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M A Z E L D A Y S C H O O L

September—Elul 2011 ISSUE ONE

Dear Mazel Families,

Welcome to the new school year! Evident

from the many pleasant novelties we have

seen upon our return (such as our new play

yard for children, the newly renovated first

floor of the school building and a new

PreNursery class), we can already see that this

year will be full of pleasant surprises, excite-

ment and achievements, for our children as

well as the entire Mazel Community.

We would also like to extend our warm wel-

come to the new families that joined Mazel

this year. You are about to embark on a jour-

ney of love, care, hospitality and kindness. We

hope that you will come to love the school as

we have and will enjoy the many resources

our school has to offer.

Finally, as our first issue of the Parent Page be-

gins with the start of the new Jewish year, we

would like to extend our warm wishes to the

Mazel Community. Rosh Hashanah is a time

for joy, a time for new beginnings, celebra-

tions and counting our blessings. Share this joy

with friends and loved ones with our happy

Rosh Hashanah! May we each be inscribed

in the Book of Life!

Anna Ashurov, Editor—in—Chief

Contributing Editors: Mazel Parent Association

IN TH

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PAGE2: Help! Now that school has

started, getting my kids to bed on time

is a nightly battle. Any suggestions?

PAGE3: Mazel Day School Board

Introduction to the Year

PAGE3: Book Reviews

For Children and Parents

PAGE4: Family Fun-Weekend Picks

PAGE5: Traditional Recipes

PAGE6: Parent Interview

This Month: Irina Mordukhayev

Center Pull-out Section

Parenting Book of the Month Ex-

cerpt: ―Raising a Child with Soul‖

PAGE7: Back-to-School Tips

PAGE7: Questions of the Month

Rosh Hashanah 101

UPCOMING CALENDAR

09/28—09/30—School Closed,

Rosh Hashanah

10/7– School Closed, Eve of Yom Kippur

10/12-1 PM Dismissal, Eve of Sukkot

10/13 and 10/14– School Closed, Sukkot

10/19-1 PM Dismissal, Hoshana Raba

10/20 and 10/21– School Closed, Shemini Atz-

eret, Simchat Torah

10/28-Begin early Friday Schedule, closing 1 PM

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by Chani Okonov

HELP! Now that school has started, I am

trying to establish a consistent schedule at

home, but getting by kids to bed on time is a

nightly battle. Any suggestions?

Firstly, realize that you are certainly not alone in your frustra-

tion. Bedtime is probably one of the most challenging house-

hold routines. For starters, the kids are cranky and tired, and

we are too! This automatically sets up the situation for con-

flict. The image of bedtime in many of our homes consists of

kids popping in and out of bed, while parents get increasingly

frustrated, often ending with mom or dad falling asleep be-

fore the little ones. (Sound familiar?)

Something that I‘ve learned as a parent is that our expecta-

tions for bedtime (change into pajamas, tuck into bed, say

goodnight and don‘t bother Mommy/Daddy) may be unreal-

istic for many of our children. The truth is that turning your

mind/body off, relaxing and drifting off to sleep can be quite

difficult, even for lots of adults. Nighttime is generally a time

that brings out feelings of vulnerability and insecurity in all of

us. Recognizing these points helps us as parents better under-

stand our children. Rather than trying to intentionally drive us

mad, they are struggling with very normal and reasonable

issues.

With this in mind, here are a few practical tips that may help

make things easier:

1. Select a set time frame for bedtime and stick with it. In

general, it is recommended for young children to have a

bedtime anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30 pm, but not later.

Once you‘ve selected an appropriate bedtime for your fam-

ily, it is very important to be consistent, but also allow room for

flexibility. For example, at my home, my kids know that their

bedtime is at 8 pm, but in my mind, I expect my kids to be in

bed anytime between 8 pm and 8:30 pm. This way, if things

are running a bit late, I don‘t stress over it.

As soon as they are old enough, teach your child to recog-

nize their bedtime on the clock. This way, bedtime is not only

when mom/dad announce ―bedtime‖ (which can be argued

with), but rather when the clock shows a certain time.

