Shabbat Shalom, ,

Forty new families attended the CJHS Open House for Prospective Families on Oct. 3. Many of the families have students enrolled at Solomon Schechter and Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, while other families came from various public and private middle schools. CJHS faculty members attended, showing off their expertise and explaining their academic specialties. Students served as ambassadors while displaying a small-scale student activities fair highlighting CJHS's various sports, extra-curricular and student government organizations. CJHS parent volunteers helped greet families and lead tours of our facility. Board members and administrators were on hand to answer any and all questions.

Special thank you to our presenters: Board President Stewart Flink, Academic Dean Bruce Scher, Director of Religious Life Rabbi Elliot Goldberg, CJHS parent Karen Lobl, senior Jacob Shapiro, and junior Lindsay Seidenberg. Special thank you to Sara Coven, Recruitment Committee member and chair of the Open House, together with the rest of the recruitment committee and marketing committee: Jennifer Flink, Oly Avidar, Margaret Cohn, Bev Fox, Alicia Gejman, Nina Harris, Marshall Kupchan, Deb Landis, Sandy Levin, Elisa Lupovitch, Rabbi Aaron Mehlman, Rabbi Michael Mishkin, Cindy Pogrund, Rabbi Michael Schwab, Michelle Seidenberg, Lauren Silverman, Marci Shapiro, and Tami Warshawsky.

Student Shadowing Day: Inviting 8th Graders to visit CJHS

Student Shadowing Day is Thurs., Nov. 10, 2005, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or come early for tefillah and breakfast at 8:00 a.m.) Lunch is provided. This is a great opportunity to experience high school classes, socialize with students, and learn about our academic and extracurricular programs. RSVP to Rachel Spiro, Director of Admissions, 847-324-3706 or rspiro@chicagojhs.com.

Schedule a Visit

Do you want your child to shadow a CJHS student? Would you as a parent like to visit the school? Contact Rachel Spiro, Director of Admissions, to visit CJHS and meet students and faculty: 847-324-3706 or rspiro@chicagojhs.com.

Save $500 off tuition!

Be one of the many who have applied to CJHS and saved money! Submit an application to CJHS by the Dec. 15 deadline and receive a $500 credit off your student's first year tuition. Contact Rachel Spiro, Director of Admissions, to request an application packet or visit our website at www.chicagojhs.com to download and submit an application.

Upcoming College Visits

CJHS is proud to welcome three wonderful post-high school programs for our students on Mon., Nov. 7. At noon, a representative from JTS will visit our campus and speak to prospective students, followed by the University of Judaism at 1:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m. Yossi Garr, Director of the NATIV: College Leadership Program in Israel will meet with our students. If you plan to attend any of these programs, please e-mail Ms. Marcus at smarcus@chicagojhs.com. For more information about all of our college programs, stop by the College Counseling Office or e-mail our Director of College Counseling, Bruce Scher, at bscher@chicagojhs.com.

What does being Jewish have to do with choosing a college?

Attention juniors and seniors: attend the Biennial Hillels of Illinois Facets College Conference and Fair. The fair is from noon to 5 p.m. on Nov. 6 at 1001 W. Loyola Ave., in The Crown Center, where Loyola Ave. meets Lake Michigan. The cost is free for high school students and $5 for parents/adults. This event only happens every other year, so juniors, this is your only opportunity to attend.

Registration is at noon; 12:45 is Comedy Sportz; and at 1:30 p.m. attend the "College Conference" where you can attend workshops on application strategies, financing your education, Jewish identity on campus, Israel experienced and Israel advocacy on campus, Should you go Greek?, and for parents: letting go & adjusting to your new parental role.

At 3 p.m. is the College Fair where many, many representatives from universities will meet with students.

Register Online Here

CJHS Head of School Participates in ISACS Evaluation

As one of fifteen members of an ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) Visiting Team, Head of School Roslyn Stein spent four days assessing a K-12 school in Wisconsin. Prior to the Team's arrival on campus, the school completed an intensive self-study of itself and all of its components. The Team reviewed the data and materials prepared by the school, observed the school in full operation, interpreted the data to reach conclusions concerning the effectiveness of the school and its program, and prepared a written report summarizing its findings and recommendations for accreditation.

Mrs. Stein felt honored to have been selected as a member of the ISACS Visiting Team. She described the experience as professionally exhilarating. "Working with a team of such experienced and dedicated educators was stimulating and invigorating. It challenged my vision of what education is and what it can be."

CJHS is in the final phase of its self-study and report writing. Next October, an ISACS Team will visit the school. Mrs. Stein is working closely with Ms. Marybeth Kravets and Mrs. Sharon Chefitz, who chair our ISACS steering committee, to prepare the school for the evaluation visit.

Eat a Politician's Favorite Sandwich

The U.S. Politics Club is having a deli dinner on Wed., Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Avidar home in Morton Grove. Choose your favorite sandwich from the sheet in your box and RSVP to Nat Sufrin by Nov. 8. At the dinner, we will find out which politician loves which sandwich. Dinner costs $5 and may be paid at the door.

CJHS Administers the PSAT

CJHS sophomores and juniors spent their Wednesday morning sitting for the PSAT, a standardized test that will qualify them for National Merit Scholarships and will help the CJHS faculty assess their reading, writing and mathematics skills. Thirty-five CJHS students completed the three-hour test. CJHS opened its doors to two students from a North Shore private school and a Kansas public school who had missed the PSAT at their own schools due to Illness.

