April 14, 2024
Hello Aleph families.
Today we talked about Passover!
We read the story, asked lots of questions, and had a great discussion about the Passover story.
We started learning the four questions, and made plague sticks!
If your child did not finish the plague sticks this time, they can finish next week.
Ask your child what the ten plagues are!
Have a great week!
March 17, 2024
Hello Aleph families!!
Today we learned about Purim. We read the story, watched a Lego animated short clip about the story, and made Hamentashen out of paper plates.
We read a cute book called “Meet the Hamentashen “ and we learned the letter Vav, for Vashti, the Kings first wife!
Ask your children about the characters that make up the Purim story!
See you all soon for our Purim day. Feel free to dress up!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and George
February 25, 2024
Hello Aleph families!
Today we practiced for our class Shabbat which will be this upcoming Friday, March 1. Please arrive with your children at 5:20 pm.
The service begins at 6:15 but we have dinner before we begin.
We also talked about Jewish foods and some class favorites.
Some that were mentioned were challah, salt water with celery, babka, lentil soup, grape juice, hamantaschen, apples and honey, etc.
We all ate some delicious, fresh Challah and watched a You tube video of kids tasting typical Jewish foods.
The students were tested on their Hebrew letter knowledge and we read a story about each Hebrew letter.
Hope to see you all on March 1.
Morah Suzanne, Parker , and George
February 11, 2024
Hello Aleph families!
Thank you to all families who attended services this Sunday morning with your children.
After a wonderful morning of Shira/Tefillah, we practiced for our class Shabbat which will be on March 1.
With the remaining time, Parker taught the students the letter Lamed and reviewed some previous letters we learned.
Have a great Presidents Day. See you all back on February 25!
February 4, 2024
Hello Aleph families!!
This week we learned about Joseph and his amazing coat of many colors. We reviewed the story of Jacob and Esau and talked about Jacob’s 13 sons where Joseph was his favorite.
The students were actively engaged in the discussion about Joseph! We talked about having siblings (or not having them) and how they would feel if their parents chose favorites!
Ask your students about the story!
We colored and decorated Joseph’s coat and learned the letter Aleph which is a silent letter.
We learned our “Name Song” for our class Shabbat which is coming soon, March 1st.
Have a great week.
See you on February 11 for the World Wide Wrap.
January 28, 2024
Hello Aleph families!
This week we learned about Tzedakah.
I loved how the students made a connection between Tzedakah and mitzvot!!
We explained that Tzedakah means charity and that we collect coins every week to help with people less fortunate. We learned that it is Jewish tradition to put a few coins in a Tzedakah box before lighting Shabbat candles on Friday night. Some of the students shared what types of Tzedakah they do!
I was so proud of the students!
We watched a video -Get with the Giving/ Gabi and Rafi Talk about Tzedakah . The students really enjoyed that!
Parker taught the students the letter Tsade. We gave the students a mini quiz to see how many letters they remembered.
Finally, we painted our own Tzedakah boxes. Som E students brought them home this week, while others decided to let them dry in the classroom. They can take them home next week.
Please send your child in with a water bottle. They get very thirsty with our salty snacks. Thanks!!
January 21, 2024
Hello Aleph families!
Today we learned about Tu B’Shevat, the birthday of the trees.
We read through a pamphlet on the holiday. Some of the students volunteered to read passages.
We talked about the benefits of trees and words associated with Tu B’Shevat by completing a word search.
We had a mini seder with dates and figs too!
Parker taught the students vet and tet today.
The students are doing great with learning the Hebrew letters.
Have a great week.
Morah Suzanne, Parker and George
January 7, 2024
Hello Aleph families!
Happy 2024!
In light of the new secular year, we talked about mitzvot.
We talked about mitzvahs and that they are good deeds and which mitzvot in particular we would like to do in the coming year. Most of the students came up with wonderful mitzvot. We created a chart and then designed our own Jewish star with the mitzvah that we intend to follow this year.
We read a book called ”Mitzvah Pizza” about a pizza place that used sticky notes in exchange for pizza.
Each sticky note represents a piece of pizza that somebody has already paid for.
We reviewed the Hebrew letters that we have learned this far.
The list includes shin, bet, gimel, dalet, hey, resh, tav, mem, nun.
Have a great week!
December 10
Hello Aleph families.
Today was a fun day celebrating Chanukah!
We ate donuts for snack, made beautiful tissue paper menorahs, learned how to play dreidel, made edible dreidels using kosher marshmallows and Hershey kisses, and read a story about Chanukah.
