Fall Fix-Up

WOW!!! 

It was nice to see so many of our Kitah Vav students at the Fall Fix-Up Mitzvah Day.  The weather was beautiful and all of us had the opportunity to witness first hand the importance of Tikkun Olam, working together to repair the world.  Many of our classroom discussions focus on the importance of being an active member of our community, and how each of us is personally responsible for making the world a better place.  Spending time together helping others gave each of us a first hand experience and takes the lessons in the classroom out into the world.  

Thank you for helping to make this a hands on  learning experience for our students. 

Have a great week, and we will see you Tuesday afternoon. 

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.

Standing at Mount Sinai

In our afternoon rotations we continue to talk about Revelation and the work we must do to build a long lasting Jewish community for generations to come. We have been writing speeches defending the public reading of Torah versus the sanctity of reading Torah in a sacred space, and debating the best way to get the word out to our community.


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

DONT FORGET:

Family Ed Tikkun Olam program on Sunday, October 31, 2010

Please call the office to register

All Wrapped Up!

Thanks again to everyone who participated in our 

Tzitzit and Tallit Program.  

If you were unable to attend, it is not to late to make a Tallit.   

If you are interested, buy the fabric and attach the grommets or make the appropriate size holes in each of the four corners of the cloth.  Bring your fabric to class on Tuesday or Sunday and I will teach you how to tie the tzitzit . 

A Revelation

We have been talking about Revelation, private and communal prayer and the Torah Service in our Tuesday afternoon class.  We have had some wonderful discussions about our connection to the generations before us, and the importance of maintaining links to the past and creating our own personal history for the generations in the future. 

This week students had the chance to learn about our Torah Service, and many had the insight to see the similarities between our standing at Mt Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, and our standing in the congregation on Shabbat morning, looking at the Aron HaKodesh, and watching the Torah procession. 

Thank you to all of the families who participated in our Tzitzit and Tallit program, it was wonderful to see so many of you.  If I did not get a chance to stop by and meet with you personally, please accept this note as an open invitation to visit our classroom.  You are always welcome, and we encourage your participation in our learning. 

SHABBAT SCHOOL IS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2010

NO CLASS SUNDAY,  OCTOBER 17, 2010

Have a great week, Barbara

Welcome to Kitah Vav 2010

Kitah Vav is off to a great start.  In our Sunday morning rotation we have been talking about the Hebrew year and the cycles of the moon.  On Tuesday, we have started the Chai curriculum, an all inclusive sixth grade program which is based on the understanding of revelation, and the idea that all Jews were present at Mount Sinai.  We have had some wonderful discussions about building our sixth grade community and taking personal responsibility for the future of  the Jewish people. 

Our Tzitzit and Tallit program is this Sunday, don't forget your fabric.  

The Final Stretch 2010

The students in the Kitah Vav Circle of Life rotation have completed core units on the Hebrew calendar, holiday celebrations, circumcision, Bar and Bat Mitzvah, Jewish identity and death and mourning. As the year quickly comes to an end, we will continue to explore the Jewish values and hidden meanings found in our weekly Torah portions, and introduce lessons on Jewish traditions, laws and customs concerning dating, marriage, and divorce.

We have spent a considerable amount of time on our b'nai mitzvah unit as this unit introduces students to the b'nai mitzvah process, encourages them to begin thinking about the personal responsibilities associated with becoming a b'nai mitzvah, and provides them with an opportunity to explore the many Jewish values embraced in their specific Torah portions. Students were given handouts and a rubric in March to help them complete their mini d'var Torah and personal statements, and all papers are due this on or before May 11, 2010.

If your student has not shared this assignment with you, please contact me as soon as possible, and I will help them collect the information they need to complete this year end research project.

Have a great week, Barbara