Parent Page - December 2012

A New BeginningAt this point most Jewish communities around the world know about Mazel and the unscheduled remodeling that hurricane Sandy delivered us. We made the news in L.A and Israel and pretty much everywhere else where Jews get an internet connection or read the local Jewish paper. Now, that we are coming back stronger than we were before, we can look back and see what makes Mazel truly special.

On the day after the flood, when several dozen Mazel parents were already cleaning up the school and pumping out water, myself and two members from the MPA walked to PS 253, the public elementary school on the corner of Brighton 6th and Oceanview Ave, to see if we could borrow an additional water pump. When we walked in through the service door of the school we found two custodians sitting on tables in the middle of a flooded room. They were waiting on word from the city or their supervisors on how to proceed. There was no one else. In a school with 759 students, there did not seem to be any visible show of support from the parent body. This was in stark contrast to the scene at Mazel where several water pumps were found through parents and administrators, despite the inability of most other places to find even one pump. By later afternoon, less than 24 hours after the storm, all the excess water was pumped out of the school, a feat that could not have been possible if parents, teachers ,and administrators did not rise to the occasion hours after the storm which left some of their own homes badly damaged.

This is what makes Mazel and all the parents and teachers involved in the school unique. After witnessing the extensive show of support from parents, teachers, and the community around us there can be very little doubt that Mazel will continue to be a pillar of education and Jewish community outreach in South Brooklyn and beyond. Mazel Parent Page Executive Committee Mazel Parent Association

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MAZEL DAY SCHOOL

December: Kislev-Tevet 2012 ISSUE 17

In This Issue

B”H

Family Fun: Weekend Picks 2

Healthy Eating: Healthy Lunch for our Kids! 3

Chanukah: Chanukah for Adults 4

Chanukah: Lighting the menorah 5

Chanukah: Chanukah with your Child 6

Chanukah: Kids-friendly Dreidel games 8

Chanukah: Holiday Tips 9

Chanukah: Holiday Recipes 10

Chanukah: Fun Ideas for Chanukah memories 11

Parent Talk: Parent Interview 12

Book Selections of the Month 12

Humor: How to Stay Safe on the NYC Subway 13

Teacher Talk: Teacher Interview 14

It Worked for Me: Crafts 15

Sleep! The ABC’s of Getting Enough ZZZ’s 16

Letter: My Dear Dad 17

Pictures: Fall Parent Social 10/2012 18

Thank You 19

Upcoming Events

Dec 13

Dec 14

Dec 28-Jan 4

Chanukah Drum Tales for PreK through Grade 6,

4-6 pm

Chanukah Sing-a-long for PreNursery and

Nursery 9:30-11 am

Winter Break - School Closed

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Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center • Damrosch Park, 62nd St & Amsterdam Ave

• October 20- January 13

• Tickets from $25

The new show Legendarium celebrates the Big Apple Circus history with classic and novel thrills from masterful jugglers, breathtaking acrobats and trapeze artists, majestic horses, and hilarious clowns. The Big Top’s 35th season brings together amazing performers from around the world to take you on a trip through the decades of circus traditions.

“Harry Potter: The Exhibition” at Discovery Times Square• 226 W. 44th St. between 7th and 8th Ave

• November 3 – April 7

• $25 adults, $19.50 children (4-12)

Harry Potter enthusiasts are bound to enjoy stepping inside the magical world of Hogwarts and beyond at this 15,000 sq. ft. exhibition. The dramatic displays inspired by the film sets showcase more than 200 amazingly crafted models, costumes and props from all eight Harry Potter movies. Experience the fantasy firsthand as you walk through the Great hall and Gryffindor common room, spot the Marauder’s Map, toss a Quaffle in the Quidditch area, or encounter a Buckbeak the Hippogriff.

“Global Shoes” at Brooklyn Children’s Museum• 145 Brooklyn Avenue (at St. Marks Avenue), Brooklyn

• Through March 10, 2013

• Museum admission $9

Shoes, such seemingly mundane objects, can tell a lot about different cultures, and how traditional lifestyles affect the choice of the footwear. Through colorful exhibits, stories, and investigative games and workshops children explore the world of shoes. Not only they can view a huge variety

of shoes from around the world, read a book or two involving shoes, or watch a video of how shoes are made, but they can actually try various shoes from famous Dutch clogs to huge fireman boots. In the “factory” section of the exhibit they can also learn and participate in production of shoes from examining and selecting materials to designing their article to trying to construct the footwear from scratch.

Chanukah on Ice in Central Park Wollman Rink• Monday, December 10, 6-9 pm

• $22 adults/$18 child ages 3-13

• www.chanukaonicenyc.com

Skate under the stars on the beautiful backdrop of Central Park to Jewish music -what a fitting combination to celebrate Chanukah this season! To make sure the event a delight, Yeshiva University’s Maccabeats will be singing! Join the Chabad at the lighting of the giant handcarved ice menorah, and enjoy complimentary kosher food.

Chanukah delight! at Jewish Children’s Museum• 792 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn

• www.jcm.museum

• December 9-16, $13 ages 2 and up

All week long the Jewish Children’s Museum offers Chanukah programs the whole family. Watch a fire spinning performance by Dancing Djinn (Sunday 12/9 only), take part in a Chanukah game show, participate in an olive pressing workshop, enjoy a deep-fried cookie demonstration and tasting, or decorate your own donut. Guess how many dreidels in the Giant Dreidel Chocolate Gelt Menorah for a chance to win a sled-and-snow playset. Program varies by day.

WEEKEND PICKS

Family Fun By Elina Rokhkind

Community Chanukah Events

Grand Public Menorah Lighting • Saturday Night December 8 7:00pm

• Sunday December 9- Thursday December 13 5:30

• Friday December 14 1:45

• Saturday December 15 7:30

Doughnuts, Chanukah Gelt for Children and Music! Corner Coney Island and Brighton Beach Avenues in front of Chase Bank

Chanuka Party:• December 12th at 6:00 pm

• F.R.E.E. of Brighton Beach 2915 Brighton 6th Street

• $50 adult; $30 teen (ages 13-18); $10 child (ages 3-12)

Join the holiday celebration with buffet food, open bar, dreidel games, prizes, dancing, live music, magician, and more! Children will enjoy a separate program with games, activities, stories and dinner.

Bring your family and friends for a great night of celebration! We look forward to seeing you there!

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HOT ENTREES

• 20% Fish

• 20% Red Meat

• 40% Chicken

• 20% Vegetarian

HOT VEGETABLE

• One fresh vegetable each day, cooked vegetarian

• Soups

• Every day, made from scratch and vegetarian 90% of the time.

STARCH/GRAINS

• Whole Grains

• Whole Wheat Pastas

• Root Vegetables

SANDWICHES

• Vegetarian 70% of the time. Whole grain breads & wraps.

