The Heschel School

For days and days of summer we planned and planned. The first day of school seemed like a distant idea--a day filled with hundreds of moving pieces and parts--but a day that would once again fill our empty hallways with students! Like many of the students and many other teachers, I slept fitfully last Monday night, the excitement and anticipation of the school year ahead occupying my thoughts. But then Tuesday came and it all came together; and *we* all came together as well. It was an incredible first week of school, and I am so grateful to the amazing Middle School faculty and staff for their hours of planning and the effort they put into making every minute of this first week meaningful and powerful.

This week our sixth graders learned how to be middle school students. They learned how to navigate our hallways, respond to bells, organize binders, read schedules, and use their time wisely during lunch and recess. On Thursday the sixth grade participated in a day of community-building activities, "Yom Sababa" (Awesome Day), a program designed to bring the class together and to integrate a large cohort of new students into the grade.

Seventh and eighth grade students delved quickly into the academic program. In seventh grade, students studied the geography of mountains and the holidays of the month of Tishrei. In eighth grade, students began examining the American Declaration of Independence.

On Friday, the entire Heschel School came together for Opening Day/Rosh HaShanah assemblies. Eighth graders attended an assembly honoring kindergartners and high school seniors, while our sixth and seventh graders attended an assembly marking transitions between divisions of the school. At this second assembly, the seventh graders presented the sixth graders with a school bell of their own composition (a 17-second MP3 that we will put into our bell system). The bell represents freedom, as well as the responsibilities of middle school students.

This week we also celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of Leo Feingold and the Bat Mitzvah of Noa Glezer.Mazel tov to Leo, Noa, and their families!

Please note the following calendar items:

Monday, September 10 - Rosh HaShanah - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, September 11 - Rosh HaShanah - NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, September 12 - Tzom Gedalia (Fast Day)

Thursday, September 13 - Soccer, volleyball, cross-country practice after school

Friday, September 14 - Sixth grade parent coffee, 8:00 a.m. in the Middle School Dining Hall

 

Click here to view next week's student schedules:

 

Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova!

Lori