Mary’s Update
Dear Kitah Hey 1 and 2 (5th-grade) Families,
I hope that you enjoyed Pesach and your Spring Break. It is so nice getting to see your children at TT again after such a long break.
April is filled with commemorations and celebrations and it is important to me to mark Jewish time and to understand the importance and relevance of each of these days on the Jewish calendar. We spoke about Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and the importance of remembering. Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) came next and we remembered the sacrifice of Israel’s 23,928 fallen soldiers. We then moved from sadness to joy as we celebrated Israel and discussed why Israel is so important to the Jewish people.
The focus of our next Hebrew unit will be mezuzzot, as the story we will learn is about a special mezuzah from Israel. I hope that everyone enjoyed the tour of some of the mezzuzot in my home!
Reading practice will continue and is very important for all of my students. We will continue to add to our vocabulary and search for root words as a clue to the meanings of words they think they may not know. Please have your children practice their reading at home!
It’s hard to believe that our school year is passing by so quickly. I look forward to being able to see you and your children in person, in the near future.
L’hitraot,
Mary
Susie’s Update
Dear Kitah Hey (5th-grade) Parents,
I hope you all enjoyed a restful Passover!
In Torah class, we have been busy studying the story of Jacob and Esau with many discussions about siblings and family dynamics. Your children are insightful and thoughtful about relationships, and you should all be proud of how grateful and lucky they all feel to be in the family that they are.
We are now devoting some time to studying about the land of Israel. We “toured” the Old City of Jerusalem this week and are going to tour different cities and sites of interest in the coming weeks. It was reassuring for me to learn from the students that they felt that Israel was a special place for them, and they expressed a desire to visit it someday; indeed, some of them already know that they will be visiting Israel in the coming years. That is not something one can take for granted these days.
I am very grateful that class attendance has been very good, and that the students’ behavior is positive and cooperative.
We will, hopefully, be finishing the book of Genesis in the remaining month and a half of school. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call either of us. We are extremely grateful for your partnership and welcome your feedback.
Keep safe and healthy,
Susie Chalom
HEY 3
Dear Kitah Hey 3 (5th-grade) Families,
I hope that you enjoyed Pesach and your Spring Break.
It is so nice getting to see your children at TT again after such a long break.
April is filled with commemorations and celebrations and it is important to me to mark Jewish time and to understand the importance and relevance of each of these days on the Jewish calendar. We spoke about Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and the importance of remembering. Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) came next and we remembered the sacrifice of Israel’s 23,928 fallen soldiers. We then moved from sadness to joy as we celebrated Israel and discussed why Israel is so important to the Jewish people.
Our study of Torah continues with our matriarchs and patriarchs as we move on from Abraham and Sarah to Isaac and Rebecca. We see the importance of our Jewish values of kindness and respect. Sibling rivalry and parental favoritism bring with them serious consequences in the lives of our forefathers.
The focus of our next Hebrew unit will be mezuzzot, as the story we will learn is about a special mezuzah from Israel. I hope that everyone enjoyed the tour of some of the mezzuzot in my home!
Reading practice will continue and is very important for all of my students. We will continue to add to our vocabulary and search for root words as a clue to the meanings of words they think they may not know. Please have your children practice their reading at home!
It’s hard to believe that our school year is passing by so quickly. I look forward to being able to see you and your children in person, in the near future.
L’hitraot,
Mary