Rosh Hashanah is..... (and isn't....)

Today I set out to go over the basics of Rosh Hashanah. I asked students what they already knew, and with a little struggle, they reluctantly admitted to knowing quite a bit. After pooling our information, we focused a little more on the shofar. We watched two short youtube videos about the shofar, one showing a shofar being made, and one that's a little more....silly. But we used it as a springboard to talk about the reasons we blow the shofar and how powerful it can be. After recess and read-aloud, we talked about the concept of the book of life. I asked students to reflect on the past year and jot down something they were proud of and something they regretted. This activity was successful for approximately two students, and didn't quite work for the rest. I've asked them to all bring home the products of their labor, in the hopes of discouraging any more super-silliness from some of our super-silly friends in kitah-gimel. (Or at least they should save the sillies for joke-time.)

I hope to see you all on Sunday.

Morah Amy

Our First Sunday

This week, the students were greeted with a "To Do" list on the board, with a set of tasks to complete. The To Do list will change every day, but it's class fixture. It allows me to maximize our productivity, while grappling with the reality that not everyone will arrive on time. (But please, please, try to arrive on time!)

We took out the siddurim (prayer books) from Kitah Bet, and tried to review the prayers students had learned in past years and introduce them to new members of the class. We'll spend the first weeks of school reviewing, before introducing any new prayers.

Next we studied the same text from Pirkei Avot that parents were discussing in the meeting.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?

I asked the students to create mini-skits to demonstrate either the first line or the second line, and had the rest of the class guess which part of the text they were acting out. We also began to learn the song "Im Ein Ani Li, Mi Li?" whose lyrics are the Hebrew text of the same quote.

After recess, we began our first chapter book read aloud, All of a Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor. It's one of my favorite Jewish books. We then attended the assembly and picnic, which you already know all about, since you were there.

The First Day

Today was the first day of class, and it couldn't have been better. We began with every student filling out a questionnaire about him/herself, so that I can get to know everyone better. I then used that information to play a guessing game, giving clues about each student and asking the class to guess whom I was describing.

We did a few other group building activities, including Human Knots, which the class solved patiently and cooperatively, and Smaug's Jewels. Those of you with older children might have guessed by now that I was once a Nature's Classroom teacher. 

After recess, I read aloud from one of my all time favorite children's books, Bagels From Benny. (We'll begin our first chapter book read-aloud next week - I'm waiting for it to arrive.) We ended our time in the classroom with students illustrating pictures of themselves that would answer the question "What makes you Jewish?" These will be on display once they are completed on Sunday.

Finally we gathered in the sanctuary for a welcome from Rabbi David, and 20 minutes of shirah with Adrian Durlester (aka Mr. D) and his keyboard. Admittedly, it wasn't the most content-rich day, but I really got a chance to become acquainted with your wonderful children, and I actually think everyone had a pretty good time (though they may never admit it....)

See you at the picnic on Sunday,

Morah Amy

Welcome to the class blog

Dear Gimel Families,

As you know, religious school begins tomorrow. I'm taking this opportunity to unveil the new Kitah Gimel blog. Please bookmark this site, or add it to your favorites. You can expect updates at least once a week, with news about past and future classroom activities, as well as photos and the occasional video. Please let me know if you do not want photos of your child (posted without names) to appear on the blog.

On Sunday I will have a sign up sheet posted on the classroom door for mini-conferences. Please sign up for a 10-minute slot to say hello and tell me about your child.

Looking forward to a great new year,
Morah Amy