On Sunday, November 8, we gathered in the Chapel at 9:30 am. Rabbi led us in T’filah and Grace gave an overview of the Mitzvah Day program.  A special treat was a visit from Gloria, a representative from La Clinica Guadalupana. Gloria spoke to us regarding the hardships people in the colonias face on a daily basis, and which she faced earlier in her life.

After T’filah, our Morim and Madrichim (teachers and teaching assistants), as well as  some parents, helped take items donated to the clinic from the Chapel to the Resource room to be sorted until pick-up time. Our donations included: Latex gloves (grades preK-1), Kleenex (grades 2-3), hand sanitizer (grades 4-5) and computer paper (grades 6-8).  Additionally students and their families donated numerous items (toys, clothes, games, books, etc.) for our "HiddenTreasures" project.

In addition to the mitzvah of giving to Clinica Guadalupana, our students took on projects during the morning. These projects were fun and meaningful.

• The pre-kinder, kinder and first grade students (lead by Monica, Shana, Angela, Carly, Valerie and Mia) worked on “Get Well Bags”.  The students decorated twenty cloth bags for children that visit La Clinica Guadalupana.  They put crayons, a coloring book, a pencil, lollipops, a mini pinball game, stickers, and biscotti in each bag.
• The second grade students (lead by Amissa, Susan Bargemann and Maddie) learned about “Staying Healthy” and prepared thirty “Staying Healthy” bags for TMS families.  The bags included tips for staying healthy, signs of the flu, and tips for getting better from the CDC, a small container of tissues, three disposable thermometers, and small bottle of sanitizer. The second grade students created three posters with included some tips on proper hand-washing, tips on staying healthy, and tips on getting better.  Three students were selected to present the information during the Mitzvah Fair in Schwartz Hall.
• The third and fourth grade students (lead by Ellen, Carly Robalin, Leah and Nate) learned about “Going Neutral”.  The students watched a video from JNF, made posters about planting trees in Israel to offset carbon emissions, and set up an educational table in Schwartz Hall.  Three students were selected to present the “Going Neutral” information on their posters. The students handed out JNF boxes at the Mitzvah Fair.
• The fifth and sixth grade students (lead by Josh, Pinni, Kaylen and Ethan) met in the parking lot next to Zielonka and began washing the white chairs we all use throughout the year.
• The seventh and eighth grade students prepared awesome Bar/Bat Mitzvah project displays and presented their information during the Mitzvah Fair.  The displays included Bar/Bat Mitzvah projects done in the past and projects planned for in the near future. (Alison and Sammy Holaschutz supervised)

At 11:45, students, parents, morim and madrichim enjoyed learning at the Mitzvah fair and had a great time socializing and eating in Schwartz Hall.We raised a total of $485 at the Taco Lunch (for tacos, salsa, drinks and yummy treats).  The money collected at this fundraiser is in reserved for a “Special Religious School Tzedakah Project”. The recipient for this project will be announced during our Cultural Celebration on March 7.

A very special "THANK YOU" to everyone for their generous donations of time and resources: we thank the Intebis for donating 48 boxes of surgical gloves, Susan and Cory Bargeman, the Feldts, Shana Levin, David Wolfe, Simon Bir, Amissa Burton and JoAnn Farley for all their help in the kitchen, Greta Duran and Buddy Schwartz for helping out during the sale and Meredith Heins and Erhen Weiner for creating all the posters for the Mitzvah Fair/Taco Sale.  As always, we are grateful to Frank Hernandez for his help during all of our Religious School projects and events.