Focus on community involvement at the Hillel School of Tampa

October 2004

 

The Hillel School of Tampa strongly feels that it is important for

each of the students to be actively involved in the community, as

the school fosters both the mind and soul of each child.  Community

involvement for the 2004-2005 school year:

The Primary Division students, from transitional kindergarten

to grade one, will create crafts and holiday projects to share with

Weinberg Village assisted living and nursing home facility.

Second grade will aid Southeastern Guide Dog, Inc., and raise

money for upkeep and training of guide dogs, working towards           

sponsoring and naming a dog.  A guide dog and a trainer will visit

the class to introduce the program.  In the spring the students will visit the site where dogs are raised and trained.

Third grade will be involved in the Paul Mort Elementary Head Start program.  The students will raise money to purchase books from the Scholastic Book Club, read them to the children, and donate the books.  On a subsequent visit the students will plan a book-writing activity to conduct with the children from the Head Start program.

Fourth grade plans to have a Jewish Community Center preschool buddy program.  Students will travel to the preschool campus to interact with their new friends, planning various activities. 

Fifth grade will visit the James A. Haley Veterans nursing home care unit several times during the year.  Students plan to assist patients in music therapy sessions, visit bed-bound patients, and entertain the patients.  In addition, the students will collect donated items and raise money to purchase toiletries, and make gift bags to present to the patients.

Middle school has a three-prong focus on community involvement: helping the elderly in sixth grade, working with animals or protecting the environment in seventh grade, and working with the young in eighth grade.

Sixth grade students plan to visit both Mary Walker assisted-living facility and Weinberg Village several times during the year.  The students will spend time with the residents and plan different art projects to perform together.

Seventh grade will work with horses that are trained to assist handicapped people, help at the stable, and work with trainers.

Eighth grade adopts daycare children from underprivileged families in crisis.  The children at Seventy-Eighth Street Station daycare enjoy special playtime with our eighth graders.  The students also will work to raise money for additional tickets for the annual Purim festival, so they can sponsor the children. 

 

In addition, Student Government plans monthly acts of kindness days.  Ideas suggested by the students range from baking cookies and making lemonade to deliver to police officers, fire fighters, and mail carriers to reading stories to lower division children.