Erev Shabbas Parashas Shemini 13th Day of Sefiras HaOmer Perek Aleph of Pirkei Avos April 20, 2012 Licht Bentchen: 7:32 P.M. Volume XVIII, Issue 28

Dear Parents,

We welcome you all back from what was, hopefully, an inspiring Yom Tov! As we count up to Shavuos, our main goals should be to retain, reinforce, and improve upon Pesach’s spiritual (rather than gastro-intestinal) gains.

The Sefirah of school days (since September) is now up to 134 (which means that we have only 37 more days of 2011-2012), but, take heart, enthusiastic learning continues unabated in our hallowed halls and classrooms. In fact, the next two months promise to be especially exciting. Yesterday was the 27th of Nissan, known to us as Yom HaShoah. As a follow-up to and enhancement of classroom presentations, Mrs. Ita Mond will be speaking, on Tuesday, to our Fifth and Sixth Graders. Her sessions with our Talmidim have always been very moving, thought-provoking, saddening, and inspiring. Stay tuned for next Friday’s report. Special thanks go to Mrs. Rose Stark (great grandmother of Kayla, Rochel, Aviva, and Dovid Kramer and mother of Mrs. Marcia Meth). She spoke very eloquently over the phone (from Eretz Yisrael) to the YGW Girls and our 6G about her experiences during the war. Our girls were very moved by and felt privileged to hear Mrs. Stark’s personal narrative and message. Many thanks to Miri Kramer for the arrangements and to the Yeshiva for inviting us to attend.

On the TSGW Horizon Today, Erev Shabbos – We began 3:30 dismissal. Hope you weren’t waiting 1 ½ hours. Sunday, April 22 –

5th/6th Shiurim. Rabbi Samberg’s Chumash Skills Class – 10:15-11:15. Exciting Lesson: Beginning Rashi Script. Monday, April 23 – Echoes of Nature visits 3G/3G/3B for Earthworm Labs. Mrs. Werner’s Creative Writing Class.

Rosh Chodesh Iyar NOAM (Night Out at Max’s). Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, April 24, 25, and 26 – Full post 3:30 schedules. Wednesday, April 25 – 4B/4G to St. Mary’s City, as a culmination to their year-long study of Maryland. Fourth Graders should Daven at home. We will leave at 8:00 A.M. and return by 5:00 P.M., BE’H. Echoes of Nature visits 6B/6G for Biomes programs. Thursday, April 26 – Yom HaAtzmaut – projects assembled. Friday, April 27 – Yom HaAtzmaut projects displayed. Wednesday, May 2 – 1B Story Fest Programs – 10:00 and 2:00. Friday, May 4 – 4th Annual Grandparents’ Day.

Monday, May 7 – Deadline for Chemdas Mishnayos testing – only 17 days away. Monday, May 14 – Chemdas point accumulation deadline – only 24 days away.

Friday, May 11 – Third Annual TSGW Math Fair. Tuesday, May 15 – Freed Photographers will be here to take class and individual pictures. In case of rain, we’ll take the pictures on Wednesday, May 16. Friday, May 25 – Erev, Erev Shavuos – No School.

Thursday, May 31 – Chemdas Jr. Trip. Chemdas Sr. Trip.

$$””22"" TToorraahh SScchhooooll ooff GGrreeaatteerr WWaasshhiinnggttoonn

EE..SS..TT..EE..RR.. EErreevv SShhaabbbbooss ““TToorraahh”” EEvveennttss RReeppoorrtt

Anyone interested in volunteering for either or both Grandparents’ Day and the Math Fair should please call Miri Gottlieb at (301) 585-3694.

We wish a Refuah Shelaimah to Shari Hillman’s father.

We extend a heartfelt Mazel Tov to:  Binyamin Broth, his parents, Cheryl and Ritchie Broth, and his entire family, upon his becoming a Bar Mitzvah. Rachelli Rappaport, her parents, Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya and Mrs. Liba Rappaport, and her entire family, upon her becoming a Bas Mitzvah. Leora and Moshe Singer, Rabbi Yosef and Mrs. Miriam Singer, and their entire family, upon the birth of a girl. Bracha and Yossie Orlansky and their entire family, upon the birth of a girl. The entire Mond, Feldman, and Crane families, upon the engagement of Malka Mond to Ezra Feldman. (This, by the way, is a milestone in TSGW history. It is the first Shidduch of two Torah School alumni.) May they all continue to be blessed with Simachos.

