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Mrs. Kaplans 8th grade students are testing their reading comprehension in a really fun way! After learning about and discussing different types of text structures like sequencing, cause and effect, chronology, comparing and contrasting, descriptions and problem-solution statements, the students paired up for a rousing game of Bingo to test their skills!

In the leadup to the Yomim Noraim, Middle School's fabulous activities team, in conjunction with Rabbi Siff are hard at work ensuring that our Middle School Students enter the chaggim inspired and prepared. Rabbi Koshkerman came to TDSA this past Thursday to address the Middle School Boys, followed by an inspiring kumzits with Rabbi Gavant. Rabbi Koshkerman then spoke to the Middle School Girls and motivated them to use the Yomim Noraim as a time for spiritual growth. Our lower school students also had the opportunity to meet with Rabbi Koshkerman and wish him a Shana Tova!

Fridays sure are fun at TDSA, especially in Ms. Leader's class. Last Thursday (because we weren't in school on Friday) Ms. Leader made the day extra fun by dressing up as everyone's favorite kookie science teacher: Miss Frizzle! The students immersed themselves in the amazing Magic School Bus books and got to spend the day with their very own "Miss Frizzle!"

Last week our wonderful Kindergarten students and their families came to TDSA for a fabulous Sukkah Decoration Make and Take. The students worked hard with their parents and siblings to make beautiful sukkah decorations. They then took them home to hang in their sukkah on the upcoming chag! It was a wonderful way for our Kitah K families to spend time together and beautify an upcoming mitzvah!

Mrs. Best's writing class is getting descriptive! Utilizing a fun, interactive program, the students split into groups and have three minutes to write a paragraph based on the provided prompt. The group then got together and chose the most vividly descriptive paragraph to present to the class who then voted on the most descriptive paragraph. It's a fun and competitive way for the students to strengthen their writing skills!

In honor or Rosh Hashana TDSA's students were treated to an impressive demonstration on how a Shofar is constructed. Rabbi Rubin, used some very impressive looking machines to show the students how a ram's horn is hollowed out and polished to be used as a shofar on Rosh Hashana!

The mood was somber throughout the school as we remembered the fallen Israeli soldiers of the IDF and victims of terrorist attacks. Boys and girls in the Middle school participated in a Yom HaZikaron ceremony that explained the meaning of the day, recited prayers for the z'chus of the fallen and their families, a bracha for the current soldiers, and tehilim for all of Klal Yisroel. Mrs. Kalnitz shared stories about Capt. Dekel Swissa, a valiant young man from Bar Giora who served as a Captain in the Golani Brigade,13th Battalion, and was killed at the Paga outpost on October 7 while saving his platoon. Dekel was TDSA's Shinshin in 2018 and lived with the Kalnitz family during his stay in Atlanta.
The lower school visited a display in the lobby depicting a timeline of the wars since the State of Israel's inception. Tomorrow, the mood swings as we celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut as a TDSA community.

How do you know the agenda for the day? You read it, of course! I walked into this Kindergarten class as they were learning the day's plan through a reading activity. This boy was asked to find a blended sound of "ST" within the letter about their major activity. Can you find it? He did!

Escape rooms involve critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration; all excellent skills to build in an academic experience. 8th grade Humanities is learning about the Cold War. Throughout the hallway and the classroom, small groups of girls were intensely focused on escaping from the communist, East side of the Berlin Wall to the West side of Germany during this escape-room-style learning activity. In this picture, the group is using Google Translate to understand German documents to help them on their journey. It was amazing to see these girls engaged in such a creative and valuable way while learning!

8G invited me to view their Ivrit presentations today. Working in pairs, they thought of rooms that served a useful purpose. Then they wrote about these rooms in Hebrew and put it on a slide show or poster. Each group presented their project entirely in Hebrew! It was amazing to see their pride, creativity, and skill

These 5th grade boys didn't even notice me walk into the classroom - they were so intensely engaged in this group discussion. Mrs. Bendicoff split the class into sections, some worked independently while this group shared their thoughts in a literature circle format on the the historical fiction book: "If I lived at the Time of the Signing of the Constitution". They came up with some insightful ideas!

"Which two arctic animals will never meet?" This is the question a kindergarten girl asked me as I observed them making polar bears, arctic hares, walruses, snow foxes, and the like. Each table featured a slew of arts and crafts supplies for the excited girls to create their cold-climate animals they learned all about during science. The answer - which I was proud to get correct - is penguins and Polar Bears. Each is native to a different pole of the globe (North and South). Ask a Kindergartener which lives where!