Morah Gawel class update

Hello all!

WE had a fantastic lesson on Sunday and the kids were wonderful.  We have had some great weeks with lots of great learning ; I am going to miss them the next few weeks!  We went to Adler hall and watched a clip from the movie The Croods.  If you have not seen this movie yet, rent it on Netflix. It is a blast and appropriate for the whole family. My teens still love it too!   The Croods live according to a very rigid set of rules: Anything new is bad, stay in the cave, always be scared.  The mission of the family is to stay together and to stay alive.  Why these rules?  Because the world around them was scary! The world was dangerous!  They were outnumbered by "the unknown."  

We then transferred this knowledge to the plight of the Israelites.  They had been enslaved for 400 years, they were recently liberated, but had NO IDEA what this meant. They were outnumbered by the unknown.. they were vulnerable and weak, they were fragmented and the only way to keep them together?  RULES.  The 10 big ones.  And then, since we are such a cranky bunch, 613 were added on… but for the moment: 10.

WE also discussed how ALL OF US were at Sinai for the revelation of the big 10.  I showed the kids the pictures of my family, going back to 1887 in Lithuania and I showed them each generation from then until now.  My ancestors actually had the whole black coat and hat thing going on.  I have walls of photos of cranky looking old Jewish guys who were rabbis.  :)  The kids found this SUPER interesting.  If you have any old photos, it is time to take them out. The kids wanted to hear the stories!

We discussed TRIBEHOOD and how we are all a tribe.  Ask the kids how a handful of jellybeans is like the Jewish people… (some good, some sweet, some look good but are not so good, some look bad and taste great, and all together, we make quite an assortment! )

Have a wonderful Passover,

Leah

Morah Hollenberg Update

Dear 6th Grade Parents,

This week we continued our discussion of פֶּסַח (Passover), delved into some customs about matzah, and shared our family customs with one another...all while we made my family recipe for Matzah Brie. DELICIOUS!

Last week my post was accidentally omitted from the blog. Since it didn't make it onto the blog yet, here is a recap of what we covered...in our previous class we focused our attention on some aspects of the Passover Seder. We considered instances in the Seder where the number four appears (the 4 cups of wine/grape juice we drink, and the 4 questions) and thought about the significance of the number four. We learned that originally the four questions were not the canonized questions we find in the modern Hagadah and why they have changed. We also discovered why early on in the Seder the youngest asks questions of all those gathered, And then, we learned that the number four represents four aspects of our slavery in Egypt and, as a result, we celebrate these four components of our freedom at the Seder. 

Best, 

Morah Hollenberg

Kitah Zayin Update

Hello 7^th Grade Families,

This week our class discussed the difference between chesed (kindness) and tzedakah (charity). We looked at textual sources examining how to perform these distinct Jewish values, and we also explored the reasons for doing so. The Torah states that we should not abandon the stranger because we were strangers in the land of Egypt. We talked about how important it is to be kind and welcoming to people even if we don’t know them, and further, if we see someone that is a stranger (for example a new kid in school) we should introduce ourselves and try and make them feel comfortable. We ended by watching a video on the kindertransport during WW2 that resettled Jewish children from Eastern Europe to England where they knew no one, as they tried really hard to integrate into a new society. The stories of English families welcoming in these Jewish children should serve as an example for us to be welcoming and inviting to the vulnerable strangers we encounter today.

Next Sunday we will explore the Jewish value of respecting the elderly with a guest speaker from Jewish Senior Life who is also a CSZ congregant, Barbara Giles. She will be doing an interactive program with the students on how we can relate to the elders in our lives.

We  forward to our continuing Jewish journey with your learners. Have a peaceful Shabbat.

David and Erin

Morah Toby Schlussel

Dear Parents,

This past Sunday we began our day with Tefillah. We stayed in the small Chapel afterwards to discuss and learn a little more about Pesach (Passover) using the Haggadah (the text we use at the seder).

We continued  reading in the HASEFER booklet to improve our fluency in Hebrew reading. We played the game of reading baseball during reading time to make it fun and exciting. The students really enjoyed this new approach.

 The 4th graders read pages 48 and 49.

The 5th and 6th graders read pages 56 an 57 .

Please encourage your children to review these pages at home.

On Tuesday, again the students had a choice of two different venues for Tefillah, the teacher run minyan or Cantor Gutman's tefillah session.

Immediately after, the 4th graders had the opportunity to see a You Tube short video about a spontaneous singing of Hatikvah on a commuter train in Jerusalem
. We took the time to see this because we discussed the Hatikvah in class  Sunday,  and I thought the students would be interested in seeing  and hearing  the beautiful singing of the Jewish National Anthem in this surprising and unique way.

