Education – 1st and 2nd Grade (Kaufman)

5/18: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives and the summer.
  2. I read in our Jewish pamphlet about the Lifetime of Study. We learned we never stop learning Torah, including in the summer.
  3. K – 3rd Grade started with tefillah with Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa
  4. Then K – 5th grade had shirah with Morah Alexa, singing lots of songs we learned this year. There was a lot of ruach (spirit) in the room!
  5. We read the book Picnic at Camp Shalom, written by Jacqueline Jules.  
  6. We ended the morning with a Jewish game of 4 corners with the words we learned.
  7. We all enjoyed the ice cream truck for our sweet new year, and getting ready for Shavuot.  It was lovely to see everyone hanging out together, students, parents, and siblings.
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)! Have a great summer! See you all next year!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Have a great summer!
  2. 1st day of Religious School is Sunday, September 7th
  3. Don’t forget to sign up for the 25-26 Religious/Hebrew School year. 

5/11: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. Students read ALOUD and reviewed all the Hebrew letters and vowels we have covered in our books.
  3. Today K – 5 started off with an all school Shira with Morah Alexa.  There was great ruach in the room! We enjoyed Shira and we sang many  of their favorite songs together it was so fun.
  4. We learned in our Holiday books about the Holiday of Shavuot, we celebrate when G-d gave the Jewish people the Torah on Mt. Sinai. We learned we eat dairy foods. Especially cheesecake.  
  5. I signed the students Certificate of Completion of their books on page 93.   
  6. Finally, K- 6th Grade enjoyed a special Parents Day Tefillah, led by Rabbi Prass and Morah Alexa. It was wonderful to see so many parents, and even a few grandparents in attendance.  We recited the blessing for the Omer, and recounted that it was the 28th day of the Omer.  Rabbi Prass then suggested it is hard to fulfill the commercial idea of Mother’s Day. Rather in order to fulfill the commandment of “Honoring your mother and father” we all came up with a list of 28 things our parents/grandparents do for us, and then another list of 28 little things we can do to show our gratitude to our parents.
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

5/4: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being with the 3rd grade class and Rabbi Prass and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. Students read ALOUD and reviewed all the Hebrew letters and vowels we have covered in our books.
  4. We tried to conquer the “Hebrew Saying Sounds” on the ladders on page 92 in our Hebrew books.
  5. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class and with Morah Alexa we sang many songs together it was so fun.
  6. We learned in our Holiday books about the Holidays of Yom HaZikaron/ Yom Ha’atzut how the  Jewish people celebrate here and in Israel.
  7. I signed the students Certificate of Completion of their books on page 93.
  8. We played a Jewish game with all the Hebrew things we learned today!    
  9. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

4/27: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. Gan – 3rd Grade joined together for tefilot with Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa.
  3. Students read ALOUD and reviewed all the Hebrew letters and vowels we have covered in our books.
  4. We tried to conquer the “Hebrew Sounds” on the ladders on page 92 in our Hebrew books.
  5. Gan – 3rd Grade joined Morah Alexa for shirah, singing songs about Israel to celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut.
  6. We learned in our Holiday books about the Holiday of Yom HaShoah- it was a very sad day of our Jewish people and we shall never forget it.
  7. I signed the student’s Certificate of Completion of their books on page 93.   
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