2. Create a step-by-step routine for your child to prepare for

bed. This routine should be followed consistently ever night so

that your child knows exactly what to expect. Make sure to

start this routine early enough so that you can go through it at

a calm pace and still be ready for bed at the chosen bed-

time. It is very important for the energy-level in the house at

this time to be as calm as possible, so that kids are winding

down rather than getting hyped up. Sometimes, the stress of

bedtime begins at this point—long before the kids are actu-

ally in bed. You will want to carefully plan out your evening

activities so that you have allowed sufficient time for a good

getting-ready-for-bed routine. Something that also helps my

kids a lot is having a visual list that hangs in their bedroom with

pictures and/or words (depending on the age) of each of the

steps that they need to do to get ready for bed. Rather than

nagging every step of the way, we are able to refer to the list

and move through the routine as calmly as possible.

3. Think of ways to help your child relax as they try to fall

asleep. It is okay if your child needs additional comfort and

cannot ―self-soothe‖ during bedtime. The

challenge is finding ways to help them while

also not allowing them to become com-

pletely dependent on us (ex: falling asleep

in our arms). Different children are different

and you may need to figure out what will

work for yours. Most kids need at least 10-15

minutes of special time with mom/dad be-

fore they are ready to say good night.

Reading a book, telling a bedtime story or just chatting about

the day will make your child feel more secure and put a posi-

tive ending to the day. Once you leave, some kids find soft

music relaxing, while others may enjoy listening to audio sto-

ries/books until they fall asleep. If your child feels that they

need your presence to relax, don‘t feel guilty if you sit in the

room quietly until they fall asleep, or if you sit outside their

room (as I sometimes do). But this will only work if you are very

strict about not talking to them while you are there. Your

presence will make them feel that you are close, but at the

same time, gives them the space to fall asleep on their own.

Lastly, I‘d like to share a number of wonderful Jewish traditions

that you can incorporate into your bedtime routines. Firstly,

just before the child climbs into bed, he/she gives the Mezu-

zah hanging on their bedroom door a kiss. For little ones, lift-

ing them up in your arms to enable them to reach the Mezu-

zah is exciting and special. The child learns that the Mezuzah

is a special protection with Hashem‘s name written in it, reas-

suring them that Hashem is always with them and watching

over them. Once the child is tucked into bed, we sing the

‗Shema‘ prayer with them. This prayer begins with the state-

ment: Shema Yisroel Ado-nai Elo-heinu Ado-nai Echod. (Here

o Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One). This is one of the

most central prayers of Judaism. Saying the Shema is an op-

portune time to reflect with our child on things that Hashem

has given them and how beloved they are to Him. In fact,

there are a number of powerful stories told of children who

were hidden during the Holocaust in non-Jewish homes or

monasteries who had completely forgotten their Jewish roots

by the war‘s end, but were able to be identified by agencies

searching for Jewish children because their memories were

jogged as soon as they heard the ‗Shema‘. That warm, cud-

dly feeling associated with this beautiful Jewish prayer was

their most powerful link to Jewish identity. In one story, the

priest of a convent insisted that no Jewish children were pre-

sent, but allowed the visiting Rabbi to address the children for

a few moments. He stood before a cafeteria filled with chil-

dren and began to say: ‗Shema Yisroel…‘ Suddenly, one

child cried out, ―Mama!‖ and then another, as slowly the

Jewish children began cry and call out for their parents. For

generations, Jewish mothers & fathers have also used bed-

time as a chance to pass on the multitudes of stories of Jewish

heroes and heroines throughout our history. These stories pre-

sent a model for kindness, moral choices, wonder and faith–

giving our children sometimes positive and magical to think

about as they drift off into sleep. Any Judaica shop will offer

a selection of Jewish story collections for young children that

you and your little one will surely enjoy.

May this new year bring us much Nachas from our children

and an easy smooth path in our parenting!

