Here's what we did: Sunday, October 28th

At the Shir Ami Religious School at Temple Judea we're always learning something new and having a great time with our friends!

Miss Mikki's Kingergarten class learned about Shabbat. They read "The Shabbat Puppy" and discussed how to celebrate Shabbat at home and at the synagogue. Students also had fun making Kiddush Cup Necklaces and beginning to work on their Shabbat Mobiles. 

Miss Diaz's First Grade class studied Parshat Lech Le'cha and the story of Abraham and Sarah. The students made Suitcases to demonstrate they are ready to go and do what God wants them to -  just like our patriarch Abraham!

Mrs. Rodriguez's Second Grade class learned the Hebrew letters "Aleph" and "Mem." They had fun doing Music with Benny and practicing Aleph Bet Yoga.

Rabbi Young and Morah Rachel's Third Grade class added the words "board, "chair," "table," and "door" to their Hebrew vocabulary. Students also had a great time doing Music with Benny! Third graders learned about Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon and as well as a bit about the Israeli desert city of Beersheva. Sounds like full day!

Mrs. Bulbin's Fourth Grade class played Tic Tac Toe in teams using Hebrew vocabulary words from previous lessons. They also learned two new songs that incorporate their classroom vocabulary.

Maddie and Justin's Fifth Grade class made brochures about Hachnasat Orchim - the mitzvah of welcoming guests or strangers. Sarah's Fifth Grade class read "Joshua Sends Spies to Canaan" and also discussed the importance of Hachnasat Orchim. 

Mrs. Goldberg's Fifth Grade class studied and practiced the Avot V'Imahot prayers. Students learned the melody for Shabbat as well as the special movements for the prayer.

Lara's Sixth Grade class debated topics that affect Israel as well as Jewish people around the world. The students were split up into two teams and three students made up the "beit din" - or rabbinical court. 

As you can see we had an AWESOME day!

Remember this Sunday, November 4th is the Fifth Grade Family Program. We're looking forward to seeing all fifth graders and their families for a fun and engaging morning.

Legos for learning? Sounds like fun!

This Sunday marked our second Tefillah B'Kitah (Prayer in the Classroom) activity. Fifth grade students had a blast learning about the different prayers we say once, twice, or three times a day.

Students divided legos with names of prayers written on them into Shacharit (morning), Mincha (afternoon) and Ma'ariv (evening) structures.

The children used prayerbooks as references for this activity and enjoyed working with their friends.

Teamwork was an absolute MUST! 

The end products were amazing! We definitely have some scholars (and maybe a few future architects) who love using legos for learning at the Shir Ami Religious School at Temple Judea. 

October 14th - Here's What Happened!

Today was our first "regular" Sunday and we were excited to get in to new routines! Here are some highlights:

• Today was our first tefilah (worship) for K-3 students. This is a great time for us to come together, learn new songs, new prayers, and pray as a community.
• Kindergarten devoted much of our time together discussing the core of our curriculum – “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). We also had our first music class with Benny and we finished up some kavod (respect) and Sukkot art projects. 
• First Grade learned about creation and although humans were last on the scene, we have the responsibility of caring for the world. We also learned that there are consequences to our actions. Adam and Eve serve as examples of what happens when we do not follow rules. It was fun putting together the story of creation - the children made a magen david (Star of David) with the six days of creation depicted on each of the points of the star and Shabbat appears in the center of the star. 
• Second Grade learned about compassion (rachamim), one of the core values of study this year. They also started their Hebrew curriculum, looking at their class book and talking about the directionality of Hebrew (right to left).
• Third Grade competed in the first ever Negev Olympics - after learning how much of Israel is desert and about our ancestor Jacob. Our Hebrew vocabulary is growing as we added two new action verbs today. 
• 4th-6th grade started the "Tefilah B'Kitah (Prayer in the classroom)" program where they will be exploring themes and ideas of Jewish prayers.
• Fourth Grade Hebrew students are zipping through Alef-Bet Quest. Be sure to listen to your child read their page of Hebrew. In Judaic Studies the kids were introduced to the Being Torah textbook and discussed the word "commandment."
• Fifth grade Hebrew was all about review - the Hebrew vocabulary learned so far this year as well as key phrases from the V'ahavta prayer. Maddy & Justin started their Judaic Studies student exploring the concept of Welcoming Guests, while Sarah's class created review games to help them master the books of the Bible!
• Sixth grade Judaic Studies looked at how teens in Israel are like us - the sports they play and the food they eat. Tefilah B'Kitah launched with discussions on the students' thoughts about God.

Third Grade Negev Olympics are Under Way!