Rocketeers in Our Midst!

Our sixth-graders launched their very own rockets today! The activity, which is part of the new sixth-grade science curriculum, was geared toward designing a controlled experiment in a hands-on and fun setting.

Each group of students spent three to four hours building a rocket and then collected qualitative data during the launch to study which variables affected the experiment. The launch and data collection ended with a discussion about ways to improve the students' rocket designs.

Check out our videos and pictures!

Sixth Graders Battle on Books!

We want to say "Congratulations!" to our sixth-grade Battle of the Books Competition team, which brought home the First Place trophy with a perfect score at the Essex & Union County Battle of the Books at Chatham Middle School on Thursday. The winning team included Lindsay B., Emma M., Kimberly R., Josh S., Nava W. and Isabel Y.

Battle of the Books is a literary quiz competition. Over the course of the year, students read from a list of 15 books selected by a committee of teachers and librarians. They then participated in battles, answering very specific questions about the plots, characters and themes of the books. Battle of the Books began in 1982 and was created by a librarian from Urbana, IL, and it has since spread across the country.

Golda Och Academy has been competing in the Essex & Union Interscholastic Battle of the Books for more than a decade.

Tapping Into Environmental Good

Sixth graders in Mrs. Lowenthal's and Ms. Himmelstien's classes wrote their own lyrics for a water-conscious entry for a contest hosted by the New Jersey American Water and Scholastic. The "Tap for Tap" Song and Dance Contest seeks to encourage students to help the environment by opting for tap water. The lyrics also were written as part of National Poetry Month (April) activities and the Solomon Schechter Day School Association's Mekor Hayim project.





Three winning classrooms will receive a fun-filled Field Day from New Jersey American Water, brand-new Scholastic books, and a pizza party. We think our sixth graders did an amazing job, and we wish them bucket-loads of luck!

The Art of Tallit

Our sixth graders are working with art teacher Sandra Charlap and guest artist/teacher Kristen Lauler in art class to make their own tallitot, or prayer shawls. The project began with the students choosing quotes for their atarot, which are the decorative linings on the collar of the tallitot, in their Judaic Studies classes. Ms. Lauler is teaching the art of batik, which is wax-resist dyeing technique.

In May, at the culmination of the tallit project, there will be a presentation, which celebrates the completion of the tallitot and includes a student-led learning and breakfast program with the students' families. The goal of the project is for each student to have a beautiful tallit that will reflect his or her own personality and style!

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.