Religious School Parent Bulletin
February 28, 2014
Friendly reminders:
Third Graders: Please be at the chapel promptly at 9:00am in your dress clothes on Sunday, March 2 for the 3rd Grade Siddur Dedication picture. Don’t forget to bring a change of causal clothes for the rest of the day!
We are having a special assembly at the end of Religious School on Sunday, March 2 to talk about Rosh Hodesh, part of our monthly assemblies for the entire school to build community.
Looking for a great way to spend Shabbat? Then join us for Shabbat Family Experience, an interactive, spirit-filled and participatory Shabbat afternoon service on Saturday, March 8 at 10:30am in the Epstein Chapel. Led by children in the Religious School and Tucson Hebrew Academy, participants lead services, discuss the meaning of prayers and determine how the teachings from our tradition apply to their lives.
Parents are encouraged to join us for Purim Palooza on Sunday, March 16! There will be a creative Megillah reading at 9:30am, followed at 10:30am by a carnival with face painting, games and prizes. It’s all free! Lunch will be available for purchase at 11:00am. This is a mandatory day of religious school for which we strongly encourage parents to attend with their children.
TEACHERS' CLASSROOM RECAPS:
Kindergarten and 1st Grade – Renee Hulsey
Kindergarten and 1st Grade did not meet because of Rodeo Break. We look forward to seeing you this coming Sunday!
2nd Grade – Bryan Gordon
This week we learned an assessment game which tests our ability to quickly relate the meanings, pronunciations and spellings (including the names of the vowels!) of Hebrew words, and we did an amazing job with our textbook vocabulary. Let's keep up the good work!
3rd Grade – Laura Olesen
After the Rodeo Break, it was great to see the kids ready to go! The students are continuing to prepare for Siddur Dedication and are doing a great job. In Judaics, we discussed Elijah and Mount Carmel. The students will be mapping this on Sunday. In Hebrew, the students are doing well and approaching the end if our current textbook. We are looking forward to tonight’s service and dinner. Remember: Photos on Sunday at 9:00am!
4th Grade – Elana Israel
This week the 4th grade began learning about the Ashkenazi Jews in Europe. Soon, we will begin talking about the roots of our own families. In Hebrew, we began learning about the letter “zayin.” Great work, everyone!
5th Grade – Courtney DeYoung & Sarah Artzi
This week we enjoyed a special visit from Phyllis Broad, our synagogue's Basic Judaism Class teacher and mentor. Mrs. Broad spoke to us about the many rules and requirements for converting to Judaism, and shared many personal stories from her decades of working with people in the process of conversion. Our class asked thoughtful questions and truly impressed Mrs. Broad with its excellent behavior. Our thanks to Mrs. Broad for her time and wisdom! We are looking forward to seeing many of you tonight for the 3rd-5th grade service and Shabbat dinner. It promises to be a special evening!
6th Grade – MeMe Aguila
The class learned about two more influential Jewish Americans, both of whom have very strong Jewish connections: composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein and designer Ralph Lauren. Both very different people, but each of whom identify strongly with their Jewish roots. In Hebrew, we are moving along with our vocabulary, and we will begin to focus on food and ordering it.
7th – 8th Grade – Sivan Shahmoon
The 7th and 8th Graders saw the film “The Wave” and had an engaging discussion about it.