Abrams Extra March 11, 2016

 

 

New AHA logo 2011

ABRAMS EXTRA

In This Issue
Candle Lighting
Community Family Fun Event
Early Friday Dismissal Ends
Budowsphere
Letter
MathCounts
Anti-Semitism and Israel Trip
Purim Fun
Shalach Manot
Shaloch Manot with ZOA
EITC
Lunch Menu
Security Reminders
Car Pool Rules
Abrams Notes

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March 11, 2016/  1 Adar I1
Candle Lighting 5:46 pm/ Pekude

 

Abrams Community Family Fun Day
 

Sunday, March 13, 2016
It’s Finally Here!!!
 
Make sure to join us this Sunday 
at the Abrams Hebrew Academy
Community Family Fun Day!
 
The festivities begin at:
 
2:00 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early Friday Dismissal Ends
Spring forward clock
Early Friday Dismissal Ends 

 

Remember- regular dismissal time (3:45) starts next week- (REALLY)
 
Friday, March 18, 2016



Budowsphere
Rabbi Budow
It is with mixed feelings that I announce that John Palmer is leaving Abrams to assume a supervisory position at the Water and Sewer Department for Falls Township.
John has worked at Abrams for the past 24 years in many capacities- he currently supervises the maintenance staff, the physical buildings, drives students, works in the kitchen, and generally does what needs to be done to keep the school moving. In the past, he even coached the basketball team.
It is rare that an institution can boast that it keeps staff for a quarter of a century, and that says a lot for our Abrams community!
The opportunity at Falls Township is a good career move for him, and although it saddens me to see him go I am very happy that he has found a position that will be beneficial for him and his family. I wish him every success and happiness in his new job and know that he will be as valued an addition to their staff as he is at AHA.
I feel fortunate to be able to announce at the same time that John’s duties will be assumed by Maria Martinez. Maria is also a long-time employee of the school, and the transition should be seamless for everyone. Maria will drive John’s students in the afternoon, and Amanda Miller will take on the driving duties in the morning.
Again, I wish John success in his new job and hope that he will keep in touch with his Abrams family. I also congratulate Maria on her promotion.

Letter from Alumni Parents
Rabbi Budow
Last week I wrote about the topic “What is Education?” Below is an example of what an Abrams truly means. We share nachas with these parents and their families:
___________________________________
Dear Rabbi Budow:
We are enclosing a check to Abrams Hebrew Academy in honor of the recent passing of my father, Jack L. Barber a”H (Yaakov Leib ben Moshe Chayim) on 12 Sivan.
Eleven years after moving from Yardley to Pittsburgh, we also want to say thank you to you and, by extension, to all the others in the Abrams staff and family.
In the winter of 1998 I called you on the phone when we were moving from Maine to Yardley, so that we could get back in touch with the Jewish community and I could work in Trenton. We had a number of questions, including how our oldest child, Shlomo, could be integrated into the third grade coming from just a weekly Hebrew School and, equally important, how could we handle tuition for three children.
You said to me, “Moshe, don’t worry, we’ll take care of it!”
By the way, this was in sharp contrast to the nearest Solomon Schechter School, where they told us that they have a very bad record of success with kids like our then 8-year-old son and discouraged us from even applying.
Just the way you said it, I trusted and believed you. You more than lived up to those words. When we arrived you had a tutor assigned to Shlomo, and by the end of the year he was completely caught up. You hired Batsheva to be an assistant teacher in the pre-school program. And somehow we were always able to pay tuition for our three children with a partial scholarship.
With a lot of nachas in which you should have a share, we want to update you on the three Abrams students.
Shlomo is now 25 and married with a beautiful daughter. Shlomo and Chaya live in Melbourne, Australia, where she is a native. He went to the Chabad kolel there after they married, and the day he finished they hired him to organize education programs for the baile batim and raise money. His highlight at Abrams was the Israel trip- he refused to move to Pittsburgh until he graduated! After graduating high school here at Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, he went to yeshiva gadolah at Yeshivas Lubavitch Toronto and Chovevei Torah in Crown Heights before going on shlichus to the Lubavitch mesivta in LA. He received Smicha from the West Coast Rabbinical Seminary in LA.
Adina is 21 and also thriving. After she graduated from Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, she went to seminary at Beit Chana in Tzefat. She is the Volunteer Coordinator at the Friendship Circle here in Pittsburgh where she interacts with about 500 people involved as members with special needs, high school volunteers and their parents.
Miriam is 19. She also graduated from Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh and went to seminary at Beit Chana in Tzefat. She is now a shlucha in the Yeshiva Schools high school here and loves it.
Anyway, we want to express our deep thanks to you and wish you and Abrams all the best!
With love,
Moshe & Batsheva Barber

