Sunday Synopses
Kindergarten - Today we learned about Tu B'Shevat! We learned that Tu B'Shevat is the birthday of the trees. We learned how important trees are to us by all the fruits, shade and oxygen they give us. We even got a chance to go outside to do rubbings on tree bark!
1st Grade - Today we spoke about Tu B'shevat. We spoke about why trees are important and made lists of what trees give us. It was a very important lesson in the mitzvah of taking care of the Earth and honoring nature.
2nd Grade - Our class learned all about Moses. We learned about the burning bush and the ten plagues. We were able to make a burning bush in a cup as well as a wheel of plagues. The wheel of plagues will come in very handy at Passover Seder.
3rd Grade - This week in Judaics the focus of lesson will be on Dr. Amaram J. Cohen, a heart surgeon who built an organization called "Save a Child's Heart" that brought hundreds of children from developing countries to Israel for life saving cardiac operations. Students hear the articles about Dr. Cohen and his project and in small groups discuss his famous words to new Doctors "There are no dollars and cents in it, but it's worth a fortune". In Applied Hebrew we began learning about Tu B’shvat, which is the celebration of the birthday of the trees. We learned about the Seven Minim (species) of the land of Israel: Wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey. These are the seven food groups that were consumed by the Jewish people in biblical times. Afterwards, we read a story called “The Giving Tree,” which led us to a having a conversation about taking care of the environment around you.
4th Grade - In Judaics we continued exploring the Haggadah - specifically the 10 plagues. We discussed how the 10 plagues impacted Egyptians during that time & created our own list- 10 modern plagues for our Social Justice Haggadah. In Applied Hebrew, we reviewed last week's Parashah, after years of the Jews' enslavement and then all the ten plagues that God heaped upon the Egyptians, Pharaoh had let the Jews out of Egypt. But in this week, Parasaht Beshalach, בשלח , no sooner are the Jews out of Egypt than Pharaoh changes his mind once again and begins chasing after them!
5th Grade - Today in Judaics we talked about the beginning of Exodus! We discussed the enslavement of the Jewish people and the early life of Moses. We talked about why we shouldn't be afraid of those who are different from us, and how to bridge cultural differences. In Applied Hebrew we learned about Tu B'shevat. Tu B'shevat is a holiday related to Israel. We honor the trees and the nature so we can enjoy the fruit. This week Ellie, our Madricha, taught about gratitude.
6th Grade - Today we began exploring Israel. We looked at the map of Israel, its borders, and what it means to have a state. As we looked at the map, we also learned the Hebrew words for the cardinal directions (north, south, east, and west). We ended class by viewing videos of different cities in Israel.
7th Grade - This week we prepared for our trip to The Temple by exploring Judaism and other religious ideas. We are excited to see how Project Tolerance can be applied to our real lives.
8th Grade - Today we planned and made goals for our group, upcoming programming, and how we will include our 7th grade peers when they join us next week. One of the things we are most excited about is planning a tefillah experience for the third through sixth graders: Jewpardy Tefillah!
