HURRAY, IT'S A SNOW DAY!!!

Thank you to all the families who attended conferences, and for the very generous Hanukkah gifts. It truly is our pleasure to be your teacher, and we really appreciate your kindness. Have a safe break, and a great Hanukkah. When we return to school in January, we will begin our Bar and Bat Mitzvah unit. If you know your date, please bring it to class so we can start researching your Torah Portion.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009
School Resumes, See You at B'nai Israel

Sunday, February 1, 2009
Family Ed Tikkun Olam Day! Save the Date, Save the World!

Sunday, February 8, 2009
Community Wide Tzedakkah Experience
We are continuing to collect money for the Tzedakkah Experience
Please plan on attending this community wide event with a parent.

Wishing you and Your Family a Wonderful Hanukkah, and
A Happy, Healthy, and Peaceful New Year, See You in 2009!

Barbara and Tracye

Keeping it Together in Kitah Vav

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Teaching our Sacred Texts, Small Group Discussions

Sunday, December, 14, 2008
Sam Glaser Concert - 11:00am Families are Welcome

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Parent-Teacher Conferences and All School Hanukkah Celebration

Sunday, December 21, 2008 thru Monday, January 5, 2009
Religious School Winter Break

Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Religious School at B'nai Israel !

Out of Site, But Not Out of Mind...

Blessings thank G-D for the many things we have. In our weekly round table discussion, your children shared many of their feelings about the wonderful lives they live.

Thank you for making me happy

Thank you for letting me learn my lessons
Thank you for giving me great friends and family
Thank you for making me have a good family and friends

Thank you for Israel
Thank you for having the Torah
Thank you for giving us the power to wake up everyday
Thank you for giving us miracles when we went through bad times.

Thank you for creating us in your image
Thank you for my family that loves and cares about me.
Thank you for giving me a cute dog who barks too much.
Thank you for giving us the gift of education to succeed in life.

Thank you for giving us a loving family
Thank you for giving us the gift of education
I am thankful for friends that care and support me.
Thank you for shelter and food because they help me survive a beautiful life

Thank you for food and water
Thank you for friends and family that care about me
Thank you fro putting me in a good position in my life
Thank you for putting a signed
Chauncey Billups Piston Jersey in my room

Thanks for love
Thanks for my family and friends.
Without, I would have no one to love and no one to love me,
Who I care for and who care for me.

Thank you G-D for everything!
Bless you for everything good and lovely
Thanks for food and shelter and water,
without those things I wouldn't be able to live and survive

Thank you for love and life.
Thank you for food, water, shelter, and LIFE!
Thank you for having family and friends and
other people who care so much about you!

Thank you for warmth.
Thank you for water and clean air.
Water and clean air to help me live my life to the fullest
I will always feel cared for and comfortable.

Bless you for everything good and lovely.
Thank you for my family and health and happiness.
Bless you our Lord the one
who created this world of love and miracles.

Thank you for life and
what you have given all our us throughout our life
Thank you for my family and all my brothers.
Thank you G-D for a roof over our heads
And a nice house and a place to live and
to be able to live in such a good community
with all my family and friends.

Thank you for giving me a healthy life and a family.
My life and my family are really important to me.
I love my family very much.
Thank you for giving me food and water.
Clothes are an everyday thing, that people need.
You need food and water to live.

I am thankful for family who loves me
because they put family first.
My mom loves me and
always out me first and my dad too.
I am thankful for shelter and food
because they help me survive a beautiful life!

We Are a Blessing

Happy Thanksgiving from Our Homes to Yours!

A Very Jewish Thanksgiving?

When the Pilgrims arrived in America in 1620, they felt just like the Children of Israel. They too, had come to a new land to find freedom, and the bible was a very important part of their lives. Their first year in America was very hard, and when their first harvest was completed, they wanted to have a celebration to thank G-D for helping them survive. They read in the bible about the harvest feast called Sukkot, and believed they should also give thanks to G-D for helping them. They called their American celebration of Sukkot "Thanksgiving."

Today in class we spent a few minutes talking about blessings and giving thanks for the many wonderful things we have. Take time this weekend to ask you children what is really important to them, and what they are truly thankful for.

Enjoy the long weekend, and have a wonderful, safe, and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. See you next Tuesday, Barbara and Tracye

Guess Who's Coming to Visit

We had a wonderful visit from Cantor Samuel Greenbaum, a well known mohel in our Jewish community. Many of our male students said they knew of Cantor Greenbaum, but fortunately, he didn't admit to publically knowing any of them. Our students were both educated and informed, and they made a wonderful audience. Next week, we will take a self evaluation on our Brit Milah unit, and begin exploring our Sifrei Kodesh, the Sacred Texts.

