Jack Segal Academy of Beth Yeshurun

This morning’s All-School Celebration Shabbat was filled with gratitude as we celebrated some of the people who made this year so special. We celebrated our graduating 5th graders as they marked their final elementary school Shabbat, a beautiful milestone filled with pride and emotion. We expressed heartfelt appreciation to our PTO board and all of our volunteers, whose tireless work and joyful spirit uplift everything we do. We recognized our outgoing PTO President for her time and management in supporting our teachers, building community, and making this year so special. We also recognized a very dedicated parent in the school who has donated his time and talent to not only designing our incredible new Stein Family Garden, but also to leading weekly gardening classes with our students and Celebration Company. Each person and group was introduced, thanked, and gifted with a token of our appreciation.

This morning we hosted our “Muffins with My Morah”, a special gala auction experience some of our lucky students won!

The morning featured a full breakfast spread with muffins, fresh fruit, and chocolate milk served in real teacups for the sweetest touch. It was such a charming tea-time moment and a meaningful opportunity for one-on-one connection with their teacher before the school day began.

Thank you to our incredible gala donors for making experiences like this possible, and to our auction winners for being part of such a special morning!

Yesterday we observed Yom HaShoah with a meaningful morning memorial service led by Mrs. Uzick, Rabbi Mendelson, and students and teachers who are 3rd and 4th generation descendants of Holocaust survivors. Together, we lit six yahrzeit candles in memory of the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust.

Throughout the day, docents from the Holocaust Museum Houston visited our Kinder through 5th grade classrooms, sharing age-appropriate lessons about Holocaust history and the importance of being upstanders in the face of injustice.

We were also deeply moved to hear from a third-generation granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, who shared her grandmother’s story of survival. Through powerful images and personal reflections, she honored those who helped along the way and shed light on the unimaginable hardships her grandmother endured as a child.

We are incredibly proud of our students for the respect, thoughtfulness, and maturity they showed. By learning from our history, we continue to uphold the promise of “Never Again.”

At Jack Segal Academy, we live the lessons we teach, especially when it comes to holidays as rich and meaningful as Passover.

Over the past couple of weeks, our students have been immersed in hands-on learning to prepare for the holiday. Today they got to experience the whole holiday!

In Early Childhood, students tasted Passover foods, built structures, leaped like frogs, stomped grapes, and explored the story of Pesach through play and song.

Our 2s held a full-grade Seder, reclining pillows and all, while 3s through 5th graders gathered with their buddies to sing “Kadesh Urchatz,” the “Four Questions,” and “Dayenu” during buddy-seated model Seders.

Elementary students began their morning with a traditional bedikat chametz (searching for hametz) using a feather, then joined Pre-K through 5th for a community bread burn in the courtyard led by Rabbi Todd.

To top it all off, buddy grades took part in the Great Afikoman Hunt, with multiple afikoman bags hidden across the playground waiting to be discovered and each winner got a prize!

These meaningful moments help our students connect to the traditions of Pesach and prepare to bring them to life at home.

One of our favorite Segal Academy traditions, Take Over Day, was a huge hit! Parents supported the school’s gala auction buying the opportunity for students to take over the school! Thank you to all our supporters.

Students took over the school, swapping roles with teachers and administrators for a day full of leadership, laughter, and learning.

Students as Teachers led their classes with creative activities like slime making, cookie decorating contests, kindness lessons, and extra recess. Teachers got a taste of student life while our young leaders ran the show.

Student Admins stepped up in a big way, helping plan the final week of school with a spirit day and fun surprises!

This is what hands-on learning, leadership, and school pride look like at Segal! 💙💚

Today’s Gala Kickball Game was a home run! Parents secured spots for their kids through our Segal Soiree Gala auction, bidding for team captain positions, while teachers, administrators, and staff joined the fun—playing, coaching, and cheering from the sidelines.

Team Blue vs. Team Green battled it out, bringing energy, excitement, and plenty of Segal spirit!

