Pesach Preparations are on Underway!

Something smells fishy in Gan Aleph....and it's not fish! Gan Aleph experienced maror straight from the ground. They observed the shape size and smell both before and after peeling and grating. Several brave Gan Alephers even tried a sliver of maror! It was bitter indeed!

The children also learned all about frogs! In math the children jumped like frogs on the number line to solve simple addition problems. In literacy the children played “Froggy Sight Word Race Game.” The children jumped from lily pad to lily pad reading and recording sight words. At the finish line each child got a prize! In science, the children are continuing to learn more facts about these cute animals.

ECD students had so much fun learning how to make matzah!

Celebrating Our Blessings

Our study of Mishnah Brachot in fifth grade led to the Bracha-Amein Project. Aside from learning about the proper bracha on particular foods, students were encouraged

to say their brachot on snacks out loud so others may respond amein. 

First the class met the initial goal of 100. Then, as the excitement grew, the bar was

raised to 350, 500, and 750. It wasn’t too long before the class exceeded 1,000

brachot! Students celebrated their accomplishment by viewing an engaging video about the “Power of Amein,” and had a breakfast spread of waffles, whipped cream, toppings, ice cream and hot chocolate. Of course, brachot and amein resounded throughout the party. 

Art Club

Art club students learned about Tatsuo Takahara, a Japanese artist that sometimes paints on wood. The subject of his paintings is mostly his pets, and he captures them in wonderful ways. Students used a recycled hot press paper in darker warm grey to emulate wood, and used oil pastels in layers to emulate oil paints. Overall the students did an amazing job!

Third Grade SEL Update

After a deep dive into assertive communication and “I Messages,” third grade has started their newest unit: Conflict Resolution. Students are learning the steps of resolving conflicts: 1 - Listen. 2 - Get the Facts. 3 - Talk it out. 4 - Work it out. We had so much fun acting out conflicts and their resolutions in the classroom in order to begin building the habit of using these steps when faced with a conflict in real life. Students are beginning to see how other SEL concepts, such as perspective taking, empathy, coping tools, and assertive communication, can support them in resolving conflicts in the most effective way.