We had a great day!
Enjoy the rest of the holiday.
See you next week!
December 3, 2023
Hello Aleph families! In Aleph class this week, we read a story about Hanukkah. It was called “ Maccabee! The story of Hanukkah.” Then we did an activity where we had to put the events of Hanukkah in the correct order.
Parker then taught the students nun and hey.
For fun, the Aleph students did a dot to dot and created a menorah as a picture.
Finally, We watched a cute movie called “ Hanukkah on planet matzah ball” all about Chanukah !!
Have a great week!!
Happy Chanukah!!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and George
November 12
Hello Aleph families! Today we talked about Abraham, the first Jew. We read a story about Abraham, his wife Sarah, and God and how there were not even ten good people living in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
God told Lot and his family to leave the cities because God was planning to destroy the Evil cities.
We worked on questions, did a word search and learned letter Mem. The students all enjoyed shopping at the boutique too!!
Have a great week.
Morah Suzanne, Parker and George
November 5
Thank you parents who attended the Family Education Program this past Sunday.
We talked about where the origin of giving Hebrew names came from and we created beautiful posters of our Hebrew names with photos and descriptions. Everyone did a gorgeous job on these posters! They will be laminated and returned at our Class Shabbat in March.
We also created name jewelry which I encourage you to keep safe until our class Shabbat.
I loved how the students all were willing to share their posters with the class.
We read a story about Jewish names too!
Thank you for coming to the program!!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and George
October 29
Today we talked about the Tower of Babel. We read the story, then we learned how to say hello in many different languages.
We played a language bingo and used M and M’s for bingo markers. We built our own towers with Legos and Parker taught the students the letter Dalet.
Next weekend is our family education program. Please bring photos of who your child is named after . Looking forward to seeing you all!
October 22, 2023
Today in Aleph we learned about the Garden of Eden. We read the story and then we had to remember the sequence and put the cards in the correct order.
We made our own sneaky snake out of strawberries and bananas!
We learned letter resh today and reviewed tav, bet and shin.
Have a great week.
Morah Suzanne, Parker and George
October 15, 2023
Aleph - Hello Aleph class families! This week the students learned and reviewed all about Shabbat. We reviewed that the 7th day of creation was God's day of rest, the day we call Shabbat.
We started our morning with a group discussion about what we already know about Shabbat. I loved their enthusiasm for participation. We talked about many of the key elements of Shabbat and some even know the prayers. We continued the day by creating our own Challah covers to use on Shabbat. I had their Hebrew names written out so they could write them on their covers. Most children decided to write their Hebrew names on the cover! We worked on a Shabbat word search which included many words that relate, such as family, rest, Saturday, Sabbath, prayers, etc.
Parker taught the students the letters tav and bet today .
Thank you for sharing your children with us!
Morah Suzanne, Parker
Ma y 7, 2023
Aleph
1 - This week we learned about Lag B’omer.
We read a book called “Sadie’s Lag B’omer Mystery”.
We learned that Lag B’omer is the holiday we celebrate between Passover and Shavuot.
It is the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer.
We completed a word search with Lag B’omer words and made a bonfire out of fun treats!
Lag B’omer is celebrated with bonfires, picnics and fun!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and Max
Aleph 2
Hi families,
After we finished school and class photos, the students and I continued learning about Israel this week. I was so pleased to hear that a few of them even took time during the week to research and learn more about the Dead Sea! We learned about the ways people in Israel live that are similar and different from the way we live here. This included talking about Kibbutzim and Moshavim and listening to the book, Chicken Man, to deepen their understanding. Ask them what job they’d like to have if they lived on a Kibbutz!
It’s hard to believe we only have one more day of Hebrew School. Everyone has been working really hard to keep their Siddurim open to the correct page and participate during morning Tefilah as well as listen and participate in class. As a result, they’ve once again filled their pompom jar. To celebrate their accomplishment, to mark the end of the year, and to celebrate Shavuot (because I have to throw learning into the prize) we will be making our own pizza, having ice cream, and wearing PJs on 5/21. If you have any concerns or questions about this, please let me know.
Have a great week!
Morah Jen, Hannah, and Parker
April 30, 2023
Aleph 1 - Hello families!
This week we talked about Israel.
Israel’s birthday was this past week and we talked about all the different parts of Israel and how they are special.
We read a book called” Ella’s trip to Israel “about a girl who travels with her family to Israel.
We watched a video on the Dead Sea and how people float!!
