Kitah Hey Update

Dear Parents,

I was especially proud & pleased with our class presentation this past Sunday.
A special Thank You to those parents who made the effort to be with us!  Our learners really did an amazing job. They researched & understood their topics & presented them beautifully. We played Jewish Jeopardy on Tues. and the kids knew many of the answers because they learned it for their presentations.  Their Chanukiot will be on display in the Berman  Showcase. If you couldn't make it please stop by & take a look.

 Chanukah teaches us that the best response to darkness is to add & intensify the light. This Project Based Learning Unit has brought more meaning to your children & thus added & made Chanukah much brighter for them.

Have a great vacation! See them back on Jan 5.
Cillia Kleiman

Kitah Bet Update

I hope you enjoyed your morning in Kitah Bet during Simchat Limmud. Learning Hebrew reading and learning the parsha of the week are how we spend a lot of our time . Using different activities and resources that make learning fun and adaptable to our different learners is how I teach the class.

Thank you for attending our special morning or learning and thank you to the siblings who helped and added to our morning of learning. Also special thanks to Levi Silverman for the excellent book review on "Oskar and the Eight Blessings". You were a wonderful teacher.

See you in 2016!
 Davida

Morah Levinson and Schlussel Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families, 

 It was another wonderful week of sharing and learning at CSZ! 

 Sunday was our Simchat Limud day, and it was a big success! We began our day meeting in Adler Hall for Project Snap. Everyone worked very hard creating beautiful and colorful drawings that eventually will be transformed into an elaborate mosaic. Afterwards, Morah Schlussel and Morah Katz met with individual parents in the library to discuss their children's reading progress, while Morah Levinson and Morah Zachor met with the 4th graders for class time activities. 

 On Tuesday the 6th and 7th graders participated in the Torah Lab in the small chapel. The kids are all becoming extremely comfortable with the way that things are done during a typical Shabbat morning service, and will be more than prepared for their upcoming bar and bat mitzvot. The 4th graders enjoyed a challenging and fun game of Hebrew baseball, utilizing words in their reading books. 

 Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat and a relaxing break! We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday, January 5th 2016. HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

 

B'shalom, 

 Morah Dona Levinson 

 Morah Toby Schlussel 

Morah Katz Update

6th Grade Update

HI All !

 It was wonderful seeing most of you on Sunday and sharing the experience of hearing your kids read their d’vrei Torah. It was amazing. I am so proud of them. Attached is a copy of everyone’s work, in case you were not here or misplaced your sheet. A hearty Yasher Koach to all of the kids.  Bravo!

We will be moving back to “regularly scheduled programming now.” However, in the spring, we will complete another d’var Torah on ONE of the Torah portions that we study. The kids will be “old hat” at this skill by the time their big day comes around. 

 On Tuesday we moved back to our Vayera portion, but we began focusing on the section where God questions whether to share the plans to destroy Sodom and Gemmorah with Abraham.  The kids learned about this section of text by playing the game Would You Rather. So… if you want to know if your child would rather be Elsa or Anna or would rather have a fist fight with a great white or a T-rex, you will just have to come and stop on by one of these days and get the scoop. We were rolling on the floor laughing. It was great to see them so engaged.

 More exciting was the fact that the kids transitioned to the lesson so nicely. They found two Would You Rather questions that God would have posed and we spent the rest of the time discussing why God would question these things.  Ask your child what the two questions are!

 When we get back from break we will begin our Inside Out lesson and move into the negotiating sections of Sodom and Gemmorah.

 Have a wonderful vacation!

Leah

Kitah Zayin Update

Dear Parents,

This week we continued our Chanukah celebrations by making our own Chanukiot (chanukah candelabras) using duck tape and other available resources. We challenged the class to create Chanukiot in light of/accordance with the Jewish laws relating to celebrating Chanukah (pun intended).

As the week progressed we focused on the Torah service and ended our final session of 2015 with an open question answer session with our teachers. In this open session the students had the opportunity to ask their burning Jewish questions and better understand Jewish practices and traditions.

Best,
Morim Hollenberg and Rice

Kitah Zayin Religious School

Dear Kitah Zayin Parents:

 This week we talked about Hanukah.  We discussed the laws of the Holiday.  We learned the proper way to place and Light the candles in the Menorah.   We learned the blessings over lighting the candles.  This Sunday we are having Simchat limmud.  We are hoping the parents will be able to attend.  There will be plenty of learning for all. 

 Shabbat Shalom,

Morot Rice and Hollenberg

Morah Gawel Update

Hi All! We have had a very productive week practicing delivering our D’vrei Torah.  The kids have practiced with a podium, have learned about proper public speaking, and have learned how to effectively and constructively critique others’ speeches.  I am proud of all of the hard work that the kids have put into this D’var Torah project.  My hope is that when their big days roll around, this process will be easier, as they will have had some practice!

I am looking forward to seeing all of you at our Simchat Limmud celebration on Sunday.  I can’t wait for you to hear the kids deliver their D’vrei Torah.  I will also mail and pass out copies of everyone’s work; the kids should be proud.

 For those students who still have not turned in their d’vrei Torah, they may bring a hard copy to school Sunday and deliver their speeches as well.

 Have a wonderful Hanukkah. I hope that this season of craziness allows for you to have a small respite of peace and quiet J

 Be well,

Morah Leah

Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families, 

This week was filled with lots of fun, learning and holiday festivities! 

