As we reach Chanukah and our Winter Break, I want to take some time to reflect and share my favorite events, programs, and accomplishments at MHA-FYOS for the 2016-2017 school year.
What a year! I'm so proud of our staff, students, volunteers and families for all of the effort that each of us have put into making MHA great. Thank you!
Do you have favorites from this year so far? Please share your favorites in the comments!!
Check out my Top Ten for 2017 to see what I'm looking forward to in the new year and - as always - LIKE and FOLLOW US on Facebook to see photos, videos, stories and more all about our wonderful school!
SCHOOL-WIDE
What a year! I'm so proud of our staff, students, volunteers and families for all of the effort that each of us have put into making MHA great. Thank you!
Do you have favorites from this year so far? Please share your favorites in the comments!!
Check out my Top Ten for 2017 to see what I'm looking forward to in the new year and - as always - LIKE and FOLLOW US on Facebook to see photos, videos, stories and more all about our wonderful school!
SCHOOL-WIDE
1) School Renovations
Our school - including the gym, kitchen, new administrative offices, and GMSG Student Lounge - saw massive building improvements this year. The renovations have improved morale and enhanced our programming. The community has enjoyed coming to the gym for basketball games and our kids and staff love the new floor, hoops, and functionality of the gym. Ms. Sandra Osdoba, our marvelous Head of Food Services, has led her team in making sure the students and staff are well fed throughout the day and the dorm students have great meals each night. Two new offices adorn the halls of the lower school and allow our General Studies Principal Mrs. Becky Nissani and Judaic Studies Principal Rabbi Yosef Hauser to work in close proximity to the students. The girls in the high school benefited from a coat of fresh paint and new furniture for their school--it is a bright, warm environment to learn in.
2) Grandparents and Special Guests Day
2) Grandparents and Special Guests Day
This program was stellar! A dedicated committee ensured that grandparents and special guests had a fabulous experience spending time in classrooms, touring the school, participating in the pre-Shabbat program and sharing a wonderful hot lunch. We had four generations of some families present, and students brought grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and friends to share this day with them.
3) The MHA Operational Campaign exceeded our fundraising goal this year. This campaign ensures that we will continue to provide an outstanding program of Judaic and General Studies for all of our students.
4) MHA-FYOS PTA
This year the PTA is making unbelievable strides in supporting our school through fundraising and friend-raising! From the back-to-school BBQ to the Kitchen Shower to the White Elephant Party, the PTA is making it fun to volunteer and contribute to our school! Thank you to Elana Kahane and Stacy Sanderson for chairing this amazing committee and for working so hard on behalf of our students!
This committee is dedicated to supporting student health through integrated and special programming that promotes our well-being. I love Walk to School Wednesday, our weekly jaunt through the neighborhood with students, parents and staff. They are responsible for the Tower Garden which has provided the opportunity for students to plant, nurture, and pick their own food right here in the school. And this year during finals week they arranged special program for our high school students to help them recover and center during this stressful time. Students participated in yoga, meditation, and some pampering facials from community volunteers. They loved it and I love that we are thinking our students in this holistic manner.
6) ECE Fall Programming
The Fall Festival brought autumnal fun to the families of the community with a petting zoo, bouncy house, hay rides, amazing food, a scavenger hunt, art projects, face painting and fabulous book sale. This spectacular day was organized by our ECE Director Charna Schubert with help from teachers and community members. It was a blast!
This year the PTA is making unbelievable strides in supporting our school through fundraising and friend-raising! From the back-to-school BBQ to the Kitchen Shower to the White Elephant Party, the PTA is making it fun to volunteer and contribute to our school! Thank you to Elana Kahane and Stacy Sanderson for chairing this amazing committee and for working so hard on behalf of our students!
This committee is dedicated to supporting student health through integrated and special programming that promotes our well-being. I love Walk to School Wednesday, our weekly jaunt through the neighborhood with students, parents and staff. They are responsible for the Tower Garden which has provided the opportunity for students to plant, nurture, and pick their own food right here in the school. And this year during finals week they arranged special program for our high school students to help them recover and center during this stressful time. Students participated in yoga, meditation, and some pampering facials from community volunteers. They loved it and I love that we are thinking our students in this holistic manner.
