Flu, Flu, Flu

The US Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency around the swine flu outbreak. This not only permits public health officials to organize resources but also encourages each of us to increase our our awareness.

It is in the best interests of all our students that any child showing flu like symptoms stay home. In the event of symptoms manifesting themselves at school we will contact you. The following information is courtesy of the Santa Clara DPH.

What are the symptoms of Swine Flu?
• Fever 100° or higher. Chills
• Head and body aches. Trouble breathing
• Cough or Vomiting and/or Diarrhea
• Sore throat

What should I do if I think I am sick?
• If you have a fever of 100°F or higher and one of the symptoms listed above, call your doctor or medical provider. Your doctor may have you come in for an appointment and test you for influenza. Your physician will decide whether influenza antiviral treatment is needed.
• If you're sick - stay home from work or school. It is important to limit contact with other people, so you don’t spread germs to others.
• If you have flu symptoms and need to go to a medical appointment, use a surgical mask or cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough, and throw the tissue in the trash afterward.
• If you are feeling sick and you don’t have a fever, it's best to stay home from work or school, get plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. If your symptoms get worse, call your physician or medical provider.

What can I do to prevent getting sick?
• Wash your hands with soap and hot water to get rid of germs and prevent the spread of disease, especially after coughing and sneezing. If you do not have soap and water, use a waterless hand gel with an alcohol base of at least 60%.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue whenever you sneeze and cough. Throw the tissue away in a waste basket. If you do not have a tissue, sneeze or cough into the fold of your elbow, without using your hands.
• Avoid kissing or shaking hands when greeting people, and do not share food, drinks or utensils.
• Keep common areas clean; places such as kitchen counters, bathrooms, door handles, toys, telephones and other household ítems.
• Allow fresh air to flow into your home or at work by opening screened windows and doors.

It behooves all of us to be both vigilant and careful, but at the same time not to traumatize our children. In the event of children having to be kept from school we will ensure that any missed work is made up.

Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Avi Schochet

Resources from the CDC:
• Updates on Swine Flu Investigation (CDC)
• Swine Flu and You - Questions and Answers (CDC)
• Interim Guidance for Swine influenza A (H1N1)
Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home (CDC)
• Swine Influenza Key Facts (CDC)

Current Information and Resources From CDPH: and Santa Clara DPH
• Swine Flu Homepage
• Swine Influenza (Flu) Clinical Guidelines
• http://swineflu.sccgov.org/

Omer Hazon Wins in Synopsys Science Fair for Santa Clara County
    • 1st place category award in physics.
    • Nomination to compete in the ‘Young Scientist Challenge’.
    • Alternate for the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles.

The Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship is the opportunity the best of budding young scientists to present their scientific investigations. The number of exhibits number in the hundreds if not thousands. We are immensely proud that one of our students, Omer Hazon, was one of the distinguished awardees for his investigation of the Mpemba effect.

Omer set out to investigate whether hot water can freeze faster than cold water. It is hypothesized that there exists a set of initial parameters, and a pair of temperatures, such that given two bodies of water identical in these parameters and differing only in their temperatures, the hot one will freeze sooner.

The result of his Investigation proved that in fact hot water can freeze faster than cold water. The phenomenon of hot water freezing faster than cold water, otherwise known as the Mpemba Effect, occurred most strongly in a Styrofoam cup in the temperature ranges of 40ºC-70ºC, less strongly in a plastic cup in the temperature ranges of 40º-60ºC, and in a metal cup at around 70ºC.

We all take tremendous pride in this remarkable achievement. Mazal Tov Omer.

SPHDS' 36th ANNIVERSARY GALA DINNER
Join us on Wednesday, May 20th to celebrate the school’s 36th Anniversary by honoring the school’s Founders, Builders and Visionaries who played such a key role in establishing the school, and in doing so, ensured South Peninsula Hebrew Day School’s future.

When our founders joined together to turn their vision into a reality, they could only dream that the traditional Jewish day school they founded would provide both an outstanding Jewish education and an outstanding secular education for their children as well as for future generations – their dream has become a reality! Through the commitment and dedication of the founders, SPHDS has grown to become a cornerstone of the vibrant, ever-growing Jewish community in the South Bay.

Time is running out. If you are
interested in making reservations, contact Yaffa Borison at: yaffa.borison@sphds.org. Also, this is your last chance to place an ad, we are down to the wire as we are going to press next week, please contact Yaffa immediately at her email address.

The Dinner is the second in a trio of events marking the Double Chai anniversary of SPHDS. The first event will take place on Sunday, May 17th when 700 cyclists will gather at the school’s Sunnyvale campus for the 4th Annual Foothill Century Bike Ride. The third of this triple header will be held on Wednesday, May 27th when our students will showcase their knowledge and creativity at the school’s annual Torah Fair, Art Fair, and conclude with a fabulous BBQ..

We look forward to seeing you at these extraordinary celebrations.

ONLY 16 DAYS UNTIL THE FOOTHILL CENTURY

REGISTER: Foothill Century Sunday, May 17, 2009!

Register here >>

Just keep spinning your wheels and before you know it…the 4th annual Foothill Century Bike Ride will be here on May 17th!!

The Early Bird discount ends today, May 1st! Enjoy a wonderful, sunny day riding around the beautiful South Bay foothills with friends and family.

