Schechter Shavua: September 13, 2024

Middle Schoolers Escape INTO the World of Makerspace!

“Can you use teamwork, secrets hidden around the room, and your brains to figure out the location of the missing school supplies before the bell rings? Your class can save the day!" 

Certain aspects of the start of the school year can sometimes feel unexciting: learning classroom procedures, the location of necessary supplies in each room, rules and regulations, etc. But Makerspace teacher Laurie Stanfield found a way to burst those blahs! She created an "Escape Room" scenario to help Middle Schoolers learn procedures like where to turn in homework or where to find an assignment that they lost or missed. Brain-stretching puzzles tested concepts of "growth mindset," building using found objects, mathematics, cryptography, tangrams, and teamwork; once solved, the answers led students both to the next questions and to gaining the important insights necessary throughout the year. The room buzzed with excitement as students teamed together to solve the mysteries of the Makerspace!

Click HERE to see more photos of the Escape Room Challange!
 

Schechter Partners with Kibbutz Sufa through Federation

As the result of an exciting partnership between the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford and a kibbutz in Israel that has been displaced following the tragic events of October 7, Schechter Lower school students have been making beautiful Shana Tova cards that will go into holiday gift baskets destined for families of Kibbutz Sufa. The Federation is spearheading the gift basket project, and our hope is that our students will engage with members of the kibbutz through monthly projects. We can’t wait to track their engagement over the course of the school year!
 

Emerging Interests Kick off a Year with Curiosity and Science

You’re likely familiar with the children’s book series Sammy Spider’s First… by Sylvia Rouss. When Shorashim Bet (EC 3-4) started the school year by reading Sammy Spider's First Day of School, the students loved observing many details about their pretend Sammy Spider. This prompted teachers Bree Usher, Jessica Fingold, and Elana Hoffman to launch a new unit; in anticipation of the upcoming Jewish holidays (and Sammy Spider’s First Rosh Hashanah), they have begun learning all about the science behind spiders! They will continue to delve into spiders -- both real and Sammy -- as Sammy Spider's adventures continue throughout the year. 

Click HERE to see photos of Shorashim’s study of spiders!

Parashat Ki Teitzei—Expanding Our Tent

Sometimes we see ourselves as smaller than we really are; it’s like we don’t even realize that we’re stuck in front of a funhouse mirror. As individuals, we ask, “Who am I?” and answer, “I’m just this; no more.” Institutions ask, “Whom do we serve?”—and the answer is, “Only these people, not those people.” Communities ask, “Who’s in and who’s out?”—and respond by being as exclusive as they can be.

Limits are part of life; we all have finite amounts of time, resources and abilities. And no one can be all things to all people; our core values will always lead to some sense of boundaries. But we often define our boundaries more narrowly than necessary—and we make them into high, thick walls. We fear that if we grow too much, we will lose what makes us unique. 

In this week’s haftarah, the book of Isaiah sends comfort to the ancient city of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed and depopulated by the Babylonians. Jerusalem is imagined as a childless, lonely woman who lives in a tiny tent. The prophet tells her, “Expand your tent! Stretch out your canvas, don’t hold back; lengthen your tent-poles and strengthen your stakes.” And why? Because Jerusalem wasn’t truly abandoned; God’s love has endured, and will be felt again.

This is a layered metaphor with a powerful message. We aren’t supposed to imagine that we have no limits, or to forget who we are—but our boundaries are made of cloth, not iron or stone, and we are asked to expand them as much as we can. We are to stretch our fabric while making sure that we remain grounded. And we are to do this from love, not from need or desperation.

School has begun, and Rosh Hashanah is approaching; we are looking at ourselves and asking, “Am I being all that I can be?” Let’s take Isaiah’s words to heart! We can deepen our commitments andexpand our sense of self. May it be a year of amazing learning and growth.

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Jonathan Berger
Head of School 

Questions for the Shabbat table:

1. Can you develop the haftarah’smetaphor further? How else is personal growth like an expanding tent?
2. Have you ever been afraid to open yourself up to something new? Looking back, were you able to do so while remaining true to yourself? How?
    

Todah rabah to our fantastic Parent Association for providing a fresh, thick layer of sand and wood chips on the Schechter playground! Recess is so much fun!