Today’s Attachments:

Chosen Words. Classroom Close-ups by Ms. Kerry Griffin. SOVEYA Newsletter. Derech Update (final for 2011-2012. Letter from Raanan Shames, TSGW President, about our new Director of Development. We express HaKaras HaTov to: Stephanie Savir, for writing the article which appeared in the Yated about our 5B Siyum Mishnayos and celebration of starting Gemarrah. All who contributed to the school through the CFC (Combined Federal Campaign). This has brought in $5,631.82 to help our children’s school. Our 3rd-6th Graders, who have brought in $12,219.01 for Chai Lifeline through the Parshathon.

All who sent in Snider’s receipt and to Naomi Schwartz for counting them. We received a check for $103. All who signed up for the Giant A+ School Rewards Program. We will be receiving a check for $1,646.17.

Final Halacha of Project Derech for 2011-2012

We close out the laws of Yir’ah, reverence, with a focus on proper behavior, decorum, and attitude in a Shul or Beis Hamidrash. This is particularly important since we often feel too comfortable in and familiar with our houses of worship and study.

To quote Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter 19: “This….also includes respect for the Shul and Beis Midrash. That it is not enough to avoid levity while in them. Rather, one must conduct himself within them with the utmost respect and awe, in all his ways and actions, and whatever he would not do in the palace of a great king, he should not do with them.”

It is crucial to note that part of the Chinuch we provide for all children, even at the youngest ages, should be proper conduct in Shul. When youngsters think that the Shul is a wonderful playground, they become adults whose feelings are the same.

Once again, we encourage you to read and discuss the Derech Update with your kids, and we thank you for your mutual cooperation in this vital endeavor. Next year, we will study (and, of course, practice) the laws of Kavod, respect.

Lest we forget, the following is a summary of all the

halachos we have covered:

We were all created with Tzelem Elokim. Kiddush Hashem. Kavod and Yir’ah for Parents and Teachers.

Hakaras HaTov – Realizing all the benefits that we are gaining from the world around us.

Behaving according to the Halachos and spirit of Derech Eretz in speech.

Behaving according to the Halachos and spirit of Derech Eretz in action.

Expressing Regret – accepting responsibility for our mistakes and sincerely apologizing for them.

Not sitting in the usual place of our parents or teachers.

Not calling parents or teachers by their first names. Not calling Rebbe “you” when speaking to him, but

addressing him in a respectful manner. Speaking in a soft and pleasant tone to our parents

and teachers. Not to interrupt when a parent or teacher is speaking. Not to contradict or correct a parent or teacher. Defending yourself with respect. Not disobeying a parent or teacher. Not validating a parent’s or teacher’s opinion. Not eating first before a parent or teacher. Not to leave without asking permission from a parent

or teacher. Not walking ahead of a parent or teacher. Not to awaken our parents unless they want us to. Showing Yir’ah in Shul.

What’s Doin’? 6B/6G are into (figuratively, of course) earthquakes in Science and are studying Using Formulas in Math. K/K have begun learning about “Amazing Creatures,” starting with insects and are subtracting (by counting down the days until Graduation). 1B/1B met their new mascot, Nachash, to help them with Pesukim in Perek Gimmel of Parashas Bereishees. 2G began their Ivrit unit on Rabbos (female, plural) and began setting tables in Hebrew. They learned how to say table, tablecloth, napkin, plate, cup, bowl, fork, knife, spoon, salt shaker, vase and flowers in Hebrew. Every girl helped set a beautiful table in the classroom by reading her job card out loud and following the Hebrew instruction. Then, every girl drew and labeled her own table. Their artistic work is hanging outside of Room 155. Mrs. Lerner’s 2B began their unit in “Sink or Swim”. (No, it’s not about moving on to Third Grade.) They observed which matter sinks and which floats, and they discussed the why. They are also into Earth Day activities.

Ms. Jones’s 3G discovered air as one of our natural resources and are loving every second of their unit on fractions. Ms. Dunkin’s 3G began their biography unit and made fraction strips. 3B were outside on Tuesday and got to see the space shuttle, Discovery, fly by on the back of a transport 747 jet. It is now safely ensconced in the Dulles annex of the Air and Space Museum. Back to terra firma and terracotta, they are learning about different kinds of surfaces, such as soil, sand, and clay. To contradict any lessons on conventions in writing, they’ve found out about poetic license, as they explored poems in honor of National Poetry Month. In Art, K/K made caterpillars in the style of Eric Carle and 6B “did” pictures of Gedolim. In Music, Chaiky Backman, from 6G, overcame the challenge of presenting a music project during Sefiras HaOmer by teaching her classmates about a capella music and sharing samples of this instrument-less genre of music with her peers. Chaiky also availed herself of this opportunity to explain the prohibition of listening to music during Sefirah, and she shared several different opinions as to how the observance of this ban is fulfilled. 1B/1B are into predicting (in stories-not prophecy), summarizing, comparing/contrasting, drawing arrays, mental math, and finding out who Roberto Clemente was. 5B marked the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation by learning about it. (No, they have not been freed from school.)

Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Yitzchak Charner

Headmaster

April 20, 2012

Dear Parents: As you undoubtedly have heard by now, our Board of Directors has selected Rabbi Yossie Charner as the Torah School’s first Director of Development. One of the driving forces for establishing this position was our pressing need to make education more affordable, while maintaining and strengthening the School’s quality of instruction. Rabbi Yossie Charner comes to us from the Torah Prep School in St. Louis, Missouri, where he enjoyed exceptional success as its Development Officer and Fifth-Grade Rebbi. Rabbi Charner reinforced and expanded existing fundraising projects, while developing new and creative donor opportunities as the School’s Development Officer. Now, Rabbi Charner’s full-time responsibility will be fundraising for Torah, his life’s passion. One of his primary goals will be to make our School more self-sustaining over a reasonable period of time, thereby reducing its dependency on tuition receipts for educating our ever-growing student body. Now in our 18th year of existence, the Administration and Board remain deeply grateful for the trust you have placed in the School for educating your precious jewels – our children. We will relentlessly endeavor to merit your continued trust as we work toward substantially raising our fundraising profile, both within and beyond the Greater Washington community. We look forward to Rabbi Yossie Charner’s arrival in August. Many thanks for your continuing support! Sincerely,

Raanan Shames President, TSGW Board of Directors

Classroom Close-ups by Ms. Kerry Griffin April 20, 2012

Volume VIII Issue 20

If you went out to the field today you wouldn’t believe your eyes, If you went out to the

field today, you were in for a BIG surprise, for today was the day, the wonderful day 1G had a Teddy Bear Picnic! The first grade girls were invited to celebrate their AMAZING Middos today, by attending a beary special picnic. Thanks to our school-wide PBIS (Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports) program, the first grade girls have earned $750 in class Middos money. They cashed in $500 of their reward money for a Teddy Bear Picnic. Among some of the attendees were: Morah Chani, Ms. Griffin, Mrs. Swartz, Morah Batya and 48 fuzzy friends. The Theme Queen in me was super excited when the idea of a Teddy Bear Picnic came up. Oh…. the possibilities, I thought! Once the initial flood of ideas had slowed down, I began phase two: the planning stage. It’s not uncommon to hear a teacher complain that there just isn’t enough time to accomplish all that needs to get done. At the Torah School, we face an even greater challenge, having to fit both secular and Judaic studies into each day. As a secular studies teacher, I teach the first graders reading, writing, science, social studies and math. It is a juggling act, to say the least. In our classroom, the task of integrating all these subjects is often accomplished by using themes. Did someone say theme? When I asked the girls to bring in 1 or 2 teddy bears on Friday for a teddy bear picnic, they screeched with delight! (Thanks to all who brought an extra bear to share!) The students first listened to the story, Time for a Picnic, by Clare Bevan. It’s a wonderful story featuring a whole host of teddy bears that belong to nursery rhyme and fairy tale characters. Next, the girls were asked to write bear shaped stories and share them with the class. In keeping with our “Living Fit and Healthy” science unit, the class has been learning about the importance of exercise. What better way to warm up than a Teddy Bear parade through the entire school? As we headed out to our picnic spot under a shady tree, the girls were asked to skip with their bears. Besides skipping carefree, one of my fondest elementary school memories was when my teacher would break out the enormous rainbow colored parachute. Some years later, it brought a similar response, as my current class tossed their helpless teddies onto the parachute. I’m not sure who was smiling and giggling more, as we watched around 50 teddy bears flying up and down. Great arm workout! The day wouldn’t have been complete without a fun math activity. The girls and I made a class graph by tallying the number of brown, white, black and other colored bears. Students were then asked a variety of questions to be answered by looking at the data that we collected. Finally, a teddy bear picnic wouldn’t be complete without gummy bears! After all, I’m not called the Theme Queen for nothing!