BEVERAGES

• 1% Milk

• Filtered Water

• Apple Juice

SALAD BARS

• Salad makings

• Raw fresh vegetables

• Raw fresh Fruit

• Vegetarian Proteins

• Composed Salad, dressings made from scratch every day.

SNACKS

• Fruits/vegetables

• Whole Grain crackers or rice cakes

HEALTHY LUNCH FOR OUR KIDS!

Healthy EatingBy Zoya Davydova

The Menu Strategy

Not long before the new school year, I received an email from Chani telling me that the school changed its lunch vendor to Benny’s Catering who agreed to provide freshly cooked lunch for our kids on a daily basis. Chani wanted to modify the standard menu they offer so it is healthier for our kids, and contacted me.

As a wellness professional and a mom, I was thrilled and extremely thankful. It is not a secret that American schools’ lunches have very bad reputation among health professionals and health conscious parents. School lunch programs bear at least partial responsibility for such problems as juvenile obesity, diabetes, Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention-Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

As parents, we are extremely lucky to have our kids in a school were the principal and teachers care about what goes into our kids’ bodies, want to prevent these common health problems among kids that are on the rise in America, and put our kids’ health before the school’s budget. Even though at Mazel School our kids were

always fed as healthfully as possible, Chani felt there is more that could be done.

Our plan was to provide kids with lunch that is:

• Flavorfully prepared from fresh and natural ingredients

• A good wide variety of choices so even picky kids can find what they can eat in good portion

• Balance of wholesome proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats, and made from scratch daily

• Cut portion size, hike up the flavor

• Healthy choices: salad bars with freshly made salad dressings

• Include foods that are not “kid food” to encourage kids to try new foods to widen and mature their palette

• Substitute fatty fried foods with oven roasted foods

• On tour in the classrooms: teachers support classroom learning and give positive reinforcement

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Chanukah, like all Jewish holidays, celebrates much more than a story that happened long ago. It celebrates a message that is relevant to us today; a message that can translate into a ‘power tool’ for us to incorporate into our psyches to use to become our best selves.

Historically, the Chanukah story celebrates a military victory over the Greek Syrian armies. King Antiochus and his Greek Syrian army inherited the region (which included the Land of Israel) from Alexander the Great and, as was his custom, forced his conquests to give up their values and to adopt his narcissistic and non-G-dly ways. The Jews resisted and ultimately succeeded in getting back their land and freedom to practice our own religion. At the face of it, the Jewish army was virtually powerless in the face of the mighty Greek Syrian army, but they were armed with a strong belief in what they were fighting for, and that gave them the strength they needed.

The celebration of Chanukah is about their victory for the right to practice Judaism—completely and fully as their fathers before them and their ancestors before that. The Maccabees were determined to gain that right, and they fought an impossible war. In the end, they won. In the end, Judaism won!

It is that right, that pride in our heritage, in our traditions, in our Mitzvot that they fought for, and that is what we celebrate every year. It’s not about the presents. It’s not about the Chanukah songs. And it certainly is not an antidote to all the festivities of the December season.

We light the menorah in the windows to declare to ourselves and the world that Judaism has persevered and that we are proud to be Jewish. We celebrate who we are. Despite all the challenges through the millennia, we Jews are still here. And we teach that to our children who will teach it to their children for generations to come. We are heirs to a priceless legacy of history– and we are proud.

So, while the timing of Chanukah may be in proximity to the holidays of other religions, celebrating Chanukah should not be thought of as an alternative to those holidays. Don’t compare; those holidays have been secularized and commercialized so that they seem more exciting than the holiday itself. Chanukah is about focusing on maintaining and strengthening our Jewish identity in the face of the strong allurement of other cultures.

Happy Chanukah!

CHANUKAH FOR ADULTS

Chanukah

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On each of the 8 nights of Chanukah, we light the menorah (also known as a chanukiah) to commemorate and publicize the miracles of Chanukah. This year, we start lighting the menorah on Saturday night after nightfall, December 8, 2012.

Menorah Lighting How Tos• The basic elements of a kosher menorah are eight holders for oil or candles and an additional holder, set apart from the rest, for the shamash (“attendant”) candle—the one with which we light all the other candles.

• The Chanukah lights can either be candle flames or oil-fueled.

• The eight candles of the menorah must be arranged in a straight, even line, not in a zigzag or with some lights higher than others.

• Electric menorahs are great for display purposes, and are a wonderful medium for publicizing the Chanukah miracle. But the Chanukah lights used to fulfill the mitzvah should be real flames fueled by wax or oil – like the flames in the Holy Temple.

• The Menorah is traditionally placed by the window or the door to publicize the miracle of Chanukah.

1. Arrange the lights on the menorah. Ensure that there is enough oil, or that the candles are big enough, for the lights to burn until half an hour after nightfall (or, if lighting after nightfall, for one half hour). On the first night, set one candle to the far right of the menorah. On the following night, add a second light to the left of the first one, and then add one light each night of Chanukah - moving from right to left.

2. Gather everyone in the house around the menorah.

3. Light the shamash candle. Then hold it in your right hand (unless you are left-handed).

4. While standing, recite the appropriate blessings.

5. Light the candles. Each night, light the newest (left-most) candle first and continue lighting from left to right. (We add lights to the menorah from right to left, while we light from left to right.)

THE BLESSINGS

Before lighting the Chanukah candles, we thank G-d for giving us this special mitzvah, and for the incredible Chanukah miracles.

Ba•ruch A•tah A•do•nai E•lo•hei•nu Me•lech ha•o•lam a•sher ki•de•sha•nu be•mitz•vo•tav ve•tzi•va•nu le•had•lik ner Cha•nu•kah.

[Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Chanukah light.]

Ba•ruch A•tah A•do•nai E•lo•hei•nu Me•lech ha•o•lam she•a•sa ni•sim la•a•vo•tei•nu ba•ya•mim ha•hem bi•z’man ha•zeh.

[Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days, at this time.]

On the first night of Chanukah, Saturday night after nightfall, December 8, 2012 (or the first time on Chanukah you perform this mitzvah), add the following blessing:

Ba•ruch A•tah A•do•nai E•lo•hei•nu Me•lech ha•o•lam she•he•che•ya•nu ve•ki•yi•ma•nu ve•hi•gi•a•nu liz•man hazeh.

[Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.]

LIGHTING THE MENORAH

Chanukah

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CHANUKAH WITH YOUR CHILD

Chanukah 2012

This year, Chanukah begins Saturday night, December 8 for eight nights and days through December 16 (last night of Chanukah is December 15).

Chanukah (or Hanukkah) is one of the most widely celebrated Jewish holidays in the world. Chanukah – like all Jewish holidays – is quite the multi-sensory, joyful celebration. With the Menorah, dreidels, and latkes and donuts.