 Sunday, the 4th graders played a game called Taboo - Jewish Edition. They had such a fun time trying to get their teammates to guess specific words related to various Jewish traditions and customs, and it was great to witness everyone's creativity. It was also such a pleasure to see how well they all play together. 

 Afterwards the students went to their Chugim (electives). This week in lieu of challah braiding and in honor of Chanukah, a new chug was introduced -- dreidle making! I heard from some kids who participated in this chug that they really enjoyed it.

 For the last hour of the day, the entire school gathered for a wonderful performance by the Jewish A Cappella group the Six13. It was very entertaining and they had lots of the kids dancing!

 On Tuesday we began with our usual Torah Lab time, and then we joined the Minyan to light the Chanukkiah. Our day concluded with all of the religious school students gathering in the lobby and eating yummy latkes with applesauce and sour cream. 

 May the glowing candles of Chanukah bring peace to you all this holiday season. Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday. 

 B'shalom, 

 Morah Donna Katz

Morah Dona Levinson 

 Morah Toby Schlussel 

Morah Aliza Zachor

 

Kitah Bet update

Kitah Bet Update-December 10

Dear Parents,

 I hope you will be joining your children in our "kitah" this  Sunday for a little  "Ivrit" and a little 

"Torah" as we all learn together. We will  begin learning in our room beginning at 11:45.

I would  appreciate you letting me know if you  and your children plan on being there this Sunday .

Chag Hanukah Sameach and Shabbat Shalom

Davida Robinson

Kitah Hey Update

Dear Parents,

Kitah Hey is looking forward to seeing you at our Simchat Limmud Program this Sunday, December 13.

Our class will be showcasing their Unit on Chanukah in our classroom #2 in the Berman Wing at 11:35 a.m. Our learners have been working on this for weeks. You will be impressed with how much they have learned , while researching & building their group Chanukiah. 

 The Maccabees, with Gods help, went to war and miraculously drove away the Syrian-Greek Army from Jerusalem. They had renewed belief, strength & enthusiasm and returned the Holy Temple to its former glory. Chanukah is a renewal of spirit & service to God. I look forward to greeting you this Sunday,  together, we can keep our learners excitement & their enthusiasm for learning about their Jewish heritage continue.

If you have any questions please contact me.

Happy Chanukah

Cillia Kleiman

Kitah Hey Post

Dear Parents,

I'm sure everyone had a good Thanksgiving Holiday.

We are very busy working on our presentations & projects for our upcoming Chanukah Unit. The children's creativity has really been impressive.

The kids have been studying how Chanukah is celebrated in Israel. They were very surprised to hear that children in Israel don't receive Chanukah gifts. Instead they get candy & Chanukah Gelt ( money in coins).

Please remember to put Dec. 13 on your calendars for our Simchat Limmud Menorah presentations. We will also be using our custom made Menorahs at our December 8, Religious School candle lighting at 5:30 pm. Please join us!  

 Any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me.

Shabbat Shalom,

Cillia Kleiman

Kitah Zayin

Dear Parents,

This week we began our preparations for Chanukah by learning about the Romans' destruction of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the origins of various Chanukah traditions (like playing dreidel and eating foods made with oil) and the Jewish laws relating to celebrating Chanukah.

Sunday night (12/6/15) is the first night of Chanukah this year (as I'm sure you already know). We look forward to continuing to learning about this Holiday focused on Jewish identity and perseverance despite adversity.

Best,
Morim Hollenberg and Rice

6th Grade Update

Hello All!

We had a super productive Tuesday; we spent the class learning about effective public speaking. The students who were in “almost there shape” with their d’vrei Torah speeches went into the main sanctuary with our Ramah Fellow Miles and practiced public speaking.  The students who still needed help writing their drafts, stayed in the board room with me and we had a writer’s workshop.  At this point, the kids have been working on this for over a month and they should all be just about done with their drafts.  If your child has been absent, or is having difficulty, PLEASE have them email me: leahgawel@yahoo.com so that I can help them.  2 emails were sent to all of our parents that have attachments containing: 1) the text of Toldot 2) the ‘How to write a D’var Torah’ worksheet.  These items are essential for your child to be successful in this project.

 We will be presenting in written and oral form our d’vrei torah at our family learning celebration, Simchat Limud, on December 13^th.  Please plan on attending this celebration of learning, so that you can share this wonderful experience. The kids have been working hard! I am so proud of their successes.

Please note the following deadlines.  I really need the kids to have their work done by these dates in order to ensure that I can print out their speeches for distribution and we can practice our oral reading on Sunday.

1)      FINAL COPY of d’var torah is due Sunday the 6^th . Please EMAIL a copy to Morah Gawel by Sunday night: leahgawel@yahoo.com

2)      PRINT OUT a working draft of the d’var Torah on Sunday the 6^th and bring it to Sunday School so we can practice delivering the speeches

3)      Anyone who misses Sunday school on the 6^th MUST email me a copy of their D’var Torah by Tuesday the 8^th, so that I can organize them into our printed booklet.

 Again, we will hand out booklets of our d’vrei Torah to the families during our presentation on December 13^th, simchat Limud.  Rabbi Starr will be there to talk about the process we went through and listen to the speeches.  This is a BIG deal, so please make sure that your child(ren) have their final drafts 1) emailed to  me and  2) printed. 

