The many shapes of Shushan! After Ganon Gimmel explored shapes in various ways, such as finding them around the classroom, looking for them in drawings, and going on shape hunts, they decided to get creative and to draw the palace in Shushan using only shapes! After the initial picture, they watercolored it to make it extra special. 

With Adar's arrival, Gan Daled is buzzing with Purim excitement! Students wrote about the Megillah's characters and designed their setting page using various materials like blocks, Magna-Tiles, and craft supplies. We eagerly anticipate sharing it with family and friends in the beautiful handmade Megillah case we designed ourselves!

As kitah alef students finished learning the letter "Tet" this week, our students became "tabachim" (chefs), and made their own chefs hats. Every student chose some of the "Tet" vocabulary words and composed their own "chef slogan." With Purim approaching, it was fun to pretend to be chefs for a day. As chefs, we also served our flagship dish in class - "Tost" (toast) - each one got his preferred option: yummy - Ha'Tost Tov!   

Second graders have been diligently researching information about planets! To complement our planetary exploration, the students are crafting imaginative newspaper articles recounting adventures to their chosen planets! Through this project, students are not only learning about the fascinating worlds beyond our own, but also honing their writing skills and creativity in a fun and engaging way. We can't wait to "read all about it!"

Our third - fifth grade brachot champions went to SAR Academy on Wednesday to compete against 11 other schools from NJ and NY. They had a great time, and tried their best. The achdut felt in the room was palpable. What an incredible experience for all! 

Yavneh Academy's STEM Night was a spectacular celebration of STEM at Yavneh. Third grade students engaged in exciting STEM activities, including circuitry, engineering, coding, 3D printing, robotics, drones, and virtual reality (VR). After each booth students recorded their reflections in STEM journals. One of the highlights of the evening was snapping pictures with the beloved Yavneh Redhawk and Yavneh Robot mascots. Facilitating the booths were members of Yavneh's 6th-8th grade STEM Squad, who prepared hands-on interactive activities. This immersive experience ignited the imaginations of our future innovators. We are excited about the bright future for STEM at Yavneh Academy.

SEL UPDATE

After a valuable debrief about proud moments, challenges, and accomplishments of the 5th grade SEL fair, we reviewed the skills necessary for group work through another fun SEL activity! We received “What would you do?” questions and used our knowledge of perspective taking, assertive communication, and conflict resolution to find what the best possible answers to each question would be. We had fun, worked together, and learned a lot! 

This week the Middle School hallways were full of color and energy during Color War! We had a great time focusing on the themes of Purim and Jewish unity. Students competed in sports games, board games, games of trivia, presentations and much more. Yavneh spirit was beaming as the students sang theme songs and presented thank you cards to different leadership teams in the school. Kol hakavod to all the teams for an amazing week of teamwork and good sportsmanship: Green - Matanot L'evyonim, Purple - Megillah, Blue Mishloach Manot, Red - Seudah. A special shout out to team Green for taking the win!

Sixth grade students concluded their study of Ancient Egypt by presenting their research projects to each other. 

Students selected areas of interest and used primary and secondary sources to explore their topics. The students navigated online museum collections to learn about ancient Egyptian art, clothing and jewelry. They discovered photographs of real artifacts used in mummification ceremonies. Students read Egyptian myths about gods and pharaohs. Through articles, photographs and videos the students gained a deep appreciation for the duration of the Egyptian civilization and their inventions that are still in use today.

After conducting research the students designed engaging slide show presentations. In technology class, the 6th graders used their newly learned Google Forms skills to create games about their topics. The students enjoyed challenging their peers with "escape room" style puzzles and riddles.

Each student's presentation was topped off by a physical project that showcased something they especially enjoyed learning about. Projects included models of the farming cycle, a pharaoh's burial chamber and social pyramids. Students used an array of materials to construct temples and the pyramids. Dolls were dressed as mummies and decorated with Egyptian style makeup. Beautifully detailed art pieces included a cat sculpture and an Egyptian woman. Some students wrote and recorded songs inspired by their research, adding a creative and musical dimension to their projects.

The students enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their hard work and to learn from each other in an engaging way. 

Today, 3/14, the middle schoolers celebrated Pi Day with their math classes. Some students measured the circumference and diameter of circles in order to understand how pi was discovered. Other students, such as Annie Weisberg (100) and Elliot Minsk (76), memorized as many digits of pi as they could! At the end of each class, everyone enjoyed some delicious pie and some funny pi jokes. Happy Pi Day to all!

This morning, Yavneh Academy's Debate Team competed against other teams from BPY and Moriah. The resolution presented was, “The US should ban all forms of smoking and vaping.” Our students worked tirelessly, even practicing during Color War. Yavneh Academy took home 1st place school!! Special mentions to Amelia Smilow and Logan Blenden for winning 3rd place team; Celia Mermel and Abby Kaplan for winning 2nd place team; Amelia Smilow for winning 3rd place debater; and Celia Mermel for winning 2nd place debater.