With this in mind, it is worthwhile to think about how you want to bring the spirit and traditions of Chanukah to your family in order to create enjoyable, cherished memories of a tradition your children will want to continue. Here are some points to consider:

• Don’t overwhelm your child with too much information. Add some more every year in order to ensure that he understands it and will continue to be stimulated.

• Review your own family’s traditions and decide how you will incorporate them. (Here we include some traditions, your own family may have other traditions too.)

Countdown to Chanukah: Prepare your family for a meaningful Chanukah

It is definitely worthwhile to think about how a child-friendly Chanukah experience will be played out. This will take some extra planning, but the rewards and Nachas are worth it!

• Prepare your child for all aspects of Chanukah. Children generally behave and participate better when they are aware of what will be happening. Consider doing a run-through, so that he is very prepared.

• Your child has learned about Chanukah in school. Talk to him and help bridge the gap between the learning that is taking place in school to what will be happening on Chanukah in your family. Your youngster can also help in preparing for Chanukah, especially in the areas that he has learned about in school.

• Children learn best when they ask the questions and then explore the answers together with the teacher or parent. Set provocations to encourage your children to ask questions. In the days before Chanukah, place the menorah in a prominent place in the house. Then, explore the answers together. Reward your child(with appropriate praise) for questions he asks and the answers he gives.

• Start playing and singing Chanukah music in the days leading up to Chanukah, so that everyone knows them. Consider making song sheets for everyone.

• Create opportunities for your child to show everyone his creations from school. Perhaps stagger it throughout the days of Chanukah. Designate a place for your child to set up his creations that he has made in school.

• Build up the excitement to Chanukah. Every morning or evening, countdown to Chanukah. Count the number of days using a calendar. Mark off each date.

• Together with your child, buy candles for the Menorah, choose recipes, buy sprinkles for donut making.

• Read Chanukah books together. Look at old family pictures of Chanukah celebrations.

Creating your own Chanukah traditions

• Tell of your own Chanukah memories.

• Skype or video conference with family as you light your menorah. Sing the blessings together.

Chanukah

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ChanukahChanukah parties and children

• Tell your child all the details of the party in advance—who will be there, what will be happening. As appropriate, plan for activities that you know will keep your child engaged. Make sure that there are some (healthy) foods that your child likes.

• If the party will go on past your child’s bedtime, try to get him to take a nap earlier in the day. Or plan to leave earlier or send him home to a babysitter.

• It’s a party, allow your child to eat some foods that you normally you might not allow.

If you are the one hosting the party

• Choose the date early so as not to conflict with other parties. Check for the dates and times of Community events.

• Start the party early if you really want your child to be a part of the festivities.

• Assign or ask someone to be responsible to watch

your child; don’t expect that he’ll be watched by just ‘everyone and anyone’ at the party.

• Include your child in choosing the decorations, party goods and menu.

Chanukah As Your Child Grows

• Create a Holiday or Chanukah memory box. Keep the items that your child has made and look at them together as your child grows up.

• Create an album that kids can add to each year. Take pictures or video of your child helping to light the Menorah. Take pictures of the wonderful things your child has created in school that you cannot keep.

Sharing Chanukah with others

• Go as a family to bring donuts or latkes or cookies to those in senior centers or homes for the underprivileged. (First check about dietary restrictions and adapt recipes accordingly.) Bring them cheer. Help your children connect with the older generation.

• Bake cookies in shapes of Chanukah items – menorah, dreidel, candles, etc. Add icing, sprinkles, or whatever you have on hand. Then, share with others.

• Bring a menorah and candles to someone who might otherwise not light the menorah. Tell them about Chanukah events in the community.

• Invite friends and family to join you at a Chanukah party.

CHANUKAH WITH YOUR CHILD

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KIDS-FRIENDLY DREIDEL GAMES

ChanukahThe dreidel, or sevivon, which means “to turn around” in Hebrew, has a Hebrew letter on each of its four sides. The nun, gimmel, hay and shin stand for the saying, “Nes Gadol Haya Sham,” which translates to “a great miracle occurred there.” “There” referring to Israel, and “the great miracle” referring to the miracle of Chanukah, of course.

The classic game of Dreidel

• You need a dreidel and some sort of pile of items such as pennies, beans, tokens, jelly beans.

• Each player puts one item from his pile of tokens into the center, making a pile called the ‘pot’.

• The first player spins the dreidel; the letter that comes up determines what to do:

the player does nothing- (Nun) נ

the player takes the pot and everyone- (Gimmel) גputs in one more item before the next player spins

the player takes half of the pot - (Hay) ה

the player puts one item into the pot - (Shin) ש

TIPS:

• Set a timer or time limit, or the game can go on forever.

• Young children can simply throw the dreidel down gently (like dice).

• Bring several different dreidels to the game and allow the children to choose a different dreidel for each round.

• No need to count the tokens to ‘find the winner’; whoever played is a winner.

Variations for children

1. Start off each player with 10 tokens and the pot starts with 10 tokens too. Child spins.

the player does nothing - (Nun) נ

the player takes 2 tokens from the pot - (Gimmel) ג

the player takes 1 token from the pot - (hay) ה

the player puts one item into the pot - (shin) ש

2. The child spins and graphs how many times the dreidel fell on each letter.

3. Before each round, the child guesses which letter the dreidel will fall on. If he guesses correctly, he gets a token. (You can also allow the children to guess 2 letters to give him a 50-50 chance of winning on that round.

4. The leader spins the dreidel. All the students spin their dreidels. Those whose letter matches that of the leader remain in the game and get a token. Continue for a few rounds.

5. Two (or more) players spin the dreidel at the same time. If they both land on the same letter, then they each collect one token from each of the other players, and also do whatever that letter indicates.

6. Two or more players spin their dreidels at the same time. If the dreidels hit each other, those players each get an extra token (and everyone can applaud.)

Some book and music suggestions

Chanukah songs and Music CDs:

• Shirrettes– Cha Cha Chanukah

• Hooked on Chanukah

• Paul Zim Chanukah

• It was a Miracle by Andi Joseph

Chanukah Books

• Hoppy Chanukah

• Hannukah- counting book

• Chanukah Story for Night Number Three

• Sammy Spider’s First Chanukah

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Kids in the Kitchen As food is such an important part of life and holiday celebrations, include your child in the fun.

• Young children can peel the potatoes (or other vegetables) using a peeler. They can grate the potatoes using a hand held safety grater (available at gourmet cooking stores).

• Your child can pour in the eggs and measure other ingredients into the mixing bowl. Allow him to mix.

• Explain to your child that only an adult can use appliances such as the food processor or blender. You may want to put an X of masking tape on the appliance.

• Reiterate to your child that he cannot come near the stove or oven. You may want to put masking tape on the floor to mark off a safety zone.

