Clifford Comes to the "J"

On Sunday, February 15th from 9-11:30 a.m., Clifford the Big Red Dog, will appear at the JCC to celebrate his birthday. The famous and much loved storybook character of author Norman Bridwell, will be available to "sit" for pictures with the children and mingle during the morning activities.

A pancake breakfast with juice, milk and fruit will be served (coffee for adults), from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Activities will include cookie decorating (doggie bone shaped, of course!), story time, Clifford software to be used with our gorgeous new IBM Young Explorer Computers, and several craft projects as well as face painting.

In conjunction with this event, we will be sponsoring a Scholastic Book Fair and Judith Housel, gifted silhouette artist, will be on hand to work magic with her scissors to create a beautiful keepsake; your child's profile.

Admission is $5/person or $20/family. There is an additional charge for Photos with Clifford and for Silhouettes. Call (480) 897-0588 for more information.

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Strike it Richer

East Valley JCC's Annual Super Bowl-A-Thon

Thanks to the strikingly wonderful Bowl-A-Thon Committee comprised of Jill Barenbaum, chairperson; Allen Benedict, Shari & Glenn Davis, Daryl Edson, Ron Gottlieb, Jon Marks and Lindy Paul and the 40 bowlers who participated in this annual event, the 2004 Bowl-a-thon was the most successful in JCC history!!

Rising to the challenge offer given by Tickets Unlimited, which offered two floor tickets in the first ten rows to the February Bette Midler Show for anyone garnishing $1000 in pledges, Lisa Edson and David Wattel both hit the $1000 mark. The third and fourth place winners were Jon Marks and Aaron Blau.

Bowling honors for the best series went to Karl Simonis at 462 series, and Lisa Edson at 300. Jack Karal and Diane Umeda won awards for high game. A special thank you to the JCC staff who turned out in record numbers to bowl for dollars for the JCC: Diane, Lisa, Nancy, Deena, Sharon, Marnie, Emily, Lindi, and Janet.

AROUND THE CENTER

Terrific Tuesdays for Seniors

Join us, bring along a friend, and enjoy!! Membership in the JCC is not a requirement for attendance. $1.50 for JCC Members / $2.00 for non-Members. All are welcome! Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, February 3rd at 10:30 a.m. "The History of Medicine in AZ" is the topic for today. The speaker is Dr. Robert Kravetz, medical historian and curator of the Medical Museum of Phoenix Baptist Hospital.

Tuesday, February 10th at 10:30 a.m. The Jewish Artist series from the Phoenix Art Museum will be presented by docent Joan Tully. The subject is Elsa Schiaparelli, fashion design extraordinaire.

Tuesday, February 17th at 10:30 a.m. Our guest today is Leon H. Gildin, author of "You Can't Do Business (Or Most Anything Else) Without Yiddish." He will speak about the influence of the Yiddish language on the business world.

Tuesday, February 24th at 10:30 a.m. Mark Rothko, a leading figure in abstract expressionism art is the Jewish artist for today's program by docent Sherri Koopot of the Phoenix Art Museum.

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Tributes

To Bruce and Vicki Krell on the loss of Bruce's father, Leonard Krell, from the Board and Staff of the JCC, Ilene and Alan Blau, and Cynthia and Allen Benedict.

Births

Roten Gdalia, born January 8, 2004, to Rinat and Yohanan Gdalia. Big brothers Ophir and Omer (Amira's room) are thrilled!

Nicole Hubble was born January 21, 2004, to Mark and Becky Ruckman-Hubble. Big sister Natalie is in our toddler room.

New Members

Shirley Samuels
Omar and Esther Gaud
Rita Sabel
Eidad and Tzipi Leibovitch
Rose Sperling
SHaun and Margaret Stuart
J. Christopher Sar and Megan Kimball

SCHOOL • YOUTH • CAMP

Registration for 1st - 6th Grades begins February 2nd!

Register early!! Day School students in grades 2nd - 5th will participate in the Torah Fair at the Ina Levine Campus on Thursday, February 12. Students from all the Community Day Schools will participate in the event. Students are asked to choose a mitzvah from one of the 30 mitzvot and submit a creative media display illustrating their individual research and interpretation of each selected mitzvot.

