Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Janowski

Principal

Mrs. Sharon Levine

Associate Principal

Rabbi Chaim Friedman

Assistant Principal

Mrs. Sharon Zweig

Preschool Director

Rabbi Elchanan Zweig

Director of Development & Educational

Support

Volume 8, Issue 14

Rabbi Sholom Volk

General Editor

Mrs. Cypy Winkler

Layout and Graphic design

SCHEDULE REMINDER!

Wednesday, January 1

No Preschool– Teacher Work Day

1/2 Day Elementary School

Parshas

Va’Eyra

Candle Lighting:

5:21

The Y.E.S. Press The Weekly Newsletter of Yeshiva Elementary School

24 Teves, 5774

December 27, 2013

P A G E 2 T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S

D’VAR TORAH & INSPIRATION

By: Rabbi Yosef Zemel,

7th Grade Rebbe

At the beginning of this

week’s Parsha, Hashem in-

structs Moshe Rabeinu to

deliver an important mes-

sage to K’lal Yisrael. He is to inform them

that Hashem will free them from their slav-

ery, take them out of Mitzrayim and bring

them into Eretz Yisrael, the land which

Hashem promised to Avraham, Yitzchak,

and Yaakov. When Moshe relates this in-

formation to K’lal Yisrael, the pasuk tells us

that the nation did not accept this conso-

lation because of the heavy workload

which was upon them. This is difficult to

understand. Ordinarily, one who is in a

desperate situation will greet any chance

of being assisted with open ears. Why did

Klal Yisrael’s painful state inhibit them

from absorbing Moshe’s words?

Shortly thereafter, Hashem commands

Moshe Rabeinu to convey to Paroh that

Hashem will be redeeming the nation.

Moshe expresses his concern that his

speech impediment will prevent Paroh

from obeying his commands. Hashem in-

structs Moshe to join with Aharon and

speak to Paroh and (according to the

Meshech Chochmah) Bnei Yisrael about

leaving Mitzrayim. Rashi explains that

Aharon was to go together with Moshe

and be his spokesman to Paroh. This

would alleviate Moshe’s worry relating to

his stutter. With regards to returning to

K’lal Yisrael, however, Moshe is to address

the nation and try speaking with them

once again without any apparent adjust-

ments. Bnei Yisrael’s status has not

changed, so why would they react any

differently than they had the first time?

The Meshech Chochmah explains that

when Moshe Rabeinu told Klal Yisrael that

Hashem would take them out of Mitz-

rayim, they had no trouble accepting this

great news. What could be better than

Hashem ridding them of this horrible bur-

den? It was only the second part of the

message, the promise to bring them to

Eretz Yisrael, which they were not ready

for. Someone who is going through a

very difficult time often feels stuck in his

immediate problems and cannot deal

with any issues relating to his future. Bnei

Yisrael’s slavery in Mitzrayim was so in-

tense that they could not focus on the

concept of entering the land promised to

their avos.

When Hashem tells Moshe to return to

Klal Yisrael the second time, the pasuk

only discusses going out of Mitzrayim

without any mention of Eretz Yisrael.

Since Hashem saw that the nation was

not ready to hear about Eretz Yisrael, He

adjusted the message and asked Moshe

to simply assure Klal Yisrael once again

that they would soon be relieved from

the unbearable hardships.

We are often faced with this same issue. We try to convey a particular point to our children or our friends and become frus-trated when we feel that what we say is not being internalized. We must ensure that the time and setting are appropriate and that we choose our words carefully. In this way, our message will be more readily accepted and we will help each other continue to thrive and grow.

Good Shabbos!

T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S P A G E 3

Third Grade Appreciates Nature

Mrs. Feldheim’s third grade is

learning about leaves! In an ex-

citing inter-curricular activity,

they started out on a nature hike

searching for different types of

leaves. After collecting many

beautiful and interesting leaves,

the girls brought them back to

the classroom. They began by creating

their own bar graphs, and using a ruler

to graph the lengths of their leaves. It

was interesting to note the average

length of the leaves nearby Y.E.S.– 2

inches! After their math activity, the

girls tried their hand at some leaf art.

