DFRS Blog

It is getting colder, and with the cold weather may come nasty weather.  Please make sure you have joined the DFRS Remind group!  Click HERE or follow the directions below:

Only 3 (!!!) more classes until our semester break.  Students in Kippah Adom (red) through Kippah Katom (orange) should move up at least one kippah level before January.  

The kids are encouraged to study their kippah level prayers, and ask to be tested when they are ready to move up a level.  Additionally, the kids can attend office hours with their Hebrew teacher at 8:45 am on Sundays. Click on the links below for Hebrew Skills practice pages:

Kippah Lavan (white) LINK
Kippah Adom (red) LINK
Kippah Tzahov (yellow) LINK
Kippah Yarok (green) LINK
Kippah Kachol (blue) LINK
Kippah Sagol (purple) LINK
Kippah Katom (orange) LINK
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Don't forget:

• No School on 11/24 & 12/1!​​​​​
• Snack Time: Students are welcome to bring a healthy snack with them on Sundays.
• IMPORTANT: Please remember, if you need to check your child out early, notify the office as soon as possible.  You will need to come to the office to sign your child out - teachers have been instructed not to let children leave the classroom unless someone from the office comes to pick them up.  Please help us with this security measure.
• ​​​​​​​Chanukah party & services - 12/13/19.  See below for info and registration!

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DFRS Chanukah Party & Services
Join your family and friends to light the candles, spin the dreidle, eat the latkes, and have the fun!

Friday, 12/13/19 at 6:45 pm
Wear your festive chanukah gear and BYOB!

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This week in...

Kindergarten
We started off today doing a review of what we learned last week by playing a game of hangman. Then we learned about the rollers of the torah and how we properly dress the Torah. We even got a chance to dress our own torahs.  Ask your child: What are the rollers of the Torah called? Can you name 2 parts of dressing the Torah? 

1st Grade
We learned about Tzedakah. We talked about ways to give Tzedakah. We also read about non-money related Tzedakah.  We also made a poster depicting ways of giving Tzedakah. Ask your child: What is Tzedakah? What are other ways to give Tzedakah besides money?

2nd Grade
This week we learned about Jacob and Esau, twins born of Isaac. As Esau was born first, he had a birthright. Esau gave his birthright to Jacob but refused to uphold his promise when the time came. With the help of Rebecca, Jacob was able to trick his father into getting it afterall. Ask your child: What is a birthright? How did Jacob trick Isaac?

3rd Grade
Judaics
Thanksgiving is a holiday signified by loved ones coming together to share a meal and give thanks for each other. In class, we had an opportunity to associate between Thanks Giving and our Jewish heritage.  In class discussion, students came up with many ideas as to enjoy our blessing with others: Do Mitzvot (good deeds), T'zedaka by donating money for charity or food to CAC (an organization that fights hunger in our community), volunteering at a community thanksgiving dinner for the needy, deliver meals to suhut-ins.   Ask your child: Why is Thanksgiving a special day? The Jewish way of enjoying our blessings is to share with others. Name one or two things you can do to share with others.
Applied Hebrew
During class, the students explored Abram and Sarai’s journey in depth and reflected on journeys they or their family have taken in their lives. We started the lesson by writing about a time the students tried something new and the challenges that were involved in doing so. We then had a class discussion about the difficult journey Abram and Sarai had from Haran. The students all gave their opinions and we concluded that Abram and Sarai showed tremendous faith in God as well as courage.  Ask your child: What was the journey that Abraham and Sarah went on?  How does having bitachon help shape the way you live your life?

4th Grade
Judaics
We visited Morah Laura today to work on the beginnings of our new art project.
Applied Hebrew 
God said to Noah, “Because the earth is filled with wrongdoing and corruption and robbery I am going to destroy it.  Make yourself an ark of wood with enclosures for animals and gather food for all aboard.  I shall bring a flood through the water upon the earth and destroy all that has the spirit of life.” Noah did everything according to what God had commanded.  And in seven days flood waters came upon the earth. All the fountains of the great deep were torn apart and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.   On that very day Noah and his family came to the ark.  And all living creatures, two by two, male and female, came to Noah.  When they were all on the ark God shut the door on their behalf.  Ask your child: Why God was bringing the flood on the world? What was the promised God made to the people?

5th Grade
Judaics
Today we talked more about Parshah Vayiera! We discussed the birth of Isaac and Sarah’s expulsion of Hagar from the household. We also discussed Maimonides’ Levels of Tzedakah, and students went home with a list of ways they and their family can give to tzedakah! Ask your child: What does it mean to do the right thing for the right reasons? How can we as a family do more to give to Tzedakah?
Applied Hebrew
we will learn the "Midah" honoring your father and mother" is one of the most important Mitzva in the Torah!! When you honor your parents you not only appreciate what they do for you but you are honoring yourself. we will look an cartoons when kids disrespect their parents and think together how we can solve some issues in a better way   Ask your child: What was your idea to solve some conflict between parents and kids? How are you going to implement some of the ideas into our lives?

