Even following two intense weeks of final exams, students signed-on to support the Upper School's efforts in making MLK Day of Service, a Day ON, Not a Day off. Students came by subway, by foot, by car and with sheer determination to reach the different destinations, regardless of the hour or location, ready to give their time and energy, to be helpful, no matter the task...

Students who participated in the Newbery Challenge were elated to hear the winners of the contest which was announced by the American Library Association this week . The Newbery Award went to Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina. The two Newbery Honor Awards went to The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani and The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Students greeted the news with excitement because these three books were all on their Newbery Challenge list. Also, author Veera Hiranandani visited Ramaz and spoke to students about The Night Diary earlier this month. The Ramaz MS has hosted authors in the past but this is the first time a Newbery winner visited the Middle School. Kudos to all the students and parents who participated in this reading initiative!

Second graders have recently become urban planners! Students learned that urban planners decide what types of buildings and spaces are needed in a community to make it an enjoyable place to live, work, and play...

Pre-K Yarok has been studying their favorite animals. In order to see them first hand, students went on a field trip to the Central Park Zoo! What a fun trip it was! First, the children followed the maps (that they made themselves!) to see the sea lions -- which were swimming around and around...

As a culmination to their immigration study, the third grade students visited the Tenement Museum on the Lower East side. The students traveled back in time as they explored tenements from the 1800's and 1900's. They learned about the families that lived there and explored the different living conditions and objects they had in their homes during those times. Students were able to demonstrate their knowledge through their thoughtful questions and responses during the tour. As part of this study, the third graders read historical fiction and non-fiction texts related to immigration and Ellis Island. In addition, each student interviewed someone who immigrated to this country. The third graders wrote 2-paragraph essays about these experiences which are on display on the 8th floor.

Mr. Jay Klotz's senior astronomy class made their annual pilgrimage to the planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. Students viewed the space show, a multimedia presentation on the Big Bang, and the halls of earth and of space. It was a great opportunity for the students to see visual presentations of what they have been learning in class and to solidify and extend their knowledge of astronomy. A great time was had by all!

Ms. Barak's junior honors Hebrew class went to see the play Grey Rock at the La MaMa Theater on East 4th Street. The play tells the story of a Palestinian man who wants to build a rocket to go to the moon, and the five actors in the show are all Palestinians. In addition to the main plot about building the rocket, the play focuses on human relationships - between a father and a daughter, between a woman and her fiance...

Seventh graders put their finishing touches on a collaborative and meaningful mural they've been working on! With professional guidance from the Jewish Museum, students first learned about Russian avant-garde artists, Chagall, Lissitzky, and Malevich. Seventh graders were interested in learning about the artists' works, which were displayed publicly to celebrate the revolution in the town of Vitebsk, and the rise of the Soviet Union in general. Artists would showcase modernist murals on trains and on the sides of buildings to voice their important message of the rise of artistic freedoms (or so they thought). To connect with these revolutionary works, students decided to depict an important value from our own school mission statement -- the value of Menschlichkeit, to be represented in a collaborative and celebratory mural. Seventh graders began by making prints of pictures representing acts of kindness - these were then combined into one large mural that will soon be hung in the lobby of the Middle School! Stay tuned!

The 11th grade had the exciting opportunity to visit the Jewish Museum this past month to see the new highly acclaimed exhibit, "Chagall, Lissitzky, Malevich: The Russian Avant-Garde in Vitebsk, 1918-1922." The exhibit offers a rare opportunity to explore a little-known chapter in the history of modernity and the Russian avant-garde. It shows through art how Jews viewed the Russian Revolution and the hope and freedom of expression that they thought it would bring. Students had exclusive access to the Museum, and listened to a lecture by Dr. Bernstein, Upper School History Teacher, about the period and exhibit, followed by group tours and a project. To view photos, please click...

Last week fourth graders took a field trip to Inwood Hill Park in Upper Manhattan. The students had a walking tour, led by Urban Park Rangers, and learned about the indigenous people who inhabited "Manhatta," the island of Manhattan....

Last week, the Upper School's Sephardi Culture Club took a trip to the historical Spanish Portuguese Synagogue on the Upper West Side. The students received a private tour and historical guide by the synagogue's program manager. They learned about the history of the community and had a chance to see artifacts that are still being used from precolonial times -- when the first 23 members established the community in 1643...