A huge thank you to for providing the field and our amazing parents and staff for supporting this event and making it such a memorable day for our students. We loved seeing our community come together for some friendly competition and fun! 💙💚

Purim at Jack Segal Academy was filled with tradition, creativity, laughter, and hands-on learning across every grade level!

Our 5th graders read from the Megillah in Hebrew and English while Elementary students listened and shook their groggers each time Haman’s name was heard. Students celebrated with delicious learning experiences, taste-testing cookie hamantaschen and making their own bread hamantaschen shaped into Purim’s iconic triangles.

Throughout the day, learning came to life:
3rd–4th Grade participated in math activities, including investigations into the meaning behind Purim’s triangular symbols.
PK–2nd Grade graphed hamantaschen taste-test results and shared their class findings at an assembly.

Students visited our in-house Mollie & Louis Kaplan Museum of Judaica at Congregation Beth Yeshurun to explore historical groggers and Megillahs. PreK–5th enjoyed a lively improv spiel, celebrating the Purim tradition of laughter and silliness.

Kindergarten hosted their annual market with a Purim twist, selling carnival game playing, royal jewelry, and masks while practicing real-world communication and money skills. Students also showcased creativity designing costumes for our first ever the Dot and Dash Robot Costume Parade.

In Early Childhood, students dressed in costume and enjoyed a special Disney-themed Purim spiel performed by their teachers.

Costume voting, led by our 5th graders, added even more excitement to a day full of Adar spirit. Congrats to all our winners!

Chag Purim Sameach!

As an extended part of our Young Authors Day celebration, Jack Segal Academy welcomed some very special visitors from Faithful Paws Therapy Dogs — and they brought smiles, comfort, and meaningful learning along with them.

Students had the opportunity to read aloud to the therapy dogs, practice confidence and fluency in a calm, supportive environment, and experience the joy of storytelling in a truly unique way. They also watched the dogs demonstrate impressive tricks while learning about training, responsibility, empathy, and the important role therapy animals play in supporting emotional well-being.

This real-world, experiential learning moment helped students see how reading, communication, and kindness extend far beyond the classroom. Whether sharing a favorite story or simply enjoying a quiet moment with a furry listener, everyone left feeling a little more relaxed, connected, and inspired.

Sometimes the best learning happens with a book in hand and a wagging tail nearby.

Today, Segal Academy proudly celebrated Young Authors Day in loving memory of Deborah Komorn Baruch, generously underwritten by the Komorn Family, who shared this meaningful day alongside our students.

This special experiential program brings acclaimed authors from across the country to our school each year, celebrating the power of reading and writing while inspiring students to see themselves as storytellers, creators, and lifelong learners.

We were honored to welcome an outstanding group of visiting authors who engaged our students and encouraged their imaginations to run wild:

- Lester Laminack
- Darlene Campos
- Miriam Singer
- Robin Yardi
- Sarah Scheerger

Through author readings, conversations about the writing process, and interactive experiences, students discovered how stories are created and found inspiration to develop their own voices as writers. The day concluded with students writing and illustrating their very own books, putting their creativity into action.

We are deeply grateful to the Komorn Family for making this impactful day possible in loving memory of Deborah Komorn Baruch. Her legacy continues to inspire a love of literacy, creativity, and learning within our community.

This morning our Pre-K students took the runway for their very own Alphabet Fashion Show and it was nothing short of amazing.

Each student chose a letter and a corresponding person or thing to represent it. Dressed in costume, they confidently walked the runway, turned at the end, and proudly announced into the microphone their letter, its sound, and who or what they were dressed as.

This was more than just a celebration of mastering the alphabet. It was also about performing in front of nearly 100 spectators, speaking clearly into a microphone, smiling, waving, and shining with confidence.

And the grand finale? Our Pre-K stars took the auditorium stage to perform Jack Hartmann’s Alphabet Song in full costume.

What an incredible way to celebrate all they are learning. We are so proud of you, Pre-K!