The 5/6 grade students are currently engaging in a very exciting and rewarding Family Tree Project. They have been researching their family roots, gathering old family photos, and creating Family Tree charts. Recently, they interviewed their grandparents asking questions about grandparents’ lives when they were children.

My 7th graders are currently exploring pre-Holocaust life in Eastern Europe by virtually traveling there.

They used the Green Screen technology to “place” themselves in the aircraft:

Students purchased virtual plane tickets and created itineraries:

Learned about the Yiddish Language, recorded themselves speaking Yiddish words using Thinglink, created interactive games about Yiddish and even wrote AI-generated poems about the history of Yiddish!

Students enjoyed listening and researching most well-known songs in Yiddish and Ladino. They uploaded then on their websites, along with translations and transliterations of those songs.

Lastly, each student found a recipe of Jewish meal, prepared it at home and video recorded it:

HHAI 8th graders work enthusiastically on game creation! They use an old but very fun program called GameMaker. So far, they have built “ClickBall” and “Amazing Maze” games. Younger students will have a chance to play these games!

Our students shared their partnership book, packed with stories about student life in both schools, and engaged in fun activities with their Israeli friends. As one of our students shared: “We had lots of fun getting to know them a bit, and will meet them again in the future months.”

These meaningful connections between HHAI and Gvanim students are what make our partnership with the Western Galilee so special. We’re creating bonds that bridge continents and nurture understanding between our communities.

Our next meeting is scheduled for early March. Stay tuned!

Our student-driven Newsflash continues to be a vibrant showcase of creativity, journalism, and school spirit. This virtual news bulletin, entirely written, created, directed, and produced by our students, brings the latest and most exciting happenings at HHAI and Giving Tree to life.

More than just a broadcast, Newsflash represents our students’ ability to communicate, collaborate, and share their school experiences in their own unique voice. From highlighting academic achievements to capturing special events, these young journalists are learning valuable skills in media production, storytelling, and communication.

Each episode demonstrates the incredible talent and enthusiasm of our students, providing a window into the dynamic life of our school community. Newsflash not only keeps our families and community informed but also empowers students to take ownership of their school’s narrative.

We continue to be impressed by the creativity, professionalism, and passion our students bring to this innovative project.

The updated HHAI Holocaust Museum Virtual Tour is available now.  We used our new Insta360 camera to upgrade the 360 backgrounds in each room with 4K graphics! Check it out!  Almost every exhibit is accessible virtually now.

All Chromebooks have been distributed to grade 1 – 8 students. Looks like they all are enjoying their new devices and taking a good care of them.  Special “thank you” goes out to Grade 5-7 students for putting together Chromebook charging carts!

I am happy to share, that my proposal to present at the next ISTE has been accepted. This is going to be our ninth consecutive year of presenting at ISTE – the world largest EdTech conference. This time, it will take place in San Antonio, which was actually where we presented for the first time, in 2017.

The title of our presentation is “Creating Interactive Books with AR, VR and AI App Smashing”. My students and I will “go on a stage” on Monday, June 30th at 8:30am – 10:00 am CST.