6th Grade
Sunday’s lesson focused on the value of redeeming the captive, building from the previous weeks in which we talked about the journey of the MS St. Louis. The students were introduced to Maimonides, a rabbinic thinker, sage, and doctor from the 12th century who said, "The redeeming of captives takes precedence over supporting the poor or clothing them. There is no greater mitzvah (commandment) than redeeming captives for the problems of the captive include being hungry, thirsty, unclothed, and they are in danger of their lives too.” Having just completed an activity where they had to rank particular values, this text led to a fruitful discussion about how we prioritize our time and the ways in which we give back.

In the name of redeeming captives, the students were introduced to two famous righteous gentiles who saved Jews during the Holocaust: Sir Nicholas Winston and of course Oskar Schindler. Ask your child what they remember learning about these two men. (Sir Nicholas saved children and they watched a brief clip about him being reunited with those he saved some 40 years later) and (Oskar Schindler turned from Nazi supporter to one who saved Jews through his financial power and factories.)

7th Grade

This week we learned about gratitude (hakarat haTov) in Judaism, and how to cultivate more gratitude in our own lives. Saying thank you is nice, but it is often routine, and many times goes unnoticed. But hakarat hatov - authentic, thoughtful, reflective gratitude - can be transformational for the giver as well as the receiver. To bring this idea to life the students created gratitude boards to bring into deeper focus the important aspects of their lives. Ask your child: How can real gratitude be transformational for the giver as well as the receiver?  What can you gain from being reminded often about what you are grateful for? 

Thank you so much, 3rd and 4th grade parents for your flexibility with the weather on Sunday.  The JCC ropes course will be happening this week.  I would definitely watch the weather to see if your child needs a sweatshirt/jacket.  Also, close-toe shoes and a water bottle are a must.  Additionally, if your child may get hungry, please pack them a healthy snack.

Thank you to all of the 4th, 5th, and 6th grade parents who came for the excellent B'nai Mitzvah program on Sunday.  I know tonight's other meeting will be fantastic!

Don't forget:

• ​​​​​3rd and 4th grade will be at the MJCCA Ropes Course THIS Sunday, 11/3. Weather looks good!  Email with waiver, drop-off/pick-up information, and rain plan coming soon!
• IMPORTANT: Please remember, if you need to check your child out early, notify the office as soon as possible.  You will need to come to the office to sign your child out - teachers have been instructed not to let children leave the classroom unless someone from the office comes to pick them up.  Please help us with this security measure.
• ​​​​​​​The kids are encouraged to study their kippah level prayers, and ask to be tested when they are ready to move up a level.  Additionally, the kids can attend office hours with their Hebrew teacher at 8:45 am on Sundays. Click  HERE  for Hebrew Skills practice pages.

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This week in...

Kindergarten
Today we learned about who a Rabbi is. We learned about the important duties of a Rabbi. We learned about the 3 Rabbi's in our own temple and got to draw a picture of one. Ask your child: 1. What does the word Rabbi mean? 2. What are 2 duties of a Rabbi?

1st Grade
We made our mitzvah hands we examined a Torah. We visited the Sukkah and shook the lulav and strong We learned how important the Torah is and the special parts of it. Our Shinshin from Israel, Nicole, also visited us. Ask your child: 1. Why do we celebrate Sukkot and what is the lulav and etrog? 2. What did you learn from Nicole today?
 
2nd Grade
This week we expanded upon creation with the making of Adam and Eve. We learned about their life and trials in the garden and their struggle against temptation. We discussed the consequences that come from our actions and how we should learn to guide our behavior in the future. Ask your children: 1. What happened in the Garden? 2. What can we learn from this lesson?

3rd Grade
Judaics - This week the students learned about the story of Noah’s Ark, and explored the challenges Noah and his family had to overcome. The students learned about why it is important to stand up for what they believe in, even if other people do not support them. For one of our activities, the students were given an ark of their own to decorate. On each ark, the students had to draw one animal they would have saved and explain why they chose that animal. It was very interesting hearing which animals our students would have saved! Ask your children: 1. Which animal would you have saved and why? 2. What was the most difficult challenge Noah and his family had to face?
Hebrew Skills - Students brainstormed words to describe Hertzl's character and values. they will listen to the second part of the wonderful story "Hertzl and the CypressTree" and understand how Hertzl gave the hope of Israel to see a state.  They will learn how Jews in Israel did not give up inspite the hard times during the first World War. Hertzl's dream continued to strengthen the Jewish hope. Ask your children: 1. In the story, Hertzl planted a cypress tree for the future of Israel. Hertzl did not live to see the fruits of this tree. Was there any point to planting his tree?