All three reading classes got together for their lessons.The 4th graders practiced reading the Pesach kiddush and we discussed the significance of having the holiday fall on Shabbat and taught them the correct way to say the blessing when this occurs.The 5th and 6th graders practiced singing the Ma Nishtana (Four Questiions) all together and then we talked about the 3 key concepts of the seder: Pesach, Matzah , and Maror. We ended the day by separating the children into multiple groups and they worked on holiday worksheets. Everyone seemed to enjoy this.

Have a Shabbat Shalom and I hope to see everyone on Sunday.   

Toby Schlussel

Morah Katz Hebrew Update

Dear 4th-6th Grade Families:

 Most of our tefilla and classroom reading was done out of the Passover Haggadah this week.  We brushed up on our Hebrew Passover vocabulary, blessings, Four Questions (מה נשתנה) and Order of the Seder.  Your student is ready to play an active role at your family Seder. 

On Tuesday all 3 reading classes got together for their lessons. We talked about the 3 key concepts of the seder : פסח (Pesach) מצה (Matzah) and מרור (Maror). We worked in multiple groups on holiday worksheets.

Shabbat Shalom!

Donna Katz

Morah Levinson,Zachor, and Sable Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families,

We had a wonderful week in Hebrew school! It is so great to watch everyone's  confidence increase as they improve their reading skills. It's such a pleasure to have the opportunity to teach our students. :)

During class on Sunday, we got a lot accomplished. We began by reading in 2 groups from our books, and were able to finish quite a few pages. While reading, the 4th graders came across a very tricky letter / vowel situation involving the letter Vov and the vowel that makes the sound "oh", and we reviewed this extensively. Ask your 4th graders to explain to you what they learned. We also played a game of Hebrew baseball with our flashcards, translating each word as they read them correctly. At the end of the day we practiced the מה נשתנה (Four Questions) 4 different ways -- we read them from the הגדה (Haggadah), sang them together as a class, sang them in a "round" and finally went around the room and had each child (by memory) say one word of the first question with each student following where the previous student left off. They did an awesome job! 

Tuesday, all 3 reading classes got together for their lessons.
The 4th graders practiced reading the Pesach kiddush. We discussed the significance of having the holiday fall on Shabbat, and taught them the correct way to say the blessing when this occurs.
The 5th and 6th graders practiced singing the מח נשתנה (Four Questions) all together, and then we talked about the 3 key concepts of the seder : פסח (Pesach) מצה (Matzah) and מרור (Maror). We ended the day by splitting the kids into multiple groups and they worked together on holiday worksheets. It was a great afternoon!

Wishing you all a peaceful Shabbat.

B'shalom, 

Dona Levinson 

Edna Sable 

Aliza Zachor

Morah Dresner Update

Dear Parents,

We learned our next letter Pay. We learned how to read the Hebrew word pesach. Students had to select pictures that began with the Hebrew letter Pay which they all did successfully. We worked on word building and each student read words with letters that they have learned. There were some words that contained letters we have not yet learned but the students carefully looked at the alphabet hanging in the classroom and were able to figure out which letters applied to the correct pictures.

We also did an exercise with the sound of the letters Chet, Kaf and Resh. I gave the students a word such as challah and they had to tell me if the Chet was at the beginning, the middle or the end. We worked on several words that contained different letters and the students had to distinguish where the sound fell in the word. Beginning, middle or the end. It was a challenging exercise but they all did an amazing job sounding out each word and figuring out the correct answers.

I hope you enjoyed the beautiful seder plates your children made in class and proudly decorated.

We continued talking about Passover (Pesach) and discussed the different types of foods we eat and we reviewed the story of Passover and each student wanted to know what each item on the Seder plate represented.  One student asked if they could taste the Maror and I told them I would bring some in on Sunday for them to sample. 

One of the important things we discussed in class was the important part of the seder which means "order" and Haggadah, the Hebrew word for "Telling" which is the name of the book we use to guide us through the seder. We discussed how the Israelites traveled through the wilderness until they reached the Sea of Reeds. The students were curious what the waters looked like when they split so we watched a clip of the movie Prince of Egypt which showed what the water looked like when the Israelites were freed from slavery. They were amazed and it was easier for them to understand and believe what had happened many years ago. They know that the entire Egyptian army had drowned and the Israelites were free.

We will wrap up our unit on Passover on Sunday and begin talking about Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha'atzma'ut when we return from break.

I want to wish all of you a Happy and Healthy Passover to you and your families.

Thank you for sharing your amazing children with me. I learn from them as much as they learn from me.

