Valley Beth Shalom Harold M. Schulweis Day School

VBSDS OPEN HOUSE!
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Join us for the VBS Day School Open House!
Explore how VBSDS fosters a love for learning, curiosity, and academic excellence. With a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio, small learning groups, and dedicated teachers, we ensure that each student receives individualized attention, support, and challenge.
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Our curriculum goes beyond academics, promoting skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving. Students gain confidence and intellectual curiosity through innovative, hands-on learning led by a team of passionate educators.
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📅 Date: November 14
🕒 Time: 9:15 AM
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Come see how VBSDS prepares students to ask big questions and find meaningful answers.
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📲 RSVP at vbsds.org/openhouse

SAVE THE DATE!

We’re thrilled to announce that Einav Telem, our amazing Hebrew & Judaic Studies Teacher, has been honored with the prestigious Milken Family Foundation Jewish Educator Award! This award celebrates educators who inspire excellence and foster deep Jewish connections in their students.

Einav Telem exemplifies everything this award represents. Her innovative teaching, strong student connections, and commitment to both academic excellence and Jewish identity make her a vital part of our school. Her passion for integrating Jewish values into the classroom has helped students form deep ties to their heritage, Israel, and each other.

Kol Hakavod and Mazal Tov, Einav!

STUDENT COUNCIL ROCKS!
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Thanks to our amazing community, our wonderful Student Council was able to collect several hundred dollars worth of school supplies for School on Wheels! This Donation Drive helped unhoused children get the school supplies they needed. The Student Council deeply thanks everyone who participated!
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It feels so good to Stand Up and make a difference!

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity, and we are proud to launch our Annual Fund. The Annual Fund is our most critical fundraising effort. Thanks to our incredible donors, Tal and Mory Barak, every donation made today will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $50k!
Spread the word, double your impact, and help empower our students! Click here to give: https://www.vbsds.org/giving/give-now 🧡

The season of gratitude and giving is upon us!🧡

🍁Our Day School is teaming up with the VBS Food Bank for a Thanksgiving Food Drive. Take a look at which food items your child’s grade is assigned to bring in between November 14-21.🍗🌽🥔🥫

🍁Parents are welcome to join us this Friday during Kabbalat Shabbat for our Thanksgiving Assembly! Our first grade students will share the story of Thanksgiving followed by a performance of the Turkey Tango by our Kindergartners and 6th grade buddies. 🦃🕺

✨ weekly highlights ✨

1️⃣&2️⃣ Our coaches pulled off the surprise of a lifetime and our 6th grade flag football team played againsKadima Day Schoolol aSoFi Stadiumum last night! Go Lions! 🏈🦁
3️⃣ 4th grade preparing a presentation for the school on the importance of donating their weekly SOVA items with Giveret Telem 🍏🥫
4️⃣ 3rd grade having a blast playing ultimate handball in PE ☄️
5️⃣ 4th grade learning various aspects of multiplication with Mr. Haguy! This includes how to visualize multiplication using the distributive property with area models. 📓✖️
6️⃣ 1st graders creating fall themed stained glass style watercolor in Art! 🎨🍁
7️⃣ 6th graders in Music Class practicing quarter note beats on a tom drum 🥁🎶
8️⃣9️⃣&🔟 Kinder and 1st grade enjoying Kabbalat ShabRabbi Nolan Lebovitz Lebovitz and learning about Sukkot! 🍋🌴

Join our Parent Org on Sunday, October 22nd for an afternoon of Family Bingo! Register at www.vbsds.org/familybingo to join in on the fun 🤗💚

✨weekly highlights✨

1️⃣2️⃣&3️⃣Our 5th grade students spent an adventurous few days at Brandeis Bardin! They participated in so many team-building activities including hiking, obstacle courses, and more! Our students also built bottle rockets using the principles of physics taught by Mr. Eric Dollins, our Science Teacher.🏕️
4️⃣The joy of reading is radiating in the 2nd grade!📚💙
5️⃣&6️⃣Our 3rd graders take turns each week to care for their community garden. This week, they planted lemongrass and peppers!🌿
7️⃣6th grade got their hands dirty in art class as they began creating their cave art projects🎨
8️⃣&9️⃣As part of our JSTEAM initiative, our 5th graders created water projects in honor of Tashlich, the Jewish tradition of symbolically casting our sins and starting the new year with a clean slate. Students wrote their mistakes on a special dissolving paper, cast them into the water, and watched as their mistakes simply melted away and landed into a pool of hope!✡️
🔟6th graders, Shira and Lielle, presented the first Senior Sermon of the year. Kol Hakavod!🤩

🤍Shabbat Shalom!🤍

Shanah Tovah Umetukah! Wishing our VBSDS community a happy and sweet New Year! 🍎🍯🐝

Artwork by Sienna Podell '26 (top left) and Gabriel Phillips ‘27 (bottom right).

