December 2025
From Nora’s Desk:
Reflections from the Head of School
As we approach the end of the semester, I want to reflect on several meaningful moments that highlight the strength and spirit of the Rambam Day School community.
First, thank you to everyone who participated in our Week of Giving. Your generosity and partnership are deeply appreciated. Together, our community raised over $72,000, directly supporting our Annual Fund and the essential investments it makes in teacher development, campus security, facility enhancements, and student programming. Every gift, at any level, strengthens Rambam today and helps ensure a bright future for our students.
I am also pleased to share that our recent accreditation visit was a tremendous success. The visiting team spoke highly of how fully Rambam lives its mission, noting the warmth and engagement in our classrooms, the high-quality instruction they observed, and our thoughtful approach to security. They were especially impressed by the professionalism, passion, and care demonstrated by our faculty and leadership, as well as the strong partnership among our parents, board, and temple staff. Their feedback was a powerful affirmation of the collective work that makes Rambam such a special place.
Our campus was also filled with Chanukah joy and celebration. Elementary students enjoyed a variety of festive activities, including Maccabi games, a Chanukah carnival, art projects, and plenty of dreidel playing. A highlight of the week was our first graders’ Chanukah play, in which students sang and performed beautifully, bringing the holiday spirit to life. We are grateful to our first-grade homeroom and Hebrew teachers, as well as our music teacher, Jackie Berney, for guiding this special performance. Our early childhood students celebrated with a joyful Chanukah sing-along, class parties, and the beloved Latke Throwdown, where students participated in a latke-making challenge and enjoyed homemade latkes together.
Wishing everyone continued joy this Chanukah season. Have a safe and happy winter break!
Shabbat Shalom,
Nora
Middah of the Month
סֵדֶר (Seder) Order
Creating structure to open possibilities.
This month’s middah is סֵדֶר (seder), the value of creating order and balance in our lives. Throughout the month, students are learning how thoughtful routines, organized actions, and clear priorities help bring calm, focus, and purpose to their day. They’re exploring how seder supports time management, strengthens responsibility, and promotes inner harmony, especially in moments that feel busy or overwhelming. By cultivating habits that reduce chaos and encourage mindfulness, students discover that order isn’t just external; it positively shapes their relationships, their choices, and the community around them.
2nd Grade:
Flat Stanley’s World Tour!
Our second graders have been busy exploring geography through the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. After learning how Stanley’s unexpected “flattening” sends him on far-flung adventures, students created their own Flat Stanleys and mailed them to friends and relatives across the country, and even around the world!
Over the past few weeks, Flat Stanleys have journeyed to new cities, states, and countries, returning to Rambam with postcards, photos, souvenirs, and stories about the unique communities and cultures they visited. Students are now excitedly sharing these discoveries in class, using them to build map skills, compare different types of communities, and spark conversations about the wider world. This hands-on project has helped make geography come alive, turning maps into meaningful connections and giving students a firsthand look at just how big and fascinating our world is!
STEM Spotlight:
Building Skills for the Digital World With Third Grade
In technology class, third graders are wrapping up their keyboarding unit, where they’ve been practicing proper finger placement, posture, and the use of key action functions to become more confident and efficient typists. Students have also begun exploring helpful keyboard shortcuts, such as cut, copy, and paste, which have been reinforced through learning stations during class.
Students took part in the global Hour of AI (formerly Hour of Code), a worldwide initiative that introduces children to foundational AI concepts through fun, age-appropriate games and activities. It was an exciting opportunity for students to build digital literacy, think creatively, and discover how technology shapes the world around them.
Creative Strategies
in Kindergarten Math!
In kindergarten, math is coming to life through hands-on exploration! Students are learning to add numbers in the teens using a variety of manipulatives and tools that help make abstract concepts concrete. They’re grouping tens and ones, and using counters, number lines, and other tactile materials to visualize how numbers work together.
Through these interactive activities, students are strengthening number sense, practicing addition strategies, and building a confident foundation for the math skills that lie ahead!
