Denver Jewish Day School

Sanders, Morris Denver JDS 2013 Student Athletes

sjacobs — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:06:38 +0000

Denver JDS seniors Tiffy Sanders and Ethan Morris were announced as the 2013 Athletes of the Year at the school’s Athletics & Activities Banquet held Tuesday May 7, 2013. The award is underwritten by a Sports & Fitness endowment from Rose Medical Center, and was presented to the students by Rabbi Jeffrey Kaye. Next year, Sanders will attend CU Boulder, and Morris is matriculating to Emory University in Atlanta. Mazel to both Tiffy and Ethan!

Shofar – May 9, 2013

dmartin — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:51:41 +0000

You can click on one of the links below to jump directly to that section of the Shofar. Better still, scroll through the entire newsletter to read all about the new and important happenings at our school this week.

Head of School/CEO
Lower Division News
Upper Division News
Support Your School
Admission – Grow Your School
Parent Teacher Organization Update
Community News

Calendar of Upcoming Events

May 10 – PTO meeting at Vintage Coffee, 8:30am
May 10 – Kabbalat Shabbat at 2:15pm (K-3)
May 10-12 – Out of Town Shabbaton (grades 7-12)
May 14-21 – Scholastic Book Fair
May 14 – Board of Trustees Meeting, 8:00am
May 15-16 – Shavuot, No School
May 17 – LD Field Day & Art Extravaganza, 11:35am dismissal for K-5 only
May 20 – 9^th Grade Meeting for Students & Parents about HIP& ICE, 8:00am
May 23 – Senior Graduation at the JCC, 7:00pm, Tickets Required For Admission (see details below)
June 6 – Last day to purchase ad in school directory. Click here for more information.

Click here for the Upper Division Athletic Calendar

Head of School/CEO

Art Extravaganza

We are very excited about the Art Extravaganza scheduled for Friday, May 17. Things get started that day with Lower Division Field Day in the morning. The formal school day will end for K-5th grade students at 11:30 after which all Lower Division students must be supervised by a parent/caregiver or picked up.

The Art Extravaganza will begin at 11:30 with a variety of activities going on.

View student art galleries including art from K-8.
Enjoy live music
Create fun, hands-on student art projects
Bring your own picnic lunch (complimentary snacks)
Middle-school students will have an opportunity to visit the Art Extravaganza at noon.

Volunteers are needed to help set up on Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Volunteers are also needed during the program to assist with the student art projects and help with the refreshment table. Please contact Brandi Pelz (bpelz@denverjds.org) if you would like to volunteer.

Senior Graduation

Senior graduation will take place on Thursday, May 23 at 7:00pm in the Elaine Wolf Theater at the JCC. Attending a Denver JDS graduation is an absolutely amazing experience. Having graduation at the Elaine Wolf Theater makes the experience even more intimate and enjoyable for everyone. I encourage you to attend graduation so you can see for yourself the powerful impact of a Denver JDS education.

Seating is limited and tickets are required for admission. Please contact Ceci Lowinger (clowinger@denverjds.org) to secure your free tickets. A small number of tickets will be available at the JCC the night of the ceremony but I highly recommend you secure your tickets in advance so that you are guaranteed a seat.

I am very proud of the accomplishments of our soon to be graduates and I look forward to sharing much nachas with them on May 23.

Shabbat Shalom,
Avi Halzel

Summer Blast At Denver JDS

Registration is open for the 2013 Summer Blast summer programs. You may register for a variety of camps by clicking here. If you have questions please contact Josh Lake at jlake@denverjds.org.

Celebrate Volunteerism

You’re invited to celebrate volunteerism, Friday, May 31, 2013. Please click here to view the invitation.

Lower Division News

Dear Lower Division Parents,

You may have noticed that we aren’t quite done celebrating the Jewish Holidays here at DJDS. This coming week we do not have school on Wednesday and Thursday to celebrate Shavuot.

The Yom Tov (holiday) of Shavuot is when we stay up all night learning, decorate our synagogues and homes with flowers and greenery, and eat lots of cheesecake, blintzes and other dairy foods. The Yom Tov begins at sundown of the 5th day of Sivan, exactly fifty days after Pesach / Passover.

Shavuot also celebrates the time when the first fruits of the Seven Species with which Eretz Yisroel is blessed, were harvested and brought in elaborately decorated baskets to the Bait Hamikdash, and is also known as Chag Ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits). Shavuot is also the wheat harvest festival – Chag HaKatzir (the Feast of Harvest). The beginning of the wheat harvest throughout Eretz Yisroel was preceded by the offering of shtay halechem (two loaves) as a meal-offering in the Bait Hamikdash.

In addition, we will follow our celebration at home with a special Field Day at school on May 17th. This year the 5th graders will lead field day stations. Thank You to David Last from the Upper Division for his leadership in planning field day this year. Please have your kids dress appropriately with tennis shoes, hat, and sunscreen. Send lots of water. In addition, we will follow Field Day with our wonderful Art Extravaganza. School dismissed at 11:30 but plan to stay for the art show directly after dismissal. ALL K – 3 students must be picked up from the lobby for dismissal this day. Students in grades 4-5 may come to the lobby and are allowed to pick up younger siblings.

A BIG THANK YOU to the PTO for a wonderful Faculty Appreciation week. The week’s activities have been a huge hit and the breakfast was wonderful.

If you have not had a chance to write your teachers a note of appreciation, tomorrow is the last day. The bags will be distributed to the staff at the end of the day.

Please mark your calendars for the last Kabbalat Shabbat. It is May 31st for K -5 students. Volunteer Appreciation begins at 1:30 followed by a 2:00 Awards Ceremony and then 2:15 Kabbalat Shabbat and Helping Hands Celebration.

B’Shalom,
Susan and Marcie

LAST CALL FOR BOXTOPS!
Please go through your pantry and your recyclables to look for BoxTops for our school. They are found on various food containers as well as Ziploc, Kleenex and other brands’ packaging. Cut them out and turn them in at school – your child knows where they go! Our annual goal is $750 and we are 65% of the way there with $484.45. Every BoxTop makes a difference. Thank you for supporting our school!

Come support the Girls on the Run DJDS Team
Each year culminates with an official run event. This year our 4k run will take place at 8:00 am, Sunday, June 2^nd through Bible Park on Yale between Monaco and Quebec. Click here for all the details.

Upper Division News

Finals Schedule

Wednesday, June 5th
7:55-9:15 English
9:20-11:20 Science
Thursday, June 6th
7:55-9:15: Judaic Core
9:20-10:40: Social Studies
10:50-12:10: Spanish
Friday, June 7th
7:55-9:35: Hebrew
9:40-11:40: Math

High school students should plan to arrive at school five to ten minutes before their first final each day. They will be dismissed to leave school when they finish their last exam for the day. Finals usually account for approximately 20% of the semester grade and will be important in determining course averages. Students should plan to review past tests, notes and class work in getting ready for exams.

Please Note: Students in grades 6 through 8 will attend regularly scheduled classes during high school finals with one exception. Students in grade 8 will take a final exam in math only on Friday, June 7 at 9:40. Eighth graders are not required to be at school until five to ten minutes before the final begins, but may be here at the beginning of the school day.

Choosing courses for next year

Over the next few weeks, students in grades 10-12 will be choosing courses for next year. In math, students will be placed by their current teacher based on their readiness. In Social Studies, 10th and 11th graders will be choosing between AP (Advanced Placement) and CP (College Preparatory) U.S. History. In Science, 11th graders will be choosing between math-based and conceptual physics. Twelfth graders are choosing between Psychology and Honors Chemistry. In English, students will have AP options in the 11th and 12th grade. In all subjects, students will make these choices in close consultation with their current teachers. It likely will be a good idea for parents of all 10th-12th graders to have a conversation with their student about their course options. If you have any questions about General Studies, please call Jason Snyder (Dean of Student and Faculty Relations).