M O D E R N P A R E N T I N G

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M E S S A G E F R O M T H E B O A R D

way, we want our children feeling creative, inspired, and

proud of their "uniqueness"! This warm and inspirational

tale will remind our children (and us) to embrace who they

are, follow their own inventive process, and to have pride

in their individual skills and talents!

Parenting Book Review By Chani Okonov

Book Title: Raising a Child with Soul

Author: Slovie Jungreis-Wolff

Review: Slovie Jungreis-Wolff is a freelance

writer and parenting instructor. She is the

daughter of Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis, a re-

nowned lecturer and Jewish educator.

Slovie‘s parenting approach fuses her own personal ex-

periences as well as Jewish teachings. This makes this

book stand out from other parenting books available and

can serve as a great source of inspiration to parents. I

highly recommend this read to parents of kids of all ages!

Children’s Book Review By Ilona Dektor

Book Title: Ish

Author & Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds

Ages: 4-8 (K-3rd grade)

Review: Ramon enjoys drawing

"anytime, anything, anywhere", that is, until his brother ridi-

cules his efforts. In sadness and frustration, Ramon stops draw-

ing. His sister saves all of his discarded efforts and puts them

up on her wall. What was supposed to be a vase of flowers,

she declares "vase-ish." She manages to show Ramon the

beauty in all of his artwork. All the drawings are something-

"ish," Ramon realizes. This reignites his creativity and he is in-

spired once again!

This story truly pays homage to creativity and the artistic proc-

ess!. Furthermore, it teaches our children that thinking imagi-

natively and being a visionary, is far more wonderful than

getting it perfect or "just right". With the school year under

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P A R E N T S 2 P A R E N T S by Ilona Dektor & Chani Okonov

To Mazel Day School Community:

On behalf of the Mazel Board, we would like to welcome everyone

to the new school year at Mazel Day School. We are very excited

about this coming year and we have many reasons for it.

Your Mazel Board has been busy throughout the summer and we

would like to share with you some highlights of our accomplishments

and what‘s to come in the year ahead.

The Board has successfully secured financing to build out a new floor

in the corner school building – Rabbi Avremel and Chani Okonov did

a tremendous job managing the entire project and the results are

evident to all. We now have a brand new floor with four additional

classrooms, administrative offices and plenty of space for our chil-

dren to enjoy.

The board worked very hard to secure support of two prominent

foundations that focus on education and child development. We

are very excited about these new relationships and extremely thank-

ful for the support they‘ve provided to Mazel and will continue to

provide in the future.

Through the generosity of The Gruss Life Monument Funds, Inc., a

brand new computer lab is coming to Mazel. The foundation will

provide 14 new computers and monitors, a dedicated server, soft-

ware, computer tables, chairs, and a printer, as well as a curriculum

coordinator to train staff and offer support. The program offers indi-

vidualized instruction in math, and language arts. The computer lab

will be located in the lower school building and will be available to

students from 1st through 5th grade.

Our 2011/2012 school year fundraising efforts have just begun. The

board developed a comprehensive marketing and fundraising

plan and we look forward to working with the entire Mazel Parent

Community to implement the plan.

The board has completed and approved the 2011/2012 financial

plan for the school. The plan takes into consideration the neces-

sary increase in school teaching and administrative staff. Mr.

Goodman was hired as an assistant principal to work closely and

support Chani Okonov, our principal. We also hired a new building

manager to help keep our facilities safe, clean and always func-

tional.

May the new year at Mazel be filled with many memorable experi-

ences, challenging and exciting projects, and many new friend-

ships.

We promise to keep you informed of all new developments at

Mazel. Please feel free to contact any of us at your convenience.

Shana Tovah!

