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Welcome to the BUZZ!

Dear Family and Friends of Jewish Academy of Orlando,

On behalf of the faculty and administration of Jewish Academy of Orlando, I am delighted to  launch the inaugural issue of THE BUZZ, JAO’s newsletter.  We have designed THE BUZZ to keep you, our extended family (friends, families, alumni, donors, volunteers, community members), informed about what is going on at JAO.

The BUZZ gets its name from Mac the Bee, our beloved mascot.  We officially re-introduced Mac this week as you will read about in this issue.  

The
BUZZ will keep you informed about school news, our alumni, and events.  This issue will feature:

We are thrilled to keep you informed about what is BUZZING around JAO’s HIVE!

L’Shalom,

Alan Rusonik, Head of School 

THE BUZZ AROUND TOWN:  GALA

We are excited to announce that our Roaring Twenties Gala will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 9, 2018, at The Ballroom at Church Street. The event will honor Nina and Dr. Ron Oppenheim.

The Roaring Twenties Gala is our school’s biggest fundraiser of the year.  Proceeds fund new curricula, field trips, new programs, and provide scholarship funds. Gala tickets include signature cocktails, dinner, music by Two Left Feet, and a silent auction for $125 per person. Guests are encouraged to wear 1920s attire and join us for a roaring good time.



 Gala honorees, Nina and Ron Oppenheim, have been part of the Central Florida community since 1983.  During that time, they were active participants at the JCC, Hebrew Day School (now Jewish Academy of Orlando), Hillel, Jewish National Fund, and Congregation Ohev Shalom.  While Ron built a respected neurology practice and served Florida Hospital as a department chair on several occasions, Nina devoted herself to teaching and volunteer work. Nina received the Jerome Bornstein Leadership award from the Jewish Federation of Central Florida, as well as the Human Service Award from the Heritage Jewish News. She was also a 2017 Federation Woman of Choice Award recipient. Because of Nina’s great contributions, Jewish Academy recently appointed her a lifetime board member. Nina and Ron are also Orlando Museum of Art Ambassadors. They have three adult children, all Jewish Academy of Orlando alumni.

To buy tickets, please visit: www.jewishacademyorlando.org/gala/. To sponsor or advertise, please email Summer Simmons at ssimmons@myjao.org. 
 

CLICK TO BUY YOUR GALA TICKETS
Gala Honorees:  Nina and Ron Oppenheim
As AND BEEs:  GIFTED TRAINING FOR THE ENTIRE FACULTY
ANDREA SIMBLER PHOTOGRAPHY

We are proud to announce that JAO is providing gifted training for the entire faculty.

From the coding and robotics teacher to the Hebrew language teachers, all faculty are participating in the training.

Teachers began gifted endorsement training in March 2018 and will complete their endorsements by June of 2019. Bryan Demeritte from Suncoast Education Center and an author of the Standards for Gifted Curriculum in the state of Florida conducts the training each month.  Mr. Demeritte teaches both graduate and undergraduate-level teacher education courses, and served a district-level administrator in gifted education.

We are fortunate to have such a renowned leader in gifted education  guiding our school. The faculty is excited to learn and apply the techniques in the classrooms.

Gifted training for our faculty will inevitably strengthen all instruction. The fundamental core of Jewish Academy of Orlando’s academic foundation is differentiated instruction.  Attending to the needs of each learner, our teachers begin differentiating content, process, and product in Kindergarten and continue across all core subjects areas throughout students’ time here. Our process ensures that students are taught in a way that encourages them to reach their full potential.

We believe adding the gifted endorsements are another way Jewish Academy of Orlando continues striving for excellence.  Our academic standards have always been high. Comparatively, our students score grade levels ahead of their peers nationally. This new certification adds another layer to provide high-quality differentiated education to our student body.

 
HAVE YOU MET MAC THE BEE?
Mac the Bee rocks at Campus-Wide Shabbat

We re-introduced its mascot Mac the Bee to the community with much fanfare.  

Students and faculty of Jewish Academy of Orlando and Roth Family Jewish Community Center’s Early Childhood Learning Center danced, sang, and welcomed Shabbat with Mac the Bee at a campus-wide Shabbat.



We always enjoy our campus-wide Shabbats, and this time, we loved building community with the entire JFGO/JCC/JAO campus by celebrating Shabbat with our beloved mascot.

Mac the Bee’s name was inspired by the Chanukah story of the brave Maccabees.  Like the courageous family, Mac is brave, strong, innovative, and a powerful leader. He serves as a wonderful role model for our community.

Mac is also busy as a bee! Below is his appearance calendar:

  • Monday, November 5, Spirit Night at Blaze Pizza in Winter Park
  • Tuesday, November 13, S.T.E.A.M. Family Learning Night 
  • Tuesday, December 4, Preschool Playdate
  • Wednesday, December 5 Maccabiah Games
Mac the Bee would like to see you at our next event.  “I love to BUZZ around Jewish Academy of Orlando events.  I would love to BEE with you soon!” stated Mac the Bee.

Fans can also connect digitally with Mac the Bee:

We are delighted to re-introduce our mascot Mac the Bee, and we are proud that he emulates many of the great values of the brave Maccabees..

Tonight! Monday, November 5 Spirit Night at Blaze Pizza in Winter Park

Tuesday, November 13  STEAM Family Night

Thursday, November 29 Prospective Family Meeting: For more details, contact apolacek@myjao.org

Sunday, December 9 Roaring Twenties Gala 
 
Thursday, December 20 Generation Celebration
Copyright © 2018 Jewish Academy of Orlando, All rights reserved.