Wednesday, November 23, 2022 | 29 Cheshvan, 5783

Kindergarten-2nd Grade Monthly Newsletter

Welcome to the monthly K-2nd grade newsletter!

For every Rosh Chodesh (Jewish new month), we will send a more detailed newsletter that supplements the weekly Remini updates.

Rosh Chodesh Kislev is November 24-25 - AKA Thanksgiving!

What is 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.
Hebrew corner: A recap of Letter of the Week and Hebrew Through Movement.
Music corner: A taste of the great music experience students get every session.
The family table: Questions and conversation starters for the family Shabbat, holiday or weekday dinner about the K-2 grade curriculum.
Student's Corner: Thoughts from a few students.
Coming Attractions: What you can expect from the next month at the JLL.

Working hard on our Shabbat Boxes!

What did our students learn?

We introduced how to celebrate Shabbat here in America as well as Israel by reading books, watching videos and making our very own Shabbat Box!

They also learned about the ritual of Havdalah and its three symbols:

Kiddush - to represent the joy and sweetness of Shabbat
Spices (besamim) - to help us remember the sweetness of Shabbat, and
Havdalah candle - lit with fire to symbolize the end of Shabbat and the beginning of the six days of work.

"My spices are done!"

What did our students do?

All the classes were busy painting wooden candlesticks, decorating kiddush cups with small gemstones, and creating beautiful challah covers with stencils and fabric markers. We decorated our own Shabbat box and put everything we created inside.

The children made ritual objects for the conclusion of Shabbat, a ritual called Havdalah. They listened to the Havdalah blessings and made their own braided candles using pipe cleaners.

To make the besamim, they filled small nylon bags with cinnamon sticks and cloves to carry the sweetness of Shabbat throughout the week.

Hebrew Corner

Kindergarteners learning "Laila Tov al Shulchan"

In Hebrew Through Movement (HTM) this month, the classes learned a variety of words and commands:

L’at - Slow
Maher - Fast
Tzedakah - Justice
Koolam - Everyone
Achshav - Now
(Ha)Delet - Door, (the) door
(Ha)Shulchan - Table, (the) table
(Ha)Keesay - Chair, (the) chair
(Ha)Morah - teacher, (the) teacher (F)
(Ha)Moreh - teacher, (the) teacher (M)
Madrich - student teacher (M)
Madricha - student teacher (F)
Madrichim -student teachers (Plural)

The students have been enjoying HTM each week and impress us with what they retain!

Music Corner

One of the songs that the students have learned the song is "Dreamer" by Lorre Wyatt. Watch Emma teach the song and the hand movements!

The Family Table

Inside your child’s Shabbat box you will find the blessings for Shabbat and Havdalah as well as a wonderful recipe for making challah. We hope that you and your family will use the Shabbat box and all its contents to celebrate Shabbat at home and create wonderful memories with your family.

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

Which blessing do you say first on Shabbat?

What other spices could you put in the besamim?

Where should our family donate our tzedakah?

Student's Corner

Here are some of the many thoughtful comments we heard from our students this past month:

"Are we doing Hebrew Through Movement today?"

"Can you show us how to say 'Shabbat Shalom' in sign language?"

"I really like those Havdalah blessings, they're so pretty!"

"Can I make a kiddush cup for my brother?"

"I want to light the Havdalah candle at home!"

Coming Attractions

When we return in December, the classes will be preparing Challot that will be frozen and donated to needy families throughout Westchester with the help of Cooking4Hope. Our goal is to help our learners make a connection between the mitzvot of helping those in need with our ongoing Tzedakah curriculum.

The last two Sundays will be "dedicated" (that is what Chanukah means!) towards the origins of the holiday, exploring fun and festive rituals and foods, as well as how it is celebrated in the USA as well as Israel.