We made Israeli flags too!
For a special treat, we ate hummus with crackers and drank mango juice. If anyone was allergic they did not have. They ate the items that they were permitted to.
Have a great week.
Morah Suzanne, Parker and Max
Aleph 2 - Hi families,
It was so nice to see everyone after a few weeks apart! Since we just celebrated Yom Haatzmaut, we spent the day learning about Israel. After talking to students about what they know about it, we discussed the different regions including the Negev (ask them what Negev means), the different bodies of water in Israel, and some major cities using maps, books, and videos to help with our understanding. They even got to hold a chunk of salt from the Dead Sea. We will continue our discussion next week as we start to wrap out what has been a fabulous year together.
Have a great week,
Morah Jen
April 23, 2023
Hello Aleph 1 families!!
Happy Spring.
This week we had music with Alex and learned about the Mezuzah.
We learned that every Jewish home has a mezuzah on their doorpost and that the mezuzah contains the words of the Shema. We know that the mezuzah asks God to keep our homes safe.
We recited the prayer and then made our very own mezuzah!
Have a great week!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and Max
Aleph 2
Shalom,
Today we had a giant review of Hebrew letters through games. The students used puzzles, blocks, cards and magnetic letters to identify letters learned this year. They also earned points for saying Hebrew words beginning with the letters called. We learned about Israel's birthday, which was celebratedf earlier this week and read a book sbout an imaginary trip to Israel stopping ub najor cities all over the country.
Morah Jen, Parker and Hannah
March 26, 2023
In class we read the book “More than Enough” by April Halprin Wayland. The book repeatedly says “Dayenu”- “it would have been enough.” Students were asked to think about some experiences and gifts which they are thankful for and the class responded, Dayenu! For the past two weeks we have focused on the first and second of the Ma Nishtanah, this week we focused on the 3rd and 4th questions. Then the class talked about the order of the seder and did an art project related to this. In Hebrew, we reviewed the following letters: Shin, Samech, Lamed, Daled, Tav, Aleph, Nun, Bet, Yud, Chet, Mem, Tet, Vav, Pey (for Pesach), and introduced the letter Hey (for Haggadah), which means “telling”. It was a wonderful morning of learning
March 19, 2023
Hello awesome Aleph families!!
What a fun day we had! In preparation for Passover we watched the movie the Prince of Egypt.
We enjoyed popcorn, Matzoh brittle and got to wear our PJs!!
Since Passover is around the corner, we learned new songs during Shira/Tefillah, which can be sung at your Passover seder.
Have a great week!
Morah Suzanne, Morah Jen, Parker, Hannah, and Max
March 12, 2023
Section 1
Hi Parents,
The Aleph students have been working so hard and did such an amazing job at the class Shabbat so we’d like to reward them with a special day of activities this Sunday. That being said, Passover is coming up so our special day will incorporate learning about the holiday by showing the movie The Prince of Egypt while providing some nut free, kosher snacks (including some Passover favorites). Kids are also encouraged to wear pjs and bring in a stuffed animal. If you have any concerns about the movie or the snack, please reach out to us no later than noon on Friday.
Thank you for all your support!!
Best,
Morah Suzanne and Morah Jen
Section 2
Hi families,
We did it! The class filled their pompom jar and earned a prize for this Sunday. Please see the email from Rabbi Kornsgold for details. Aside from celebrating their accomplishment, we discussed the different backgrounds Jewish people have and their exodus (like the Torah book that we’re currently reading from and the story of Passover…see what we did there) from various countries. We looked at a map and discussed Sephardic and Ashkenazi origins and the languages Ladino and Yiddish. We read the books Buen Shabbat, Shabbat Shalom and When Jessie Came Across the Sea and listened to a song in each language. Finally we started a family tree which the children brought home to finish with your help and discuss their personal/family journey. In Hebrew the kids learned the letter vav. They also had music today which is always a fan favorite!
Have a great week,
Morah Jen and Parker
February 26, 2023
Section A
Hello Aleph families! This week we learned about Joseph and his amazing rainbow coat. We talked about his father Jacob and that Joseph had 11 brothers! After reading the story, the students all answered questions about Joseph and his family. After that, we all decorated our own technicolor dream coat! If the students finished early, I had a color by number coat to complete.
In Hebrew class we reviewed the letters by playing four square. What a fun game!
Following that, we went to the sanctuary and practiced the songs and tefillot for our Class Shabbat. The kids did a great job!