4/20: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today was a special day where all of K – 6th grade met at CBA instead of JCYS so we could spend time in our sanctuary.
  2. The theme of today was a Tour thru the Spring “Yoms (Yom Hashoah, and Yom Ha’atzmaut). It was great to see so many of our learners engaged here!
  3. We began our session in the sanctuary for an all-school t’fillah. Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa led us in Havdalah. Several of our students helped by holding up the spice box, candle, and kiddush cup.
  4. Then we divided up by grade for 3 stations of our Tour thru the Spring “Yoms”
    • Omer: The Omer is 50 days walking from slavery in Egypt, into Freedom, and walking to Sinai to receive Torah. It runs from the 2nd day of Passover thru Shavuot. They looked at a famous Omer story of a school of rabbis, and how they sadly modeled disrespectful behavior.  They then did a project tracing their feet ‘walking thru the Omer’ and writing examples of how they can walk (show) respect on the feet cutouts.
    • Yom Hashoah: they looked at “The Story of Simcha – the story of Holocaust survivor Simcha Holzberg” in a Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypeQhEAtO2w ) and program designed by Yad Vashem’s Educational program. We created a processing worksheet to help the children understand the story.
    • Yom Ha’atzmaut: The students were given a chance to continue to learn about Israel thru participating in a YOM HA’ATZMAUT POSTER COMPETITION  (https://education-en.nli.org.il/curate-create ) which offers real cash prizes.It was great to see their enthusiasm and creativity.
  5. K – 5th grade gathered back in the sanctuary for Shira led by Morah Alexa.  There was a lot of Ruach (spirit!)  She led them in songs from Passover, Yom Hashoah, & Yom Ha’atzmaut. 
  6. 6th grade went to the ALC with Morah Dickson for Trope Plus.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

4/6: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. Gan – 3rd grade gathered for Tefillah led by Rabbi Prass & Morah Alexa. Rabbi Prass helped us to focus on the important themes of the holiday of Chag Pesash thru story and introductions to our familiar prayers.
  3. Students enjoyed making writing letters to the brave Chayalim (soldiers) of the Israel Defense Force to express our appreciation for their fine efforts.  This is part of JUF’s week of good deeds campaign.
  4. We tried to conquer the “Hebrew Sounds” on the ladders on page 92 in our Hebrew books.
  5. Then it was off to Shira, where Morah Alexa led Gan – 3rd grade in many songs for the upcoming holiday of Passover. 
  6. Students enjoyed doing Yoga with the Hebrew letters we have learned in class.   
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

3/16: Today in class we worked on:

  1. “Be Happy! It’s Adar” The Hebrew month which holds Purim.
  2. Today was Yom Purim! It was great to see so many of our learners in Purim costumes!
  3. We began in our assigned classrooms where each grade divided into teams and came up with their own team names based on Purim themes.  Here are the names each team/grade came up with for themselves:
    •  K-2, The Hamantaschen Crew
    • 3rd (last name ending in A – Ka), Chocolate Hamantaschen Cookie
    • 3rd (last name ending in Ki – Z), The Kings/Melachim
    • 4th, Purim Hamantaschen
    • 5th, The Hamantaschen
    • 5th, The Grogers
    • 6th, Peanut Butter Hamantaschen
  4. Then we gathered for an all school t’fillah led by Morah Alexa, Rabbi Bellows, and Rabbi Prass. Morah Alexa changed the melodies to some of the prayers to have a Disney theme.  Rabbi Bellows showed us the real Megillah.
  5. Then we divided up by grade and the teams we created for 4 stations of “Yom Purim” aka Purim Sunday!  We will share out their work over the course of the week. 
    • What is Beautiful? – Queen Esther looking at Esther’s beautiful character traits and actions, and how those same things could solve some of today’s problems.
    • Let’s Get to know Each other – Purim Style looking at how we would teach Purim words/themes to someone who isn’t Jewish, and then coming up with mixer/icebreaker questions using those same themes.
    • What’s it all about – Purim Acrostics asked the groups to create a modern lesson of the Purim story in the form of an acrostic, using the Purim character names of Esther, Haman, Vashti, Mordechai
    • Haman’s Proper Blessing asked the groups to list 7 modern Hamans.  Then they played of the Tzar’s Prayer from Fiddler on the Roof and wrote 3 “Haman’s Prayer”
  6. We then gathered back together for an all school Purim shira led by Morah Alexa where we sang Purim songs, Rabbi Prass read some Hebrew from the Megillah, 3 of our students read an English 5 minute Megillah so we could cheer Mordechai & Esther, and booooo Haman.  We also had a reenactment of the Latke vs Hamantaschen debate which began at the University of Chicago in the 40s and is still held to this day.
  7. As we left Rabbi Prass handed out Hamantaschen.  

