December 7, 2010

Not-so-random song quote:

In the spirit of the holiday season, the fact that the kids sang a censored version on Friday, and because Adam Sandler is from my home state (hey, New Hampshire only has three or four celebrities that call it home) here is the nouveau Hanukkah Classic.

“Put on your Yamakah here comes Hannukah
It’s so much funukah to celeberate Hannukah
Hannukah is the festival of lights
Instead of one day of presents, you get eight crazy nights
When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree
Here’s a list of people who are Jewish, just like you and me…”

Tidbits for the week:

I hope everyone has enjoyed their first few nights of Hannukah. At school we had a raucous sing-a-long on Friday to ring in the holiday in EWS style. Led by the Judaics Department and accompanied by Mr. Daum on the guitar, the kids were standing, singing, laughing, and finally they brought in the second night of the holiday with the lighting of the Menorah. It was a lot of fun and a great way to celebrate the holiday together.

Despite the holiday, we are busy in exam preparation. This week students will finish the last bit of new material while preparing for next week’s exams. Here are the answers to some frequently asked exam questions:

• 6th grade exams are 1-hour in length, but they stay in their assigned rooms for a full hour and a half. Students are encouraged to read during this time. The exams count for 10% of the semester grade.
• 7th grade exams are 75 minutes in length, but students stay in their assigned rooms for the full hour and a half. Students are again encouraged to read during this time. The exams count for 15% of the semester grade.
• 8th Grade exams are an hour and a half in length and count for 20% of the semester grade.
• 6th grade students will work on organizing and studying for exams during the Junior Jags period.
• All Students will have a study hall during the scheduled Kallah/Advisory period beginning Monday, December 6th (Except Thursday for Torah Service and 8th grade on Tuesday for Tikkun Olam). Students will have an opportunity to schedule times with teachers for extra help during this time.
• Snack will be available for purchase in the Commons during the break between exams on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Finally, we have a special event this week as it is Hoops and Hanukkah night at the Houston Rockets’ game. EWS cheerleaders will perform at half, Emery/Weiner student Jordann Tiras will perform the National Anthem, and Kelly Dean will provide the music prior to tip-off. We’d love to see you all there!

Please give me a call if you have any questions pertaining to exams. Have a great week and Happy Hanukkah!

Athletic Events December 6 – December 10:
Tuesday –
• MS Girls Basketball @ Grace – 4pm
• MS Girls Soccer @ Grace – 4pm

Thursday –
• MS Girls Basketball v. Honor Roll – 4pm
• Boys 7 Basketball @ St. Mark’s – 5:30pm
• Boys 8 Basketball @ St. Mark’s – 6:30pm

Happy Birthday to the following students who are celebrating birthdays this week:
• Joseph Fields – December 7th
• Kacy Rosen – December 8th
• Jeffrey Gold and Jonah Rosenberg – December 9th
• Alexa and Michael Spolane – December 10th

Mazel Tov to the following students who are celebrating Bar or Bat Mitzvahs on December 11th:
• David Czarlinsky and Alyssa Marks

Calendar Events:
• 8th Grade Tikkun Olam – December 7th
• Hoops and Hanukkah – Emery/Weiner night at the Rockets’ game. High School cheerleaders are performing at half, Emery/Weiner student Jordann Tiras is performing the National Anthem, and Kelly Dean is performing prior to the game.
• 6th Grade – End of Fine Arts Rotations – December 10th

Kallah/Advisory:
Monday –
• Study Hall
Tuesday –
• 6th and 7th Study Hall
• 8th – Tikkun Olam
Wednesday –
• Study Hall
Thursday –
• 6th and 7th - Torah Service for Alyssa Marks and David Czarlinsky
• 8th Grade – Risky Behaviors Advisory
Friday –
• Study Hall

Looking ahead:
Review Days – December 13-14
• Students will meet with all classes
• 6th grade will have a study hall during the Fine Arts Period
• Advisory/Kallah period is not included in the schedule to make room for all of the classes to meet
• 7th and 8th grade – all students will have study hall at the end of the day – no sports.
• 6th grade Hebrew will meet at its regular time

Exams – December 15-17
• Exams are from 8-9:30 and 9:45-11:15. Students will be ready for pick-up at 11:15.
• Please see the extended time schedule for finishing times for those students.
• Snack is available for purchase during the break between exams for all students.

School is closed for Winter Holiday from December 18th - January 3rd. Classes will resume on Tuesday, January 4th.