 

MathCounts Competition
MATHCOUNTS COMPETITION
 
Each year, more than 250,000 students are exposed to MATHCOUNTS materials and activities in their schools. Approximately 140,000 students from all 50 states, U.S. territories and the State and Defense Department school systems worldwide participate annually in school MATHCOUNTS competitions, with about 40,000 students participating at the chapter competitions.
MATHCOUNTS was founded by the National Society of Professional Engineers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and CNA Foundation.  MATHCOUNTS is made possible through the generosity of corporations, foundations and individuals.
Congratulations to Mrs. Lamkey’s math students who qualified to compete in this year’s school Mathcounts Competition.
Joshua Beigman                             Yair Berzofsky
Samuel Doshna                              Ronen Adler
Brielle Zemer                                 Samuel Nulman
Layla Markman                               Eric Dolitsky
Romy Zemer                                  Allen Resnick
 
A special recognition goes out to our 7th Grade student Joshua Beigman who finished in 9th place in the Bucks County Chapter of MATHCOUNTS where 111 students competed.
 
Excellent job Josh! 

 

NYT Article/Israel Trip
I read a very interesting article in the New York Times (link attached below) that is indicative of the siege against Jews not only in Israel, but throughout Europe. Jews all over the world are facing rampant anti-Semitism, and it is important for us to recognize these attacks for what they are and to fight against them in whatever way possible.
I again considered the wisdom of making the trip to Israel this year, and my conclusion is that I believe showing solidarity with Israel is the right thing to do if it is at all possible to do so safely.
I invite any adults who want to join us on this trip to let me know as soon as possible. Three out of the 4 hotels where we will be staying are 5 star establishments, and the tour will take us from the North to the South of Israel. We are particularly fortunate to be able to include a visit to the Knesset and a meeting with Michael Oren, current Knesset member and former Israeli ambassador to the U.S.
I believe that our itinerary competes with any commercial tour you can book, and the trip will demonstrate our support for our fellow Jews. The itinerary is attached below.
Rabbi Ira Budow

 

Purim Fun
Purim 2012
PURIM CELEBRATION AT ABRAMS
 
Sunday, March 20, 2016
 
10:00 a.m.
 
Nursery-K
 

PTO Shalach Manot
Purim 2012
Participate in the 
PTO Shalach Manot Sale 
Please click on the form below:
 

Purim Shalach Manot
 
Shalach Manot and Letters to 
IDF Soldiers
 
Abrams Hebrew Academy students once again wrote letters to Israeli soldiers that will be distributed along with Shalach Manot by officials from ZOA during Purim.
The letters were touching, warm, and representative of the love of Israel and Zionism that is an integral part of the Abrams experience.

EITC Participation for Individuals
 
The Foundation for Jewish Day Schools  has been approved as a Special Purpose Entity (SPE). This  means that individuals who pay individual income taxes to PA can now participate in the EITC program  by joining the SPE.
This is a great opportunity for Abrams families and supporters who pay at least $6500 in PA State taxes to help themselves and Abrams through their participation in the program.
The Foundation for Jewish Day Schools will provide guidance on this process so that you can participate as an individual.
If you qualify, please take this opportunity to help the school and benefit from a tax credit for yourself. 
 
