Dear Friends,
Returning from Israel after a delightful visit with our juniors who are studying at the Alexander Muss High School, I realized that Barrack is, indeed, a truly international school. First, it was a wonderful experience watching our students become immersed in Israeli society, culture, language and living. Together, we hiked up Mount Carmel (easy for them, not so easy for me); celebrated Simachat Torah in Jerusalem where we shared some memorable meals; and visited Yad Yashem. It was a joy to realize how very much at home our students are in the land of Israel.
This Tuesday, I was excited to welcome back our student visitors from Colegio Tarbut, our sister school in Buenos Aires, and their advisor, Roxana Blager. They are visiting Barrack, experiencing student life in the States and touring colonial Philadelphia as part of their history curriculum. The opportunity for Barrack families to host our Latin American Jewish friends who share our commitment to Israel and to Jewish life adds to our appreciation of becoming a truly international community.
We are also glad to welcome Elie Guthmann back to school. Elie, who together with his sister, spent the last two months last year with us. A resident of Paris, France, he decided to return to spend the entire year at Barrack, learning English and Hebrew and becoming a part of our school community.
And last but not least, we have added Arabic to our World Language curriculum and Ray Leven, World Language Department Chair, will introduce a Chinese language club. Yes, Barrack is truly an international school.
Bivracha,
Dr. Steven M. Brown
Head of School
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For Learning.
6th Grade Archeologists
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Barrack's 6th grade class, chaperoned by Core teacher Judith Pransky and Resource Department Chair Barbara Albert, took a fascinating archeology and history tour of the Eastern State Penitentiary in the Fairmount section of Philadelph  ia. In spite of the rain, the students discovered how much can be learned from archeological sites. "When Charles Dickens traveled the United States in the 1840s, the two main attractions he wanted to visit were Niagara Falls and the Penitentiary, a revolutionary correctional facility in its time," shares Mrs. Pransky. "Our students followed in the footsteps of history to find out just what was so special about this prison." To find out more, visit the 6th grade Web page where descriptions and photos of the trip are posted. |
AP Environmental Science:
Current Event Café
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The environment is a vital concern for all of us. We are bombarded on TV, in the newspapers, and on the internet with devastating environmental problems facing the world. How do we analyze and make sense of all this information? This year, Barrack's senior AP Environmental Science class is learning how to manage the barrage of information regarding environmental issues. Throughout the year, each student, each month will post an article on a wiki site, an article that the student believes is important to bring to the attention of his or her classmates. Then in the discussion section, students will post an abstract of the article and key discussion questions. Classmates will blog to respond to the article and develop a context for that particular environmental dilemma, ranging from melting ice caps in Antarctica to preserving rain forests throughout the world.
Each month, several of the students will review all the posted articles and blogs and lead discussion groups in a Current Event Café, newly launched this month. Students sat at round tables in the dining commons and informally discussed their carbon footprint with a designated peer leader. While sipping beverages and enjoying snacks, they expressed their ideas and formulated opinions about complex issues, brainstorming ways to help solve pressing environmental problems. Collaborative learning in action! Members of the AP Environmental Science class and Rhonda August, teacher and Science Department Chair, are looking forward to more lively Current Event Café discussions. To share student work, visit Barrack's website webpage at JBHA-APES.wikispaces.com
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11th Grade Tutoring Services
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Yana List, President of the Class of 2011, has announced a unique fundraising project. The juniors will tutor younger students in all school subjects for $18 per hour. Tutoring services will be available during lunch, after school and on the weekend. For details, contact Yana at yana.list@jbha.org.
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Trips...Trips...Trips
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AP Environmental Science
The AP Environmental Science Class will explore the estuary system of Delaware Bay on November 2, 9am-1:30pm
6th Grade TEVA Trip
Barrack 6th graders will enjoy "Keepers of the Earth" experiences at the Isabella Freedman Nature Retreat in Connecticut, November 8-11.
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For Leading.
From Middle School to
Merit Scholar Recognition |
Meet seniors Madison Herling, Hannah Kosman, Jake Meyers, Miriam Rock, and Sarah Saltz, five of the nine Barrack National Merit Semi-Finalists and Commended Scholars, who spent Middle School years at our school and enjoyed a seamless transition to Upper School where they continued to learn and grow. Today, they are well-rounded, accomplished and community-minded young adults who face the future with great confidence and excitement. How did the benefits of a Barrack education contribute to their success? In many ways!