Homework to be completed by next class:

N/A

3/9: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. Then, we enjoyed an all-school Tefillah, led by our guest Jay Rapaport. 
  3. Jay also introduced us to the three Reform  Movement specialty summer camps, including the Fine Arts Camp he directs in Pennsylvania.
    • URJ 6 Points Sports Academy Summer 2025 Registration is open! (for more information click here)
    • URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Summer 2025 Registration is open! (for more information click here)
    • URJ 6 Points Creative Arts Summer 2025 Registration is open! (for more information click here)
  4. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the Hebrew letter ZAYIN with the Z “saying sound”, it looks like a “sword at the top”.
  5. Students enjoyed reading the book, Meet the Hamantaschen- A Purim Mystery, by Alan Silberberg.   
  6. We finished our morning, with an all-school Purim Shirah led by Rabbi Prass.
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

3/2: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. K – 3rd grade started with tefilah led by Rabbi Bellows and learned a new part of the V’ahavta.
  3. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the Hebrew letter GIMEL with the G “saying sound”, it looks like a “giraffe kneeling down” and the Hebrew vowel OO vowel.
  4. K – 3rd grade went to shirah led by Rabbi Prass, where we learned about Purim and sang Purim songs.
  5. Students enjoyed doing Yoga with the Hebrew letters we have learned in class.   
  6. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

2/23: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with the 3rd grade class and with Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the Hebrew letter SIN with the S “saying sound”, it looks like a “Shin with the dot on the left” and the Hebrew vowel AY vowel.
  4. At Shira Morah Alexa led 4th & 5th grade in our annual Yom Folk Music singing.  Rabbi Prass discussed some of the Jewish folk singers such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Peter Yarrow.
  5. Students enjoyed the book Rosie Saves the World, by Debbie Herman. It taught us about Tikkun Olam.  
  6. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

2/16: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. K – 3rd grade gathered for t’fillah led by Morah Alexa & Rabbi Prass. Rabbi Prass used our weekly morning shacharit service as an opportunity to go through different parts of the traditional Tu B’Shvat Seder. 
  3. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the Hebrew letters FAY with the F “saying sound”, it looks like a “Pay without the penny in the pocket” and the Hebrew Letter SAMECH- with the “saying sound” S, looks like a Final Mem, but has a round bottom.
  4. K – 3rd grade then had Shira with Morah Alexa and got to sing songs about trees and Tu b’Shevat.
  5. Students learned in our holiday book about the Jewish holiday of Tu’B’Shevat; the birthday of the trees.
  6. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

2/9: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed a school wide Tefillah led by Rabbi Prass and Morah Alexa.  Rabbi Prass included the 5th Grade Faux Aufruf.  It was wonderful to see all the 5th grade parents present.
  3. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the Hebrew letter PAY with the P “saying sound”, it looks like a “penny in the pocket shape” and the EH- with three dots Vowel.
  4. We enjoyed a K-4 Shira session with Morah Alexa, where we learned two new songs pertinent to Tu B’Shvat.
  5. Students learned in our holiday book about the Jewish holiday of Tu’B’Shevat; the birthday of the trees.
  6. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

2/2: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with the entire school for t’fillah led by  Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa.
  3. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the Hebrew letter TET with the T “saying sound”, it looks like the “mouth is open” and the OH Vowel.
  4. We enjoyed Shira with K – 5 led by Morah Alexa and sang many songs together it was so fun.
  5. Students played “I Spy a Hebrew Letter” with the letters we learned. They drew letters hidden with Jewish objects surroundings.
  6. We played “Yoga Here It Is” we created the Hebrew Letters we learned so far this year in class with our bodies
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

1/26: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with the 3rd grade & Gan classes along with  Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the Hebrew letters HET & YUD with their “saying sounds”. Yud- smallest letter in the alphabet, HET is like the HAY letter but it’s closed up.
  4. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade & Gan classes and with Morah Alexa sang many songs together it was so fun.
  5. Students played “I Spy a Hebrew Letter” with the letters we learned. They drew letters hidden with Jewish objects surroundings.
  6. We played a Hebrew game, “Amazing Race” using our flashcards, with Hebrew letters we learned so far this year in class.
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