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Day School Scholarship Fund

Scholarship application forms for the Jewish Day School Fund will be available by the end of February. The fun was established in order to enable those families who were interested in providing a Jewish Day School experience for their children, but were deterred because of financial considerations. Families with children eligible for kindergarten-6th Grade at the JCC are invited to apply. Affordable education is the purpose of this fund.

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Instrument Music Added

Thanks to Dr. Cindy Gardner, a band teacher and music specialist at the Mesa Public School District, instrumental music instruction has been added to the 4th and 5th grade class curriculum. Dr. Gardner gives individual instruction in guitar and clarinet to the students in Ms. Samakosky's class on a weekly basis. We are so fortunate to have the expertise of Dr. Gardner for these budding musicians.

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It's That Time, Again!

On Tuesday, February 2, registration for the 2004-05 school year will begin. Classes are available for 2,3 and 4 year olds as well as kindergarten. Kindergarten is a full-day program (9-2:30) and 4 year old pre-Kindergarten has an option of full or half day. Half-day is 9-12 noon, full day is 9-2:30 p.m. Usually there are two sections of each preschool class and one kindergarten class.

Two year olds need not be toilet trained to attend school, but children must be completely toilet trained (no accidents) to enroll in three's and up.

Our wonderful staff of experienced teachers and aides will provide a great experience for your child in a safe, warm and loving atmosphere. Children are encouraged to explore, create, and learn many new skills over the course of the school year. A strong Judaic component is an integral part of the curriculum on every level. Having fun while learning is also a high priority at our NAEYC accredited school.

Places are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. At every preschool level each day of the week will be closed when maximum enrollment has been reached for that day. We encourage early registration to assure the schedule of your choice. For school and fee information call Cynthia or Diane at 480-897-0588.

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President's Day Mini Camp

Join us on Monday February 16th for our annual President's Day Mini Camp.

Our 3s - Kindergarten will stay at the J to play games, make fun arts & crafts projects, and have a day filled with excitement! Our 1st - 6th graders are off to the Renaissance Festival for a day of Music, Comedy, Jousting Knights, Costumed characters and more!

Space is limited so call Lisa to sign up today!

Camp hours:	9:00am-4:00pm
Camp fees:	$25/JCC Members $35/Non-Members
Daycare hours:	7:00 - 9:00am & 4:00 - 6:00pm Daycare - $3.50 per hour

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Youth Clubs

Calling all 1st through 8th graders! How high can you climb? Join the East Valley JCC this month at the Phoenix Rock Gym and see how high you go! Mom's & Dad's, you're welcome to join us too. You may want to see if you can climb higher than your child, plus we need belayers to help out!

WHEN:	Tuesday, February 17th
PLACE:	Phoenix Rock Gym
TIME:	6:30 - 8:00pm
COST:	$10.00 per person (Belayers are free!)

WAIVER: All participants must sign a waiver before they can climb.

Call Lisa by Monday, February 16th to sign up.

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Family Fun Day

This month we are combining our Mommy & Me and Daddy & Me programs to make a Family Fun Day! Join us at the Fiddlesticks in Tempe for an hour of unlimited rides (Regular Go Carts, Rookie Go Carts, Water Bumper Boats, Batting Cages, Dragon Ride and an Air Bounce), plus a round of miniature golf! We must have a minimum of 10 paying people!

WHEN:	Sunday, February 29th
PLACE:	Fiddlesticks in Tempe (Elliot between Hardy & Priest)
TIME:	1:00pm
COST:	Adults - $10.00 Children - $8.00

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Summer Camp Positions

What job can offer you the power to change a child's life forever?

The East Valley JCC is looking for Counselors (over 18 years old) and Jr. Counselors (going into 10th grade) who are energetic, outgoing and responsible adults and students that want to have fun working with kids all summer. Our campers range in age from 27 months to 8th grade.

Camp runs from June 1st - August 6th.

If you are interested in finding out more, please e-mail Lisa at tcjccyouth@aol.com or call (480) 897-0588.