A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTORS- KINDNESS COUNTS!

VBS ECC NEWSLETTERJANUARY, 2015

1/5 Classes Resume 1/9 Community Shabbat Pot Luck, 5:30 1/10 Tot Shabbat 10:00am 1/19 Martin Luther King Day-ECC CLOSED 1/20 Parent Assn Meeting 9:15am 1/22 ECC Open House- 1PM dismissal Taste of TK 6:00pm Open House 6:30pm 1/24 Tot Shabbat 10:00 am 1/27 Snow Day-ECC and Transition parents invited 2/5 “Permission to Parent” with guest speaker Dr. Robin Berman

JANUARY DATES TO REMEMBER

SNOW DAY CLASS SCHEDULE

Parents, join your child during Snow Day on Jan. 28 at the following times:Toddlers: 9:00-9:30Sprouts: 9:35-10:15 Sprigs: 10:20-11:00 TK 11:05 -11:45 PreK 11:45-12:25 Seedlings: 12:25-1:00

One Jewish value that we consider paramount here at VBS is kindness. Kindness is more than just another Jewish value. When you think of the role of kindness in education consider these ideas. Kindness has the capacity to grow our brains and improve our lives. 1: Kindness rewires our minds for greater health. Increasing positive emotion and social connections activates and can re-wire our brains, and promotes wellness and health.2: Small shifts can grow our capacity for kindness. One kind turn begets another. People are motivated to “pay it forward” when they experience an act of kindness. Every act of kindness represents a small shift in the col-lective human consciousness.3: Kindness can help the bottom line. A decade of research has demonstrated that happiness improves nearly every business and educational outcome. Happiness is a state of mind that is not controlled by circumstances in one’s life, but rather how one chooses to respond to the circumstances of their life.4: Your social community benefi ts from small acts of kindness:Researchers have shown that kindness has a “domino eff ect” when demonstrated collectively within communi-ties. When engaged in community giving, giving increases. Moreover, those who participate in a community of practice demonstrate increased individual kindness and giving, as well.5: Change yourself with kindness, change the world with kindness:History includes many examples of how working on oneself through a personal practice of kindness leads to larger social shifts. Kindness off ers an alternative for both personal benefi t and potentially greater social benefi t.

SAVE THE DATE - THE ECC WILD WEST EPIC - 4/18

ECC 2014-15 REGISTRATION

2014-15 ECC registration packets will be available later this month. Registration is required for new and returning families. Please take a moment to review everything in your packet, complete the registra-tion forms and return them to Claire as soon as possible. You will not be guaranteed a spot next fall without these completed forms and classes will be fi lled on a fi rst come, fi rst registered basis. Meet our teachers and learn more about our TK classes at “TASTE OF TK” January 22 at 6:00pm, right before ECC Open House.

We need to bring learning to people instead of people to learning.

- Elliot Masie

2/5 ECC EVENT “PERMISSION TO PARENT”

The ECC is excited to welcome noted parenting expert, television personality and best-selling author Dr. Robin Berman for an inspiring discussion about her book “Permission to Parent .” Join us Thursday, February 5th at 7pm. for this informative and enter-taining evening. Tickets are just $20 and Dr. Berman will be avail-able to sell and sign books at the end of the evening.Book your sitter now!

“I have remarked many times that there is no parenting manual that comes with your child when they are born, but I believe Robin Berman, MD, has written the fi rst one that should be pres-ent in every delivery room. A how-to with real heart, Permission to Parent is a must-read guide that encourages conscious, loving parenting with boundaries. Hallelujah!” – Reese Witherspoon, Academy Award-Winning Actress

Rope in your babysitters now and support the ECC! Please save the date for this year’s EPIC Spring Gala, Wild Wild VBS - Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 7:30pm at VBS. This is the Preschool’s Big Fundraising Event with entertainment, dinner, open bar, casino and a silent & live auction with 100% of the proceeds go ing towards enhancing the special programs at the ECC. Auction items will include gym memberships, live TV tapings, children’s services, camp sessions, jewelry, restaurant certifi cates and much more. Stay tuned for EPIC details and info on how to pur- chase tickets soon! Want to volunteer? Please email Epic Co-Chairs Emily Feit (emilyb425@gmail.com) or Jamie Weissman (Luckystarre@hotmail.com)

