In the summer before my first year at Akiva, I called my friend, mentor, and predecessor Cooki Levy, z’’l, to ask her if she knew why our founder, Rabbi David Hartman, z’’l, had chosen to name our school Akiva. I had known Cooki at that point for over 20 years, and,...
Morality from the Sewers
by Rabbi Grossman | Oct 30, 2023 | Blog, Messages from the Head of School
As appeared in The Times of Israel Blog… Visiting the Dachau concentration camp on a trip to Germany this summer, I was drawn to an exhibit on Nazi medical experimentation that illustrated the brutal procedures performed on inmates at Dachau and other camps...Rosh Hashanah Message from the Head of School 2023
by Rabbi Grossman | Sep 14, 2023 | Blog, Messages from the Head of School
Same Time, Next Year We are familiar with the story of Jews and Egyptian oppression: The suffering slaves flee their bondage and escape to the desert where God speaks to them and makes them a great nation. This story also appears in the Torah reading of Rosh...Akiva High Holiday Message 2022
by Rabbi Grossman | Sep 22, 2022 | Blog, Messages from the Head of School
Not by Punishment For our annual Father’s Day outing this June I asked my sons if I could take them to the Kingston Penitentiary. They agreed, but only after my assurance that they would be returning with me to Montreal afterward, and that the prison has been...Message from Rabbi Grossman – Long Live the Queen
by Rabbi Grossman | Sep 9, 2022 | Blog, Messages from the Head of School
In antiquity, the passing of years was numbered by the reign of the living monarch, thus we find in the Bible, “In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel (1 Kings 15:9),” or “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia (Ezra 1:1).” The death of a sovereign meant...Experience Akiva
Rabbi Grossman’s Blog Corner
Rabbi Grossman's Corner
Passover Message – A Time for New Beginnings
Mar 25, 2021
Bravo to PD Volunteers!
Dec 7, 2020
A special thank you to both the Google Team (Cyndi Fiata, Cyndi Ross, David Creti, Omry Atar, and Robin Kravitz) and the Seesaw Team (Shanit Bouzaglio, Amelie Côte, Myriam Desgroseilliers, Samantha Kravitz, and Nick Roussos). The two teams developed and presented...
Akiva Innovators
Dec 7, 2020
Isabelle Silva, member of the STEAM team, introduces everyone to the "pocket document camera ". A 3D-printed device equipped with a mirror which allows staff to share writing to students while on zoom meetings.
Collaboration Virtuelle – Amélie et Myriam
Dec 7, 2020
Vendredi le 27 novembre, nous avons assisté au Colloque virtuel de l'Association d'Éducation Préscolaire du Québec. Les conférences et ateliers portaient sur les défis de l'éducation préscolaire, les jeux symboliques pour développer les habiletés sociales, et aussi...
The Science of Camouflage
Dec 7, 2020
Grade 1 wraps up their investigation of animal camouflage by creating their own classroom-camouflaged moths. Students learned about colour, pattern, and blending to keep their moths hidden in plain sight.
Center of Gravity
Dec 7, 2020
Grade 2 gets hands on with the concepts of balance and an object's center of gravity. The students explore how a plumb bob can help them find the center of gravity for different objects and built their own acrobatic self-balancing paper robot.
Let the Games Begin!
Dec 7, 2020
Grade 5 works on designing their sumo wrestling robots. The physical design of the robot is just as important as the code that decides how the robot behaves. A low center of mass and a well programmed light sensor helps the robots stay in the ring and win the...
Bridging the Digital Divide
Dec 7, 2020
Grade 6 learns how to bridge the gap between digital and physical objects. The MakeyMakey teaches the basics of circuits and allows students to use their coding knowledge to create unique and interactive projects.
The Atmosphere
Nov 17, 2020
Under the unit of Earth & Space, Grade 6 students learn about gravity, and pressure within the different atmospheric layers. They also learn to relate to different objects that could be found travelling through these atmospheric layers.
Energy & Sound Waves
Nov 17, 2020
As part of the topic of energy, Grade 5 students represent their understanding of the fundamental properties of sound waves. They also experiment with how sound propagates through a variety of different materials.