Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union

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OUR GALLERIES
	Alumni Open House and Basketball Game On Dec. 23, more than 90 Schechter alumni from the classes of 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005 gathered at the Eric F. Ross Campus for an open house, lunch with faculty and our annual alumni vs. boys varsity basketball game. It was a wonderful time to visit with favorite teachers and classmates. For more information about the SSDSEU Alumni Society, please call 973-602-3612 or e-mail alumni@ssdseu.org. For a short video of Jordan Marcus' (class of 2008) half court short for Tzedakah, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUWckis-SI0
	Dreidel Spinoff For Charity On Monday, Dec. 22, Upper School students participated in the 5th Annual Dreidel Spinoff For Charity. As always the students paid $3 to enter and the winner of each lunch period was able to take the winnings and donate them to the charity of their choice. This year’s winners were: Eli E. – 6th Grade Winner, Jesse S. - 7/8 Grade Winner, and Jack R. – HS Winner. We will be donating the 6th grade money to Doctors Without Borders, the 7/8 grade money to the American Cancer Society, and the HS money to the Valley Settlement House. Congratulations to all of our winners!
	National Honor Society Induction Ceremony On Thursday, December 11, L’Mad, our own chapter of the National Honor Society, inducted 33 members, 7 juniors (class of 2010) and 26 seniors (class of 2009). The guest speaker was Andrew Silow–Carroll, editor in chief of New Jersey Jewish News, who spoke to high school students and faculty and the proud parents and grandparents of our inductees about the current and future states of the media, specifically the print media. After he spoke, he took questions from the audience. Silow-Carroll’s presentation was followed by the recognition of the outgoing and incoming chapter board members, the swearing in of the new inductees, and an all-National Honor Society tefillah service in the Beit Knesset. A reception followed for the inductees and their parents in the library.
	Walk for Life Upper School students “walked for life” on Wednesday, Nov. 26th and, along with Lower School students, raised $2,500 for The Gift of Life Foundation, an organization committed to the recruitment of bone marrow donors of Eastern-European Jewish ancestry. Our students have taken part in this important mitzvah of pikuach nefesh – the saving of a life – for the past 14 years. Just before Thanksgiving each year, our students and faculty obtain sponsors and walk for approximately one mile. Walk for Life is spearheaded and sponsored by L'Mad, our school's local chapter of the National Honor Society. Each year the school raises several thousand dollars for the organization.
	Katrina Relief Mission III Twenty High School students and three faculty members visited New Orleans, LA, Dec. 2-5 to help in the effort to rebuild what was damaged or destroyed and provide relief for the effected. They joined Habitat for Humanity and helped in the effort to rebuild homes for people who lost houses during Hurricane Katrina. For updates and photos, Click Here.
	Sixth Graders Attend Teva On Nov. 17-20, 2008 our sixth graders participated the annual Teva trip — a four-day camping excursion which allows students to learn about ecological matters in a Jewish values context. In addition to being a great learning opportunity, the trip also is a wonderful bonding experience for sixth graders. Staff members Leslie Tubul, Jamie Himmelstein, Jason Bell, and Teresa Patel accompanied the students on their adventure. Students report that what they enjoyed most were the food at breakfast, hiking, getting to know each other better, the campfire, the classic Teva outdoor predator/prey game, eating on the trail and melting their cheese in a fire they made themselves, the night hike, learning that they like sunflower seed butter ( a nut free peanut butter substitute), meeting students from four other schools who were there at the same time, and making rope chains out of recycled plastic remnants. Students learned why certain brachot are included in birkat hamazon and also continued to understand the mitzvah bal tashchit (do not destroy) as they learn how to become ''shomrei adamah'' (keepers of the earth). Students and staff were delighted to find out that Schechter graduate Jeffrey Yoskowitz (Class of 1993) works in Teva’s Adamah program. Adamah is a program run by the Teva Center with the goal of teaching about Jewish organic farming. More Teva pictures are available at www.teva2008.shutterfly.com. If prompted for a password, use adamah.
	Soccer Balls for Iraq! Our Upper School students recently participated in Operation Soccer Ball 2008. This program sends donated inflated or deflated soccer balls to US troops in Iraq, who then hand out the balls to Iraqi children. Schechter students contributed approximately 50 soccer balls to the cause.
