HAFTR Middle School STEM

 

Bar Mitzvah Workshop

HAFTR Middle School’s annual bar mitzvah workshop is a significant part of the year for the bar mitzvah “bachurs” and their special “chavrutot,” where fathers and grandfathers get to enjoy a memorable evening with their seventh-grade boys. The evening began with Middle School Principal Mr. Josh Gold welcoming everyone to this milestone event and discussing what it means to have the right mindset for becoming a bar mitzvah.

The participants were then split into three groups for learning sessions. The ‘Shel Rosh,’ ‘Shel Yad,’ and ‘Tefillin’ groups all learned how tefillin are made from Rabbi Akiva Oppen, sofer STAM, and were inspired by Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Siff through his presentation on the spiritual significance of becoming a bar mitzvah. The learning was followed by dancing to the music of Shelly Lang Orchestra under the guidance of Rabbi Zezzy Fuld.

The boys received a new Siddur sponsored by HAFTR PTA, and took pictures with their special guest to commemorate the occasion. This event was made possible thanks to generous sponsors Helen and Michael Gelb, Bobby and Saba Kryksman, and Tahra and Benny Mastour, as well as the HAFTR PTA Bar Mitzvah Workshop Committee and event chairs Deena Vashovsky and Jen Krup.

STEM Starts Early

HAFTR Middle School STEM

HAFTR Middle School students are no novices when it comes to STEM learning. This month, the boys and girls participated in the classic bridge challenge, taking the basic objective of building a strong bridge out of sticks to the next level by identifying the forces acting on the different parts of the bridge and color coding the bridge accordingly.

Students across the middle-school grades are also exploring light and solar power as they light LEDs, measure voltage, and turn motors using solar panels and assorted lighting sources. They have also integrated art technique into STEM, and they used sunlight to create unique designs on chemically treated paper. Advanced STEM students experimented with UV glow lotion to track and identify a “patient zero” in a simulated outbreak, allowing them to identify patterns and concerns in an epidemic.

Sukkot Hop & Learn

HAFTR Sukkos Talk

Before Sukkot, the HAFTR Middle School students enjoyed a special activity visiting and hopping around Beth Sholom on a Sukkot Hop & Learn to learn the laws of the chag. At the first stop, Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Siff reviewed the halachot of the arba’ah minim, explained how to tell the difference between the different parts of the lulav and the correct way to assemble it, and how to hold the lulav and etrog together as well as the correct shaking method.

Rabbi Zach Schwartz reviewed the laws of building a sukkah that the students had learned in Gemara, and then broke them into groups competing to make the best sukkah out of graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, and sour candies.

Rabbi Ari Glazer and Rav Chaim Siff met the students in the Beth Sholom sukkah at the last stop, and revisited the halachot of entering and eating in a sukkah. Bringing the lesson to life, each student made berachot on grape juice and Oreos. The students were prepared to enjoy the chag, and the rebbeim are so excited to hear about their Sukkot experiences.

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