Dear Sunday/Wednesday Kitah Dalet (4th grade) Families,
We are so excited to welcome you and your children to 4th grade at Talmud Torah! A little bit about us-
Debby Litman (Sun/Wed):
Is a veteran teacher of 30+ years and has taught Hebrew and Judaics at Talmud Torah and in various other institutions in Minnesota. She is passionate about Jewish education that began when she was a student at Talmud Torah. What Debby is most excited about this year is the opportunity to work with many of the same kids from last year, continuing to teach them Ivrit (Hebrew), Judaics, and contributing to the development of their Jewish identities.
Ann Hunegs (Sun/Wed):
As a Talmud Torah Bet Midrash graduate, I have taught for over twenty years in the Jewish community, most recently at Heilicher. My extensive experience in teaching has been both in classrooms and as a tutor. I look forward to bringing the excitement of learning Hebrew and learning about our beautiful traditions and customs to our Talmud Torah learners. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year with the Dalet students!!
This year promises to be a year of growth, learning, fun and building community!
We are structuring Kitah Dalet differently this year. Both Debby and Ann will be teaching Ivrit and Judaics. All of the students will have Ivrit at the same time and then Judaics at the same time. This allows us to tailor the Hebrew curricula to students’ needs and skills. Our Hebrew program will use The New Siddur Program for Hebrew and Heritage, Books 1 and 2 by Pearl and Norman Tarnor and the Prayer Skills Workbooks 1 and 2 by Roberta Osser Baum and Magda Winter as our primary texts. We will be devoting time every class period to reading and improving reading skills.
Students are encouraged to practice their Hebrew reading aloud at home. Regular assignments are given to read pages from The New Siddur Program for Hebrew and Heritage and the Prayer Skills Workbook. Thank you in advance for listening to them and for signing their assignment sheet when they complete the homework.
This year we also have the opportunity to begin with a unit of study that focuses on the High Holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Students will reflect upon what Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur mean to them, how they celebrate, and will also explore how Jews in Israel celebrate the High Holidays. They will study the sounds of the shofar, the last verse of Avinu Malkekinu, appropriate blessings, brainstorm ways to ask for forgiveness for our wrongdoings, and also how to forgive others.
Etgar, our primary Judaics curricula, allows for the exploration of Jewish traditions, values, and rituals, as well as opportunities to create personal meaning and engage in self-discovery. Etgar uses a project-based and experiential learning model which draws upon multiple intelligences.
The first unit, which is called Zikaron, will be an exploration of family roots and memories. As part of this first unit students will:
Use family stories as starting points for deepened connections to their Jewish ancestors
Create family trees and share family memories and stories
Learn about the legacies of their own families
Etgar also incorporates Hebrew into every aspect of the curricula, which both reinforces our primary texts and enhances the students general Hebrew vocabulary. In the coming weeks, we will be sending you more information about Etgar and the units of study for the year.
Your children’s education is a partnership between all of us. We encourage open and honest communication and welcome any suggestions, questions, or concerns you may have.
Please do not hesitate to email either of us at ahunegs@talmudtorahmpls.org or dlitman@talmudtorahmpls.org.
Wishing you and your entire family a Shanah Tovah!
Sincerely,
HaMorot Ann Hunegs and Debby Litman
Mary Baumgarten (Tue/Thur):
Dear Tuesday/Thursday Kitah Gimel (3rd grade) and Kitah Dalet (4th grade) Families, I hope that you and your families enjoyed a wonderful summer and I am delighted to welcome you and your children to a new school year at Talmud Torah. I know many of you already and I look forward to meeting those of you whom I have not yet met.
We have a wonderful group of students on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I look forward to a great year together. I have previously taught combined grade level classes at Talmud Torah and they provide many unique opportunities for individualized learning and social interaction among the students.
Please, let’s keep the lines of communication open. Feel free to reach out to me anytime with concerns, comments, or questions. I want to make sure that your children get the most out of their time at Talmud Torah and I will do whatever I can to achieve that goal. Your partnership is invaluable in making this happen!
Wishing you and your families a Shanah Tovah U’Metuka, a Happy and Sweet New Year.
L’hitraot,
Mary Baumgarten
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