They created beautiful crayon rubbings

of all the different and interesting

leaves they found. A lot of girls com-

mented on how amazing it is to focus on a specific part of Hashem’s creation– it

makes us notice all the details and varieties we never noticed before!

Fifth Grade Siyum Celebration and Expo Fast Approaching

As the Fifth Grade boys come close to the monumental accomplishment of completing

Mishnayos Berachos, they are preparing for a major siyum celebration, to take place

just before mid-winter vacation.

A major part of the festivities will be the Second Annual Fifth Grade Mishnayos Expo,

featuring student presentations of various topics in Maseches Berachos. In addition to

an exciting review, this format provides an opportunity for the boys’ creative talents to

shine. Additionally, the presentation of their project to a crowd of their peers and par-

ents is a learning experience unto itself.

Rabbi Nisson Friedman Tests 6B

As both Sixth Grade classes celebrated the siyum of their first blatt Gemara recently,

the boys were treated to a סעודת מצוה complete with singing and dancing. Following

the meal, their mastery of the Gemara they had learned was put to the test by the

Rosh Mechina, Rabbi Nisson Friedman, who was very impressed by the boys’ com-

mand of the sugya, both in terms of their reading of the difficult Gemara terminology,

and their understanding of the shakla v’tarya.

"I am amazed at how well the boys knew the גמרא , and very impressed by their דרך

.The Rebbeim and faculty are doing a great job!" Rabbi Friedman remarked ארץ

Spot l ight

on the

Classrooms

P A G E 4 T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S

Mrs. Joan Cowett Curriculum Coordinator

How many teachers have found themselves happily teaching away,

only to hear a voice pipe up, “Why do I need to know this? How is this

going to help me in later life? Probably all teachers have been chal-

lenged this way at some time or another, and in fact, while teaching skills is critically im-

portant, it is vastly more important when humans—students and adults alike—learn to ap-

ply them to every day problem solving situations.

As responsible teachers--and that includes parents, of course--we are obligated to

teach students to take skills and knowledge beyond the memorization stage and advance

to the stage where they can use them to solve real life problems. How do we do this? By

supplying our students every day with opportunities to practice critical thinking. For exam-

ple, adding subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals are among the learning stan-

dards in fifth and sixth grade. But by asking students to use their understanding of deci-

mals to create a budget so they can plan a family vacation, we are “upping the ante;” we

are making education relevant, and we are teaching our children to be problem solvers.

When first graders analyze the work of Eric Carle so they can apply his style to their own

writing, they are learning to think critically.

The philosophy behind the recently adopted Common Core Standards suggests

that “less is more.” This isn’t a new philosophy, but it does highlight a major component of

critical thinking. That is, it isn’t adequate for students only to memorize. They must also

learn to apply what they memorize, and it is appropriate that assessments reflect this

“application” process. Ergo, studying for a test is about more than memorizing facts; it’s

about asking questions, thinking about concepts, and making connections between those

concepts and the real world.

“How is this going to help me in later life?” the student calls again from the back of

the room. The intentional teacher can answer, with confidence, “This will help you be-

come a better problem solver, and in being a better problem solver, you become a more

competent, more able human being.”

All Y.E.S. students are invited to bring

their original writings and artwork to the

office for a chance to see it published in the

Y.E.S. Press!

T H E Y . E . S . P R E S S P A G E 5

Boys’ School Berachos Bee Season Officially Underway

Great excitement fills the atmosphere throughout the Boys’ School, as the much anticipated

Berachos Bee is only a few short weeks away! Boys of all grades can be seen and heard re-

viewing their Berachos at all times—even during recess! This year’s packet has been updated

from the one used previously for both clarity and content. Changes in the way some foods

are produced have resulted in shifting Beracha classifications, and we have striven to stay

current with these modifications. Especially in the older grades, Berachos Bee ד“תשע will

require boys to familiarize themselves with more Berachos than ever before. This year, the

boys’ knowledge of the text of certain common Bera-

chos will be put to the test as well.

