Amazon will hold hiring events in Baltimore during the first two weeks of November to staff up for the holiday season.

Amazon announced in October plans to hire 120,000 seasonal positions at its customer service sites, and sorting and fulfillment centers across the country. At its fulfillment center in Baltimore, Amazon is seeking part-time and full-time associates to sort, wrap and ship orders, according to its jobs website.

The e-commerce company will hold hiring events at the Pier 5 Hotel in Baltimore from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Friday and November 7 and 8.

Six people were killed and 10 more injured Tuesday morning when a school bus hit a car, then veered into oncoming traffic and ripped through the side of a Maryland Transit Administration bus in Southwest Baltimore, police said.

The school bus driver and five people on the MTA bus died in the crash in the 3800 block of Frederick Avenue in Irvington, officials said. No students were on the school bus during the crash.

The yellow school bus — headed east on Frederick before 7 a.m. — rear-ended a gray Ford Mustang at Monastery Avenue, struck a cement pillar at the entrance to Loudon Park Cemetery, then continued another block down the road before smashing through the driver's side front of the MTA bus, police said. The two buses remained jack-knifed into each other hours later. A bystander said the force of the collision "shook the ground."

Picture a school where the students move around the room freely, choosing work that interests them and sitting or standing to complete it, totally focused and engaged. Imagine a classroom where the teacher never lectures from the front of the room, but moves from student to student, observing their progress, encouraging, suggesting, and guiding. At one table, the teacher gives a kriah lesson to a few students while another student learns math concepts by manipulating a trinomial cube. The work is hands-on. Everyone learns at their own pace.

For many families, this sounds like a dream, but for the past seven years, this scene has been a reality at Darchei Noam Montessori. Until now, this educational experience has been reserved for a few lucky three- to six-year-olds, but starting next fall, Darchei Noam will expand into first through third grades.

Hilchot Haloween
1) No trick or treating until sundown. This year not before 5:28PM in Jerusalem. 6:08PM if you hold by Rabbeinu Tam. Children may trick or treat earlier for Chinuch, but it’s preferable if they wait until the zman.
2) A scary costume is preferable, but b’dieved, one dressed as a princess or Power Ranger has fulfilled the obligation of dressing up.
3) One who turns off the lights and pretends to be away is called a sinner!

Having little helpers in the kitchen means spending quality time with little ones while teaching them so many things. There’s math – if half a cup is called for, but I can only find the one-cup measuring cup, how much do we need? How do we double a recipe, etc.? There’s real-life responsibility – oops, I dropped the peanuts all over the floor, how do we clean that up? There’s real-life problem solving – I don’t have any black beans, what can we do? (Use red beans? Leave it out? Ask a neighbor?) And one of the most important lessons in my mind – hey, I really like you and want to spend some time with you (and I think you’re clever and important and can help me figure this stuff out). (Disclaimer: there might be a tad bit more of a mess to clean up.)

Parents frequently complain: “How are we going to address and meet all our children’s needs?” “It’s so hard to be a parent today.” “How do I make my children happy?” Teachers complain: “Why is he/she so difficult?” “Always with questions, what about answers?” “Some of his/her questions are like attacks on Yiddishkeit, Hashem, or what I’m teaching!”

I address all of these complaints with the following two premises:

Premise #1: We know very little of how and what our students are thinking.

Premise #2: We know very little about our students’ true needs.

As a Jewish early childhood educator with many years of experience, there is one thing that I love to do when visiting another area or school, and that is to visit the early childhood classroom when no teachers or children are present. Just looking at the room setup gives me many clues of what goes on when the children and staff are there.

I survey the room to see how the interest areas (blocks, dramatic play, table toys, art, music, library) are set up. In each area, is there enough room for children to play, bearing in mind that play is children’s work, and play is the way children learn? I look to see if each activity area (blocks, trucks, etc.) are set away from quiet areas such as library and table toys. Is each area clearly defined, separate from the other areas? Does each area have sufficient room in which to play? Can children move easily from one area to the next easily without interfering with play?

The school year is well underway, despite the start-and-stop feeling created by the chagim. The fall is often a time when the Jewish community comes back together; old school friends are reunited, many hours are spent at shul and at Yom Tov meals, and the rest of the year is before us.

For many families, though, the start of the school year is a time when they feel disconnected from the community. These are families for whom the smiling back-to-school photo barrage on Facebook and Instagram is a painful reminder that their child is not donning a uniform or joining the neighborhood carpool this year. There are many reasons why, but it seems that every year there is a significant number of Jewish children in our community who are not attending Jewish schools.

Officials from Baltimore's public works and finance departments are expected to attend a City Council committee hearing Wednesday to address water billing issues.

The 5 p.m. hearing, which will air live on the publicly owned CharmTV channel, will focus on affordability issues. The city switched to monthly billing this month for Baltimore customers, as officials continue a more than $160 million overhaul of the aging billing and meter systems.