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Tot Shabbat

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ECC COMMUNITY POT LUCK SHABBATThe best way to welcome Shabbat is surrounding yourselves with friends and family. And the best place to do that is the ECC Com-munity Shabbat services and Pot Luck Dinners held each month at VBS. Every month ECC families gather together, sharing favorite family dishes (dairy please). We’ll also have pizza for the children. Please sign-up: www.slotted.co/eccshabbatjan9 and plan to join us for this special evening. Family-friendly services begin at 5:30 and pot luck dinner immediately follows. Our next ECC Community Shabbat Pot Luck is FRIDAY, JANUARY 9TH@ 5:30PM. Shabbat recipes to share? Please email them Manya Monson, ECC Community Shabbat Chairperson: manyamon-son@gmail.com. She’s putting an ECC cookbook together!

PARENT ASSOCIATION NEWS

Tot Shabbat family services are fi lled with joyful singing, story tell-ing and family friendly prayers. Join fellow ECC families January 11th and 25th @10:00am in Burdoff Hall.

Next Parent Association meeting is Tuesday, 1/20@ 9:15 am

One of the highlights each year at the ECC is Snow

Day. On January 27th, the VBS parking lot will be magically transformed into a winter wonderland. Tons of snow creates a great opportunity for your children to sled, toss a snowball and make a snow angel. We invite you to attend Snow Day with your children and we also encourage you to please volunteer to help on this special day. Please con-tact Snow Day chair Shirin Broukim (shiriny_2000@yahoo.com)to lend a hand. Or, colunteer trhough this link: https://www.slotted.co/snowday And...save April 18 for the biggest Fun-raiser of the year: EPIC! We encourage you to begin collecting items for our silent auction. Please contact Epic Co-Chairs Emily Feit (emilyb425@gmail.com) and Jamie Weissman (luckystarre@hotmail.com) for additional ways to get involved in this important event for the ECC.

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that refl ects it. -Edith Wharton

TAKE AN ECC PRESCHOOL TOUR! Call Marilyn @ 788-0567 to book your tour. Applications are now being accepted for the 2014-15 school year.

ECC SCHOOL TOURS

Storytelling is part of human continuity.

- Robert Redford

JENNY & HER PRESCHOOLERS- 2ND GENERATION!

KIDTALKDeeply thought-provoking discussions take place in our classrooms. Recently Room 108 had a conversation about God. Pnina and Aileen asked the children what they knew about God and here are some of their replies:Willow: God is in the trees.Harrison: .. On the clouds.Maya: God is in the sky.Liam: God is everywhere.Jacob & Grant: …On the top of the mountain.Sophie: … In the leaves.Connor: God is in your heart.Emily: God sees you.Eliana: God is special because he gave us all the things:the candle and the wine, our Mom and Dad.Willow: God is special because it’s important, because it’s kind.Liam: God is good to all people.Josh: I see God everywhere.Emma: He is in the sky.Zac: He is in the temple.Emma & Levi: He is in the Torah.Kayla: He is in the moon and the stars.Shai: God’s in the buildings.Jake: He is everywhere.

TK VISITS VINTAGE RESIDENTS

TK classes brought Hanukkah happiness to the residents of the Vintage Assisted Living Commu-nity. Songs, presents and lots of hugs made for a memorable day for participants of ALL ages.

Imagine room 105 teacher Jenny’s surprise when she realized she’s on her second generation of Kotler preschoolers. Eytan is currently in her class and his father Eric surprised Jenny with this photo of HIS preschool class from Adat Ariel (Jenny is located on the far right of the top row and Eric is wearing the orange shirt). What a touching example of how preschool teachers can leave lasting impressions!

GOODBYE 2014- HELLO 2015

2014 was an extrodinary year of discovery, friendship, learning and FUN! Your children made amazing strides socially, emotionally and academically and we thought we’d celebrate their accomplishments with this photo montage. Thank you for trusting us with your precious children. They delight and surprise us every single day.