• You child can decorate the donuts, blot out the oil from the latkes, etc.

• If cooking oil catches fire, turn off the gas or electric. Do not throw water on it; that will cause the oil to splatter.

Kids & fire safety Traditionally, the menorah is lit with candles or oil and real fire. Here are some fire safety tips to keeping safe.

• Discuss the powers of fire, and that it is dangerous. Adults work with fire so carefully. So only adults can work with fire.

• Teach your child not to stand closer than 3 feet to the menorah after lighting the menorah. You can show this with a measuring tape. Place your menorah in its spot and then allow your child to measure 3 feet. Place a piece of masking tape to mark the spot that he must not cross. (Kids love measuring things, especially with the retractable measuring tapes.)

• The menorah should be placed higher than the reach of toddlers. Measure the height of a toddler with outstretched arm. Use a measuring tape with your child.

• The Menorah should not be too close to the curtains, plants, window shades, books—by at least 3 feet. Your child can use the measuring tape to measure that.

• The table on which the menorah is placed should be steady. Place cup of water on the place where you want to put the menorah. Kids should jump near to the table. Did the water spill over? Is the table steady enough?

• Place aluminum foil under menorah to catch dripped oil, or in case a candle falls over.

• Do not light candle with loose sleeves, or loose bracelets.

• Never leave a menorah unattended. Make sure the smoke detector in your home works. Put matches away so your children cannot reach it.

• In case of fire, your child should know how to call 911 - and practice dialing that on inoperable phones. (Explain that we are practicing and never to use on a real phone if there isn’t a fire. Before each child practices on the phone, He should say ‘this is just for practice. I am practicing on a phone that is not really calling 911’.)

HOLIDAY TIPS

Chanukah

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CHANUKAH RECIPES

ChanukahOil played a significant role in the Chanukah story—the small jug of oil that miraculously provided fuel for the Temple Menorah for eight days. It is a Jewish tradition to eat foods that reflect the significance of a holiday – such as matzah on Passover, and apple dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah – and Chanukah is no exception. For at least the last thousand years, Jews have traditionally eaten oily foods on Chanukah.

Among the most popular Chanukah dishes are potato latkes (pancakes) and sufganiot (deep-fried doughnuts).

Latkes for ChanukahINGREDIENTS: 4 medium Idaho potatoes; 6 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil; 3 eggs, beaten; 2 tablespoons matzoh meal; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper; Applesauce or sour cream (optional) YIELDS: 8 servings

INSTRUCTIONS: Peel and grate the potatoes. Add eggs, matzoh meal, salt and pepper and mix well. Drop 6 to 8 spoonfuls of mixture into hot oil. Using the back of a spoon, pat down each latke to flatten it. Put as many as you can in the skillet without crowding. Fry 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden and crisp around the edges; repeat procedure until finished with all the batter. Blot excess oil with paper towels.

Serve warm with applesauce or sour cream, if desired.

TIPS:

• Avoid the discoloration of the potatoes. When peeled potatoes are exposed to air, “oxidation turns the potatoes gray. So get everything else ready (line up your equipment and prep your other ingredients) before you start peeling, slicing and shredding the potatoes. If you peel the potatoes before making latkes, put them in water between peeling and shredding to prevent oxidizing and discoloring.

• Onions can help block oxidation by coating some of the potato cells. Alternate adding potatoes and onion to the mixture rather than doing all the potatoes first.

• Avoid soggy latkes. Squeeze out the water from the potato/ onion mixture before adding the rest of the ingredients.

• Get the oil to the right heat. Drop a few drop of water into the oil; if it sizzles, it’s hot enough. If the oil is not hot enough, it will take longer to fry and get more oily. Make sure there is enough oil in the pan (about 1/2 the height of the latke).

• Don’t crowd the pan. Allow space around each latke. A crowded pan lowers the heat of the oil and takes longer to cook, thus making the latke more oily.

• The latkes are ready to turn over when the edges are golden brown (about 3-4 minutes) .

• Allow the oil to drain on a paper towel. Place newspaper or paper towel under a cooling rack and then paper towels on the rack. In this way, the oil can drain and not be absorbed back into the latkes.

• To keep the latkes crisp, after draining the oil, place the latkes into a baking sheet and put back into the oven to keep warm and crisp.

Donuts for ChanukahINGREDIENTS: 1 3/4 ounces fresh yeast; 1 1/2 cups warm water; 1 Tbsp. sugar; 3 eggs; 1/2 cup oil; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup non dairy creamer; 1 tsp. vanilla extract; 1 tsp. grated lemon peel; 6 to 7 cups of flour (also oil for frying and confectioners’ sugar) USE: 2-quart pot YIELDS: 5 to 6 dozen doughnuts

INSTRUCTIONS: In a large mixer bowl: place eggs, oil, sugar, nondairy creamer, vanilla, and grated lemon peel. Add yeast mixture; add flour until soft dough is formed. (Dough need not be dry; it should be softer than challah dough.) Knead for a few minutes. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Roll out dough 1/2-inch thick on floured surface. Cut out circles with a doughnut cutter.

Place 2 or 3 inches oil in a 2-quart saucepan and heat over a medium flame until hot. Place four doughnuts at a time in the oil. Brown on one side and then on the other. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain and cool on paper towels. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Note: To test if dough is ready for rolling, place a small piece in a glass of water-if the dough floats to the top, it is ready.

TIPS:

• Make small donut ‘holes’ rather than full size donuts (less calories, and less half eaten donuts).

• Fill syringes with jelly (use seedless jelly, and you may want to water it down a drop) and your child can fill the donut.

• Decorate the cookies or donuts with colored sugar. Reduce the mess by putting the sugar in salt shakers.

• Allow the oil to drain on a paper towel. Place newspaper or paper towel under a cooling rack and then paper towels on the rack. In this way, the oil can drain and not be absorbed back into the latkes.

• To keep the latkes crisp, after draining the oil, place the latkes into a baking sheet and put back into the oven to keep warm and crisp.

A FEW OTHER IDEAS

• Make sugar cookies. Roll out the dough and use Chanukah shaped cookie cutters.

• Set a timer or time limit, or the children will play with the donut-filling syringes or sprinkles forever.

• Make chocolate coins. Buy the chocolate/ candy molds and melt chocolate.

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Choose a different theme for every night.

• Sing-off. Sing all types of Chanukah songs. Make it fun with karaoke and microphones.

• Doughnut Night. After dinner, make doughnuts with your child. Allow him to fill them or decorate them. Younger children are happy just sifting confectioners sugar over the doughnuts. Others may like to dip the doughnuts into chocolate and then sprinkles.

• Latkes Night. Bring your children into the kitchen with you to help you make latkes. They can peel potatoes, pour in the eggs, etc. and then blot off some of the oil from the fried latkes. (See below for kitchen safety tips).

