27601 Fairmount Blvd.

Pepper Pike OH 44124

216-763-1400

216-763-1106 (fax)

Affiliated with the Jewish Community Federation and Jewish Education Center of Cleveland

Highlights:  2007 -2008

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Mother's Day Tea Held in Preschool: Personalized flip flops, memory boxes and potted plants? For me? For Mother's Day? It CAN happen! Schechter's three-year-old class put on a tea for their mothers on May 14. The children took their time in decorating the room in pink and preparing heart-shaped cookies with  icing and sprinkles. They also created self-portraits and shared why their moms are so special to them. A wonderful, heartfelt time was had by all. Moms were able to wear their new flip flops home! Happy Mother's Day! 

Celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary: Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) on May 7 started as it should with middle school T'fila and a ceremony in the Mandel Merkaz. IDF soldiers visited during 4-8 grade Judaic classes throughout the afternoon. Yom Ha'aztmaut (Israel's Independence Day) on May 8, began with an all-school ceremony followed by the annual "Day School Parade" for students in grades 3-7. Gross Schechter, Agnon, Ratner and Fuchs Mizrachi students and teaches convened together at Schechter for opening remarks and a walk to Agnon for dancing and celebration.

Gross Schechter Day School celebrates Pesach: Many exciting and innovative events were held during the weeks leading up to Passover. Our recently established Center for Family and Adult Education presented a 3-part educational series for parents on Passover preparation, kid-friendly Seder options and delicious Pesach foods. Each class had their own Seder meals and Pesach-themed lesson including the third grade class who celebrated Pesach Yemenite- style. Our preschoolers experienced what it may have been like to be slaves as they dressed as slaves, hammered and molded pyramids in real dirt and clay.

"The Wiz": On April 9 and 10, Abby Lausin directed Schechter's first musical performance of "The Wiz." The cast list included: Dorothy, Jamie Ross; Scarecrow, Emily Evans; Tin Man, Beth Moses; Lion, Tamar Fleshler; Addaperle, Julia Friedman; Glinda, Maya Levine; Evilene, Carly Friedman; Aunt Em, Dara Zukerman; Uncle Henry, Noam Gelles; Toto, Daniella Israelstam; Lady High Underling, Jeanne Greminger; Royal Gatekeeper, Erin Evans; The Wiz, Jonah Weinstein; Field Mice/Tornado Dancers/Citizens of Emerald City: Amital Haas,Jianna Lubotsky, Talia Fleshler, Mara Friedman, Hannah Friedman, Kaylie Godfrey; Crows/Winged Monkeys/Featured Ozians: Monica Sass, Lauren Kahn, Alayna Rosenbaum, William Bloom, Ryan Kaplevatsky, Shani Gelles; Munchkins/Poppies/Citizens of Emerald City: Brianna Weisman, Gabrielle Hartstein, Hayley Lichterman, Valerie Ismailova, Rachel Kaufman, Rachel Rubin, Aviva Isakov, Ellie Levine, Sasha Zborovsky, Elise August
 

 4th Grade Trip to Columbus, Ohio : On April 2, our fourth grade took a day trip to Columbus, Ohio. Their first stop was the Columbus Zoo where the class took the opportunity to to visit the manatee habitat. The manatee is the 4th grade class mascot for which many integrated educational lessons are taught throughout the past school year. After a lunch at the zoo picnic areas, the class visited the Highbanks Metro Park to view Adena Mounds where the kids were educated on the ancient Indian culture. Then, it was off to the state house where the students received a tour of the legislative meeting rooms and learned about the branches of the state and federal government. The final stop for the students was dinner at Hillel on The Ohio State University campus.

Students Observe National Nutrition Month: In honor Nutrition Month, Gross Schechter Day School's Wellness Advisory Council provided age-appropriate educational materials and activities to each grade level. Focusing on a nutrition facts theme, the Council provided a school-wide "Nutrition Quiz Corner" with a nutrition question every day for the entire month of March. One winner was chosen from the correct daily answers and received a prize. All participants received a participation gift. Daily prize winners were: Yael Field, Max Goldstein, Jonah Ross, Caleb Gocovich, Shai Yulish, Yuval Zamir, Jakob Bolman, Dean August, Zoe Newman, Josh Caplan, Zach Marton, Leigh Gabriely, Avital Field and Nathan Immerman.

Dr. Rosenblum visits Schechter Middle School students: Founder of the Cleveland Committee on Soviet Anti-Semitism (CCSA), Dr. Louis Rosenblum, recently spoke to an eager group of Schechter middle school students. As founder of CCSA, Dr. Rosenblum took dramatic and innovative political steps to help bring over 100,000 Russian immigrants to the United States (starting in the early 1960s). For complete details of his inspiring accomplishments click the Cleveland Jewish News article: http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2008/03/27/news/soviet_jewry/acover0104.txt 

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Schechter Celebrates Purim! A day full of fun was enjoyed by students and staff alike on Friday, March 21. All students participated in a costume parade around the promenade. Kindergarten students sang Purim songs during morning announcements. Tfilah services and Megilah reading were held in the Mandel Merkaz for grades 3-8 which was immediately followed by a Purim Carnival for students in grades 1-8. Students also participated in various grade level activities in their classrooms leading up the March 21 events.

