November calendar

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To celebrate a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or, send get well wishes or condolences, fill out an Honor Fund donation form and submit to Barbara Spielman. Acknowledgements will be sent to the recipients.   A donation form is attached to the Chai Lights and is also available in the school office.

Mazel Tov
Michael and Maureen Samson on their son’s engagement
Sharon Dwek
Rabbi Avi and Rena Schochet

TURKISH RESTAURANT NIGHT

By popular demand Restaurant Night is returning for a second year with a delicious international dinner on Sunday, November 16th, at 6:00 p.m. in the MPR.  Last year’s dinners received rave reviews and we are reopening SPHDS’ restaurant for this year’s gourmet dinner which will feature Turkish cuisine.

The eighth grade class is raising funds for their graduation trip to Israel and they will be hosting and serving the dinner.

Your family and friends are invited to attend.  The cost is $39 per adult and $15 for children twelve and under. Take-out dinners will be available if ordered in advance.  Contact Tanya Messer at 738.3060 or email her at: Tanya.Messer@sphds.org to RSVP.

Volunteers are needed for Restaurant Night, please contact:  Debby Feder at:  debra.feder@av.abbott.com.

“KINDERGARTEN READINESS DILEMMA”
Parents of children entering Kindergarten have many questions regarding their son or daughter's readiness for Kindergarten. What if my child has a late summer or fall birthday; what if my daughter is more interested in playing rather than doing a teacher directed activity; and what if my son or daughter has a difficult time handling emotions?

Come and learn what Kindergarten teachers expect from children and how to assess whether your child will be ready; or will he do better with the “gift of time.”  These questions and others will be addressed by Stephanie Barry Agnew on Tuesday evening, November 18th, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at SPHDS.

Stephanie Barry Agnew is the Coordinator of Parent Education at the new San Mateo Parents’ Place office.  She trained at Bing Nursery School while getting her degree and has taught all preschool age groups.  Her extensive background in Early Childhood Education includes twenty years of teaching experience in Palo Alto area schools; she has owned a preschool in Palo Alto; and has worked as a parent educator.

This workshop is for parents whose children who will be 5 years old by December 1st.  It is sponsored by the Gan Aviv Honor Fund.  Your friends are invited; there is a $5 donation, per person, for members from the community.

SPECIAL FRIENDS AND GRANDPARENTS DAY
Our annual Special Friends’ and Grandparents’ Day will be held on Wednesday, November 26th, from 8:10 – Noon.  Your child's special friend, whether a grandparent, parent, relative or family friend, is invited to spend the morning and see the special school spirit, meet SPHDS staff, and visit the classroom.

The schedule is as follows:
8:10 - 10:10 a.m. - visit Grade 1 through Grade 8 classrooms
8:30 - 10:10 a.m. - visit Gan Aviv and Kindergarten classrooms
10:00 – 11:00 a.m. – festive brunch in the MPR for Special Guests
11:00 – Noon - Thanksgiving Day Assembly

Noon Dismissal – All students
No Day care
RSVP to Tanya: Tanya.Messer@sphds.org

SECOND STEP
Last year SPHDS adopted SECOND STEP, a social skills curriculum for Preschool through Grade 8, which teaches skills to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior in children and increase their level of social competence. The purpose of this program is to provide faculty, students and families with the skills and tools to sustain a strong, healthy and social learning environment in the classroom, on the playground, and at home.

The implementation of the program at SPHDS has been adapted to feed the unique needs of our diverse community and frame the material within a Jewish context relevant for each grade level. Empathy skills are taught in the empathy unit and integrated and practiced within the general and Jewish studies units at each level of the curriculum, which addresses the standard and midot multiple times in the curriculum.

Third grade teacher Ms. Beth Kurlan shares her experience with the Second Step program. “Each week we review the new lesson, talk about how we can apply the lesson on the playground and on a daily basis. We are currently discussing empathy and the way we can problem solve when we get upset or angry. The students role play the lesson and come up with solutions together, as a class. I really enjoy the Second Step lessons and make them fun for the students to problem solve when they are having difficult situations. It is evident that the students are getting along better and respecting each other as a result of the tools they have acquired through the program.”

Complementing the Second Step Program, SPHDS has instituted a character development program focusing on Midot. The students are members of the BEAM TEAM (Be a Mensch) and meet weekly to discuss the different facets of the mida of the month and its connection to the Jewish calendar. It is reinforced through classroom time, assignments and homework where the students continue to explore this mida and its impact on their daily lives. The empathy unit which was introduced in the classroom focused on the similarities and differences we have among ourselves.

We are blessed to have the dedicated parents, faculty and administration who have made this a priority for our school community, and by the generosity of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties through their regional grant funding.

THE JOY OF LEARNING
Mazel Tov to Rabbi Jacobs and the morning Mishna class on completing Masechet Rosh Hashanah. This class is open to all students in grades four through eight who daven in the early morning minyan.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Congregation Beth David, in Saratoga, will be holding a PJ Shabbat on Friday evening, November 7th, at 6:00 p.m. for tots up to age 5.  This casual mini Kabbalat Shabbat service will feature songs, puppets, story time, and a child-friendly Shabbat dinner.  RSVP to:  reservations@beth-david.org or call 408.257.3333.