4th Grade
Judaics - This week’s lesson focused on the Middot Humility and Empathy.  The students listened to the story of the Tortoise and the Hare.  They discussed the characters and what they learned from the story.  Miss Cheryl (the sub) had them ‘draw’ the story.  She was amazed at the different approaches that the children took.  Some did a pro and con list, some drew the characters, and some drew what it felt like to be different. Ask your children: 1. How does it feel to be ‘left out’?  2. Have they left out someone without even realizing it? 3. What did you do with your gratitude cards?
Hebrew Skills - One Parasha with lots of stories. G-d is busy creating the world in 6 days on the seventh, Sabbath, G-d rested. The story of Adam and Eve a in the garden of Eden, and finally the story of  Cain and Able. Ask your child: 1. to tell you the stories in the Parasha, and 2. to tell you one new thing that they learn from the stories.

5th Grade
Judaics - Students finished their beautiful Tree of Life art pieces and brought them home this week.  They were gorgeous!
Hebrew Skills -  We will talk about Sh'lom Bayit (A peace in the house" ). What does it mean to have Shalom in the Bayit and how can we contribute to have a  peace at home? Ask your child: 1. How can you contribute to the peace in the house? 

6th Grade
Today we took another dive into the history of the Holocaust. We focused most closely on the 6 major stages that led to the Holocaust. Check in with your child, they should be able to tell you what the 6 stages were and the order in which they occurred (you may need to give them the stages, but they could tell you the order and what happened at each stage):

Stage 1. Definition: Jews are defined as the “other” through legalized discrimination. 
Stage 2. Isolation: Once individuals are labeled as Jews, they are separated from mainstream society.
Stage 3. Emigration: Jews are encouraged to leave Germany. With the beginning of World War II in 1939, the Nazis apply their racial laws to the countries they invade and occupy. Thus, Jews in these territories also tried to emigrate outside of the Third Reich.
Stage 4. Ghettoization: Jews are forcibly removed to segregated sections of Eastern European cities called ghettos.
Stage 5. Deportation: Jews are transported from ghettos to concentration camps and death camps.
Stage 6. Mass murder: It is estimated that the Nazis murdered approximately 11 million innocent civilians during World War II. These are civilians killed not in the crossfire of armed combat but murdered for being an “enemy of the state” or for belonging to an undesirable group.

With the 81st anniverrsary of Kristallnacht (the Night of Broken Glass) just around the corner (November 9th) we watched and discussed the stories of survivors that appear in this 10 minute film:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14NPBMgQBK8

Related to the stages leading up to the Holocaust, Kristallnacht, and survival, we also studied the story of the MS St. Louis. The ship that fled Europe for Cuba, was turned away from Cuba, then turned away from America, and ultimately sent back to Europe. Ask your children what they thought about the story of the MS St. Louis. What part was the most interesting? Do they find the story to still be relevant today?

7th Grade
This week we learned about the power of words. Specifically focusing on how we use them and what impact they have on us and others. Ask your child: 1. Which source resonated with them the most. 2. How can we use words to empower us and others?  

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Happy 5780 everyone!  We missed everyone last Sunday and are looking forward to seeing all the kiddos back this week.

5th and 6th graders will be at the ropes course this week.  5th grade parents are having their meet up at Crema after drop off.  Hope you can make it!

Don't forget:
If your Kindergarten-Third grade student is attending Kids' Club during the YOM KIPPUR ALEPH service (8-10:15 am) on Wednesday, 10/9, please register them ahead of time HERE .

If your 8th-12th grader would like to help with Kids' Club on 10/9 during the ALEPH service, please have them fill out this form. They will need to check in at 7:40 am on the day of services.

The kids are encouraged to study their kippah level prayers, and ask to be tested when they are ready to move up a level.  Additionally, the kids can attend office hours with their Hebrew teacher at 8:45 am on Sundays. Click  HERE  for Hebrew Skills practice pages.

IMPORTANT: Please remember, if you need to check your child out early, notify the office as soon as possible.  You will need to come to the office to sign your child out - teachers have been instructed not to let children leave the classroom unless someone from the office comes to pick them up.  Please help us with this security measure.

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Ropes Course Trips!

Bond with your class (3rd-8th grades) at the JCC ropes course on the following dates:
10/6 - 5th & 6th Grades
10/27 - 3rd & 4th Grades
Drop off at 9:30.
Pick up at 12:00.

More info to come via email!

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Show your TE love with the COMFIEST shirt!

Order now by clicking  HERE  .

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Opportunities for Mitzvot
Weekly Tzedakah - help your children to remember to bring tzedakah weekly - any amount is GREAT.  All tzedakah will go towards filling the shelves with food at the  Community Assistance Center (CAC) .

Dear Temple Emanuel Families,
     For my bar-mitzvah project I am working with an organization called Soles4Souls. Soles4Souls is a shoe donation company that collects shoes and gives them to less fortunate people in third world countries. For example, they distribute to Honduras, Dominican Republic, and also African and South American nations. Soles4Souls also supplies village shoe dealers in small towns with shoes to allow them to make a profit, resulting in them putting food on the table for their children.
    If you would like to donate, there will be a blue box outside of the religious school office for you all to put shoes in.

