Latest News And Photos - North Shore Hebrew School 2007

We all wish Josh Okon (one of our graduates) Mazal Tov on the first anniversary of his becoming Bar Mitzva. He will be participating in services at Temple Sinai, 1 Community Rd., Marblehead on Saturday, January 21st, at 9:30AM. All are welcome to attend and share in this special day with Josh.

Also on that evening, Temple Sinai is hosting a Musical Havdala Service and Spaghetti Supper. Please come and bring the children for this fun evening. At 5:30PM, the children will make Havdala sets. Following this, say farewell to the Sabbath with Havdala, singing and dancing led by Ronni Kripper and the Sinai Band. The evening continues with a spaghetti supper and special dessert. The cost is $5 per adult. Children 12 and under are free. Please RSVP to the temple office, (781)631-2763 by January 18.

A Harbinger of Spring:

Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of Trees occurs on Wednesday, February 8th. It is a time to eat fruit, plant trees, and think about preserving the environment. Congregation Ahabat Sholom will host a Tu B'Shevat Seder on Tuesday evening, February 7th at 7:30PM. Temple Shalom will also host a Tu B'Shevat Seder on Saturday, February 11 at 12:30PM. Please RSVP and feel free to join in the festivities.

Series of Specialists:

The North Shore Hebrew School is pleased to announce that a series of Specialists will be joining us to enrich our students' learning experience. Our first is local artist, Susan Fader, who will lead our students in a project on Sundays, January 22 and 29. To find out more about Susan, please visit her website: www.createartstudio.net .

The Computers are Coming!

We are most grateful to Lainie and Jay Okon for their hard work and dedication, and for the generosity of a grant from Verizon. The North Shore Hebrew School will be receiving two new laptop computers for our students to aid in their learning. They should be "up and running" by mid January.

Kindness to Animals

The students of the North Shore Hebrew School have recently embarked on a tzedakkah project expressing kindness and caring for animals. They decorated tzedakkah boxes generously donated by the Lappin Foundation, and will be filling them with money collected to benefit local animal shelters. They invite you to make contributions in honor or memory of your favorite pets.

Boxtops for Education

Please continue to collect and save Boxtops for Education coupons for the North Shore Hebrew School. Last year we earned $54. This year we have earned $84! Wouldn't it be great if we could earn enough to buy a computer for the school? It's not impossible. It all adds up. Please check out the website: www.boxtops4education.com for full details. Kindly drop off envelopes of boxtops coupons at the school during the summer, and bring them to the first day of school. We are most grateful for everyone's support.

Come check us out! Sun., May 22

The North Shore Hebrew School invites all of its students and prospective students to a fun filled morning on Sunday, May 22.th at 9am. We will be celebrating Lag B'Omer (the 33rd day of counting the Omer) with a variety of field day events at the bottom of the field (near the Hillel Playground). We will be very busy so dress comfortably and according to the weather--let's hope for no rain.

Our Closing Program celebrating the end of our school year will take place at 11:30 am. Following our field day events in celebration of Lag B'Omer, we will be having our closing ceremony. Our closing ceremony will celebrate our students who are moving up in our Hebrew School and honor those who are graduating and moving on!

We aer extremely proud of all of our students and their accomplishments and look forward to recognizing all fo their achievements and acomplishments.

Mary Kiley--Sonia Weitz's "Holocaust Legacy Partner" Speaks at Temple Shalom, Sun., May 15

Please join us on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 9AM at Temple Shalom for a very special program. Mary Kiley, Sonia Weitz's Holocaust Legacy Partner will be speaking about Sonia. This will be a most informative program keeping Sonia's life and story alive. Light refreshments will be served. This program is open to students in the 6th grade and up along with their parents. Teens are also welcome.

Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel's Independence Day) Celebration--Wed., May 11

On Wednesday, May 11, we will be celebrating Israel's Independence Day with a day full of fun! We will start the program with falafel making, complete with the pita bread, hummus, taboule, a cupcake and fruit.

Following the falafel making, we will have a vaiety of stations that will "take us to Israel" to do some fun and exciting activities. Please be on time and be prepared for a great time!

Passover happenings

Now that Purim has come and gone, it's time to think about Passover. The children of the North Shore Hebrew School will be celebrating and learning about the seder in a very tasty style with a "Chocolate Seder" on Sunday, April 10th at school. For the rest of us the first seder is on Monday night, April 18th. If you don't have plans for a seder at home, consider joining others at a community seder at Congregation Ahabat Sholom ahabatsholom@gmail.com or Temple Sinai joshua.templesinai@gmail.com on the first night, or at Temple Shalom temples.287@gmail.com on the second night. Each promises to be an enjoyable festive evening of good food, good fellowship and the retelling of the Passover story. The entire North Shore Hebrew School family wishes everyone a very happy Passover.

A Taste of "Hineini!"

