The Charlotte Jewish News - December 2008 - Page 34
Fall Fun at The Jewish Preschool on Sardis
By Nancy Zolotorofe
On November 9, JPS students
and their families enjoyed a morn
ing of entertainment at the
preschool’s first Family Fun Day.
“The idea was to provide a fun-
filled, stress-free event where
families would have a chance to
meet each other and socialize,”
says Jen Lahn, the preschool’s
director. “It was also a way to give
back to our parents who share
their amazing children with each
every day.”
In perfect crisp fall weather, the
children excitedly ran around the
grounds of the preschool, check
ing out all the activities. They
played carnival-style games and
musical chairs, had their faces
painted, received temporary JPS
tattoos, and took turns on two
gigantic inflatables from Your
Event Source (YES).
Carrying deeper significance,
children were also invited to paint
ceramic butterflies as part of
Zikaron V’Tikvah (Remembrance
and Hope)/The Butterfly
Project—an endeavor that was
started at the San Diego Jewish
Academy as a Holocaust remem
brance. Each butterfly at the festi
val was created in memory of one
of the 1.5 million children who
died in the Holocaust. Those who
painted a butterfly received a cer
tificate with the name of a child
>vho perished as well as a necklace
or bracelet with a small butterfly
charm. The painted butterflies
were collected and will be saved
for use in a permanent memorial
chair, Amy Augustine and volun
teer organizer, Lorin Steifel, who
helped make the day possible.
“Fun” is always an underlying
theme at the preschool. Just weeks
earlier, students celebrated the
holiday of Simchat Torah by
marching with handmade flags,
dancing with Torahs, and jumping
in moon bounces from YES. ^
Ms. Patty plays for her loyal preschool fans.
Esther Brooke Manoim paints a but
terfly as part of a larger project to
remember the children lost in the
Holocaust.
that will be displayed at Shalom
Park in the future.
Much of the day’s success
relied on the participation of
teachers and parents. Children
danced to live tunes played by Ms.
Patty, the school’s music instnic-
tor. Wendy Berglass, JPS parent
and owner of Sew Fun! Parties
and More in Matthews brought
along her sewing machine for
hands-on crafts demonstrations.
And numerous parents and teach
ers manned the booths. Credit
should also be given to the event
Millie Levenson gets “star treat
ment. ”
Shea Widger is ready for adventure of the inflatable kind.
And Our New President Is...
; Josh Goldstein! If you thought
1 that the Obama/McCain presiden
tial race was full of excitement,
just wait until you read about the
elections at Charlotte Jewish Day
School. On Tuesday, November 4,
as adult voters were lined up at
polling places across the nation,
CJDS students from Junior
Kindergarten through eighth grade
were also lining up at the voting
booth to cast their ballots for
President, Vice President, and
I^ower School Student Council
Representative. Make no mis
take—this was a real election,
complete with campaign posters,
'debates, speeches, ballots, and a
voting booth with a locked box for
the completed ballots.
Preparations for this election
had been underway for months, as
the seventh and eighth grade stu
dents nominated candidates for
fhe office of President and Vice
President, and the fourth, fifth,
and sixth grade students chose
their nominees for Student
Council Representative. Three
political parties were formed. The
Community Party platform was
based on the belief that the group
is more important than the indi
vidual; the Individual Party felt
that the individual should come
first; and the Collaborative Party’s
emphasis was on everyone work
ing together. After much delibera
tion, the following candidates
were nominated:
President: Josh Goldstein
(Community), Josh Diamant
democracy, good sportsmanship, Lemer is Vice President, and Zach
and camaraderie for our entire Kurtz is the Lower School
school community. Josh Goldstein Student Council Representative,
is our new President, Sammy Congratulations to everyone.*!*
The voter registration table.
(Individual), Hayley Rusgo
(Collaborative)
Vice President: Sammy Lemer
(Community), Paige Rabinowitz
(Individual), Rachael Hall
(Collaborative)
Fourth Grade Student
Council Representative: Zach
Kurtz, Lauryn Baratz, Sydney
Rusgo, Hannah Farrell, Yehuda
Oppenheim
Unlike the candidates at the
national level, our participants
never lost sight of their Jewish
values and respect for one another.
There was no mud-slinging or
negative campaign signs or
speeches; each candidate focused
on programs and strategies that
could be implemented to make
student life at CJDS even more
meaningful and enjoyable.
Candidates visited each classroom
to introduce themselves, outline
their goals, answer questions, and
solicit the students’ support in the
election. The “hot-button” issues
that were raised in these class
room discussions included: How
will you make our school a better
place? How can we get quality
playground equipment and keep it
in good shape so we can enjoy it?
Can we have another field trip to
go along with our insect discovery
unit? Could we break recess down
into two 20-minute breaks instead
of one 30-minute recess?
When the ballots were counted
and the results were announced
over the intercom, there was foot-
stomping, clapping, and cheering
that could be heard all over the
school. This was truly a lesson in
Josh Goldstein and Sammy Lerner congratulate
each other on their victories.
Casting votes.