Thank you,
Sam Dale
8th Grade, Madrichim-in-Training

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Join us for CONSECRATION & SIMCHAT TORAH on Sunday, 10/20.

Consecration is a wonderful event where we welcome new K, 1, and 2 students to their Jewish education. It is such a special ceremony for our young students.

Our entire congregation should plan to come celebrate our consecrants and the FUN of Simchat Torah!

Join us by registering HERE .

Week 4 came and went with engagement, enjoyment, and energy!  We are continuing to do nametags, as we still have new friends enrolling in school.  I encourage you to continue to ask your children their friends', teachers', and madrichim names.  This will help your kiddos (and you) remember from week to week!

Our 4th grade parents had a get-together last week, and it was great to see everyone getting to know each other and building community.  If you haven't heard from your grade level yet, please let me know so I can assist in getting a get-together on the calendar.

Don't forget:
No School on Sunday, 9/29/19 - Erev Rosh Hashanah.  If your Kindergarten-Third grade student is attending Kids' Club during the ALEPH service (8-10:15 am), please register them ahead of time HERE .

The kids are encouraged to study their kippah level prayers, and ask to be tested when they are ready to move up a level.  Additionally, the kids can attend office hours with their Hebrew teacher at 8:45 am on Sundays. Click  HERE  for Hebrew Skills practice pages.

IMPORTANT: Please remember, if you need to check your child out early, notify the office as soon as possible.  You will need to come to the office to sign your child out - teachers have been instructed not to let children leave the classroom unless someone from the office comes to pick them up.  Please help us with this security measure.

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This Week In...

Kindergarten
Today we learned about Yom Kippur. We learned that it is the day of atonement where we ask God forgiveness for our sins. We talked about what we could ask God for forgiveness for and made a class list. Then we colored a sheet with Rabbi on it blowing a shofar at the end of service. 
Ask your child: 1. What is Yom Kippur? 2. How many hours do we fast?

1st Grade
We continued our discussion of what mitzvot are. We made mitzvah leaves for our mitzvah tree, and started really talking about why doing mitzvot is so important. 
Ask your child: 1. What did you write on your mitzvah leaf?  2. What is a mitzvah you did today?

2nd Grade
This week we learned about Yom Kippur, an important Jewish holiday following Rosh Hashana. We learned by reading the story of Jonah and the Whale that we cannot run away from our mistakes. We then shared our family traditions and what we plan to ask forgiveness for. 
Ask your child: 1. Why do we celebrate Yom Kippur? 2. Why is the story of Jonah and the whale important?

3rd Grade
Judaics - Students will be introduced to Sandy Koufax who was considered the finest left hand pitcher that ever played baseball. He was respected by all.  Today, 50 years later Koufax is remembered, not for what he had accomplished, but for what he didn't do.  He refused to play on Yom Kippur. Through class, students will learn how making a tough decision always comes with a price but can also make an impact for year to come
Ask your child: 1. Do you think not playing on Yom Kippur was an easy decision for Sandy Koufax? 2. Have you ever had to make a tough decision?  What was the outcome of your decisiion?

Hebrew
To start off the lesson, each child will open up their Siddur and go over familiar prayers in search of words that are used to describe God. After writing down 10 words on the whiteboard, we will narrow the list down to 5. Each student will choose 3-4 words from the remaining list that they believe applies to themselves, and explain why they chose those words. After a classroom discussion about how we are all similar to God in different ways, we will talk about Rosh Hashanah and how it is the celebration of God's creation of the world.  
Ask your child: 1. Why do we eat apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah?  2. What is the name of the Hebrew month that Rosh Hashanah is celebrated in? 

4th Grade
Judaics
I was actually quite surprised on how many calming techniques the students came up on their own.  We talked about some additional ones.  But the best part was learning to recognize the signs of frustrations turning into anger and how to 'slow it down' .   We talked about examples of seeing the build up in others and trying not to add to the situation.  We learned that fear of the unknown can manifest as anger, and in our setting it is certainly ok not to understand and ask questions.  Anger is a normal emotion and it's ok to be angry, it how we handle our anger that counts.
Ask your child: Students can be asked about techniques to calm themselves down. They can be asked how it feels to become frustrated when they aren't understood, or to witness a friend's or family member's frustration.

Hebrew
We are continuing with the lows this time - being sensitive to the poor, widows, orphans etc. and the important of true justice.
Ask your child: 1. Do you think the Israelites took Moses' suggestions about the lows? why? 2. How would you react to that if you were on of them?   

5th Grade
Judaics
This week we discussed the story of Noah and the Flood! Students took turns reading the portion (in English). We focused on how this story portrays God and Noah as complex characters.
Ask your child: 1. What did they think of Noah the person? 2. Were they surprised to learn about Noah's role in allowing us to eat meat and in justifying slavery?