 I recommend the drafts be printed in 20 point font. This makes it much easier to read them without having difficulty.

 

Thank you for your support in this process.

Fondly,

Morah Leah

 

 

 

Morah Katz and Motah Zachor Hebrew Update 11/29-12/5

Shalom 4th-6th Grade Families:

This Sunday evening marks the first day of Chaukkah and we have been doing all kinds of activities in preparation.  We played the "guess that blessing" game where the students were blindfolded and had to reach into a bag containing a wide variety of fruit, vegetables, breads, baked goods and candles.  Each student got a chance to "blindly" reach into the bag and choose an item.  He/she could use all of the the other 4 senses to guess the item and then make the appropriate blessing over it.  We had so much fun and laughed a lot.

In addition, we practiced the blessings over the Chanukkah candles on the first night and subsequent 7 nights.  We identified the correct way to light the chanukkia and discussed the different ways Americans celebrate and Israelis celebrate the holiday.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday for a special Chanukkah concert at 11 am.  We wish you a peaceful Shabbat!

B'shalom,
Motah Zachor and Morah Katz

Kitah Vav Update

Hello all! We had a very productive week.  On Sunday we learned about the rules of kashrut.  In our text, it says that Abraham gave his guests meat and milk, which elicits a big eyebrow raise?  Hmmm… why not kosher.  Now many people say that this is because the Torah was not given to the Jewish people at the time of Abraham, but the rabbis tell us that the Torah is not a linear text.  However, our sages tell us that Abraham was SUCH a good host, that the proper amount of time went by between the eating of the milk and meat.  This always makes me smile. Hopefully we all get to sit around the thanksgiving table long enough for the proper time to go by to have dairy ice cream for dessert. And may we all have room in our bellies for that ice cream!

We watched a quick program on Keeping Kosher in LA. The kids were fascinated.  I was too, but more because I want to go to LA to eat at KosherTaco!  The program showed a kosher meat market, butcher, wine shop, bar, restaurant and home.  It was a great way to learn about the complex laws of keeping kosher. We also spent a few minutes talking about ecokosher and what it means to be kosher today.  Should we only eat organic? Vegetarian? Eat items that are not individually wrapped?  The kids were full of ideas.

On Tuesday we continued our D’var Torah workshop. The kids had Miles, our Ramah fellow, talk a bit about parsha Toldot (his actual bar mitzvah portion), we studied the text some more, and they got a D’var Torah sample that I wrote  a few years ago.  This Sunday we will look at a new portion with Rabbi Starr and begin writing.  Your child will have several class periods to work on his/her d’var torah, but he/she will also need to work on it at home.  We are aiming for the middle of December to have this project completed. They don’t need to be long, but they need to include: 1) an explanation of a portion of the text 2) a connection to that text 3) an insightful question about the text 4) an insightful possible answer to this question. We will be talking about this at length in class. I think that this unit will really help prepare the kids for writing their own d’vrei torah on the big day!

Be well and have a great Shabbat,

Morah Leah

Kitah Bet Update

Kitah Bet

We are continuing in our Hebrew learning on both Sundays and Tuesdays. Please check your children's  take-home folder for homework for you to practice reading with them.
On Sunday we have been learning the parsha ha'shavua.  I have also started a small Thanksgiving unit with a Jewish twist. Ask your children about the story "Rivka's First Thanksgiving". We will start our Chanukah learning this week. I hope to see everyone in class on Sunday.

Davida

7th Grade class update

Hello to our wonderful parents,

We at out 7th grade classroom,  had a very interesting topic that we talked about. We started the class out with a little speech from the prime minister of France. He was talking about anti-Semitism. How if Jews in France are being attacked,  then the country of France are also attacked!  He talked about what had happened last Friday and how the country of France need to stay as one. The whole class got really onto it. We decided as a whole that we would write a letter to our President of United States. Tuesday we continued learning about kashrut, we talked about which symbols identify what is kosher and what is not.

For Sunday, we asked each student to bring a couple bullets of what they would like to ask or say to our President.

Shabbat Shalom! 😃

Morot Rice and Hollenberg

Kitah Hey Blog

Dear Parents,

Our learners have been busy working on their PBL - Chanukah projects.  We have four groups;  Torah, Mitzvot, Israel & Environment. The kids are working beautifully in the group they have chosen. It is special to see them collaborating & studying together!

We have talked about the " Miracles "of Chanukah & how they can incorporate them in their project.  Please ask your child what those "Miracles " were & any creative ideas that, they & you might have to use them in the their Chanukiah. Chanukah will be here soon & I wanted to remind you to please make yourself available and join us for our presentation on Sunday, December 13.

If you have any questions or  not hesitate to contact me.

Shabbat Shalom
Cillia Kleiman

Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families,

On Sunday we began the day with a Tefillah service lead by Cantor Gutman. As usual, the kids all participated nicely and it was a pleasure to hear their voices singing the prayers together.

Both the 6th grade class and the 4th and 5th grade class worked on practicing lines in their reading books, and then we also learned, discussed, read and sang the different brachot that we say during Chanukah (it's right around the corner!) We sang a few Chanukah songs together, as well. We ended the day with a fun game of Hebrew tic-tac-toe :)

Everyone enjoyed participating in their chosen Chugim (electives). As you know, this is a new addition to our Sundayschedule, and everyone seems to like it very much. It is a great way to break up the day and have some fun!