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Fruit and Veggie Challenge held in February: Students in preschool through 1st grade participated in a month long "Fruit and Vegetable Challenge." This exercise (developed by the USDA's Team Nutrition Program and the University of Connecticut Department of Nutritional Sciences ) encouraged students to work together to achieve a classroom goal of averaging 1.5 servings of fruits and vegetables per lunch period per student. All classes met or exceeded this goal and were each rewarded with fruit salad parties!

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Kabbalat Siddur Program: Gross Schechter Day School's Kabbalat Siddur program was held on March 4. This milestone event commemorates the first time Schechter 1st grade students lead the prayer services publicly. This touching service was attended by parents and other family members who proudly presented their children with their own Siddur (prayer book) at the end of the ceremony. Each prayer book cover was decorated by the student's parents, inscribed with a personal message from parents and dated.

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Kindergarten 100th School Day Celebration and Chinese New Year: During the annual Kindergarten 100^th school day celebration, activities revolved around the number 100: either counting by 2’s, 5’s, or 10’s; finding a secret message by crossing out numbers; counting out 100 pieces for a snack; making a book about 100 around the world.  For the Chinese New Year, the class had a dragon parade around the school and ate Chinese food for lunch, with chopsticks and fortune cookies.  The children made lanterns, dragon masks, and banners with Chinese greetings on them.  They also learned how to count in Chinese and write the correct characters for 1 through 10. 

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Israel at 60 Kick-Off Celebration: On February 19 the entire population of Gross Schechter Day School held an assembly to launch the first of many school-wide Israel at 60 celebrations. The entire school (students and staff) showed their support for Israel by wearing T-shirts commemorating Israel's 60th. Each class (including the preschoolers) performed a Hebrew song or dance including: a couples dance performed by 3rd graders - Hadegel Shely (My Blue and White Flag) and a modern line dance performed by 4th graders - Kan (Here). The choir performed five Hebrew songs - some using sign language. The assembly is one of many celebrations to take place at Schechter from now through May. More photos and details to come as they happen.

Great Lakes Schechter Showdown: The last weekend in January our girls and boys varsity basketball teams traveled to Detroit to participate in the annual Great Lakes Schechter Showdown basketball tournament. Both teams played very well, with our girls competing in the intense championship game (only losing by three points!). The games were held at the local Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills and at the Farmington Hills JCC. Schechter students participated in services on Friday night and Saturday. The games took place Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Congratulations to both teams! If anyone has any other photos to share, please submit to kmillet@grossschechter.org.

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Great Lakes Theatre Festival (GLTF) Comes to Schechter:  For the fourth year in a row, actor-teachers from the Great Lakes Theatre Festival made their grand appearances here at Schechter.  The week-long visit contained activities and exercises developed to foster the highest possible level of student participation. Two professionals from GLTF collaborated with students in improvisation, discussion and the performance of key scenes, encouraging students to discover the Shakespearean characters in themselves. To coincide with Schechter classroom curriculum, middle school students experienced scenes from Romeo & Juliet, The Crucible and A Raisin in the Sun. This year, our second graders were also able to participate as they supplemented their drama unit with scenes from The Giving Tree. The GLTF visit helps create lifelong memories for our students as they truly experience these classics of children's literature.

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Tu BiSh'vat Celebration: January 19th marked the birthday of the trees. During the Judaic studies classes all students learned about nature, the environment and the importance of trees. They also ate dry fruits that grow in Israel. Each class will donate money to the Jewish National Fund and trees will be planted in Israel in honor of our students. Grades 3A and 3B produced their own program for parents which included  songs, dances, set design and a play. Middle school students put on their own classroom seder to celebrate and preschoolers planted grass and learned about the parts of the plant and how the plant grows.

"The Wiz" Auditions: On November 19 auditions were held for the Spring musical, "The Wiz". A record number of auditions were held for the family-friendly event to be performed April 9 and 10, 2008. Abby Lausin serves as director of the stage production with alumnus, Fallon Rubin, serving as student director. The cast includes: Jamie Ross as Dorothy; Emily Evans as Scarecrow; Beth Moses as Tin Man; Tamar Fleshler as Lion; and Jonah Weinstein as The Wiz. Photos courtesy of Clifford Norton Studios www.cliffordnorton.com.

Dance Recital: Two after care dance classes performed for parents on November 13. Of the two classes (K-2) and (Grades 3-5) each completed a full barre warm-up before performing ballet, tap and hip hop dance routines. The older grades also performed some of their own choreography. Photos courtesy of Clifford Norton Studios www.cliffordnorton.com.

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Thanksgiving:  The biggest Thanksgiving event of the Schechter season took place November 20, when the entire preschool and kindergarten class enjoyed a scrumptious Thanksgiving feast. Parent volunteers and staff set-up a huge 90-seat table in the hallway adjacent to the preschool wing. Each class helped prepare some special treats for the meal and created their own centerpieces and costumes. The teachers lead the lunch with the Thanksgiving story and many Thanksgiving-themed songs were sung in English and Hebrew. It was an event all will remember. Thank you to those who participated!

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First Day of Kindergarten Celebration: The first day of kindergarten is especially meaningful for those families beginning their transition to elementary school. Each year the Rabbi joins kindergarten students, family and friends in the Mandel Merkaz for a special ceremony marking the milestone event. A reception and breakfast followed the ceremony.

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First Day of School 2007: The first day of school brought much excitement to the Schechter campus as students

and parents geared-up for another exciting year of friendship-building, academics, Judaics and fun!

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