Hebrew 
We will look together at the Hebrew calendar to find how unique is the Hebrew calendar. We will find together all the special holidays,  months and Sabbath. We will also learn the Hebrew months and how they related to Israel and create our own Hebrew month calendar. 
Ask your child: 1. How do we know which month is it thorough the Hebrew calendar?  2. What is your favorite month and why? 

6th Grade 
Today the students learned about the first three groups that made Aliyah to Israel, understandably named: 1st aliyah, 2nd aliyah, and 3rd aliyah. Ask your child which aliyah they were a part of (they were split into groups and assigned an aliyah to learn about). When did they leave their countries? Where did they come from? Why did they leave? What were they hoping for in Israel?

Students were also introduced to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, but we’ll talk more about that important decree in later weeks!

7th Grade 
This week we learned about the importance of the Talmud. We also continued our lessons on friendship in Judaism and learned how important it is to make friends and about the value they can bring to our lives. The students deepened their learning with projects. Please ask them what they did to connect deeper to the texts.
Ask your child: 1. How is friendship a value in Judaism? 2. How did you connect to the texts in a deeper way? 

8th-10th Grade - Confirmation Academy
Hi parents,
 
Today we delved into Jewish Spirituality, and how stories are the modality of choice in Judaism to convey values and truths.
 
Two stories, the Seer of Lublin and R’ Zusya, were told and worked through in hevrutah (partnerships) to lift up what it means to place yourself into a space to realize your very best self, and how self-realization must be an active pursuit to see success.  This was, of course, put into context of our Confirmation Academy study, Temple Emanu-El, and the upcoming High Holidays.
 
Thanks for sending us your kids.
 
Shavuah Tov,
 
-S

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Cantor's Notes

Hello K-2 parents!
 
I am having a wonderful time singing with your kids!  We are learning about the Shofar, with The Shofar Blast Song; we are learning about “being in the moment” with a song called Hineni- yes the kids are learning some Hebrew! And we have learned about God with our “One God Yah!” Song.
 
Additionally, we are preparing for Consecration, which takes place on Simchat Torah, October 20th with Shema.
 
Wishing everyone a sweet new year!
 
With thanks and blessings,
Cantor Lauren Adesnik

Hello Zimria friends!
 
I am so enjoying singing with all of your kids! We have dived into working towards our Friday Night Religious School Shabbat on December 13th, as well as our performances for the Governor’s Mansion and Judas Maccabeus at TE.
 A couple of important dates coming up- please let me know if your child will be attending by rsvp’ing to the doodle. Thanks in advance!
 
As a reminder performances are NOT mandatory, you can still sing in Zimria even if you will not be attending a performance. I just need to have an accurate count for planning purposes.
 
Important Dates:
December 8th: Governor’s Mansion
December 13th: Religious School Chanukah Shabbat
December 15th: Community Wide Choral Chanukah concert and sing along
 
RSVP HERE List of Performances and  DOODLE LINK TO SIGN UP
 
With thanks and blessings,
Cantor Lauren Adesnik

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Meet Laura Drukman, Art Teacher

Dear Parents,

My name is Laura Drukman. I will be your child’s art teacher at Temple Emanu-El. Currently, I teach art at Pleasantdale Elementary in DeKalb County. This is my 18th year as an elementary school art teacher.

In addition to my experience teaching art in the public-school setting, I also taught art at Torah Day School of Atlanta for 2 years, as well as at Pirchei Boys Camp for 2 summers. I lived in Israel for 5 years, and I am well versed in both Hebrew and Judaica. 

My goal is to provide my students with a variety of enriching hands-on opportunities to express their creativity and connect to Judaism through the medium of art. I am looking forward to working with your child.

Sincerely,
Laura Drukman

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Ropes Course Trips!

Bond with your class (3rd-8th grades) at the JCC ropes course on the following dates:
9/22 - 8th Grade
10/6 - 5th & 6th Grades
10/27 - 3rd & 4th Grades
Drop off at 9:30.
Pick up at 12:00.

More info to come via email!

_________________________________

Show your TE love with the COMFIEST shirt!

Order now by clicking  HERE  .

_________________________________

Opportunities for Mitzvot
Weekly Tzedakah - help your children to remember to bring tzedakah weekly - any amount is GREAT.  All tzedakah will go towards filling the shelves with food at the  Community Assistance Center (CAC) .
​​​​​​

Our first "typical" Sunday of the year was fantastic!  Hebrew Skills classes were rocking and rolling, recess was fun, tzedakah was collected, and there were an abundance of smiling faces!

IMPORTANT: Please remember, if you need to check your child out early, notify the office as soon as possible.  You will need to come to the office to sign your child out - teachers have been instructed not to let children leave the classroom unless someone from the office comes to pick them up.  Please help us with this security measure.

No school this week!  See you all on September 8.  7th grade: Be on the lookout for an email regarding your ropes course trip!

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This week in...
(Did you know that these summaries and questions come straight from your child's teacher?)

