Not on Citi Bikes, but they were still the best volunteer deliveries ever! Thirteen stalwart teens arrived at Temple Israel on East 75th Street this past Sunday morning at the unreasonable hour of 10AM. Six-hundred elderly people would be receiving Yom Tov gift packages and they live in different NYC neighborhoods -- a service that DOROT provides several times a year, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, including some of our students!

On Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, there is a universal custom that the rabbi delivers a special derasha or sermon. The minhag of Ramaz is that we conduct teshuva assemblies on erev Shabbat Shuva. This past Friday, after tefillah, each grade performed the ceremony of hatarat nedarim, the annulment of vows. Following that each grade had a special teshuva derasha which explored the themes of teshuva, the yamim noraim and self-improvement....

This past Monday evening, September 17, MS parents attended our annual Simulated School Night. Ms. Jennifer Bernstein and Rabbi Chaim Hagler greeted parents and spoke about the importance of learning Torah, the value of educators and parents partnering together to teach menschlichkeit, and how best to support the academic, social and emotional growth of middle schoolers....

In anticipation of Yom Kippur, the Middle School students were privileged to hear a powerful message from Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, Senior Rabbi at Congregation Kehillath Jeshurun. Rabbi Steinmetz commented that, while everyone knows how to ask for what they need, students should be asking themselves why they are needed. He continued that identifying one's individual purpose and considering why Hashem put us on earth leads to a life of self-worth and fulfillment...

As is the custom during the period between Rosh HaShanah and Succot, our students have been involved in a variety of practices that help them self-reflect and consider how they can improve themselves in the year to come. One such event is Tashlich, literally meaning to send off, which is the practice of symbolically "sending off our sins." As water is known to be a cleansing source, it is customarily done by a body of water...

The LS educational technologists are excited to welcome all of the 2nd graders to the computer lab for the first time this year and to welcome back the 3rd and 4th graders! This year, 2nd graders will become familiar with using both Chromebooks and iPads. They will also learn about the keyboard and will soon begin learning to code...