On Tuesday, the 6th graders had yet another successful Torah Lab, practicing and participating in the various parts of the Shabbat service. With each Tuesday that passes, they are becoming more and more comfortable and familiar with the different aspects of what will happen on their "big day".

The 4th and 5th graders continued reading together from their books, and we reviewed the letter "tsadee" - צ. In honor of this letter, Morah Schlussel taught the students the song/dance "Tsenah, Tsenah, Tsenah". It's a simple and very fun dance -- ask your kids to teach it to you :)

It was a great week of learning and reading together, and we look forward to seeing you all Sunday morning!

B'shalom,

Morah Dona Levinson

Morah Toby Schlussel

Morah Katz Hebrew Update

Shalom 4th-6th Grade Families:

We had so much fun playing Hebrew baseball, popcorn and "the mind reading" games this week.  We used the blessings in our book, relating to the creation of light and darkness, to play the group games.  We identified the roots of light (אור or), darkness (חשכ choshech), morning (בקר boker) and evening (ערב erev) to translate words from the siddur. 

In our Torah Lab this week, Cantor Gutman, practiced the Barchu blessings before and after the Torah reading Aliya.  Each student got his/her chance to practice saying the blessings and learned the key idea of TKD.  Touch the Torah with the Talit corner, Kiss the Torah with it and then Drop the Talit corner, as we begin the Barchu.

I wish everyone a peaceful Shabbat.

L'Shalom,

Donna Katz

Kitah Zayin Update

Dear Parents,

This week we participated in Fall Fix Up throughout the Metro Detroit community! It was loads of fun to help seniors in our community!

On Tuesday we began a unit learning about kashrut (keeping kosher). We played the game kashrut rocks because... and then learned about the Torah commandment not to cook a calf in it's mother's milk and what that means in a modern day kosher kitchen. We look forward to continuing our learning on Sunday!

Best,
Morim Hollenberg and Rice

Kitah Vav Update

Hello All! We had a fantastic week this week. Thanks to everyone who participated in Fall Fixup. The weather was beautiful; the kids were fantastic; the clients were happy! It was a win/win experience for everyone involved.  I know that I left the event feeling terrific.  My group helped a woman in Oak Park who was a Holocaust survivor.  She shared with us her story, showed us pictures of  her trip BACK to see the camp where she spent 4 years of her life, and she was so kind and grateful.  It was a treat.  I was honored to hear her stories and help her winterize her home.  I also can say that when I returned to MY home, and looked at ½ an acre of unraked leaves, it made me wish that I had the CSZ team behind me with rakes and bags. I have a LONG road of raking ahead of me! Anyone want to come over and rake? J

 On Tuesday, we were lucky enough to have Rabbi Starr speak with us about writing a D’var Torah. This is our workshop that we will be working on for the next month. Rabbi Starr introduced a text to them and showed them how to go about asking questions about the text.  He modeled the behavior during our session. The kids were PHENOMENAL.  The questions that they asked were SPOT ON. They were attentive, engaged, excited. It was such a pleasure to watch their young minds just spin.  Torah scholars in the making!

 We then moved on to read the next line in Vayera. This was about how Abraham got his guests milk and meat.  The kids had to answer the million dollar question: WHY is this weird?  Bravo to Noah M. for realizing.. wait “that is not kosher!”  We then looked up the rules of kashrut while playing a real live action Angry Birds game.  It was a blast.  On Sunday we will watch a short video on the rules of kashrut and discuss eco kashrut.

 Have a wonderful week and see you Sunday,

Leah

 

Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families, 

I hope that you all enjoyed participating in the Fall Fix-Up program on Sunday. It was such a beautiful day to perform a mitzvah for our community!

 On Tuesday, the 4th and 5th graders began our class time discussing the concept of "blessings over the commandments" (ברכות של מצוה). These are the blessings that we say when performing a mitzvah -- for example -- studying Torah, lighting Shabbat candles, blowing the shofar or sitting in the sukkah. We learned that almost every blessing over mitzvot begins with the same 10 words (adding 4 words onto the 6-word "blessing formula" previously learned). Ask your kids to tell you what the 10 words are. Then we practiced reading several different lines from various blessings. We also worked on the vowel that makes the "oh" sound, and how it makes the sound "voh" when it follows a letter that already has its own vowel. It can be confusing and tricky at times, but the kids did a great job grasping this concept. At the end of the day we played a fun game of "Hebrew tic-tac-toe", utilizing some of the words and letter/vowel combinations that we have been working on. 

We hope that you all enjoy a nice, peaceful Shabbat with your families, and we will see you on Sunday!

