Photos from our Purim visit with Cantor Tisser; he brought and presented the special Torah cover from the Tree of Life Synagogue.
Shalom Talmud Torah Community!
What a fabulous month we have had! Adar has always been my favorite of the Hebrew months due to all the fun, silliness, and, of course, dressing up in costumes! Heilicher has even transformed the hallways into an amazing Under the Sea oasis and we are grateful for the opportunity to experience that magic along with them. I have loved seeing so many costumed students walking in the hallways and celebrating in their classrooms. Some favorites have been characters from Avatar and the Descendants, Link from Zelda, a banana, onesies of all sizes and species, unicorns, Creepers, royalty, and even an origami hat made from a piece of notebook paper!
In the classrooms, the Purim celebrations have truly encompassed the joy around the holiday of Purim. There was BINGO in the Vav classes, Misloach Manot decorating and packing in many classrooms, questioning and investigating the “truth” of the Purim story, mask making that encouraged students to stop hiding behind labels, and the most entertaining Purim story I have ever heard from a Mad Lib activity in the Gimel class.
We have also not let the seriousness of the holiday go unnoticed. Cantor Tisser from Beth El shared a story about the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and connected it to how Haman (boo!) wanted to kill all the Jews. It was a story of hope and kindness that ended with the making of a gorgeous Torah cover that we were lucky to see in person before it went back to its permanent home.
Moving forward, our classes will be shifting from Purim to Pesach and I can’t wait to see the amazing activities our dedicated teachers have in store. These teachers have worked hard this year to ensure quality education and engaging lessons. Because of this, I have made March all about celebrating them with chocolates, messages of appreciation, doughnuts and coffee, and a small gift. If you would like to share a positive comment about any of your child(ren)’s current or previous teachers, please send it my way and I will make sure to acknowledge them!
Along with preparing fun and informative lessons for the rest of this year, we are hard at work examining our curriculum, teaching practices, and achievement goals moving forward, and we want your input! Please fill out this brief survey to answer what you hope your child/ren will get out of their time at Talmud Torah. You can access the survey HERE.
**Also, we are administering Hebrew Reading Check-Ins to all our 2nd through 5th grade students to get a more accurate picture of where each student is in their Hebrew journey. Please sign up for a time slot HERE** If you sign-up for a slot when your child(ren) are already at TT, let us know and we will ensure they are online at the correct time. Also, if you cannot make any of these times work, let us know and we will work together to accommodate. These check-ins should not take more than 10-15 minutes to complete but, please be aware that you may have to wait in a Zoom waiting room for up to 10 minutes, so make sure you stay within hearing distance of your computer while you wait.
In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for a special video message from me and information about registration for next year!
Chag Purim Sameach!
Jody Moreimi
Head of School
Talmud Torah of Minneapolis