Friday, February 17, 2012
Dear Parents,
Today I had the good fortune of participating in our weekly end of week Shabbat assembly. The students began by singing a song that comes from the Book of Psalms, in Hebrew: Henay MaTov uMaNayim Shevat Achim Gam Yachad which literally translates to: How Good It Is When Brothers Sit Together. But we understand it in the modern world as Sisters And Brothers. Students sang this song as they sat with their buddies. Then a second grade student spoke with pride about the experience of his class donating money to Children's Hospital and noted how the contribution would help toward the medical care of sick children. Towards the end of the experience, Mrs. Greenblatt encouraged the older students to share a positive observation about their buddy's performance on stage as we prepared for our play next week. Younger students were so proud that the older students took note of their good work.
In a short twenty minute community gathering, we celebrated the values we all hold dear, we underscored the importance of leadership and role-modeling, and we shared a strong and meaningful community-building experience. All of this was accomplished not from adult lectures, but instead directly from student leadership and interaction. As I left today's assembly I thought about how truly good it is for our sisters and brothers to sit together in unity and education. I look forward to sitting together with all of our parents Wednesday and Thursday night.
A few important reminders:
- No school Monday, Presidents Days, School Offices Closed
- Late Start Friday, February 24th, 10:00 AM. We will be accepting students at school no earlier than 9:45 AM.
Shabbat Shalom
Have a great weekend,
Sam