✨weekly highlights✨

Rosh Hashanah is right around the corner! Our students have had a meaningful week setting intentions for a sweet year ahead🍎🐝

1️⃣&3️⃣1st graders colored Shanah Tovah cards and took turns blowing the shofar!📣
2️⃣Our Kindergarteners baked honey cakes with Morah Rotem🍯
4️⃣6th grade were matched with their Kindergarten buddies! They introduced themselves to each other, learned about their favorite things, and played together🫶
5️⃣Our Student Council set up a Western Wall for our students to post wishes for the New Year🙏
6️⃣Students attended Morning Minyan and received a special message for the New Year from Rabbi Ed Feinstein✡️

✨weekly highlights✨

1️⃣Our 3rd graders launched their garden this week! We can't wait to see it grow throughout the year🪴🌻
2️⃣5th grade began working on a special JSTEAM project. They are creating a water fountain that will be used school wide to cast their sins into for Tashlich before Yom Kippur🌊
3️⃣2nd grade learned sign language!🤟🏼
4️⃣Kindergarten explored the Innovation Lab and colored!🖍️
5️⃣Our Student Government organized a fundraiser to support Maui. We raised over $1,000! Way to go!🌺
6️⃣We loved seeing parents on campus for Back to School Night!🤗
7️⃣Noah Weintraub (6th grade) blew the Shofar at morning Minyan on Thursday. We are ready for the High Holy Days!✡️

🤍Shabbat Shalom🤍

✨weekly highlights✨
Can you believe we completed our first week of school? Swipe through to see our students shining in and out of the classroom 🤩

1️⃣ Our first graders blessed each other during Kabbalat Shabbat
2️⃣ On Leadership Day, the 6th graders learned about the values of being a leader and were able to practice their leadership as they met their kindergarten buddies
3️⃣ 1st graders had their first lesson in the Innovation Lab
4️⃣ Our Educational Administrators were ready to greet our students on the first day of school! (from left: Tamar Raff, Nancy Herbst, Nora Moreno, and Dr. Laurence Kutler)
5️⃣ 5th and 6th graders enjoyed prayers and tunes during Kabbalat Shabbat
6️⃣ Our parents at the PO Welcome Breakfast singing Shehechiyanu

🤍Shabbat Shalom everyone!🤍

The 2023-2024 school year is in full gear! Check out what's on the horizon, and click the links below to get involved:

*Snack Shack Wednesdays Volunteer Sign Up: https://slotted.co/dr6y1ddf
*LA Galaxy Jewish Heritage Night: https://www.lagalaxy.com/jewishheritage

**Back to School Night and Coffee & Schmooze don't require registrations.

HAPPY NATIONAL SCHOOL NURSE DAY!
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We're so lucky to have our wonderful Nurse Lizzie who cares for everyone on our campus with love and kindness!
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We love you Nurse Lizzie!!

Thank you to our generous sponsors! Sababa Fest is in 3 weeks! There is still time to become a sponsor or purchase tickets and join the Day School and ECC for our biggest fundraiser and family fun day on May 21st here at VBS. We can’t wait to celebrate Sara Leon, Haguy Wigdor, and our community together!

https://www.vbsds.org/sababa-fest

HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY ISRAEL!
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Today our entire school community came together to celebrate Yom Haatzmaut! The celebration lasted the entire school day with special events and fun stations including...
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🇮🇱An all school opening ceremony and we’re glad so many parents could join us
🇮🇱"Visiting" Kibbutz Yotfatah
🇮🇱Making Shoko B'sakit
🇮🇱Israeli lunch for students and teachers provided by the PO
🇮🇱Making Israeli pickles
🇮🇱Learning about Jerusalem
🇮🇱Creating our own Western Walls
🇮🇱Israeli Dance Group performance
🇮🇱Israeli space innovation project
🇮🇱The Art of Kadishman
🇮🇱Learning about the Israeli Scouts
🇮🇱Physics project about the bridges of Israel
🇮🇱 All school dance festival
🇮🇱 Popsicles for everyone
🇮🇱 And more...
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Today was one of the biggest highlights of our year and we know it's a day our students will remember for years to come! We love Israel!
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A huge thank you to Tamar and her amazing committee for putting together such a memorable and meaningful celebration for Israel’s 75th birthday!

JOIN US AT SABABA FEST!
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On Sunday, May 21st, the ECC and Day School are hosting our biggest family fun day and fundraiser of the year! Join us and your friends for food, drinks and fun! We will also be honoring Sara Leon and Haguy Wigdor with the Community Impact Award!
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Tickets are available at vbsds.org/sababafest. We also have sponsorship opportunities as well as a celebration book for our honorees.
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Sababa Fest

JOIN OUR ALL SCHOOLS CHALLAH BAKE!
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Let's get together and bake on Thursday, April 20th at 7:30pm at VBS! Organized by our Parent Org, all VBS schools will be gathering to learn how to bake a shlissel challah, the special key shaped challah that is traditional to make for the Shabbat after Passover.
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Tickets are on sale for $36 per person, which includes all challah baking supplies, appetizers, and drinks. Register at vbsds.org/challahbake2023!
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We loved learning about and celebrating Nowruz together at VBS Day School! 🌷🌿🌼

Nowruz 2023 - Final

VBSDS SPRING BOOK FAIR!!!
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VBSDS is proud to present our Spring Book Fair! Access to our online fair is available NOW until March 3rd. We hope you also join us in person Feb. 27th - March 3rd, (times TBA).
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Volunteer opportunities will also be available soon! All purchases benefit our school so please feel free to share with friends and family! You can find the access link in our stories.
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Let's continue to inspire our children's love of reading and learning together!

FLASH SALE on 90s Prom tickets! One day only! Get your tickets today: https://e.givesmart.com/events/uCj/