Spotlight

Every year TDSA's students go all out for our annual Menorah Contest. Their creations always demonstrate amazing creativity, ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking. This year's building materials range from napkin rings, to empty yogurt containers and water bottles. The submissions this year are truly impressive!

One of the many ways that TDSA helps their students grow is through offering opportunities for leadership. Our 6th grade boys took on the responsibility of planning and executing a packed Chanukah Carnival for the boys in grades K-4. At the carnival, the boys showed their Chanukah spirit by making menorahs out of Twizzlers and playing dreidel themed carnival games. They raced to see who could build a Menorah out of PVC piping the fastest, as well as played more traditional carnival games like Coke vs. Pepsi and, everyone's favorite, guessing how many chocolate chips are hidden in the marshmallow fluff. The sixth grade boys were able to flex their creativity, planning and organizational skills, while the younger boys had a fantastic time!

It's been a busy and productive chess session for the boys in our Chess Chevra! On Wednesday they put all the skills they learned to the test and competed against each other in a fun final tournament! Congratulations to our winners, Reuven Marcus, Yosef Rabin, Rafi Gris, and Yitzchok Krohn. In the end, though, all the boys are winners for the skills and chess mastery they gained over this enjoyable fall session of Chess Chevrah. We can't wait to see you back for the Winter Session after break!

The second grade girls wowed their parents, grandparents and guests with a beautiful performance demonstrating their understanding of the role Torah plays in our daily lives and their readiness to begin learning in earnest. This was the lead in to receiving their very own Chumashim, presented to them by Rabbi Meir Cohen. Mazal Tov to our Second Grade girls on this amazing milestone achievement!

Rabbi Gold's 9th grade class at Yeshiva Ohr Yisrael took a trip down memory lane this week and visited TDSA's Kindergarten Boys. The ninth graders shared their love for Torah and learning with the younger students. They danced and sang together in honor of Chanukah! The older boys then learned "BeChavrusah" (In partners) with the younger boys and helped them review their alef-bais and kriah skills. What a beautiful way to pass on the legacy of pride in themselves and their Jewish faith that the ninth grade boys gained at TDSA!

Morah Mindy's kindergarten class has been doing a deep dive into fire safety over the last couple of weeks. They completed fire safety booklets, checked on their smoke detectors at home and learned how to "Stop! Drop! Protect! and Roll!" which they practiced in their classroom. The students also learned some very useful fire safety techniques including ways to prevent fires and respond in case of a fire or another emergency. In order to practice these rules, the students worked in groups to make informative signs which are now hanging on display in the hallway!

Chanukah time is a good time to reinforce the importance of fire safety! The kindergarten through fourth grade students were visited by the Dekalb County Fire Department in order to discuss what they do and how they keep us safe. The firefighters exhibited the various kinds of gear they use to fight fires and rescue trapped individuals. They even demonstrated how quickly they’re able to don their gear by engaging in a fun race between two firefighters to see who could gear-up faster! The Kindergarteners were able to ask the firefighters all sorts of fire-safety questions to tie into their class unit on fire safety, while the older students had many thoughtful inquiries about fire fighting and disaster rescue!

Mrs. Kaplan’s fifth grade students are proud to be “publishing” their personal narratives. For weeks now, they’ve been drafting, using descriptive language, editing and revising a personal narrative. This week, they’ve finally completed their works and had a party. They read each other their personal narratives and played minute-to-win-it to celebrate their accomplishments!

In STEAM this week, the fourth grade boys learned all about snowflake design. They made their own yummy snowflakes using marshmallows, toothpicks, and gummy dots in honor of Chanukah.

In honor of the first day of Chanukah, TDSA welcomed grandparents, aunts, uncles and close family VIP’s for Generations Day. Students were so excited to welcome their loved ones. After a delicious breakfast, our VIPs joined the students in their classrooms to share in their learning experience. They finished off the day with a rousing game of Chanukah Jeopardy and decorating their own family shields!