B'shalom, 

Morah Dona Levinson 

 Morah Donna Katz

Morah Toby Schlussel 

 

Morah Aliza Zachor

 

Kitah Hey Update

Dear Kitah Hey Families,

All learners in our Kitah Hey (5th grade) Religious School class have kicked off a Projected Based Learning (PBL) unit of curriculum focusing of the values and text of the Book of Maccabees. Project based learning engages students in curricular content in ways that are exciting, relevant, and meaningful. Projects present the children with choices in terms of topics, modalities, and methods of learning and exploring.  It is an approach that is being used in many institutions – secular and religious – throughout the country.  At the end of October, the children were challenged to re-imagine the ancient structure known as the Chanukiah; the original intention of the rabbis of the Talmud was that we would place our Chanukiah right outside our front doorway for the world to see (although placing it in the window, even for the rabbis, was an okay substitute). The goal of the ritual was to show the light of the Chanukiah with the entire world, for the purpose of pirsumei nisa: “publicizing the miracle.” Yet at the same time, this is a ritual we perform at home; even if we light candles at synagogue or in some other public space, we are still supposed to make sure we have lit them at home, too.  “Publicizing the miracle” is not only about sharing the story of the miracle of the oil and the Maccabees with the world, but also about finding a way to share our unique Jewish light – and the light of our home, our family, and our friends – with the broader world.

Our Kitah Hey students are working in small group to build a kosher Chanukiah that they feel reflects the middot (values) of the Chanukah story and Maccabees text. Our 5^h grade Religious School class will publicize the miracles of our community with a special Menorah lighting and Chanukah celebration on Sunday, December 13.  

Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Kleiman

Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families, 

 On Sunday, we started the day with a wonderful Tefillah (prayer) service lead by Cantor Gutman. Everyone did a nice job participating, and some of the students lead the Ashrei beautifully.  

 The 6th graders continued to practice reading the Ein Kamocha. Afterwards we read from our Hasefer books, played a reading game and also an Aleph Bet recognition game. It was a wonderful morning of learning.

Everyone started the new cycle of Chugim (electives). Some repeated the same one they had previously, while others chose to try something new. Fun was had by all! The chugim that are students participate in our Jewish Pop Culture, Challah Braiding, and Gaga (Israeli dodge ball).

The 4th and 5th graders from Morah Katz and Morah Zachor's class joined us for our reading class. We practiced reading a few pages in our Hasefer books, played a fun Aleph Bet game and then, at the end of the day Morah Schlussel lead the kids in an exciting game of "Shimshon Omer" (Hebrew "Simon Says"). They had a great time learning various names of body parts in Hebrew, and it also helped them move around and get out some of their wiggles!

 

On Tuesday in the 6th and 7th grade "Torah Lab", the kids were all divided up into different groups pertaining to the actual Torah service. They practiced with the teachers all the different parts of the service and the "honors" involved. They worked very hard and we will continue to hone these skills in the weeks to come. The Torah service honors that the kids are working on are:

Blessings before and after Torah,  Hagbah and Galilah (lifting and dressing the Torah), delivering the Dvar Torah,  serving as Gabbi (accuracy checker), Torah reader, Ashrei leader, and processional leader.

 

The 4th and 5th graders worked on their letter and vowel recognition packets, focusing mainly on letters that sound and/or look alike. Then at the end of the day as per the kids' request, we played another quick game of "Shimshon Omer". This was a fantastic idea, since everyone seemed to have LOTS of energy to get rid of! They are quickly learning the body parts in Hebrew; ask your children to share with you some of the vocabulary words they remember. 

 All of our students are on their way to becoming great readers, and we can see marked improvement with each passing class period. :)

 Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat, and we look forward to seeing you all on Sunday at the "Fall Fix-Up" program!

B'Shalom, 

Morah Dona Levinson 

 Morah Donna Katz

Morah Toby Schlussel 

 

Morah Aliza Zachor

Kitah Vav Update

Hello There! We had a fantastic Sunday and Tuesday this week. On Sunday, we practiced our Hachnasat Orchim (welcoming guests) by inviting our kittah gan-katan friends to a play date. We did this to reinforce the value of welcoming guests, that we learned in our narrative for this semester, Vayera.  Here, Abraham, who is recovering from a bris at the age of 99 (oy!), opens up his home/tent to strangers.  He literally RUNS around to get food and water to comfort his guests. While we didn’t wash our friends’ feet, we did sanitize their hands upon entering the room J And we offered them food and lots of play. We met in the Youth Lounge, so the kids were able to use a bounce house, slides, climbing gym as well as paint and play games.  Our kids were champs. They were each paired up with a special 4-5 year old friend.  To mimic Abraham’s disability (he had to welcome his guests even though he was recovering from a bris), I  had our children eat pretzels for a snack, BUT they didn’t have a drink.  The lil people had pretzels and juice boxes.  Three of our kids asked for water, and I told them that they had to wait til class was over (there was only 20 minutes in class after we had snack).  It was a good lesson for our kiddos to be just a tad uncomfortable and yet have to stay with their special guest and make sure that their experience was perfect.  For tweens it is especially hard to put one’s needs aside to help someone else; this usually comes with age and maturity. However, our kids were fantastic. I am so proud of them.  They really rose to the occasion and helped their buddies. 

This lesson was particularly meaningful because literally the moment we were scheduled to meet our kittah gan katan buddies, their teacher received a call that there was a death in her family.  So, we swooped in and took over.  The lil ones never knew that anything was wrong nor did they feel any anxiety because our 6^th graders made them feel special and they lavished them with attention.

This then transferred over to Tuesday’s lesson where we learned about the Jewish response to mourning.  We talked at length about the mitzvah of comforting and visiting the sick and mourners and I discussed how in our portion God visits Abraham, who is recovering from his bris.  We actually ACT like God when we visit those who are sick or mourning.  We made cards for Morah Zerkel and the kids wrote appropriate Jewish mourning verses on the cards.

