The students continue to make excellent progress in Hebrew. Some have finished Ramah 1 and are starting to read basic Hebrew words in Ramah 2, the rest are almost ready to begin Ramah 2. Everyone has a good grasp of the Hebrew consonants and are beginning to learn the vowels. We have some tricks to help remember them!
At the end of class, we all gathered in the youth lounge to light the Hanukkah candles and sing the blessings. It was a beautiful sight. Then the children played dreidel with chocolate gelt.
Sunday is our Hanukkah Hoe Down for students and families--hope to see you all there!
Morah Debbie
Friday, December 11, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Sunday, 12/6 Family Ed. summary
Today was a day of learning, having fun, creating Hanukkah lanterns, doing a mitzvah, and eating! We had almost perfect attendance today in the third grade, and I enjoyed seeing so many of you. I'm sorry I couldn't experience all the stations with you, but I was in charge of the glue gun and helping to assemble the beautiful lanterns the students made.
I'd like to send out a special thank you to some very helpful and talented madrichim who helped us in the art activity today: Rebecca Rooks, Jade Leong, and Molly German who stapled all the lanterns together, and Camille Szottfried who accompanied the third graders to each activity. Couldn't have done it without you girls!!!
Coming up: the school will be lighting the hanukkiyah on Tuesday during religious school, and then we have a Hanukkah Hoe Down next Sunday.
Happy first night of Hanukkah tonight,
Morah Debbie
I'd like to send out a special thank you to some very helpful and talented madrichim who helped us in the art activity today: Rebecca Rooks, Jade Leong, and Molly German who stapled all the lanterns together, and Camille Szottfried who accompanied the third graders to each activity. Couldn't have done it without you girls!!!
Coming up: the school will be lighting the hanukkiyah on Tuesday during religious school, and then we have a Hanukkah Hoe Down next Sunday.
Happy first night of Hanukkah tonight,
Morah Debbie
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Summary for Sunday, 11/22
We practiced singing the Hanukkah blessings and tried to point to each Hebrew word as we sang it. We learned about saying the sheheheyanu on the first night of Hanukkah. I drew a hanukkiyah on the board and the children took turns drawing the lit candles, learning to put the candles starting on the right, and lighting each new candle first every night. I also taught them how to dance the Menorah Hora.
Our madrichim, Rebecca and Camille, read the story "The Miracle Jar" by Audrey Penn to the children. Then we went into the youth lounge for our elective--Yoga with Stacie. The children learned about the link between peace-shalom-namaste, and Stacie also did an amazing job of integrating our Hanukkah learning into the session. The children did familiar poses as well as learned some new ones, and learned how to listen to their breaths and acknowledge that special light within others by saying "namaste."
We have the next few classes off for Thanksgiving, and will meet next on Tuesday, Dec. 1. When we return, be sure to take a look at the school bulletin board and the beautiful Hanukkah creations your children made.
Happy and healthy Thanksgiving (maybe the kids will remember the link with Sukkot!),
Morah Debbie
Our madrichim, Rebecca and Camille, read the story "The Miracle Jar" by Audrey Penn to the children. Then we went into the youth lounge for our elective--Yoga with Stacie. The children learned about the link between peace-shalom-namaste, and Stacie also did an amazing job of integrating our Hanukkah learning into the session. The children did familiar poses as well as learned some new ones, and learned how to listen to their breaths and acknowledge that special light within others by saying "namaste."
We have the next few classes off for Thanksgiving, and will meet next on Tuesday, Dec. 1. When we return, be sure to take a look at the school bulletin board and the beautiful Hanukkah creations your children made.
Happy and healthy Thanksgiving (maybe the kids will remember the link with Sukkot!),
Morah Debbie
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Tues. 11/17 summary
The children are making excellent progress in Hebrew, working hard to master their Hebrew letters and finish Ramah 1. A few have started Ramah 2. I was so proud during our prayer service when everyone in early session volunteered to help Morah Liz lead the Barchu prayer! Even though they're just beginning to learn Hebrew, they feel confident and comfortable enough to get up in front of the school and lead--great practice for our third grade Shabbat service this spring!
Enjoy your week,
Morah Debbie
Enjoy your week,
Morah Debbie
Sunday, November 15, 2015
Sunday 11/15 summary
Your children may be asking you for money for our tzedakah box. We're trying to collect as much as possible for the SMARTY Mitzvah Shopping for the Northeast ARC. Morah Liz explained that last year, the gifts we bought for the children weren't typical gifts--no toys were requested, rather necessities like diapers, gloves, hats and other warm clothes, etc.
You've probably seen the fliers, but here are the details again: Third through twelfth graders meet at the Vinnin Square Panera at 6 PM on Saturday, Dec. 5 for hot chocolate and cookies before shopping together at the local stores. It's a real feel-good mitzvah, and gives our children another way of looking at this holiday season.