Pesach Sameach!

Lisa Dresner Wais

Morah Robinson Update

Dear Parents,

We continued our Pesach learning on  Sunday . One goal of our Pesach learning  is to be familiar enough with the 4 Questions that your chid can ask them as the seder. We are accompanying each question with a hands on activity/project. Yesterday we worked on question 2 & 3.  To accompany these questions your children helped make "maror" and then they all tasted a little of the bitterness of the slaves. What did they say about the "major" ? Happy to share how to make your own "maror".  They also decorated a salt water bowl .  

I shared with the class the story "Miriam's Cup". It tells of Miriam's role in the story of the exodus/Passover.

      Miriam was Moses’ sister and very important in the Exodus story. She is associated with water, beginning with the time she watched over her baby brother in the Nile River. At the time of the crossing of the sea, Miriam led the women in rejoicing and dancing once the Israelites safely reached the other side. While the Israelites were wandering in the desert, Miriam had fresh water for them to drink. It is believed that a well of fresh water followed her wherever she went and she was able to sustain the people through their years of wandering.

Your child then painted and decorated a goblet to be used at the seder. It can also be used as an Elijah Cup and be filled with wine The Miriam Cup is a newer tradition at the seder table, and is to be filled with water. Ask your child if they can retell you  the story of Miriam.

We finished the day by  learning a new letter "pay". We will continue with this lesson on Tuesday.

Please sing the 4 Questions with your children or use the i-mahnishtanah app for them to practice. They can chant and record. I think they will like this.

We missed  our two traveling friends Ethan and Levi. I hope to see everyone on Tuesday. Riddles will follow this e-mail . 

Davida

  

Morah Gawel Update

Hi All -

It was nice to have a full class again! We've been running on half gas for a long time!  Sunday the kids were a bit squirrely: clearly SPRING is in the air.  We had a fun class. For mifgash the kids talked about spring break plans - JEALOUS - and we played Simon Says.  I still think it is funny how excited 12 year olds get about a 3 minute game of Simon Says.  

Small side note: we do a lot of hands on/full body action activities in class. Please make sure that your son or daughter is properly dressed so that he/she can fully enjoy and participate in class.  Kids should be in comfortable clothing that allows them to sit, stand, jump, run etc… The more we move: the more we learn! and the more we have fun! Thanks for your support. 

We had one last class period on our Egypt story and next week we will get our 10 commandments!  We discussed the 10 plagues and discussed what 10 modern plagues might look like.  We also discussed what the word PLAGUE actually means.  The kids were surprised that it is more of a nuisance and annoyance than a 'world coming to an end.' So yes, siblings and the song "Let It Go" topped the list of modern plagues.

The kids then went in to the free classroom next door and they had plagues taped to their backs. The kids had to guess which plague they were by asking yes or no questions. Finally, we played a bit of plague dodgeball. This was, as you can imagine, insanely crazy and quite fun.

Finally, we went back to our previous lesson where we learned the quote from the talmud "No place is devoid of God's presence, not even a thorn bush," and we discussed how amidst the plagues.. amidst the muck of the world, is often where we find God.  This lesson teaches us to try to look at our world and our circumstances with compassion and joy.  Because even when things seem bad, God is there. We just need to look!

We had a few minutes left in class, so we read the quote that Moses says right before God demands that he go to Pharaoh and ask to let his people go.  This is RIGHT before the plagues begin. Moses answers with a loud whine "but what if they don't listen to me!" and finally when God shows him that his staff will become a snake, Moses recoils.  This shows us that Moses was scared and unsure of what he was supposed to do.  And yet: God was with him and we know he was successful.

All of us are unsure. All of us are scared. All of us have our own personal plagues surrounding us, and yet, all of us have God within us and around us.

May we grow from strength to strength.

See you next week.

Morah Leah

WHY IS THIS NIGHT DIFFERENT

We have been working like slaves in Kitah Dalet, and many of us have some great questions to ask at our Passover Seders.  We have been talking about our life as slaves in Egypt and what it means to be free.  In our classroom discussions we talked about free will and having the ability to make choices that we are in control of.  We talked about the Torah giving us multiple stories to turn and twist, encouraging us to find the hidden meanings that speak to us.  

We have been using the Haggadah as our text book this week, and we have been brushing up on our Seder skills.  With a little bit of practice, I am sure all of our students will do a great job asking the four questions at your family Seder.  In our classroom discussions, we talked about the fifteen steps to the Seder, and asked our students to look for the evolution from slavery to freedom in each of the steps.  We talked about Moses being born a slave, being raised as royalty, and then joining his people as an adult.  We talked about making this choice to help his community, and sacrifices he made for the good of others. 