6) ECE Fall Programming
The Fall Festival brought autumnal fun to the families of the community with a petting zoo, bouncy house, hay rides, amazing food, a scavenger hunt, art projects, face painting and fabulous book sale. This spectacular day was organized by our ECE Director Charna Schubert with help from teachers and community members. It was a blast!
The ECE Parent Parties bring together parents for a night of fun games which include parents guessing their kids answers to questions about them, lots of socializing, and delicious food
ECE Open House showcased our Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First Grade program for current and prospective parents. Teachers prepared stations and lessons that provided a sample of a day at MHA.
- The kids learned and sang a complicated song called "Shine a Little Light" that showed off their musical skills and enthusiasm
- The event was posted on Facebook Live which allowed family members who could not attend to enjoy the event with us and to celebrate Chanukah ECE-style
- On the menu was delicious fresh greens from the MHA Tower Garden (our indoor greenhouse garden) that they cut themselves to share with family and friends
- Three dynamic teachers in one classroom
- Individuated learning for each student
- Kids of different ages work and play together in a classroom environment
NAEYC attested to what we all know - ECE is a great place to go to school!
LOWER SCHOOL (Grades 1-4)
Teachers are responsive to student aptitudes, interests, and styles. It's great to walk in a classroom and see our students working in groups, alone, and one-to-one with teachers--all on the same lesson but each in the way that best suits them
Rabbi Hauser brings Jewish lessons to life each Friday with engaging stories that keep the kids on their toes and start great conversations about challenges, philosophy, and solutions that surprise. Students experience the spirit of Shabbat complete with candle lighting, Kiddush, and songs from Cantor Ricky Kampf
The third graders presented the story of Chanukah for family and friends. They performed the whole play in Hebrew with clear understanding for both the language and the messages they conveyed. There were great costumes, songs, and fantastic lines by each student.
MIDDLE SCHOOL (Grades 5-8)
14) New Middle School Assistant Principals
Rabbi Moshe Nachbar and Morah Anat Kampf have brought innovative programming, enthusiasm, and tailored learning to our new middle school program.
15) Student Leadership Opportunities
Big Brother/Little Brother, Big Sister/Little Sister Program
Each Friday afternoon Junior High (7th and 8th graders) students work with the Bat Ami and Kollel Torah MiTzion bachurim to develop and write original divrei Torah. They use a special website called Sefaria where they can look up primary Torah sources, commentator's notes, and they can see cross-references, all in the original format with or without English translation. After they are complete they present their work to the 5th and 6th graders in a special program. Rabbi Nachbar and Morah Anat coordinate this inspirational program. I love that our 7th and 8th graders are working with mentors to accomplish something so meaningful each week and that our 7th and 8th graders are demonstrating such high quality work to younger students, providing a model for them of something to grow into and look forward to in coming years!
FEINSTONE YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL (Grades 9-12)
This year, students are producing a movie about the biographies of local holocaust survivors. They are working with professional videographers, journalists, Facing History and Ourselves, the Belz Museum and the Tennessee Holocaust Commission in Nashville. Students are making a documentary about their experience learning from these experts and creating the movie and the finished product will be presented in the Spring in commemoration of Yom Hashoah.
Rabbi Harris and Rabbi Semmel lead this program which brings together students from Goldie Margolin High School and residents of The Jewish Home weekly where they spend time socializing, playing games, and developing relationships. The program culminates in capturing the experience of each participant in a beautiful photo-book keepsake for the girls and seniors.
Early this month, I joined Coach Jason Redd and the JV boys basketball team on a six day trip to Brooklyn, New York for this annual basketball tournament. The boys played their hearts out and we enjoyed great hosting from our friends at Flatbush High School. We toured New York and attending a a shiur from Rabbi Mordechai Willig about the bracha that a father makes at a Bar Mitzvah. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling together, spending Shabbat and lerarning with each other.
and one bonus...
LOWER SCHOOL (Grades 1-4)
10) Bean Bag Chairs!!