1/12: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with the 3rd grade class along with  Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned and did activities in our Hebrew book about the letters from past lessons with their “saying sounds” .
  4. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class and with Morah Alexa sang many songs together it was so fun.
  5. Students played “I Spy a Hebrew Letter” with the letters we learned. They drew letters hidden with Jewish objects surroundings.
  6. We played a Hebrew game, “Amazing Race” using our flashcards, with Hebrew letters we learned so far this year in class.
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

12/15: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today was Yom Chanukah! It was great to see so many of our learners in ‘Chanukah swag’
  2. We began in our assigned classrooms where each grade divided into teams and came up with their own team names based on chanukah themes.
  3. Then we gathered for an all school t’fillah led by Morah Alexa, Rabbi Bellows, and Rabbi Prass. We talked about Chanukah and how the prayers connected to our upcoming festival of Chanukah. Rabbi Bellows shared how Chanukah means dedication and that we need to give thought to rededicating ourselves to many of today’s challenges and not giving up on them.
  4. Then we divided up by grade and the teams we created for 4 stations of “13 Minute to Win It activities”.  We will share out some of their work in the days to come. The stations were:
    • Chanukah is about HEROES with Moreh David.  We looked at the Chanukah story and thought about the heroes in the Chanukah story, Israeli heroes, our own heroes, and ways that we can be heroes.
    • Chanukah is about LIGHTS with Morah Wilgus.  We talked about the Chanukah rituals, where we have lights in Chanukah, What we can do to create light.
    • Chanukah has Dreidels with Morah Rachel & Mr & Mrs. Popper. Our congregants brought in some of their 250 dreidel collection to share.
    • Chanukah Write-Pass-Write with Morah Kaufman. We retold the Chanukah story in creative contemporary formats.
  5. We then gathered back together for an all-school shira led by Morah Alexa where we sang Chanukah songs.
  6. As we left Rabbi Bellows and Rabbi Prass handed out Chanukah Gelt and dreidels.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

12/8: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with the 3rd grade class and Rabbi Prass and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned in our Hebrew book lessons about the letters VAV and KOOF.  VAV has the “saying sound” of V. (Hebrew hint-“looks like a small hook”) and the Hebrew letter KOOF. KOOF has the “saying sound” of K. (Hebrew hint- “originally meant the back of the head, or the eye of a needle and which also means monkey.”).
  4. Students worked on the activities related to the letters. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.   
  5. We started reading the book, A Donut in Time, A Hanukkah Story, by Elana Rubinstein.
  6. We joined 3rd grade led by Morah Alexa, for shirah and sang some very fun songs and learned new ones for Chanukah.
  7. We played Hebrew games with words and themes of what we learned in class. 
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

11/24: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with the 3rd grade class and Rabbi  Bellows and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned in our Hebrew book lessons about the letters DALET.  DALET has the “saying sound” of D. (Hebrew hint-“looks like a doorway”) and the Hebrew letter ALEF. ALEF has the “saying sound” of SILENT. (Hebrew hint- “looks like a person holding their arms and legs spread out”).
  4. Students worked on the activities related to the letters. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.   
  5. Students made Chanukah cards for the College students’ packages.
  6. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class. They learned new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Alexa.
  7. We played Hebrew games with words and themes of what we learned in class. 
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)!  Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

11/17: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. K – 3rd grade joined Rabbi Prass & Morah Alexa for t’fillah. Rabbi Prass talked about the Jewish concept of Hakatoret Ha-Tov or gratitude/recognizing the good as we draw closer to the US Holiday of Thanksgiving.  We also talked about our Jewish prayers in our t’fillah, and how they teach us to recognize the good by offering praise.
  3. We learned in our Hebrew book lessons about the letters CHAF.  CHAF has the “saying sound” of C. (Hebrew hint-“looks like a backwards C”) and the Hebrew letter VET. VET has the “saying sound” of V. (Hebrew hint- “looks like the letter BET without a “belly button”).
  4. Students worked on the activities related to the letters. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.   
  5. I continued in reading the book, Be Kind, by Naomi Shulman. We were discussing ways, how we can make the world a happier place by doing mitzvahs.
  6. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class. They learned new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Alexa.
  7. We played Hebrew games with words and themes of what we learned in class. 
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