	Neshama Yetera Visit On Wednesday, Nov. 19 we bid farewell to Neshama Yetera, an extended visit of Israeli high school students to our school. The Israeli students spent five days out of their 11-day visit to the U.S. at our school and were hosted by Schechter families. While at the Upper School, the Israelis attended classes and special programs, including a discussion of how the results of the U.S. presidential election will affect Israel, the creation of an art project with SSDSEU art teacher Sandra Charlap, a panel discussion on Judaism For Me Is…, a program on Judaism in SSDSEU through music, and a discussion about American Teens: College, Driving, Sports. The Israeli visitors also spent time at the Lower School, interacting with our younger students. Students worked in stations with the Israelis, working on albums, learning Israeli slang, and creating cell phone charms and key chains with blue and white beads. In addition to spending time at SSDSEU, participants also visited local synagogues and nursery schools, toured New York City and Washington DC, and enjoyed shopping time and a New Jersey Nets basketball game.
	Israeli Elections Program On Thursday, Nov. 13, Micah D. Halpern, Israel columnist for America Online and founding director of the Jerusalem Center for European Study, discussed Israeli elections with seniors at Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, West Orange. Halpern, an educator, theologian, and historian, discussed how the Israeli government and elections work. He then divided the students into small groups to develop their own campaign slogans and jingles for the various Israeli political parties. Halpern’s visit was sponsored by Caravan for Democracy High School Edition.
	Hail To The Chief! This election year has provided an outstanding opportunity for the sixth grade to acquire the skills and information critical to good citizenship. Language arts and social studies classes have discussed the concept of government, stressing the executive branch. The students know the issues, are familiar with the backgrounds of the candidates, and have an appreciation as to how the electoral process works. In addition, an interdisciplinary approach (characteristic of our sixth grade team) has been applied to this unit. Math classes are analyzing the statistics related to the outcomes of election, Hebrew teachers have introduced election vocabulary, and Rabbinics classes have ongoing discussions as to the qualities of good leaders. Our physical education and health curriculum focuses on making wise choices not only for our leaders but also for daily decision making. The students were extremely enthusiastic with regard to our in-class elections. Their creativity added much to the learning experience. Also, the sixth graders were especially thrilled by the opportunity to select a class president from among their creations. Hail to the Chief has been a valuable learning activity. The teachers are extremely proud of the students’ efforts and congratulate them for their hard work. Our election program shows that learning, most certainly, is most effective when children have fun! Now, onto January 20th, Sixth Grade Inauguration Day!
	Metric Month Here in 6th grade we are celebrating Metric Month! October is known as Metric Month because it is the 10th month of the year, and the Metric System is a base-ten system. We’ve been learning how to convert from Imperial (English) units to Metric units and vice-versa. We’ve also learned about the history of the Metric System. In the past, they used to measure mass with grains of barley and length using the length of the king’s foot. Today the Metric System is used around the world. We started learning about Metric units by making our own meter sticks. We have measured the lengths of chalkboards, desks, people, and everything in between, as you can see from the pictures. We even practiced our math skills while learning science. We had a lot of fun learning the Metric System during Metric month! - Written by the students of 6-1 Science
	Election Program - October 28, 2008 On Tuesday, October 28, our 11th and 12th graders had the great opportunity to be part of a ‘Presidential’ debate between Greg Menken of the Republican Jewish Coalition and Larry Stempler of the National Jewish Democratic Council. Both gentlemen fielded questions that were prepared and presented by the students. Our very own Dr. Eric Goldman did his best impersonation of Bob Schieffer in moderating the debate and it was an exciting hour for all involved. Topics covered included the candidates’ positions on Israel, the Middle East, America’s ongoing wars, social issues at home, as well as the environment. The debate was quite lively and the students were truly able to hear the candidates’ positions through the words of their surrogates.