Yearbooks—Last Chance…

There are only a handful of yearbooks left so do not delay on ordering your yearbook. Write a check for $45 to Lifetouch and turn it in to the Upper Division front office.

Commended National Merit Scholars

Juniors Max Miller and Ari Shapiro have met the requirements to enter the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program. Of the 1.5 million students who take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT), 50,000 high scoring students nationwide, about the top 3.3%, receive this recognition. Congratulations Max and Ari!

SDP Third Week Summary

The senior class continues their participation in the Senior Development Program—the bridge program they undertake in the final weeks of their senior year. As they near high school graduation and prepare to enter college, SDP gives students a chance to consider what may lie beyond college by exposing them to a number of experiences in the world of work, personal finance, business, service and government. To name just a few of the activities they have undertaken this week included a visit to 9news and Coors Field as well as a meeting with a physical therapist and a nutritionist.

Sports Update

This week our varsity baseball team traveled to Deer Trail for the district 2 playoff tournament and played against the #1 ranked team in our district. While the Tigers fell short 11-8 it was a valiant effort for a team that only had the chance to play half of their scheduled games. Congratulations on a great season.

The girls soccer team and boys middle school baseball teams, who have also suffered canceled games and shortened seasons due to the weather, each won their first games this week. Congratulations!

Rose Medical Center Student Athlete Award

Congratulations to the Rose Medical Center Student Athletes of the year- Tiffy Sanders and Ethan Morris

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Support Your School

Did you Attend the Athletics and Activities Banquet on May 7th? Announced that night were the Rose Medical Center male and female athletes of the year: Ethan Morris and Tiffy Sanders. See their pictures above.

Denver JDS Legacy Society – Have you gone through the Will checklist? With summer and travel plans around the corner, your Will may need to be updated if:

You have moved to Colorado from another state since your last will was signed.
You have a new child that you may want to include in your estate plans.
There been the death of a family member that impacts your desired plan.
You would like to change or include your philanthropic legacy so that you continue to support those organizations closest to you and your family.
You are divorced or remarried. The exit or entrance of relationships in your life should trigger an update of your will right away – to protect the future of your heirs.

Please click here to see our latest brochure with great photos and let Krista know that you have included the school in your will or estate plans or that you want to and might have questions.

King Soopers – Get your King Soopers card today from Krista and the school benefits with 5% cash back every time you put more money on your card. Click here for more information.

Thank you.
Krista Boscoe
Director of Development
720-449-9552
kboscoe@denverjds.org

Admission – Grow Your School

Know any families with children 5 and under? Especially families who live in the south metro area? Encourage them to come to Tiger Tales. We are collaborating with the JCC South to offer our story time at Centennial Park on Sunday, June 2 at 10:00 AM. Young children and their families are welcome to join us for summer themed stories and lots of water play (bathing suits suggested!) in the park’s fountains!

All are encouraged to come visit Denver Jewish Day School at Celebrate Family! at the Robert E. Loup JCC starting at 10:30 AM. We are proud to sponsor The Science Guy booth at the event! Stay for the Walk for Israel which will start at the JCC at 2:00 PM. At the end of the walk our Glee Club will be featured in the festivities taking place at BMH-BJ: The Denver Synagogue.

Parent Teacher Organization Update

Advertise your Business in the School Directory!

Do you have a business or know of a business that would like to advertise in the school directory? Well now is your chance to seize this great opportunity to showcase your business while supporting your DJDS PTO! Don’t have a business but want to congratulate a graduate to be or a fabulous teacher? You can also place personal ads in the directory. For more information on how you can advertise in the 2013-2014 school directory, click here!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!

Our Scholastic Book Fair starts Tuesday, May 14th and will be open through Tuesday, May 21st. Please stop by and see all the new titles at the book fair.

If you are not able to attend the book fair or would like to do some additional shopping, don’t forget about the online book fair. The online book fair is also a great way for out of town relatives to participate in your student’s book fair. The online book fair is available for shopping begins Saturday, May 4th and will remain open through Friday, May 24th.
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Log on to www.scholastic.com/schoolbookfairs and search by author, subject, or reading level. Help your student find more books to keep them motivated and excited about reading! All purchases benefit our school and are shipped free of charge to the school.

Ice Cream Fridays!

Please help support Ice Cream Fridays by sponsoring your child’s grade. Without your support, this fun Friday tradition can’t continue. To sponsor or to ask questions, please contact Cindy Noam (cjnoam@yahoo.com) or Debbie Bishop (mgube@aol.com). If you choose to participate, cash or check payment of $40 can be placed in the polka dot folder that is in the room parents’ box in the front office. Checks should be made payable to Denver JDS PTO. Please click here to read about our generous sponsors.

Coming Soon!

30% off all Lands’ End school logo apparel begins Thursday, May 16th. See the PTO section of the school’s website for ordering information.

Sidewalk artists

Todah rabah to our super sidewalk artists who braved the cold and drizzle Wednesday morning to decorate the sidewalks of the school with messages of love and gratefulness while the faculty and staff were indoors at the Faculty/Staff Appreciation Breakfast. Although the rain may have quickly washed it away, they were able to see the lovely words and drawings on their way back to the Lower Division. Special thanks to the talented Elnatan Borukhov-K, Sam and Halle Guber-1, Zoie Jultak-1, Isabella Medina-1, Barak Shmuel-Dreschel-1, Brandon Ogin-2, Judah Ruscha-2, Carter Bergman-3, Lila Rubin-3, Kendall Ogin-4, Brielle Slamowitz-4, Samanth Weinstein-4, and Breanna Bergman-5.

Whew!

Thanks to those parents who donated to the Faculty/Staff Appreciation Fund. Because of your generosity we were able to carry out all planned activities for this week of Faculty/Staff Appreciation. We did have to dip into other PTO monies a little, so if you haven’t yet contributed, donations to DJDS PTO are still being accepted!

Community News

HEA

HEA SHIR HADASH, a musical Shabbat experience…
Shir Hadash is our second service option on Saturday mornings at Hebrew Educational Alliance. In this musical service, participants will be encouraged to sing together — beautiful, soulful melodies gathered from Jewish communities around the world. Join us every Saturday from 10-noon at the Goldberger Youth Center at 3599 S. Ivanhoe St for Shir Hadash.

Teen Tikkun L’eil Shavuot. Tuesday May 14, 5:30-9:30pm. Goldberger Youth Center. Open to all Jewish 6th-12th Graders!
5:30pm Pizza Dinner
6:30pm 2 Options: Oy! Improv
OY! Improv helps teens discover their inner creativity in a unique, interactive hour-long workshop. Join in the experiences of improv (improvisational theater) and creative dramatics . Blending spontaneity with Jewish spice, we will explore and interpret our Jewish spirit in a fun, compelling, and engaging session, based on Jewish themes, including Shavuot. OY!Improv is directed and produced by Cherie Karo Schwartz and Pam Roth O’Mara.
Got Milk? w/ JCC Shaliach Noam Dahary
Shavuot & Milk – How they connected to each other? Let’s find out together while discovering the wonders of milk, tasting and making awesome traditional Shavuot dairy treats.
7:30pm Services
8:30pm OMG Torah via Text w/ Kolby Morris
Join us as we explore how modern day technology (facebook, texting, twitter etc.) has changed the way we communicate with each other and how we engage in relationships. We will draw on biblical love stories and friendships and Jewish values to come up with strategies to strengthen the most important relationships in our lives. We will practice effective communication and explore how we can use Judaism to empower us in the fast paced world we live in. Cost: $5.00 for dinner, RSVP to kmorris@headenver.org

Click here for HEA youth updates

JCC DENVER

Summer 2013 Camp registration is now open at http://www.jccdenver.org/camps/

10th Annual Celebrate Family Festival
Sun., May 19th, 10:30 am-2:30 pm. The JCC will be celebrating its 10th Annual Celebrate Family Festival at the JCC. This community-wide festival attracts about 2,000 people. We’d love to have you there!

