November 2023 | Cheshvan 5784

3rd-4th Newsletter Cheshvan Edition

Welcome to the monthly 3rd/4th grade newsletter!

As we approach the end of the month of Cheshvan, we share with you this detailed newsletter, supplementing the regular Remini updates.

What's in this newsletter?

What did students learn: Content and values from this month's curriculum.
What did students do: Crafts, games, songs and other classroom experiences.
Torah corner: A selected text students learned this month.
Music corner: A taste of the great music experience students get every session.
The Shabbat table: Questions and conversation starters for the family Shabbat or weekday dinner about the 3-4 grade curriculum.
Letter of the Week: The Hebrew letters introduced this month.
Coming Attractions: What you can expect from the next month at the JLL.

What did students learn?

This year's Torah content focuses on the stories of our fathers and mothers: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel and Leah. Students learn about the family that started our nation, and the stories that we carried through the generations.

What did students do?

In chug, students get to relate to the Jewish tradition in an experiential way. 3rd graders explored the letter of the week, the Barchu, and kavanah (intention) through sports while 4th graders explored Avot v'Imahot and the days of creation through art and got a chance to paint the mural on the wall of the JLL hallway!

Students wrote and illustrated letters to children being affected by the war in Israel.

In t'filah midweek, students began to connect to prayers of our service through the idea of Lasim Lev, paying attention. They will explore various prayers of our liturgy and how they call us to pay attention (to our community, creation, God, and ourselves).

Torah Corner

God said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.

I will make of you a great nation,

And I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you

And curse the one who curses you;

And all the families of the earth

Shall bless themselves by you.”

(Genesis 12, 1-3)

Music Corner

Oseh Shalom

Ever since the start of the war in Israel, students have joined in prayers for peace during music and T'fillah sessions. Click the picture above to watch students sing Oseh Shalom with Cantor Sonett-Assor.

The Shabbat Table

Here are some conversation starters about what students learned:

Knowledge Questions:

What were Abraham and Sarah's original names? Who were the parents of Ishmael? Which prayer is also known as the Call for Prayer?

Comprehension questions:

What good qualities did Abraham and Lot show, which the people of Sodom did not? Why did Sarah first want Abraham to have a child with Hagar, then demanded to banish her?

Opinion Questions:

When Abraham hears about God's plan to destroy Sodom, he implores God: "shall the judge of all the earth not deal justly?!"

How can we spread justice in the world?

Letter of the Week

Every week, we explore one letter of the Alef-Bet, the Hebrew Alphabet. This is the first taste for many of our students get to being able to decode Hebrew. Over the last few weeks, our letters have been:

שׁ (Shin) - as in Shabbat Shalom, Shavua Tov and Shaliach Tzibur
ס (Samech) - as in Siddur, Slicha and Sifriyah
כּ (Kaf) - as in Kachol, Kippa, Kita
ד (Dalet) - as in Dor, Degel and Dag

Coming Attractions

In the coming weeks, students will learn of the birth of Jacob and Esau, the feud that pushed them apart, and how a bowl of lentil soup had a huge influence on the story of our people.