Thursday, December 22, 2022 | Tevet, 5783

Kindergarten-2nd Grade Monthly Newsletter

"Sivivon...sov sov sov!"!

What did our students learn?

This month the learners explored Chanukah! They heard about the Maccabees and their struggle to worship in their own way under the rule of King Antiochus.

We discussed the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days and that Chanukah means dedication. They looked at different dreidels from Israel as well as America.

They noticed that one of the letters is different:

• there is a pay on the Israeli dreidel, not a shin. A Great Miracle Happened Here (Israel, letter pay for 'po') vs.
• A Great Miracle Happened There (Outside Israel, letter shin, for 'sham').

They colored a plastic stained glass ritual object to represent symbols of Chanukah as well.



Our students played dreidel and learned the Hebrew letters and the rules of the dreidel.

They learned about the rituals of Chanukah and the difference between a menorah and a Chanukiyah.

• Chanukiyah: menorah with 9 places for candles, 1 different than the 8 others.
• Shamash: The helper candle that is lit first and then lights all the other candles.
• Eating foods cooked in oil: That is to remember the miracle of the oil that lasted 8 days.

Challah Tzedakah Project for Cooking4HOPE

What did our students do?

We began the month by braiding, twisting and shaping pizza dough into challot that we donated to Cooking4HOPE. This was a culmination of our Shabbat unit and to connect to our year long tzedakah project. Please remember to give your children jobs/chores around the house so they can earn a few coins to bring in each class.

Introducing Chanukah, they read a wonderful book, The First Night of Hanukkah. It told of the history of the Maccabees and their victory over the Greek Syrian soldiers. It also explained the idea of creating family rituals that the teachers expanded on in class.

We asked the students the following question:

“What will you do to bring light to the world today?”



Take a look in the Family Corner section to see their responses!

The Family Table

When we asked the students, “What will you do to bring light to the world today?”, the children answered by drawing and writing their answers. We created a giant Chanukkiah in the JLL hallway with their responses to the question. Stop by and take a look!

Here are some conversation starters about what your children have learned:

• Why does a dreidel in Israel have a different letter than the ones we have here in America?

• What does the word "Maccabee" mean?

• What can we do as a family to bring light into the world?

Student's Corner

T'filah has become a highpoint of the week. The children love to sing along with Rabbi Citrin and say what they are thankful for.

Here are some of the many thoughtful comments we heard from our students this past month in t'filah and our classrooms:

• "Are we going to sing Chanukah songs with Emma?"

• "I'm thankful for food and video games"

• "I love Chanukah, it is my favorite holiday!"

• "I eat latkes with applesauce, what do you eat them with?"

• "The dough is so soft and it smells good too!"

• “Can I put oil in my Chanukah menorah like the Maccabees did?”