6th grade update

Hello all! The 6^th grade had a fantastic week!  We had our D’vrei Torah wrap up on Sunday, and I know 18 kids who were beyond THRILLED to close the book on that unit!  Success! I am so proud of the kiddos for their accomplishments.  For those students who did not have a chance to write a D’var Torah, I am happy to assist in the process.  There is no deadline; we want every child to feel successful and go through this process. Please have your child see me if he/her wants to work independently through the unit.

 One of the primary purposes of the D’vrei Torah unit was to get the kids comfortable with the process, so that writing one for their b’nai mitzvah is not as taxing or anxiety provoking.  Another great way to ease the tensions surrounding the day, is to get your child used to reading Hebrew in front of the congregation.  And do we have a great opportunity for you! All students in religious school – ages 4^th – 12^th grades – have the opportunity to read Megillah for Purim.  The kids can read ONE line … or many lines.  But ONE LINE is absolutely 100 % doable for EVERY child in my 6^th grade class.  Any of the kids can do it.  This will give them a sense of accomplishment and it will help get their feet wet for the “Big Day.” Megillah is a great way to begin reading Hebrew publically, as everyone is in a jovial mood – tensions are low, people are happy, the “groove” of the service is “chill.”  It’s a good one.  I highly recommend it.  But PLEASE RSVP today to Allison, so we can get your child’s line(s) prepared and get him/her started learning!

We have moved on to the next section of our Abraham narrative. The kids are working on our lying unit, which  is a lot of fun.  Watch out: they  might become experts.   Or better yet, ask them to teach you what the indicators are for lying, AND ask them when it is ok in Judaism to lie.  Why are we talking about lying?  Because in our text Sarah lies and God lies!  Why?  Ask your child.  It’s a good story!

We will soon be moving up to the narrative of Abraham negotiating with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. I am looking forward to this lesson.  With a classroom filled with tweens, I have a ready filled group of negotiating professionals! 

 Have a wonderful Shabbat and thank you for all you do,

Morah Leah