We finished learning about Hanukkah today, finished our bulletin board creations, and played the dreidel game. We also dramatized the Hanukkah story.
Enjoy your week,
Morah Debbie
You've probably seen the fliers, but here are the details again: Third through twelfth graders meet at the Vinnin Square Panera at 6 PM on Saturday, Dec. 5 for hot chocolate and cookies before shopping together at the local stores. It's a real feel-good mitzvah, and gives our children another way of looking at this holiday season.
We finished learning about Hanukkah today, finished our bulletin board creations, and played the dreidel game. We also dramatized the Hanukkah story.
Enjoy your week,
Morah Debbie
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
11/10/15 Tuesday class summary
In early session, we reviewed our alef bet letters by playing Bingo--covering the whole board. Late session we played a new alef bet board game. Fortified by a little snack (choice of goldfish, cheese balls, cookies from Israel, or pretzels), the students worked hard in their Ramah 1 books. The room was quiet as they worked at their own pace, sometimes independently, other times with another student. They are making excellent progress!
Monday, November 9, 2015
Sunday 11/8/15 class summary
We finished learning about Simhat Torah yesterday. Ask your children about the brainteaser: Name two people in every Torah. Answer: Noah, Abraham, Moses, or anyone mentioned in the Torah, because every Torah is the same!
Next I invited the children to each list something on the board that they knew about Hanukkah. I was amazed that no one mentioned presents, but rather actual facts about the holiday! Happily, there were still some new things for them to discover about this winter holiday: menorah means lamp in Hebrew, and the accurate word for the Hanukkah menorah is hanukkiyah. They also learned the meaning of the letters on the dreidel: nes gadol hayah sham--a great miracle happened there. Ask your children how the dreidels in Israel are different!
Please help:
1. The tzedakah money we collect during the next few weeks will be used to buy gifts for children from needy families. Please try to remind your kids to bring in a few coins and get in the habit of the mitzvah of bringing in tzedakah money to class on Sundays or Tuesdays. We have a class tzedakah box.
2. Many children are doing their homework and bringing it back to school in their homework folders. I've asked them to try to spend just five minutes a day, five times a week with Hebrew. The homework is easy and fun, and will help them to learn their letters so they can read soon. I give a sticker for homework, but tomorrow--Tuesday--Morah Liz said students who bring in their homework may choose a prize from her famous prize basket! If that helps to motivate them, I'll see what I can do about having the prize basket make frequent appearances!
Thank you for your support,
Morah Debbie
Next I invited the children to each list something on the board that they knew about Hanukkah. I was amazed that no one mentioned presents, but rather actual facts about the holiday! Happily, there were still some new things for them to discover about this winter holiday: menorah means lamp in Hebrew, and the accurate word for the Hanukkah menorah is hanukkiyah. They also learned the meaning of the letters on the dreidel: nes gadol hayah sham--a great miracle happened there. Ask your children how the dreidels in Israel are different!
Please help:
1. The tzedakah money we collect during the next few weeks will be used to buy gifts for children from needy families. Please try to remind your kids to bring in a few coins and get in the habit of the mitzvah of bringing in tzedakah money to class on Sundays or Tuesdays. We have a class tzedakah box.
2. Many children are doing their homework and bringing it back to school in their homework folders. I've asked them to try to spend just five minutes a day, five times a week with Hebrew. The homework is easy and fun, and will help them to learn their letters so they can read soon. I give a sticker for homework, but tomorrow--Tuesday--Morah Liz said students who bring in their homework may choose a prize from her famous prize basket! If that helps to motivate them, I'll see what I can do about having the prize basket make frequent appearances!
Thank you for your support,
Morah Debbie
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Sunday, 11/1/15 Class Summary
We learned about the connection between Sukkot and Thanksgiving today. The children worked in groups to brainstorm how the two holidays are similar, then wrote their ideas on the board. They enjoy writing on the board, and work very well together. Topics we explored included how, why, and when we celebrate the two holidays. We discussed themes such as being thankful for all the good things in our lives, that autumn is a time of harvests, and how Sukkot was the first Thanksgiving.
After our service with Rabbi Meyer, when we heard more of our story about the Jewish people (we're up to Noah's Ark), we went into the kitchen for cooking with Allison. She was pleasantly surprised, and I was so happy and proud, that when she told them we'd be making mini pumpkin pies and asked them about the connection between Sukkot and Thanksgiving--they knew! We also decorated sugar cookies which you may not have seen since most of the children ate and enjoyed their creations before they went home.
Next week, we'll finish learning about Simhat Torah, and then we'll be right on schedule to start exploring Hanukkah.
