Forms were mailed in November, if you need another copy please contact Mikey Frank at

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Gabriel Douglas
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1 December 2014 Volume 12 Issue 4 Join us for the Annual Sisterhood Chanukah Fair on Sunday, December 7th from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. Please fill out a form for each of your children so they are able to visit the fair and choose some gifts for the family! Forms were mailed in November, if you need another copy please contact Mikey Frank at mikey@adath-israel.org

PRE-GAN {Sherry} We welcomed Levi to our class this month! We celebrated Simchat Torah by making Torah mantles (covers) we could wear.

Rick Recht filled our school with song. Isaac S. continues to request the itsy bitsy Akavish.

stomped on the stomp and catch and made the chai-yoht (animals) fly all the way to the other side of the room.

2 PRE-GAN {Sherry} We welcomed Levi to our class this month! We celebrated Simchat Torah by making Torah mantles (covers) we could wear. Dara showed us a real torah, and Shoshana got to hold the yad and point to a Hebrew word to see if Dara could read it. She passed! Rena helped out with all the answers too. Rick Recht filled our school with song. Isaac S. continues to request the itsy bitsy Akavish. I had the rainbow song stuck in my head for days (Bo, Bo, Bo-Bo-Bo-Bo What s your favorite color of the rainbow ) We read the story of Noah s Ark. Isaac J. stomped on the stomp and catch and made the chai-yoht (animals) fly all the way to the other side of the room. We made a geshem (rain) stick, and Ari played the Roll and Graph game to see which animal would be the first to get on the Ark. We talked about keshet (rainbows), and how to say our colors in Hebrew. We moved on to a unit about B tzelem Elohim (In God s Image). The children had to guess who the most special person in the world was. Harper guessed Elsa. After everyone guessed, they looked in my bag (which had a mirror inside) to see they were the most special person in the whole world. Since God made everyone unique and special, we learned we have to take care of our bodies by getting exercise in the muscle room, eating healthy snacks and keeping clean. We learned body parts in Hebrew, and sang Rosh(head), katef(shoulders), ber-ech(knees),and etz-bah-ote (toes). PRE-GAN {Sherryl} Rick Recht entertained our school and class with his wonderful music! All the children loved his program as we sat up front and participated. We continue learning NEW songs with Mitch in music each week and at Mazel Tots. A favorite song Savannah and Livia like to sing altogether is Happy Thanksgiving, hooray hooray hooray! Aren't you glad your not a turkey on this Thanksgiving Day! Aaron and Adrian especially had fun dancing and spinning around to Sevivon (Dreidel)! Parsha Noah and a Farm Animal visit had Hannah, Shayne, Reid, Adrian, Aaron, Livia interacting with the goats, sheep, chicks, and Thumper the bunny! We read "Noah's Ark" and "The First Rainbow" The Torah Series of books introduces the beauty and lessons of the Torah in a stimulating manner. We learned that teivah is a big boat made of wood and mabul means flood. Our whole class made a Noah's Ark Mural with the help of Ben & Tamar using stickers. It is hanging on our bulletin board! Our list of favorite colors is growing: kachol (blue), varod (pink), yarok (green), katom (orange), sagol (purple), adom (red), tzahov (yellow) and more! We are doing a booklet on Shabbat that will soon be coming home. We read "Poppy Seeds, Too" A Twisted Tale for Shabbat by Deborah Miller. We took home a Challah recipe and a foam challah. We learned "challah" means dough. We recited together the Challah Blessing before you enjoy the challah. We had kitchen play for Shabbat that the boys and girls enjoyed. They set the table for dinner with Matzah Balls, Broccoli, Chicken, Gefilte Fish, and Noodle Kugel! We are now looking forward to celebrating Hanukkah! Wishing you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving! KITAH GAN: Kindergarten {Debbie} I Am Jewish and I Believe in One God is the song you might have heard last Sunday as you passed by the Gan Kindergarten classroom. If you ve had a child in Kindergarten at Adath Israel, you will surely remember this song and know it easily gets stuck in your head! Our class is mid way through our God Talk unit. We just learned about the Shema and can now say it with sign language! You should see Eden sing and sign at the same time! Congratulations to the Kindergarteners who have learned half of the alef bet letters! It s amazing to see them recognize more letters each week and begin to read their sounds WITH VOWELS! Rachel enjoyed setting up the letters on our Alef Bet chart and leading the class through the sounds we are learning! We always play a game or do a hands-on activity to practice our letters. By far the favorite seems to have been practicing tracing the letters with chocolate pudding! Currently the students are learning about Shabbat. They went through the motions of how busy their week is, moving to Rhapsody In Blue and then acted out the motions of Shabbat to Swan Lake. Aaron and Remi enjoyed the crazy, busy movements of this activity. This helped contrast the feeling of Shabbat to the regular work week. Then the students sorted Shabbat items into those used only for Shabbat, only for Havdalah or both. They also decorated Shabbat items to go into our two Shabbat Boxes,that two students will bring home each week to celebrate Shabbat. Our Shabbat unit concluded with a Mock Shabbat and Havdalah celebration with their families! KITAH ALEF: First Grade {Deena & Gail} Kitah Aleph is moving along nicely. As soon as students arrive, we are embedded in learning Hebrew. Chana taught all