We are working on our Seder Supplement in class, and many of our students are preparing a nice packet to share with your family.  I encourage you to ask your children to share their insights with you, I am sure you will be quite surprised with their thoughts and ideas.   

Kitah Zayin Update

Dear 7th grade parents,

This week the 7th grade students jumped into a new unit and learned about the elderly. The students watched clips of movies where the elders were portrayed in positive and negative light and we discussed how those ideas of senior citizens may be true or stereotypical. Later in the day the students drew self portraits at 70 years old. The students then wrote down three goals they wished to accomplish by the time they were 70. They then talked about what they had learned from the elders and what they still can learn from their elders. These activities got the students excited for our field trip Sunday March 22, 2015 when we go to Coville Assisted Living. We will be playing Passover Bingo with the seniors and are excited to meet new people and hear their stories. 

As always it is a pleasure working with your children and we look forward to seeing them this sunday.

David and Erin

**** Please Join us this Friday, March 23, 2015 for TGIS! Both David and I will be participating and we would love to see the 7th grade class. The 7th graders will have many opportunities to sing along to the prayers in TGIS because they are the same songs that we have been singing during our Song Session. We hope to see you all there! Services are from 6:00-7:00 pm.  

Morah Kleiman Update

Dear Parents,

At this time next week your children should be experts on a portion of the "Passover Seder" that really interested them.  The kids are grouped into Five different parts of the Seder:

• Four Questions
• Four Sons
• Elijah's Cup
• Seder Plate - charoset 
• Ten Plagues

They are doing a terrific job. I am so pleased with their progress and the knowledge they have gained.

Thank you to the parent volunteers who have been a big help.  This week we welcomed Dr. Michaelson, Mrs. Rosenwasser,  Mrs.Stern,  and Mrs. Berke to our classroom.  I am looking forward to seeing you this Sunday, March 22 with your continued help. If anyone else is interested in helping out this Sunday please feel free to contact me.

Please remember to join us on March 29 at 11:30 am for the final presentations!

Shabbat Shalom,

Cillia Kleiman

              

Morah Schlussel Update

Dear Parents,

It was a pleasure to meet with some of you this past Sunday at conferences. I hope you found the meetings as informative and pleasant as I did.

While we were talking, the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students were saying their tefillot (prayers) as we usually do first thing when we come to school.

During our class time, we continued polishing our reading skills using the HASEFER book. All the students got a copy that they took home with them. The 4th graders did pages 44 and 45 on Sunday and 46 and 47 on Tuesday.The 5th and 6th graders read pages 52 and 53 on Sunday and pages 54 and 55 on Tuesday. The pages on Tuesday have the Adon Olam prayer which is important and very familiar to the students.

The pages we covered were circled so that they can review them at home. It should only take a short time to review the two pages that we did. I ask that you encourage your children to take time to do this very important homework. This will make them much better Hebrew readers.

We reviewed the FOUR QUESTIONS  as well and we played the SHIMSHON OMER game to review the Hebrew names of parts of the body.

Tuesday was very much like Sunday, with Teffilot to begin the day and Hebrew reading and reviewing the MA NISHTANA. . We did discuss the Hagadah for a short time right after Teffilot, when we were still in the chapel.

I cannot stress enough the benefit of having your children review the reading pages that we did read on Tuesday. It will help to  give them the skill  and confidence that is so important for being a good Hebrew reader.

Have a wonderful Shabbat, Toby Schlussel

Morot Levinson, Sable, and Zachor Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families, 

On Sunday we used the Passover Haggadah for most of our lessons --

We practiced reading the kiddush, explained it, and had a wonderful discussion about creation. Lots of thought provoking questions were asked! The kids were told to find specific Hebrew words within the prayer, and we gave them their definitions. They now have a much better understanding of the kiddush and its meaning.

We continued our learning of the Four Questions, through reading as well as singing. We then divided the students up in pairs and had them each choose any 2 lines from the Four Questions, practice reading them to each other (Chevrutah - style), and once they felt confident they came to us and read their lines. We were very impressed at how well they read and how nicely they worked together! Once they read us their lines, they were given 5 minutes to bounce around the room on our big bouncy balls (something they always ask to do) in order to get out some of their energy and re-start their engines :)

At the end of the day, we played a fun game of "searching for the Afikoman" -- we showed the kids 4 flashcards ("matzah") and hid them in various places around the classroom. They searched for them, and once found, they needed to correctly read the words on each card. They had a great time!

