Schechter Shavua: April 27, 2020

Hearts, Hands and Minds Ignite

Haveyou ever wished you had two uninterrupted weeks to work on a project you love or learn a new skill? Introducing… the 8th grade “Passion Projects,” a time for our eighth graders to follow a passion. Each student is devoting two weeks to a self-directed project in consultation with a faculty mentor. They jointly developed a two-week plan, set goals for themselves, and they are deep in their work and are producing amazing results!

Halaylahhasalwayswanted to learnabout fixing cars, and is literally diving into (and under) a 1977 Toyota Chinook to learn about and repair its systems and body. Miriam wanted to learn more about nutrition and preparing healthy meals, so she is researching and menu planning and cooking nutritious, balanced, and delicious meals each day for her family. Ari, an avid reader, is writing a fantasy novel set in another world filled with magic, dragons, and intrigue. Talia is applying her love of sewing and social justice to help people who could be affected by Covid-19; she is making masks and donating them to local hospitals and other medical facilities. Evan is learning to code using Unity, a coding engine that is typically used for building games; his goal is to eventually create his own video game. Pauline thinks she might want to become a surgeon someday, so she is interviewing different kinds of surgeons and researching in order to learn more about their jobs. Cooper is excited about baking; she is honing her skills as a pastry chef and is really looking forward to being able to prepare her favorite: Key Lime Pie!

We are so proud of the creativity, independence, and curiosity of our 8th graders! Stay tuned to our Facebook page in the coming days for more detailed posts about their progress. You won’t want to miss it!

Staying Connected through Holidays, Family, and Friends

The end of April brings so much activity! Now that Pesach is over, we are turning towards the "Yoms".... Last week students read about and reflected on "The Last Butterfly," a poem written during the Holocaust. Our families are also staying connected by sending pictures of their favorite activities or highlights of last week. It's all HERE in this album!