Education – 3rd Grade (Wilgus)

10/5: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today was Yom Sukkot in Religious School
  2. For this session, we met at the synagogue.  We began in the sanctuary for an all school t’fillah led by Rabbi Prass, Morah Alexa, and Luke K.  We lit a yahrtzeit candle for the 2nd anniversary of October 7th.  Then we joined together in making Havdalah. 
  3. After that we split into 4 Sukkot based rotations:
    • Making yellow paperchain to decorate the sukkah. We wrote the names of the remaining 48 hostages on each slip of paper.
    • We played charades with Sukkot and Simchat Torah themes/ideas.
    • We visited the sukkah with Rabbi Bellows, learned about the sukkah, lulav, and etrog.  We had the opportunity to shake the lulav & etrog.  We talked about what middot (values) we would invite into the sukkah this 5786 as our ushpizin (sukkot guests)
    • We did a sukkah ‘scavenger hunt’ to help us think about what we have/do at home that brings the sukkot lessons home.
  4. We came back together in the sanctuary for an all school shira led by Morah Alexa and 5th grader Luke K. 
  5. Then we celebrated the Auf Ruf of Morah Rachel (5th grade) and Moreh Aaron (6th grade) who are getting married next Sunday. 
  6. We ended with Sukkot trivia led by Rabbi Bellows.

Homework to be completed by next class:

N/A

9/28: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today we learned a lot!
  2. We started with how we were feeling this morning in Hebrew.
  3. At Tefilla, Rabbi Prass and Morah Alexa led Gan – 3rd graders in t’fillah. Rabbi Prass taught us about the importance of second chances as we get ready for Yom Kippur.
  4. We started our second chapter in the Torah, learning about the Garden of Eden and rules.
  5. At Shira, Morah Alexa taught Gan – 3rd grade a song “Tap Your Heart” to get us ready for Yom Kippur.
  6. We came back and talked more about God – who is God, what is God, questions students have, and while we can’t see God, we can see evidence of God all around us.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Look for moments where you can see evidence of God all around you.

9/21: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. Today was a busy class!
  2. We started with tefilot with Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa. We learned why we bow during the Barchu. Emmy Shorr, Luke Kanter, and Landon Gehrke were the students who had mastered blowing the Shofar and helped us fulfill the mitzvah of hearing the shofar during this month of Elul.
  3. We then reviewed last week’s parshat about how everything was created and drew it for our first drawing for our illustrated Torah scrolls.
  4. K – 3rd grades joined for Shirah with Morah Alexa and sang fun songs, including one about a train in Hebrew!
  5. We did a brief scavenger hunt around the school to see where things are.
  6. We then finished out drawings and worked in our GameBooks, doing crosswords, dot to dots, and seek and finds all about Creation.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Finish any pages you did not complete in your Gamebook. Keep looking for special moments when you see evidence of God around you.
  2. Come in with ideas for a tzedakah project for the year. We have a couple, but would like a few more before we vote.
  3. Shanah Tovah!

9/14: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. What a great 2nd class!
  2. K-3rd grade started with tefilah with Rabbi Bellows and Morah Alexa and began to learn about tefillot and talked about Rosh Hashanah.
  3. Students got their Torah texbooks and we learned the very first chapter of the Torah about how everything was created! We did some fun games in our books, including a dot-to-dot and seek and find, too.
  4. K-3rd grade then joined Morah Alexa for shira and learned and sang some fun songs, including ones for Rosh Hashahah, and heard Rabbi Prass blow the shofar for this Hebrew month of Elul.
  5. We then started our Partners with God books to discuss the idea of God what Judaism tells us about our relationship with God. We talked about how creation was not a one time thing, but something that happens all the time, and how when God created humans, we were given the job to work with God to make sure the world works well.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Finish the fill in sentences in chapter one of A Child’s Bible.
  2. Look for things that remind you that God is all around us. Just like we can’t see the wind, we can’t see God – but just like we can see the impact of the wind and what the wind touches, we can see God’s presence and presents all around us.

9/7: Today in class, we worked on:

  1. What a great start to the year!
  2. The whole school gathered to start off the year with a fun assembly which included prayer, hearing the shofar for Elul, minute to win it Jewish style, and confetti ‘canons’! It was lovely to have so many parents join us!
  3. Then, 3rd grade parents joined Morah Wilgus to learn what their students will be doing this year while the students stayed with Morah Alexa and the madrichim.
  4. Students came in and we said good bye to parents
  5. Students received their name cards for stickers
  6. We discussed rules and suggestions to make this year the best
  7. We talked about what we will learn this year
  8. We talked about cycles in our lives and how around all of them, God supports all
  9. We read the introduction to our Torah book, learning that Torah means teachings and how we will be learning about our history and how we came to be Jews
  10. We discussed our favorite Torah stories
  11. We listed questions we may have about God and what we will learn
  12. Students asked lots and lots of questions!
  13. Many stickers were earned today!
  14. We ended the day with shira with the rest of the school and Morah Alexa
  15. Students received lollipops on their way out to celebrate the tradition that Jewish learning should be sweet.

Homework to be completed by next class:

  1. Talk with your parents about ideas for us to vote on a tzedakah project this year.