Hannah, Miriam and Jake, National Merit Scholar Semi-finalists, and Madison and Sarah, National Merit Commended Scholars, attribute their success to the sense of community they experience at Barrack, their caring and involved teachers, and their friendly, bright and supportive peer group. The quintet also cites Barrack's dual curriculum of college preparatory and Jewish Studies as instrumental in challenging them to work hard and develop strong study skills, as well as contributing to an enriched and strengthened Jewish identity.
All five have different interests. Hannah, a dancer who also plays the piano and performs in our school musicals, wants to study French and English in college. Miriam and Sarah are athletes and leaders in school clubs and publications. Miriam, who enjoys all subjects, wants to explore more in college before declaring a major. Sarah wants to pursue an engineering career. Jake, who plays the guitar, contributes his musical talents and high tech knowledge to the Israel Club, and Madison, who wants to pursue a career in medicine, enjoys science and participated in Drexel's mini-medical summer program.
These five outstanding students, along with National Merit Semi-Finalist Etan Weinstein and Commended Scholars Hannah Dardashti, Rebecca Hertzberg, and Judy Zwillenberg, all agree that Barrack has prepared them to excel in learning, leading, and life.
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Sports Scene
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Girls' Varsity Tennis News
 Girls' Varsity Soccer Update
On
Monday, the Barrack Lady Cougars' soccer team shut out Girard College, 2-0. Rachel
Gordon '12 scored with an assist from Samara Gordon '10.
Tamara Moskowitz '12 scored unassisted at the end of the half. This win
secured a play-off spot for the team in the Penn-Jersey League. On
Tuesday, the Lady Cougars beat Mercy Vocational, 1-0, with Sarah Gordon '13 scoring
unassisted off a 6-yarder. Sarah Saltz '12 added two
more shut-out games to her record. In non-league play, the girls lost to Mast
Charter, 6-2. Sarah Saltz scored her first goal unassisted
from her corner kick and Rachel Gordon scored the second goal with an assist
from Lila Manstein '13. The Lady Cougars will visit Solebury next
Tuesday in a semi-final match.
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For Life.
Alumni Spotlight: Meet Jamie Mendelovici Geller '96
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"Adapt your skill set to your chosen life style," advises Jamie Mendelovici Geller '96, who did just that when she shifted from being a high-powered television producer to becoming a wife, mother, and kosher cooking maven. Jamie was a rising star as a TV writer/producer for CNN Entertainment News, where her stories and profiles of the world's top celebrities appeared both in the United States and around the globe. Then, as an award-winning senior writer and producer for HBO, she worked on the television and theatrical marketing campaigns for such original series as The Sopranos, The Wire, and HBO Original Films.
After she married and had three children, she found that her busy career kept her away from her family, so she drew on her skills in writing, marketing, and creativity to reinvent herself as a professional kosher foodie. She adapted kosher recipes to her lifestyle and soon compiled them into her well-received cookbook: From the Bride Who Knew Nothing: Quick and Kosher Recipes. Her book features quick and easy dishes that look and taste gourmet, but don't require elaborate preparation.
Jamie now works out of her home as Chief Foodie Officer, Vice President, for Kosher.com, an online Kosher supermarket. "For me, the beauty is making delicious and nutritious cooking easy and offering practic al solutions for busy parents," shares Jamie. "You don't have to stress out in the kitchen." When asked how her education at our school contributed to her success, Jamie cited her English teacher, Rita Schuman. "Mrs. Shuman fostered my love of writing and encouraged me to develop a personal style in my senior project. It had an autobiographical aspect that I still use today." Jamie believes her pluralistic Jewish day school education supported the values of her immigrant parents: Jewish identity without dictating observance rituals, competence through sports, and accomplishment. She learned that, "A woman can do anything!" For more information, log onto www.quickandkosher.com or www.kosher.com
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New Fitness Equipment
Courtesy of Leonard Barrack '60 and Lynne Barrack
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"A funny thing happened when Len Barrack walked into his racquet club a few weeks ago," reports Steven M. Brown, Head of School. He met a new person at the reception desk who turned out to be Jerry Washington, Barrack's new Cross Country coach. Jerry mentioned that Barrack had a fitness center room but no equipment. On the spot, Len decided to provide the equipment and called Dr. Brown to say that he and Lynne would be happy to donate the equipment in honor of their dear friends, Connie and Joe Smukler, whose Capital Campaign gift was designated for the fitness center room. Len and Lynne's son Richard, a professional trainer, has met with Mitchell Kline, Barrack's athletic director, and the process of creating a fitness room for students and faculty to enjoy is underway. Richard will train Barrack staff in the proper use of the equipment and waivers will be signed before students can use the new facility that will only be opened to them under staff supervision. "A totally random meeting resulted in an unexpected and unsolicited gift from the Barracks that will benefit Barrack students and staff for years to come," adds Dr. Brown. "Kol Hakavod to the Barracks."
