May 24th, 2011

Random Song quote:

“Na, na, na, na
Na, na, na, na
Hey, Hey, Hey
Goodbye..”

It seemed to make good sense as this will be the final blog of the school year.

School Year Wrap and Summer Fun:

May, as usual, has passed in a flash. With the outstanding production of Oliver! now concluded, suddenly, we find ourselves in the final days of the school year as our attention turns to final exams. It is obvious in talking to students that they want to be excited for the end of the year, but the uncertainty of exams does give them some pause. I would say that as teachers, we have the same feelings, but for different reasons.
We are all excited for the summer – family vacations, time to relax, and the slower pace are all things for which to look forward. However, once the kids leave, the school loses a lot of its life. The middle school becomes very quiet, lockers and hallways sit empty for months, and within just a couple of weeks, we really start to miss the students. It is also a bitter sweet time as we have to say goodbye to some many of our students. We have some families moving away, some kids will change schools, and our entire 8th grade will move on. So, although the next two weeks are exciting, they are not without some sadness.
I remember the day the current 8th grade walked in building for the first time as 6th graders. They were little bundles of enthusiasm, happy to be around new and old friends alike. One of the really special parts of our job is watching these kids mature over their three years. As they grow in size, so too does their maturity (okay, at least it is supposed to work that way) and their senses of humor. They have had amazing moments on the stage, on the courts and fields, and in the classrooms. Each student has left a mark on the school and on their teachers as they have passed through. To those who will not return to Emery/Weiner next year, thank you for your efforts over the last three years. You will be missed and we look forward to that day or two on which you return to say hello. To those who are returning to the upper school, don’t be strangers…it is not that long of a walk to the other side of the arbor. You all have a lot of which to be proud and there is no doubt that you will make excellent high school students and adults.

Have a great summer, everyone. Connie, Cathy, Lue, and I will all be in for most of the summer and the office is always open. If you need anything, just give us a call or drop by.
See you all in August.

Happy Birthday to the following students who are celebrating birthdays before the end of school and who will not be here to celebrate their birthdays with us over the summer:

Ashton Normand – May 24th Hannah Brookner – May 26th
Cole Introlligator – May 28th Melissa Goldblatt – May 30th
Simone Trevas – May 31st Lydia Elieff and Jake Feldman – June 1st
Jordan Hudson – June 2nd Hayden Turk – June 3rd
Annie Abramowitz – June 4th Max Nicolayevsky – June 6th
Mike Shalev – June 8th Jake Yudkin – June 15th
Scott Gold – June 16th
Leigh Gonik, Marah Fields, and David Kleban – June 18th
Rory O’Dwyer – June 23rd Adi Tuchschneider – June 28th
Sophie Daily – June 29th Greg Holste – June 30th
Jake Meltzer – July 1st Jonathan Stein – July 3rd
Carlos Serna-Cohen – July 4th Ben Roberts – July 5th
Rylie Cohen – July 6th Dylan Agnich – July 7th
Evan Diebner – July 8th Nick Dennenberg – July 9th
Arianna Swaab – July 14th Sydney Scherer – July 20th
Reagan Bisel – July 22nd Amanda Atzil – July 25th
Eric Rosenbaum – July 30th Ethan Middleman and Cy Pacht – August 1st
Maayan Yaari – August 5th Sarah Horwitz and Josh Raizner – August 6th
Rebecca Burd and Elle Shaw – August 10th Ellie Sondock – August 16th
Sebastian Biondi – August 20th Olivia Dadoun – August 24th
Eden Sharaby – August 23rd


Mazel Tov to the following students who will celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvahs over Memorial Day weekend and in the summer:

Andrew Kalmans and Ryan Sable – May 28th
Max Nicolayevsky – June 4th
Lydia Elieff – June 11th
Harrison Rosenthal – August 5th

Kallah and Advisory:

• Monday –

Yearbook distribution

• Tuesday

Talent Show – Begins at 2:35pm

• Wednesday

Year –end Kallah


• Thursday and Friday – Review Days – No Kallah

Calendar Events

• May 26 – Meeting in the Middle for incoming 6th grade parents – 8am or 6pm
• MS Review Days – May 26-27
• Memorial Day – School Closed – May 30th
• Final Exams – May 31-June2
• June 2nd – 8th grade promotion; Last day of School
• Final Grades - emailed home June 13-14
• June 17th – Tentative - 2011-2012 schedules available on ApWeb

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE:

Exams begin at 8am and end at 11:15 (except extra time students) every day.
Tuesday, May 31st:
Hebrew: 8-9:30
History: 9:45-11:15

Wednesday, June 1st:

Judaic Studies: 8-9:30
English: 9:45-11:15

Thursday, June 2nd:

Math: 8-9:30
Science: 9:45-11:15

Extended Time:

6th Grade – 8-11:15 every day
7th Grade – 8- 12:15 every day
8th Grade – 8-12:45 every day

**Once students are finished, we allow them to leave, so the end time is the latest that extended time exams will finish.