On Tuesday, the kids read from their reading books together. At the end of the day, the class got  together and sat on bouncy balls in a big circle. Each person had an opportunity to tell what their favorite color is, and then we told them how to say it in Hebrew. This not only helped with expanding their Hebrew vocabulary, but also gave them a chance to get to learn something about their classmates. Since they had such a good time, I'm sure we will do this again soon. :)

By now everyone should have brought home a copy of our reading book, "הספר". We hope that our students will find time during the week to review pages that they learned in class. It is especially important that they use the books to practice their Hebrew reading over the summer. Doing so will help everyone pick up where they left off once the new school year begins.

Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat. We look forward to seeing the kids again on Sunday!

B'Shalom, 

Dona Levinson 

Edna Sable 

Aliza Zachor

Morah Katz Update

Dear 4th-6th Grade Parents:

It's been another great week in Hebrew class and I couldn't be more proud of the kids.  We are having so much fun playing Hebrew reading timing games, popcorn and basketball.  The kids are doing phenomenal and their fluency is remarkable.  We are now concentrating on increasing accuracy along with speed.

With Passover fast approaching, we are beginning to review the order of the Seder, four questions, ten plagues and blessings.

I wish everyone a restful and peaceful Shabbat!

Donna Katz

FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION

As an introduction to the Passover story, our Kitah Dalet students began to explore the journey of Abraham and Sarah, and we talked about what it means to carry the future of Judaism on our shoulders.  Abraham was chosen by GOD to be the leader of the Jewish people. GOD told Abraham to pack his bags and move to a place he did not know, and with this commandment, Abraham was promised that he would become a great nation.  

Our students talked about moving and how difficult it would be to leave all that was familiar and start life anew.  We talked about what it would be like to move to a new state, a new neighborhood, and a new school, and trusting our parents to make the right choices for us.  We also talked about having faith in our parents just as Abraham had faith in GOD.  

Finally, we talked about being the gatekeepers of our Jewish faith.  Students collaborated with each other and created a list of the things they would need to guarantee the future of Judaism.  We talked about having the ability to share the beauty of our customs and traditions with others, and what tools we would need in order to pass our history from one generation to the next.  Interestingly, with Passover only eighteen days away, none of our students thought they needed a Haggadah in their backpack.  I guess we have our work cut-out for us as we begin our Passage to Passover.

Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Dworin

Morah Robsinon Update

Dear Parents,

It was great to see so many of your kids today.  We finished the book of Sh'mot with the rest of the world. Our Torah is hanging outside our classrooom. Please stop by and check it out.During tefillot we began learning some Pesach songs. We continued our Pesach learning in our classroom. We worked on our placemats for Pesach and made slave people out of matzah. While we were working, we listened to the Four Questions (over and over and over again)  There is an app I shared with your kids that we will use for the next couple weeks to practice the Four Questions that  you may want to consider getting.  

Here is the link  iMahNishtanah

				iMahNishtanah Get iMahNishtanah on the App Store. See screenshots and ratings, and read customer reviews.
				View on itunes.apple.com	Preview by Yahoo

  My goal is to have your kids be able to ask the Four Questions at your seder. With the help of i-mah nishatnah and classroom time we may be able to accomplish this!  I shared the book "The Passover Parrot " with the class today. Ask your kids  how the family got the afikomen back.

We continued our ivrit today learning a  new vowel. Your kids should have brought home Lesson 15 worksheet to read with you. We will continue with Pesach learning and our ivrit on Tuesday .
We missed Addison Jacob today. See everyone on Tuesday .

Davida

Morah Gawel Class Update

Hi all -

It is hard to believe that we are closing in on Passover.  While I am happy for sunshine and some chocolate covered matzoh - the thought of cleaning the house for Passover and cooking is terrifying. How HOW HOW did we get to "almost Passover?" 

Luckily, we are - fortuitously, I might add (because it is our curriculum and not holiday based learning)- we are learning the Exodus story.  So the kids should be "on it" for the Seder.  Ask your son or daughter to tell the story of Moses and the Jewish people.

For a little change of pace, we went into the youth lounge for a Frozen sing off. the kids had to go up in groups or solo and sing the " Let It Go song."  I would like to add that while we had many brave and talented souls up on stage, NO BODY can send it home like Adam Arnold. Yasher Koach!  That boy has some lungs.

Why? you might ask did we have a Frozen Sing Off? No: we were not auditioning for the new Zoolander 2 movie, but we were getting in the spirit for our lesson.  We talked about how Anna and Elsa represent different kinds of people. One is a person of action and the other of inaction. Elsa is scared by her powers, so she locks herself up in a room and later she runs away. Anna, however, is a person of action.  She has NO plan, NO skills, and NO help at the outset, but she decides to go and save her sister.  She is brave. She has a goal. She believes in a higher power. Sound like anyone we know???

