Kindergarten
This week we learned about Sukkot. We learned that Sukkot is a harvest festival and that it happens in the fall. We also learned about what a sukkah is and were able to color in our own sukkah. Lastly, we made links of love to decorate a sukkah as a class.
Ask your child: 1. What is a Sukkah? 2. What season is Sukkot in?
1st Grade
This week we learned about Yom Kippur. We talked about fasting and attonement. We also talked about tashlich.
Ask your child: 1. What are they going to do differently next year? 2. Why do we fast on Yom kippur?
2nd Grade
This week we learnged about the Jewish holidays following our New Years celebration, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. There are many fun and exciting traditions and celebrations to perform like building and decorating the sukkah and learning the prayer with the Four Kinds. Our celebration continues after Sukkot with Simchat Torah where we get ready to start the reading of from the beginning.
Ask your child: How do we celebrate Sukkot? What holiday follows after?
3rd Grade
Judaics
In today's class we explored the story of Moses, the exodus hero. Generations after God makes a covenant with Abraham Moses draws the extended Israelite family together in the form of a nation with a structure and code of law, given to him on mount Sinai. We discussed with our students Moses' accomplishment and strengths.
Ask your child: 1. From the story of Moses, tell us two or three attributes of him. 2. Do you think Moses qualifies to be call a hero? Why?
Hebrew
Today we went to art with Morah Laura. We had a great time!
4th Grade
Judaics
We learned that we are all a part of the greater Jewish, school, home communities. Man-kind was NOT created to be by themselves. We all need suport and we all have to support those around us.
Ask your child: 1. What can each of us do to help heal a friend or relative that is ill? 2. How can we support our soldiers and first responders?
Hebrew
The weekly portion is Ki Tavo, and it is the last massage that Moses is giving the Israelite, he is telling them about bringing their offering to the "Cohaneem", the Priests, and also take care of the "Levites", the widows and orphans.
Ask your child: 1. Why is it important to mention the fact that as a nation we need to take care of the needy part of our society? 2. Why it was Moses told them that right before entering the land?
5th Grade
Judaics
This week we learned about Parshah Lech-Lecha (Gen. 12:1-17:27)! We discussed the relationship between God and Abram, and between Abram and his family. We also talked about the covenants between God and Noah, and God and Abraham.
Ask your child: 1. What disagreement led to Abram leaving his father’s house? 2. How does God in this portion seem different than God during the story of Noah?
Hebrew
Its such a pleasure having a madricha leading a class, especially for high holiday like Rosh Hashana. We will learn about the symbols of Rosh Hashna such as A head of a fish, writing cards and more. We will understand the deep meaning of the symbols and then, create our own apple with as special blessing to the earth.
Ask your child: 1. What was the most meaningful blessing you wrote. 2. What would you like us to "bring to Rosh Hashana table" that we did not have until today and why?
6th Grade
The week prior we made it to the early 1930s on our Israel timeline, talking about the various groups who were leaving Europe for Israel. This week we dove back into our Holocaust timeline and took a closer look at Hitler's rise to power, answering questions like:
-How did Hitler use propaganda to promote his ideas?
-Why did so many people read his manifesto, Mein Kampf?
-How did Hitler move from an appointed position of the chancellor to Fuhrer, Reich chancellor, and chief of the armed forces?
Finally, our major discussion centered around the old oath for the military compared to the new oath after Hitler came to power.
Ask your kids about the main differences between the old oath and the new oath and how those differences affected the Jewish community.
7th Grade
In Stephen R. Covey's book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he teaches, “If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control - myself.” Our class, one week before Rosh Hashanah, centered around the idea of how we can add value to our lives. We explored a famous Jewish text where the character (Ben Zoma) asks 4 important questions. The questions are listed below. Please ask your child how Ben Zoma's perspective was different than we normally think.
Ask your child: 1. Who is Wise? 2. Who is strong? 3. Who is rich? and 4. Who is honored?
8th Grade - Confirmation Academy
Sunday was a busy Sunday for 8th-grade! We spent the morning at the MJCCA low ropes course, rock wall, and lakefront. My two big goals this year for the 8th-grade are Aelf) the madrichim-in-training will gain practical Jewish knowledge that they can use in their everyday life; Bet) the madrichim-in-training will create a community of like-minded peers and lifelong friends that they will grow with well into their adulthood.
Just as important as the time our 8th-graders spend in the classroom, our goal is to show the madrichim-in-training that they are a community of friends, family, and fellow leaders who can have fun together and support one another. First, our guides from the MJCCA helped us get out of our comfort zone with some silly games (yes, I played too!). Then, we went to the low ropes course for a relay race and balancing contest. Apparently, our 8th-graders have now set the record for the longest time balancing on the “surfboard”---7 minutes! In these activities, we worked on communication, patience, trust, and yes, of course, how to have fun. Afterward, we closed out the morning at the rock wall. Personally, rock climbing is one of my favorite activities, not only for the physical strength we get from scaling the wall but also for the mental strength we receive from the support of our friends and the sense of satisfaction we get for having conquered something.
I believe we will see the benefits of this day play out over the coming months and years. A group that knows how to work and have fun together will become a strong community of supporters and friends.
9th-10th Grade - Confirmation Academy
In today’s Confirmation Class we continued with our Elul spiritual preparation for the High Holidays through the ‘girl with the flute’ story.
As part of this conversation, we delved into what is ‘awe’, and how our approach to the Yamin Noraim (Days of Awe) has a component of awe because of what is at stake: adjusting ourselves to get on track to be our best selves… or the opportunity cost of not doing that.
We also discussed various avenues for how prayer might work, and each one of our Confirmands expressed how these views worked (or did not) with what they themselves believed.
We finished with sharing some of our personal spiritual vulnerabilities, and in the context of the story, pivoted to view these as possible strengths for connection.
As always, it was a pleasure to be with them.
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