Dear Kitah Gimel (3rd-grade) families,
Thank you so much for joining us for our Hanukkah Hagigah! We loved seeing everyone spin around like dreidels, build with marshmallows, and light the candles on the hanukkiah. We hope we could add some extra light to your Hanukkah celebrations this year!
In Debby’s class, we worked very hard on not just chanting the b’rachot for Hannukah, but reading and understanding them, as well as learning about the basic b’rachah formula. We have begun the second chapter of our Hebrew book and our students are adding to their vocabulary quickly. They have read short four to six sentence stories in Hebrew and are successfully understanding what they read, not purely decoding. We are all looking forward to returning to class and resuming our study of the Torah stories at our next class.
In Polly’s class, students learned about the history and traditions of Hanukkah. We read Hanukkah stories, sang Hanukkah songs, and wrote Hanukkah haikus! We had lots of fun preparing for our Hanukkah Hagigah celebration, and loved sharing what we learned with you!
We would also like to thank you for attending conferences with us. It is so important for us to check in and discuss how we can better work together to make your student’s Talmud Torah experience a success! As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with questions, comments, or concerns.
We wish your family a happy and healthy new year!
B’Shalom,
Polly & Debby
GIMEL/BET
Dear Kitah Gimel/Bet (3rd/2nd-grade) parents,
It was wonderful having the opportunity to meet with all of you at conferences!
Hebrew is a very important part of our work this year. Every student spends part of the day learning or reviewing the mechanics of reading in Hebrew. The students review or learn letters and vowels as well as some basic rules. Since it is a small class, this instruction can be individualized. In addition to reading and writing practice, the students have started reading stories, learning basic grammar, and learning prayers. We are also working on conversation skills. The vocabulary of the story can be used to learn to participate in conversations.
The students have received review booklets. Encourage the students to complete as many pages as possible during winter break so that they keep their skills and even improve their reading confidence. They can decide which pages they want to complete.
For Hanukkah, the students learned the story of the holiday. They learned about the miracles and how important light is to us. We reviewed the 3 blessings and lit candles. Students talked about how they could each be a Maccabee and how each of us is a small light in the world, but when we combine our light, we make a much bigger light. Students were able to join the other Gimel students at the Gimel Hanukkah celebration. Those who attended had a great time!
Students continue to learn about the holidays using ETGAR units. ETGAR also has lessons for Shabbat and for the Jewish calendar. In January, the students will celebrate trees, as they learn about Tu Bishvat.
In addition, students study about Israel. Recently they have been learning about the old city of Jerusalem.
Enjoy your winter break. I look forward to seeing everyone “next year”.
B’Shalom,
HaMorah Etta Bernstein