News from K-2

Did you ever wonder what a shoe would say if it could talk? First graders did. They have been immersed in their study of clothing with a focus this past week on shoes. During Writer's Workshop they wrote a story from the perspective of a shoe. Here is a sample of some of their soliloquies:

Hi! I am a snow boot. I love my brother. Say Hi! Hi! But I am sad because it is summer. So I have to stay in the closet. So that's why I'm sad.

We went to Maine; well of course you need to know that I am a hiking boot. And when we went to Maine we climbed great mountain Spencer.

I met this little girl. I go to the pool and swim. I like putting myself in the water and splashing around.

Shoes First graders also had fun creating fantasy shoe sculptures, and they honed their shoe tying skills by practicing on the golden shoe. If you walk into their Hebrew class you will see a clothesline with hanging clothes! Children are learning how to say words for clothing in Hebrew and are acting out different scenarios involving clothes. They are singing songs with movement about Hacova sheli (My Hat) and Nalayim (shoes).

Kindergartners launched their study of Soup and Hunger Awareness by reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle - in both English and Hebrew. The children learned what it feels like to be hungry and why we need food to grow healthy and strong.Throughout this unit the children will explore the richness of soup from a multicultural perspective, as well as through the Jewish response to feeding the hungry. The children will collect 100 cans of soup to deliver to the Newton Food Pantry. In their Hebrew class Kindergartners have been learning how to say different yirakote (vegetables) in Hebrew. They are illustrating their own version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar incorporating all the different foods they have learned.

This week the Second graders participated in a social justice/family education program that centered on their yearlong study of the Charles River. The family education program gave students the chance to showcase their knowledge of five Tzedakah Heroes whose mitzvah work centers around water.

Shoes, caterpillars and water - what do they have in common? These integrated threads of the curriculum represent a creative vehicle to learning.

Serena Androphy, Division Director K-2

Rashi Built Jerusalem!

Last Saturday evening, the Rashi cafenasium was transformed into a construction site for a contemporary model of the Old City of Jerusalem. Over 230 members of the Rashi community came together for a Havdalah service led by Marjorie Freiman and three students - Miriam Boardman, Eden Olsberg and Kent Zwillinger. We had a quick pizza dinner (58 pizzas!) and situated ourselves around architect Stephen Schwartz's 20'x20' vinyl map of the Old City, which was set on the floor in the middle of the room. Mr. Schwartz explained that there were several specific projects to be completed: the wall which surrounded the Old City, several of the gates into the city, David's Tower, the Montefiore Windmill, and the Beit HaMikdash (Temple).

There was happy chatter throughout the room as students, parents and grandparents divided up into small "teams" to work on their projects. Ninety minutes later, the wall was complete, several gates, including an imposing, all-yellow Lion's Gate, marked various entry ways into the City and more than a dozen buildings dotted the map in all directions. David's Tower, looming and red, stood proudly on the west side as the Montefiore Windmill in Yemin Moshe, striking in its beige color with red accents, highlighted the western landscape on a hill outside the City. The Beit HaMikdash stood out with its white and blue horizontal band design and a Magen David (Red Cross) hospital was identifiable by its red LEGO crosses on all sides.

LEGO Mr. Schwartz then gave a brief overview of the major buildings and gates in the Old City.

While we wished we could have kept the model here at Rashi, Mr. Schwartz needed to take the 60,000 LEGOs with him for another program the following day. Please stop by the downstairs bulletin board near the double-door entry to take a look at the display of photographs taken during the project!

Jack Gantos Inspires Fifth Grade

Gantos The fifth grade was thrilled to welcome award-winning author, Jack Gantos, to Rashi this week. His visit marked the culmination of a unit on short stories, in which students read and analyzed Mr. Gantos's stories, and then began to write their own.

Part of what made the visit so exciting for students was the time and effort the fifth grade had put into fundraising to bring in this prestigious author. Fifth-graders spent a month hosting both a bake sale and a T-shirt sale to raise the necessary funds. Their sense of pride and ownership in the event was palpable.

