Mercaz Academy students have been busily preparing for Rosh HaShanah in many different ways. Students in sixth and fourth grade have adapted the Hochman Technique (Writing Revolution) to create short essays in Hebrew about Rosh HaShanah topics; fifth graders have been analyzing the structure of the Rosh HaShanah t’filah and studying the original Torah sources for the sounding of the shofar; third graders have created creative and fact-filled “lap books” for Rosh HaShanah that they can consult along with their machzorim. Second graders have identified the simanim traditionally eaten on Rosh HaShanah and their symbolic meaning. In the younger grades, students have incorporated Rosh HaShanah into their project-based learning and have made their own cards, shofaros, honey dishes, and apple-themed crafts as vehicles to learn the laws and customs of Rosh HaShanah.

Ezra Academy’s Beit Midrash buzzed with energy and excitement last Tuesday, September 10, as students flocked to the first ever Club Fair, a new event arranged to highlight the diverse range of extracurricular opportunities available at the school. The fair, which took place during the school’s lunch period (also doubling as the school’s club hour), provided a vibrant showcase of the many teams, clubs, and societies that enrich student life at Ezra Academy.

On Tuesday, September 24, HANC Middle School held its Names, Not Numbers program. Names, Not Numbers is a registered oral history film project and curriculum that Mrs. Tova Fish-Rosenberg created that takes the teaching of the Holocaust and its lessons well beyond many previous efforts.  Through the Names, Not Numbers®  program, HANC’s eighth grade students had the opportunity to document the teachings of the Holocaust and address questions about an individual's responsibility to humanity.