December 09-January - Washtenaw Jewish News

JCC youth department offers full range of programsDeborah Huerta, special to the WJNWinter Break programsThe Jewish Community Center of GreaterAnn Arbor will offer Winter Break Fun Dayprograms from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. on December21–24 and December 28–31. Each Winter BreakFun Day will feature a fun field trip or specialactivity, plus crafts, games, and gym time oroutdoor recess. Students may sign up for one ormore days. Programming details for each daywill be available in early December.The Winter Break Fun Day programs arefor JCC members ONLY in grades K-5; middleschool students are also welcome to participateas helpers for a reduced fee. The cost for eachday is $36 for care from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. ($32 foradditional siblings) and $10 for Extended Carefrom 4–6 p.m. Registration and payment aredue by Monday, December 14.Youth Enrichment ClassesThe JCC is planning an exciting scheduleof after school-classes for the January-February session. Youth Enrichment classesfor elementary students will run for 6 weeks,Programming robots at a JCC enrichment classbeginning Monday, January 11, and continuingthrough the week of February 15. Thesefun and stimulating afternoon classes run from4:20-5:20 pm and are open to both JCC membersand non-members. Snack and supervisionin the JCC’s after school programs before eachclass are included for all class participants.The enrichment schedule will be finalized inDecember, but will likely include several returningfavorites such as Fit Kids, Gym Sports, andLego Robotics, as well as some new offeringssuch as Chess, Drama, and Art. In addition tothe afterschool enrichment classes at the JCC,another session of the popular Swim with Kimclass will be offered on Tuesday evenings from5:30-6:30 p.m. at High Point School.Registrations and payment for the classeswill be due by January 7. Class fees vary.MLK Day School’s Out ProgramThe JCC will offer two programs on MLKDay (January 18)—a free community performancein the afternoon and an all day School’sOut program.All youth in the community and their familiesare invited to celebrate MLK Day by attendingthe free afternoon performance, which will featurethe group Singers Of United Lands. S.O.U.L.is a unique quartet of four professional youngadult singers, each from a different country. Thefour singers are remarkable for their high-qualityvocal musicianship, geographical diversity, andenthusiasm for sharing about their respective cultures.The performance times and details will beavailable in mid December. RSVPs for the performanceare requested by January 14.In addition to the community performance,the JCC will offer a full day School’s Out/JCC’s Inprogram from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. for JCC membersONLY in grades K-5; middle school studentsmay also participate as helpers for a reduced fee.Participants in the School’s Out day will enjoythe afternoon S.O.U.L. performance as well asspecial workshops with the S.O.U.L. singers andother fun activities. The cost for the School’s Outday is $36 for care from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. ($32 foradditional siblings) and $10 for Extended Carefrom 4:00-6:00 p.m. Registration and paymentare due by Thursday, January 14.For additional information about theSchool’s Out day or to RSVP for the communityperformance, contact Deborah Huerta atdeborahhuerta@jccfed.org or 971-0990.Kid’s Night Out on Tu B’ShevatEvery other month, the JCC offers a Kids’Night Out event featuring games, crafts, dinner,and a movie or other special activities. The nextKids’ Night Out will be held on Saturday, January30, from 6:30–10 p.m. at the JCC.Since Tu B’Shevat falls on January 30 thisyear, the theme for the event will be celebratingtrees and taking caring of the environment. Participantswill make crafts with recycled materials,play fun games, and maybe even plant seeds ordecorate a cake to celebrate the birthday of thetrees. A pizza dinner will also be served and theevening will end with a viewing of the delightfulmovie Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest. Thisanimated film follows the story of the magicalinhabitants of a rainforest who fight to save theirhome from the threat of logging and pollution.Kids’ Night Out events are open to JCC membersand non-members in grades K-5. The cost forJCC members is $20 (additional siblings: $18). Thecost for non-members is $25 (additional siblings:$23). Registrations and payment will be due byThursday, January 28. Registration forms will beavailable at the JCC and at www.jccannarbor.org.Snow DaysThe Youth Department of the Jewish CommunityCenter of Greater Ann Arbor will onceagain offer Snow Day programs this winter. Ondays when the JCC is able to open but Ann ArborPublic Schools are cancelled due to winterweather conditions, a Snow Day program willbe offered from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. for students ingrades K-5; middle school students may participateas helpers for a reduced fee.Students will enjoy games, gym activitiesand fun in the snow under the supervisionof Youth Director Deborah Huerta and otheravailable staff. Students should bring a nut free,dairy lunch and appropriate clothes for playingoutside (weather permitting).The Snow Days program is for JCC membersonly and the program fee is $50 (additionalsiblings and Kids’ Konnection / Kids’ Club participantsreceive discounts). Registration in advanceis not required, but parents will be askedto fill out a registration form and submit paymentwhen they arrive.Athletes sought for Maccabi Games 2010Each summer the Jewish Community Centerof Greater Ann Arbor sends a team of athletesages 13-16 to the JCC Maccabi Games, anOlympic-style sporting competition that incorporatescommunity service and social activitiesto combine for an unforgettable experience forJewish teens. This past summer, Ann Arbor andits Partnership 2000 (P2K) sister community,Moshav Nahalal, joined forces to send eightteens to compete in the JCC Maccabi Gamesin San Antonio, Texas, from August 9–14. Theathletes brought home an impressive total of 18medals, along with many wonderful memoriesand new friendships.Emma Share, who participated as a dancerin both the 2008 and 2009 JCC Ann ArborMaccabi Teams, had this to say about her experiencelast summer: “The 2009 San AntonioMaccabi experience was amazing. There is justsomething cool about being part of a week-longevent where you’re competing with, hangingout, and befriending Jews your age. Maccabi isa place where you can be proud of your Jewishnessand the city you are from. It’s amazing tobe able to represent Ann Arbor in a city as big asSan Antonio filled with athletes from across thenation. And the three Israeli athletes who joinedthe Ann Arbor delegation this year made the experiencetruly special…. I would recommendMaccabi to any Jewish teen who likes to havenew adventures, have a lot of fun, and makelong-lasting memories.”Next summer, Ann Arbor’s athletes willonce again be joined by Israeli athletes fromNahalal and the combined team will attendthe JCC Maccabi Games in Omaha, Nebraska,from August 1–6, 2010. At the Omaha Games,teens will be able to compete in basketball, soccer,volleyball, bowling, dance, golf, swimming,table tennis, or tennis. Athletes of all abilitiesare welcome to participate and scholarship assistanceis available to help defray the costs ofattending the Games. Teens must be 13–16 asof July 31 to participate.For more information about participatingas an athlete, coach, or volunteer, contact JCCyouth director Deborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.orgor 971-0990. A limited numberof spots on the team are available each year,so interested families are encouraged to contactthe JCC as soon as possible.For additional information or to register for JCCyouth programs, visit www.jccannarbor.org orcontact Deborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.orgor 971-0990.Home sick? HDS students stay connected through distance learningDina Shtull, special to the WJNThe United States and Michigan Departmentsof Education and theCenter for Disease Control have allrecommended that schools ensure continuouslearning for children who are home sick.They suggest creating virtual classrooms andelectronic learning communities where studentsand teachers interact even though studentsmay not be physically present in theclassroom. Hebrew Day School has been doingjust that—keeping students with the fluconnected with their classmates and theirlearning while they are at home recovering.“I felt very honored to be able to talk and dowork with my class while I was sick,” says DanielZacks, a fifth grader who was out for four daysearlier this semester. Zacks and Adi Bamberger,who was also out sick, stayed connected a numberof different ways. Descriptions of what wasdone in class, homework assignments and alink to a YouTube video of a math lesson wereall posted on web-based Wikispace. (If schoolbookswere not at home, work was modifiedand special directions were given.) Video conferencingwith Skype allowed the students tofully participate in the class math lesson ondividing decimals. The students could bothbe heard, and Adi, who had a webcam (digitalcamera connected to her computer) could beseen on the SMART Board screen in the classroom.When teacher Carol Gannon was computingproblems on the SMART Board, thewebcam was turned to the Board so that thestudents could see what was written.The students were also an integral part ofthe class science experiment with mealworms.During the observation and documentationof the mealworm behavior, the video camerawas positioned next to the class science partnerso that the mealworm activity could be seen.HDS student participates in classroomlesson from homeThe student in the classroom and the studentat home together discussed and documentedtheir observations. Literature class was next.The class was reading an historical novel,Behind Rebel Lines, as part of their study ofthe Civil War. Zacks and Bamberger followedalong and participated in the class reading.A school day includes lighter moments suchas recess or a snack break. Students at home didnot miss those moments either. When it wastime for a break, teacher Carol Gannon put thewords to the class song on the SMART Board,and all the students sang together. If laughter,learning, and friendship can help speed up recovery,it did. Zacks and Bamberger came backto school as if they had never been “home” sick.“I loved being with Skype and learning in theclassroom. It was fun, and I could see my classmates,”said Bamberger. nFor more information about Hebrew DaySchool, call 971-4633. Tours and Open Housesare scheduled for January 12 at 9 a.m. and January21 at 7 p.m.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201017