A Good Name

There are three names by which a person is called.
One which his mother and father call him,
And one which other people call him,
And one which he earns for himself.
The best one of all, is the one he earns for himself.
Midrash Tanchuma

Each of us is named in honor or in memory of someone who earned a good name in the eyes of our family. The most valuable things we have in life are the things we have worked hard for. In class today, we discussed what we must do to earn our good name. Another way to look at our good name, is to look at our reputation.

TABLE TALK:
Who were you named for? What values did this person have, that your parents would like you to have? What are you doing right now to earn your good name?

Sunday Stuff

Thank you to the families who participated in our Tallit Dedication Shabbat Service, your commitment and support of our Religious School Experience is greatly appreciated.

FYI: I asked if anyone knew the name of the belt that held the Torah together and the correct answer is the hagorah. Some people use a wimple or a piece of cloth that originates from a baby blanket and is decorated with proverbs and blessings significant to the Torah reader. The piece of fabric is then used to touch the words of the Torah during an aliyah.

TABLE TALK
Please discuss you Hebrew and English names with your families this week, and ask why you were given the names you have.

Shout outs to Sarah, Emily, and Jessica. You know why!

This and That

You're children are awesome. They are bright, articulate, and most important, kind. As Rabbi Starr said when he came to visit, "they are a cut above the rest," pun intended. Our unit on Brit Milah continues, and the class discussions are most interesting. We've discussed why we are commanded to perform circumcision, or as some suggested, mutilate our babies, why only boys are commanded to participate in the circumcision ceremony, and how our Jewish duties and obligations begin at birth at the hands of our parents, and as we approach Bar or Bat Mitzvah, we begin to take responsibility for these same mitzvot as adult members of the Jewish community.

In our Hebrew Language rotation we have been polishing our reading skills and mastering our chanting of the Amidah. Students are working in small groups, one on one with tutors, and in pairs. Finally, in our Jewish Values and community rotation, we have been talking about how we fit into the synagogue. What brought us to Shaarey Zedek, and how does the synagogue continue to enrich our lives.

Thank you to all of the families who donated candy to our Halloween Tzedakah Project. It's not too late to participate. Do something kind for someone, and have a great week. See you this weekend. Barbara and Tracye

TABLE TALK:
Why did your family join Shaarey Zedek?

November 8, 2008 Shabbat B'Yachad:
Bring your Tallit for this special Family Ed Service. Invite the whole Mishpacha.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Guest Speaker, Community Mohel, Cantor Samuel Greenbaum

Halloween with a Jewish Twist

As whole, the Jewish community does not celebrate Halloween, but we do dress up for Purim! So, save those costumes and think about adding a Jewish twist or a tzedakah piece to your Trick or Treat Traditions.

While it is important to support our neighbors in their celebrations, and equally important to not separate ourselves from the community, there are many ways of participating in a custom without observing it the way others do. Some suggest Jewish children share in the celebration by greeting their neighbors and giving out candy. It is certainly possible for our children to get excited about giving to others, and then the underlying theme for them is that Halloween is about giving.

A noted Rabbi and educator, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht, once noticed the similarity between Purim and Halloween. In both cases, children get dressed up and go door to door receiving gifts of food. The distinction between the two is that on Halloween, the children only receive, whereas on Purim, the emphasis is that the children learn to give. The fact that they might receive in return is of secondary importance.

To reinforce the value of giving, and to encourage the act of helping others, we will be collecting all extra wrapped candy you have on Tuesday afternoon. Please talk to your children about giving to others, and help them turn an everyday moment into a Jewish experience.

All Tied Up..Now Let's Cut It...

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Tzitzit and Tallit Family Ed Program. The tallitot you made are magnificent, and you should be very proud of your hard work. As you now know, tying tzitzot is not an easy task, but with a little bit of cooperation and a lot of patience, each of you made a beautiful tallit. Thank you and Yasher Koach to all of the Kitah Vav students and their dedicated parents for a job well done. Don't forget to bring your tallit to class on Sunday.

We will begin our Circumcision Life Cycle Unit on Tuesday. Stay tuned for some very interesting tips, and some wonderful dinner table discussions.

How are rainbows and circumcision connected?
Come to class today and you will find out.
Have a great day!

Not Just a Knot...

"You shall make for yourselves

twisted threads on the four corners of your garment
with which you cover yourself."
Deuteronomy 22:12

Tallit and Tzitzit Family Ed Program
Sunday, October 26, 2008

Bring a parent and fabric!
Meet in the Social Hall

Weekend Update

It was great seeing so many of our students at the Wandering and Wondering Family Ed Program this morning. Thank you for your support.