(inset: Boys preparing for the Berachos Bee)

The Grand Bee is scheduled for ו בשבט“ט , Thursday,

January 16, and judging from the energy and time in-

vestment that our boys are making, it looks like we may

need to order two hundred Berachos Bee Winner tro-

phies…

PRESCHOOL NEWS

Nursery had an amazing week learning about our community helper, the

Dentist. They enjoyed Dr. Berkowitz’s visit, who

showed them how to take care of their teeth and the

importance of keeping our teeth healthy. The children

tried on his special glasses that he wears when he

cleans and fixes teeth. Thank you Dr. Berkowitz for coming,

and for the toothbrush, toothpaste, and flossers that you

gave to each child!

The Pre-K continued their Brochos unit with Shehakol this

week! The children made their own cotton candy! They also

made delicious chocolate and vanilla pudding parfaits with

whipped cream and sprinkles. They also did a lot of yummy

Shehakol marshmallow math. They estimated the number of

marshmallows in a jar, sorted them by color, and used them to

measure some item in the classroom. When they finished, they

made a Bracha and enjoyed the treats.

Pre-K also had a special visitor this week, a doctor! Dr. Ben-

nett explained the importance of eating healthy food and

keeping clean to avoid germs that make us sick. He played games with the children and gave

them prizes. They enjoyed taking turns wearing Dr. Bennett’s coat, and looking at his

stethoscope and auto scope.

Date Chicken Meal Sushi Meal

January 29

February 5

February 12

February 19

February 26

March 5

March 12

March 19

March 26

April 2

April 9

April 30

May 7

May 14

May 21

May 28

June 11

WEDNESDAY HOT LUNCH ORDER FORM To order hot lunch on a regular basis, please check one or more of the boxes below.

If you are selecting individual dates to order lunch, please check the days you would like to or-

der and enter the number in the worksheet below. If you have any questions, please call the

Y.E.S. office.

Please return this form to the office with payment no later than January 13, 2014.

When signing up for an entire session, each meal is $5.

Individual dates will be $5.50.

Wednesday, January 29-June 11

Option 1: Chicken Finger, Rice, Vegetables, Fruit Cup

Option 2: Cucumber Sushi Roll, Fruit Cup

STUDENT NAME: _______________________________ GRADE:________

every Wednesday (17 lunches @ $5) $85.00

individual dates (multiply $5.50 by # of dates checked) $_____

Total amount enclosed: $______

Please make check payable to Y.E.S.

YESHIVA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

7902 CARLYLE AVE. MIAMI BEACH FLORIDA 33141 TEL 305.867.3322 FAX 305.867.3388

WWW.YESHIVAELEMENTARY.COM

LEILA & JOSEPH APPLEBAUM

Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Janowski

Principal

Mrs. Sharon Levine Associate Principal

Mrs. Sharon Zweig Preschool Director

Rabbi Mendy Karmel Asst. Principal

Rabbi Elchanan Zweig

Executive Director

Mrs. Wendy Tokayer Administrative Asst.

Mrs. Beth Breier Registrar

December 16, 2013 Dear Friends,

It’s time again for another successful Chinese auction! We have begun planning our winter Chinese Auction. This event

enables us to provide a quality education to all Jewish children in South Florida regardless of the family’s financial circumstances.

The success of the auction depends on the generosity of individuals like you. Whether you are a current or past parent or generous supporter, please continue to show your support by completing the enclosed sponsorship form. All Auction sponsorships are counted toward give or get obligations.

We are grateful for your support and wish you continued success. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call our office at 305-867-3322. Sincerely, Chaya Kibel Wendy Tokayer Auction Chairpersons