Our Teddy Bear Picnic is just one of the many exciting themes going on in first grade this year. I’m asked year- round by students, parents and colleagues, “What’s your theme next year, Ms Griffin”? They are referring, of course, to the elaborate decorations that adorn my classroom entrance each year. This year’s garden was not strictly constructed to just excite and entice my students. There is a method to my madness! Gardens are magical settings filled with colors, patterns and life that motivate the imagination and awaken the senses. The garden serves as an ideal theme for learning across the curriculum. Throughout the year, students have been planting, recording their observations, measuring and charting plant growth and learning how plant systems work to convert sunlight into energy. During the first weeks of school, the girls delighted in hearing the classic, The Secret Garden. Many other fiction and nonfiction stories have been shared related to gardening. Students have written stories, poems and how–to-grow a plant directions. Merging science with art and math are always crowd pleasers. We made beautiful paper and tissue flowers, and the girls used some of them to decorate the classroom Garden Shop. The Flower Shop buzzes with exciting activities that encourage hands-on learning. You’ll see students role playing and buying and selling flowers, fruits and vegetables. The shoppers and cashiers practice their money skills using cash registers filled with coins. Quite often, girls will sort and count the dozens of flowers, fruits and vegetables. You may start hearing the buzz soon, as we begin our insect unit. The class will be learning, first hand, about the life cycle of the Painted Lady Butterfly! These themes are just a small piece of what has been going on and what is up and coming in our first grade classroom. Our classroom environment is one that is interactive and offers hands-on-learning that engages students and ultimately makes learning more meaningful. After all, when learning is more meaningful, students succeed.

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Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC – Director p 1-888-8-SOVEYA (876-8392) * f 443-379-0665 * www.soveya.com * info@soveya.com Volume 5, Issue 22 6209 Western Run Drive, Baltimore, MD 21209

SWITCHH Newsletter (Soveya Wellness Initiative To Create Healthy Habits)

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Copyright © 2012 by Soveya, Inc.

Torah thought on health and nutrition:

The sefer Ta'amei HaMinhagim (page 251) writes that the Jewish month of Iyar is a time for refuah (healing). אייר is an acronym for אני ה' רפואך (I am HaShem, your Healer). Additionally, he cites the B'nai Yissaschar, who teaches that most weakness and illness come from foods which are harmful to a person's nature or composition. The Rambam (Hilchos De'os 4:15) writes likewise. See also Kitzur Shulchan Aruch chapter 32.

The mahn began to fall in this month (on the 16th day of Iyar 2448). It was the perfect food, from which no sickness, pain or even waste matter resulted (as Dovid HaMelech refers to it in Sefer Tehillim--"lechem abirim"). It even cured those who were ill. Therefore, HaShem left the curative nature of the month in effect for all generations. Accordingly, Iyar is a time of segulah l'refuah.

The mahn was the perfect amount with the ideal nutrients – and its taste was as exquisite as the spiritual level of the consumer. So how can we best replicate that experience with the foods available to us? How can we improve our eating behaviors to keep ourselves in the best physical and spiritual condition – and not damage our bodies and souls through improper eating, thus requiring a necessary refuah (G-d forbid).

Our bodies are finely tuned, extremely complex mechanisms. They thrive with proper care, and can be easily damaged through insufficient, or inappropriate handling. This is most clear in regard to our eating – for food is the fuel that sustains us, giving us vitality and energy to maximize our day. A car is not going to go very far, or very fast, without the right amount and right type of gasoline.

Good eating habits have three components – appropriate choices, appropriate quantities and appropriate times of the day. The right choices mean that we select foods based on our bodies’ needs more so than on our immediate cravings. HaShem blessed us with a bountiful selection of healthy choices (proteins, grains, vegetables, fruits) that we can prepare in delicious ways. There’s no excuse for not being able to get a geshmak and gezunt at the same time.