11/10: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with Gan – 3rd grade classes and Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned in our Hebrew book lesson about the letter RESH.  RESH has the “saying sound” of R. (Hebrew hint-“looks like a backwards R and the shape of your head”).
  4. Students worked on the activities related to the letters. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.   
  5. I continued in reading the book, Be Kind, by Naomi Shulman. We were discussing ways, how we can make the world a happier place by doing mitzvahs.
  6. We enjoyed Shira with the Gan & 3rd grade class. We learned new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Alexa.
  7. We played Hebrew games with words and themes of what we learned in class. 
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

11/3: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being together with the 3rd grade class and Rabbi Bellows and Morah Ari for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned in our Hebrew book lesson about the letters KAF.  KAF has the “saying sound” of K. (Hebrew hint-“looks like a Hebrew letter BET but has a cough drop inside a mouth”). We also learned about the Hebrew letter HAY with the same “saying sound” of H. (Hebrew hint- “looks like a door”). Students learned the HAY is silent at the end of a word. Students worked on the activities related to the letters. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.   
  4. I read to the students the book, Be Kind, by Naomi Shulman. We were discussing ways, how we can make the world a happier place by doing mitzvahs.
  5. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class. They learned new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Ari.
  6. We played Hebrew games with words and themes of what we learned in class. 
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

10/27: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today was our annual Boker B’yachad (Morning Together) which is a family ed.  It was great to see parents, grandparents, and even a younger sibling.
  2. Students and parents shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  3. Parents and students enjoyed being together with the 3rd grade class and Rabbi Bellows and Morah Ari for T’Fillah.
  4. Parents went with Rabbi Bellows for some coffee and adult learning on our theme of “Why & How Shabbat?”  At that time, we returned to the classroom and learned in our Hebrew book lesson about the letter LAMED. LAMED has the “saying sound” of L. We worked on the activities related to the letter and learned it looks like a “lightning bolt”. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.   
  5. Parents met us back for shira with the 3rd grade class. We enjoyed learning new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Ari.
  6. Back in class, students and their families created a special craft of a Kiddush cup & Shabbat placemat.
  7. What a wonderful morning sharing and learning together with you and your children! 
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

10/20: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Today was a special day where all of K – 6th grade met at CBA instead of JCYS so we could spend time in the Sukkah.
  2. We began our session in the sanctuary.  We look around this room and talked about what makes a room “chol” Hebrew for secular, and what makes our sanctuary “kodesh”, Hebrew for holy.  The students shared answers like the Torah scrolls, Israeli flag, Jewish stars, and one 6th grader said the community. We then made Havdalah together, having some of our 6th graders hold the 3 symbols.
  3. From here the entire school broke into 4 stations/rotations focusing on Sukkot.  They were:
    • Sukkot Charades: Reviewing Sukkot topics by playing charades
    • Sukkot STEM: Learning about Sukkot through the lense of STEM questions
    • Sukkot Visits: We went out to the Sukkah with Rabbi Bellows, shook the Lulav/Etrog and talked about what middot (Character traits) we need to invite into the sukkah this year.
    • Paper chains with a 2023 twist:  We made paper chain decorations by writing the name of a hostage being held in Gaza on each piece of paper.
  4. The entire school gathered back in the sanctuary for Shira led by Morah Alexa.  There was a lot of Ruach (spirit!)
  5. Then Michael Greenwald, an associate Camp Director from OSRUI, came and we enjoyed a presentation from him on the amazing opportunities for fun, learning, and Jewish community from Reform Judaism Summer camp in Wisconsin.  The camp website is: OSRUI.  The Reform movement runs the following speciality camps:  6 Points Creative Arts Camp, 6 Points Sci Tech Camp, 6 Points Sports Academy,
  6. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week back at JCYS!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