Don't forget our class Shabbat will be this Friday, March 3, please arrive by 5:20pm, so the kids can rehearse with Cantor Lissek.
Hope to see you all there!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and Max
Section B
Hi families,
This was another busy week for kitah aleph! We started the day by trying carob as a carry over from our Tu B'shvat lesson…it was was not great!!! But since all of our brave students (and Morah and Madricha) tasted it despite its foul aroma, the class earned a giant pompom. Next we continued our Shabbat discussion, listened to some fun a capella Shabbat songs, and did a Shabbat related craft. We ended the day practicing for our family Shabbat. The students and I are so excited for Friday and hope everyone can make it!
Morah Jen and Hannah
February 12, 2023
Aleph
Section 1
Hello Aleph 1 families! This week our class had music with Alex. We sang new songs and some familiar ones. We also began practicing for our class Shabbat which is on March 3. Our class talked about Havdalah. We learned a lot about it including what it is, how many prayers we say and what special items we use to mark the end of Shabbat.
We read a cute book called “Welcome” because we always encourage the students to be welcoming and supportive of everyone. Finally, we learned the letter lamed and played a fun game putting the Hebrew letters together to make words.
Don’t forget, Sunday the 19th there is no religious school (Presidents Day Weekend). See you all on the 26th! Morah Suzanne, Parker, and Max
Section 2
After Shira/Tefillah. The class reviewed material from the prior week. Then, we talked about Shabbat. The students had so much to say about Shabbat! Afterwards, we practiced the songs the class will be singing at their Class Shabbat, March 3.
During Hebrew time, the students learned the letter lamed and played a fun game putting the Hebrew letters together to make words. Next week they will continue talking and learning about Shabbat, in addition to making a Challah cover. Reminder – no class this Sunday, 2/19.
February 5, 2023
Section A - Hello families!! What a busy Sunday we had. This morning, during Tefillah, Rabbi Wolk told us the story of Honi and the Circle Maker, who met a farmer who was planting carob seeds. The story explained it takes 70 years for a seed to grow to a full grown tree that gives fruit. Honi wondered why the farmer would bother if he would not be around to see it. The farmer explained he is not planting the seeds for himself. He is planting these trees for future generations.
Rabbi Wolk told this story because this week we celebrated Tu B’shvat, the birthday of the trees.
In class, we continued the discussion and talked about all the awesome things that trees give us. We read through our BJL beginnings worksheet further continuing the conversation of Tu B’shvat. We worked on a Tu B’shbat word search and coloring page, we watched a cute video of the holiday, we read a book called " Mr. Tempkin climbs a tree" and best of all, we had a mini Tu B’shvat seder with dates, apricots and dried kiwi.
Parker continues to teach the students Hebrew letters and how to write them.
Have a wonderful remainder of the week.
Morah Suzanne, Parker, and Max
Section B -
January 29, 2023
Section A
For this week's lesson, our students learned about a Jewish meal. We started the day having a discussion about Jewish foods. The kids had to think of a typically Jewish food and then tell us what holiday or occasion that we normally eat that food. I will send you all a picture of the students responses.
We read the BJL beginnings pamphlet about a Jewish meal and learned that a Jewish meal begins and ends with a blessing over bread. We talked about the importance of God and how God created everything in the creation of bread. We recited the bracha over a challah and then got to enjoy it!
We watched a cute video of children eating typical Jewish foods including lox, babka and brisket!
In Hebrew, Parker taught the students the letter Aleph which does not make a sound. He also reviewed previous letters taught.
Next Sunday, February 5th, whichever class has the most parents attend Shira/Tefillah (and then the PTO meeting) will get a special snack. Hopefully our Aleph class can be the winner!
See you Sunday!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and Max
Section B
Hi families,
This week we continued our discussion of mitzvot and tzedakah. Everyone was very excited to do the art project that went along with our lesson and will be bringing home their beautifully painted tzedakah boxes next week. We also read the book Bagels from Benny to further explore the different ways we can do mitzvot and to loop into our previous lesson about how we’re partners with God. In Hebrew, the students reviewed previously learned letters using a movement game to help them remember the sounds each letter makes.
Have a good week!
Morah Jen, Hannah, and Parker
Sunday, January 22, 2023
Section A - Hello Aleph 1 families!!
This week we learned all about Tzedakah.
We talked about what Tzedakah is, what it is used for and how important it is to give. We read a Jewish folktale about the idea of Tzedakah and each student had a chance to read a passage from our Tzedakah worksheet.