Mazel Day School Board of Directors

Milana Feldman: milanafeldman@optonline.net

Dimitriy Goloborodskiy: dimitryg@optonline.net

Dr. Boris Khodorkovsky: bkhod@yahoo.com

Nika Khodorkovsky: nbkhod@yahoo.com

Vlad Lipkin: vlad@gramercytrading.com

Rabbi Avremel Okonov: freeofbrighton@gmail.com

Chani Okonov: mazelparents@yahoo.com

Eugene Pishchiker: eugenepi@gmail.com

Irina Rakhlis: irakhlis@optonline.net

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sonal. Also learn about the Thousands of Workers that

make your PYO experience a reality, for without them

there‘d be no fruit. That‘s right! We‘re talking about bees

and you can see them in Live Glass-enclosed Working

Beehive that you can watch. By the way, don‘t forget the

honey! A farm market is also open (in season) with ap-

ples, peaches, plums, pears, strawberries, raspberries,

blackberries, melons, pumpkins, a variety of summer and

winter vegetables and tomatoes.

Wild About Warhol—through October 4, 2011

Ages 4 and up

The 92nd Street Y is hosting an Andy Warhol Children‘s Fes-

tival, including an art exhibit. This exhibit will display 80

original Warhol paintings at kids eye level to enable easy

viewing by youngsters. 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave-

nue, NYC

Amazing Animals The Wildlife Conservation Society‘s Central Park Zoo and

Prospect Park and Queens Zoo have launched a new Tod-

dler Time series, An exciting new program for young chil-

dren that offers an introductory glimpse into wildlife, nature

and the environment. Youngsters learn about animals

through educational games, crafts, sing-alongs, storytelling

and more. For more info go to wcs.org

Just Kidding Series at Symphony Space Forget Saturday morning cartoons. Little kids and tweens

alike can start their weekends off with musical musings and

literary loving all autumn long at Symphony Space. Match

musical sketch comedy from the Story Pirates, impressive

acrobatics at Galumpha, or groove to Cat and Bird‘s East-

ern European flair. There are popular author series who

teach creative writing, Q&A with authors and book sign-

ings. For more info go to symphonyspace..rg

The Reluctant Dragon at Puppetworks A misunderstood little girl and an intelligent creature tea-

mup in this charming classic adapted for marionettes. Now

through December 18 at338 Sixth Avenue in Park Slope.

www.puppetworks.org

Boo at the Zoo at the Bronx Zoo Get spooked at the Bronx Zoo this October for the zoo‘s

annual scare fest. Go on a haunted safari or take a spooky

hayride. We hear the hay maze is fun and ghost free or

visit the endangered/extinct animal grave yard to learn

more about wildlife. And of course don‘t forget to bring a

costume for the parade. Bronxzoo.com

Knuffle Bunny Beloved classic by Mo Willems is now a heartwarming fam-

ily musical with performances spanning November 25-27.

Tickets $15-$15 at NYUSkirball, skirballcenter.nyu.edu

From Tent to Temple: Life in the Ancient near East

Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture 515 W. 20th St., Ste 4E, New York, NY 10011

nr. Tenth Ave. 212-924-4500

Age Range: 6-to-12 Years Old

In this vibrant, interactive exhibit that engages visitors in a

variety of areas—from shelter to clothing to archaeology—

visitors will hunt for food, grind wheat, and weave cloth for

tents.

ImaginOcean 340 W. 50th St., New York, NY 10019

nr. Eighth Ave. 646-871-1730

Age Range: 5 & Under, 6-to-12 Years Old

Tickets: Buy tickets on imaginoceanthemusical.com

In this musical written by Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia

(Avenue Q), a trio of fish travel to the ocean floor, meeting

new friends throughout their adventure.

Cosmic Collisions

Rose Center for Earth and Space at American Museum

of Natural History Central park West at 81st St., New York, NY 10024

212-769-5200

Age Range: 6-to-12 Years Old

As far as rules go, not staring at the sun is a pretty good one

to follow. Unless, that is, you're talking about the NASA satel-

lite image on the giant dome of the Hayden Planetarium.

Narrated by Robert Redford, Cosmic Collisions is filled with

sights such as this one plus others of intergalactic crashes that

range from the routine to the catastrophic (a meteor that

hastened the end of the dinosaur age). Experts from the Mu-

seum of Natural History teamed up with NASA to create the

show's visuals, many of which are digital simulations but some

of which are actual satellite images. Don't worry. Even when

they're remarkably realistic, they're easy on the cornea.