The festival features: free admission, train rides, bounce castle, petting zoo, helicopter landing, free snacks, kids’ products for sale, prizes, kosher lunch for purchase, and more! Free ride ticket if you donate a new art supply for Children’s Hospital. VIP Packages available. Visit Denver JDS at their exhibitor table and at the Mad Science booth!

More info at www.jccdenver.org/celebratefamily

Volunteers needed! Adults and teens can sign up at http://doodle.com/ehpfuqn5g4h8zcvc

Walk for Israel

Sunday, May 19. Click here for more information about Israel 65 Colorado; a service of Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado.

Girls Leadership Institute

Denver Summer Day Camp, June 10th – 14th Girls Leadership institute (GLI) Summer Day Camp is designed for rising 5th & 6th grade girls. During the week we facilitate interactive hands-on workshops focusing on themes such as “Gossip and Rumors,” “Speaking With Courage,” and “Tooting Your Own Horn.” We get messy with craft projects, including mask making, beading, and collage. The girls rarely sit still with games, sports, and the occasional spontaneous dance party!

The Denver camp includes daily snack land lunch as well as a GLI t-shirt. This year’s camp will take place on the beautiful Colorado Academy campus in Southwest Denver.

For more information on GLI Colorado Summer Day Camp, visit the Girls Leadership Institute website. For specific information and camp registration, please visit the Colorado Academy Summer Programs page.

Boulder families – There may be carpooling options for your daughter to attend this camp. If this week is more convenient for you, please consider registering. Sami will be in touch to help in making carpooling connections if enough Boulder families register to warrant doing so. Thanks!

Questions? Please contact Sami Carroll, Girls Leadership Institute Sales, Marketing & Outreach Manager, at 303-587-9171 or sami@girlsleadership.org.

Bnei Akiva

Please click here for this week’s updates.

Craig Halper & Jerry Rotenberg Combine for Nearly Half a Century of Service

sjacobs — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:44:19 +0000

Craig Halper and Jerry Rotenberg are practically fixtures in the Upper Division of Denver Jewish Day School. Having served on the faculty for 25 and 24 years respectively, just about everyone seems to know them. But did you know this…

Craig Halper was born in Los Angeles, California and raised there for eight years, moved to Texas for 16 years, to New Jersey for one year and since then has lived in Denver. His extended family is in Denver and that helped bring him here. Shortly after his move to Denver, his cousin Sandy Feld hooked him up with RMHA. He interviewed for the basketball coach position and was hired in 1988 as a PE teacher and basketball/volleyball coach.

Craig became interested in Jewish learning from Mayer Mark and Howard Hoffman. They opened up a new world of Jewish learning which he hadn’t been exposed to growing up. Six years later, Dr. Anderton (then principal of RMHA) hired him to teach Torah. Teaching and continual Torah learning are very important to Craig. “It has been an honor to work for the same institution for 25 years and be involved in all my capacities as teacher, coach and mentor. We have always had dedicated administrators and staff. These amazing people pour their hearts and minds into educating our students. It’s a beautiful thing to be invited to weddings and other simchas for past students. They all have fond memories of being involved at our school,” Craig says. Teaching middle/ high school students keeps him young.

“If I could rule the world,” says Craig, “I would see to it that every Jewish family could afford a Jewish day school education.” The end result would be well-educated Jews who can make great life decisions based on Torah and Jewish ideals. There is a place for all Jews, and knowledge helps them find their place. “People would be surprised to know the passion I have is whatever I am involved in at the moment.” Right now it is guitar and music. In the past it was golf and photography. Craig has a cat named Simon. He is also involved in reading Torah. He spends four nights a week learning with former students (Rabbi Aver Jacobs of Beis Yisorel, Adam Leventhal, and Elliot Gerson to name a few). He started learning Daf Yomi in August 2012. A page of Talmud is learned every day, and the process is completed in seven and half years.

A Denver native and Rose Hospital baby, Jerry Rotenberg started working at RMHA in the fall of 1989. He and his wife Shelley have two kids (Josh and Channa) who went K-12 to Denver JDS. Jerry holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from CU. “People might be surprised to know that in my early twenties, I made and delivered pickles to downtown bars in Denver. I was a truck driver and schlelped food for the Davis Brown Company. There was a secret ingredient – ask me about that. It is amazing how many pickles bars go through.”

Jerry’s hiring was by the school was nothing if not unconventional. “I was in the bathroom of the old Beth Joseph synagogue when the Judaic Director and Principal asked me to teach a bible class,” he recalls. Jerry shared a funny alumni story, too. He was at Rose Hospital getting an IV put in his arm when he realized it was an alum sticking him. “I sure hoped the alum wasn’t mad for any past teachings,” he joked.“If I could rule the world,” says Jerry, “I would I like to see this campus grow in enrollment and buildings. The campus would includes a schvitz next to the pool.”

He really tries to give kids a sense of what the world is like, prepare them for life and inspire them to keep Jewish values with them. “Most of our alumni take these lessons out into the world.” Jerry is most proud when he hears that alumni get together with their old high school friends to share Shabbat, which stems from school Shabbatons. “It’s a very cool thing.” His biggest regret is that no alumni have become professional sports players.Jerry’s worldly advice: make sure you have a passion and love for what you do, walk into work with a smile, and rest of life will work out.

Denver JDS Hosts Hazon Food Festival

sjacobs — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:58:47 +0000

Denver Jewish Day School was the backdrop for the Rocky Mountain Region’s Hazon Food Festival on Sunday, April 28. The festival, one of five of its kind held across the country, brought approximately 200 people to an intersection of food, sustainability, and Jewish tradition. Hazon (translated from Hebrew as “vision”) works to create healthier and more sustainable communities in the Jewish world and beyond.

The Hazon Food Festival offered participants a wide variety of workshops centered on everything from exploring Jewish texts about food to menu planning to bee keeping to challah tasting. Participants were encouraged by the Festival’s leadership to think about what they would do with the knowledge and ideas they encountered during the day’s events.

There was also a Shuk (market) in which local vendors and organizations, including Denver Jewish Day School, could interact directly with program participants to share their offerings.

“We were excited to be able to collaborate with Denver JDS, especially since both organizations promote the values of inclusiveness and support Jewish learning and exploration. The school’s campus proved a great fit for the festival’s needs,” said Sarah Kornhauser, Hazon’s Denver Director and Becky O’Brien, Hazon’s Boulder Director.

“Welcoming Hazon onto our campus just made sense,” said Avi Halzel, Head of School/CEO at Denver Jewish Day School. “We are always eager to partner with Jewish organizations with whom we share common goals and values, and the energy and excitement the festival brought to our campus was palpable.”

Denver Jewish Day School is the only community K-12 Jewish day school in the Rocky Mountain Region. The school’s mission is to educate Jewish students through an integrated secular and Jewish studies program to thrive in college and beyond and act ethically and powerfully in the world. Vist www.hazon.org to learn more about Hazon and the work it does.

