Student Giving

Schechter Manhattan students learn to give right from the beginning of Kindergarten. Whether by collecting pennies for the citywide Penny Harvest (our record is 60 sacks of pennies!), taking food to and spending time with the elderly supported by Dorot, or giving a few pennies of tzedakah (charity) at Kabbalat Shabbat each Friday, our students develop the wonderful feelings of helping others and giving back right from the beginning.

Some examples of student giving activities follow:

Penny Harvest - students collect pennies through the citywide program

Penny Harvest Roundtable -students gather to decide where the pennies are donated

Monthly community service - each grade has a community service project day each month

3^rd- Penny Harvest and Roundtable School-wide Leaders/Coordinators

4^th- Project Sunshine

5^th- DOROT

6^th- Riverside Park

7^th- West Side Campaign Against Hunger and FoodChange

8^th- The Literacy Project

Tzedakah Roundtable - students gather to decide where in-school tzedakah is donated

Yom Chesed - Our inaugural Yom Chesed – Community Service Day (to be held in May, 2009) will engage 2nd through 8th grade families in community service projects throughout New York City In teams, students and their families will participate in park clean-up, work with the elderly, and similar projects – building on the tzedakah and community service experiences the students have throughout the year.

Matanot L’evyonim (Purim) - gifts for the poor to make sure they have food to celebrate Purim

Maot Chitim (Pesach) - gifts for the poor to make sure they have matzah on Passover

Visits to the Jewish Home and Hospital

Weekly tzedakah at Kabbalat Shabbat - as a part of the Welcoming of the Sabbath, students in grades K-8 set aside some small change for charity. The Tzedakah Roundtable each year provides a democratic opportunity for students to decide where donations will be allocated.

Questions? Contact the Division Heads:

Lower Elementary (K-1): Yael Even-Moratt - yaelevenmoratt@sssm.org

Upper Elementary (2-5): Gary Pretsfelder - garypretsfelder@sssm.org

Middle School (6-8): Benjamin Mann - benjaminmann@sssm.org