Dear Parents and Students,

My name is Gershon Bandos, and I am getting very excited for the start of a new school year at Akiva Hebrew Day School.

To tell you a short little bit about myself, I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and went to school at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where I majored in chemistry education. I also attended yeshivah in Israel, so I have wide breadth of basic experience with science, pedagogy, and judaism.

I am going to try to make the year fun, relevant, and, of course, a significant learning experience. You will see definite growth in terms of conceptual strength, general science skills, and self-expression for science understanding. We will do labs often, and I try to emphasize inquiry--modeling our classroom labs after the practices used by scientists in the field to discover new knowledge.

To begin the year, here's what you will need:

• 3-ring binder, 1" or wider (I use a LOT of handouts, so a 3-ring binder is preferred. If you want to use a notebook and folder instead, you may.)
• Looseleaf paper (I do not accept paper with messy-curlies on the edge.)
• Divider Sheets/Tabs
• 8-pack of crayons or colored pencils (Science has a lot of models and diagrams, and it's pretty hard to use marker and get it detailed enough.)
• Black or blue pen
• Pencils
• Pink highlighters (I give partial credit on tests/quizzes if you highlight the wrong answer instead of erasing.)
• Scientific calculator

I will do my best to post homework and a preview of the week here. Check back often.

Looking forward to a great year!
Gershon Bandos