We read the parting of the Reed Sea story in our Torah.  There, the Jews are at the water's edge, the Egyptian army is closing in on them, and the Jews start complaining to Moses.  Moses, who does not know what to do, prays to God. God says, and I quote (not really.,.) " MOSHE: GET UP OFF OF YOUR  KNEES AND STOP PRAYING AND DO SOMETHING!" .. This is a very clear moment in the Torah where God says "DO DO DO DO DO something."  As Jews, we are a people of action.  We don't fall on our knees to pray, we do not lie prostrate on the floor to pray, we WRESTLE.. we DO.  God gives us mitzvot to make sure that we are reminded constantly to DO DO DO.

I told the kids the midrash (interpretative rabbinic literature) of Nachson. Ask your son or daughter to tell you about Nachson and ask them when the sea parted. How far in the water was Nachson?

Last year I remember a rabbi telling me about a sign he saw on the marquis of a church. It read "Pray to God. AND SWIM TO SHORE."  I loved this aphorism.  We must pray to God. And God will help us. But first, we must do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE that we can to achieve our goal. God is our partner, but we have our part in that partnership. We must be an active partner.

And with that, I am getting OFF OF MY DESK CHAIR to be productive.

Have a fabulous day,

Morah Leah

Morah Hollenberg Class Update

Dear 6th Grade Parents,

This week we continued our discussion of the פּוּרִים (Purim) story. We reviewed the cast of characters involved and who we consider the true hero of the story. I was very impressed with the array of answers and depth of thought the students put into this assignment. They included G-d--a player who doesn't actually appear in the literal text of the story--amongst their list of heroes. We also spoke about modern day heroes and how they compare to the Purim heroes and why.  

Best, 

Morah Hollenberg

Morah Wais Update

Dear Parents,

We reviewed our letters  and learned the next letter, Ayin. We read letters off the board, and the students chose letters and vowels of their choice and we played Hebrew hang man. Amazing how they were able to come up with Hebrew words they learned and they had so much fun playing while they were unaware of how much they were actually learning.

We began talking about Passover and discussed our projects we will make in class. Your children will surprise you with their beautiful artwork that you may choose to use during your holiday Seders. We will be talking about The mitzvot of Passover, the items on the Seder plate and what they represent. The story of Passover, Four Questions and we will learn the difference between reading out of a siddur vs. reading from the Haggadah.

We will continue reviewing holidays, letters, vowels, and sentence building.
We worked in our Chai Curriculum book on Tuesday and discussed some of the mitzvot of Passover which include: not eating chameitz (bread, cakes/cookies), eating matzah, taking part in a Passover Seder, and telling the story of how we were freed from Egypt. We talked about the story of Pesach (Passover) and one of the students added how the waters separated and the Israelites were freed from Egypt. We will continue talking about Passover for the next couple weeks and the students will learn about the Four Questions. Today, we discussed how there is really only one question with four answers.

The students learned that we celebrate Passover to remind us of the slavery experience, which, if forgotten, might enable us to enslave or oppress others in some way. It is important to celebrate Passover and celebrate the Seders to help us appreciate our freedom and continue passing over our rituals to our children.

Enjoy the rest of your week and we will see each other on Sunday.

Thank you,
Morah Dresner Wais

Morah Robsinson Update

Dear Parents,

This week we completed two lessons in our Hebrew reading book. I sent home one parent reading companion for you to read with your child.

We have finished our Torah for the book of Shemot and it will hang outside our classroom. Please stop by and see your children's  pictorial  interpretation of this book of the Torah.

On Tuesday we began our Pesach learning and will continue for the next several weeks. During this time your children will create several ceremonial pieces for you to use at your Pesach seder. My goal is by Pesach your children will be able to share and connect  the story of yitziat mittzraim (the exodus) to the Pesach holiday as well as know the items on the seder plate. We will be learning songs as well as the Four Questions

It will be a busy and fun time in our class as we prepare for the Pesach holiday.

I will continue to send riddles as we learn about Pesach. Your children seem to have fun with these. They are very proud that they have answered correctly!

Shabbat Shalom

Davida

Morah Kleiman Update

Dear Parents,

It is finally looking like Spring! Chag Ha'Aviv (another name for Passover)is three weeks away. Our class took a short break this week & made Hamantashen. The kids were very creative and enjoyed. Hope you got to taste one!

I am looking for parent volunteers  this Sunday from 11:15-12:15 and  help the kids with their Pesach projects. Please let me know if you are able to assist.