If this program stimulated your Biblical senses, Andover High School is presenting Children of Eden, a family friendly musical, loosely based on the book of Genesis. Check out Kitah Vav alumni Lindsay Alexis and Charlie Frank.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
NO SCHOOL - Simchat Torah Celebration

Sunday, October 26, 2008
Kitah Vav Family Ed Tallit and Tzitzit Program

Who's Shakin it in your Shack?

"When a person is seated in the sukkah,

Abraham and six distinguished visitors partake in his company."

Ushpizin, the tradition of inviting guests to our sukkah originates in the teachings of the Zohar, the mystical writings of our religion. The idea of the ushpizin, Aramaic for guests, suggests that the spiritual strength of the sukkah is so strong, that when we are seated in the sukkah, we have the power to welcome the souls of each honored guest.

So, spiritually speaking, we asked each student to pick a distinguished guest to invite to our outback shack. Students could invite anyone they wanted, living or deceased, celebrity, relative, ancestor, friend; the choice was theirs. The only catch was they had to explain why this invited guest could enhance the Jewish experience, strengthen our Jewish connection or stimulate our Jewish identity. Ask your child who they invited, or stop in and see our display.

Don't forget, Family Education Program Sunday morning.
Be there or be square.
Have a Wonderful Shabbat!

Celebrate in the Shack

This week we celebrate the festival of Sukkot, and thus Kitah Vav spent our valuable time together talking about family, friends, and celebrating the holidays as part of the Jewish community. Sukkot is actually referrred to as Zman Simchatanu, the holiday of celebration and happiness, and we are commanded to live in booths for seven days, and celebrate. Sukkot is a time to give thanks for the wonderful harvest, but also allows us to separate ourselves from our materialistic nature and connect to family, friends, and the environment. Even if you didn't put up a sukkah this year, take time to spend a few minutes outside with your family and enjoy the beautiful fall. Look at the moon, appreciate the leaves, share a snack, and most importantly, marvel at the wonderful world we live in. Chag Sameach, Barbara and Tracye

Put Me in the Book of Life!

Gamar Chatima Tova
We hope you had an easy fast.
If you didn't fast, we hope you at least tried.
And if not, did you give up sweets and snacks for the day?
How did you measure up? Did you hit the bullseye?
Are you working towards a better you and a better world?
Have you said anything mean or unkind?
Catch yourself before the words are spoken!

Thanks to the students and parents who visit this blog, it makes posting most meaningful. Feel free to leave a comment to let us know you were visiting. We will continue to reward students who sign in, leave a message, or mention the homework.

No School Tuesday, October 14, 2008, Sukkot
No School Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Simchat Torah

Extra Credit: Check out this website http://freerice.com

Tefillah, Teshuvah, Tashlich,

As we continue on our journey through the High Holidays, the twentieth letter of the English alphabet continues to have a strong presence in our daily discussions.

In Tefillah, we talked about our connection to the community and the Viduy, the confessional. When chanting this part of the Yom Kippur liturgy, each of us takes responsibility for our own sins and the sins committed by others, symbolizing our regret that we were unable to prevent others from sinning.

We also continued our discussion on Teshuva, deciding that saying "I am Sorry," is indeed very difficult, but something we must do. G-D will not, and cannot forgive us for sins commited against others, as this is something we must take care of on our own. Judaism does have a unique take on teshuvah however. If we sincerely ask for forgiveness three times, and are rebuked each time, then and only then, will G-D intervene and grant forgiveness.

Finally, to end our morning, we took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and joined together on the banks of the Rouge River to "cast away" our sins. Standing together in a circle, we read the Tashlich service together and then symbolically tossed our sins into the water.

Time to Think... Please bring at least 18 cents for tzedakah.

T'Shuvah for Rosh Hashanah

During the High Holiday season, Jewish tradition teaches us to look at the things we have done that might have hurt or offended other people and apologize to those we have harmed. We must then promise to not act the same way again. This very difficult process is called teshuvah, and we spent the better part of our morning talking about things we have done that require us to do teshuvah, based on Rabbinic Interpretations.

Our Rabbis tell us there are four steps to doing teshuvah:
1. Confession - I did it
2. Remorse - I feel badly for doing it
3. Asking for Forgiveness - Repairing the Damage
4. Accepting Responsibility - Not doing it Again

For homework this week, student are asked to find two people they have hurt in the past year, and ask them for forgiveness, using this four step process.

Wishing you and those you love,
Peace, Health, and Happiness, Love and Laughter!

