris, Kai's dad, directly at mschreim@core.com.
Chanuka Party - This Sunday - Dec 13 @ 10:30 a.m.
The children will perform their songs at the party. Please have your child: (a) dressed in white top and blue bottoms for the party; and (b) EAT BEFORE YOU COME IN. There will also be a fabulous balloonist to entertain us! We will be charging $5 per person and $20 cap per family - in order to cover costs.
Volunteers needed for purchasing/picking up food, set up & cleaning. Please contact Jackie. Click here for online registration and click again on Chanuka Bash 2009.
Annual Giving & PTO Phone-a-Thone
Last Tuesday, the Fundraising Committee, a parent volunteer group called each family and asked for pledges for the school Annual Giving Campaign. Thank you so much for welcoming their calls and helping them out to raise money for the school. This campaign includes donations from school families and staff.
In comparison to other area Montessori schools (see chart below) our school's tuition rates are very reasonable. However, while the Alef Bet tuition provides a sufficient budget to maintain our school, we do not have the funds for extra resources without your help.
The money we raise during this important campaign is used for essential items for our classrooms. Every year, each classroom needs to replenish some equipment. The PTO has explained in a detailed letter the school's needs and how your donation will help. Our Annual Giving Campaign started this month and will go on through March. We thank you in advance for participating. Did you know
Infant Suffocation Deaths Prompt Recall of Amby Baby Motion Beds/Hammocks http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10056.html
Trevor Eissler is back in Town Dec. 10If you missed the oportunity to listen to Trevor Eissler, the author of Montessori Madness - we have good news for you. He is back in town at the Barrie School. Click here for the full flyer information.
Conflict Resolution - Coffee with the Director
We had a very dynamic discussion about conflict resolution amid children this Thursday at Coffee with the Director. We thank the parents who participated. Parents who cannot take part at the mornings session, please email me if you would like to join an evening session on these topics.
Calendar
We are closed on Dec 25, Friday till January 4, Monday. School resumes on Monday Jan 4.
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