Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union

Lower School

Middle School

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Parents’ Association

Limud

Food Services

OUR GALLERIES
	Zimryah Hanukkah is the perfect time for some good old fashioned fun. At the Lower School we planned an array of activities to bring laughter and smiles while we impart the story of Hanukkah and its important life lessons. We lit the giant Hanukkiah and a hush came over the auditorium as the studens watched in awe. At our school Zimryah on Dec. 22, the entire school participated in a ''freilich'' (joyful) Zimryah. Students sang and danced and there was lots of ''ruach'' (high energy), excitement, and applause.
	Gan/PreK Hanukkah Celebration Our Gan and PreK students presented their Hanukkah program on Dec. 17.
	5th Grade Va'ad Hanukkah Trip Our 5th Grade Va’ad recently visited the Valley Settlement House in West Orange for Hanukkah. Students told the story of Hanukkah, played dreidel, lit a beautiful Hanukkia, sang Hanukkah songs, and made a snow flake art project with the 2 to 3 year old class. Our Va’ad collected board games and small toys this year for the nursery school, for which they were very appreciative. The Valley Settlement House is a non-profit social service agency servicing West Orange, Orange, South Orange, and East Orange.
	Colonial Fair Our 5th graders, their general studies teachers, and some very helpful parents spent the day on Monday, Dec. 15, preparing for the Fifth Grade Colonial Fair to be held on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Our 3rd and 4th graders are excited to view “authentic” handmade candles, tin lanterns, hornbooks, and braided coasters representative of the Colonial Era.
	Lower School Choir Performance Our Lower School choir performed at the YM-YWHA of Union County’s seventh Annual Fair and Expo on November 23.
	Walk For Life Students at the Lower School, along with their teachers and administrators, enthusiastically participated in the annual SSDSEU “Walk for Life” on Wednesday, Nov. 26. All Schechter campuses have taken part in this important mitzvah of pikuach nefesh - the saving of a life - for the past 14 years. This year, students from the Lower and Upper School raised $2,500 for The Gift of Life Foundation, an organization committed to the recruitment of bone marrow donors of Eastern-European Jewish ancestry.
	Shema PJ Party On Thursday, Nov. 20, our Gan students and their parents had an opportunity to explore the ritual of the bedtime Shema. This short and comforting piece of liturgy provides a way to reflect on the day’s events, to process, relax, and help with what can be a difficult transition to bedtime and sleep for young children. Through art projects and stories our students experienced the power of Tefila in a different way bringing them closer to their parents and their tradition.
	Election Day at SSDSEU Pre-K through 5th grade students at our Lower School casted their votes for president on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4th. Fifth grade vaad (student council) members ran the Schechter polling center. After signing each “voter” in, vaad members guided each student to a voting machine, or SMART Boards, where they each cast their vote. Students had to answer a number of questions, including who they want to be the next president of the United States. Student reporters from The Spark, the new Lower School student newspaper, conducted exit interviews. The results were tallied using an e-survey program. With 308 student votes, final tallies indicated that Barak Obama received 70% of the votes while John McCain received 24.6%. 5.4% were undecided.
	4th Graders Visit Community Food Bank of NJ On Thursday, November 13, our fourth graders visited the Community Food Bank of New Jersey to learn how members of the NJ corporate community are working with food banks and food pantries across the state to help them provide assistance to needy residents. Stop and Shop Supermarkets is donating 1,000 turkeys to the Food Bank. Representatives were on hand to discuss with our students the efforts being made to help charitable organizations meet the needs of the hungry. They stressed the importance of all New Jersey companies and residents to do all they can during these very difficult economic times.
	Museum of Natural History There is nothing like a school trip to integrate formal academic programs with hands-on learning. These experiences extend and enrich our curriculum, giving life to the facts and figures we sometimes see only on paper. On Wednesday, November 5, the entire Lower School had a chance to see dinosaur bones along with exhibits like African Mammals, Planet Earth, Ocean Life, Meteorites, Minerals, Gems, and many more at the Museum of Natural History. A wonderful time was had by all. A big Todah Rabbah to Gena Rosenberg, our Programming Coordinator, for organizing a very special day. As one of our 3rd graders summed up the day, “This field trip was so awesome; it changed my life, because I learned SOOOO much!”