This Sunday we have Fall Fix up. Please sign up, if you have not already.  This is Not a regular Sunday school day, so please make sure that you come with your child to help winterize a home of an Elderly Jewish family. 

Have a great week,

Leah

 

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

 During  the past two classes your children have started learning about   "g'milut chassadim". This will be an ongoing  area of learning for us. We will learn about Jewish values  through Jewish text, stories,  and activities. I told your children  about "Fall Fix-Up", a community wide volunteer day that they will have the opportunity to participate in this Sunday with you. It is a wonderful way to tie in our learning in  a very hands-on way. I shared with your children the book "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?"  The concept of the book is when we do something nice for someone else we fill our bucket and theirs. Fall Fix-Up is a great way to be a bucket filler.  I hope to see you all  on Sunday as we fill our buckets and probably also lots of bags of leaves!

 

Davida 

Kitah Zayin Updates

Dear Parents,

This week we made our final preparations for Shabbat by making potato kugeletes (mini kugels) and taco salad. It was a lot of fun working together to hastily prepare these shabbat delicacies!

On Tuesday we began a unit learning about the differences and similarities between Sepharadie and Ashkenazi Jews. Please continue these discussions with your children at home as we have asked them to come prepared to discuss their personal family heritage/lineage on Sunday.

Best,
Morim Hollenberg and Rice

Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families, 

 On Sunday, the 6th graders practiced reading the prayer Ain Kamocha - אין כמוך. This is one of the very first prayers we say leading up to the Shabbat morning prayer service. This prayer describes God as the eternal Ruler of the Jews, and also helps to set the stage for us to receive the Torah, as if we ourselves were at Mount Sinai with Moses. We had a discussion about why we praise God rather than the Torah, and the kids had very good ideas. Ask them to share their thoughts on this with you. After we practiced reading each line several times, we read and discussed their meanings. We sent a copy of the prayer home with each child so that they may practice it at home.

 We finished our first cycle of the Chugim (electives) and will start our new cycle next Sunday.

 The 4th and 5th graders continued reading and learning the blessings - ברכות that we say over various types of food and drink, and reviewed the 6 words that form the blessing "formula".  Afterwards, we learned an important rule -- most Hebrew words are built on "roots". A root usually is made up of 3 letters (not vowels) that form the foundation for related words. We read and reviewed many different words, and the kids then had to figure out what the words meant based on their roots. One of the words we learned was Amen - אמן, which is the root word in אמונה - "faith". The skill of identifying root words, is the foundation for understanding the meanings of many Hebrew words.

 On Tuesday, the 6th graders had another wonderful "Torah Lab" session. The Torah Lab is designed to allow each student the opportunity to become familiar with the Torah service and procedures, so that they will be prepared for their upcoming bar and bat mitzvot. This week the focus was on learning the different honors that happen during the Shabbat service: Gabaim (checkers, editors), Hagbah and Galilah (lifting and dressing the Torah), Aliyot, opening and closing the Aron Hakodesh, putting the tallit on the bar or bat mitzvah, and the Torah processional before and after reading from the Torah. The students really enjoyed learning about and participating in all of the honors, and we will continue to work on them over the next few weeks.

 The 4th and 5th graders learned and practiced reading several lines from different blessings that contained the 6 letter blessing formula. We also worked on reading different letter and vowel combinations in our HaSefer books. We will continue to incorporate this helpful book into our weekly routine, as it gives the kids a great opportunity to perfect their letter and vowel recognition. They all did great job, and with every day that passes it is obvious that their reading skills are improving :)

 Have a restful Shabbat with your loved ones, and we will see you on Sunday!

 

6th Grade Judaica

Hello All! We had a fantastic week.  This week we began our Torah study with the parsha (Torah portion) Vayera.  This is the portion where Abraham welcomes 3 strangers, who happen to be angels; where Sarah is told that she will give birth to a baby, even in her advanced age; and where Abraham argues with God about destroying Sodom and Gemmorah. We will study this portion in depth – to the tune of from now til January.  So, your kids should be TORAH SCHOLARS on parsha Vayera.

On Sunday, we reviewed our 5 books of Moses in Hebrew and English, we looked at some photos of modern day Bedouin sandals (ask your child why Abraham washed his visitors’ feet)  and tents. This is the closest I can come to giving them an idea of what Abraham’s life was like!

We then headed outside to LIVE our story. One student dressed up as Abraham and he had to RUN to welcome his guests, RUN to help them lie down under a tree, RUN to get them water, RUN to wash their feet, RUN to feed them, RUN to get them cows and then STAND over them and make sure that they are content. IT was HILARIOUS. Since Abraham would have been recovering from his bris, our Abraham needed a disadvantage , so our Abraham could only use one hand and one leg.  We had a lot of laughs, and I think that the kids got a first hand look and feel for how Abraham would have dealt with this challenge!

We “brought it home” by discussing how Abraham was a Jew of ACTION. How as Jews we must DO.. We are people of action.

