Yavneh Academy’s lower school students started preparations for Shabbat early with lots of ruach and singing at the first erev Shabbat assembly of the year.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Erev Shabbat Assembly Inspires Yavneh Students
Yavneh Academy’s lower school students started preparations for Shabbat early with lots of ruach and singing at the first erev Shabbat assembly of the year.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Yavneh’s Eighth Graders Conquer the Stony Hills Farm Corn Maze
Yavneh Academy’s eighth grade recently had their best trip yet! The grade traveled to Stony Hills Farm where they were divided into color-coded teams and raced to find their way out of a turtle shaped corn maze. What a great way to begin the year—with fun, friends and fresh air! It doesn’t get more exciting than trying to find your way in the maze only to realize that you’ve been going in circles. Though some teams needed to be rescued from the maze, everyone had an awesome time bonding with their teachers and classmates. What a powerful message we learned: Don’t get lost!
When Life Gives You Lemons… Yavneh Students Create ‘The Lemonade Project’
On the week leading up to a new school year, a couple of entrepreneurial fifth graders at Yavneh Academy made an old-fashioned lemonade stand. Each boy went home with a few dollars profit. But when a few days later the boys mixed this concept with a desire to help Hurricane Harvey victims, they gathered a few more friends and helpers and took their lemonade stand to another level. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. These Yavneh Academy fifth graders chose to make a pop-up lemonade stand to benefit Hurricane Harvey victims.
They gathered to make signs, fliers and a hurricane meter shaped like a glass of lemonade. On the meter they set a goal to make $100 toward the cause. They also discussed and planned logistics: what the price of each item would be, where to place the lemonade stand, and what goods to have at the stand. “How could we gather people?” they asked. “We could ride on our bikes and ask people to join!” “We should give out free pretzels so that people are thirsty for lemonade!” Ideas were flowing over a shared pizza pie.
They decided that there would be no “price” and no “customers.” At a charity pop-up lemonade stand, a person could technically show up and donate as much as they wish. A sign was made that said: Lemonade stand. $1 per item. All donations go to Hurricane Harvey victims. Door to door, boys distributed fliers in their Tenafly neighborhood. Parents helped inform friends on Facebook; Kehilat Kesher sent out a community-wide email listing this lemonade stand as one of many ways the synagogue community could help.
The following day, Labor Day, the day before school started, when most students have the pre-school start jitters, these boys gathered together at a park in Tenafly with their lemonade, signs and cookies. They waited and hoped for a few customers. Slowly but surely, local Tenafly neighbors, members of the Yavneh community and members of the Kesher community converged at the stand. Neighbors volunteered their lawns to advertise and place balloons in order to gather more donations. Neighbors walked over, stopped by, chatted and donated. The money jar started filling up and the hurricane meter poured over the top after about an hour.
This lemonade stand truly showed children that they could make a difference and it showed them that a charity lemonade stand can bring many different communities together. At the end of the day, a donation of $2,400 was sent to American Red Cross for Hurricane Harvey. Perhaps this lemonade stand will help inspire your community and many others to come together in an effort to help out Hurricane Irma victims or to support a charity of your choice. Please post pictures of your pop-up lemonade stand with #lemonadeproject #popuplemonade.
Yavneh Academy Runs in Race for the Cure With Team Sharsheret
Yavneh Academy participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure with Team Sharsheret on Sunday September 10, 2017. A group of parents, teachers, students and alumni joined together to run and walk the race course through Central Park. It was a meaningful way to spend a Sunday morning—being active for a great cause. Kol hakavod to everyone who participated.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Yavneh Academy Celebrates International Dot Day
Yavneh Early Childhood students and first graders joined more than 6.4 million people in 134 countries to mark International Dot Day, celebrating creativity, courage, and collaboration. The students read “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds and made incredible dots on the iPad using an augmented reality app called Quiver that brought the children’s dots alive! Dots were everywhere, making dots with their feet, dot necklaces, collaborative dot posters and even healthy dot fruit snacks.
First graders at Yavneh Skyped with students in Mrs. Simmon’s First Grade class in Texas. It was amazing for the children to share the celebration with a classroom in another state. Yavneh students hope to continue sharing with them in the future.
The students learned that if you love something, be courageous, try it and see where it takes you. International Dot Day took the children on a creative, lively journey. They will always remember the mark they made. Happy Dot Day!
Friday, September 16, 2016
Yavneh Academy Enjoys Beautiful Erev Shabbat
On the first Friday afternoon back in school, the Yavneh students and faculty engaged in a truly meaningful way to usher in our very first Shabbat of the school year. All students in grades 1-8 joined together in the Middle School gym and welcomed Shabbat with Yavneh’s traditional assembly songs. Rabbi Steven Penn introduced Yavneh’s joint themes of the year, Celebrating Yerushalayim at 50 and Ahavat Chinam. The program continued with an explanatory video of the theme after which everyone joined together in song about Yerushalayim. Finally, the students gathered in classrooms, hallways and every available floor space to start their themed Torah learning in a Bet Midrash style. It was inspiring to watch the older and younger children learning together in small groups.
Yavneh Academy Is Off to a Great Start
Yavneh Academy students returned to school this week excited to see their friends, participate in collaborative learning initiatives and team-building exercises and, of course, continue their studies!
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