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.

Jumping Rope for the Heart!

Last year's Jump Rope for Heart was a true success!

Last Tuesday, Golda Och Academy's Lower School enthusiastically kicked off another one of our successful Tikkun Olam Programs, the "Jump Rope for Heart" campaign, thanks to Marci Robinson, a former Golda Och parent, who once again introduced the program.

The actual event will happen on March 1, and we will be asking all of our students and faculty to wear something red on that day. The money we raise for the American Heart Association will help to support vital research and help our children understand the importance of community service and physical activity. We think it's a true win-win situation!

Donations can be made by visiting our Team Page, where you'll find student pages made by our second through fifth graders in computer class. Our pre-K through first grade students also have the chance to make a page at home with parental guidance.

Also, be sure to browse the American Heart Association website for heart healthy suggestions, to find information about nutrition, physical activity, healthier kids, weight and stress management, as well as games and health experiments to do with your children.

A Musical Benefit

You might notice that we have a new feature on the right side of our blog, and if you haven't, we hope you'll take some time to listen to the beautiful sounds of our very own Upper School choir from their 2009 album, "Dripping in Your Ear."

We also hope you'll attend our Annual Choir Benefit Concert on February 15, 2011 at 7 p.m.* at the Maurice Levin Auditorium at the Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC in West Orange, NJ. The benefit concert will feature our Middle and High School choirs, as well as a guest performance by the men's barbershop chorus, Voices of Gotham. Our choir also will be releasing their newest album, Mashehu Matok.

Tickets can be purchased through February 8, by emailing Josh Ehrlich or speaking to one of our choir members. We can't wait to see you there!

*We are hoping there won't be snow, but if there is, February 16 is our scheduled snow date. 

A Melaveh Malka Milestone

Our Lower School, with grades pre-K through fifth, celebrates Jewish milestone events at every grade. The beauty of these milestones is that they include family education, which provides our students and parents with the joy of discovery!

On Saturday, our third graders and their families experienced the beauty of the havdallah ceremony, a ritual that symbolically marks the end of Shabbat and ushers in the new week. Families gathered for a student presentation and hands-on art projects, including the making of beautiful havdallah sets out of glass and beads, as well as a spice bag.

Our students were taught how to sign the havdallah blessings, and it was a moving experience to watch all of the students signing in unison. The evening then concluded with a festive and delicious Melaveh Malka.

We want to say Yashar Koach! to our students and offer many thanks to Carrie Zucker Siegel, Gena rosenberg, the entire third grade staff, and Morah Ruti for all of their hard work in creating such a beautiful Jewish milestone and for making great memories to add to our students' extensive treasury of positive Jewish experiences.

Stay tuned for more milestone events with our Lower School students!

Golda Och Academy Students Give Back

Yesterday was our high school's annual Community Service Day, and our students spent their morning working with seniors, adults with disabilities, children with Cerebral Palsy and preschoolers, as well as helping out at food pantries and Reeves Reed Arboretum in Summit -- a perfect project to honor Tu Bishvat, the New Year for Trees. Our high school students chose their top three locations and small groups were sent to each of the agencies.

Engaging with the residents at Canterbury Village.

Throughout the morning, Golda Och Academy students could be found at the ARC of Essex County -- Stepping Stones School, which is an innovative learning program for infants, preschoolers, and children up to age 9 who have developmental disabilities, while other students visited Canterbury Village of West Orange, which has been one of the most experienced Senior Assisted Living Residences in the area since 1921. Our students also were at the Horton School, one of the most densely populated schools in the North Ward in Newark, with grades K-8th, as well as at the more than 100-year-old Valley Region Settlement House Pre-School in West Orange.

Also, in an effort to fight hunger and poverty, our high schoolers volunteered at the Community FoodBank of NJ and the Emergency Food Pantry at The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Orange, New Jersey. 

A Golda Och Academy student (center) at the WAE Center. 

Some students volunteered at the Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey Adult Center in Irvington, as well as their Horizon Elementary School and Horizon High School and also at Jewish Service for the Developmentally Disabled of Metrowest WAE Center (Wellness, Arts and Enrichment), which offers opportunities for teens ages 16 and older, as well as adults.

To top off the day, the high school students were treated to a performance from Golda Och Academy's very own drama and multi-media instructor, Jordan Herskowitz, who performed his hilarious and heart-warming one-man show, "Growing up Jordy Pordy," about  life as a professional mascot. It was the perfect end to a great day of volunteerism and giving back by our high schoolers.

The one-man "Jordy Pordy" show.

Stay tuned for more of what our students are up to, and be sure to visit us on Twitter and Facebook.