L'Shanah Tova, Barbara and Tracye

L'Shanah Tova

New Moon, New Month, New Year

Shavuah Tov! The students in Kitah Vav are moon watching this month. On Tuesday, we continued our travels through the lunar calendar and saw first hand how everything we do is directly related to being Jewish. We are not just "Jewish" when we are in the synagogue or at Religious School, but our whole being is connected to being Jewish. Our behaviors and our values, how we treat others, the foods we like and dislike; all of these things define who we are as Jews. Likewise, when we look in the sky and follow the moon, we are connected to Jews throughout the world. Because the Jewish calendar is lunar based, all we need to do is follow the shape of the moon, from new to waning, and full to waxing, and we connect to Jews around the world, celebrating the Jewish holidays together.

Bite Your Tongue!

Last Shabbat was National LaShon Hara (hurtful speech) Awareness Day. LaShon Hara is not about lying. It is about hurting others with the truth. This morning we talked about saying unkind things to others. As we approach the end of the Elul, the Hebrew month of Repentance, we are challenged to "bite our tongues, " and avoid..

Speaking negatively about someone else (even if they don't hear us)
Saying something that may cause damage to another person or their property
Saying something that may cause embarrassment, humiliation, pain or fear
Saying something that is not mean, but still causes embarrassment or humiliation

Take the LaShon Hara challenge and avoid saying anything hurtful all week long.

AWESOME!!!

Thanks to the families that followed the blog this week. Don't forget to check in with us on Sunday for your mitzvah point. Monday is the first day of fall, so enjoy the last few days of summer and a great weekend.

Sing When the Spirit Says Sing!

Shalom and Welcome to the Kitah Vav Community. After reviewing the ins and outs and ups and downs of our week, we had some time to share our experiences with each other. We talked about where we came from, what we did today, and how we spend our time away from Religious School. We discovered we have many differences, but in many ways, we also have quite a bit in common. Our similarities, and the single thread that reached the entire group helped to identify our connection to each other, and set us on a path to build our Kitah Vav community.

In addition to going to camp, being in the same Religious School class, or attending the same school, we are connected through similar experiences, values, and interests. This week we spent some time finding a common bond through music. Many of us like the same muscians, groups, or singers. We also know nursery rhymes, children's songs and prayers that help us to connect with each other. When we pray together, we share the words of our ancestors and build a community through song.

This was seen so clearly as we began to study the Amidah, taking the words from Oseh Shalom and putting them to music from our past experiences. Each group of students presented their own rendition of Oseh Shalom, and we enjoyed praying for peace through a wide variety of tunes, including the Michigan Fight Song, Laffy Taffy, Twinkle Twinkle, and ABC. In addition to having a good time, visiting with our friends, and working for the good of the group, it was wonderful to pray together, building our Kitah Vav community, and connecting through music, words and spirit.

TIME to TALK:
Ask your child to share the meaning of Oseh Shalom with you, and maybe you can have a sing-along too.

Can You Hear Me G-D?

Sunday and the Year is 5768

Our Circle of Life Block has begun and this morning we started to talk about the moon and the sun, the lunar and solar cycles, the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars, and how to convert a regular year into the Hebrew Year. For extra credit, ask your child to tell you the Hebrew year they were born in. On Tuesday, have them let us know they shared the information with you, and we will reward them with a mitzvah point. Have a great week, Barbara

The Amidah - Blessings of Praise

Live from B'nai Israel...It's Tuesday in Kitah Vav and the honeymoon is still going strong. Your sixth graders are really working hard, and they are a pleasure to teach. Today we introduced the Amidah, the central prayer of all Jewish services. Working in small groups, students had a chance to dissect the first three blessings of the Amidah, the Avot, the Gevurot and the Kedusha.

Time to Talk: To help improve the world, how can we be mighty and strong?

Welcome to Kitah Vav

Shalom from the bowels of Shaarey Zedek. After weeks of dreading my move to the basement of the shul, I am slowly becoming acclimated to my new classroom and actually enjoying the pleasant nook the sixth grade now calls home. The walls are freshly painted, the tables and chairs are new and blue, and the bulletin boards await the day when they will display the work of our 45 sixth graders. This morning we spent some time introducing ourselves, as most of our students had the advantage of knowing each other, but we were out of the loop. It didn't take us too long to get the "toilet paper" rolling, and then each student shared several thoughts about themselves, based on the number of sheets they unrolled. Everyone had a few nice things to share, and we all had a nice start to our year. Before calling it a day, we set the guidelines for a safe learning environment, and each student shared their vision for a positive working environment. Stop by our classroom to see some of their ideas, as they are posted on the board for all to see. Have a great week, see you Tuesday at B'nai Israel, Barbara and Tracye