Shofar – May 2, 2013

dmartin — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:28:40 +0000

Head of School/CEO
Lower Division News
Upper Division News
Support Your School
Admission – Grow Your School
Parent Teacher Organization Update
Community News

Calendar of Upcoming Events

May 1-3 – 6^th Grade Trip
May 7 – Sports & Activities Banquet, 6:00pm
May 8 – Late Start For Professional Development – Faculty/Staff Breakfast
May 10 – PTO meeting at Vintage Coffee, 8:30am
May 10 – Kabbalat Shabbat at 2:15pm (K-3)
May 10-12 – Out of Town Shabbaton (grades 7-12)
May 14-21 – Scholastic Book Fair
May 14 – Board of Trustees Meeting, 8:00am
May 15-16 – Shavuot, No School
May 17 – LD Field Day & Art Extravaganza, 11:35am dismissal for K-5 only
May 20 – 9^th Grade Meeting for Students & Parents about HIP& ICE, 8:00am
May 23 – Senior Graduation at the JCC, 7:00pm, Tickets Required For Admission (see details below)

Click here for the Upper Division Athletic Calendar

Head of School/CEO

Senior Graduation

I am very proud of the accomplishments of our soon-to-be graduates and I look forward to sharing much nachas with them on May 23.

Sunny Days – Harmful Rays

Sunny days and warmer weather should arrive sometime soon. Our students will be spending more time outside and it is important to protect them from the sun’s harmful rays. Please consider the following recommendations:

1. Send your child to school with a bottle of your preferred sunscreen.
2. Consider applying sunscreen in the morning before school. We will encourage students to apply sunscreen before they go outside for recess or PE.
3. Hats with a brim and sunglasses are also encouraged for protection from the sun.

Shabbat Shalom,

Avi Halzel

Summer Blast At Denver JDS

Registration is open for the 2013 Summer Blast summer programs. You may register for a variety of camps by clicking here. If you have questions please contact Josh Lake at jlake@denverjds.org.

Lower Division News

Dear Lower Division Parents,

One of my favorite times of year is in the Spring with so many exciting happenings. Some of our Spring traditions include the 5th grade baseball games on the quad during recess, 1st grade Butterfly hatching, 2nd Grade Flat Stanley, K trip to Israel and the 3rd and 4th grade overnights. This year, the 3rd and 4th graders spent the night at the Museum of Science and Nature. 54 Denver Jewish Day School students and 8 staff had a wonderful time exploring the museum and learning about different topics in Science. The students spent the night on the 3rd floor and got to experience a night away from Mom and Dad.

Another great part of this week was joint programming with BMH-BJ and with the Federation. Not only did our Glee club perform twice this weekend, but we welcomed over 200 people to our campus for Hazon. In addition, we welcomed Rabbi Engel to Kabbalat Shabbat.

Learning is still occurring during all of these great events and the MAP spring testing for grades 2-5 is happening this week and next. Thanks to our wonderful teachers for continuing the strong leadership in the classroom we have come to expect from this high quality staff.

Finally, please help us celebrate Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week beginning May 5th! The PTO has planned wonderful treats and events all week. In addition, we ask all students and parents to write a short note to your teachers sometime during the week of May 5th. There will be appreciation bags in the lobby with each staff member’s name and paper and pens for your use. Thanks for helping us to honor this very special group of teachers, staff and administrators.

B’Shalom
Susan and Marcie

Upper Division News

Shabbaton May 10-12

Please click here for Shabbaton information for grades 7-12.

SDP Second Week Summary

The senior class has begun their Senior Development Program—the bridge program they undertake in the final weeks of their senior year. As they near high school graduation and prepare to enter college, SDP gives students a chance to consider what may lie beyond college by exposing them to a number of experiences in the world of work, personal finance, business, service and government. To name just a few of the activities they have undertaken this week, the seniors visited and learned about the Colorado State Capitol, Coors Field, Channel 9 News and the Lindsey-Flanigan Justice Center.

Class of 2013 College Acceptance Update

College acceptances are now complete, and we are very proud of our seniors’ collective success. Our students in the Class of 2013 have been admitted to: American University, Arizona State University, Baylor University, Boston University, Brandeis University, Bucknell University, Clark University, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Emory University, Florida Atlantic University, Goucher College, Indiana University, Kivunim Israel, List College at Columbia University, Metropolitan State University, Muhlenberg College, Northwestern University, Rutgers University, San Diego State University, Syracuse University, Texas State University, Tufts University, Tulane University, Trinity College, University of Arizona, University of California/Berkeley, University of Colorado/Boulder (Schools of Business, Engineering and Arts and Sciences), University of Colorado/Denver, University of Denver, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Missouri, University of Montana, University of Oregon, University of Pittsburgh, University of Puget Sound, University of Southern California, University of Texas/Austin, University of Texas/San Antonio, University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin, and Yeshiva Lev HaTorah. Congratulations to our seniors!

7th Grade Homeless Awareness Field Trip

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On April 25th-26th, our seventh grade students visited places serving Denver’s homeless population, heard testimonials from homeless people and did service to benefit Denver’s homeless. On Friday, the students also did an urban scavenger hunt on the 16th Street Mall. Students slept at school on Thursday night, April 25.

High School Helps Special Olympics

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On Monday, April 29th, DJDS’s High School volunteered for Special Olympics, Colorado and ran a track and field meet for Special Olympians in grades 1-5. The event was impactful for both the Special Olympians and our students. Many thanks to all the parent drivers who made the trip possible.

Support Your School

Athletic and Activities Banquet for grades 6-12 is coming up May 7th at 6:00 pm in the Strear Family Gymnasium. Register on line here and click here to view the invitation.

King Soopers: get your King Soopers card today from Krista and the school benefits with 5% cash back every time you put more money on your card. Click here for more information.

Donations In Honor Of or In Memory Of – Did you know for a nominal donation to the school that the development office will send out any IHO/IMO cards on your behalf. What a great way to recognize loved ones and benefit the school too. If you are a member of the Chai 5 Club, call or email Maureen (720-449-9548 or mclark@denverjds.org) and she’ll send out your cards at no extra charge (benefit of the Chai 5 Club membership).

Tuition Donations – If you checked off the box at the bottom of your enrollment contract making a donation to the school above and beyond your tuition, you are helping make a Jewish day school education possible for families who might not otherwise come to this school. Thank you. It is never too late to give an “Angel” donation to help students in need attend our school. For more information, please call Krista.

Are you a member of the Denver JDS Legacy Society? Please click here to see our latest brochure with great photos and then let Krista know that you have included the school in your will or estate plans or that you want to and might have questions.

Krista Boscoe
Director of Development
720-449-9552
kboscoe@denverjds.org

Admission – Grow Your School

Thanks to the Recruitment and Retention Committee for their dedication in supporting the work of the Office of Admission this year. Thanks to Jodi Asarch for the two years of leadership she has provided this committee.

Tiger Tales, our story time for families with young children, is taking place on May 8 in the Rubinstein Family Library. This free event is fun for children ages 5 and under. Families are welcome to drop in or call 720-449-9550 to register. Please mention this program to anybody you know who has young children.

Denver JDS is excited to collaborate with the JCC South to offer Tiger Tales at Centennial Park in Centennial on Sunday, June 2! If you know a family with young children, please let them know that we will be there at 10:00 AM with stories, games, crafts, and snacks. They can call Shayna Friedman for details at 720-449-9550.

Parent Teacher Organization Update

2013-2014 Student Directory Advertise in the 2013-2014 Student Directory. PTO is sponsoring the directory next year with proceeds going to benefit their many programs. Deadline is June 6th. Please click here for all the details.

Free coffee!!

Join the PTO for our last meeting of the year on May 10th after drop off. We’ll be meeting at the Vintage Coffee Shop on the corner of Illiff and Wabash (by Subway). Come voice your opinion on how to spend the funds we collected this year and what projects you would like to see entertained for next school year.

Last Chance for Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week!