Shabbat Shalom,

Cillia Kleiman 

Kitah Zayin Update

Dear 7^th Grade Families,

We had a really great week of service and learning with our 7^th grade class. On Sunday we took a field trip to the Repair the World workshop on Bagley in Southwest Detroit. At the workshop we sorted and labeled children’s books donated to a new charter school starting up in a low-income neighborhood. The students learned about the mission of Repair the World, a Jewish organization that encourages and provides avenues for Jews to get active in social action in their communities. We also talked about the concept of charter schools in Detroit, why they are needed and how they operate and gain accreditation. The learners worked with a purpose on Sunday and felt really good about the impact they made on the community. On Tuesday, we started a six-part lesson plan on social action and responsibility that will promote acts of chesed (loving-kindness) as being strongly rooted in our Jewish heritage. We look forward to continuing to strengthen the idea of social responsibility throughout the remaining academic calendar. Next week we begin our unit on caring for the elderly which will include taking a trip to Coville nursing home on March 22^nd where we will prepare for Passover with the residents.

  

It is always a joy to work with your children and we look forward to seeing them this Sunday.

Shabbat Shalom, 

David and Erin

Morah Katz Hebrew Update

Dear 4-6th Grade Parents:

We enjoyed having tefilla all together this week.  Our young chazaneem and chazanyot are getting very fluent with the Shacharit, Ashrei and Amidah prayers and service.  

It was such a pleasure meeting with the parents who came out last Sunday for our conferences and am looking forward to meeting with those of you who signed up for this Sunday. We've begun teaching the children the Mah Nishtana or Four Questions in preparation for Pesach. 

We have so much positive feedback to give you about your students and their amazing progress in Hebrew.  

Shabbat Shalom!

Donna Katz

Morah Levinson Hebrew Update

Dear 4th - 6th grade families, 

Once again it was very nice to meet with the parents who signed up for conferences last Sunday. If you would still like to meet with us to discuss your child's reading progress, please sign up for a spot this coming Sunday, March 15th. We look forward to seeing you!

This past week we continued to read from our books in small groups. We also began reading and reviewing the מה השתנה  (Four Questions), since Pesach is just around the corner. At the end of the day on Tuesday, we showed the class a YouTube video from Israel of the Four Questions and the kids all sang along :)

Per the request of some of the parents, we sent home copies of our reading books with the kids. Keeping a copy at home will allow the students the opportunity to review what we learned in class as well as practice their reading over the summer.

Wishing you a peaceful Shabbat. Enjoy the beautiful sunny weather!

B'Shalom, 

Dona Levinson 

Edna Sable 

Aliza Zachor

Morah Schlussel Update

Dear Parents,

This past Sunday, the 4th,5th and 6th grade Hebrew teachers met with parents for conferences. We will be doing that again this coming Sunday and need be an additional Sunday. Please sign up if you haven't already.  Meeting with some of you was  very rewarding and a good opportunity to discuss your child with you in person.

One of the constructive ideas that the  parents and I came up with  is that I will be sending home a copy of one of the books we are using to sharpen our reading skills. Doing this will allow your children to review what we learn in school at home.

Please send a school bag with your child on Sunday, so that I can give him / her the book with the pages that we cover in school that day circled , This will help you  know which pages your child should review. The type of bag is not important. Just something that they can use to bring their books to and from school every time they come.

The students were in Tefillah with a perspective candidate for Rabbi of Shaarey Zedek while some of the teachers were meeting with parents.

In class we continued with our Hebrew reading. We also began reviewing the Four Questions (Ma Nishtana) for the upcoming holiday of Passover. You can hear a recording of the Four Questions here. 

We took a little time to play a Simon Says (Shimshon Omer) game with the classes as well. This gave the children an opportunity to move and stretch while they were learning a relearning the names of parts of the body. in Hebrew.

Tuesday, was a recap of Sunday without the conferences.

Hope to see everyone on Sunday .

 Have a Shabbat Shalom, Toby Schlussel

KITAH DALET TOP TEN

This week, our Kitah Dalet students finished our text study of Noah and we explored the Noahide laws established after the flood, and compared them to the Ten Commandments Moses brought down from Mt Sinai.   We talked about the commandments between man and GOD, and the commandments between man and the community.  We talked about what rules we need to make the world safe, and what we have to do to build a meaningful relationship with GOD and with others.  We also talked about the values and behaviors we need to establish as a society in order to be fully functioning, responsible members of our community. 