• Publicizing the Menorah. Using reflector tape, create a menorah on the back of your and your child’s jacket. Just walk around the neighborhood (walking off all those doughnuts) and you’ll be publicizing the miracle of the Menorah.

• Story night. Tell your own Chanukah stories, your own memories of Chanukah as a child, in college, etc.

• Dreidel night. Play dreidel (Lots of child-appropriate dreidel games on next pages).

• Recreate the story of Chanukah. Use the props your child has made in school, or create your own. Video it. Create family memories.

• Tzedakah night. Collect money or items from friends and family and discuss to whom you will donate it.

• Donut/ Latke Wars. Ask all guests to bring their donuts or latkes for taste testing. Judge on presentation, taste and whatever else makes it fun for you. Then share recipes. (Make them small so you don’t end up eating too many donuts.)

• Healthy Food night. Provide different healthy foods, such as vegetables and rice cakes and allow your child to create menorahs and dreidels of the food.

• Chanukah Party night

• Chanukah Present night

Other games for children

• Hide dreidels or pictures of dreidels around the room. See how many they can find. (You can also do this with chocolate coins or cookies, but then you’d want to remember where all were in case your child didn’t find them, or other critters may find them.)

• Make up silly stanzas to the traditional “I have a little dreidel I made it out of clay”.

ChanukahFUN IDEAS FOR CHANUKAH MEMORIES

Some more books

It’s Hanukkah Time

A Touch of Chanukah

A Chanukah Story for Night Number Three

Harvest of Light

Nine Spoons (older children)

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By Alla Barsky

Interview with Lydia Tripolsky M.D.

Born in Russia, Lydia arrived to United States with her family in 2000. She graduated Stavropol State Medical Academy with a specialization in Pediatrics and completed her Pediatric Residency training at Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, a part of Long Island Jewish Hospital system. Now, Lydia works as a Pediatric

Attending Physician at the outpatient clinic at Staten Island University Hospital. Lydia’s husband, Erik Linzer, is an investment advisor. They have a son, Edward who is 2 years old, currently attending Pre-Nursery 1 class and are expecting twins in January 2013. Lydia and her family live in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Q. How did you choose your profession? A. Well, my mother was a pediatrician and I was always interested in medicine, especially pediatrics. I became a pediatrician before coming to this country, back in Russia. When I came, it was natural that I pursue the same field. I think that it is very important to do something you enjoy.

Q. How did you find out about Mazel Day School? A. I wanted to give my son a Jewish education. I was looking for a school which could give him a deep understanding of his roots, traditions and heritage that we were denied back in Russia. That was the main deciding factor. My friend,

Yelena Favel whose daughter Mariella attends nursery now introduced me to Mazel and I was very impressed with what I saw.

Q. And what do you think of Mazel now? A. I love it. The school is very well organized and I like how well the children are treated. Starting school was a bit of a difficult adjustment for Edward, as well as for the whole family, but he likes school now and has adjusted well. I am impressed how patient and motherly his teachers, Morah Frumie Druzin and Morah Shoshana Rafaelova, are with “their” children. This opinion is shared by all my family.

Q. As a pediatrician, do you have any advice for parents to aid in cold/flu prevention? A. Yes. First and foremost - get a flu shot! There are two flu vaccines available now. The first is the inactivated intramuscular injection, called Fluzone. It is used for children from the age of 6 months. It should not be given to children suffering from certain neurological diseases or people currently experiencing flu symptoms with fever of 100.4 F or higher. The second vaccine is a live attenuated intranasal spray, called Flumist. It can be given starting from 2 years old. Please share with your doctor if your child has any allergies( especially eggs), recent illness with cough and wheezing - it can help in decision about the choice of vaccine. So, see your doctor and get a flu shot if there is no contradictions!

Besides the flu vaccine, there are some general precautions that can be taken to decrease viral infection transmission. These include frequent hand-washing, avoiding close contact with the sick child to prevent infection( especially for infants less then 6 weeks old), early identification of sick children to help minimize disease spread in the group. Early warning signs of an infection, such as the flu, include sneezing, congestion, runny nose, cough, body aches, decreased appetite and fever.

PARENT INTERVIEW

Parent Talk

By Ilona DektorBook Selections of the Month

Llama LlamaTime to ShareAUTHOR: ANNA DEWDNEYAGE GROUP: 3-5 YEARS

This adorable book is fun to read aloud and helpful for any child that needs a little bit of encouragement in sharing. The story is a humerous and relatable tale of the joy of learning to share with friends. With its colorful illustrations and rhyming language, it’ll surely become a favorite book of your little one!

By Ilona Dektor

By Gennady Favel

It’s Friday, and your work week is almost over. You daydream about the weekend and how you’ll go window shopping at the Old Navy. Not that you can actually afford to buy anything, but what the hell, one can always dream. You close down the adorable spreadsheet presentation that you’ve been working on for the last six days, the one that no one except your cat will ever look at, and begin gathering your things. Not so fast! Your boss appears out of nowhere to notify you that the coffee machine is making a weird noise and you need to investigate. It crosses your mind to inform him that coffee maker repair was not part of your MBA curriculum, but quickly remembering your pathetic unemployed friends, your bow your head down in servitude and begin searching for Coffee Maker Repair on HowStuffWorks.com. After about four hours of tinkering, you fix the problem, the coffee maker no longer makes the weird noise, however, it also no longer makes coffee. You pat yourself on the back for a job well done and run out the door.

You run down the street and into the subway station. It’s late, and the dangers of the subway are now at an elevated level. You already know that it’s always wise to go into the first train car, at least there you can bang on the train operator’s door and beg for help in case someone gives you a dirty look. But as you enter the platform a train is already there and you jump into first train car you reach. The doors shut. You thank your lucky stars thinking that at least you’ll be home to catch the second half of a Seinfeld rerun. Big mistake! You notice that the train car is empty, almost empty that is. At the left end of the car you spot

several suspicious individuals talking loudly about what sounds to be rap music. “Why couldn’t they be Lady Gaga fans” you think to yourself. To your ever growing horror you also realize that one of the men has his left jean pant rolled up and you’ve watched enough Law and Order episodes to know that this is a clear sign of gang affiliation.

The man with the rolled up pants spots you and begins pointing. What do you do? Should you approach, and tell him that he can get much nicer pants at the Old Navy? No. He probably already knows that. Your plan of action should be to stall as long as possible so you can get out at the next stop and spend half your paycheck on a taxi to safely take you home. First, try talking to yourself while blinking uncontrollably, they might take you for a loon and leave you alone. Second, pretend you are doing something, like looking at the subway map. They might not want to rob you while you are concentrating on a task. Finally, if all else fails turn the table on your would be attackers and offer your money to them before they utter a word. Caught off guard by your generosity, the man with the rolled up pant might forget the fact he was about to dish out a prison-style beat down or the more likely fact that he was just about to ask you for the time.