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week is just next week! Please honor our teachers and other staff by contributing $18 – $36 per student to the PTO so we may properly show how much we appreciate the fine work being done for our kids. At this time we are about $1500 short of the budget needed to cover all activities so we will continue collecting through the end of next week. Checks payable to DJDS PTO or cash in an envelope with your child(ren)’s names may be placed in the envelopes in the Upper and Lower Division offices. Upper Division parents, especially senior parents, may want to mail in their donation checks if they don’t ever get to the school. Thanks parents!!!

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!!

Our Scholastic Book Fair starts Tuesday, May 14th and will be open through Tuesday, May 21st. Please stop by and see all the new titles at the book fair.

Log on to www.scholastic.com/schoolbookfairs and search by author, subject, or reading level. Help your student find more books to keep them motivated and excited about reading! All purchases benefit our school and are shipped free of charge to the school.

Ice Cream Fridays are Back!

It’s that time of year where the weather starts to warm up (we hope!) and our children look forward to Friday Ice Cream treats! Please help PTO continue this fun tradition by sponsoring your child’s grade.

Ice cream Fridays are supported by individuals and families who generously volunteer to sponsor a class’s ice cream treats. A $40 donation treats an entire lower division grade and $30 sponsors an upper division grade. All funds raised benefit the DJDS PTO. Ice Cream Friday is a fun and unique way to CELEBRATE a birthday, THANK a favor, REWARD a good grade, POSITIVELY REINFORCE a behavior, or CREDIT an extra special effort. If a class is unlucky enough to be without a sponsor, ice cream can be purchased for $1. But PLEASE don’t let that happen! To sponsor or to ask questions, please contact Cindy Noam (cjnoam@yahoo.com) or Debbie Bishop (mgube@aol.com).

If you choose to participate, cash or check payment can be placed in the polka dot folder that is in the room parents’ box in the front office. Checks should be made payable to Denver JDS PTO.

Mabels Labels

Do you realize that in just one month school will be out and kids will be going off to camp? Get sticky labels for all your kids’ camp gear and clothing at http://denverjds.mabelslabels.com/.

Art Extravaganza

Mark your calendars for the Friday, May 17th Art Extravaganza which will follow Field Day activities when school is dismissed at 11:30 am. Be prepared to be amazed by your child’s artwork this year at the one and only showcase of student artwork from grades K-5. DJDS is very lucky to have the talented art teacher Ms. Colleen to help inspire creativity in our young artists. If you are interested in volunteering to help set up or take down artwork, or help with the student art project to be done that day, please contact Tracey Douglas at tkdouglas@comcast.net.

Yummy, yummy!

Watch the Shofar for upcoming information about two exciting Restaurant Nights to be held in May. You can already mark your calendars for Garbanzo’s on Wednesday May 22, courtesy of the Mor Family (Tali-2). More details, including a second restaurant, will be coming.

Community News

Free Family Outings with Avid4 Adventure

2013 is Avid4 Adventure’s 10th Anniversary. That’s 10 years of engaging 100,000+ kids in healthy, active, outdoor lifestyles! In thanks to the community, Avid4 Adventure is hosting a number of FREE community events at select reservoirs throughout June and will be offering one-hour classes for children and their families in kayaking or canoeing. PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED AND SPACE IS LIMITED. For more info and to sign up, visit: www.avid4.com/anniversary

HEA

HEA Youth Led Shabbat, Saturday May 4, 2013, Hebrew Educational Alliance
Shir Hadash Service, 10am, Bay 1
Traditional Service, 8:50am, Sanctuary
All of the Denver Jewish Community are invited to attend Youth Led Shabbat, a celebration of the Youth of HEA. Both services will feature Youth Groups, Religious School Students, Teachers, Parents and Staff! Come make this day special for HEA Youth!

Click here for HEA youth updates

JCC DENVER

Summer 2013 Camp registration is now open at http://www.jccdenver.org/camps/

The Last Flight of Petr Ginz

Denver Premiere, Monday May 6, 2013 Johnson & Wales University. Please click here for more details.

Walk for Israel

Sunday, May 19. Click here for more information about Israel 65 Colorado; a service of Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado.

Girls Leadership Institute

The Denver camp includes daily snack land lunch as well as a GLI t-shirt. This year’s camp will take place on the beautiful Colorado Academy campus in Southwest Denver.

Questions? Please contact Sami Carroll, Girls Leadership Institute Sales, Marketing & Outreach Manager, at 303-587-9171 or sami@girlsleadership.org.

Bnei Akiva

Please click here for this week’s updates.

Math Means Business

sjacobs — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:49:28 +0000

Mr. Parmet’s sixth-grade math class has concluded their exciting adventure of learning about and using math by running their own school business. Seven groups of students sold beanies and candy for three days. In that time they raised $130 that will be donated to the Pink Ribbon Foundation. Mr. Taga’s 10th grade class will soon begin their math-based business project. When all the projects are done, students in grades 7 through 10 will have raised over $600. Students have agreed to donate the profits of their business projects to the Dumb Friends League at the conclusion of 10th grade’s project.

Shofar – April 25, 2013

dmartin — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 21:58:56 +0000

Head of School/CEO
Lower Division News
Upper Division News
Support Your School
Admission – Grow Your School
Parent Teacher Organization Update
Community News

Calendar of Upcoming Events

April 25-26 – 7^th Grade Overnight, 3^rd-4^th Grade Overnight
April 26 – Kabbalat Shabbat, 2:15 pm (K-5)
April 26 – DJDS Glee Club performing at BMH-BJ: The Denver Synagogue’s Sunburst Shabbat Experience on Friday night
April 28 – DJDS Glee Club performing at BMH-BJ: The Denver Synagogue’s Community Concert and Barbecue – a concert to honor the memory of Anita Stieglitz
April 28 – Hazon Event at Denver JDS, 9:00 am-5:00 pm
April 28-May 1 – 8^th Grade Trip
May 1-3 – 6^th Grade Trip
May 7 – Sports & Activities Banquet, 6:00 pm, click here for on line reservations
May 8 – Late Start For Professional Development, Faculty/Staff Breakfast
May 10 – PTO meeting, Vintage Coffee, 8:30 am
May 10 – Kabbalat Shabbat, 2:15 pm (K-3)
May 10-12 – UD Out of Town Shabbaton

Click here for the Upper Division Athletic Calendar

Head of School/CEO

New On-Line Courses To Be Offered to 9th Grade

We are very excited to announce that on-line courses will be offered to our 9th grade students next year as a pilot program. Students who choose to participate will be able to select from a wide range of on-line course offerings that are not currently offered at our school. The students will meet as a class in the computer lab during the PE/Spanish time slot. Each participant will be able to take a different course at that time.

We hope to be able to broaden these kinds of offerings in the future and look forward to the opportunity to pilot this with 9th-grade students next year. We are still working on the details of the program and more information will be made available in the coming weeks. Please contact Jason Snyder if you have questions at this time.

Hazon Food Festival

We are looking forward to hosting the Hazon Food Festival here at Denver JDS this Sunday from 9:00am-5:00pm. Presented by Hazon, a local twist on Hazon’s successful national, multi-day Food Conference; this Food Festival is a unique, one-day taste of the local Jewish Food Movement. See the Community News section for more information.

Shabbat Shalom,

Avi Halzel

Summer Blast At Denver JDS

Registration is open for the 2013 Summer Blast summer programs. You may register for a variety of camps by clicking here. If you have questions please contact Josh Lake at jlake@denverjds.org.

Lower Division News

Please join us for a K-2 Kabbalat Shabbat in the gym tomorrow Friday the 26th. Rabbi Engel will be our special guest rabbi.

Kindergarteners along with their family members enjoyed a fun time at their Parent Breakfast this morning in the gym.

Be sure to check the Shofar next week for the stories of the fun time our 3rd & 4th graders are enjoying on their overnight trip to the museum tonight.