	Grandparents Society Fall Event On Monday, October 27, more than 70 grandparents and upper school students gathered to hear Dr. Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Dean and Professor at List College, JTS, speak about “The Challenge of Day Schools: Preserving Jewish Identity in the Jewish Environment.” IIt was an interesting evening full of discussion about how we balance our roles as Jews and Americans followed by a dinner reception. The highlight was the intergenerational sharing between grandparents and students that took place after Dr. Schwartz made her presentation. Many thanks to the Grandparents Society, especially chairs Barbara and Ed Zinbarg (grandparents of Hayley, Cory, and Jesse N.) and Doris and Mike Saranga (grandparents of Josh, Noah, and Aaron P.) for planning this wonderful event and for our amazing students for giving of their time and themselves! For more information on the Grandparents Society, please contact the Development office at 973-602-3603.
	Abraham's Vision Unity Program Field Trip Members of this year's senior class have the unique opportunity to take part in an interfaith unity program called Abraham's Vision, a course designed to educate high school students about Muslims, Jews, Islam, and Judaism while strengthening the relationships students have to their own communities and religious traditions. Our students and those at the Al-Iman school in Queens learn individually and together about their cultures. The students will come together six times during the first half of the school year for field trips and inter-group discussions and programs. The group's first field trip took place on Oct. 16 when the studetns visited Manhattan's 96th St. Mosque (The Islamic Cultural Center Of New York) and Park Avenue Synagogue. At the 96th St. Mosque, Imam Shamsi Ali welcomed the students, introducing the students to the Koran and to Muslim prayer ritual. He ended the introduction by reciting a short passage from the Koran for the students as they sat listening intently on the floor of the prayer room. After sharing some pizza, students walked together to the Park Avenue Synagogue where they were greeted by Rabbi Michael Graetz, interim rabbi for Park Avenue who also has dedicated years of his work to interfaith dialogue. The rabbi shared various aspects of Jewish tradition, and invited the students to the synagogue's Sukkah. SSDSEU student Seffi K. then read this week's Torah portion for the students as they looked closely over his shoulder.
	Dodge Poetry Festival 2008 “Celebrate the ordinary,” advised British poet Simon Armitage to the room filled with young writers at the 12th Biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. On Thursday, Sept. 25, 15 Schechter high school students traveled to Waterloo Village and joined thousands of their peers from the tri-state area and certainly celebrated — but the event was anything but ordinary! Some of the greatest poetic voices of our day were present: Sharon Olds, Mark Doty, Robert Hass, Joy Harjo, Charles Simic, and Lucille Clifton, among many others. In the gazebo, volunteers were giving voice to the poems of Anne Sexton, Sappho, and Walt Whitman. In the gristmill, Dovie Thomason was telling stories rich in the poetic tradition. In the Stagecoach Inn, Sarah Gambito, Roger Sedarat, and Aracelis Girmay were discussing their craft — and in every corner, students gathered to read their own poetry to impromptu and adoring teen audiences. It was a sight to behold! As one of our students remarked, “It was like a rock concert — but for poets.” On that day, a small corner of northwestern New Jersey, truly rocked.
	8th Grade Bryn Mawr Camping Trip For the 7th consecutive year the 8th grade had the wonderful opportunity to begin their year with a class trip to Lake Bryn Mawr Camp in Honesdale, PA, Sept. 15-16. The trip is designed for relationship building and to strengthen class cohesion. The students participated in group activities led by skilled leaders who focused on communication, interpersonal skills and cooperation. The highlight for the students is always spending time on the high and low ropes course and becoming reacquainted with their classmates after the summer break. This year was no exception and everyone reported having a great time.
	Ra'anana Delegation Visit September 2008 A delegation of 22 students, accompanied by two teachers, from MetroWest High School in Ra’anana, Israel, recently visited our school during their visit to New Jersey. At SSDSEU, the students experienced a day in the life of Jewish teens in a day school including t'filot, Judaic classes, and Hebrew classes. The visitors shared pictures of their friends, family, hometown, and school and many of the encounters among the students were in Hebrew. The Ra'anana students said they were impressed with the level of our students' Hebrew knowledge.
	Naale 2008 Our 9th grade students returned from their 10-day trip to Israel on Friday, Sept. 19. For Naale Updates and Pictures, go to Schechter Abroad.
	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!
	Chilean Exchange, Part 2 For updates from our students in Chile for Chilean Exchange 2008 (July 24-Aug. 20, 2008), go to Schechter Abroad.