Kindergarten
Today we learned about what a synagogue is. We learned about 3 different types of beit (house). We learned about  beit midrash (house of study), beit tefillah (house of prayer), and beit knessett (house of community). We drew a picture of our synagogue and wrote Temple Emanu-El on it. Lastly we took a tour of our own synagogue to see where things were located. We had an awesome first full day!
Ask your child: 1. What is a synagogue? 2. What is one type of house you learned about?

1st Grade
This week we continued to get to know each other. Learning about mitzvot will be so much more fun when we know our community. We also designed figures all about ourselves.
Ask your child: 1. Can you name 2 new friends from your class? 1. Can you tell me something about your teachers?

2nd Grade
This week we learned about the Torah. What is it? What can we learn from it? How is it made? We get a sneak peak into the first story we will be learning about and had the students share all of their favorite stories from the Torah.  The students then got to use their own “quills” and “ink” to write out the first few words of the Torah. This year they will be making their very own miniature Torahs to take home with todays lesson being the first page.
Ask your child: 1. What do we learn from the Torah? 2. What is the first thing the Torah says?

3rd Grade
Judaics - The objective of this first lesson is to help students, madrichim and teacher establish a relationship quickly and successfully. We did it by playing games that will help students remember each other names, help make one on one connections and see things from a perspective of others.  We also discussed the theme of this year, Jewish heroes!
Ask your child: 1. Can you name two new friends that you met today in class?  2. What makes a Jewish hero?

Hebrew
Each child pretends they are a different creature and then tells the class how they felt while acting.  Followed by Morah Mira reading the creation story to the class and showing them pictures. Then, make a connection between the story and themselves by asking a question: Define the word B'tzelem Elohim and explain what it means in  the context of the Creation story. 
Ask your child: 1. What does this mean for how we treat others and ourselves? 2. What makes each of us unique?

4th Grade
Judaics 
Last Sunday we did intro games, and discussed the difference between mitzvot and middot. Talked about Bikkur Cholim and why it is important.
Ask your child: 1. How does a visit to an ill person effect the patient?  2. How does it effect the visitor?

Hebrew 
We are going to learn about Moses as a leader and why he chose the topics that he did to speak with the children of Israel before his death. 
Ask your child: 1. Why did Moses talk to the Israelites about defeating the enemy that was in the land of Israel? 2. Why did Moses mention the scenes the Israelites did in the past? 3. Was it necessary to speak about the reward for making all the Mitzvot?  

5th Grade
Judaics
This week we discussed the story of Creation! We examined Parshah Bereishit (Gen. 1:1-6:8) and the lessons we can learn from it. We also learned about the concept of Tikkun Olam, or “Repairing the World,” and how we can take this concept into our daily lives.
Ask your child: 1. What does the phrase “Tikkun Olam” mean? 2. How can we, as a family, do more to help repair the world around us?

Hebrew 
We are going to talk about the word "Midot" related to the Jewish values. Each student will create his won most important Midah and share it with the group. 
Ask your child: 1. What was the Midah that you had chosen ? 2. How can we assist you in implementing this Midah at home ? 

6th Grade 
Today was another WONDERFUL week with your students. This was an introduction to our overall curriculum. We went into the basics of: What was the Holocaust? (and collected questions that the students had for me going into the rest of the semester). I was pleased to see so many raised hands when I asked who had already spent time studying the Holocust in school. Ask them to define the Holocaust and when it took place.
Next, I introduced the term: Zionism. (again, ask them to give a general definition!). The class then broke into teams to try to learn about the different “types” of Zionism. Ask them which types they remember! (Religious, Cultural, Political, Revisionist, Reform, Labor). 
Finally, we concluded with a piece on Jewish identity. If we’re going to talk about the Jewish peoplehood of the Holocaust, the Jewish peoplehood of Israel, they will need to explore what it means to them to be a part of the Jewish people! I encourage you to ask them about their Jewish identity and to see when they feel the engaged in their Judaism!

7th Grade 
This week we learned how to be successful! We learned a verse from Jewish text called Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Ancestors) and related how we can use the lesson to be more successful in school or in any learning situation--which tends to be everywhere we look or go. 
Ask your child: 1. What's the difference between a friend and a Rabbi? 2. What does it mean to study Talmud? How can it make us wiser?  

8th Grade
Today we focused on two primary goals: group bonding and leadership.
Since this is a group that knows each other well, we played a guessing game to learn more about each other. Each student completed three sentences (my favorite Jewish holiday is…, the last movie I saw was…, and when I’m not at school I like to…), then we read the answer aloud anonymously. Finally, the class had to guess who wrote which responses. This was a fun and different way to learn more about each of the students in class.
After a little fun, we spent the majority of our time learning about the leadership of Moses and his father-in-law Jethro (still fun, but with more content and Jewish meaning). Moses faced a classic leadership problem: one who takes on too many tasks alone and doesn’t ask for help. Jethro saw that Moses was going to end up burning out. To solve the problem, Jethro suggested that Moses appoint advisors, judges, and sages of all kinds to lead the people with Moses. Good leadership isn’t doing all the work alone. Good leadership is bringing others together to share in the process and to feel a sense of belonging!
For the eighth grade, the lesson was not to take on a task all alone, but to ask for help when we need it. Like Jethro suggested, we need to work smarter not necessarily harder. As our madrichim in training assume more and more leadership roles at Temple Emanu-El, at School, and with their friends, they need to learn how to be effective leaders who work collaboratively—the Jewish way! I know that there will be plenty of opportunities for the eighth graders to shine when it comes to leadership in the classroom, and I expect that we will return to this text many times over the course of the year.
For the next two sessions that we meet, the class will study practical spirituality with Rabbi Spike.

