Judaics Weekly Bulletin 4/30/10
We have all been learning how special Israel and Jerusalem are to the Jewish people. We talked about how special the Beit Hamikdash (the temple) was for the Jewish people, and that we are sad we no longer have it- but we do have one wall, that Hashem promised would never be destroyed. We love that wall very much, and never leave it alone- someone is always there, day or night. We can pray at the Kotel, and put notes of prayer to Hashem in the wall. We also spoke about how Hashem loves each person sooo much, and never wants anyone to be mean or say something mean to another person. So, for Lag B'Omer we learned about the mitzvah of loving others as yourself- being nice to other people. In that vein, we made a picture for another child in the class, stating why we like that child. The children loved receiving their own special page!
Thank you for those who brought in paper towel rolls - please continue to send those in, as we still need more- thanks
Thanks and Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam
Rimon Weekly bulletin 4/30/10
We are excited to learn about the different categories of animals- mammals, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and fish. We have small figures of animals to sort, folders of pictures of the various categories of animals, and lots of books about animals!
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam and Morah Adi
D'vash Weekly Bulletin 4/30/10
We have been ticking off the days on our caterpillar chart to see how long it will take for them to make cocoons.We are now on day 8, and they are bigger but still no cocoons.
We made potato cakes. We made some toast and the children crushed it into fine bread crumbs. The children peeled potatoes ( an acitivity they all love!), and boiled them. Then the children mashed them. They rolled them into balls and rolled them bread crumbs. Voila! Potato cakes!
Shabbat Shalom,Morah Farhana and Moreh Efi
Judaics Weekly Bulletin 4/23/10
How beautiful it was to see all the children parading around the school, waving their flags and singing songs for the State of Israel! Then on to dancing in the parking lot (which we had closed off with cones), and finally, a very yummy feast! The children had prepared Israeli salad, and birthday cake, and we also had pita with felafel and hummus. We all had a wonderful time celebrating Yom Ha'atzma'ut- Israel's Independence Day.
Thanks and Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam
Rimon Weekly bulletin 4/23/10
I wanted to let you know about our field trip from April 13th: The 4's and 5's had a wonderful time on the trip to the National Art Museum. The children really enjoyed the museum tour- the woman, Ms Sally, read Eric Carle's book about Clouds, and then we went to a room in which there were several pictures, with different types of clouds. She asked the children which picture seemed quiet, which was noisy, which was cold, and which they would like to be in, etc. The children were enthusiastic participants, and very polite. She ended the program with an art project, creating their own picture with cotton ball clouds. We had fun riding the school bus as well!
The 3's had a very nice time at school, doing art projects, and playing, both inside and out. They had a chance to spend special time with Morah Ety and Morah Efi, and with a smaller group at school!
We are now preparing for our next trip, on May 12. The 4's adn 5's will be going to the Museum of Natural History to see the exhibit on Mammals. The 3's will be going to the Butterfly Exhibit at Brookside Gardens - so we have been speaking and reading about all kinds of animals.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam and Morah Adi
D'vash Weekly Bulletin 4/23/10
We have catepillars in our classroom which we will take care of and watch transform into painted lady butterflies. We are also learning about the characteristics of mammals.
On rainy days please send your child with a rain coat so that we can enjoy some outdoor play.
Some children have learned to read numbers in tens, hundreds and thousands and are now matching these numbers to bead quantities. Others are reading words and matching to pictures. The younger children enjoy working on puzzle maps.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Farhana and Moreh Efi
Gefen Weekly Bulletin 4/23/10
The Toddlers had a busy week. On Monday we celebrated Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence day.) We sang the song Degel Tov and Am Yisrael Chai. We also baked a cake and decorated with white and blue frosting and had a party with the Primary classes.
On Tuesday it was picture day and we all came dressed up in pretty clothes for the pictures.
The rest of the week was getting back to our daily schedule which was not easy after all the excitement.
We have been reading new stories and listening to new songs and also doing lots of work.
We are indeed getting good at sitting longer and following through with the work.
Our teachers are proud of us to see how much we have grown since the beginning of the year. Keep up the good work Toddlers.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Sharmaleen & Morah Orna.
Field Trip News 4/16/10
From Parent, Karen Galanti:
What a great time we had on our field trip! The kids enjoyed the ride on the school bus to the National Gallery of Art. We sang songs ("The Wheels on the Bus" was a big hit!) and talked excitedly during the long bus ride.
When we arrived, it was just beginning to rain, so we moved our "picnic lunch" into the Gallery's cafeteria. Everyone enjoyed lunch and the visitors around our tables were amazed at how wonderfully well behaved our children were. We then headed into the rotunda where we were met by our two tour guides.
We broke up into our two classes for separate discussions about clouds. The children lay down on the floor, held up pictures of clouds and tried to find shapes and figures in them. Afterwards, we read a book together about clouds and then headed into a gallery. We viewed manypaintings - crashing waves with ships at sea, serene country scenes with horses, ice skating on a frozen pond, the inside of a chapel, and more. In each painting, we looked at the types of clouds and how they helped set the mood of the painting. We talked about which scene each of the children would like to be a part of, which painting seemed happy, scary, warm, cold, loud or quiet. All of the kids participated and answered questions.