	SSDSEU celebrates the completion of our Upper School construction! SSDSEU friends, parents, students, faculty and staff members attended the rededication of the Eric F. Ross Upper School campus, Thursday morning, May 22nd. The ceremony marked the completion of building improvements on the campus, made possible by a generous donation by Eric F. Ross. During the re-dedication, Head of School Joyce Raynor spoke about Mr. Ross' original investment in the Upper School campus building years ago, and about his long-time commitment and dedication to Schechter. Mr. Ross annually provides travel grants to our 12th graders for the Neshama Israel program. Mr. Ross, along with students from our High School Honors Society and Middle and High School Student Councils, affixed the mezuzah to the new entrance door. Our High School Chamber Choir also performed. Improvements to the Upper School campus allowed for a brand new expanded campus -- with free space for students to congregate and a wonderful entry to welcome everyone. Our brand new science labs allow for enhanced learning, more space and state of the art facilities and equipment. Our new office space allows for professionalism, collaboration and learning, while the additional space we were able to create provides room for a Student Activities Center. We have also enhanced our network and communication capabilities by providing an integrated, cross-campus telephone system as well telephone and internet access in every classroom and wireless access throughout the building. Wiring upgrades allow for upgraded security by support security cameras and other safety features. Eric F. Ross was also honored at our school’s Annual Dinner Dance that evening.
	Internships 2008 Updates For Internship 2008 Information, Updates and Pictures, go to The Senior Year.
	Neshama 16 Updates For Neshama 16 Updates and Pictures, go to Schechter Abroad.
	Renovation: WOU Breaks Ground for Building Improvements A ceremonial groundbreaking was held at the Eric F. Ross campus on Tuesday, June 19, marking the initiation of building improvements on the Eric F. Ross Upper School Campus. During the ceremony, Eric F. Ross, whose donation made this project possible, spoke about his long-time connection to our school. Head of School Joyce Raynor, Board of Trustees president Mark Lederman, and BOT past president Jimmy Schwartz spoke about Mr. Ross' original investment in our school in 1991, when the Eric F. Ross campus was built, and about his dedication to Schechter. Carrie Zucker Siegel, Acting Assistant Principal in the Upper School and Co-Director of Jewish Experiential Education, recalled memories from when she was a student in the first graduating class at the Eric F. Ross Upper School Campus. Improvements to the Upper School campus will include updated science labs, infrastructure upgrades, and heating and cooling system upgrades. Every classroom will be hardwired for computers and smart boards, and made accessible for wireless computer use. Wiring upgrades will also allow for upgraded security by support security cameras and other safety features. A new school entry will allow for better security capabilities and improved ambiance.
	MiDor L’Dor: SSDSEU Sponsors first Grandparents Society Event On April 15, 2008, over 70 school grandparents joined together at the Eric F. Ross Campus for the inaugural event of the SSDSEU Grandparents Society. The speaker was Chancellor Arnold Eisen of The Jewish Theological Society and the theme was Midor L’dor. The Chancellor spoke about the connection between the Passover holiday and the theme of the generations. He emphasized that at our seders, not only are we remembering the exodus of our ancestors from Egypt, but we are also creating the most vivid and meaningful Jewish memories for our children and grandchildren. In a lively question and answer period, there was an interesting exchange between the Chancellor and grandparents on how to increase community support and funding for Jewish day schools. The event was followed by a beautiful buffet dinner reception sponsored by event chairs Doris and Mike Saranga, and Barbara and Ed Zinbarg. The Grandparents Event was preceded by an interactive Study Session led by our own high school students for the Chancellor on the Mishna Pesach. It was a very engaging exchange of ideas and thoughts on the texts led by our students. For more information on joining the Grandparents Society Planning Committee to plan future events and activities, or to make sure your parents are on our e-mail list, please call Stephanie Bash-Soudry, Development Director at (973) 602-3612 or email to sbashsoudry@ssdseu.org.
	Chile For Chile Updates and Pictures, go to Schechter Abroad.
	Shomrei Torah Major Gifts Dinner Event On Saturday evening, February 8, over 45 SSDSEU donors gathered at the home of Wendy and Gary Balter for the first Shomrei Torah Major Gifts Dinner Event, honoring donors who contribute $5,000 or more to the Shomrei Torah Annual Campaign.