After our service with Rabbi Meyer, when we heard more of our story about the Jewish people (we're up to Noah's Ark), we went into the kitchen for cooking with Allison. She was pleasantly surprised, and I was so happy and proud, that when she told them we'd be making mini pumpkin pies and asked them about the connection between Sukkot and Thanksgiving--they knew! We also decorated sugar cookies which you may not have seen since most of the children ate and enjoyed their creations before they went home.
Next week, we'll finish learning about Simhat Torah, and then we'll be right on schedule to start exploring Hanukkah.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Tuesday, 10/27 class summary
Your children are making excellent progress learning the alef bet, and are having lots of fun, too! They're becoming more familiar with our self-paced Hebrew learning program and how to check their own work, and coming to me with their questions and for help.
Homework is another way they can progress. I don't give a lot--just enough to expose their brains to Hebrew until our next Hebrew class. Just a few minutes, a few days a week will do it! I was so happy to see that many of the students remembered to do their homework and bring their homework folders to school so I could check it. To motivate them, I'll be giving a sticker every time they bring in their homework. The goal is to cover their homework folder in stickers!
Thank you for your help in reminding your children to do their Hebrew homework, helping them to find the time to do it, and bringing it to school. Please be assured that homework is a suggestion, not a requirement. If a child doesn't do it or forgets it, no problem. There's always next week!
Homework is another way they can progress. I don't give a lot--just enough to expose their brains to Hebrew until our next Hebrew class. Just a few minutes, a few days a week will do it! I was so happy to see that many of the students remembered to do their homework and bring their homework folders to school so I could check it. To motivate them, I'll be giving a sticker every time they bring in their homework. The goal is to cover their homework folder in stickers!
Thank you for your help in reminding your children to do their Hebrew homework, helping them to find the time to do it, and bringing it to school. Please be assured that homework is a suggestion, not a requirement. If a child doesn't do it or forgets it, no problem. There's always next week!
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Sunday, 10/25 class summary
Our Sukkot trailer was our priority today, and thanks to Morah Jill, we did it! I noticed that the video was posted to our blog, but it may not be working yet (or it could be my laptop and/or lack of technical skill!) If you can't view the trailer, I'm sure that it will be up and running in the near future for your viewing pleasure, so please do try again soon.
We'll be finishing our Sukkot studies next Sunday, and will talk about the Sukkot and Thanksgiving connection. This theme will also carry over to our elective next Sunday--cooking--which is always a very popular class. Don't worry, they'll all be bringing a delicious "harvest" treat home to share!
The children are all doing very well in Hebrew on Tuesdays, too. Both early and late sessions are self-paced and cover the same material, so please feel free to bring your child to late session
(4:50-6:15) instead of early session whenever it fits your schedule.
Enjoy your week and this beautiful autumn weather,
Morah Debbie
We'll be finishing our Sukkot studies next Sunday, and will talk about the Sukkot and Thanksgiving connection. This theme will also carry over to our elective next Sunday--cooking--which is always a very popular class. Don't worry, they'll all be bringing a delicious "harvest" treat home to share!
The children are all doing very well in Hebrew on Tuesdays, too. Both early and late sessions are self-paced and cover the same material, so please feel free to bring your child to late session
(4:50-6:15) instead of early session whenever it fits your schedule.
Enjoy your week and this beautiful autumn weather,
Morah Debbie
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Tuesday, Oct. 20 class summary
We began with the Alef Bet song to refresh our memories, then started to work in the Mitkadem, Ramah 1 workbooks. The children learned how to identify, pronounce, and write some Hebrew letters, as well as recognize some beginning words such as Shabbat. Letters that they've learned so far include shin, bet, tav, lamed, resh, and chet. Everyone was engrossed in their work and enjoyed being able to check their own answers and learn at their own pace. My madricha (helper) Claire and I were on hand to answer any questions.
Last Tuesday I sent home an alef bet chart. If the children look at this chart and point to each letter as they sing the alef bet song at home--just a few times during the week--it will help them to learn and remember the letters. Today, each child went home with a homework folder and a quick and fun assignment. If they can find a few minutes during their busy week to look at their Hebrew, they'll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
Morah Debbie
Last Tuesday I sent home an alef bet chart. If the children look at this chart and point to each letter as they sing the alef bet song at home--just a few times during the week--it will help them to learn and remember the letters. Today, each child went home with a homework folder and a quick and fun assignment. If they can find a few minutes during their busy week to look at their Hebrew, they'll be pleasantly surprised with the results!
Morah Debbie
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Summary for 10/18/15 Sunday class
Shalom Parents,
We began with an alef bet warm-up game, tossing one another an inflatable alef bet beach ball and calling out Hebrew letters. Our madricha (helper) Rebecca made sure that everyone had a turn. Then it was time to learn about Jewish holidays, our curriculum for Sundays.
