Smart Goal Reflection:

My 1st S.M.A.R.T. goal was to learn 25 new Hebrew words by March 1st, 2024. I started off strong in completing this goal, but after a while, I got really busy and I stopped learning the additional Hebrew words. I believe that I completed my goal, but indirectly. 

My 2nd S.M.A.R.T. goal was to take more initiative in my learning. By completing this goal, I indirectly completed my 1st goal through class participation and striving to learn more. I have definitely completed my 2nd S.M.A.R.T. goal and improved my initiative and other skills. The fact that my first year of high school is next year made me push myself to be at my best. 

I also took it to the next level by switching my entertainment. What you watch on TV affects your brain and learning. I wish I could say I had the discipline to limit my screen time, but I can’t. Instead, I can say I switched my screen time to more helpful information that is interesting to me and beneficial to my learning. If you took a look at my YouTube shorts, you would find many math and science videos (the science videos are mostly about space because space is AWESOME). 

Regardless, the way I achieved this success was by taking small steps. I believe the goal I set for myself was very achievable, which is why I was able to go above and beyond in terms of completing it. 

The goal I had on the way to achieving initiative in my learning was improving my sleep, which improved my attention span. The hardest part of keeping up with good sleeping habits is the fact that I am a perfectionist, which I have learned to come to terms with. I learned through this year that sometimes good enough is really good enough. I’m not saying that I am a perfect sleeper, but I have made substantial progress, and I am proud of it. 

School Year Reflection:

Give a like and a dislike? Why? 

Likes:

• Moreh David’s teaching of Rabbinics was good because I felt we were not learning a lot in that subject.

Dislikes: 

• I dislike that this is my last year here. I have made so many connections here, which makes it hard to leave. Throughout the year, I have accepted that it is a change for the better.

Was it a positive year or was it a negative one? Why? (I think overall it was…because)

I think overall my year was a positive one. Recently, I watched a short video, and to sum it up in my own words: What we give to the world is not what we know of ourselves, but what we leave behind to others. I have taken this into account and cherished the moments with others more. From this, I have also learned that even if I learn something that doesn’t help me, I can use it to help others. I found this really cool study app that I tried, but it didn’t work for me. Knowing my Ariel and Rachel and the ways that help them learn/study, I took a chance and introduced the app to them. I am happy to see them using it to learn and quiz themselves. What I gave them will be a part of their memory of me. The help we do and the love we show others counts. So I believe it has been a positive year for me because of the improvements I have made to my mindset and the good deeds I have done in the process.

What changes would you like to see next year?

I would say the school did well in teaching our graduating class this year. I don’t think there is anything in particular that I would change that I can recall right now.

לפעילות השבוע שיחקתי במשחק דגל. לדעת מה הדגל באנגלית היה לי קל כי אני מכיר את כל 199 דגלי המדינות. (אין הרבה דברים טובים יותר ללמוד בשבת כשאני לא יכולה לעשות שום דבר אחר.) העובדה ששמות המדינות היו בעברית הייתה החלק הקשה. בסופו של דבר, אהבתי את זה, אבל לא הייתי ממליץ על זה לחבר לכיתה אלא אם כן הם מכירים את הדגלים של כל המדינות.

Innovation Day Reflection – Tehila 

Now that Innovation Day is done, it’s essential to reflect on what we learned and how we grew and can grow. This year, my partner Noa Tili and I created a simple machine innovation day project, named the Garbage Garage. Our product is a practical and current product that makes garbage management more attainable and manageable while solving your garbage problems and more. 

For people with no garage, the usage of our product is a no-brainer, but to garage owners, there are actually some additional benefits. Our product helps with sealing garbage as part of its management capabilities and can also help the user optimize their space. For garage owners, garbage bins in the garage give up valuable space which is a problem our product can solve.

Here is our list of the materials we needed for our prototype and our final product: Materials List Canva Design This is what our product would look like.

Like any project, you must educate yourself about what you are accomplishing before you start. We did this by learning about the simple machines. The 6 simple machines are screws, inclined planes, wedges, levers, wheels and axles, and pulleys. When you create a machine like the garbage garage, consisting of two or more simple machines, it is called a compound machine.

Here is how we used simple machines in our project:

• SCREW: We used screws to attach different wooden pieces and the cardboard we used in place of wooden walls for our prototype. In our final product, we would also use screws to install our hinges. 
• WHEELS AND AXLES: The way that we used wheels and axles in our design was by integrating wheels on the bottom of the garage for transportation and easy access. 
• LEVERS: We integrated three second-class levers into our project. The first lever we used was the hinges on the doors. The second and third levers were used for a supporting arm that can lift the garbage garage lid so that the lid can stay open while you put in any garbage bins. 

Here is a link to the rest of our simple machine information.

Define; Simple Machines Project 2025 – garbage garage

Here is a picture of our final project and board:

Knowing I won the past two innovation days put a bit of additional pressure on me at first, though that quickly subsided as I talked with my partner. I knew I would work with Noa Tili long before we were asked to pick a partner because, after our win with the Koala-ty structure last year, we agreed to work together again this year knowing we work very well together and are good friends.

