Messages from the Head of School
Important messages and announcements, as well as inspiring Divrei Torah from our Head of School.
The Tragedy in Meron – A Message from Rabbi Grossman
I have set before you today life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life. (Deuteronomy 30:19) When given the choice, the Torah tells us to choose life and blessing over death and curse. While this may seem obvious, the world of ancient Israel was filled with pagan...
Passover Message – A Time for New Beginnings
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,...
Vaccinating Teachers: The Moral Imperative
It is difficult for some to understand the outcry of teachers in Quebec asking to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Prioritizing one guild over another grates against our societal sense of equity. We do understand that preference may go to those most vulnerable, such...
New Beginnings
This week we begin the annual Torah reading cycle, starting with the creation of the world in the first chapter of Genesis. Standard English translations, based primarily on non-Jewish sources, render the first words of our parasha, “In the beginning, God created the...
The Call to God
The Content of our Character The most ancient of all of the prayers for the High Holidays has a special connection to The Akiva School. Avinu Malkeinu is almost 2,000 years old, yet its central words have remained unchanged. Akiva’s founder, Rabbi David Hartman,...
Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael
On Thursday mornings in synagogue, we recite a prayer that begins with the words, “Acheinu kol beit yisrael—Our brethren, all the House of Israel.” The tefillah offers the image of all Jews living as siblings in the same home, caring for each other as brothers and...
An “A” and an “F” for Flexibility
One would hardly associate religion with flexibility. Religion is about rules, and rules are, by nature, rigid. This is by no means an affront to religion. Rules provide our lives with structure and meaning. Rules keep us safe. The myriad COVID-related regulations...
A Year of Forgiveness
Today is Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of new Hebrew month of Elul. Elul marks the beginning of the season of forgiveness, leading into Rosh Hashanah, the holiday of repentance, including Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and concluding with Hoshanah Rabbah, the end of...
The Spirit of Judah
As I look at our students during the final days of school before the summer, I am reminded of the Israelites standing at the border of the Promised Land. Behind them are the trials and toils that marked their trek through the desert, the hard work that characterized...
Court of Justice
Rabbi David Hartman, founder of The Akiva School, was known in Montreal and throughout the Jewish world as a powerful preacher, intrepid cleric, popular philosopher, and institution builder. He was also an exceptional basketball player. Rabbi Hartman grew up in...
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Rabbi Grossman’s Blog Corner
Rabbi Grossman's Corner
Passover Message – A Time for New Beginnings
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,...
Bravo to PD Volunteers!
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
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
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
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
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!
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
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
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
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.