HOW TO STAY SAFE ON THE NYC SUBWAY

Humor

Wonder (a chapter book)AUTHOR: RJ PALACIO AGE GROUP: 8-12 YEARS

This NY Times Bestseller, is an endearing story of a boy named Auggie. Auggie was born with a severe facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school. After years of homeschooling, his parents have enrolled him in fifth grade. Auggie wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid, but his classmates have a hard time getting past his unusual face. And so the reader is taken on an extraordinary journey of a triumphant year in Auggie’s life. The story is a lesson in empathy, compassion, and acceptance. Moreover, in a world where bullying is an epidemic, this story spreads a feeling of hope and the message that “you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out”.

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Interview with Morah Mushky Okunov

Morah Mushky is an experienced teacher of Judaic and Hebrew Language studies. She attended an Intensive Teacher’s Training Program at the Beth Rivkah College as well as Training Institute for a Hebrew fluency program known as Tel Am. She dedicates time and effort towards achieving her students’ fulfillment and displays sensitivity to the individual student’s specific needs. She

connects with students, parents and colleagues using sophisticated interpersonal and communication skills. Morah Mushky is a Hebrew and Judaic Studies teacher in First and Second grades.

Q. How did you decide to become a teacher? A. You could say teaching is in my blood! My father is a Principal of a boys’ yeshiva and my mother runs a Sunday Hebrew program. Since I was young, I watched her teach, eventually started helping out and it was natural for me to choose teaching as a profession. I have to say that I really love teaching, especially the age group I now work with. This is such a cute age – children are still little but have already developed their own personalities. You can already discuss things with them. This is a very fulfilling job for me.

I enjoy teaching and take pleasure watching my students grow in their studies. I like to observe and help them develop their social skills through their building of strong and healthy relationships with their peers. When students apply enough effort on their studies, and teachers as well as parents assist the students in a meaningful manner, all children can certainly succeed in their own unique way. Children need to be taught that work amounts to success and you cannot have one without the other. It is essential to motivate the children with positive feedback and encouragement to help boost their confidence in their work. My goal this year is to teach the children about their Jewish roots, holidays, and traditions so they can be proud Jewish children.

Q. How did you find Mazel Day School? A. I am actually related to the Okonovs’, so I was eager to try out for a position at Mazel and was very excited when I was hired! I have to say, I really like this school. It’s a very professional, well-run organization, where everybody is working toward a common goal. I have worked in another school before joining Mazel, and I think that it has a very nice work atmosphere. Mazel Day School is intended to accommodate families of varying degrees of religious observance and I find that it succeeds at that

Q. What do you like to do in your free time? A. I’m a very family-oriented person, so I like to hang out with my family, cook, bake, spend time with friends.

Q. Can you relate a memorable experience from your own school days? A. As a child I recall sitting in class while my teachers taught about the Jewish Holidays. I would eagerly anticipate sharing my new information with my family during out holiday meals. I would joyfully display crafts I meticulously worked on and the colorful workbooks that we used as our source to learn about the Holiday.

Q. What do you think parents can do to further their children’s education? A. First and foremost, parents can encourage their children to try and succeed in school. At the end of the day, children listen to parents more than to teachers; parents are their children’s heroes. When parents reinforce the message children hear from teachers in school, it becomes that much more effective.

By Alla BarskyTEACHER INTERVIEW

Teacher Talk

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By Anna RakhlisCRAFTS

It Worked for MeChanukah Card Craft With Cut Paper

Here’s a fun Chanukah card craft using cut paper that’s oh so simple and yet the results are just beautiful, don’t you think? I always love cut paper, and am so happy to found a use for it this Hanukkah! And of course, this is a great project for any age.....just look at the great little works of art my seven and nine year olds did (mine is the purple one)!

YOU’LL NEED: colorful card stock; a glue stick, or white craft glue; scissors

HOW TO: Start with a little art lesson explaining the beauty of simple shapes and combining colors, and get to work. No instructions necessary here, right? And of course, if you don’t need any Hanukkah cards, so how about some beautiful works of art to hang around the house?

Treasure Hunt Map

Create a fun game by drawing out a map of your campsite or backyard. Have someone hide several “treasures” around the location, then go out and collect them!

YOU’LL NEED: Large piece of drawing paper; crayons; treasures to hide and be found; stop watch; paper lunch bag or plastic grocery bag; brown paint; water; paintbrush

HOW TO: 1. First survey the campground area or backyard that you

would like to use for your treasure hunt.

2. Take a piece of paper and a pencil with you to jot down notes so you can create your map.

3. Draw out your map and decide where the “treasures” will be hidden.

4. Mark hiding spots with a red or pink “X”.

5. Age your map by carefully crumpling it up in your hands. Open it back up then crumple it again.

6. Tear the edges of the paper to give it a worn look.

7. Add a small amount of brown paint (about the size of a dime) to 2 tablespoon of water. Mix together and use the watered down paint to darken the edges of your map. Water the mixture down even more and paint the entire map. Let dry in the sun.

8. Go and hide your treasures. Some ideas might include a small stuffed toy, a plastic fork, a stick with a scrap of material tied to it, and so on.

9. Make a list of the treasure that need to be found and any additional instructions. For example, in addition to finding the treasures, one instruction may by to stop at

the big rocks by the water and use a bucket (that you placed there) to collect some water. Use the water in the bucket to water a tree.

10. To play the game, you can either tell the player what they are looking for or give them a list. Hand them the map and paper bag. They are to use the pink or red X’s to find their treasures. Start the stopwatch and end it when they return with all the treasures. The player with the best time wins!

TIPS: Be careful what you use as treasures. Be sure you remember where you put them so that they can be removed. You want to leave nature as you found it! Do not use food as a treasure. This can attract ants, bugs and even other animals. Roll up your treasure map and tie it with a piece or cord or string to save it for next time!

Dough Handprints

Create a classic keepsake of a child’s handprint with this easy Dough Handprint craft.

YOU’LL NEED: 2 cups of flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup water, food coloring, ribbon; gold marker; wax paper HOW TO: 1. Add food coloring to the water. I use pink for girls, blue

for boys.

2. Mix all ingredients well, kneading until smooth. Dough should be pretty stiff, not soft or runny or it will fill with air bubbles when baking.

3. Form dough into a ball, of about what you can enclose in your two hands, and form into a round smooth ball.

4. Using a rolling pin with the dough on wax paper, roll out into as round of a circle as you can. Dough will be about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Press your child’s hand with fingers splayed into the dough.

6. Depending on child’s age, you will have to help and individually press their fingers. Make sure to press deep enough without going completely to the bottom. (When it bakes it tends to raise the handprint up.)