Autumn has arrived, so it's all about the fall holidays, in particular--Sukkot! Today we continued our technology adventure with Morah Jill and madrich Dan, and made a lot of progress on our Sukkoth video trailer. The children explored the Temple and took more photos with the iPad, then learned how to insert their photos into the trailer. Everyone is participating, learning, and having fun as they create an amazing Sukkot video. We have one more technology elective next Sunday, and will let you know when and how you can view the finished product!
Our service at 10:00 focused on the Barchu and Shema prayers, which the students are also learning on Tuesdays. They're getting more familiar with the prayer book and prayers, and I'm so pleased that they are respectful and interested in this important learning.
By the way, you can contact me anytime via email at dreiselman@gmail.com.
Have a great week!
L'Shalom,
Morah Debbie
We began with an alef bet warm-up game, tossing one another an inflatable alef bet beach ball and calling out Hebrew letters. Our madricha (helper) Rebecca made sure that everyone had a turn. Then it was time to learn about Jewish holidays, our curriculum for Sundays.
Autumn has arrived, so it's all about the fall holidays, in particular--Sukkot! Today we continued our technology adventure with Morah Jill and madrich Dan, and made a lot of progress on our Sukkoth video trailer. The children explored the Temple and took more photos with the iPad, then learned how to insert their photos into the trailer. Everyone is participating, learning, and having fun as they create an amazing Sukkot video. We have one more technology elective next Sunday, and will let you know when and how you can view the finished product!
Our service at 10:00 focused on the Barchu and Shema prayers, which the students are also learning on Tuesdays. They're getting more familiar with the prayer book and prayers, and I'm so pleased that they are respectful and interested in this important learning.
By the way, you can contact me anytime via email at dreiselman@gmail.com.
Have a great week!
L'Shalom,
Morah Debbie
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Sunday Class Summary, 10/4/15
Shalom, Parents:
Today was fun and busy! We began by making name tags, and all were quite colorful. Please send in your child's Hebrew name (transliteration is fine) so that we can share and learn those, too.
Since our Sunday curriculum is Jewish holidays, I asked the children to list all the Jewish holidays they knew. Then we divided into teams and played a game to identify the holidays. You should have seen everyone working together, racing to the blackboard, and even breaking sticks of chalk because they were writing so quickly! The children also had time to take a quick look at their new holiday books.
The service at 10:00 featured Sukkot learning with the Rabbi and another special treat--the special baby-naming ceremony for Morah Liz's little girl.
Our special enrichment activity for the next few classes is Technology with Morah Jill. Today, she helped them to choose a fall holiday and brainstorm ideas for the trailer they will make. She also brought in the school's iPads and helped the children learn how to use them. I hope that everyone will be able to be in class the next two Sundays so they'll all participate in this fun and exciting class project. You'll be able to view their final product, too--more information to follow.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Tuesday, when we'll start to learn Hebrew in a fun, no-pressure setting. I do serve a small snack on Tuesdays (pretzels, cheddar goldfish, etc.) so please let me know if your child has any special dietary needs. Please remember that there is no Sunday school Oct. 11.
Enjoy your week,
Morah Debbie
Today was fun and busy! We began by making name tags, and all were quite colorful. Please send in your child's Hebrew name (transliteration is fine) so that we can share and learn those, too.
Since our Sunday curriculum is Jewish holidays, I asked the children to list all the Jewish holidays they knew. Then we divided into teams and played a game to identify the holidays. You should have seen everyone working together, racing to the blackboard, and even breaking sticks of chalk because they were writing so quickly! The children also had time to take a quick look at their new holiday books.
The service at 10:00 featured Sukkot learning with the Rabbi and another special treat--the special baby-naming ceremony for Morah Liz's little girl.
Our special enrichment activity for the next few classes is Technology with Morah Jill. Today, she helped them to choose a fall holiday and brainstorm ideas for the trailer they will make. She also brought in the school's iPads and helped the children learn how to use them. I hope that everyone will be able to be in class the next two Sundays so they'll all participate in this fun and exciting class project. You'll be able to view their final product, too--more information to follow.
I look forward to seeing everyone this Tuesday, when we'll start to learn Hebrew in a fun, no-pressure setting. I do serve a small snack on Tuesdays (pretzels, cheddar goldfish, etc.) so please let me know if your child has any special dietary needs. Please remember that there is no Sunday school Oct. 11.
Enjoy your week,
Morah Debbie
Friday, September 25, 2015
Welcome!
Welcome to the Gimmel Class!
3rd grade students and their families can keep up-to-date with all of our learning, activities, and important announcements right here on our blog. Check us out after every class, Sundays and Tuesdays, to stay in the know.
3rd grade students and their families can keep up-to-date with all of our learning, activities, and important announcements right here on our blog. Check us out after every class, Sundays and Tuesdays, to stay in the know.
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