Hillview Farms 223 Meyersville Rd., Gillette, NJ 07933

(908) 647-0957

Hillview Farms is located in Northern New Jersey. They have a

number of activities at the farm including Hay Rides, pick-

your-own-fruit including apples, pears, peaches, and blue-

berries as well as pumpkins. Don't forget that Apple picking

season starts the beginning September and runs through the

end of October.

Ochs Orchard 4 Ochs Lane, Warwick, NY

(845) 986-1591

Located in beautiful and scenic Warwick, New York, Ochs

Orchard specializes in Pick Your Own experience. Get

dressed to visit with nature and see it through the farmer‘s

eyes. The farm offers PYO Apples and Pumpkins in Septem-

ber and October. You can also visit a small Petting Zoo on

the farm grounds and meet with animals up close and per-

W E E K E N D P I C K S by Anna Rakhlis

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by Anna Roberman T O U C H O F T R A D I T I O N

Since I live in a household with two growing sons, I am

constantly trying new recipes. My mom and my

grandmother are amazing cooks, and from child-

hood, I am used to a good home-cooked meal, and

want the same for my sons!

I am extremely excited about being part of the Par-

ent Page, and having an opportunity to research

and expand my knowledge of Jewish delicatessens,

while sharing it with Mazel parents on a monthly basis.

The following three recipes are some of my favorites

and are always part of our meal on Rosh Hashanah.

Special thanks to my grandmother Larisa for sharing

with me.

Anna Roberman

Honey Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

One cup of sugar

One cup of honey

One cup of strong black

tea (2 tea bags)

One table spoon of ground

coffee

One table spoon of sour

cream

3 table spoons of olive oil

3 eggs

3 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 tea spoon of soda mixed with vinegar

1/2 cup of almond nuts

Instructions:

Separate the egg yolk and egg whites. Mix the whites

with sugar. Add honey, cold dark tea (add spoon of

coffee into the tea), continue to mix. Add sour

cream , olive oil , flour (pour flour through net), fol-

lowed by vinegar and soda on a teaspoon. Continue

mixing well.

Take baking pan, rub butter all around and inside,

then pour the mixture. Place into oven preheated to

300F. Once the cake rises, can increase temperate to

350F. Stick with a toothpick to see if it Is ready, once

the cake becomes dark. Bake for approximately 50-

60 minutes.

Sweet Carrot

Tzimmes

Ingredients:

Carrots

Hand full of dried cran-

berries

Hand full of dried apri-

cots

Hand full of raisins

Tea spoon of sugar

Water

Instructions

Take carrots; wash, peel and cut into small cubes.

Take a small pan, warm a piece of butter in the pan.

Place carrots in there and mix until it gets dark. Add

enough water onto pan to cover the carrots. Add

handful of raisins, dry diced apricots and cranberries,

tea spoon of sugar and continue mixing.

Cover the pan. Once carrots become soft, let stand

under the cover.

Sweet Ginger Gefilte Fish

Additional recipe that kids may enjoy helping with

and with an interesting twist to a common dish.

Ingredients:

16oz loaf of gefilte fish (defrosted)

1 tablespoon of fresh Ginger, grated

1/4 soy sauce

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place fish into jelly roll pan or a

round cake pan. Whisk remaining ingredients in bowl

and pour in top of fish. Cover with foil and bake 30 -

35 minutes until thoroughly cooked.

Kids now can help and cut

the finished gefilte fish into

fun shapes with cookie

cutters.

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By Alla Barskiy P A R E N T I N T E R V I E W

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Irina Mordukhayev was

born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

She came to the US in 1994

with her family. She now lives

in the Midwood area of

Brooklyn with her husband

Mark Mordukhayev and two

children – two-year-old

Naomi (who has started Pre-

Nursery at Mazel day School

this September) and 9-month-

old Itai Shemtov. Irina is an

Anti-Money-Laundering Inves-

tigator for HSBC bank.

What made you choose this profession?

I majored in Finance while in college (Yeshiva University)

and liked it. However, I was aware that a career in finance

would make it more difficult to have flexibility in my sched-

ule, for motherhood. I was also interested in law and legal

research and this is how I chose Compliance as a career

choice.

