Rosh Hashanah Greeting Cards

Thank you to all of you who placed your orders for Rosh Hashanah greeting cards!!

Orders can be received through Friday, September 3rd!

Please call and confirm if you would like to bring any additional children to school on Wednesday, September 1st at 4:00 pm to have a family photo taken.

Greetings From the EKA to You

Parents:

Each family received a very special envelope today. It was sent home with your youngest child in the school.

Please look for it!

B'nai Mitzvoth Calendar

Dear families,
For many of us the time to plan a Bar/Bat Mitzvah is approaching very fast. This is a very special and joyful occasion that we all want to share with friends and family.
Here at the EKA we are a family and our children want to share such a special moment with their friends. In an effort to try to avoid as much as possible double B’nai mitzvoth dates I would like to ask all of you to please send me any dates that you already have to celebrate this important event.
I will create a calendar with this dates that will be accessible to all. It will be updated constantly as the dates come in. I believe this will be very helpful in planning our events considering that we all want to share it together.
Since it would be easier for me to update the list from home, please DO NOT reply to this e-mail but e-mail me your information to: dalia.rosenberg@gmail.com
Thank you for your help and participation.

Dalia Rosenberg

Meet the Teacher Night

Click on the title above to see photos from a great evening!

Yes, Please ... No, Thank You!

At a few Town Hall Meetings last year, we spoke at length about the need clear policies regarding student behavior as well as clear descriptions of what it means to be a mensch.

I am very happy to share with you that we have a comprehensive program, that we are referring to our Derech Eretz Program, that teaches the values of being a mensch, but also has clear descriptions and consequences laid out in a harassment / bullying policy and in a discipline policy.

The heart of the program though, is the values curriculum. Spanning over the course of two years (sorry 8th graders :( students will learn the many midot ("values") of being a mensch; more specifically, the behaviors we would like our students to model. What is unique about the program is that each value is directly connected to Jewish text. Our younger students will simply learn the value and our older students will study the text and discuss how we arrived at the value.

Each week (sometimes over two weeks) a new value will be presented at the first Tefillot session for the week. The value will proudly be displayed on banners and posters throughout the school to remind each student of the value of the week. An abbreviated version (very abbreviated) will also be on the outside marquis. Finally, on the first day of the week a presentation of the value will be on the EKA Blog with the hopes that it will solicit conversation in each of our families homes and into the community.

So, without further ado, presenting the very first value:

"When responding to an adult, answer by saying, "yes, please" or, "no, thank you."

This value is found in Rambam Hilchot Talmud Torah, Chapter 5, Law 5:

"and one should not respond to his teacher the way he would to his friend, rather he should greet him with fear and respect and say, "peace upon you my teacher and mentor"

Meet The Teachers Night / Babysitting

Meet The Teachers Night

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

6:15 pm

Holzman Auditorium

Babysitting Available: $15 for the first child and $5 for each additional child (Support's 8th grade trip to Israel)

Must make a reservation at 302-6900 or russos@eka-sa.org by Monday the 23rd

Digital Cameras Needed

Do you have an older digital camera (3-5 megapixels) that you no longer need? The EKA has a home for it! We would prefer cameras that don't require AA batteries (but have their own batteries and charge).

Thanks!

Lots of Changes: Come to Meet The Teachers Night

As we move into our second day of school some questions have come up about the schedule, the dual tracks, our new math program, and our new writing program.

Meet The Teachers Night is occuring a week earlier than it has in the past in order to present these changes and give you an opportunity to ask questions in a public place for all to hear the answers (as a teacher, I have learned that if one student had a question, 1/2 the class probably had the same question).

Yesterday, almost all teachers were instructed to only go through the parent/student handbook. It came home yesterday and you are all asked to read it and sign the Kavod Contract at the end by next Friday. Today is the true first day of classes for our students and teachers are hard at work orienting the students to their class. I just walked through the building and it is eerily quiet (in contrast to yesterday) as students are in their classes learning.

If you have major concerns that cannot wait until that time, please reach out to the teacher first, then Mrs. Davis, and then to me and we will work to get you the answer.

Meet the Teacher's Night

Meet the Teacher's Night

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

6:00 - 6:30 - Packet Distribution (this is new, you will receive a packet of information specialized per family)

6:30 - Program Start

8:00 - Program End

Holzman Auditorium

The First Day of School

The first day of school has come and gone ... already!! It was so exciting to see all of the children and parents make their way into the building and have the students settle into their places. Surprisingly, it wasn't too chaotic!

As always, the schedule may have kinks to be worked out. Usually, we get them addressed once we go through one full cycle of the schedule (today through next Tuesday). If you think there may be a problem with the schedule, please have your child alert one of their teachers and Mrs. Davis will have it addressed. If it persists past next Tuesday, please contact Mrs. Davis with your concerns.

Next Tuesday night, August 24th, is our annual Meet The Teacher's Night. This is our most well attended evening and the night you will learn the details of each of your child's classes. Packet distribution is between 6:00 and 6:30 (your child's schedule, etc...) and the program will begin at 6:30 pm. Everything starts in the Holzman Auditorium.

I hope your children had as great of a day as we did today!!

Where To Go On the First Day

Middle School Students: 5th - 8th Grades
Report to the Holzman Auditorium, with your bags, for bagels, OJ, and an Assembly (you will get your schedules and locker assignments at this time)

4th Grade: Room 283 (Morah Hagit will greet you)

3rd Grade: Room 162 (Mrs. Markson will greet you)

2nd Grade: Room 169 (Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Black will greet you)

1st Grade: Room 161 (Mrs. Samuels will greet you)

Kindergarten: Room 163 (Ms. Campbell and Mrs. Klug will greet you)

We are all so excited to see you on Wednesday!!