ECLC NEWS

What art can do is start conversations. - Gina Reichert

As parents, we ask ourselves what it means to be a leader and how can we instill the value of leadership in our children. Our young children in the Early Childhood Center are introduced to leadership by learning to solve prob-lems and express their opinions with one another. We educate our children to be honest, independent thinkers and leaders. Our hope is that they grow into becoming mensches. The classic Rabbinic masterpiece, Pirkei Avot, teaches us that leadership is an important part of our Jewish identity. The Hebrew text says “Uv’makom She-ayn Anashim, Heesh-tah-del Lehee’ot Eesh”, interpreted to mean: “When no one will stand up for what’s right, one should strive to do so.” In Judaism, as well as society at large, we recognize a leader by how he or she chooses to stand up for what is right. For example, in the Torah we learn about the Avot and Imahot (forefathers and moth-ers) and the choices they made that help guide us today. Students also acknowledge the secular leaders in the world such as our US Presidents and Martin Luther King Jr. Presidents lead by standing up for the values of what it means to be an American. Martin Luther King Jr. led by standing up for equality so that all people were given equal opportunity, regardless of race. We honor these leaders during the months of January and February, which gives students the opportunity to think about the diff erence great leaders make in the world. More importantly, however, great leaders model for us all how an individual can make such a great diff erence in their own commu-nity, and indeed, the world. Save the date for two ECLC events. Join us for our Tu B’shevat family program on Sunday, February 1, 2015 from 9:30AM-11:45AM. This program gives parents and children the opportunity to learn together in an experiential and interactive way. All siblings are welcome to attend.In addition parents are invited to learn with Rabbi Feinstein on Sunday, February 8, 2015 at 9:45AM. This is a won-derful way for parents to meet other ECLC parents and to engage in a learning session with the Rabbi. Please feel free to call on me anytime to discuss our ECLC or for tours and visits.

LET US HEAR FROM YOU!

Please contribute to the ECC Newsletter!Email your thoughts, suggestions, interesting links and adorable pictures to me, Claire Berger, your ECC News Gatherer. My email is: cberger@vbs.org We value all contributions.

True compassion means not only feeling another’s pain but also being moved to help relieve it.

- Daniel Goleman

VBS DAY SCHOOL SPOTLIGHT -ARTS PROGRAM

Please join our Facebook community!“Like” the Valley Beth Shalom ECC Preschool page.Get a joyful glimpse into your child’s day. This is a great way for you to share your child’s preschool experience with loved ones across the world. We often post great candid shots that you can share friends and family. Remember, for security reasons, please don’t tag any children with their names.

Joining a Havurah is a great way to fi nd a close-knit group of friends within the VBS community to socialize, cel-ebrate, and learn together. Stop by the VBS Havurah Fair and fi nd out more about how the groups work and meet other members looking to join a Havurah. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Melissa Randall on 818.399.9069or email mlrma@aol.com.

VBS HAVURAH FAIR 1/25 11:45am-2:00pm

At VBS Day School, the academic curriculum is enhanced with an expan-sive arts program. The fi ne arts curriculum includes learning art skills and becoming inspired by the works of famous artists. Students develop skills that focus on art techniques, style and personal meaning. Students also participate in both school-wide and grade level performances, including December’s all school performance, Generations’ Day, this year revolving around the theme, “Words Matter.” These experiences make learning come alive. Students are introduced to instruments through the Orff percussion program where they explore a wide range of instru-ments in the music room, and in 3rd grade they learn piano through a keyboarding program. This year, the Day School is in the third year of its successful orchestra program. By participating in an orchestra program, students develop skills such as self-discipline, concentration, teamwork, and responsibility. Students in grades 4-6 rotate through a series of four instruments: fl ute, trumpet, clarinet and violin in the fi rst semester, and then choose an instrument on which to concentrate for the second se-mester of the school year. The orchestra then performs in the spring for parents, the culmination of an exciting year of instruction in the arts.