RELIGIOUS SCHOOL BULLETIN 10-26-12

Blessing of the Pets was a wonderful program last Sunday! Thank you to all who brought your pets and joined us at this joyous event.

I look forward to seeing many of you tonight at the 6th – 8th Grade Service and Dinner!

Third Graders should be getting a postcard for our Kabbalat Siddur (Consecration) Parent Meeting on Tuesday, November 13, 5:30 – 6:00pm in the Library. I would like to see everyone there so that you can learn more about the service and we can begin planning the dinner following the service. If you are coming, please RSVP to Kim.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Saturday Nov. 10 – Shabbat Family Experience

10:30 am in the Epstein Chapel

Share in this interactive, spirit-filled and participatory service led by children in the Religious School and Tucson Hebrew Academy. There will be a free deli lunch after service featuring singing led by Cantorial Soloist Emily Ellentuck. Everyone is welcome to join in this service. Participants  lead the service and discus the meaning of prayers. The service will feature Religious School 6th Graders who will act out scenes from the weekly Torah portion. For more information and to RSVP, contact Kim.

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Teachers' Classroom Recaps:

Kindergarten/1st Grade – Renee Hulsey

This week, the students learned the Hebrew letter "resh." The 1st Graders also learned the letter "chaf." We are working very hard at taking turns by speaking one at a time and stay on the correct page. Next week we will be "celebrating Shabbat" with the 6th graders! Please remember to send your child with a few pennies for tzedakah.

2nd Grade – Natalie Guerin

The students used the computer disc that matches our Hebrew books and all enjoyed it. Rabbi Herman has the discs that the families can use at home. It's a great way to keep your student current in case they miss a class. We also learned the commandment of "welcoming guests" and read about Abraham bargaining to avoid the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Mentsch Marbles is helping us earn our way to special treats; please ask your student how it works.

3rd Grade – Laura Olesen

The students did an awesome job this week! They are doing well with their prayers for the Kabbalat Siddur Service that they are preparing for this Spring. They all did amazing with our chapter on Haifa. We will be learning about the Galil next. They love "mapping" the places of study on their personal maps of Israel. I am seeing a huge difference in those students practicing their Hebrew pages at home. Each week I will continue to give them practice sheets for the week to be signed by their parents to encourage them. Thanks to all of you for your help in spurring your child on.

4th Grade – Rodin Molina

This past Sunday we had a small class. In Hebrew we took advantage of the low numbers to do some individualized review of material that students had been struggling with through white board games. We also practiced reading the full blessing we read when called to an aliyah and set up a fake bimah in the class, complete with a stuffed torah. Students took turns practicing the blessing. In Judaics we covered community, talking about different aspects and definitions of community, specifically Jewish community. We learned what a minyan is and did a trust-building exercise to think about the role trust plays in community as well.

4th Grade – Sarah Artzi

In Hebrew this week, the students continued their practice of the "Avot" section of the Amidah, this time adding the "Imahot" or "mothers," as well. We learned about Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel and drew a family tree connecting our first ancestors. I sent home a worksheet inviting students to explore their own immediate ancestors and to make their own family tree. (This is an optional enrichment activity meant to encourage conversation at home.) In Judaics, our wise "lawyers" listened to a story about working together to achieve a goal and had to defend their answers about who they thought were the most important people in the story; those at the bottom of the ladder or those at the top?

5th Grade – Courtney DeYoung

On Sunday our class discussed what mitzvot (commandments) are and how they help the world become a better place. On Tuesday we began making mitzvot posters for the bulletin board. The class had some great ideas and did it with enthusiasm! With Hebrew we continued our lesson in our textbook, and everyone had a chance to practice their reading abilities. We also went over the Hebrew alphabet in script.

6th Grade – MeMe Aguila

We had an exciting Sunday with the "Blessing of the Pets." In Judaics we began to look at immigration, and talk about doing our family tree, not with names but with locations, to begin to trace from where we come. On Tuesday, we went to the kitchen and made dough for challah. This coming Sunday, we will bake the challah with the Kindergarten and 1st grade class as they learn about Shabbat with the 6th graders acting as mentors. I am excited to see everyone tonight at our Shabbat Family Dinner.

7th – 8th Grade – Jacob Kotz

This week, half the class played the role of interview subjects and the other half were reporters. Some of the reporters received less information than others in order to convey where certain biases occur due to one-sidedness of research. Afterward the students wrote short reports about their research and then compared them.