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Traditions In The Kitchen: Brenner Family, Shabbat
Written by: The Brenner Family
We are new to the AHS community. Our daughter Leya attends SK at Posluns, and our twins, Annie and Joshua, are enrolled in JK for Fall 2021. We have really enjoyed being part of the AHS community and have found it to be very welcoming and friendly.
While there is nothing better than Bubie’s chicken soup with matza balls for a Shabbat dinner, sometimes we like to spice things up with our Carrot Ginger Soup! We started making it more and more throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is packed with nutrients and vitamins. It is also made with ingredients that store well at home, which is handy as grocery shopping has been more challenging. Our kids love making it with us – and they love the vibrant orange colour!
This soup is meaningful for our family because it is made with natural ingredients and gives us an opportunity to appreciate foods that grow from the earth. The kids always stir some love into the pot and it definitely adds flavour!
Shabbat shalom!
Traditions In The Kitchen: Blum Family, Yom Ha’atzmaut
Written By: Dave Blum
In the early 90s, I was privileged to have been a student at AHS throughout Grades 1-5. I always remembered the teachers at this school. Some of them even recently taught my daughter, as well! To see my oldest daughter become a student leader at the school makes me very proud. AHS has always provided a great sense of community which my family and I are honoured to be a part of!
As the Blum Family’s busy, hectic day comes to a slow-down around dinner time, Pulled Beef Tacos are always a guaranteed hit at the table! This delicious dish reminds me of when I was living in Israel. Every year, on the day following Yom Ha’atzmaut, there was always a pile of leftover grilled assorted meats. We would combine them and add some BBQ sauce and allow them to braise together until the meat was pulling apart, at which point it was immediately stuffed in tacos and enjoyed by all!
As a chef for many years, I find the hardest ones to please and cater to are the little kids. So when you find it hard to get them to eat, encourage your kids to participate in preparing dinner, and you will be amazed how quickly they enjoy dinner as a fruit of their own ‘labour’.
Happy Cooking!
Traditions In The Kitchen: Somogyi Family
Written By: Ora Somogyi
Our AHS journey started in 2011 when our son Jadon attended nursery at Posluns. Jadon is currently in Grade 7 at Danilack and our daughter Abigail is in grade 4 at Posluns. My involvement with AHS began in 2012 as the PTC Cedarvale Rep. I then became the Posluns PTC Rep in 2016 and now I am the PTC Treasurer. AHS is very important to our family and we love to be part of such an incredible community.
We definitely have one of the strangest family backgrounds. Being half Hungarian and half Tunisian, we have a wide range of customs and an even wider range of recipes. The one custom and recipe that we can all agree is our favourite is our “Famous” Tunisian Lamb Soup that we consume with great enthusiasm every Passover. The warm broth flavoured with turmeric, the smooth spinach, and the chu
nks of lamb that we all fight over make the highlight of the night.
The lamb is a key symbol of Pesach. We all know that the Jews in Egypt set aside a lamb and watched over it for four days until they had to offer it up to Hashem as a sacrifice. This was their final maneuver before packing their bags and leaving their oppressed life in Egypt forever to head toward their new life in the promised land of Eretz Yisrael. 
This soup is so delicious that every year we tell Grandma that she doesn’t even need to prepare another dish for Passover, and to make more lamb soup! This soup has been a tradition in our family for many years, and when you ask Grandma for the recipe, her answer is the typical “A little bit of this and a little bit of that.” She explains how this has been a tradition from her great-grandmother and she is just happy that her grandchildren enjoy it so much. We truly hope you enjoy Grandma’s lamb soup as much as we do.
A Message From Our Head of School
Dear Parents,
We were delighted to return to school in person this week, albeit for a very snowy first day back.
Please click here to read our policy for days of inclement weather going forward.
As we ease back into our in-person routines, I want to thank our staff and parent community for your dedication, perseverance, and collaboration in meeting each challenge that confronts us. I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together. Under extraordinary circumstances, we have continued to provide excellent Jewish education for our community.
We know that our weeks of distance learning have stretched long, and we are eager to make the most of our time back in the classrooms for our students. With this in mind, we will be having a regular day of classes on Monday, March 8, instead of the scheduled PD Day. We value professional learning, and learned a lot at the successful PD Day that we held in the fall, thanks to the work of the Leadership Team and Administration.
Now that we are back in person in our school buildings, we are continuing to follow all the necessary health and safety protocols, including mask use both inside and outside the building. One “silver lining” of these precautions is that frequent mask use has helped students to learn some key Purim vocabulary – ‘מסכות / masechot,’ the Hebrew word for “masks” – well in advance of the holiday this year!
As we approach Purim, we are prepared, armed not only with critical Hebrew vocabulary but also with plans for exciting Purim celebrations at each branch. In addition to the wealth of branch-specific online programming on offer, we will be holding an AHS community-wide Megillah Reading over Zoom on Purim morning, at 9:15 a.m. on February 26. You will be able to join this special communal reading at this link.The story of Purim places great emphasis on the Jewish community all congregating together, first to vanquish our enemies and then to celebrate our victory. This year, we look forward to congregating virtually, and exhort all of our families to exercise caution in avoiding in-person gatherings, in order to safeguard the health of our community. We continue to leverage technology to come together in creative, safe, and engaging ways, and we are excited to celebrate with you.>
Thank you to each and every one of you for your role in our community, for holding together during these unusual times, and for all you do in ensuring that our teaching and learning can continue.
Shabbat Shalom.
Ora Shulman.
A Message from your PTC – 02.19.2021
Your AHS PTC Team 2021
We were so happy when it was announced school was reopening. Not only did it mean that our kids could see their friends again, in person, and be in the classroom with their teachers, but it also meant that your PTC could go back to offering the services you look forward to, like LUNCHES!
Your enthusiasm to the lunch program was exciting and definitely kept us busy, in the best possible way. We were also able to offer our first ever Purim Shop for your holiday needs. Your support for these types of programs is what fuels our fundraising for our school and funds initiatives across the campuses. The committee has already started working on ideas for Passover!
We are also happy to announce that our 1st AHS Comedy Night was a huge success. There were about 200 people watching, participating and enjoying the entertainment and the delicious meals that were delivered. We have had many requests to host another fun evening, and we look forward to announcing details about that after Passover. We raised approximately $8,000 and are very thankful to our amazing sponsors, donours and all the people who attended.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at: ptc@ahschools.com for general inquiries and ptchotlunches@ahschools.com for any lunch/ordering inquiries.
We hope that everyone had a great first week back at school and wish you a great weekend and Shabbat Shalom!
-Your AHS PTC
Shana Tova
On Rosh Hashana we reflect on what we have done well and what we can improve. This year, there is an additional responsibility on us — those who know what it was like in the past and what is happening now — to think about what we do with this knowledge. What is our role during this period of radical change? How can we help the next generation adjust?
Navigating Back-to-School
Students have experienced an extended time away from the classroom and school, and we would like to share some resources that may be helpful as you and your children transition. We have included articles written by professionals offering back-to-school tips during this unprecedented time, student-friendly e-books about Covid-19, and videos that will convince your children that the practice of proper mask and hand hygiene will turn them into superheroes!
Chodesh Tov!
Tonight is Rosh Chodesh Elul, a time of internal reflection, as the last month in the Hebrew calendar encourages us to prepare for the new year.
This is also the month when families begin preparing for the start of a new school year. It is not an easy time in any year – as we are called on to make all sorts of changes to our routines – but this year more than ever, Elul asks a lot of us in terms of preparation.
Choosing a Good Fit Book With Your Child
Literacy Coach, Vered Feldman discusses how to choose the right book for your child to read.