All Denver Jewish Day School lower school students are invited to participate in this year’s youth choir that will be a part of the JCC’s annual Celebrate Family Festival and the Allied Jewish Federation’s Walk for Israel on Sunday, May 19th at the JCC. The choir will help launch the Walk around 2pm on this day. We are thrilled that Estee Applebaum will be leading the choir again this year and we hope we can count on many Denver JDS students to participate. The first rehearsal will take place in the first grade classroom, next Thursday, May 2nd at 4pm and will last approximately 40 minutes. The remaining rehearsals will take place on May 9, 13, 16; all at 4pm. If you would like your child(ren) to participate, please email cblanke@jccdenver.org

B’Shalom
Susan

Upper Division News

Shabbaton May 10-12

Please click here for Shabbaton information for grades 7-12.

HELP Committee Program

The HELP Committee is holding their spring program for grades 9-12 during Community Time on April 30th. The program is called “Under Pressure” and will be presented by clinical psychologist Dr. Stephen Ginsberg. Dr. Ginsberg will discuss the sources of pressure on teens, how to recognize when one is under too much pressure and how to respond to pressure in a healthy way.

HIP Students: We need your Help for Super Sunday

If you have ever been on HIP (the annual five-week Hebrew Immersion Program in Israel for grade 10), or are planning to go on HIP next year, we need your help! The Allied Jewish Federation generously supports HIP every year, and without their support, there would be no HIP. So come out for a few hours and hang out with other teens as we make phone calls for Super Sunday. Contact Rabbi Goodman or Michal Uziahu at the AJF: mpeleg-uziyahu@ajfcolorado.org.

Yasher Koach (Way to Go!) to the Moot Beit Din Team

Denver’s Moot Beit Din Team of Gillian Hecht (’14), Ari Shapiro (’14), Esti Shapiro (’14), and Anna Gergely (’16) had a great time and did a fantastic job arguing their case. The students spent the weekend in Philadelphia at the Barak School on a Shabbaton with teams from 20 other Jewish Community Day schools.

Moot Beit Din is a competition held annually by Ravsak, the Jewish Commuinty Day School Network. Students research, develop, write and submit a formal opinion on a Jewish legal question. At the competition they defend their opinion and present oral arguments. A huge thanks to Ben Levy, team coach, for all his efforts and hard work in preparing and leading the team to Philadelphia.

SDP First Week Summary

[Show as slideshow]

The senior class has begun their Senior Development Program—the bridge program they undertake in the final weeks of their senior year. As they near high school graduation and prepare to enter college, SDP gives students a chance to consider what may lie beyond college by exposing them to a number of experiences in the world of work, personal finance, business, service and government. To name just a few of the activities they have already undertaken, the seniors visited the University of Denver’s School of Hospitality, Rose Medical Center, Cherry Creek Dance Academy, Nordstrom, the Colorado State Capitol, Nelnet, Junior Achievement and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Class of 2013 College Acceptance Update

Math Means Business

Last week Mr. Parmet’s sixth-grade math class concluded their exciting adventure of learning about and using math by running their own school business. Seven Peas in Pods sold beanies and candy for three days. In that time they raised $130 that will be donated to the Pink Ribbon Foundation. Mr. Taga’s 10th grade class will soon begin their math-based business project. When all the projects are done, students in grades 7 through 10 will have raised over $600. Students have agreed to donate the profits of their business projects to the Dumb Friends League at the conclusion of 10th grade’s project. Please join us in congratulating these students in a job well done!

Support Your School

Athletic and Activities Banquet for grades 6-12 is coming up May 7th at 6:00 pm in the Strear Family Gymnasium. Register on line here and click here to view the invitation.

King Soopers: get your King Soopers card today from Krista and the school benefits with 5% cash back every time you put more money on your card. Click here for more information.

Are you a member of the Denver JDS Legacy Society? Please see our latest brochure with great photos and let Krista know that you have included the school in your will or estate plans or that you want to and might have questions.

Krista Boscoe
Director of Development
720-449-9552
kboscoe@denverjds.org

Admission – Grow Your School

Thanks to all of the volunteers and the room parents who have helped plan for and spread the word about the exciting collaborative efforts of Denver JDS and BMH-BJ: The Denver Synagogue! Our Glee Club will be featured at tomorrow night’s Sunburst Shabbat Experience and at Sunday’s Community Concert and Barbeque at the synagogue.

We have a great new group of families enrolling in our school for the 2013-14 school year, and we’d love your help in welcoming them. Please consider being matched with an incoming Denver JDS Family for next year. Responsibilities would include contacting this family regularly, starting next month as well as arranging at least one get together with your family before the start of school, introducing the family around at the Back to School Picnic on August 18, and checking in monthly with the family during the school year. Call Shayna at 720-449-9550 or email sfriedman@denverjds.org if you’d like to help.

Parent Teacher Organization Update

Donation period extended!

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week is just two weeks away! Please honor our teachers and other staff by contributing $18 – $36 per student to the PTO so we may properly show how much we appreciate the fine work being done for our kids. At this time we have only raised 1/4 of the budget needed to cover all activities, so the deadline for donating has been moved back a week to May 3rd. Checks payable to DJDS PTO or cash in an envelope with your child(ren)’s names may be placed in the envelopes in the Upper and Lower Division offices. Upper Division parents, especially senior parents, may want to mail in their donation checks if they don’t ever get to the school. Thanks parents!!!

Volunteers needed

Thanks to those parents who have already volunteered to help deliver faculty/staff treats. Please let us know if you are available to help deliver treats to teachers during the school day on May 6th, 7th, 9th, or 10th (every day but Wednesday). Email rubin_j@comcast.net.

The Spring Bookfair is Coming!

This is always one of our favorite activities. Please mark your calendars for May 14 – 22 (slightly revised dates). This is a perfect time to stock up on summer reading materials. Thanks to Lisa Engbar (Malka-3, Levi-1) and her team for organizing.

Mabels Labels

Do you realize that in just two months school will be out and kids will be going off to camp? Get sticky labels for all your kids’ camp gear and clothing at http://denverjds.mabelslabels.com/.

Art Extravaganza

Yummy, yummy!

Ice Cream Fridays – Spring Edition

Even though it doesn’t always feel like it, spring has officially arrived and Ice Cream Fridays are not far behind. Frozen dairy and non dairy treats will be served immediately after school on Fridays beginning May 3rd. Click here for more information.

Community News

The Hazon Food Festival: Rocky Mountains

is a day of learning, celebration and hands-on-doing at the intersection of food, the environment and Jewish tradition. Join the Denver Jewish Day School as we host this wonderful event on our very own campus on April 28th from 9:00-5:00

Highlights of the day include:

Seriously, take out Thai food again? Learn about healthy eating made easy with Meal Planning 101 at the Hazon Food Festival: Rocky Mountains.
Think you have the best Challah in Colorado? Enter the contest.
Hydroponics and Aeroponics at home. Learn how at the workshop
The fascinating lives of honeybees: learn how to keep your own at home
Kiddo programming for 6-10 year olds provided by Camp Ekar and special teen programing as well!

For more information, please contact Meredith Bloomberg at mer.bloomberg@gmail.com

HEA

HEA SHIR HADASH, a musical Shabbat experience

Shir Hadash is our second service option on Saturday mornings at Hebrew Educational Alliance. In this musical service, participants will be encouraged to sing together — beautiful, soulful melodies gathered from Jewish communities around the world. Join us every Saturday from 10-noon at the Goldberger Youth Center at 3599 S. Ivanhoe St for Shir Hadash.

