I LOVE the flurry of activity that happens on Sunday mornings - seeing all of the kids greet their buddies, get into their classes, and be actively engaged in learning is AWESOME! And this week was no exception.
Our Hebrew Skills classes (Kippah Levels) got busy this week. 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 Rosh Hashanah. We learned about significant things we do/eat during this time (ex: apples and honey, round challah, shofar, etc). We also learned that the Rabbi blows the shofar to symbolize the welcoming of the new year. We got a chance to make/ decorate our own shofar out of blow horns! Lastly, we got to eat some sweet apples and honey for a sweet new year! Ask your child: 1. What is Rosh Hashanah? 2. Why do we eat apples and honey on this holiday?
1st Grade We discussed what mitzvot are. We also talked about Derek Eretz. We made mitzvah leaves for our mitzvah tree. We did mitzvah book pages and heard a story about the mitzvah magician. We colored a picture of us doing a mitzvah. 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?
2nd Grade This week we learned about Rosh Hashana and all of the New Year's Traditions. We will learn: What is Rosh Hashanah? The Jewish New Year. Birthday of the Universe. What does it mean? “Head of the Year” God writes down what is to happen to every person. How do we celebrate? Light candles, blow the shofar (rams horn), eat sweet things (apples and honey). Cast our sins into the water. Some throw bread into water that has fish. (Tashlich) Why do we celebrate? During the ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we reflect on our actions and ask for forgiveness for what we have done wrong. The shofar and the calls. Tekiah - one long blast Shevarim - Meaning “breaks” or “fractures” These three medium blasts. T’ruah - twelve short, quick blasts Ask your child: 1. What are the calls of the shofar? 2. Why do we celebrate Rosh Hashanah? 3. What year are we entering?
3rd Grade Judaics - We worked on creating a positive atmosphere and excitement through learning class rules and playing getting to know each other games. We also discussed our first very special Hero: Natalie Portman. students listened to her wonderful life story and in small groups discussed values they would use to describe her and present their answers to the class. Ask your child: 1. What values did you use to describe Natalie Portman? 2. What have you done to make the world a better place?
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?
5th Grade Judaics This week we talked about the story of Cain and Abel! We continued our discussion from last week regarding being responsible for the wellbeing of each other, as well as talking about conflict resolution and ways of handling arguments with friends and family. Students will be bringing home a card they made with conflict resolution strategies; please feel free to put this on the fridge or other visible location so they can see it and think about it with some regularity. Ask your child: 1. What is one time you handled an argument without losing your temper, getting angry, or yelling? 2. Why is it important to be responsible for each other’s safety?
Hebrew We talked about the month of Elul and the importance of foregiveness. Why do we need a whole month to ask for forgiveness. Who needs to ask for forgiveness. We created our Shofar of "S'lichot" and tried to make sure we will start the new Jewish year with a big smile. Ask your child: 1. Tell us about the month of Elul. 2. How can we as a family be able to forgive and talk about everything?
6th Grade In class this week, we focused on important pieces of history leading up to the Holocaust. We began with a very minor introduction into WW1 that led us to a conversation about the Treaty of Versaille. Ask your child about the 3 categories of terms for the treaty (1. Territorial 2. Military 3. Economic/Financial). Students learned that Germany suffered territorial loss, military restrictions, and significant economic loss (reparations) due to the terms of the treaty. We then began to discuss the early rise of the Nazi Party, in part, as a reaction to the Treaty of Versaille. Students studied the original platform that Hitler proposed in February of 1920. They were tasked with taking some of this complex language and putting into terms that other 6th graders would be able to understand. They came away with a deep understanding of Hitler’s promotion for Germany first and his early attempt to scapegoat the Jewish community. We concluded our lesson with a brief introduction into the rise of Hitler as a leader, and we will continue to learn about his rise in the coming lessons.
7th Grade An amazing week of bonding, team building, and creating our kehillah kedoshah at the Jewish Community Center. Our 7th graders were able to do the low ropes course, the rock wall, and lake activities. It was a ton of fun. Click HERE to see the photo album on our Facebook page!
8th-10th Grade Dear Confirmation Academy Parents (8th, 9th-10th grade), We had an awesome class today that revolved around The Meaning/Purpose of Life. Is there one? Is it pre-determined? Do we create our own? What are the different approaches on this from both Scientific and Jewish point of view? We, as modern-Jews, are hyphenated and informed by both… BUT, ultimately we choose what we want to believe, and that belief informs how we live our life. It also determines how we interact with the world around us, our expectations for relationships, and our ambitions. This was an animated conversation, and as you can imagine, our kids have tons to say. Please ask them about it.
B’shalom! -S
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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!
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). Join TE and Second Helpings Atlanta Drive Out Hunger TE volunteers are needed to join Second Helpings Atlanta in rescuing nutritious surplus food and distributing it to persons in need.
It's a great family project for engaging our kids in helping address food insecurity in our own neighborhoods. Adopting a route is a once-a-month commitment that only requires big hearts, a large car or van, and a few muscles to lift some of the heavier containers of groceries. The routes are in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs.
For more information, please contact Karen Singer at KSinger78@gmail.comor 404.550.0502.
Temple Emanu-El 1580 Spalding Drive Atlanta, GA 30350