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Reminder: Endowment Established in Memory of Pepi Bloom
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The children of Pepi Bloom established an endowment in memory of their mother, a beloved teacher at our school from 1979 to 1991. The funds will continue to assure that our teachers have the latest technologies and tools to prepare Barrack students to succeed in an increasingly complex world. To contribute to the Pepi Bloom Endowment Fund, please contact Susan Marks, Director of Institutional Advancement: 610-922-2322 or smarks@jbha.org.
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Parents' Corner
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Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Brown
Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Steven M. Brown, Head of School, and Middle School parents continues on Wednesday, October 28, from 8 to 9:30am in the Athletic Building's Alumni Conference Room. To RSVP, contact Randi Butow at 610-922-2324.
HSA Bagels and Learning Date
Mark your calendars and plan to join fellow parents and community scholars for informal discussions about Jewish life cycles. The next session will be led by Rabbi Lisa Malik of Suburban B'nai Aaron on Friday November 20th in the Athletic Building's Alumni Conference Room. Her topic: Jewish Perspectives on Organ Donations & Ethical Wills.
Mitzvah Mania!
Plan to join members of the Barrack Hebrew Academy family at Morris Park and participate in the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's Mitzvah Mania! on Sunday, November 1. For details, contact Sarah Waxman: swaxman@jbha.org
Grandparents/Grandfriends'
Day
Be
sure to invite your child/children's grandparents and grandfriends to a Grand
Day at Barrack Hebrew Academy on Friday, November 6. They will
enjoy a welcome reception at 9:30am, attend classes with their grandchildren
and grandfriends, be our guests for lunch, and have a photo taken. To RSVP, contact Ruth Mancuso at 610-922-2330.
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In The Spotlight:
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Bienvenidos, Colegio Tarbut!
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The Argentineans are here! This is the third year that Barrack Hebrew Academy is hosting 9th grade students from Colegio Tarbut, a sister pluralistic Jewish Day School in Buenos Aires. The students arrived on October 19th and will visit for 10 days, attending classes with their student hosts, enjoying home hospitality, and touring Philadelphia before they travel on to Washington, DC. Why Barrack? "We feel so much at home at Barrack," shares their advisor Roxana Blager. "We appreciate the warm welcome of the community, and know that our students enjoy learning alongside Barrack students, sharing ideas and life styles, and practicing their English. We look forward to returning to Barrack each year." The Colegio Tarbut students agree. Student comments include: "Home hospitality is perfect. We feel like members of the family...." "It's great to learn about another culture and to practice our English..." "We are making friends and are enjoying Philadelphia." Ray Leven, Barrack's World Language Department Chair, adds, "Many of our Barrack students are still in touch with their Colegio Tarbut counterparts who visited our school during the past two years, and just as Colegio students practice their conversational English, our students practice conversational Spanish." Plans are in the works for Barrack students to visit their Colegio Tarbut counterparts in Buenos Aires in 2010.
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Calendar
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Looking Ahead
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October 27:
Picture Day. Students should bring in their form and a check.
October 28:Middle School Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Brown Contact: Randi Butow or call 610-922-2328 October 19-29: Colegio Tarbut students visit from Buenos Aires. October 29:Middle School Open House Contact: Vivian Young or call 610-922-2350. November 2:AP Environmental Science Trip November 3:Open House, 9am-noon Contact: Vivian Young or call 610-922-2350 November 6:Grandparents/Grandfriends' Day Contact: Ruth Mancuso or call 610-922-2330 November 8-11:6th grade TEVA trip November 20:HSA Bagels and Learning
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Life Cycles
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For Everything There is a Season...
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It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of David Cohen's father (Jackie Needleman) Howard Cohen (Hillel ben Gedaliah ha-Cohen), grandfather of Noah '12, Joshua '16, and Jonathan Cohen. Funeral services took place on Thursday, October 22 in Paramus NJ. The early days of Shiva will be observed in Westport, CT. Shiva will continue at the home of David Cohen and Jackie Needleman on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, October 25, 26 and 27 at 7:15pm.
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Photo Gallery:
Phillies Phever
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Photo Gallery:
Middle School Soccer
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The co-ed members of the Middle School Co-ed soccer team are 8th graders ( l. tor.) Nora Abel, Celeste Marcus and Miranda Davis.
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Photo Gallery:
Juniors in Israel
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Photo Gallery:
Girls' and Boys'
Varsity Soccer
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| photos by Eli Philip'10
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Submit to Benainu
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Please send Benainu information to Beverly Rosen
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