Prevention is the Best Medicine

However, a person can overeat even the right foods. The chicken might taste really good, but our body only needs one portion. Appropriate quantities mean not eating too much, or too little. Both overflowing our tank, and under filling it, have serious ramifications. And lastly, we can have a handle on the right choices and amounts, but push off our eating until late in the morning, or late at night – both of which are not beneficial. Breakfast is exactly that – we are breaking a fast from having not eaten since the night before. Our bodies desperately need nutrition soon after waking in order to have ample energy to start the day. Getting off on the wrong foot often results in trying to catch up by unhealthy snacking throughout the day. Our bodies need a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner at the proper times – ideally four to six hours apart. Eating late at night is the last thing a person needs. If we go to sleep on a full stomach, why are we often uncomfortable and not feeling fully rested in the morning? Because we are causing our bodies to do highly conflicting tasks – to spend significant energy to digest a full meal at the same time as trying to gain valuable rest while sleeping. The two don’t work hand in hand. Proper digestion doesn’t occur, and proper rest is not a result. Iyar is the perfect time to adjust our behaviors with food so we don’t have to end up seeking a refuah as a consequence of our actions – but rather treat our bodies in the way in which HaShem directs us, for prevention is truly the best medicine. Good שבת.

SWITCHH is a coalition of Jewish Day Schools committed to effecting real and lasting changes toward our approach to eating and nutrition. The Wellness Initiative uses a Torah educational approach combined with practical tools and the latest news and information to inform and empower parents, teachers and students about the obligation to properly care for our bodies by developing and enjoying healthy eating habits. SWITCHH is

presented by Soveya, providing nutrition & wellness coaching, educational programs, teleconferences, seminars and newsletters concerning health, nutrition, and obesity prevention.

Changing the Jewish World – One Pound at a Time

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News, information and practical advice:

A book by a leading cardiologist identifies sugar as one of the chief causes of heart disease. “Most people think of high cholesterol as the main culprit, but sugar blows cholesterol out of the water,” says Dr. Stephen T. Sinatra, co-author of Reverse Heart Disease Now. “Sugar inflames blood vessels, which leads to clotting, pre-diabetic insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity.” His suggestion: avoid high glycemic foods. High glycemic index foods (such as simple carbohydrates) will increase the body’s sugar levels rapidly whereas low glycemic index foods will increase the body’s sugar levels slowly. The goal is to choose the foods with complex carbohydrates over ones with simple carbohydrates. How do you do that? On the Nutrition Facts label, find the Total Carbohydrates section, which has either two or three categories: Dietary fiber, Sugars, Other carbohydrates. Total carbohydrates: Tells you how many grams of carbohydrates are in each serving and the percentage of the Daily Value this represents. This number includes starches, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, added sugar sweeteners, and non-digestible additives. The following three carbohydrates all add up to the total carb value. Dietary fiber: Represents the number of grams of fiber in each serving. Sugars: This figure represents the number of grams of added sweeteners, which may appear in the ingredients list as: sugar, corn syrup, honey, brown sugar, and so on. Other carbohydrates: This line reveals the number of grams of complex carbohydrates, not including fiber, but including non-digestible additives, such as stabilizers and thickening agents. Theoretically, this number should reflect the amount of the more nutritious sugars - ones naturally present in the food. BANANA SMOOTHIE

Ingredients: 2 large bananas; 1 C. milk (or unsweetened soy milk); ½ C. orange juice; ½ C.

ground almonds or 2 T. unsweetened peanut butter; dash of cinnamon

Directions: Put all ingredients in a blender

and blend until smooth.

SUGAR: A PRIMARY CAUSE FOR HEART DISEASE

Reading between the lines. As a general guide, the greater the discrepancy between "total carbohydrates" and "sugar," on the label, the more nutritious carbohydrates the food contains. This means that the package contains more of the food's natural sugars than added sugars. The closer the number of grams of "sugar" is to the "total carbohydrates" in each serving, the closer the food gets to the junk quality. The "total carbs" minus the "sugar" value is particularly helpful in comparing the nutritional value of cereals. For example, a serving of regular All-Bran contains 24 grams of total carbohydrates and 6 grams of sugars, resulting in 18 grams of potentially healthy carbohydrates. A serving of Fruit Loops, on the other hand, contains 28 grams of total carbohydrates, 15 grams of which are sugars - over 50 percent of the total carbohydrates in Fruit Loops are added sweeteners, versus 25 percent in All-Bran.

Easy & Healthy RECIPE CORNER

Thumbs Up

Good Earth Sweet & Spicy Herbal Iced Tea (8 oz.)

Benefits: 0 Calories 0 grams of Sugar

Thumbs Down

Snapple All Natural Raspberry Iced Tea (8 oz.)

Drawbacks: 80 Calories 21 grams of Sugar

From Soveya’s Incredibly Easy & Healthy Cookbook (300 no sugar, No flour, recipes – all but a few gluten free & kosher for Pesach)

BUY FOR YOURSELF OR FOR THE PERFECT GIFT – ORDER TODAY!