Quarterly Digital Newsletter

December 2015

5776 Kislev

Jennifer Fraenkel

At Akiva we are all proud to state that we, as students, as parents and as staff, are involved in our school.  What does involvement look like today and why is it so rewarding to be involved? Involvement can look so different from one situation to the next, but the underlying essence is the same. From my perspective, involvement is the common thread that exists among our parent body, our staff and our students that has a direct impact on our children’s educational experience.

Martin Sacksner

As we approach mid year, it is a time to review how we are advancing in our objectives for the year.  This is especially meaningful given the work we did last year with the update to our strategic plan.  Through reflection, understanding trends, and what makes Akiva special and strong, we charted our course for the upcoming years. 

Rabbi from Temple-El-Beth-Shalom and Akiva Parent

As the days get shorter and darker, the human desire for light isn't hard to understand. It's no accident that most religions have holidays focused on light this time of year. But there are two special insights that come with Hanukkah that are well worth our attention.

Leila Roiter

As a Jewish Day School for the 21st century, Akiva is committed to relevant and life-worthy learning. Each unit of study is part of a big picture - with outreach and global connections.  Academic excellence is realized throughout the Akiva school day as we help students connect their content knowledge and skill to actual hands-on learning experiences. Our General and Jewish Studies programs complement and reinforce one another in every way.  

Students learn about the electoral process

In parallel with the Federal Elections, Akiva's sixth grade students worked on a unit on Government, Democracy, and Civic Literacy.

Special thanks to the Sone family

This year, Akiva School had our very own Sukkah, generously donated by the Sone family, to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot. Students started their morning with the blessing for Sukkot with the lulav and etrog and all our classes took turns eating lunches and celebrating in our beautifully decorated Sukkah.  Click the link below to see a video of our classes celebrating in the Akiva Sukkah.

Learning and fun with Bubbie and Zaidie

Akiva grandparents are an important part of our Akiva community and we love to have them visit our school. For the holiday of Sukkot, grade 4 classes invited their grandparents to school to help make beautiful messages and decorations about the "4 kinds" or species for the sukkah.

Akiva doctors provide hands-on learning for students

In November, Akiva Kindergarten classes held their "Teddy Bear Clinic" where Akiva parents, who are in the medical field, came in to teach students about health and medicine at different hands-on stations. Students, for example, got to hear a baby's heartbeat at the maternity ward station. Many thanks to the teachers and parents who helped put together this incredible program. Please watch our video of the program.

Helping to build community

One of our goals this year is to build a sense of community in the classrooms. This is essential in order for everyone to feel a sense of belonging and responsibility to their classmates and school. We often talk to classes about the idea of community: how do we define the term community, what does it mean to be a part of a community? But in order for them to truly grasp the concept, we decided to take a different “spin” on it this year. Our goal is to shift the focus from telling students what they should be doing to empowering them with clear directives and expectations and responsibilities.

Josée Gendron, Akiva Science teacher

How are Akiva students learning during Akiva “science and technology” time school?  Let’s take a closer look at the different approaches that are taken to give our students a love of learning for science and technology here at Akiva School.

A Federation CJA Initiative

In October, Akiva School took part in the Federation CJA "Feed the Truck" program aimed at providing a helping hand to those less fortunate.  Akiva families contributed to the over 20,000 lbs of food that was collected at part of this program. To get a feel for the great spirit of the day, watch our "Feed the Truck" video.

Introducing Sima Shalev, Jewish Studies Coordinator

This year Sima Shalev joined our team as our new Jewish Studies Coordinator, replacing Carmela Aigen, who retired from Akiva at the end of last year.  Sima brings to Akiva over 20 years of experience in teaching and planning Jewish studies curriculum.  Sima is guiding the Jewish studies department to implement our new Jewish studies program throughout the grades. Welcome Sima!

Moving forward with a clear focus 

Five years ago, Akiva School crafted a strategic plan to help keep us on the road to continuous improvement and growth.  We have now once again, taken a step back from the day to day to meet with our key stakeholders and access our progress, re-evaluate our priorities and chart our course for the next three years. 

For year ended June 30, 2015

The Board of Directors is responsible for furthering Akiva’s mission and ensuring long term financial stability.  For the year ended June 30, 2015, our revenues were in excess of expenditures. Our financial position remains very sound as the school ended the year with net assets of $1,953,000.