Many of our students had the opportunity to make a Yad with Artist in Residence, Gail Kaplan. If you missed the opportunity, please contact Megan Toppor for the make-up date. These beautiful, one of a kind pieces are a gift from the Religious School to all students to use as they read Torah for the very first time. Hopefully, they will be used many more times as our students continue on their Jewish Journey.
As the year quickly comes to an end, many of our students have finished their personal statements and are working on their D'var Torah. If your student has not brought home a B'nai Mitzvah packet to help them complete this project, please have them contact me as soon as possible. Students have been given class time to work on this project, and all papers are due on Sunday, May 22, 2011.
Attendance awards are being presented at the end of the year ceremony. If your child has missed less than three times this year, they are eligible for an attendance certificate. Please have them contact me if they believe they have earned an award.
This week we will complete our Life Cycle Unit on Dating, Marriage, and Divorce, and we look forward to celebrating together at our End of the Year Celebration. Please feel free to join us next Sunday for our L'ag B'Omer Celebration.
It has been a pleasure working with your children this year. They are a bright, committed, and articulate group of students, and I believe they are beginning their Jewish Journey into adulthood, prepared to be educated, informed, and knowledgeable Jews, able to live a Jewish life in a non-Jewish world.
Thank you to all of the students who volunteered at the Purim Carnival, you did a great job. I have worked with our sixth grade students in the past, but this year's group was extraordinary. All of you supervised your stations appropriately, engaged our younger students, helped each child feel good about themselves, and you made everyone feel comfortable in our Shul. You were a true benefit, and I am proud to say you were students in Kitah Vav! Yasher Koach on a job well done, you should be very proud of yourselves.
DON'T FORGET!
Sunday, Marcy 27, 2011 - Field Trip to Ira Kaufman Funeral Home
Meet in the Lobby of the Shul at 9:30am
Bring a signed permission slip
Bring a parent to accompany you or...
Make arrangements to carpool with a friend
NO CLASS - SPRING BREAK
Sunday, April 3, 2011 through April 10, 2011
SAVE THE DATE
SIXTH GRADE FAMILY ED TEFILLIN PROGRAM
Sunday, April 17, 2011.
More Info to Follow
The celebration of Purim allows children to associate Judaism with joy and celebration. They feel bonded to a people and community who know how to laugh and love their tradition enough to play with it and enjoy it.
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1.The Reading of the Megillah
On Purim it is a mitzvah to hear the Megillah, the Book of Esther, read aloud. Purim’s festivities center on this reading. The actual story of the Megillah is one of straightforward idealism. Its message for us and for our children is that every Jew can be a hero and that individuals can make a difference. Attending a Megillah reading and discussing the story of Esther with children can help to foster a sense of self-worth and provide a role model for every would-be hero.
2.Giving Shalach Manot, Gifts of Food
Giving Shalach Manot reminds us that being a Jew means being part of the community and sharing celebrations with friends. Giving Shalach Manot is a simple mitzvah. It is just a matter of giving a gift of two or more kinds of food to the people important in your family’s life. Shalach Manot may typically include hamantashen , three-cornered cookies named after Haman, fruit, and candy.
3.Giving Matanot la-Evyonim, Gifts to the Poor
In the Jewish tradition, every act of celebration, every moment of significance, and every formal gathering includes an opportunity for giving tzedakah. Tzedakah, comes from the Hebrew word meaning justice, and is the obligation to help those who are in need by sharing part of the wealth we are fortunate enough to have.
4.Celebrate and Be Happy
On Purim, it is a mitzvah to celebrate and be happy. Parties, special meals, hamantashen, costumes, carnivals, plays and sounding graggers are all part of the Purim festival. It is even a mitzvah to get drunk with gladness.
The core curriculum in our Tuesday afternoon class reinforces the concept that each of us has a direct responsibility to care for the world through building a relationship with GOD, ourselves, and the community. To further emphasize the importance of working to build these relationships through acts of kindness, we will be making Mishlach Manot, baskets of food for people in our community to fulfill one of the commandments of the Purim celebration.
In addition to making these gifts of food, students are encouraged to donate money to the poor, hear the megillah being read aloud, and celebrate at a Purim Seudah. By participating in this wonderful act of giving, and attending the Purim Extravaganza on Saturday evening, March 19, and Sunday morning, March 20, Kitah Vav students with fulfill the observance of all four of these mitzvot, and begin their pre B'nai Mitzvah journey into Jewish adulthood.
Please send in two regular size packages, or one COSTCO size bag or box of Kosher treats, candy, snacks, crackers, granola bars, raisins, or fruit snacks, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 to help make these Mishlach Manot packages.
Thank you in advance for your kind and generous donations.
As the end of the year quickly approaches, we are preparing for units on Purim, Passover, and Shavuot observances, and the Jewish traditions, laws, and customs concerning dating, marriage, divorce, death and dying.
Our Life Cycle Unit on Death and Dying will begin on Sunday, March 13, 2011, and will commence on Sunday, March 27, 2011 with our Family Education Trip to the Ira Kaufman Funeral Chapel. Please plan on joining us as we take a behind the scenes tour, ask questions, and learn about traditional Jewish burial customs.
In past years, this topic has been quite interesting for the students, as they seem to have many questions concerning this often taboo subject. The unit is taught in a sensitive, safe, and non-threatening manner, but may be an uncomfortable topic for some students. Please take a few minutes to discuss the curriculum with your children and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