JSERVE, Community Day of Jewish Teen Service. April 28, Denver, CO. Details are still being worked out about this amazing community wide day of service for Jewish 6th-12th graders! Join HEA, JCC, BBYO, NFTY, Aish, B’nai Akiva and much much more for a day to remember. Please save the date and register online at www.jserve.org/serve/project/j-serve-colorado

Click here for HEA youth updates

JCC DENVER

Summer 2013 Camp registration is now open at http://www.jccdenver.org/camps/

The Last Flight of Petr Ginz

Denver Premiere, Monday May 6, 2013 Johnson & Wales University. Please click here for more details.

Girls Leadership Institute

The Denver camp includes daily snack land lunch as well as a GLI t-shirt. This year’s camp will take place on the beautiful Colorado Academy campus in Southwest Denver.

Questions? Please contact Sami Carroll, Girls Leadership Institute Sales, Marketing & Outreach Manager, at 303-587-9171 or sami@girlsleadership.org.

Bnei Akiva

Please click here for this week’s updates.

Mr. Halzel Shares Personal Connection on Holocaust Remembrance Day

sjacobs — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:15:51 +0000

Students Stories To Be Published

sjacobs — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:14:43 +0000

Three sixth graders at Denver Jewish Day School will be honored by The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration with publication of their historical family stories. This is the fourth consecutive year that DenverJDS students have had stories selected for this annually published collection.

Last fall, Denver JDS students in Sue Lamport’s 6^th grade literature and composition class interviewed members of their family and wrote narratives of their stories, as a way of preserving and passing on personal histories. Upon completion of the class assignment, authors and their families were given the opportunity to submit their writing to the Grannie Annie contest. “This is a special project because while my students are learning more about their histories, I am also learnig more about them,” said Lampert.

Authors from DJDS who will have their stories published in Grannie Annie, Vol. 8, to be released in May, are David Friedman, “Apartheid”; Sophie Pomeranz, “America, Here I Come?” and Shaun Slamowitz, “The Kmart Disaster.”

The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in St. Louis, Missouri. Grannie Annie, Vol. 8, which will be published in a paperback edition and a PDF edition, will include thirty-five stories written by fourth through eighth graders in nine US states. The stories, which will also be published on the Grannie Annie website, take place on four continents over a span of nearly one hundred years.

“The Grannie Annie has become even more than we originally envisioned,” said Co-Director Connie McIntyre. “Not only have thousands of young people connected more deeply with their families and improved their writing skills, their Grannie Annie experience is enriching their view of the world and carrying them into their future with newfound confidence.”

The young authors and artists will be further honored at an author reading, art show, and book signing in downtown St. Louis on Saturday, June 1. Complete details about The Grannie Annie, including stories from previously published volumes, can be found at www.TheGrannieAnnie.org. Orders for the books can be placed online or by calling Portico Books toll free at 1-888-641-5353. Stories to be considered for publication in Grannie Annie, Vol. 9, must be submitted by February 1, 2014.

Shofar – April 18, 2013

dmartin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:40:35 +0000

Head of School/CEO
Lower Division News
Upper Division News
Support Your School
Admission – Grow Your School
Parent Teacher Organization Update
Community News

Calendar of Upcoming Events

April 18-21 – Moot Bet Din Competition in Philadelphia
April 24 – Late Start For Professional Development
April 25 – Kindergarten Parent Breakfast
April 25-26 – 7^th Grade Overnight
April 26 – Kabbalat Shabbat at 2:15pm (K-5)
April 26 – DJDS Glee Club performing at BMH-BJ: The Denver Synagogue’s Sunburst Shabbat Experience on Friday night
April 28 – DJDS Glee Club performing at BMH-BJ: The Denver Synagogue’s Community Concert and Barbecue
April 28 – Hazon Event at Denver JDS
April 28-May 1 – 8^th Grade Trip
May 1-3 – 6^th Grade Trip

Click here for the Upper Division Athletic Calendar

Head of School/CEO

We Appreciate Our Volunteers – Todah Rabbah!

Next week, April 21-April 27, is National Volunteer Week. In recognition of this celebration, we thank our volunteers for sharing their skills, time and commitment with our school. Volunteers have assisted Denver JDS by actively serving on the board, on committees, on the PTO, with fundraising, special events, office and classroom work, and so much more. We are so grateful for all of the amazing work that our volunteers do for our school and our community and we say Todah Rabbah. In May, we will take the opportunity to show our volunteers a small token of our appreciation. Stay tuned to future editions of the Shofar for details.

Recent Judaic Programs

The past 10 days have been full with programs and learning experiences focused on Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day), Yom Hazikaron (Israel Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day). The weather might have altered some of our plans but it certainly did not take away from the powerful and important learning that took place throughout the school. I encourage you to take the opportunity to talk to your children about these holidays and help create a deep and lasting bond with Israel. Special thanks to all of the faculty and staff who worked so hard on these programs.

Summer Blast At Denver JDS

Registration is open for the 2013 Summer Blast summer programs. You may register for a variety of camps by clicking here. If you have questions please contact Josh Lake at jlake@denverjds.org.

Lower Division News

Dear Parents,

We had a wonderful week celebrating Israel this week! The Yom Ha’azmaul program and Israeli dancing on Tuesday morning was a special treat. In addition, the Kindergarteners flew to Israel today with their special guest pilot. We are thankful for their safe return to Denver and the lack of flight delays. When Mr. Hazel told the Kindies to watch for the runway, one particular enthusiastic child asked him why the pilot had his eyes closed! In addition, the third grade breakfast was an impressive show of poetry recitation and true understanding of Hebrew songs. We are so proud of them.

The faculty and staff have been busy finishing up curriculum revisions to make 2013-2014 a rigorous and well aligned year. In addition, we are working on a new report card that will align to our more rigorous expectations and give parents and even clearer picture of a student’s progress. We are also heading into our final round of MAP testing for grades 2-5. Results will go home in end of year report cards.

We have some special events that we wanted to mention:

April 26th – 2:15 Kabbalat Shabbat Grade K -2
April 29th – 10th MAPS testing
May 10th – 2:15 Kabbalat Shabbat Grades K -3
May 13th – Bookfair opens
May 17th – Field Day and Art Extravaganza
May 31st –

2:00 Awards Ceremony for perfect attendance, math competition, and Western Academic Talent Search
2:15 Kabbalat Shabbat and Helping Hands presentations

B’Shalom

Marcie and Susan

Fourth Grade Helping Hands

Come to the Leftin Family Lower Division Lobby, Friday April 19 after school for fun and food to support the fourth grade Helping Hands project – Newborns in Need. Face painting – $1 and cookies – $1.

Fifth Grade Playdates are Back!

Who: Kindergarteners to 3rd grade
What: Get to play with 5th graders after school
Where: 5th grade class room
When: April 19th, 2:45 to 4:00 p.m. Please pick up your child promptly
How: Give $5 and sign up with Bridget in the office.
Why: Help raise money for Wish for Wheels the 5th Grade Helping Hands project

Questions: contact Heather Oginsky (serendipity75@comcast.net) or Alison Lytle (Alison.Lytle@msn.com)

Upper Division News

Welcome Evelin and Tony Arriaza

Today we were delighted to welcome two new students to the Upper Division. Their names are Evelin (9th) and Tony (11th) Arriaza. Evelin and Tony recently moved here from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Please join me in welcoming Evelin, Tony, and their parents Naomi and Alejandro Arriaza to the Denver JDS community. This family has just moved here and does not yet have a permanent address. Naomi can be reached by phone at 1-317-640-0556. Their email is Arriazac@yahoo.com.

Shabbaton May 10-12

Please click here for Shabbaton information for grades 7-12.