What do you like about your job?

Unveiling the unknown, through vigilant research and ensur-

ing that monetary fund flow adheres to the US AML related

rules and regulations.

Did you ever consider doing anything else?

Yes, when I was in High School, I was very interested in fash-

ion design and seriously thought about applying to FIT. How-

ever, after I completed a summer semester for high school

students, I realized that it wasn‘t for me. At the time I be-

lieved that in the fashion industry, you have to be married to

the job in order to accomplish anything.

Do you have any favorite books?

Anything by Alexander Pushkin. In college, my literature pro-

fessor allowed me to read him in the original Russian, in-

stead of the English translation.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Not so much now, I gave them all up!

Do you have an easy recipe to share with other parents?

Lamb stew (Kovurma) – it is easy because you basically just

put all the ingredients into the collander and leave it to

cook by itself. Also, you can make it for several days ahead

and it only gets more delicious with time!

How do you balance work and family?

My job allows me to work from home when I need to do

something with my kids. Beyond that, I have to rely on help

from others. My husband is in the same profession as me

and he currently works in another state, coming home

about twice a month. So, I have a babysitter staying with

Itai and my mother-in-law often pitches in when I have to

work late.

Why did you choose Mazel Day School?

My husband and I liked the fact that it was a Jewish day

school which targets Russian Jewry and will allow kids to

retain Russian language while introducing English and He-

brew languages. It was most important to us also that our

children receive a Jewish and strong Secondary educa-

tion. We were right away appealed to the idea of struc-

tured visits to the library. Books are very important in our

home and I wouldn‘t want the idea of physical books to be

abandoned by our kids. The hands on learning by going

outside and learning through exploring the world is the best

idea.

How did you find out about Mazel Day School?

Someone we know mentioned the school and I Googled it.

When I went on the school website, I liked the Teachers‘

Blogs, which allowed parents to have an in-depth aware-

ness of what their children are studying and how they

spend their time in school. Anytime we inquired about the

school with any of our friends and/or acquaintances we

only received the best of recommendations.

Why did you decide to join the Parents’ Association? Be-

cause I wanted to be involved in development and enrich-

ment of my child. In Yeshiva University, I was President of

the Russian Club for three years and had to put out a pro-

gram of activities every year, which members were waiting

for impatiently. As I hear, traditions still standing strong. I

wanted to use this experience & skills gained. I am looking

forward to this year and Bezrat Hashem more to come,

very much!

To welcome all new and returning families to a new school

year full of excitement and new beginnings, the Mazel Par-

ents Association put together a fun party for adults and

children. The party took place on our newly built Yeladim

Play Yard. The get together had food and drinks, as well as

entertainment for the kids, sponsored by the MPA. It was a

lot of fun and a great opportunity for parents to get to

know other Mazel Parents, and meet up with old friends

from last year. Entertainment for the kids included activities

for all tastes and ages, from the clown, who was playing

and entertaining the kids with tricks and balloons, to a hair

professional, who braided girls‘ hair into dif-

ferent styles. Highlight of the afternoon was

the bubble machine, as the kids were run-

ning with their friends under a massive waive

of bubbles.

A lot of prep work went into making this

event so much fun! Thank you MPA for the

first event of the year.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL PARTY—SEPTEMBER 18, 2011

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By Lily Shnayder T I P S F O R P A R E N T S

Here are a few ideas to help start a new school and Jewish

calendar year to a good start:

To be organized, create or re-establish a family routine

from evening homework review to bedtime to morning

out-of-the house routine. Try to stick with the bedtime

routine during the upcoming holidays.

This time of year is a good

time as any to talk to the children

about personal safety. One way

to do it is with ―Let’s Stay Safe‖, a

new children‘s book, published by

Mesorah Publications. With pic-

tures and child-friendly rhyming

text, the book can help teach

about safe and unsafe behavior

like personal safety, staying away

from strangers, crossing the street

safely, bicycle safety, fire safety and safety in the home.