Bean Bag Chairs have arrived at MHA! These offer teachers easy ways to innovate the spaces they set up in their classroom, and kids really learn well with the ability to move and interact with this sensory-friendly furniture. Teachers are responsive to student aptitudes, interests, and styles. It's great to walk in a classroom and see our students working in groups, alone, and one-to-one with teachers--all on the same lesson but each in the way that best suits them
Rabbi Hauser brings Jewish lessons to life each Friday with engaging stories that keep the kids on their toes and start great conversations about challenges, philosophy, and solutions that surprise. Students experience the spirit of Shabbat complete with candle lighting, Kiddush, and songs from Cantor Ricky Kampf
The third graders presented the story of Chanukah for family and friends. They performed the whole play in Hebrew with clear understanding for both the language and the messages they conveyed. There were great costumes, songs, and fantastic lines by each student.
MIDDLE SCHOOL (Grades 5-8)
14) New Middle School Assistant Principals
Rabbi Moshe Nachbar and Morah Anat Kampf have brought innovative programming, enthusiasm, and tailored learning to our new middle school program.
15) Student Leadership Opportunities
Big Brother/Little Brother, Big Sister/Little Sister Program
- This program pairs Junior high students with students in lower grades where they provide mentorship in the classroom--reading together and connecting in meaningful ways
- Student Council is led by 7th and 8th grades and focus on improving student life through programming. Students learn leadership skills and program management while having a great time together
Each Friday afternoon Junior High (7th and 8th graders) students work with the Bat Ami and Kollel Torah MiTzion bachurim to develop and write original divrei Torah. They use a special website called Sefaria where they can look up primary Torah sources, commentator's notes, and they can see cross-references, all in the original format with or without English translation. After they are complete they present their work to the 5th and 6th graders in a special program. Rabbi Nachbar and Morah Anat coordinate this inspirational program. I love that our 7th and 8th graders are working with mentors to accomplish something so meaningful each week and that our 7th and 8th graders are demonstrating such high quality work to younger students, providing a model for them of something to grow into and look forward to in coming years!
FEINSTONE YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL (Grades 9-12)
17) Nechama Jewish Response to Disaster in Baton Rouge, Louisianna
This past September, I had the opportunity to drive - first the boy's high school and then the girl's high school - to Baton Rouge to help in the recovery efforts after severe flooding devastated that community. We camped at a state park overnight and spent the days in HAZMAT gear pulling nails, removing waterlogged boards and sheetrock, cleaning out contents from the houses and working side by side with the owners to get their homes ready for reconstruction. I loved the energy and dedication our students showed for helping their fellow-man, and working hard with together to accomplish something so significant. You can read about the full experience here.This year, students are producing a movie about the biographies of local holocaust survivors. They are working with professional videographers, journalists, Facing History and Ourselves, the Belz Museum and the Tennessee Holocaust Commission in Nashville. Students are making a documentary about their experience learning from these experts and creating the movie and the finished product will be presented in the Spring in commemoration of Yom Hashoah.
Rabbi Harris and Rabbi Semmel lead this program which brings together students from Goldie Margolin High School and residents of The Jewish Home weekly where they spend time socializing, playing games, and developing relationships. The program culminates in capturing the experience of each participant in a beautiful photo-book keepsake for the girls and seniors.
Early this month, I joined Coach Jason Redd and the JV boys basketball team on a six day trip to Brooklyn, New York for this annual basketball tournament. The boys played their hearts out and we enjoyed great hosting from our friends at Flatbush High School. We toured New York and attending a a shiur from Rabbi Mordechai Willig about the bracha that a father makes at a Bar Mitzvah. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling together, spending Shabbat and lerarning with each other.
and one bonus...
21) Mentoring Program
Professionals from the greater Memphis area visit the school to talk with the students about their professions monthly. Students hear about education and career path opportunities and are able to ask questions and engage in lively discussion. I love this program because it connects students with leaders in a variety of industries, and creates a tangible link between the work they are doing now and the potential options they have to develop careers in the future.
Professionals from the greater Memphis area visit the school to talk with the students about their professions monthly. Students hear about education and career path opportunities and are able to ask questions and engage in lively discussion. I love this program because it connects students with leaders in a variety of industries, and creates a tangible link between the work they are doing now and the potential options they have to develop careers in the future.
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