We then joined up together with both classes and each child created an art project with cotton balls to represent clouds. Then, it was time to head back to school! For me, it was really wonderful to see the kids experiencing and appreciating art in the National Gallery. We are so fortunate to live near the Smithsonian and to be able to expose our kids to the arts at a young age. I hope all of the kids enjoyed it as much as I did!
Karen
Judaics Weekly Bulletin 4/16/10
We are busy singing songs and making a few projects for Yom Ha'atzma'ut- we will have a party on Monday- we will have felafel and salad and Birthday cake, to celebrate Israel's 62nd birthday.
* Please dress your child in blue and white on Monday.
* We will have a "parade" around our school, so if it is cool, please send a sweater.
Thanks and Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam
Rimon Weekly bulletin 4/16/10
The 4's and 5's had a wonderful time on the trip to the National Art Museum. The children really enjoyed the museum tour- the woman, Ms Sally, read Eric Carle's book about Clouds, and then we went to a room in which there were several pictures, with different types of clouds. She asked the children which picture seemed quiet, which was noisy, which was cold, and which they would like to be in, etc. The children were enthusiastic participants, and very polite. She ended the program with an art project, creating their own picture with cotton ball clouds. The bus ride was a little long, as we happened to go the day of the Nuclear conference, but we had fun on the bus as well!
The 3's had a very nice time at school, doing art projects, and playing, both inside and out. They had a chance to spend special time with Morah Ety and Morah Efi, and with a smaller group at school!
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam and Morah Adi
D'vash Weekly Bulletin 4/16/10
The four year old children had a wonderful experience at the National Gallery of Art. The tour guide read us a story about a cloud, and took us to see the Dutch collection of landscapes. We discussed the clouds in the various paintings. We also saw a painter copying a portrait of a man and she showed us her many paint brushes and we felt some of them. We then did some art work with cotton balls and crayons. When asked what they liked best about the trip, the children said 'Going on the bus two times!"
Shabbat Shalom,Morah Farhana and Moreh Efi
Gefen Weekly Bulletin 4/16/10
The weather has been really beautiful this week and the toddlers are using it to the fullest.
For us the teachers, the playground is a place for learning the finer details about each and every child. We observe the children and see how they walk, talk, invite, decline, engage and make transitions. We try to find that one small but important bit of information that only play time provides us with. It helps us by giving us the insights into a child's development and helps us in helping the child, giving them the support and guidance they need.
Spend some out door time with your toddlers and enjoy the wonderful weather and hopefully all of you are going to have beautiful memories for the future.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Sharmaleen & Morah Orna.
Judaics Weekly Bulletin 4/09/10
Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your Pesach holiday! The children were so excited learning about Pesach, the songs, the order of the seder, and the story of the Jews leaving Egypt - I hope you enjoyed hearing it all from your children.
We have now moved on to Yom Ha'atsmaut - Israeli Independence Day. We are learning songs about Israel as well as Israel's significance to us. On Monday, April 19th we will celebrate Israel's Independence Day. We will sing and dance and then eat Israeli salad and falafel and of course, birthday cake. Please dress your child in Blue & White on April 19th.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam
Rimon Weekly bulletin 4/9/10
Welcome back! We hope you enjoyed Pesach, teh vacation, the chance to spend more time with your children: They all came back so excited to see each other adn to share stories about their seder and Pesach experiences. We hope you enjoyed the projects that your child made. We have one apology - some of the haggadot went home with the children, Unfortunately, we set some aside and they were left here. I am so sorry that you did not have them for Pesach, but hope you can enjoy them now.
We are now discussing the onset of spring. The children were excited to talk about the flowers, the cherry blossoms and the warm weather, but not so excited about the bugs that have come out as well.
A few items of "business:" Please 1) send your child with a hat, 2) apply sunscreen in the morning, and 3) send in weather appropriate changes of clothes.
One more item - Morah Miriam's daughter is expecting a baby in a few weeks. When the baby arrives, Morah Miriam might take off a day to help her. We are all excited about the expected new arrival.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Miriam and Morah Adi
D'vash Weekly Bulletin 4/9/10
We are so happy that spring is here! You can look for signs of spring with your child. You may wish to put sunscreen on your child in the morning. we have been talking about characteristics of amphibians. We are also practising songs for Israeli Independence Day which we will celebrate in class on Monday April 19th. Please dress your child in blue and white on this day.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Farhana and Moreh Efi
Gefen Weekly Bulletin 4/9/10
We are so happy to see everyone back from the Pesach vacation. We welcome two new children to our classroom this week, Ela and Owen. Ela and Owen are twins, and they are doing so well in the first few days.
Please make sure to send a summer change of cloths, hat and a sunscreen for the warm weather.
Shabbat Shalom,
Morah Sharmaleen & Morah Orna.