We listened to an amazing song called “ put it in the pushke the Tzedakah box” the whole time.
Ask your children about it!!
We learned the letter tzade for Tzedakah and made our very own Tzedakah boxes.
They know that they can put money in the box when they hear good news, before lighting Shabbat candles and at holidays.
If you can, please send your child to TIRS with a small bag. Sometimes we have a lot of things to bring home and it's hard for their little hands to carry everything.
Thank you!! Morah Suzanne
Section B - Hi parents,
This week we explored the concept of mitzvot in the context of stories in the Torah. We read a book and watched a video that corresponded to these topics. The children also continued to work on their book illustrating parshiyot. In Hebrew they learned the letter צ. Finally we talked about the number and types of mitzvot and came up with examples of each kind.
Have a great week!
Morah Jen
January 8, 2023
Section A –
Hello families! Happy New Year!
Although Parker and I were not there in class, the awesome Denise Abadi subbed for our class and she said the kids were great!
The lesson for the day was about mitzvot. - What is a mitzvah- the children gave examples of what they do that is considered a mitzvah. They talked about things they should do and things they should not do.
They read the book - Its a, Its a, It's a mitzvah. and discussed the biblical story of Abraham and Sarah and how Sarah did the mitzvah of welcoming guests. They reviewed Hebrew letters and Alex, our new music teacher, taught them Od yavo Shalom. Check out the post on the FB TIRS group to see the video of them singing.
Remember that next week there is no TIRS. Looking forward to seeing you all on January 22.
Section B -
Hi parents,
It was great to be back and see everyone after our break! I went to Israel over the vacation and brought back some Israeli snacks for the students to taste. The snacks weren’t universally loved but I was very proud of them all for trying new things (Bamba Metuka/ sweet bamba, Falafel flavored bissli, and halva). Next we had a very special music class followed by Hebrew review. Check out the post on the FB TIRS group to see the video of them singing. The students took turns identifying Hebrew letters, saying their sounds, and writing them on the write board. Last we had a discussion about the Chumash and reviewed the stories in the first book via discussion and an art project that will continue throughout the year.
Have a great week!! Reminder – no school on Sunday, January 15.
Morah Jen and Ava
December 11, 2022
Sec. 1 Hello families! Thank you to all who participated in our family education project. The Aleph class focuses on the theme Hebrew names. Our program emphasizes what our Hebrew name is and who we may be named after. Since the students will use their Hebrew names throughout religious school, the aleph class is a great time to learn your name, how it is spelled, what it means and what special person you may be named after.
I hope you all got to know one another during our ice breaker activity. Creating beautiful posters and jewelry with our Hebrew names was very special to us. I enjoyed watching all the work and effort you put into making these memorable posters. I am glad that some of the students felt comfortable getting up to share their wonderful poster with the group. I am sure all the parents were proud.
The book read at the end of the program was a cute story explaining that each Hebrew name is special to each person.
Once again, thank you for those who participated in this project. We will have the posters laminated for you to keep forever. Please also save the bracelets/necklaces you made with your Hebrew name. We will all be wearing them at our Class Shabbat Celebration (March 3). Thank you!!!
See you soon!
Morah Suzanne, Parker and Max
Sec. 2
Thank you to everyone who came out for our family program! Everyone did a great job learning about their Hebrew names and many even decided to present on the stage to the whole group. Next Sunday there will be school-wide Chanukah activities and then we have a few weeks off. I hope you all have a restful break and a Chanukah sameach!
Morah Jen, Ava, and Parker
December 4, 2022
Section 1
Hello Aleph families. Today we had our fun Chanukah boutique. The students had a chance to purchase gifts for family members!
Our friend Henry won a raffle prize. Yay Henry! We learned some facts about Chanukah, learned how to play dreidel, and made edible dreidels!!
We had such a fun class! Don’t forget, this Sunday, December 11, is our family education program. Please bring a photo of who your child is named after.
Thank you!! See you on Sunday!
Morah Suzanne, Parker, and Max
Section 2
Hi families,
We had a very exciting day on Sunday! Not only did your children get to shop at the Chanukah boutique but we also earned our class PJ day and ice cream party! To give the fun an educational edge, the children learned the Hebrew word for ice cream and practiced recognizing their Hebrew name, both spoken and written in Hebrew. I’m Hebrew class the kids had a blast playing dreidel!
I look forward to meeting you all at the Family Education program on Sunday.
Have a great week,
Morah Jen, Ava, and Parker