7. Put on a cookie sheet.

8. Use a chop stick or pencil, etc. to make two holes in the top about 1/2 inch apart. This will be used to string the ribbon through.

9. Bake at 200 degrees for about 2-3 hours. Dough should be fairly hard but watch to see that it doesn’t burn.

10. When they are done and cooled, use a gold marker pen and write the child’s name and date (year). I put the child’s name on top and the year on bottom, if there is room. If not, I put name on one side and year on one side. I tie a ribbon at the top (blue or pink - or gold) to use as a loop to hang.

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By Ilona Dektor

Aahh.. the feeling you get when your long, busy, and stressful day winds down and dusk inevitably takes over the sky. In our house, we call it “countdown” - as in 1 hour to bedtime for the kids! Inevitably, like clockwork, in the last 60 minutes of the day, my kids can devise a laundry list of requests and excuses (for staying up) so elaborate, its enough to keep anyone awake until the wee hours of the morning! From what I’ve heard, many of our kids belong to this army of sleep protestors, and so began my active pursuit of a stress free bedtime routine and a longer night sleep for all! Not entirely surprising - it turns out that parental sanity is just one, comparatively small benefit of getting children to sleep early.

Research shows that getting good sleep leads to improved concentration, better processing of information, stronger memory skills, as well as better behavior in children. A study conducted at the University of Minnesota found that “A” students got an average of 30 more minutes of sleep per night than students who regularly scored “D”s. Children simply must have a sufficient amount of sleep to grow, develop, and function optimally. In his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Marc Weissbluth, MD, provides these insightful comments on the functions of sleep:

“Sleep is the power source that keeps your mind alert and calm. Every night and at every nap, sleep recharges the brain’s battery. Sleeping well increases brainpower just as weight lifting builds stronger muscles, because sleeping well increases your attention span and allows you to be physically relaxed and mentally alert at the same time. Then you are at your personal best.”

Consequently, lack of adequate sleep in children can lead to detrimental, and at times permanent consequences. Scientists theorize that sleep problems during formative years can cause permanent changes in a child’s brain structure: damage that one can’t sleep off like a hangover. Both the immediate and long term effects of sleep deprivation in children are quite devastating. Effects can range from childhood obesity, to attention and behavior issues, to difficulty with impulse control, to loss

of creativity and motivation. Experts believe that tired children can’t remember what they just learned, because neurons lose their plasticity, becoming incapable of forming the synaptic connections necessary to encode a memory. A different mechanism causes children to be inattentive in class. Sleep loss hinders the body’s ability to extract glucose from the bloodstream. Without this stream of basic energy, the prefrontal cortex portion of the brain cannot properly function; this portion of the brain is responsible for “executive function.” Executive functions included the ability to form thoughts to fulfill a goal, the prediction of outcomes, and perceiving consequences of actions. A tired brain perseverates—it gets stuck on a wrong answer and can’t come up with a more creative solution, repeatedly returning to the same answer it already knows is erroneous. Sounds pretty awful, right? Wait, there’s more!

Sleep loss increases the hormone ghrelin, which signals hunger, and decreases leptin, which suppresses appetite. Sleep loss also elevates the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol stimulates your body to make fat. Human growth hormone is also disrupted. Normally secreted as a big pulse at the beginning of sleep, growth hormone is essential for the breakdown of fat. Point being, lack of adequate sleep may lead to weight problems in children,and can potentially result in obesity.

Let’s focus on solutions — as parents, what can we do to ensure our children are getting an adequate amount of sleep?

For toddlers and preschoolers sleep problems include procrastinating and resisting bedtime, getting out of their beds when they wake at night, and developing night fears. Try sticking to a bedtime routine and sleep schedule, make sure your kids understand the rules and be consistent about enforcing them. Also, using a night light or lovely/blanky can comfort kids who tend to get scared of the dark or have nightmares.

For big kids (ages 5 & up), this task may be a bit more difficult, as homework, a busy social schedule and computer and TV time tend to push back bedtime. Consider limiting TV or computer time to an hour a day or just weekends. As great as some extracurricular activities are, they should not overwhelm a child’s evening or impact on a healthy sleep schedule. Cutting out sugar and caffeine, particularly in the evening may be helpful as well. Additionally, children with sleep-friendly bedrooms — dark, cool and quiet, with no TV or computer — tend to sleep better than those with lots of distractions. The key is consistency! Once children become accustomed to a routine, resistance will most probably decrease and the result will be happy, bright-eyed, focused, energetic children (and parents). Sweet dreams!

THE ABC’S OF GETTING ENOUGH ZZZ’S

Sleep!

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By Morah Inna Izman

Dear Mazel Family, Losing one whom you love deeply is shocking and indescribably painful.

My father, Khaykel ben Yitzchak Hacohen was the pillar of our family; he led us sharing his love and wisdom and giving us strength. He brought us closer to Torah and Hashem. Now he left …

During shiva many people asked me to tell them about my father. And I did. I told them that he was THE FATHER who cared for everyone deeply. I was blessed to be his daughter and his student, as he was my physics teacher during my high school years. Believe it or not, I didn’t get any false marks. Time passed, and I became a teacher. My father, a teacher with 30 years of experience and me, a “freshy,” would sit in my parents’ kitchen to discuss our educational views and approaches. I always listened to my father; somehow his ideas did not sound old fashioned at all. After our discussions, he would sit and write me his thoughts.

Shiva is a very special time. One mourns. But after shiva, when one is exposed back to the world, the current of daily routine pulls you in and sadly you realize that there is nothing left... except for memories, memories and love forever. After shiva, I started to look for any piece of my father’s presence and then I found something. I found a few pages of his writings about his experience as a teacher, his views on the education system, his ability to admit and correct his own mistakes, and his approach to the learning process. Reading it, I understood that even back then, working in the system of Soviet schools, he was unique, brave and determined to educate through each using child’s curiosity and interest. My father was a teacher and human being that everyone respected deeply! He was a great role model for me and for a lot of people who were fortunate to know him. In honor of my beloved father’s soul I want to share with you one of his entries.

“Better one time to see, than one hundred times to hear…”

Of course, children have rich imagination, but for a teacher it is not effective to rely only on this factor while teaching, and one’s learning objectives cannot be achieved.

We must develop in children, the abilities to see the“ how, when and why.” We must teach the ability to process, to recognize this phenomena in daily life, in an experimental laboratory to work and demonstrate experiments; to develop the ability to analyze, select, and most importantly help them to develop tools for gaining knowledge, generalization and drawing conclusions.

Many of these traits are founded in natural science, physics, chemistry, and botany. For example, it would seem that many people saw lightning and heard thunder,

but when they see the level on the electrode machine there is delight. From their early years, a child sees the light bulb, and knows that the light in it is caused by an electric current. But when he sees a glowing filament of heated wire stretched between tripods-that’s how! This is convincing.