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Ropes Course Trips!
Bond with your class (3rd-8th grades) at the JCC ropes course on the following dates:
9/8 - 7th Grade
9/22 - 8th Grade
10/6 - 5th & 6th Grades
10/27 - 3rd & 4th Grades
Drop off at 9:30.
Pick up at 12:00.
More info to come via email!

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Show your TE love with the COMFIEST shirt!

Order now by clicking HERE .

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New & Improved PreK Hours:
Drop off at 9:15
Pick up at 11:30

PreK Registration

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Opportunities for Mitzvot

Welcome back, Diamond Family Religious School families!
We are so excited for our first day on Sunday, August 18, 2019 at 9:00 am.

We will start with our Welcome Back Breakfast.  Please join us in the social hall at 9:00 for breakfast and introductions.  We will take the kids to their classes by 10:00.

We want to start building community right away, so we will sit with our grade levels.  We want parents and children to bond and have some fun!

Show your TE love with the COMFIEST shirt!

Order now by clicking HERE .

The Diamond Family Religious School at Temple Emanu-El is proud to launch our PreKindergarten Program.  

We want to welcome you and your children to a year of stimulating Jewish educational experiences.

This program is free and open to the community.

PreK Information

PreK Registration

As the school year comes to a close, we want to thank you for making your child's Jewish journey a priority.

We are thrilled to have one more week to learn, pray, and celebrate together.  Our Zimria will perform at 11:15, followed by a short tefillah service, and rounded out with a dance party!

In addition to all your child has learned this year, they have also, collectively, donated $1,170 to CAC's food pantry.  $600 in January, and we will be sending $570 soon! Your support of this mission has helped to feed our community.

Next year will be here before we know it!  Feel free to pre-register now to receive the early bird registration.  Early bird ends June 30.  Click HERE to sign up!

Morah Evelyn and K-2 work on Hebrew every week.  Check out our first graders Robots for the letter ר (Reish) and Pizza for the letter פ (Pai). These hands on activities help the students remember the name and sound the letter makes.

Another amazing Sunday that included all of our "regularly scheduled programming" as well as practice Passover sedarim. What a day!
Check out all of the photos in our Facebook Photo Album HERE.

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Upcoming Dates & Reminders:

• Sunday, 3/31/19
  -NO SCHOOL
• Sunday, 4/14/19

• Sunday, 4/21/19

• ​​​​​​​Hebrew Skills Practice found HERE - 5 minutes/day OR 15 minutes twice/week.

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Sunday Synopses
Kindergarten
Today we learned about what Passover is. We read a popup book that explained the story of Passover and why we eat matzah during Passover. Then we drew our favorite part of celebrating Passover.
 
1st Grade
Today we began our study of Passover by learning all about the 10 plagues.  We also started talking about what the holiday is and why we celebrate it.  We will continue learning about Passover over the next few weeks.

2nd Grade
Today we read Max’s Passover Story where we learned the four questions the youngest member of the family asks at seder. Then we watched the Prince of Egypt to learn more about the story of the Passover holiday.

Kindergarten Hebrew class learned about celebrating shabbat.  They read about Shira's shabbat and created their own shabbat table.

4th Applied Hebrew
ויקרא   God tells Moses to explain to the sons of Israel the ways of bringing the different offerings to God. There will be offerings of animals and grains and fruit. Animals for sacrifice shall be male and without blemish. For the grain, the offering will be with fine wheat flour and oil and incense. Another kind was the sin offering.  If the entire council of Israel sins inadvertently and something is hidden from the community, guilt will be incurred. If the sin becomes known in the community, then the community shall bring an offering for sin. A bull is to be brought by the elders of the community and made into an offering to clear the community of sin.

5th Grade
Today we talked about the values of Purim! We discussed what it means to be courageous and brave. We also talked about ways we can stand up for what is right in our daily lives.
 
6th Grade
This week our 6th graders had the chance to enter a simulated “Gadna” (Israeli bootcamp) led by our Israeli shinshin, Omer! Throughout the lesson they had the chance to learn interesting facts about the Israeli Defense Force. Ask your 6th grader about their favorite fun fact!

7th & 8th Grade
This week our students visited the Breman Museum.  They had a tour of the museum and were able to hear Holocaust survivor, Murray Lynn, uncle of Ilan Weismark, speak about his experiences during the Holocaust.  The students and parents who attended had an amazing experience.