However, what made the visit truly unforgettable was the author himself. Mr. Gantos kept us all on the edge of our seats with his incredible stories, and his warmth and insight into the writing process was an inspiration to all of us. All of our student writers have been eagerly scribbling into their journals as a result of this unforgettable experience. We hope to make a Jack Gantos visit an annual fifth-grade event.

Bullying Prevention Training for Parents

Please join us on Wednesday, February 27, 7:00-8:30 pm in the school library as we train parents in the Olweus Bullying Prevention program. The Rashi faculty has been trained in this program and we plan to roll it out with the students beginning in March. You will learn:

How to recognize bullying.
How bullying is different from teasing or horsing around.
What to do if your child bullies other children.
What to do if your child is bullied by another child.
How to train your child to be an "upstander."

If you have questions, call Meredith Cohen, Rashi Psychologist, at 617-969-4444, ext. 239.

Notes from the Advancement Office

Parent Participation in our Capital Campaign
Is Reaching New Heights!

In just four months, the total school-wide parent participation
has reached 50% (which translates into $5,153,430).

This is a great achievement!

Here are the numbers on a grade-by-grade basis:

* Kindergarten: 44%

* First Grade: 52%

* Second Grade: 56%

* Third Grade: 37%

* Fourth Grade: 69%

* Fifth Grade: 55%

* Sixth Grade: 56%

* Seventh Grade: 53%

* Eighth Grade: 42%

One of the reasons that we strive for 100% participation for each grade, as well as in the aggregate, is that community donors often use these figures to determine their giving levels. That means that your gift of $18, $180, or $18,000 will make a big impact on our future in Dedham. Please send your gift or pledge form in today so that we can show the strength of the Rashi parent community.

Mark Your Calendar for the Annual Dinner - May 20, 2008

Save-The-Date Cards have been mailed out so mark your calendar!

Join us in honoring Jewish community leaders

Marjorie and Bert Paley

(grandparents of the Nadels: Emily, Grade 6; Josh, Rashi '07, and Henry, age 3)

Annual Appeal Update

With apologies for the errors printed in last week's Daf Kesher, we are re-publishing the list of dedicated gifts received in January.

In honor of Liora Goldberg

Allen S. Goldberg

In honor of Jonah Kriger, on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah

Doris Feinberg

In honor of Faryl Sandler, on the occasion of her birthday

Patricia and Charles Ribakoff

In memory of Rachel Lewis, mother of Stefan Krysa

Sherri and Ira Davoudgoleh

Scott A. Dunn

Stephanie Rotsky

Marsha and Marc Slotnick

In memory of Gabriel Goldberg's grandfather

Joan and David Rosenberg

Community News

Congregation Mishkan Tefila welcomes its new Nursery School Director, Ellen Agulnick.

Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters: "The Little Big Ball," honoring Rashi parent Jill Cohen, Saturday, March 1, The Four Seasons Boston, 7:00 p.m. Cocktails, Dinner, Dancing & Auction, Cocktail Attire. Proceeds support Rodman Ride for Kids, an umbrella charity that raises funds for children's related social service agencies in Massachusetts. For more information contact Zoa Mish at 617-558-6536 or zoa@jbbbs.org, or go to http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001g_97ID3RGerEHxb2PkfIMl3v9IcZ3ogD9FSI8rnB4Z6umiGyVdCfulPJXCje5Pdc2Hsdpfouc2XcQnCr3ewOmLJT48U0Y1WOogQh3GpFnJ1MtprddIDCUaqI01PW4AUbaFdyQU7cR1s=

Joshua Nelson, an African-American Jew known as the Prince of Kosher Gospel Music, March 8, 2008 at 7:30 pm at Temple Sinai, 25 Canton Street, Sharon, MA. Please call 781-784-6081 for tickets or see www.temple-sinai.com.

Temple Hillel B'nai Torah Events

March 1, 1-2 pm Come chant and sing with Shira Kayam: Song Like an Ocean. March 2, 2:30-4:30 pm, Book Discussion on The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew and the Heart of the Middle East..