I felt more nervous and less confident this year about our project, knowing this time there was no clear frontrunner. Talking with the parents did not help my nerves because we realized our script was way too long and boring. As a result of this that night, I changed the format and order of the script to suit our presentation and cut where needed. The script was one of the more challenging things to get done for us because it was always too long. When finally presenting to the judges, I felt much more confident but was still unsure after the fact who would come out as the winner between either Noa Tili and me or Zohar and Matthew. 

To be honest, unlike the other two projects, I was not particularly excited about this topic, but after learning to use the power drill, I changed my mind. Learning that skill was something I enjoyed a lot, which surprised me, seeing as though I already had my presumptions about this project. 

Similarly to the past few years, I worked on the project both in and out of class. This year I worked more in class than out of class because of the additional classroom time we got because of our math classes. More time in class was also more beneficial to me because I was able to communicate with my partner more efficiently and effectively.

A skill I did not have before during the past innovation days that I have now is being able to deal with stress. I vividly remember breaking down because I did not think I could do it within the deadline. With high school coming, I have learned to relax because right now all I need to do is learn. That is the whole point of this. Some stress is good, but too much never is. This year what I did was put in the work and enjoy the experience.

The only thing I would have changed is our board. I liked my past poster boards more than this year, mostly because we had to use a really weird glue that made it look duller. In the end, I was extremely happy to find out we won, and I had a fun learning experience.

Overall, making our product taught me a lot. Our well-rounded, useful, and helpful product for waste management is something I am proud of and that adults would be lucky to use.

בכיתה שלי עברית בכיתה ח’ הצגנו פרויקטים רבים. בתחילת השנה הצגנו פרויקט בשם “הדרך שלי”. הפרויקט הזה   דיברתי על הדרך שלי

הנה הפרויקט שלי.

הדרך שלי by tehila.shapiro

.עשיתי גם פרויקט על שמורות טבע עם זהר

Nature Reserve Nahal Amud by zohar.staretz and tehila.shapiro

לאחר מכן למדתי על צפת ועוד הרבה דברים. לאחרונה יצרתי פרויקט בשם “מפת חיי”. זה היה על החיים שלי. דיברתי על הדברים האהובים עלי, על המשפחה שלי ועל הדברים שאני רוצה לעשות בעתיד.

הנה תמונה של הפרויקט שלי:

בסך הכל, למדתי הרבה בעברית.

Hi, I am Tehila. In Of Mice and Men (the book we are currently reading in English), George and Lennie have been sent to a ranch by their employment agency. We can assume that the ranch contacted the agency, saying they need to hire some new workers.
For my assignment, I was tasked with creating a website to recruit migrant workers to come to the ranch.

Here is my groups final website:

https://sites.google.com/theojcs.ca/www-caliranch-com/home

Hello, I’m Tehila and I was tasked with understanding the challenges and personal struggles of Theodor Herzl as the founder of modern Zionism and exploring how these struggles shaped his vision for a Jewish homeland and the early Zionist movement through a project. My group and I have researched Theodor Herzl’s life, the internal and external struggles he faced, the political obstacles he got through and much more. The project also had us write 3 journal entries from Herzl’s perspective based on his struggles. Finally, we created a visual representation of Herzl’s struggles through a mood board. Here is our final presentation: I hope you enjoy it!!!!

The Struggles of Theodor Herzl: A Personal Journey – Zohar, Noa Tili, and Tehila.

Works Cited

Gjevori, Elis. “How Theodor Herzl failed to convince the Ottomans to sell Palestine.” TRT World, https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/how-theodor-herzl-failed-to-convince-the-ottomans-to-sell-palestine-46991. Accessed 15 November 2024.

Nordau, Max. “First to Twelfth Zionist Congress (1897-1921).” Jewish Virtual Library, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/first-to-twelfth-zionist-congress-1897-1921. Accessed 15 November 2024.

Singer, Saul Jay. “The Tragic Story Of Herzl’s Family.” The Jewish Press, 29 June 2022, https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/features/features-on-jewish-world/the-tragic-story-of-herzls-family/2022/06/29/. Accessed 15 November 2024.

Other information can be found in Mr. Wash’s Jewish studies slides document.

In my opinion, we can advance in life by setting goals. Objectives provide us with a path to follow. Even if we fall short, having goals helps us hold ourselves accountable. We are able to clarify what we genuinely desire in life when we set objectives and strive toward achieving them.

In grade 7, recently we have been reading the book The Giver. As a result of this, our teacher asked us to create a memory book. Memory is an ability living things can have, allowing that living thing to retain and retrieve facts, events, and impressions, or recall and recognize previous experiences. Memories are important because they shape who we are. Without memories, living beings would not be able to think back on the past or look forward; instead, they would always be living in the present. Learning the importance of memory was another reason we did this project. My memory book includes my favourite things, how I’ve changed, how I’ve stayed the same, memorable events, a significant memory, a dedication, and a memorable quote.

Memory Book Project by tehila.shapiro

In our 7th grade class, we read a story about a frog who was the king of the swamp. This frog got sick, and the only way that he could get better was by smelling a beautiful and pleasant-smelling flower. Many flowers were asked to be smelled by the king, but none accepted his request except for the daffodil. The king smelt the daffodil and was cured. Since then, the daffodil has been the new king of the swamp. To display what we learned about the story, we created a short video explaining the course of events that occurred throughout the story. Here is the link to our video:

Here