School News

Mazel tov to Hausner’s Upper School Robotics team, the Bumblebees, on earning their first ever judged award at a recent VEX IQ Robotics competition.

The team won the Amaze Award, which recognizes a consistently high performing robot that demonstrates strong design, programming, driving skills, teamwork, and professionalism. The award is evaluated through matches, interviews, and engineering notebooks.

Kol hakavod to Alexander, Sam, and Carter in sixth grade, Michael in eighth grade, and to their teachers and mentors for this exciting milestone. We are so proud to see Hausner students recognized for both technical excellence and collaborative spirit.

On Sunday, January 11, 175 members of the Hausner community joined Jews from all over the Bay Area to fill Chase Center for Jewish Heritage Night, proudly cheering on the Golden State Warriors. The energy and ruach were palpable!

Highlights included a special Hausner shout-out on the Jumbotron, exclusive access to watch the Warriors’ warm-ups from courtside, and an unforgettable Fan Tunnel experience where 20 Hausner students high-fived players as they ran onto the court. Hearing Omer Adam’s “Tel Aviv” played at a Warriors game felt especially surreal and special. To top it all off, every Hausner child had the chance to shoot a free throw on the court after the game. While the Warriors came up short on the scoreboard, it was a definite win for Hausner spirit and community pride.

Kol hakavod to Nicole Robins, whose vision and leadership helped turn Jewish Heritage Night into such a meaningful and memorable Hausner experience.

Our 6–8 VEX IQ Robotics elective, led by Science Chair Liat Baranoff, had an exciting first competition this week. Two new Hausner teams — the Mechanical Maniacs and the Bumblebees — traveled to Davis to compete against 38 teams from across the region, spending the day coding, troubleshooting, and refining their robots under real conditions. Both teams represented Hausner with focus, collaboration, and pride, placing in the top 20 overall, with the Bumblebees climbing to an impressive 5th place after the final round. A fantastic first outing! And they’re already gearing up for their next competition on January 11 in Fremont.

In a creative blend of Jewish tradition, math, and design thinking, our 5th grade pre-algebra students constructed scale sukkah models as part of the Build Your Own Geometric Sukkah project. Guided by Lower School Math Chair Alexandra Kelly, students explored ancient Talmudic units of measure, tested prism designs for efficiency, and calculated surface area and volume to determine the most practical structures. Each design required mathematical justification, blueprint creation, and a reflective connection between geometry and the values embedded in Sukkot. The result: a project that beautifully connects tradition, critical thinking, and hands-on learning.