June 20th, 2022 | 21st of Sivan, 5782
Dear Beit Rabban Community,
Lest you are confused- no, today is not Friday. It is Monday, and this is a special beginning of the week edition of Ta Shma. Mazal tov!
Friday was our last day of classes, and we ended the year on a high with our annual "surprise" ice cream truck accompanied by a ton of gratitude, hugs, and well wishes. 5782 was an unusual year, yet again. It was also another year of unexpected growth and bonding that comes with persevering through challenging times together.
This bizarre and amazing year culminated in our inaugural eighth-grade graduation, the first Siyyum Chativah. This moment is one we have dreamed of for decades as a community. It took a full community to turn the dream into a reality, and the reality exceeded our most optimistic dreams. My retelling cannot convey the degree of inspiration and "nachas" that last week's Tekes Bikkurim (the eighth-grade presentation of their capstone projects) and the Siyyum Chativah (graduation) brought this community. I encourage you to watch even just a few moments of each of these programs (see below!). These videos are a wonderful reminder of what we can accomplish as a community even during the most challenging of times. They also remind us of the importance of investing in our children with an abundance of love and high expectations.
The Talmudic passage from which we derive our school name teaches that we should refer to our students as our builders (bonayich) rather than our children (banayich) because the future is in their hands, and they are the ones "who will bring peace to the world." Indeed, our graduates left us feeling more confident than ever in this teaching.
All of us on Team Beit Rabban end this year exhausted, like most educators across the country. We also end this year deeply grateful to have the honor of reaping the fruit of our labor. That's a special blessing we educators get, and it makes every bit of energy we pour into our work more than worth it.
Thank you for giving us the gift of your children, tinokot shel beit rabban!
Wishing you all a restful and rejuvenating summer vacation!
Stephanie