In order to hit the point home that we are Jews of doing, on Tuesday we reread our text and planned to host our youngest friends Kittah Gan-Kittan on Sunday.  We spent our period planning out how we can be good hosts and live the life that Abraham shows us.  On Sunday, we will put our plan in action and act out the part of being the “hosts with the most.”  With snacks, toys, crafts and our fabulous 6th graders, it is destined to be wonderful.

Have a great week,
Leah

Kitah Bet -October 29

Kitah Bet - October 29, 2015

Now that we have begun our Tuesday classes we are developing a class routine.  On Sundays we have t'feelah  with kindergarten and 1st grade. Also each Sunday  we learn the parsha ha'shavua through varied activities and will connect this to  our other learning as  it presents itself. Please check your children's take-home folder to see the work they have done. Ask your children what story their parsha posters show.  I have also started to send riddles home each week that reinforce what we have learned in class. Please read these with you children  and either e-mail or  write out the answer and have your child  bring it to class.

We are starting a " g'milut chassadim"  ( acts of long kindness) unit  and we will be doing this on both Tuesdays and Sundays.  Our "ivrit"(Hebrew) learning will  continue on Sundays and Tuesdays with lots of different activities to teach Hebrew reading.  Some of you have received an e-mail from your children using an app where they can write and read what they wrote, they love doing this.  There will be a homework sheet for you to do with your child each time they finish a lesson. This involves listening to them read the worksheet and then sign and return it to class. When your child completes the  reading homework and riddles  they will receive an  extra credit and there will be a prize after 5 extra credit points.

Please let me know if you know in advance if you know that  your child will be absent. You can either text me @ 248-867-2210 or   e-mail me at morahrobinson@yahoo.com   I always appreciate feedback from you and your children to create the best experience for them.

Shabbat Shalom
Davida

Kitah Vav Update

Hi All –

 We had a lively week for the 6^th grade Religious ed! On Sunday, the kids were CHAMPS! We were running a special program for the preschool and kindergarteners about taking care of their bodies.  We decided to integrate the 6^th grade class into this program to help the lil ones.  Each 6^th grader was paired with a shortie and they: jammed to dance tunes, snacked on fresh fruit and veggies, made colorful placemats and decorated chef hats.  I would like to tell you that your kids were CHAMPS. Absolute CHAMPS.  Our young kids span the gamut: prickly, hyper, introverted, extroverted, artistic, not so artistic etc…. They are all their own unique selves. Your children got every single kid to participate in each activity and to really enjoy and delve into what they were doing.  I was so impressed to see how the 6^th graders “figured out” the unique character of their partner. IT was heartwarming.  The kids’ behavior was perfect; they were on task; they were enthusiastic; they were profoundly patient with their partners.  At the end of the activity, when the lil ones were gone, the 6^th graders said that they LOVED working with the pre-k kids and that they wanted to do it again. I am going to talk to Morah Emma and plan some upcoming events so that we can partner again. It was a giant success.

 

Tuesday, however, was not a giant success L.  More specifically, my class was not a giant success.  This was largely my fault and I am sorry. Class began with a fantastic scavenger hunt that our Ramah fellow, Miles planned.  The kids scavenged all over the shul looking for clues to learn the order of the Torah service. The kids were running the halls and yelling, goofing, all good stuff. They had a blast. When they were done, they had the energy of 3 year olds strung out on chocolate milk and pixie sticks.  Now this is not my first rodeo. I have been a parent for almost 16 years… I have taught for 20 years… and yet, when I looked at my wonderful students who were literally bouncing off of the walls, I continued to throw gas on the fire. I had planned this incredible (so I thought) program to learn the sections of Tanakh (the red Etz Chayim that we use during services) and we were going to learn about it while playing football. More specifically, by recreating the MSU vs U of M game from last week.  This was my first mistake…. Once I threw the MSU and U of M lens into the day, the crowd went wild…. I swear this is more contentious in Michigan than when people discuss the Iran deal.  You DO NOT joke about the U of M or MSU rivalry and it is no learning experience … it is LIFE…. And yet, I didn’t quite grasp this….  So we went outside, I had our Torahs  out; I had created these cool football field charts that were converted into Torah sections; we were ready to go. NOT! Things got a bit wild.  The learning was not at the level that I’d like and the kids were more wild than I would like.  I take responsibility.  2 crazy activities after a long day of school was too much. Live and Learn. I promise that next Tuesday will be more productive and less wild.

HOWEVER, we did get a very basic understanding of the Tanakh structure in and we will reinforce this more in-depth this Sunday, HOWEVER… I have figured out a way to do it by playing PRETEND football .. on the board… in my room. This should be injury proof and a tad more contained. Fingers crossed.

So apologies all around for the bumps and bruises and hurt feelings on Tuesday.  I promise to be more thoughtful of how I present the information in the future and I think outdoor football will be tabled for a while. However, this is not to say that we don’t have fun planned for the future… indeed: I have a desk worth of exciting and innovative lessons planned for the kids… but I think the Green and White and Maize and Blue allusions need to take a back seat for a while.

Hail! J and Go State!

Be well, thanks for all you do and looking forward to a great year of learning and laughing with your kiddos. We have a GREAT group of 6^th graders!

Morah Leah

 

 

Kitah Hey Update

Dear Parents,

 Our Torah class was greeted by our Matriarch Sarai. She welcomed each of us as we walked in to Room #2. After we sat down , she proceeded to tell us about her travels to the Land of Canaan ( ancient Israel) with her husband Avram & nephew Lot & his family and their Covenant with God. God promised Avram that his descendants would be as many as the dust on the earth. After which their names were changed to Abraham & Sarah.

