Religious School Parent Bulletin November 15, 2013
We have some wonderful Religious School events coming up! I hope to see you at our Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Service and Dinner, our Hanukkah Family Workshop, Torah Siyum and Electives Showcase. Don’t forget to bring in money for our Turkey Drive!
UPCOMING EVENTS:
"Turkey" Drive 2013, through Nov. 24
Every year, CAI collects money to purchase kosher turkeys and other support for Jewish Family & Children's Services to help enhance the Thanksgiving celebration of families in need. Food items may be dropped off in the marked box in the administrative office lobby. Monetary donations may be dropped off or mailed in. (Please make checks payable to CAI and note "Turkey Drive" on the check.) Let's help enhance someone's Thanksgiving dinner! We’ll have our Turkey Drive Assembly on Sunday, November 24 at 11:45am in the Library.
Sunday, Nov. 22 – Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Friday Night Service & Dinner, Cantor Falkow Lounge
Our youngest Religious School and THA students will lead parts of our Friday evening service (as well as some songs!) for a lively Shabbat experience. We’ll begin with dinner at 6:00pm, followed by the service at 7:15pm.
Tuesday, Dec. 3 – Hanukkah Family Workshop, 4:00-6:00pm
Join us for some fun learning stations, including hot wax candle making (for older students), learning about “The True Story of Hanukkah” and cookie decorating. This event is followed by our congregational Hanukkah Party!
Sunday, Dec. 8 – Mitzvah 613 Torah Siyum (Completion)
Religious School will be participating in this culminating event where we dedicate our new Torah! For all of 2013, we have been raising money so that each child will have a letter of the Torah in his/her name. Now we will get to see the fruits of our labors as the new Torah will be dedicated for us in our congregation (including at your child or grandchild’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah!) This event will also feature our Youth Choir (Grades 3-6). Please wear your Religious School t-shirts on this date!
Saturday, Dec. 14 – Shabbat Family Experience, 10:30am, Cantor Falkow Lounge
Share in this interactive, spirit-filled and participatory service led by children in the Religious School and Tucson Hebrew Academy, followed by a free lunch and singing led by Cantorial Soloist Nichole Chorny. Please RSVP for the lunch to Kim by Dec. 11.
Sunday, Dec. 15, Religious School Assembly & Talent Show, 10:30am, Cantor Falkow Lounge
Parents: See what your children have been learning in their electives including Israeli dance, creative arts, drama, music & band/orchestra. Refreshments served.
TEACHERS' CLASSROOM RECAPS:
Kindergarten – Renee Hulsey
We went on a “hunt” around the synagogue for Hebrew letters, and are able to identify and name many of the Hebrew letters. We had a great time in Tefillah with Hamorah Nichole and have been working hard on the prayers we will lead at our service on Friday, Nov. 22. Lastly, we had a great time finger painting Hanukkiot with Moreh Devin in Art. Reminder: Don’t forget tzedakah next week!
1st Grade – Nancy Auslander
This week we continued our discussion of Hanukkah, reviewing the story, how to light the Hanukkiah and traditional foods. In Tefillah, we reviewed the prayers we will lead at the K-2 Family Shabbat Service. Electives followed: either Creative Art or Israeli Dancing. We also learned a new Hebrew letter, “resh,” then took a "field trip" down to the sanctuary side of the building to find the letters we've learned. Finally, we learned how to braid challah using Model Magic, which really does feel and work like bread dough. The children picked up on the braiding very well! Once we decorate our challot, we'll have our Shabbat boxes ready to decorate and fill, so the children can use these Shabbat "kits" at home every week.
2nd Grade – Bryan Gordon
This week the students began to learn Hebrew verb conjugation through "Hebrew baseball," beginning with the verb lishmóa' (to hear) from the Sh'ma' prayer. We also began to talk about the history of Hanukkah.
3rd Grade – Laura Olesen
We had a great week! The students are doing a wonderful job in Tefillah and learning prayers for Kabbalat Shabbat. We also are making our model "kotel" as we discuss and are learning about Jerusalem. They are really enjoying it, and they are doing well in Hebrew class as they continue with blessings and prayers for Kiddush.
4th Grade – Elana Israel
This week, the students read about free will, and role played situations where we are faced with making the right decision. We wrote stories about the importance of the Jewish community in regard to tough situations and times of personal ethical discourse. In Hebrew, the students practiced reading and writing words with the letter Tzadi.
5th Grade – Courtney DeYoung & Sarah Artzi
In Judaics on Sunday, we began a project in which each student designs their own teenager in correlation to our life-cycle books chapter of “growing up.” Each student was traced in a pose of their choosing and was asked to think of different things that make up their teenager. On Tuesday, we continued with the project so that every student was able to catch up. Every single project is looking incredible! In Hebrew on both Sunday and Tuesday, we did a review of the first couple chapters, and each student had to make a connection between different movements and Hebrew words. I will continue to practice these words as we move further into the book. Such great efforts given by every single student!
6th Grade – MeMe Aguila
The students have been very busy. We completed our immigration tree on the classroom bulletin board. Stop in the classroom and check it out. It’s very interesting to see the overlapping connections. We are now beginning to look at Jewish Americans who were influential in the first half of the 20th Century. We also had another prophet presentation: Rebecca Freund did a great job telling us about the two Elijahs. In Hebrew, we are having lots of fun using our vocabulary words that we've learned to create a short story. We are working on expanding our ability to hold conversation in Hebrew, and are progressing and having fun doing it.
7th – 8th Grade – Sivan Shahmoon
This week we discussed the topic of truth and honesty. The students discussed what lies are, and what life would be like if we could only tell the truth.