I hope each of you had a warm and loving Rosh Hashanah and a Yom Kippur holiday of deep reflection and renewal. May 5768 bring you and your loved ones joy and peace and
may we continue to flourish here at AJA and as a broader Jewish community.
I am pleased to share with you a number of new programs that have recently been launched. I urge you to keep abreast of happenings at AJA and share our news with family
and friends. If you know of people who would enjoy receiving our emails, kindly forward their names to Sharon Swedlow at sharon.swedlow@austinjewishacademy.org and she
will be happy to add them to our email distribution lists.
COMMUNICATION Website
Please visit our newly updated website. Although sections are still under construction, we
are pleased to present our new layout and offer you a more comprehensive look at our
school program.
Class Web Pages
A new component of our website is our Class Web Pages. Parents are now able to click on
their child’s grade level web page and obtain timely information on curriculum, schedules,
faculty, calendars, homework, and more.
The MaccaBEE
I hope you are enjoying our revised school bulletin, the MaccaBEE. It is published every
two weeks and contains information on school events, calendars, curriculum/program
articles, community happenings, Nachshon (parent organization) news, and other items of
interest. Community agencies that would like to include a brief description of upcoming
events should email their material to neena.husid@austinjewishcommunity.org. News on
AJA alumni should also be sent to Neena Husid. Thank you in advance for your
contributions to our school newsletter.
OUTREACH Speakers Bureau
Exposing our middle school students to interesting people and topics is a great way to
expand their goals and dreams. This once a week learning lunch program invites Austin’s
most creative and accomplished into the classroom for an informal discussion of possible
hobbies and careers for our future adults. Some of our guest speakers include local
chefs/restaurant owners, museum curators, professors, writers, and artists. If you are
interested in volunteering as a guest speaker for our middle school students, please contact
Sarah Miller.
Mentors
As an extension of the portfolio presentation program already in existence, AJA has
implemented Senior Projects for our 8th Grade graduating class. These are year-long
research projects that are developed with the students and aligned to the student’s area of
interest. A community mentor will be identified to work with the student in the
development of his/her project. Mid-year, the student will present the research to-date. At
the end of the year, the student will present the final project to a panel. If you are interested
in serving as a mentor to an 8th grade AJA student, please contact Sarah Miller.
LUNCH PROGRAM
We are pleased to announce our new lunch program which is a collaborative venture with
the catering department of Congregation Agudas Achim. We have planned a trial period
through November during which time we will evaluate the program. Ordering can only be
done through RenWeb which is now set-up to accept orders for October lunches. Attached
you will find online ordering instructions. The deadline for ordering lunch for the month of
October is Tuesday, October 2 (sorry, late orders cannot be accepted). The lunch program
will begin on Tuesday, October 9. You can order as little as one lunch for the month or as
many as you care to. The focus of the lunch program is on healthy options and variety. We
encourage you to try at least one lunch (hopefully more!) and see how you like it. Ordering
instructions, RenWeb access instructions and the October menu are linked below.
UPCOMING EVENTS Hebrew and Scholastic Book Fair
Join us from October 15-19 for our annual fall Book Fair. This a great place to spend some
time with your children browsing the selection of Hebrew and English titles. Come down
and spend some time with us in the AJA Library.
AJA Shabbat Experience
Mark your calendar for the next AJA Shabbat Experience on Friday, October 19 at
6:00PM in the Agudas Achim Social Hall. Join us for dinner, Shabbat songs, storytelling
and a presentation by Josh Even-Chen, a Melitz educator from Israel. Children of all ages
are welcome with their families. $18/adult; $7/child (3 years plus); Free/under 3 years.
Flyer is attached.
Heavenly Helpings Cookbook
Do you have a recipe that everyone adores? A family treasure handed down from
generation to generation? The “must have” dish at every cocktail party? Get it out and
submit it for publication in AJA’s Heavenly Happenings cookbook. Deadline for
submission is October 31. Pre-orders ($18/book) are now being accepted. Heavenly
Happenings will make a great Chanukah, birthday, house-warming or hostess gift. Recipe
submission form and recipe guidelines are attached.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
As an environment committed to lifelong learning and professional growth, I am pleased to
announce that eight AJA staff members have enrolled in the prestigious two-year Florence
Melton Adult Mini-School course offered through the JCAA Department of Life and
Learning. We look forward to sharing our experiences with our AJA students, further
developing our own knowledge base, and more deeply appreciating Jewish text and the
meaning it brings to our lives. Thank you to our “angel” who underwrote the cost of the
Melton program for the AJA staff. I hope this magnanimous gesture inspires others to
support Jewish learning throughout our community.
~ ~ ~
As we approach Erev Sukkot (the eve of Sukkot), I’d like to wish you and your family a
Chag Sameach (a happy holiday). I hope to see many of you at the JCAA Sukkahfest on
Tuesday, October 2 from 5:00-7:00PM. Please stop by the AJA sukkah constructed by our
6th and 7th grade students and decorated by our lower school students. Enjoy the research
projects done by our middle school students on the significance of the ushpizin (guests).
All AJA students will have an opportunity to visit our sukkah this week - to sit in it, learn
in it, and enjoy the beauty of the holiday.
Kol Tuv and Chag Sameach,
Bernice S. Tabak
Head of School