Contact Ellen Matz  at ematz@jfgp.org or call 
(215) 832-0525 for more information.
See more at:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch Program
 
 
MENU
 
Monday-Thursday-
Food from Espresso Cafe:
 
Monday:
Falafel, pita, hummus, Israeli salad
 
Tuesday:
Mac & Cheese, Caesar salad
 
Wednesday:
Fettuccine with marinara sauce, Greek salad
 

Thursday: 

* Note Change*

 

Egg salad and tuna salad sandwiches
 
Friday:
Pizza
 
Available Every Day
 
Bagels, butter & cream cheese 
French Fries
Hash Browns
Egg
 
 
Lunch cost:  $5 per day

 

 

Safety and Security Reminders

 

padlock

Just a reminder of AHA security procedures:

  • All parents should use the front door to enter the school with key cards and not the back doors. Parent swipe cards only work at front door.
  • Please do not ask students to open any doors- parents must report to the front office and check-in before entering the school.
  • No student or other person should use the lunchroom doors other than for dismissal or emergency purposes.

These rules are for our children’s safety.

Thank you for your cooperation!

 

 

 

Car Pool Rules 

All Parents who Car Pool:

 

Please note that the car pool line is for grades N and K only. All other students are to be dropped off in the front of the building.

 

Parents who use the back for drop off should follow the directions of the teachers in the parking lot. They are there to assist students and maintain a safe environment.  

 

Under no circumstances are parents to park their cars in the middle of the line and leave them unattended to walk students into the building.  

 

** We ask that parents refrain from cellphone use in the parking areas while dropping off and picking up their children.

 

Abrams Notes
 

Birthday Celebrations at School
When sending birthday treats into school to celebrate that special day for your child, please consider sending in a healthy treat, such as frozen fruit bars, rice cakes, fruit salad or cups, sugar free pudding snacks, yogurt cake or pie, cheese sticks, light popcorn or air popped popcorn (when age appropriate), pretzels, carrots/celery (when age appropriate).Please avoid nuts because of allergies.

In order to maintain a consistent kashrut policy and to avoid confusion, ALL orders for birthday cakes/cupcakes MUST be ordered from Cramer’s Bakery, 16 E. Afton Avenue, Yardley. Cramer’s will deliver the order to the school at a discounted price.

Please call Kim Pierce at 215-321-5707 to place your cake/ cupcake order.

 

Celebrate Your Simcha at Abrams

 

Abrams Hebrew Academy is a perfect choice to host your family or social affair, business meeting or athletic event.  Whether you’re looking for an inviting space to celebrate a special occasion; a meeting area with state-of-the art technology; a fun, safe environment for a child’s birthday; or a gym or athletic field for a sporting event, Abrams can accommodate your needs and your budget.  For more information on room rentals at Abrams Hebrew Academy, call (215) 493-1800 or e-mail info@abramsonline.org.

Check Your Child’s Assignments with Homework Now

Parents- all homework will be posted on-line by all teachers grades K-8 by Sunday evening each week.

Instructions for use of homeworknow.com:

Click on homeworknow.com

Click on Parent and Student

Click on find school

Click on Pennsylvania

Click on Abrams Hebrew Academy

Click on your child’s teacher

View homework assignments

     

Share Abrams News With Others

Is there a family member (such as a grandparent) or friend who would be interested in hearing about everything going on at Abrams?  Sign them up for our e-mail list today!  Please contact the Main Office.

Information about the Extra

Please submit any information to be considered for inclusion in the Extra to Dale Sattin, Director of Development & Communications: dsattin@abramsonline.org. (215) 493-1800 ext. 22 by
Wednesday of the target week.

Abrams Hebrew Academy, 31 West College Avenue, Yardley, PA 19067
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