Susie's letter:
Dear Hey 1 and Hey 2 (5th grade) Parents,
We were excited and pleased to see so many special guests, grandparents, and parents last Sunday at our annual “Multi-Generations Day” at TT. This was the first time we had it online and it was very successful. We noted that more people attended the event than during the previous year. We had visitors from many places around the US, and even from Canada!
I have to say that I had concerns that, this year, because of not seeing your children--my students face to face in real life, I would not be able to “bond “ with them as well as I have in previous years. That concern has not materialized! We have gotten to know our students and have bonded with them in spite of our not being in the same physical space. We have incorporated into our lessons, many aspects of sharing and discussions so that the students have felt comfortable expressing feelings and opinions on screen. There are opportunities to share memories and stories and the students have learned to rise to the occasion and share their thoughts with each other and with me.
In Torah class, we have learned about Cain and Abel this past month and have discussed one of the most famous questions in the Torah asked by Cain when God asked him where his brother Abel was: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” After long and interesting discussions over two lessons, the students expressed what things they did and planned to do in their lives because they felt they were “their brothers keeper.”
The current story “Noah and the Ark” has us talking about the challenge of being good when everyone around you is acting badly and how difficult it is to maintain your goodness. Our students have been in similar situations and it resonated with them. I am very pleased with the level of maturity and understanding that your children display in their insights on Torah texts.
As always, please feel free to talk to us about any concerns you have or to share with us any information you think would help us understand your child if there are any issues. We thank you for your trust and support of Jewish education and wish you well.
Toda Rabah,
Susie Chalom
Mary's letter:
Dear Hey 1 and Hey 2 (5th grade) Parents,
I so enjoyed seeing so many of you, grandparents and other guests at our recent Multi-Generations Day. I thank you for your commitment to Jewish education and to Talmud Torah. Here is an update about what we have been doing in class.
Ivrit - Hebrew
We continue to work on speaking, reading, grammar and comprehension skills. In our 2nd unit we continue to work on root words. I have also introduced prefixes and 3rd person singular past tense. All the verbs we have learned so far have been present tense, so this is a new addition.
We are working on the Friday Night Kiddush and on the Torah Service, taking out of the Torah.
The story we have been working on is about a special Kiddush cup from Israel, a perfect connector to our unit on Shabbat.
Holidays/Life Cycle
We began our discussion about Shabbat talking about “menucha,” rest, and its benefits. This very much captured the interest of my students since we spoke about menucha at camp. We learned that Shabbat is a special day, separate from all other days. It is an opportunity to reflect, to do things we can’t do during the week. It is also a “holy” day, which led us to a discussion of what is holy and what is not. I asked what it would be like to disconnect from devices on Shabbat (when possible, of course), and we discussed the pros and cons of doing this.
Some of the material we used for the study of Shabbat can be found in their text, Make, Create, Celebrate. The kids really like the activities in this book as well as the opportunities to use their creativity in expressing themselves through art. It has been a joy working with your children and I so appreciate your partnering with us!
As Jews we are reminded that gratitude, Hakarat Hatov, is one of our most important values. I wish all of you a wonderful, albeit different, Thanksgiving. May we all realize how much we have for which to be grateful, even in these tumultuous times.
L’hitraot,
Mary
Hey 3 (Tues/Thurs)
Dear Hey 3 (5th grade) Parents,
I hope that this communication finds all of you well. Here is an update about what we have been doing in class.
Ivrit- Hebrew
We continue to work on speaking, reading, grammar and comprehension skills. In our 2nd unit we continue to work on root words. I have also introduced prefixes and 3rd person singular past tense. All the verbs we have learned so far have been present tense, so this is a new addition. We are working on the Friday Night Kiddush and on the Torah Service, taking out of the Torah. The story we have been working on is about a special Kiddush cup from Israel, a perfect connector to our unit on Shabbat.
Holidays/Life Cycle
We began our discussion about Shabbat talking about “menucha,” rest, and its benefits. This very much captured the interest of my students since we spoke about menucha at camp. We learned that Shabbat is a special day, separate from all other days. It is an opportunity to reflect, to do things we can’t do during the week. It is also a “holy” day, which led us to a discussion of what is holy and what is not. I asked what it would be like to disconnect from devices on Shabbat (when possible, of course), and we discussed the pros and cons of doing this.
Some of the material we used for the study of Shabbat can be found in their text, Make, Create, Celebrate.The kids really like the activities in this book as well as the opportunities to use their creativity in expressing themselves through art.
Torah
We learned about the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve. Human beings were created as God’s partners and it is our job to care for the world. We also spoke about making choices and the fact that making the wrong choice can have serious consequences. In the story of Cain and Abel we spoke about Cain’s response to God: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We explored why the answer to that question must be: “Yes, I am my brother’s keeper.” It has been a joy working with your children and I so appreciate your partnering with us.
As Jews we are reminded that gratitude, Hakarat Hatov, is one of our most important values. I wish all of you a wonderful, albeit different, Thanksgiving. May we all realize how much we have for which to be grateful, even in these tumultuous times.
L’hitraot,
Mary