This Week @KYLS
Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School 2016-2017
3 Cheshvan 5777
Dear Parents,
“Every vote counts!” We enthusiastically chanted this refrain multiple times this week at Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School. One of the primary goals for our project on the upcoming election was for our students to learn that every individual vote matters in making decisions that affect their world.
Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, senior Rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue, asks and answers the following questions about Parshat Noach in his daily Emunah WhatsApp Group (BRS Emunah).
"Why didn’t Noach daven for the world? How could it be that he received direct communication from the Almighty Himself about the impending destruction and he was still, he was silent?
This question is compounded if you assume that Noach was a tzadik as the text explicitly states. How can someone be deemed righteous and yet be so ambivalent about the very future of existence?
Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev has a magnificent insight. He explains that Noach didn’t daven because he didn’t believe. It is not that he didn’t believe in Hashem and all that he had promised to do. That, he believed in. Rather, Noach didn’t believe in himself. He didn’t think that he, one lone individual could make a difference in the destiny of the world. Noach had no vision of the power of each individual in shaping and molding the world. Noach should have believed in himself enough to realize that his prayers, his pain, his actions could and would make the difference. It is not Noach’s complacency and ambivalence that are so egregious. It is their root cause, namely dismissing the potential of every individual to influence this world."
We want our children to understand that they can impact and contribute to their world with their words, actions, and talents. One action that a child uses to impact his/her world is choice. Voting is one way to choose. We began our project on the election through a learning experience where the students voted on questions that immediately had an effect on them. By the end of the learning experience they were glowing with the power of their vote to impact their immediate world.
One of the most powerful civic experiences we can share with our children is voting. If you feel comfortable and believe that your child can accompany you without disrupting the other voters, I would encourage you to consider bringing your child with you to vote on Election Day. If you bring them into the booth, you have a few options: You can let them watch you vote, you can let them press the buttons for you, or you can ask them to look the other way while you cast your ballot, as they understand from our learning this week that votes can be private. If you choose not to bring your child with you to your polling place, take some time on Election Day to describe what it was like when you went to vote during that conversation, and compare and contrast your voting experience with your child’s experience voting at school.
As we learn from the story of Noach, we should never doubt our ability as individuals to make a difference and effectuate change. Voting is not just one of the most fundamental rights granted to us by the United States Constitution; it is also a means by which each person can express a choice and play a personal role in impacting our community and our world.
Shabbat Shalom!
Becky
Save the Date: Learning @ The Lab Rescheduled!
Save the Dates!
Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School Morning or Afternoon of Creation and Innovation- Sunday, November 20, 2016 (for prospective parents and students)
Where: Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School
When: 10:00am- 11:30am OR 12:30pm-2:00pm
Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School Informational Meeting- Sunday, December 4th (for prospective parents only)
Where: The home of Shani and Jake Finkle
When: 8:00pm- 9:30pm
Kohelet Yeshiva Middle School Open House- Sunday, December 11, 2016 (for prospective parents and students)
Where: Kohelet Yeshiva High School
When: 1:00pm-3:00pm
RSVP/ Questions: info@yeshivalabschool.org
Applications
Our applications for the 2017-2018 school year for grades K,1,2, and 6 are open on our website.
Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School Application
Important Calendar Dates
Friday, November 4- 1:30pm Dismissal, No LM Afternoon Busing
Wednesday, November 9- Teacher Growth and Collaboration, No School
Friday, November 11- 1:00pm Dismissal, LM Afternoon Busing
Friday, November 18- 1:00pm Dismissal, LM Afternoon Busing
Sunday, November 20- Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School Open House- Session 1: 10-11:30am, Session 2: 12:30-2pm
Wednesday, November 23- 12:30 pm Dismissal - No LM Afternoon Busing
Thursday-Friday, November 24-25-Thanksgiving - No School
Wednesday, November 30- Learning at the Lab School Parent Evening 8:00 - 9:30pm
Kohelet Yeshiva Lab School
Website: yeshivalabschool.org
Location: 612 Montgomery Avenue, Narberth, PA, United States
Phone: 610-206-3926