Students were asked to create their own Ten Commandments, five commandments between them and GOD, and five commandments between them and others.  We had some trouble wrapping our arms around the GOD relationships, but when we talked about finding ways to connect with others through GOD, the ideas flowed a bit easier.  Students created their own Top Ten List, and they were really quite thoughtful in thinking about the things they needed to do to build relationships with others through GOD.  We have posted the Top Ten lists in our room, and invite you stop in and take a look, and remind them to follow through on their commitments.  

Next week we dive into Passover, and look forward to hearing about some of your family traditions when we share our family stories.   Please help your student find a story, recipe, song, custom, or tradition your family observes during the holiday, and have them bring it to class.       

Morah Gawel Update

 Hi All -

We had another fun, great class, albeit small. Where are all of you? I miss your smiling faces.

Yesterday during mifgash we did the wall sit.  These kids need to work on the squats. They were dying! I bet a few had some trouble getting out of bed this morning. I did too, but that had nothing to do with sore muscles. This "slog forward" is killing me. The kids also put their 2 cents in on  how they felt about Rabbi Green during tefillah.  They had a lot to say. I am glad that they are observant and thinking :)

We then transitioned to our lesson to the day, which was about the burning bush scene in the Torah.  Basically, God says "Moses, Moses" and Moses eventually says"Hineini" which means "I am here" But it means a bit more.. it means to TRULY be present. Not to be distracted, or there in body but not mind, but to be FULLY there. I have never quite experienced this. I told the kids how when my husband asked me to marry him my first thought was "boy.. I don't think I brushed my teeth after I ate lunch."  I am still working on the Hineini thing… let's just say that mediation is not my forte :)

Alas, my favorite part of the story is that God has to call Moses twice. It reminds me of being a mom.. the kids don't listen until you get to their full name on yell #4. 

Anyway, we talked about how God appears to Moses is a thorn bush. There is a wonderful quote from Talmud that Says "No place is devoid of God's presence, not even a thorn bush."  God could have appeared in a rose bush or in a field of lilies, but he picks a craggy, sharp, tough shrub close to the desert floor.  What does this mean?

the kids talked about turning lemons into lemon aid.. How do we make a bad situation good? How do we find light where things seem dark?  I had a sheet that had the word Hineini written in HEbrew in lemon juice. The kids could only read it with a flashlight. This started them thinking of the metaphor.

The kids then broke up into groups for: Hunger Games, Divergent, Harry Potter and The Hobbit. The kids had to pick a character who was a leader who turned a bad situation into something good. We then discussed how Moses did the same thing.  He was in the desert, he had a bunch of whining Jews who would not listen to him or follow the rules, (sound familiar ? :)) but he had to "slog on" so to say and make it work.

How? Belief in God and working as a team.  We then had a lemon toss game where the only way it could work would be to FOCUS and work together and finally we made some lemon aid. We tasted lemons (sour) smelled them (sweet) and talked about how sometimes life is both. 

Interestingly, native  Israelis are called Sabras.. that is the Hebrew word for cactus. Beautiful, sweet inside and filled with life saving water, but prickly and tough on the outside.

We discussed changing our perspective to look at the positive and even when we slog along, to think of how our experience can be positive.  This can help us all get through the days. It worked for Moses, why not for us?

so tell your kid to turn off his/her phone, to stop daydreaming and BE PRESENT. I promise he/she knows what it means!

Mishloach Manot Mania

Kitah Bet Update

Dear Parents,

We had some Purim fun on Sunday as well as fulfilling the mitzvah of "mishloach manot".

Please check the attachments to see some photos of our class as we got into the Purim spirit.

We are caught up with the rest of the world in our Torah studies and will be hanging our class pictorial Torah of  Shemot on the outside bulletin board for all to see.

Shabbat Shalom, hope to see everyone on Sunday ( too early, as we lose an hour of sleep  this Saturday night 

Davida

Kitah Alef Update

Dear Parents,

We had a very busy day on Sunday. We made mishloah-manot bags filled

with hamantashen and other treats. Hope you enjoyed  your special card your

child made. In class, we made masks and graggers which the students can shake

when they hear Haman's name. We learned the letter Samech and practiced writing

it several times. The students each read from various pages some were one word,

some were up to four words. They did a great job and really understood what they

were reading. The students are able to recognize the dfifference between letters

and vowels. We did an exercise that involved looking at four pictures and being

able to fill in the blank for the picture that didn't belong. At the end of the

exercise, the students needed to be detectives and crack the code to figure out

what letters were remaining so they could form the word from the clues given.

The mystery word was Sukkah. The students were very excited that they solved the

puzzle.

We will begin talking about Passover and continue learning new

letters and reviewing vowels. I hope you have a good rest of your week and I

look forward to seeing your children on Sunday.

Shabbat Shalom

Lisa

Dresner Wais