March 7, Kabbalat Shabbat Services and Potluck: 5:30-6:00 pm Shakin' Shabbat: Family Service, geared towards families with infants through 6 year olds; 6-7 pm Community "Dairy" Potluck - come meet and eat after the family service or before the regular service; 7:17 - 8:15 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Services: Music-filled service to welcome Shabbat. All welcome.

March 8 Tot Shabbat: A family Shabbat morning experience for children ages infant to 5 and their caregiver while other adults and older children attend the main service. Rabbi David Kline, leader.

March 8, 1:00-2:30 pm. Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Barbara Penzner: a group to talk about everyday ethical dilemmas and how we can develop a practice of improving our lives and the lives of those around us.

March 16, 2:30-3:00 pm: Purim for Little Esthers and Mordechais: Join Rabbi Penzner for a special telling of the Purim story before the regular Purim Carnival, 3:00 - 5:00 pm. Purim Carnival: Games and booths for the whole family. Come in costume! All welcome!

120 Corey Street, West Roxbury, 617-323-0486. www.templehbt.org

February 14, 2008/8 Adar 1 5768

Grade 4 Literary Share
Fourth graders impressed their parents with their writing ability in a variety of styles: from journal entries to haiku to legends to marketing brochures. Their descriptive writing showcased the students' use of simile, metaphor, dialogue, and different perspectives.

In This Issue

News from K-2

Rashi Built Jerusalem!

Jack Gantos Inspires Fifth Grade

Coming Up

February vacation - No classes

Feb. 25

Classes resume

Feb. 27

Yachad Teacher Appreciation

Lunch

Feb. 29

Gr. 8 Hebrew play: Beauty and the Beast 1:15 pm

Mar. 2

Gr. 8 Hebrew play: Beauty and the Beast 7 pm

Mar. 5

Gr. 3 play: 2 pm and 7 pm

Mar. 6

Pizza Thursday

Mitzvah Makers at HSL

Mar. 7

Rosh Hodesh Adar II

Rockin' Shabbat with Jon Nelson

Basketball Games

Come cheer on the Rashi basketball teams at these upcoming games:

Mon., Feb. 25
Gr. 6 boys at Tenacre

3:30 pm

Wed., Feb. 27

Gr. 6 & 7 Girls
at British School
3:45 pm

Thurs., Feb. 28

Grades 4/5 Girls and Boys
at Meadowbrook
2:30 pm

Note: Date Changes for Family Programs

The Grade 4 Family Program, scheduled for Wednesday, March 5, has been rescheduled to Friday, April 4, from 8:15 - 9:45 a.m. in the cafenasium.

The Grade 7 Family Program, also originally scheduled for March 5, will be held on Friday, April 11, from 8:15 - 9:45 a.m. in the cafenasium.

Please note these changes in your calendar.

A Gentle Reminder

Re-enrollment agreements are due February 29. Why not complete the application and send it in now before the February break?

If your child will be in Grade 4 or 6 next year....
We are delighted to report that we have several prospective new students for those grades. Rashi families will be given first consideration for spaces. Please make sure that your re-enrollment agreement is sent in so we can save a space for your child.
We expect to have a waiting list for these grades.

Tuition Assistance Applications and tax returns are due by February 15.
You can send your re-enrollment application in before your TA paperwork is done. Just let us know it's coming by checking off the appropriate box.

Thank you!

Megillah Readers Wanted

Do you know how to chant the Megillah? Do you want to learn, even if it's only a few verses?

We are looking for parent and student volunteers to help read the Megillah at Rashi's Purim celebration on Friday morning, March 21.

Please email Dan Brosgol, Jewish Programs Coordinator, at dbrosgol@rashi.org if you would be willing to chant some of the Book of Esther.

Yachad

As we approach February vacation, we want to thank everyone who has helped us out these past weeks.Thank you in advance to this week's challah helpers.

We wish everyone a restful vacation. Time to relax and be with loved ones.

When we return, we can look forward to more teacher lunches, more informational Yachad meetings, and a special celebration for all our volunteers - dates to be announced.

B'shalom,

Andie and Susan