Wednesday, November 23, 2022 | 29 Cheshvan, 5783

5th Grade Monthly Newsletter

Welcome to the monthly 5th 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's in this newsletter?

  • What did students learn: Content and values from this month's curriculum.
  • What did students do: Activities, games, and other classroom experiences.
  • Hebrew corner: An update on Hebrew progress across chevruta sessions as well as what students have worked on in t'filah.
  • Israel corner: An update from our fabulous ShinShin, Roy.
  • 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 5th grade curriculum.
  • Coming Attractions: What you can expect from the next month at the JLL.

What did students learn?


So far this year, our fifth graders have learned about two different life cycle moments: birth(and naming) and b'nei mitzvah. They learned where their name came from and also the different parts of Jewish tradition that are connected to names. Check out the weekly emails and Remini updates from Wendy to read more!

What did students do?


Fifth graders had the opportunity to try on a tallit and notice the tzitzit---the fringes and knots--- and also put on a kippah (in Yiddish, called a yarmulke).

Students practice "kavod" (honor or respect) by listening to one another, building community and know that what everyone says and shares is valued by the group.
 

Hebrew Corner


In Chevruta, students are immersed in reading from the Hebrew primer, Shalom u'Vracha, learning to decode a new letter or two and/or vowel most every week. By now, the primer is introducing "real" words, many of which are words they hear in t'fillah and many of which are "heritage" words, that is, words that are familiar from blessings (such as amen and Shabbat), from the sanctuary (such as bimah, aliyah, and yad ), and from holidays (such as Shamash and Shanah Tovah). 
In t'fillah with Cantor Rodnizki and Rabbi Baken, students are introduced to prayers chanted during a service and the meanings of those prayers. This year, we have already gone through Bar'chu, Sh'ma, and Oseh Shalom, and we are now focused on V'ahavta. In class, we have explored individual Torah portions and what an "Aliyah" is ( a "going up" to the Torah to recite the Torah blessings). 

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Music Corner

Dreamer

Student have learned the song "dreamer" by Lorre Wyatt. Watch Emma teach the song and the hand movements!

The Family Table


The V'ahavta, has at the core of its name the concept of "love"; "loving the Divine". Interestingly, the Shema, which is chanted just before V'ahavta, is preceded by another prayer about love--a prayer that tells us that God loves us.

Reflect together: why is the idea of love so important in our prayers and in living a life Jewishly?

Israel Corner


The fifth grade is fortunate to have Roy Neumann as a member of the teaching team every week. Roy is our Israeli Shinshin; he is on a gap year between high school and the IDF. Each week, Roy and Wendy each teach a block of the morning. Check out the weekly email and Remini updates for more details about the incredible perspective Roy has brought to this class so far!
 
 

Coming Attractions

In the coming month, we will complete our unit on B'nei Mitzvah, and move to our unit on the process and ideas of conversion to Judaism.
 
Westchester Reform Temple | 255 Mamaroneck Road, phone: 914-723-7727, Scarsdale, NY 10583
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