Meet The Teacher's Night: August 24th at 6:30

Meet the Teacher’s Night

Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

6:30 pm

Holzman Auditorium

This is the most well attended evening event of the year … don’t miss out!!

Attendance - We Can Only Take Responsbility For Your Education If Your Are Here To Get It!

There have been changed to the attendance policy ... it is detailed below; however, the biggest change is regarding Morning Drop-Off:

Morning Drop-Off is from 7:40 until 7:55. All students must be in their classrooms and ready to go for the day at 8:00 am, Sharp!
ATTENDANCE
1. The school day starts promptly at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. (3:00 p.m. for kindergarteners without older siblings in the school).
2. Morning drop-off begins at 7:40 a.m. and ends at 7:55 a.m.
3. Afternoon pick-up begins at 3:30 p.m. and ends approximately 3:45 p.m.

Absences
1. Schools-On-Inet (SOIN) will automatically email you of your child’s absence from school or class.
2. When a student is absent, due to illness or a planned event, email eka@eka-sa.org or call 210-302-6900 before 10:00 a.m each day of the illness or the week before the planned event and include duration. A doctor’s note to keep on file is highly encouraged.
3. If a family wishes to have missing work sent home due to illness, please notify the school at eka@eka-sa.org or call 210-302-6900 on the second day of the illness by 10:00 a.m. Teachers will make every possible effort to send assignments for students to the office by 3:15 p.m. Assignments can be picked up in the office by a parent or by another child. When possible, assignments may also be sent by email at your request.
4. Due to teacher’s adjusting their lessons to the needs of their students, assignments missed due to a prolonged planned event (e.g. trip) will be given upon the child’s return to school. All families should understand that additional time at home may need to be devoted to making up missing work upon a child’s return to school. Due date of missed assignments will be at the teacher’s discretion.
5. If a test is scheduled for the day of the student’s illness, he/she must be prepared to take it the day after his/her return to school or at another time set by the teacher and student.
6. Students with excessive absences may not be promoted to the next grade level at the end of the year. It is our policy that a student may not be given credit for a class missed 15 days. The student will lose credit unless each and every class is made up in an acceptable manner at the discretion of the teacher (possibly at a cost, if tutoring is essential). Unusual or extenuating circumstances would be a basis for appeal of this policy via the Head of School.

A student will be marked absent for the following reasons:
• Vacations/trips
• Appointments
• Illness
• Suspensions

A student will not be counted absent in the event of the following:
• School sponsored field trips or activities
• Death in the family
• High school visits of up to 2 days by 8th graders

Early Dismissal
1. Leaving school for appointments during the school day is discouraged. If unavoidable, please send a note to the school office (ask your child to drop it off before heading to class) or call the school office.
2. When a child leaves school during the day, his/her parents must check him/her out through the school office and check in upon return. Early dismissal ends at 3:15 p.m.; after that time, students will be dismissed at the regular dismissal time.
3. At no time will a teacher release a student directly to a parent from a classroom, or will a parent pick-up or drop-off their child to the classroom.
4. It is the student (or parent’s responsibility for young children) to ask or email the teacher whose class was missed for the missed assignment/s.

Tardy
1. A student is considered tardy when they are not in their class prepared to learn at the start of that class.
2. SOIN will automatically notify parents when their child is late to school or class. It will also be recorded in the students’ agenda.
3. Students will be considered tardy at 8:01 a.m. (and any time after the start of a class in Middle School)
a. Tardy Kindergarten – 4th Grade students must be accompanied into the building, dropped-off in the office, and signed-in by a parent
b. Middle School students may be dropped off at the front of the school and report immediately to their first period class.

While You've Been Relaxin', We've Been Hard at Work!

Ok, I realize that many of you feel like the school supply shopping list was hard work too!!

The weeks up to school are extremely busy. When you come in on Wednesay, and I invite every parent to do so ... yes, even the parents of our 7th and 8th graders, who may be mortified if you walk in with them ... you will see the changes that are taking place at the EKA. But those are the changes you will only see on the surface; there are many underlying changes, and not just the Judaic Dual Track program. At Meet the Teachers Night, on Tuesday, August 24th at 6:30 pm, I'll talk more about the changes.

I would love for you to all know what the teachers and staff have been doing during these days leading up to the start of school. Besides working hard to set-up their classrooms (which is a huge project after camp uses the classrooms during the summer), they have beent taking part in the following workshops:

1. A couple of weeks ago, the general studies teachers spend two full days learning about our new writing program, SMILE.

2. At our welcome breakfast we spoke specifically about the importance of Derech Eretz, Mutual Respect, and Professionalism.

3. The teachers and staff have all reviewed in-depth our new Agenda (thank you Shweiki Media!) and Handbook.

4. We covered in depth the new Values curriculum that is the our guiding behavior curriculum. There is also a harassment/bullying policy and procedure in place as well as a general discipline policy and procedure: They reviewed the details of both.

This is just a small glimpse of what we have been up to and we cannot wait to see you on Wednesday to hear about whay you all have been up to!

Pool Party Invitation

Pool Party Invitation and RSVP

EKA/PIE (Partners in Education)
Invites your family to join us for a Back to School Pool Party.
Meet new EKA families! Renew old friendships! Have Lunch on us!

Sunday, August 22, 2010
12 noon-2 PM  @ JCC Pool

Lunch served at 12:30 PM
RSVP is required, to insure adequate lifeguard coverage and food for everyone.