7th and 8th grade students and their parents are invited to come to the JCC on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 6:15PM for pizza, salads and a fun and informative session presenting the North Shore Hebrew School's new High School Program "Hineini!". This new High School Program will take place on Sunday mornings beginning March 6th, and is open to students in grades 7 and 8. Grade 6 students and their parents are also invited to the introductory session on Feb. 3. Come check out a sample lesson with an art project, get all the information, enjoy a light supper and sign up! For more information and to RSVP please contact hgreenbergnshs@yahoo.com so that we can properly prepare. This event and "Hineini!" are open to the community.

Serving her Country with Pride

The entire North Shore Hebrew School family is very proud of Sheerie Umansky, a graduate of our school currently serving in the US Army, who will be deployed to Afghanistan this January. We wish her good health and safety, and look forward to her safe return home.

Catch "the Spirit"!

We encourage everyone to visit and shop at Spirit of '76 Bookstore on the corner of Pleasant and School Streets, Marblehead on Thursday evening, November 18, 2010 between the hours of 6 and 8PM for all of your literary needs (think book club and Hanukkah gifts too). The store is generously donating 20% of all money spent during that time to the school. Please encourage your friends and neighbors to join you.

"Toe-dah!"

Todah is the Hebrew word for "thank you". We are saying thank you in advance for your assistance in a new tzedakkah (charity/social justice) project. The children of the North Shore Hebrew School are currently collecting pairs of new socks to be donated to local shelters servicing families. We often donate our outgrown and unused clothes to charities, but rarely do we give socks. Now that the seasons are changing, and our TOES are a bit colder, please think about the families whose TOES are also cold, but are not able to provide new warm socks for their children. Kindly bring pairs of new socks to the Hebrew School, or drop them at your temple office. We'll see to it that they get to the right hands....er, toes. Again, "TOE-DAH!"

Back to School:

It's hard to believe that the summer is over. School begins on Sunday, September 12 at 10AM. Please remember to bring your Boxtops for Education coupons with you. Whoever brings in the most will get a prize. So far, we have 171, but hope that we'll be able to turn in many more. This is an ongoing effort, so please ask you friends and families to help with this, and we hope that you'll continue to support this effort. You can see the full list of products by clicking on the website mentioned below.

May you all be inscribed for a very happy, healthy, safe, successful and peaceful New Year.

A Fundraiser that costs you NO MONEY:

How often does that happen? In an effort to raise money to offset our costs and provide special programs for our students, we ask everyone to help us by collecting and saving "Box Tops for Education" coupons, and bring them to school on the first day of classes in September. You can click on this link to see the full list of products: http://www.boxtops4education.com/Image.aspx?id=3878 These are items that we all use every day. The student who brings in the most coupons will receive a prize, and we'll have a special treat for everyone too. Each coupon is worth 10 cents, but it all adds up. This is an ongoing fundraiser. Last year we earned about $53.00. Let's beat that number. We'll keep you posted as to our progress, and thank you for your support.

It's Summertime!:

School is out for the summer. The officers, board and teachers of the North Shore Hebrew School are all extremely proud of all of our students and their accomplishments this year. Yasher koach to all on a job VERY well done!

Siyyum:

On Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 11:15AM, the students of the North Shore Hebrew School will be celebrating a "Siyyum" a completion of their studies. The most advanced reading group will receive their own paperback copies of Siddur Sim Shalom. We invite proud parents and grandparents for coffee and light refreshments, and to bear witness to this momentous occasion. We celebrate our students' accomplishments and wish them all "Yasher koach!" Please note that due to the JCC's triathalon that morning, there will be no parking on the hill. Please consult the map previously emailed to you. We also wish all the triatheletes well.

Shabbat at the Shore:

On Friday, May 21, 2010, the North Shore Hebrew School students and their families joined Rabbi Aaron Fine at Philip's Beach in Swampscott for Shabbat at the Shore. They ushered in the Sabbath Queen (a bit early so that those who wanted to could have a traditional Shabbat at home) with song, dance, prayer and the beauty of the New England coast. Families then enjoyed a bring your own dairy picnic supper. A great time was had by all. Who knew that the rabbi was such a good dancer?

"...and gifts to the needy"

On Sunday, March 14, 2010, the students of the NSHS helped fulfill the Purim mitzvah of giving gifts to the needy and the Pesach mitzvah of providing Pesachdik food for those who can't afford it. They joined Temple Sinai's social action committee led by Barbara Rosenstroch and George Gammel in filling 26 Pesach bags, one per family in need, with holiday basics generously donated by members of the community. The items donated included: matza, matza meal, jam, macaroons, cake mixes and other items to help provide an enjoyable holiday for those families.

Be Happy, It's Adar!!!

Because Adar is the month of Purim (14 Adar, Feb. 28), we should rejoice and see the lighter side of life all month long. In honor of this fact, the North Shore Hebrew School is marking this month in some special and unusual ways: Feb. 24: "Crazy Hair Day",March 3: "Backwards Day", March 7: "Pajama Day" including a treasure hunt and a special surprise. Purim day, February 28, will be marked by no school. We encourage all students and their families to participate in "Purim on the Hill" at the JCC that afternoon.

Can Passover be far behind?