My motto is “Better to show than to tell”. As I remember, a group of my students put together a series of thematic experiments with explanations and open-ended questions. They conducted a series of lessons in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. It was something! The reaction was unpredictable. Storm of delight, excitement in kids’ eyes, and questions, questions, questions. One of them was: when are we going to study physics?

The students did experiments on electricity, magnetism, thermal physics, and mechanics. I remember the most popular experiment. The experiment was designed to explain Newton’s Second Law of Motion. Mass is weight, so the more mass, the more potential inertia to overcome — either to make an object move or to stop an object once it is moving. Only three things were involved in the demonstration: two mobile carts, rope and volunteers… which we did not have a lack of. Two boys were chosen with different body mass – the smallest and the largest complexion. When the boys boarded the carts, they began to play tug of war – and that is when evidence of the Second Law of motion was demonstrated! It looks like a game, but that is when the Second law of motion was unrolled in front of the kids’ eyes. It happened that no matter how the smaller (lighter) boy tried to pull his opponent’s cart toward himself, he could not move him even an inch. On the other hand, the bigger boy didn’t even have to put effort toward moving his friend. He felt like a feather, he said afterwards. “Would nine and ten year olds remember Newton’s Second Law of Motion? You bet! For life! “

Dear Mazel Family! My dear colleagues and Mazel Parents, this summer you became part of our life. There are not enough words to thank you for your thoughtfulness and deeds. Your generosity and support during a difficult time for our family, your words, heartfelt presence, and food were not only a comfort to us, but a source of strength in this difficult time. Thank You from the bottoms of our hearts.

We want to wish you and your family a healthy, peaceful sweat year! May it be a fruitful and joyful year! May we share only good news in future! May you see your children grow into curious and exciting learners with a little effort from you! Just take them outside as much as possible and let them play!

Morah Brocha, Morah Inna, Dovid and Miriam

МОЙ ДОРОГОЙ ПАПА

Educational Philosophy

18

PicturesFALL PARENT SOCIAL 10/2012

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Thank YouSpecial Thanks!A special note of appreciation to those parents who made gift donations to school or to their child’s classroom in October.…

Basov family for contributing a beautiful set of colored blocks to the PreNursery 1 class in honor of Hannah’s birthday... Grinberg family for donating a set of Magnaetos as well as colored blocks to PreNursery 1 in honor of Mathew’s birthday... Zilberberg family for the magnetic number cards purchased for Nursery 2 in honor of Michelle’s birthday... Gabo family for the Jewish books given to the Kindergarten classroom... Permyak family for contributing fun constructeo tinker toy building set

to the Kindergarten classroom in honor of Leon’s birthday... Khodorokovsky family for giving a new number game to First Grade in honor of Emy’s birthday... Lerner family for donating a literacy game to the First Grade classroom... Gleyzer family for three new games (Brainquest, Somebody, and Word Rummy) for the Second Grade classroom.

Whether you want to give a gift to your child’s class in honor of his/her birthday or just because... check out your class’s online wish list of carefully selected items that will be greatly appreciated and used by your child’s teachers.

Also a huge thank you to everyone who participated in our Sandy Hurricane recovery!

Much Help is Still NeededMany of you have been asking how you can help Mazel rebuild post-Sandy. Your support means a lot and is essential to help our special school move forward. Rebuilding the school will require a two-fold fund-raising drive that will raise funds for: a) renovations and b) replacing all classroom furnishings and materials. The school board is working with foundations, Jewish organizations, governmental agencies and wealthy donors to secure grants. The parents association is reaching out to various distributors and manufacturers to get classroom materials donated, and teachers are contacting school publishing companies for sponsorship of textbooks and curriculum items. The response has been very positive and encouraging - and many have already made significant contributions. However, the amount of funds required is considerable and there is a lot that each and every parent in the school can do to make a big difference in our campaign. We will be putting together a meter for parents and donors to follow as we track our progress, which has been off to a good start - but must continue its momentum.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

1. Share Mazel’s Story with Your Network In addition to your own participation in our relief fund - think about who you can spread the word to and invite them to participate as well. If each parent

reaches out to their personal network, we can reach 1000’s. Please take a few moments and share the Mazel story with: your relatives, your friends, your co-workers, your alumni college, your neighbors, your social networking site contacts: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, your family doctor/dentist, and anyone and everyone you can think of!

2. Participate and Spread the Word through Multiple Tools Here are the many ways that you and your network can participate:

• We have set up a special relief website to collect donations for our relief fund: http://www.donatemazel.com/. The site includes photos of the damage, news reports, and a link to donate via Paypal.

• Many companies will match donations. This can double the value of your contribution. Please ask the company you work for if this option is available and contact Rabbi Avremel who will provide you with all the information you will need to file for this program.

• We have set up a registry on Amazon.com of classroom materials that need to be replaced. It is being continuously updated as we take inventory of everything that was lost (items collected over 5-7 years).

• We have set up an Amazon Associates account, which enables us to receive a percentage of all purchases made through a (cont. on the next page)

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Thank You

MAZEL DAY SCHOOL Quality Russian-Jewish Private School

2901 - 2915 Brighton 6th St Brooklyn, NY 11235

Phone: 718-368-4490

E-mail: [email protected]

We’re on the web! www.mazeldayschool.com

special link on our school website. This means that every time you or your friends enter Amazon.com via the icon on our site’s homepage, a percentage of your purchase goes directly to the school. This includes purchases made off the registry or any general personal shopping you normally do on Amazon. Considering the fact that many of us will need to be unfortunately making lots of personal purchases after Sandy’s damage, shopping through the school’s link can generate a tremendous revenue with little effort on everyone’s part.

• On the school’s homepage you will also find a link to BoxTops Marketplace. BoxTops 4 Education has an arrangement with over 175 online websites to contribute a percentage of purchases made on those sites when accessed through the Box Tops Marketplace portal. Some examples of webstores that can earn the school BoxTops dollars are: Zulily, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, The Land of Nod, Hanna Anderson, iTunes, Snapfish, Shutterfly, Overstock.com, Oriental Trading, Apple, Lands End, French Toast, Macy’s, Hotels.com, Old Navy, Gap, Piperline, Target, Sears,

Dell, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, 1-800 Flowers. All you nee ed to do is remember to login via the Marketplace when shopping on these sites.

Again, remember that every dollar and contribution really does count. Please share these contribution opportunities with your network and invite them to spread the word as well. Many of them have already heard our story through the news coverage and are interested to participate and help rebuild our school.

Lastly, please consider hosting a “Fun”raiser Party in your home. Gather your friends, family and acquaintances for a party. Use your creativity to plan games, make a mini-raffle or auction for all to enjoy, while also raising funds for the school.

Thank you!