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A Day In The Life of Eliza, Grade 7

No one can better tell you what the SSDS experience is like than our own students. Some of our students have taken the time to talk a little about a typical day in school. Enjoy!

Hi,

My name is Eliza and I am a 7th grader at the Rogow Middle School of Solomon Schechter Day School. I came to SSDS in 6th grade from public school. I have one sister, she also goes to SSDS. When we first started, my sister was in the preschool. Now she is in elementary school. My family is very active in Temple Sinai in Newington. While the service is different than the way we learn to pray in school, I feel very comfortable in both settings.

Even though I live in West Hartford and I could take the bus, my Dad drives my sister and me to school each morning. We often arrive a bit early, so that I have time to hang out with my friends before school starts.

Our mornings are a bit crazy. I wake up and sometimes have time to shower. I eat breakfast, dance to music, feed all of the pets and then get in the car to go to school. My sister often has a hard time figuring out what to wear. I try to help her because the morning is much calmer that way.

So we get to school and my Dad walks in with me and my sister. I go down to the area where the middle school kids hang out before the doors are opened and I wait for 7th grade girls to show up. We talk until the teacher on duty opens the doors and calls us to go upstairs. We talk down the hall and visit while we are getting ready for Chavurah (home-room with some students from each grade in middle school). I unpack my stuff at my locker and then go into my Chavurah. We sing Hatikvah and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Because it is Monday, we go to Tefilah in the Beit. The whole middle school prays together on Monday and we read Torah. Rabbi (Rabbi Chatinover) has a whole rotation for all the kids in the middle school so that we each get a chance to lead services, serve as gabbiim and read Torah.

After Tefilah, I have Biology with Mr. G. He teaches well. It is easy to understand and learn from him. This is my favorite subject. Although sometimes it grosses me out.

2nd period is Hebrew with Mrs. Schwartz. Because I started SSDS in 6th grade, my Hebrew wasn’t very advanced. Mrs. Schwartz teaches a small group of us. She will help us understand. She goes over things until we get them. I like that I can learn at my own pace and don’t feel pressure to have to compete with the students who have been at SSDS since Kindergarten.

3rd period is math with Ms. Lorenzo. I am taking 7th grade math. Next year, I will do pre-algebra so I will be prepared for 9th grade algebra. She is good at teaching, because if I don’t understand something she knows how to explain things in different ways until I get it. Our grade has three math groups, plus one student who goes to math with the 8th graders.

4th period is Humanities: We learn both English and History. We are learning about the Civil Rights Movement now. We are reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham. We have spoken a lot about equality and segregation. Part of this unit is a research paper. We are learning how to research, take notes and write a paper. We also have been writing poetry.

YAY—it is lunch time. We all eat together in the cafeteria, except on Friday when we eat in Chavurah. I always bring my lunch---usually a sandwich or pasta. My best lunch is pasta with apple and crackers and water bottle. It is nice just to talk to my friends. My favorite part of the day is seeing my friends.

After lunch we have a double period of Humanities. This can be good because it gives us more time to work on something. We break in-between periods. Sometimes we use this time to work on a project or to watch movies.

The last period on Monday is gym. It is a lot of fun. Mr. C is really good at explaining and picks games that he thinks everyone will be able to participate in. This is my favorite special because it is a nice opportunity to relax and have fun.

After gym, I go back upstairs and pack up at my locker. Then I go back to Chavurah and talk to everyone. I wait until they announce “all students going home by car, please proceed to the front of the building”. I go down to car line. My Dad picks me up and I go home, hang out and do homework. I usually have about 1-2 hours of homework a night. (sometimes have to wait a minute or two).

On Thursday, I stay after school to help out with the younger kids swim club. I really love animals, especially horses—they are my passion. I ride at a stable in Hartford and I have been helping out at a therapeutic riding program at a different stable. My stable is going to start a therapeutic riding program and I am going to help them. In fact, I donated some of my Bat Mitzvah money to help start the program.

I sure hope to meet you when you come for a visit. It is a really great place to come for middle school.