Last week, Ms. Barak's Honors Modern Israel Senior class trekked crosstown to the Manhattan JCC, to participate in the opening night of the annual "Other Israeli Film Festival." This week-long festival featured over twelve Hebrew or Arabic films and documentaries open to the general public. As the founder stressed on opening night, the festival aims to present films that inspire conversation. Stemming from the name "Other Film Festival," each film offers a unique perspective from the minorities in Israel, especially the Palestinian minority. To spark these conversations, each film concluded with an in-depth look at the film and the meaning of some of the artistic choices. My classmates and I got to have one such conversation with a creative mind who worked behind the camera -- Tzahi Grad, one of the movie directors of The Cousin....

​This past Saturday night, Ramaz was honored to host close to 500 families for an Open House and inside look into the key Ramaz values and opportunities that we hold so dear!

Election fever was in the air this week as the Middle School welcomed NY State Assembly incumbent candidate Dan Quart. Mr. Quart spoke about the importance of menschlichkeit and doing good for your community. He also addressed students regarding the importance of trying and failing. He saw the students election posters around the school and explained that when he first ran for office, he lost, but that didn't stop him...

Seven sophomore students, Elan A., Arielle B., Lauren L., Tammy P., Yehudit R., Gabrielle O., and Jonathan S., navigated the rush-hour subway and speedily made it to 49th and 1st to arrive at the German Consulate by 4:30, after school on Monday. They joined a large number of adults to "bear witness" and take part in a unique presentation, a Commemoration Program of the 80th Anniversary of Pogromnacht (Kristallnacht)...

The ECC children are continuing to learn about the creation of the world! Through our program's integrated approach to learning, teachers helped students experience the vastness of the world by encouraging building projects! Students chose whatever interested them most about our world, including building Hubble telescopes, rocket ships, aquariums, fitness gyms, and even the entire solar system...

Last week, the 7th graders met with guest artist Jeff Hopkins of the Jewish Museum who spoke about their current exhibit on Chagall. He explained how much of the art of Chagall, Lissitzky, and Malevich was inspired by the Russian Revolution. This week students had the opportunity to go to the Jewish Museum...

Middle School students had the great opportunity to see the election process live! Dr. Jeffrey Ascherman, who is currently running for New York State Assembly, came and spoke to our students about his ideas. As Dr. Ascherman explained, "there are no medical doctors in the entire NY State Legislature- even though they pass a great deal of healthcare legislation."

Second graders just went on their first field trip of the year! To enhance students' ongoing Social Studies exploration of Manhattan as an island, they visited both the East and Hudson Rivers. The idea of Manhattan as an island can be quite an abstract concept; it is proven via maps and photographs of the borough situated in the midst of its surrounding rivers to the east and west, the Spuyten Duyvil Creek to the north, and New York Harbor to the south...

Last Friday, the sixth graders enjoyed a fall walk to Mount Sinai Hospital where they joined students from three other schools, all of whom will partake in the Sweet Readers program this year. Dr. Howard Fillit spoke to the group about Alzheimer's, including the history of research for a cure, some progress that has been made, hopeful medications, as well as what measures people can take early on to help prevent Alzheimer's...

Students in 8th grade have been learning about various Aliyot to Israel (the immigration of Jews from the diaspora). Most recently, they have been learning about Operation Magic Carpet that brought 50,000 Yemenite Jews to the new State of Israel between June 1949 and September 1950. To learn more about the unique Yemenite laws and customs which have remained unchanged for nearly 2,000 years, students visited Tifereth Yisrael, a Yemenite Synagogue, this past Shabbat....

Students and faculty are immensely proud of 8th grader Ilana P. for competing in the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee this week. The whole school was cheering her on --Kol HaKavod! To learn more, please read the New York Times article which featured Ilana as one of the "spelling stars of the city." For the article, click..

The annual RAMAZ RETREAT was amazing. It all started with a full school tefilah where students heard from their new G.O. president Becky T., about the importance of taking time to relax and to reunify as a community and a school. After breakfast, students traveled up to Camp Lavi where they made full use of the facilities at camp, playing basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer, volleyball, and pretty much every other sport...

Caleb T. passes to Cousin Nava F. during the Ramaz Ultimate Frisbee team's victory over at Bronx Letters 13-6. With a 29-15 victory over the School for Global Leaders earlier in the week, the team continues its undefeated season with a record of the 3-0.

Fifth graders attend the Design Workshop at the Cooper Hewitt Museum. The workshop is focused on design using empathy - specifically accessibility for people with disabilities where disability is viewed as a design opportunity. Students had a great time learning about the different ways design could create healthy happy spaces for those around them.