Families will receive copies of the scores in eight to ten weeks. The next test administered at CJHS will be the PLAN, given to all sophomores on Nov. 30. If you have questions about standardized testing, please contact Bruce Scher, Director of College Counseling, or Sharna Marcus, College Counseling Associate at 847-324-3733 or smarcus@chicagojhs.com.

Mandatory meeting for juniors and their parents attending Panim El Panim

CJHS is excited to announce that it is sending 22 students to Washington D.C. from Dec. 11-14 for the Jewish political advocacy program, Panim El Panim. With a $250/student subsidy from CFJE, each junior had the opportunity to attend the program. This is CJHS's third year attending Panim, but it's the first year when we are sending almost the entire junior class!

All juniors and their parents must attend an important meeting at 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Mon., Dec.5 at CJHS. We guarantee an hour-long meeting if everyone arrives at 7:00 p.m.

Also please send the remainder of the Panim payment ($190) by Nov. 15 .

If you have any questions, please contact Sharna Marcus at smarcus@chicagojhs.com or 847-324-3733.

National Hispanic Recognition Program Honors CJHS Student

We are pleased to announce that CJHS senior Ron Gejman has been designated as an Honorable Mention Finalist by the 2005-2006 National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP). The NHRP honors the 4,500 highest scoring entrants from the pool of 150,000 students who took the 2004 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) and who are at least one-quarter Hispanic. Mazal tov, Ron!

Interfaith Youth Core Students Discuss Genocide

On Oct. 11, the members of the CJHS IFYC met at the Muslim Education Center to discuss various religious texts on genocide. The CJHS representatives discussed Biblical and Talmudic texts that explained how to kill a single person is to kill the entire world, logically showing that to kill an entire people would be even worse. The Muslim representative discussed texts with similar messages, showing the similarities between the two religions to everyone who attended.

Project Backpack Initiative a Success

The Va'ad Tikkun Olam's school supplies drive in September was very successful, and the items we collected were donated to students and families who have been misplaced by Hurricane Katrina. Our drive was part of a nationwide initiative called "Project Backpack." Thank you notes from affected communities have been posted on the Va'ad Tikkun Olam bulletin board. Yasher Koach to everyone in the CJHS community who helped us contribute to this cause.

Photography Class Photos on Display in TRC

Mrs. Snyder's black and white photography class has their "Architectural Details" assignment on display in the TRC. Photographers are Ronni Binah, Maya Gejman, Maya Hobscheid, Ari Frankel, Sandy Johnston, Rachel Karp, Dakota Miller, and Michael Shapiro.

Register to Vote in the World Zionist Organization Election

Support Masorti (Conservative) organizations, groups, synagogues, Ramah, USY, etc. in Israel by voting MERCAZ USA in this election. Please go to www.mercazusa.org and click the link to register to vote in the election; voting is only possible with advance registration. Even if you are a MERCAZ USA member and/or voted in the last WZO election, you still need to register. You can also learn about Mercaz USA, the Conservative Movement's Zionist organization.

Visit the MERCAZ website, and sign up via the secure site online, or download a membership form and mail it in. Either way, join MERCAZ today! Please contact the MERCAZ USA office at 1-888-99 MERCAZ or info@mercazusa.org if you have questions. Then vote the Mercaz USA slate.

Thanks for your help in making this election the success we need for Israel, the Conservative Movement, and the future of the Jewish people and Modern Zionism. If you have any further questions, contact Rabbi Robyn Fryer (847) 423 5962 or RabbiFryer@chicagojhs.com.

Mercaz USA online

Students Attend Private Discussion with Elie Wiesel

Yasher Koach to Nat Sufrin, Dakota Miller, Ruthie Eisenberg, Rachel Binstock, Aaron Weinberg, Vanessa Youshaei, Hannah Rosenbaum, and Lea Sarris for attending a private discussion with Elie Wiesel on Sun., Oct. 30 with other teens from Beth Hillel Congregation B'nai Emunah.

Rabbis-in-Residence Attend Workshop

Rabbi Ruven Barkan and Rabbi Robyn Fryer attended a workshop at the Bureau of Jewish Education on Sunday, Oct. 30 with Dr. Barry Holtz, Professor of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. The workshop was on Teaching Bible: New Lenses on an Ancient Text.

Breakfast Sponsors

This week, Tuesday's breakfast was sponsored by Rachel & Michael Stein in honor of Aliza's 16th birthday. Friday's breakfast was sponsored by Rob Weinberg & Joy Wasserman in honor of their son Aaron's 15th birthday. We thank both of these families for their continuing support of our breakfast program. If you are interested in sponsoring an upcoming breakfast, please contact Joan Waxman in the school office.

Religious Life at CJHS

This week, Avi Coven, Brian Pogrund, Nat Sufrin, Matthew Silverman, Jason Wiznitzer, Shai Kamin, Richard Kahn and Ms. Jacobson-Maisels led tefillah. David Weltman, Esther Lowe, Rachel Binstock, Alan Bukingolts, and Maya Hobscheid read Torah.

Yasher Koach to Rabbi Michael Weinberg from Temple Beth Israel for giving the D'var Torah on Friday morning, Nov. 4.

Mazal Tov!

Mazal tov to English Department Chair Mrs. Anita Goldberg on the birth of twin grandsons!

Shabbat Shalom!