To save time and money throughout the year, sign up

for Amazon Mom (Dads can sign up too) at

http://www.amazon.com/mom which allows for free

two-day shipping with no minimum charge and extra

savings on household and grocery items. Use it to shop

for diapers, birthday presents, schools supplies and even

grocery items without leaving home or office.

To avoid lost clothing, label them with Rub-A-Dub Laun-

dry Marking Pen, available on Amazon. This is especially

useful for younger preschool children. Thanks to Irene

Gabo for this tip.

To get the year off to a meaningful start, establish goals

– academic, extracurricular, family, spiritual or charac-

ter building. New beginnings like Rosh Hashanah and

school year are great opportunities to reflect on the

past and decide what you want to do better in the

future. A shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah is a reminder

to think about past actions and plan for the future. To

formalize the goals do a fun craft, I Can Do It! Chart.

MONTHLY CRAFT IDEAS

Supplies - colored pencils, wash-

able markers, scissors, construc-

tion paper, recycled foam pro-

duce trays (if meat or poultry, wash in hot, soapy water),

clear adhesive tape and straight edge or ruler

Instructions:

Draw several columns on a chart with markers and a

straight edge to record progress toward your goals. Make

different charts for each family member.

With pencils, list goals you would like to achieve. It could be

something simple, such as brushing teeth regularly for the

younger kids, or as complex as being patient with the chil-

dren at certain challenging times of day like bedtime.

Cut a recycled foam produce tray into small squares,

slightly narrower than the columns on the chart. On each

square, use a colored pencil to etch in a symbol of each

activity listed on your chart. Tape the stamp near the col-

umn.

Whenever you carry out one of your goals, color the sym-

bol with a marker and stamp it inside the column.

Watch how quickly the chart fills up with all the accom-

plishments! (Craft idea adopted from www.crayola.com)

What does the sounding of the shofar represent?

The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding

of the shofar, the ram's horn. The shofar is sounded on

both days of Rosh Hashanah (unless the first day of the

holiday falls on Shabbat, in which case we only sound the

shofar on the second day). The sounding of the shofar

represents, among other things, the trumpet blast of a

people's coronation of their king. The cry of the shofar is

also a call to repentance; for Rosh Hashanah is also the

anniversary of man's first sin and his repentance thereof,

and serves as the first of the "Ten Days of Repentance"

which will culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atone-

ment. Altogether, we listen to 100 shofar blasts over the

course of the Rosh Hashanah service.

What are the symbolic foods of Rosh Hashanah?

We eat a piece of apple dipped in honey to symbolize

our desire for a sweet year (as many other special foods)

A head of a fish, ram, or other kosher animal, is served.

This symbolizes our desire to be at the "head of the class"

this year. A pomegranate is eaten, symbolizing our wish

to have a year full of mitzvot and good deeds as a

pomegranate is filled with luscious seeds. The challah

(traditional bread) is shaped in a round circle to symbol-

ize the fullness of life.

Throughout the meal, it is customary to also eat foods

whose names in the vernacular allude to blessing and

prosperity. For example, many

have the custom of eating a car-

rot dish, such as Tzimis, because in

Yiddish the word for carrots,

meren, means to multiply, and we

hope that our blessings for the

year will multiply.

ROSH HASHANAH QUESTIONS OF THE MONTH Compiled by Anna Ashurov

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W E A P P R E C I A T E I T . . .

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MAZEL DAY SCHOOL 2901 - 2915 Brighton 6th St

Brooklyn, NY 11235

Phone: 718-368-4490

E-mail:

mazelnewsletter@gmail.com

We’re on the web!

www.mazeldayschool.com

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CARTOON OF THE MONTH A special note of appreciation to those

parents who made gift donations to

school or to their child‘s classroom over

the past month…

Whether you want to give a gift to your

child's class in honor of his/her birthday or

just because... check out your class's

online wish list of carefully selected items

that will be greatly appreciated and used

by your child's teachers.

MO

NTH

IN P

ICTU

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OUR CHILDREN

Children enjoying their first month at Mazel