	The Improv School's Election Show On Monday, November 3, our Lower School students enjoyed and learned a lot from a performance of The Improv School's Election Show. They were shown that becoming President of the United States is a long and difficult road, and it should be. It's one of the toughest and most important jobs in the world. The performers traced the steps leading to the primaries, the national conventions, the campaign trail, the debates, Election Day, and Inauguration Day.
	Professional Development Day The faculty of the Lower School spent an informative and interesting day of learning on Monday, Oct. 20. The main focus was the integration of technology in order to enrich and inspire the academic achievement of our students. Streaming video, the use of Smart Boards, and Internet resources will soon enhance every day classroom lessons. Everyone agreed that the addition of these tools adds creativity to lessons and keeps our students more engaged.
	Sukkot 5769 Our students loved participating in decorating the school’s Sukkah. They also shared stories, sang songs, waved the Lulav and enjoyed snacks provided through the generosity of our active and dynamic PA. We really appreciate the help of our parents in making this program possible.Todah Rabbah.
	5th Grade Upper School Sukkah Visit On Thursday, Oct. 16, the fifth graders visited the Upper School where they were hosted in the Sukkah by the sixth graders. The students had a meaningful tefillah filled with lulavim and etrogim, a vibrant davening of the hallel, lots of fun games and sukkot programs followed by a snack in the Sukkah. It was a wonderful morning and our students left the Upper School excited and looking forward to the next get together! This is the first of several visits to our middle school designed to facilitate the transition for our fifth graders when moving up to that campus.
	2nd Grade visit to JCC Our 2nd grade went to the JCC to visit the seniors and sing songs for the fall Chagim for them. Mrs. Maimon taught the children songs for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah, which they sang beautifully. Each class prepared an acrostic poem based on each of the holidays and made cards in Hebrew for Rosh Hashana for each senior. They ended their visit sharing apples and honey together. It is indeed a sweet start to the New Year.
	5th grade trip to the Meadowlands Conservation Center On Monday, October 6, our 5th graders traveled to the Meadowlands Conservation Center as their grade level Tikkun Olam trip. They learned about the importance of harvesting and clearing the area of Phragmites and found how we could recycle/use the plants for Sukkot. The students collected Phragmites to use as Schach for our school Sukkah. This was a win-win situation because the Phragmites are not a compatible and useful plant for the NJ Wetlands. We actually helped the surrounding plant and wild life when we removed the Phragmites. By harvesting this plant, we helped the Wetlands environment and obtained a roof for our Sukkah! This was a fun and educational experience for our 5th Grade. We enjoyed a beautiful fall day outdoors helping the environment and everyone had a fabulous time!
	Tashlich Ceremonies Although traditionally performed on the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, our Lower School students participated in their own Tashlich ceremonies today, October 2. Students in grades 3-5 walked to a nearby brook, shared thoughts about what they would like to improve upon in themselves in the coming year, and ''cast away'' bread crumbs representing their ''misbehaviors''. Our younger students in Pre-K-2, ''blew away'' their ''mistakes'' with Bubble Tashlich - a light hearted but still meaningful rendition of the tradition in an age appropriate and fun way.
	Annual Shofar Factory On September 25, our 4th graders explored the laws and customs of the shofar through a series of activities at the annual Shofar Factory. Each student created their own personal shofar and had a great time!
	Family Fun Day a Huge Success! The SSDSEU Parents’ Association Family Fun Day was a huge success! Almost 500 people attended the kick off B'Yachad (community) event for the school year on Sunday, September 21, 2008 at the Upper School campus. The afternoon included inflatables, BBQ lunch, arts & crafts, tug of war, carnival games, DJ, face painting, balloon art, a car wash to help raise funds for the Na'ale experience and the Student Council's Dunking Booth. The school was buzzing with kids of all ages!
	First Day of School The first day of school was full of wonderful ruach! Morning meeting was truly a sight to behold as our Lower School students and their teachers opened the school year with the blast of the Shofar, music, and dancing as well as exciting announcements about the fabulous learning and programs this year has in store. Students greeted old and new friends with hugs, high fives, smiles and lots of laughter. In no time, the Lower School halls were once again filled with the cadence of learning- songs, tefillot, stories, math problems and solutions all combining to create our unique Schechter experience.