Moot Beit Din Competes this Week

Best of luck to this year’s DJDS Moot Beit Din Team. The competition will be held at Barrack Academy in Philadelphia from April 18-21. The Moot Beit Din is a competition in Jewish law and legal argument for high school students from across North American Jewish day schools. Each year a new topic is chosen, and students work to produce and argue a legal opinion on a contemporary topic. Students enjoy a Shabbaton with team members from Jewish day schools around the country as part of the experience. This year’s team is made up of Mr. Ben Levy, Esti Shapiro, Anna Gergely, Gillian Hecht and Ari Shapiro.

The Upper Division commemorated ‘Holocaust Remembrance Day’ last Thursday, April 11. Paula Burger, Holocaust survivor and Bielski partisan (made famous in the film ‘Defiance’) gave a moving talk on her survival in the ghetto and hiding in the forests of Belarus until her liberation by the Soviet army. We are so grateful to Paula for sharing her story with our students.

On April 15, DJDS commemorated Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day. Rabbi Goodman’s ‘Zionism/Israel’ class taught the Upper Division about the history of Israel’s conflicts. Smadar Rauff’s Hebrew classes lead a ceremony with candle lighting, flag-lowering, and a video about ‘Hayyal Boded’ – Lone Soldier- Michael Levin of Philadelphia, who was killed in the Lebanon conflict in 2006. The solemn commemoration of Yom HaZikaron was a moment for our students to reflect on the sacrifice that so many made for us to have a Jewish homeland.

All of Denver JDS Comes Together for Yom HaAtzmaut

[Show as slideshow]

Upper Division and Lower Division students came together for festive games and Israeli-themed activities to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Upper Division students paired with Lower Division classes to lead games and activities for the elementary students to participate in. Despite moving indoors due to the snow, everyone had a ton of fun!

A big thanks to Tami Stitelman for organizing and planning the Yom HaShoah program; Rabbi Goodman, Tami and Smadar Rauff for the Yom HaZikaron program; and to Tami and Marcie Calm for the Yom HaAtzmaut program!

Support Your School

Click here to see Kivi Dollin cheering on the “Aish” Color War team in our new annual appeal card.

Family participants in the Annual Appeal have been posted in the Leftin and Charles Family Lobbies (click here to view the roster) and we thank you for your support. A donation of any amount counts toward participation. Please add your name to the many other families who lend their support via the Annual Appeal. Questions: Krista Boscoe, 720-449-9552, kboscoe@denverjds.org.

Athletic and Activities Banquet is coming up May 7th at 6:00 pm in the Strear Family Gymnasium. Register on line here and click here to view the invitation.

Giving Tree: Sporting event tickets or theater tickets or gift cards. If you have an event you can’t attend, please donate your tickets to the faculty/staff. We make them available to our teachers and you get a tax donation letter from us. Thank you to the Lackners and Engbars for donating Rockies and Avs tickets this past week. It is also great to have gift cards to Starbucks, Target, etc on hand to give out to teachers and staff who we want to recognize for their fabulous work from time to time. Any donor of gift cards will also get a thank you and tax donation letter from the school. Thank you.

For sale – Mary Poppins tickets – 3 tickets, 1 p.m. Sunday May 5th. Please let Krista know if you are interested.

It’s easy (and free) to support our school when you shop at King Soopers As a participant of the King Soopers Neighborhood Reward Program, Denver JDS receives 5% of every purchase paid for with a school-tagged King Soopers gift card. Click here for more information. Contact Krista for your card for you, your parents, your teenage driver, your babysitter.

Krista Boscoe
Director of Development
720-449-9552
kboscoe@denverjds.org

Admission – Grow Your School

Plans to welcome our newly enrolled families are underway. One initiative we are planning is a gift bag to welcome new families. They will receive these at our back to school picnic in August. Thanks to parent ambassador and recruitment and retention committee member Rikki Mor for spearheading this project. If you own a business and would like to include a promotional item from that business in these bags, we would welcome that! We are looking for 50-75 items from your business to be donated to this worthy endeavor. Please contact me at 720-449-9550 or sfriedman@denverjds.org if you are interested in learning more.

Parent Teacher Organization Update

Please donate!

Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week is just two weeks away! Please honor our teachers and other staff by contributing $18 – $36 per student to the PTO so we may properly show how much we appreciate the fine work being done for our kids. Checks payable to DJDS PTO or cash in an envelope with your child(ren)’s names may be placed in the envelopes in the Upper and Lower Division offices. Thanks parents!!!

Volunteers needed

Please let us know if you can be available to help deliver treats to teachers during the school day on May 6th, 7th, 9th, or 10th (every day but Wednesday). Email rubin_j@comcast.net.

School Logo Apparel Sale

Land’s End is having a $30 off of $100 purchase sale for four days starting April 18th. Now is a great time to order new white school logo polos to wear on Shabbat, or red or black polos to wear on Wednesdays (spirit day). If you connect through the website www.landsend.com/, click on “School Uniforms” and use our Preferred School number 900125543, we’ll also get 4 eBoxtops for every $10 you spend! Happy shopping!

Mabels Labels

Do you realize that in just two months school will be out and kids will be going off to camp? Get sticky labels for all your kids’ camp gear and clothing at http://denverjds.mabelslabels.com/.

Art Extravaganza

Yummy, yummy!

Watch the Shofar for upcoming information about two exciting Restaurant Nights to be held in May. You can already mark your calendars for Garbanzo’s on Thursday, May 23rd, courtesy of the Mor Family (Tali- 2). More details, including a second restaurant, will be coming.

Community News

April is Kosher Awareness Month with the Jewish Outreach Initiative!

Registration is now open for Kosher Awareness Month which will take place this April. For just $36 a person or $60 a family you get FREE access to all Kosher Awareness Month events including the Lag BaOmer BBQ, Cupcake Decorating, Classes, Museum Treasure Hunt and LOTS MORE! Plus hundreds of dollars in discounts and coupons. From beginners to advanced and everyone in between, there is something for you, so check out the amazing programs and classes and sign up today at www.joiataish.org/kosher.

The Hazon Food Festival: Rocky Mountains

Highlights of the day include:

Seriously, take out Thai food again? Learn about healthy eating made easy with Meal Planning 101 at the Hazon Food Festival: Rocky Mountains.
Think you have the best Challah in Colorado? Enter the contest.
Hydroponics and Aeroponics at home. Learn how at the workshop
The fascinating lives of honeybees: learn how to keep your own at home
Kiddo programming for 6-10 year olds provided by Camp Ekar and special teen programing as well!

For more information, please contact Meredith Bloomberg at mer.bloomberg@gmail.com

BMH-BJ: The Denver Synagogue

HEA

HEA SHIR HADASH, a musical Shabbat experience

Shir Hadash is our second service option on Saturday mornings at Hebrew Educational Alliance. In this musical service, participants will be encouraged to sing together — beautiful, soulful melodies gathered from Jewish communities around the world. Join us every [ x-apple-data-detectors://1 ]Saturday from 10-noon at the Goldberger Youth Center at [ x-apple-data-detectors://2 ]3599 S. Ivanhoe St for Shir Hadash.

Click here for HEA youth updates

JCC DENVER

Where Do I Start? A Free Informational College Presentation
April 21, 2013; JCC South Denver 9625 E. Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80112

The Presentation is FREE and open to any interested parents AND teens from 8th-12th grade.

Topics addressed will include:
• factors students should consider in their college search
• finding a college that’s a good “fit”
• what colleges look for in applicants

This presentation will be conducted by Sara Zessar, M.Ed., a former high school counselor and current Senior Associate with Montgomery Educational Consulting, which offers comprehensive, personalized college counseling services to high school students and families

Contact Josh Abrams with questions, or to register at JAbrams@jccdenver.org or phone 303-316-6328

Summer 2013 Camp registration is now open at http://www.jccdenver.org/camps/

Bnei Akiva

Please click here for this week’s updates.