Each year at the seder we recite "Ha lachma", an open invitation for all to celebrate the Passover feast. In recognition of the fact that not everyone is able to host a private seder, the affiliated congregations of the North Shore Hebrew School family are each hosting a seder. Congregation Ahabat Sholom and Temple Sinai will each be hosting a seder on the first night, March 29. Temple Shalom's seder will be on the second evening, March 30. Please check those congregations websites for all the details.

Shabbat Youth Service:

On Saturday, January 23, 2010, the students of the North Shore Hebrew School joined with other youth from Temple Sinai to participate in a Shabbat Youth Service. From the youngest children who opened and closed the ark to older students who participated in both English and Hebrew to post B'not Mitzva who were honored with aliyot to the Torah, everyone made us all proud. About 125 congregants were present to share in the joy of Shabbat with the students and enjoy a festive kiddush lunch. It was a truely intergenerational day.

Save the Date!

Reserve Saturday, March 6, 2010 for the North Shore Hebrew School's annual Goblet and Grape Gala at Temple Sinai, 1 Community Road, Marblehead, at 7:30PM. This will be an exciting evening to sample and order kosher for Passover wines from around the world provided by Market Wine and Spirits of Salem. Marblehead Chamber Strings will once again provide delightful classical background music while we enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres and desserts. Our silent and live auctions will feature overnight stays at the Liberty Hotel and the XV Beacon Hotel as well as an item from the Boston Red Sox, 4 seats in the "Fidelity Investments Clubhouse" at Gilette Stadium for the Patriots first home pre-season game, restaurant gift certificates and many other fabulous items. Admission is $36 in advance ($40 at the door), $118 for Sponsors (includes 2 admissions and recognition) and $236 for Patrons (includes 4 admissions and recognition).

Thank you to everyone who made this event successful!

Putting the "Mitts Back in Mitzvah"

During November and December of 2009, the students of the NSHS put the "Mitts Back in Mitzvah" by collecting new winter hats, scarves, gloves and mittens which were then donated to local shelters to make the winter season warmer and brighter for those in need. It was heartwarming to see the clothes line in the corridor of Temple Sinai fill up with a colorful assortment of winter wear.

Judaic Art Project

Over the course of three Sundays, Nancy Rozen, a talented local artist led the older students of our school in creating original glass Hanukkah menorot. The students worked diligently and produced outstanding works of art which were proudly displayed in Temple Shalom, Temple Sinai and Congregation Ahabat Sholom. They took them home in time to light them for Hanukkah. These are certain to be treasured ritual items to be used for many years to come. With the assistance of Lisa Marberblatt and Michele Rosenthal, the younger students made beautiful decoupaged glass Hanukkah plates which will also be a lasting family treasure to be used for many years.

Thank You for Making the NSHS 2009 Goblet & Grape Gala at Temple Sinai on March 7th a Great Success!

Due to the kind and generous support of many people, the 2009 Goblet & Grape Gala was a rousing success. Even in these difficult economic times, we had a wonderful turnout of people eager to sample and order kosher for Passover wines provided by Lynnway Liquors, nosh on a tasty array of appetizers and desserts expertly arrayed by Bonnie Weiss, listen to delightful classical music provided by the Marblehead Chamber Strings under the direction of Danielle Yeti, and bid on a varied selection of silent and live auction items. We extend many thanks to our dedicated committee and especially to all who attended in support of our Hebrew School. Please note that wine pickup will be on April 5th.

Great miracles were performed at our North Shore Hebrew School Hanukkah Party & Book Fair on Sunday, December 2, 2007!

Not only were children and adults alike enthralled with the magic and comedy of Don Ganz, but our students made their own star of David picture frames, played dreidel, and created Maccabee shield family coat of arms. We also enjoyed a wonderful musical presentation staged by Ellen Garfield and the students of the North Shore Hebrew School, and enjoyed some delicious latkes - as well as each other's company!

Thank you to everyone who came, and to everyone who made purchases to support the North Shore Hebrew School! Don't forget to mention our school if you make any purchases at Borders Books - we will receive a percentage of the sale! Thank you!

Ellen Garfield's prot?g?s performing their Hanukkah songs to the delight of family and friends!

Dondo the Magiclown (Don Ganz) dazzles all with his Hanukkah humor and slight of hand!

The kids just didn't stop laughing as Dondo performed!

Some of our students take a break from creating their stars of David to smile for the camera!

School got off to a great start on Sunday, September 9th, 2007!

First, families met in the small chapel for an opening day welcome and T?filah / music with Ellen Garfield.

Next, students went to their classrooms for ice breakers and an introduction to their class curriculums.

Then everyone came together in the social hall for community building projects!

Making tzedakah boxes.

After our community building projects, everyone enjoyed a Ben & Jerry's deluxe ice cream sundae social!

Mmmmm!

Click here to view pictures from our 2006 / 2007 year!

We are proud to be designated as a United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Framework for Excellence School

The Community Hebrew School of the North Shore, Inc., d/b/a North Shore Hebrew School, admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Our goal at the North Shore Hebrew School is to provide you with a website that is user friendly, and to give you the information you need to make informed decisions about your child's Jewish education. This website is maintained by Joan Miller, and hosted by Techevolution of Lynn, Massachusetts. If you have any questions or comments about this website, please click here.