Choose from our 100k, 50k, and 10k Family Fun rides. We have improved road markings, added more activities for children and reached out to the community to organize their own group rides. There will also be delicious snacks at the rest stops. When you return you will receive a goody bag, a commemorative t-shirt and a ticket to our famous kosher BBQ! Time is running out so register today to catch the Early Bird discount at: www.sphds.org/foothillcentury

For more information contact Lisa Sobel at lisa.s.sobel@gmail.com or call: 408.738.3060.

We still need volunteers, volunteers, and more volunteers. This event will only be a winner with the help of many, many people. In addition to lending a hand during the ride we will also need volunteers a few days before the Foothill Century to shop and do other tasks. Please click here for the attached detailed volunteer flyer, and forward it to friends, family and colleagues.

PRE – K CLASSES CELEBRATE ISRAEL’S 61st BIRTHDAY
For Israel's 61st birthday the three pre-kindergarten classes enjoyed a Yom Ha'Atzmaut round robin party by rotating through their three classrooms for unique activities to honor Israel.

They began their celebration by carrying their large class-made El Al airplane around the Gan while singing "Heveynu Shalom Aleichem." Students wore pouches which held their El Al boarding passes, Israeli passports, and held some shekels. As the round robin began, students entered a classroom and had their passports stamped as they were greeted.

In the Arnavot room, the children used a stick, glue, blue triangles and white tissue papers and in the end they created their own Mogen Dovid.

When the children entered the Parparim room they added special props on the large Israel floor map and the map became alive with beautiful, blooming flowers; trees; houses; roads; and bridges. They sang "Eretz Yisrael Sheli" (Israel is beautiful and blooming); the song reminded them of what they did to the land map.

In the Chaverim room, the children talked about life on a kibbutz. Then, they prepared fruit which became delicious fruit kebobs for each of them to enjoy. The activity ended with their singing an animated version of "Dovid Melech Yisrael." Happy 61st birthday, Israel.

ERB TESTING

This is the time during the academic year when we pause to evaluate how our students are doing compared to other schools. We will be administering the standardized test, ERB, to our students in grades 3 through 8. Students who are not fluent in English will not be given these tests. These tests will be given over a 5-day period beginning Monday, May 4th through Friday, May 8th.

These tests are not to be used to judge an individual student’s performance in a given subject. These tests are intended to assist the school in auditing curricular progress in a few areas over a number of years, as well as to provide the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), who mandates this test, with evidence that students in independent schools – as a group – score as high or higher as their public school counterparts.

While the results of these tests are not part of a student’s report card grades, they do become part of their permanent record. It is important that all students understand that these tests are not to be taken lightly.

There is no studying for these tests. Our General Studies teachers will prepare our students during the next weeks with some pre-tests so they will become more familiar with the type of test. This is especially helpful for the younger students. For your part we would appreciate if you would make sure that your child gets a good night’s rest and is on time for school during the testing period. All tests will be administered in the morning between recess and lunch.

GAN AVIV HAPPENINGS

Gan Aviv Lecture - Potty Training

“Tips to Help with Potty Training" will be the last in this year’s lecture series for parents who have children ready to be potty trained. It will be held on Monday evening, May 18th, from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m., in the Tziporim Room (#3), in the preschool wing.

This session will emphasize potty readiness. Parents will share ideas and discover tips that have worked.

Barbara Goldstein will be the facilitator. This lecture is sponsored by the Gan Aviv Honor Fund which is supported by generous donations for various life cycle events. All lectures are open to the community so invite your friends. There is no fee for SPHDS families; community members are asked for a $5 donation, per person.

RSVP to Barbara.Goldstein@SPHDS.org or call: 408.738.3060.

SUMMER CAMP AT SPHDS
With summer fast approaching it’s time to start thinking about what to do with your preschooler during the long summer break. South Peninsula Hebrew Day School is pleased to offer you, once again, the perfect answer — Gan Aviv Summer Camp. A camp geared specifically for children who will be 3 by December 1st, 2009 and for children who will be entering Kindergarten in September 2009.

Because of popular demand, we will have extended hours (day care) from 1:00 to 3:45 p.m.

Activities will be organized around a weekly theme. Children can look forward to Beach Bonanza, Fun with Food, and activities planned for indoors as well as outdoors. Of course, water will be included in this year's activities, especially on hot days. Specialized enrichment classes are a part of this great summer package. Registration forms are available in the office. You may call Barbara Goldstein at: 408.738.3060 or email her at: ece@sphds.org with any questions

PARENT AND CHILD PROGRAM AT SPHDS
We are pleased to announce a special Parent and Child program at SPHDS this summer. Click here for a detailed flyer. Renee Ben David, the lead teacher for this program, is one of our teachers in the two year old room. This program is a great way to meet other families. Please contact Barbara Goldstein at 408.738.3060 or ece@sphds.org with any questions.

COMMUNITY NEWS
Congregation Beth David will be having a mini Kabbalat Shabbat geared for tots (ages 0 – 5) and their families, on Friday, May 15th, at 6:00 p.m., which will be followed by a child-friendly Shabbat dinner. It will be held at Beth David, 19700 Prospect Road, in Saratoga. Reservations are requested. RSVP by May,13th to: www.beth-david/rsvp.htm. For more information call 408.257.3333 or www.beth-david.org.