10/6: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives. We shared how we celebrated Rosh Hashanah.
  2. We enjoyed being with the Gan and 3rd grade classes for T’fillah led by Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa.
  3. We learned in our Hebrew book lesson Five about the letter MEM. MEM has the “saying sound” of M. We worked on the activities related to the letter and learned it looks like a “man on the mountain” We agreed it is Moses on Mt. Sinai. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.  
  4. I read the book, The Hardest Word- A Yom Kippur Story, written by, Jacqueline Jules.  
  5. In our holiday book we learned about the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. We discussed the ways we can do better and ask for forgiveness from G-D.
  6. We enjoyed Shira with the Gan and 3rd grade class. They learned new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Alexa.
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

9/29: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We enjoyed being with the 3rd grade class and Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  3. We learned in our Hebrew book lesson three about the letter SHIN. SHIN has the “saying sound” of SH. We also worked on lesson 4 we learned three vowels with the AH “saying sound”. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.  
  4. We made Rosh Hashana cards for our families. I hope you enjoy them.  
  5. In our holiday book, we learned about the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, “Head of the Year”. We discussed the traditions and the specific foods we eat.
  6. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class. They learned new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Alexa.
  7. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week! Shana Tova!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah.

9/22: Today in class we worked on:

  1. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  2. We welcomed our new student in class, Cecilia.
  3. We enjoyed being with the 3rd grade class and Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa for T’Fillah.
  4. We learned in our Hebrew book lesson two about the letter TAV. TAV has the “saying sound” of T. It has a “big toe”. All the flashcards I provided have the name and the sound on the back.  
  5. I read the book, Apple Days- A Rosh Hashanah Story, by Allison Sarnoff Soffer.
  6. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class. They learned new songs and had fun with their favorites led by Morah Alexa.  They also heard the shofar in celebration of the month of Elul.
  7. We played a Jewish 4-Corners game with the words/letters we learned this morning!
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah

9/15: Today in class we worked on:

  1. The students enjoyed decorating Happy New Year cards for the college students. They were so creative with apples, shofars, and kiddush cups.  
  2. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  3. The students all worked together to complete a scavenger hunt to get to know our physical Sunday learning spaces, our wonderful Sunday staff, and how their work makes us feel.  We will be sharing the answers out next week once all the classes have completed it. Ask your student about it!
  4. I passed out the books that we will be using this year. Students should bring them to class each week.
  5. I explained about the Hebrew Alphabet and some of the “Rules” about it. I also passed out a set of flashcards that will enhance the learning that we will be doing.
  6. We enjoyed Shira with the Gan and 3rd grade class and led by Morah Alexa.
  7. We played a Jewish Letter game! I loved the smiles on everyone’s face.
  8. Gan –  6th grade joined in our first Sunday t’fillah of the school year led by Morah Alexa and Rabbi Prass.  We talked about where we “find inspiration for our own words” and how silence helps us find other inspiration.  Rabbi Prass shared two rabbinic stories, and a Ringo Starr story about this.  
  9. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah

9/8: Today in class we worked on:

  1. We enjoyed an Opening Ceremony, with all the grades together, Morim & Madrichim, Rabbi Bellows, and Rabbi Prass. We reenacted Mt Sinai by each kitah (class) sitting in the large circle to pretend we were encircling Mt Sinai.  Then we chose 2 people from each class to go closer to the middle  of Mt Sinai to do some running for a scavenger hunt.  Morah Alexa led us as we sang blessings and we ended with a streamer/confetti burst to kick off our Torah learning party of a year!  It was great to have so many parents join us.  Pictures of the kickoff can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=BethAmBuffaloGrove&set=a.906074391552343
  2. Students shared “Chesed Happenings” which means Acts of Kindness and Love moments in their lives.
  3. The students and I played a Getting-to Know you Game with a beach ball!
  4. I explained about the Hebrew Alphabet and some of the “Rules” about it. Plus, the Year-In-Review learning about the Jewish Holidays.
  5. We enjoyed Shira with the 3rd grade class and led by Morah Alexa.
  6. I read the book, Sammy Spider’s New Friend, by Sylvia A. Rouss.
  7. On the way out, each of us were offered a popsicle both to hold onto summer weather, and to begin our Torah learning with some sweetness.
  8. Lihitaot (good-bye)! See you next week!

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Please remember tzedakah