We learned that their possessions, cattle & servants became plentiful & started to cause some problems by getting in each other's way. Abraham suggested to Lot that it was time to separate . There was plenty of land for both of them & asked Lot to choose whatever part of the land he wanted for his family. Whatever was left Abraham would keep.

The  Jewish value taught was that of " Shalom Bayit" Peace in the Home. To keep the family on good terms Abraham compromised. 

 

The kids made their own covenant with God. When asked what would they like God to do for you ?  Some responses were;

                         Help guide my dreams

                         Protect me & my family

                         Feed the poor

                         Stop war

                         Lead me in a good direction

 

In response to what are things God wants you to do? Some responses were;

                        Keep Kosher

                        Do Mitzvot

                        Be a Mensch

                        Give Tzedakah

                        Make good choices

 

I thought these were wonderful responses & I'm sure you do too!

 

Shabbat Shalom

Cillia Kleiman

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

 I wanted to share with you a class update today, rather than wait until Friday for the religious school  e-mail blast.

 Today our Hebrew reading books arrived and this was a very exciting event in our class. These books will remain in the class ( one less thing to be forgotten at home).  We have spent the last three classes on lesson 1 , learning three Hebrew letters and one vowel sound. Today your children brought home homework to complete with you. It is a reading sheet for them to read with you and  then they are to return it to me signed. Please check their take-home folder for these .

Some of the students  began lesson 2 today , we will finish this on Tuesday. It appears from listening to your children that not all of them will be attending class on Tuesdays. If you could clarify this for me, I would appreciate that. Our reading program continues on Sundays and Tuesdays. Our Torah learning is on Sundays only.  We will be adding  a tikun olam ( repairing the world) unit shortly.  I will keep you posted on what we accomplish in class so your child can stay current. If you would like your child to bring home their reading book so they can do work at home, that is up to you.

Today in our Torah study we learned the parsha "Lech-Lecha". Your children made star cookies and completed a Lech-Lecha coloring packet. They also created a Lech-Lecha poster showing a very  important part of the parsha. Please check their take-home folder for all this work, and then leave it at home. Ask your children what two promises God made to Abraham. 

-that his descendants will be as many as the stars in the sky

-that his descendants will be a great nation ( Israel, the Jewish people)

They may even tell you Abraham was the first person to believe in one God, and not pray to idols.

I would love to know what they can tell you about our Torah learning.

I will soon start to send home riddles, using e-mail that reinforce what we learned in class. Please read these with them and reply . They will get extra credit for trying.

We missed Zachary and Levi today. Hope to see everyone on Tuesday.

B'shalom

Davida Robinson

 

Hebrew Update

 Dear 4th - 6th grade families,

 It was another great week at religious school! The kids are all getting back into the swing of things nicely :) 

Sunday morning began, for all three grades, with Tefillah in the small chapel lead by Cantor Gutman.  

The 6th graders played an aleph bet game, and also practiced reading different letter and vowel combinations from their reading books. Look-alike letters can pose a problem for some readers, and we will continue to work hard on learning ways to differentiate between them. We then practiced the prayers before and after reading from the Torah.  

In the middle of the day, the kids all went to the Electives (Chugim - חוגים) that they chose: challah braiding, Gaga Ball, Drama (Teatron - תאטרון ), and Jewish pop culture. This is a new addition to our Sunday schedule this year, and the students seem to enjoy it.  

The 4th and 5th graders also read from their reading books, and the focus was on blessings. We discussed how our tradition offers us daily reminders (blessings - ברכות) that allow us to turn simple daily events into special ones, and how every ברכה begins with the same 6 words, or "formula". Ask your kids what the 6 words are. We continued the lesson by reading and learning several different blessings that we say over various things that we eat and drink.

On  Tuesday, instead of the usual Torah service, the 6th and 7th graders participated in a very special program -- The Amazing Torah Service Scavenger Hunt, created and lead by Miles Greenspoon, our newest Ramah Detroit Fellow. The students were divided into 5 separate teams. They were given different locations in the synagogue and religious school where they needed to run to (the kids loved the running part!) and an activity to do at each station. Once they completed the activity, they then needed to locate the clue in that area for their next location and activity. The program provided a fun and creative opportunity to become familiar with the components and procedures of the Shabbat Torah service, and the students all had a great time! 

The 4th and 5th graders continued reading together from their books, this time focusing on the prayer Yotzer Or - יוצר אור.  This is the prayer we say at the beginning of the morning prayer service, when we give thanks for the wonders of creation, including light (אור ), darkness (חשך )and peace (שלום ). We then discussed the 2 ways in which God brought light into our world -- nature's light from the sun, moon, and stars, and the light of Torah's wisdom. We also discussed 2 ways in which people can add light -- by performing acts of loving kindness, and by contributing to the Shalom in our family and community. Then for the last few minutes of class, we played a game of tic-tac-toe using various words found in the prayer.

 It was a very productive and educational week, and everyone learned a lot! We look forward to seeing everyone again on Sunday.

Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat, 

Morah Donna Katz

Morah Dona Levinson 

Morah Toby Schlussel 
Morah Aliza Zachor