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We can't do our Practice Passover Seders without you!  Please sign-up HERE to help!

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Register for PreK Preview HERE !

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This Sunday, 3/17: PuRiM!

• We will have "regularly scheduled programming" from 9:00-10:00 am.
• All students will meet in the sanctuary at 10:00 am to see the 7th/8th grade Purim Shpiel.
• Feel free to join us at 10:00 am!
• Students will be dismissed WITH THEIR PARENTS to the Carnival at 10:30 am.
• Don't forget: The Carnival is FREE, OPEN to the COMMUNITY, and FUN!
  
• Food and drinks are available for purchase.
• ​​​​​​​If you and your child are not attending the carnival, please sign them out in the Religious School office at 10:30 am.

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Next Friday, 3/22: PuRiM PaRtY!

• Come in costume!!
• ​​​​​​​Super FUN, family-friendly service at 6:30 pm with music by our Zimria.
• Dinner at 7:15 - BYOB!
• Sign up by Wednesday, 3/20/19.

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Upcoming Dates
3/10 - No school
3/17 - Purim Shpiel (10:00) & Carnival/Mitzvah Day (10:30-12:30)
3/22 (Friday) - RS Shabbat Services (6:30) & Dinner (7:15) (sign up here)
3/24 - 7th & 8th Grade Field Trip (register here)
3/31 - No School
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                                      Sunday Synopses
Kindergarten
Today we reviewed all of the things we have learned in the temple. We split up into 2 teams and did a scavenger hunt to find different items in the temple. We had so much fun reviewing all we learned all year!

1st Grade
We discussed Leshon hara. We talked about "biting your tongue" and only saying kind things. The class discovered kind words, made kindness badges, and practiced being kind to one another.

2nd Grade
Today we learned all about the 10 commandments.  We learned how Moses brought the 10 commandments down from Mount Sinai, what they are, and how we can follow them.  We then created our own set of commandments.

3rd Grade Judaics
We discussed Anne Frank- A modern day heroine. Students listened to her story and diary. They brainstormed thoughts of why she is considered a model and heroine to teenagers. In small groups led by Madrichim they discussed a question related to her story and presented it to the class.
 
4th Grade Applied Hebrew
We learned about 3 Parashot this week. Parashat Tetzveh, tells us more about the goings-on of the Mishkan, the tabernacle or temporary Sanctuary in which the Divine Presence dwelled during the Jews’ journeys through the desert. Parashat Ki Tisa talks about the Mishkan, the Golden Calf and the second tablets. The last Parasha is Vayakhel that talks about Moses and how he gathers the People of Israel and repeats to them all the things God has told him in the previous three Parashot. So a lot of this Parshah repeats things we've read before.
 
4th Grade Judaics
This week, we are continuing our discussions about Passover, the Hagaddah and how we can apply these lessons to current events.  The kids are working so hard on creating their own Social Justice Hagaddah and I am very proud of them.
 
5th Grade Applied Hebrew
We learned 3 important values that will help us in "Tikun Olam" and understanding better the word around us: 1. Sh'lom Bayit (peace in the home) 2. Bal Tash-chit (do not waste. 3. Hakarta Ha-Todah (gratitude). This week we focused on our Father and Mother and what does it mean by saying "Show Kavod," and of course where we can find this important value in the Torah. After discussion we are going to make "My new promise to my mother and father".
 
5th Grade Judaics
Today we finished watching the Prince of Egypt! We discussed how the movie differs from the Book of Exodus. We also talked about some of the origins of the traditions of Passover.

6th Grade
During class this week our 6th graders “became” various characters from Israeli society. There was a sampling of Israeli society from Orthodox Jewish men to Reform Jewish women; Muslim Israeli-Arab men and Muslim Palestinian Women; Jewish Immigrants from other countries and non-Jewish immigrants from other countries; etc. The students were surprised by the privileges afforded to some groups and the struggles of others. Ask your child what part of society they participated in and what they recall about their character.

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The wrong file was uploaded - the CORRECT time for the Purim Carnival is 10:30-12:30.   Please see below!

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Upcoming Dates
2/10 - AIAAS Town Hall (info below)
2/17 - No school
3/10 - No school
3/17 - Purim Shpiel & Carnival/Mitzvah Day (info below)
3/22 (Friday) - RS Shabbat Services & Dinner (info below)
3/24 - 7th & 8th Grade Field Trip ( register here )
3/31 - No School
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                                     Mitzvot Opportunities

• Please remember that we are collecting tzedakah each week that is being used to buy food for the CAC (Community Assistance Center) food pantry.  By sending in any amount of money with your student, you are helping them to do a mitzvah that aids the community.  
  If you would like more information about CAC, please click here.
  
  
• ​​​​​​​Please send in to the Religious School office any of the following items that will be used to create projects with The Packaged Good at our Purim Carnival/Mitzvah Day:
  pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens, erasers, highlighters, flair pens
  If you would like more information about The Packaged Good, please click here .
  

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