Exploring Religions
Through a Jewish Lens
This month in Judaic Studies, our fifth graders wrapped up their semester with a thoughtful comparative study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Through discussions, texts, and guided exploration, students examined the origins, core beliefs, and practices of each faith. They were especially interested in discovering both the shared values that connect these religions and the distinct traditions that make each one unique. This learning encouraged students to approach differences with curiosity and respect, while deepening their understanding of their own Jewish identity.
As they reflected on their studies throughout the semester, students also considered the resilience of the Jewish people across history and the powerful, enduring connection to the Land of Israel. Our goal is for each student to see themselves as part of this ongoing story, rooted in Jewish values, history, and community, and strengthened by a growing sense of empathy and global awareness.
Hebrew for Native Speakers!
כיתה ישראלית
Kitah Israelit is a specialized Hebrew-language program designed for native Hebrew speakers, created to meet the unique needs of Israeli families within our school community. Launched this year as a pilot program, Kitah Israelit is intended for students who are already fluent in Hebrew and possess a strong vocabulary foundation.
The curriculum draws on instructional resources and approaches commonly used in elementary schools throughout Israel, while being thoughtfully adapted to align with our students’ academic environment and developmental needs. Through reading, writing, discussion, and cultural exploration conducted entirely in Hebrew, students deepen their language skills, strengthen literacy, and maintain a meaningful connection to Israeli language and culture, all within the context of our broader school community. As this pilot continues, we are excited to learn, grow, and refine the program to ensure it remains both rigorous and responsive to our students and families.
Building Skills and Teamwork in PE
In fourth-grade PE, students have been actively working in small groups while practicing foundational movement skills such as scissor jumps and participating in team games like handball. These activities are thoughtfully designed to support both physical development and important social-emotional skills.
Scissor jumps help students build coordination, balance, agility, and lower-body strength, all while reinforcing body awareness and control. Mastering these movements also supports confidence as students learn to challenge themselves and see measurable improvement over time.
Group-based activities and games like handball promote teamwork, communication, and cooperation. Students practice taking turns, following rules, problem-solving together, and showing good sportsmanship, skills that extend far beyond the gym. Working in groups also encourages peer support and accountability, helping students learn how to collaborate respectfully and productively.
Together, these experiences foster resilience, focus, and a positive attitude toward physical activity, while reinforcing the importance of structure, cooperation, and healthy habits that support students’ overall growth.
Shining Bright With First Grade
Our first graders shined brightly as they led a joyful Chanukah program filled with song, storytelling, and learning. They sang favorite Chanukah melodies, retold the story of Chanukah, shared meaningful family traditions, and took us on a journey around the world to explore how Chanukah is celebrated in different countries, reminding us that the glow of Chanukah never burns out. Thank you to our dedicated first grade teachers for guiding our students and bringing this meaningful celebration to life!
Executive Functioning:
Brain Power in Action!
A foundation for life skills at school and at home.
Each month, we will highlight simple yet powerful strategies to help students strengthen their executive functioning skills: the mental tools that support organization, planning, focus, and self-control. Executive functioning is like the brain’s air traffic control system: it helps children manage their thoughts, actions, and emotions so they can stay organized, focus on what’s important, plan ahead, and adapt when things don’t go as expected. Just like muscles, these skills grow stronger with practice, and the tools we share each month are designed to give students fun and practical ways to build these lifelong abilities both at school and at home!
Tool of the Month: Morning & Evening Chores
In connection with our value of the month, Order, we are highlighting the power of simple morning and evening chores. Predictable routines help children develop essential executive functioning skills such as planning, organization, responsibility, and follow-through. When children know what is expected of them at the start and end of each day, it creates a sense of structure and calm, conditions in which they truly thrive.
Age-appropriate chores, like packing a backpack in the morning or tidying a space before bed, reinforce independence while building consistency and confidence. These small, daily habits support self-regulation and help children internalize order as a meaningful and manageable part of their lives, both at home and at school.
Early Childhood:
Light-A-Palooza! Learning Through Light
Our early childhood students participated in Light-a-Palooza, a play-based, experiential exploration connected to the Festival of Lights. Through hands-on interactions with light, shadows, and digital environments, children observed cause-and-effect relationships, developed early scientific awareness, and engaged in creative expression. This meaningful experience supported cognitive and social development while reinforcing themes of light, discovery, and celebration!