of us how to do sign language when reciting the Shema. Jonah and Katie loved this. Each morning we go over our jobs for the day. This helps the day go smoothly. The students are such a big help.

They had to work together to find the letter that they were assigned. It was a fun time and gave the students the opportunity to work together and get up and move around.

3 of us how to do sign language when reciting the Shema. Jonah and Katie loved this. Each morning we go over our jobs for the day. This helps the day go smoothly. The students are such a big help. Next we work in our Hebrew Primer. This week, Annie and Samantha placed different Hebrew letter tiles in various parts of our room and we had two teams of students. They had to work together to find the letter that they were assigned. It was a fun time and gave the students the opportunity to work together and get up and move around. Katie and Ethan lead the Barchu in tefillah, and showed us how we face east, towards Jerusalem. Casey was our Shema leader. We studied the Parasha of Noah and had a wonderful visit from Sunrock Farm. We were able to see and hold many of the animals that would have been on the Ark. Ella and Lily really loved the baby chicks. We were able to pet goats and sheep. We learned what these animals give to us and how we need to care for them as well. Farmer Georgia gave us many details about her job. We learned about caring for each other and the world around us. We have been talking to the students about our synagogue and all the beauty that surrounds us. We are able to walk around the synagogue and notice things that we had never noticed before. If you look up in the main sanctuary, you will see seven windows that represent the days of creation. Then we created our own stained glass windows, with Jewish symbols. We discussed what each symbol stands for, and decorated and made Jewish Stars. We used paint and glitter to make our Stars of David beautiful. The students also received seven pictures that they put in order, just like our windows. We read a story called "What Makes a Jew". The students enjoyed sharing their stories of their own families and traditions. Lily and Ethan have an Israeli connection. We will be learning about Israel in the second semester. We are talking about our next holiday, Chanukah. We like the latkes and sufganiyot. We learned that in Israel, people place their Hanukkiot in the windows of their homes, so people walking on the street can look up at the beauty and feel the warmth and know that a Jewish family lives there too. Enjoy your Thanksgiving time with family. L'hitraot! KITAH BET: Second Grade {Scott} The last few weeks have been very busy for us here in second grade. We have reviewed some new Hebrew letters and vowels, including alef, vav, bet, dalet, kaf, tzaddi, and the vowel "ee". We are continuing to practice some vocabulary too through learning the song "In the classroom" by Debbie Friedman. The children become better and better each day at remembering the Hebrew words and their meanings as we practice the song. Wyatt has learned many of the vocabulary words from the song and is always enthusiastic about showing it. Soon we will be learning some new Hebrew songs for Chanukah as the holiday is quickly approaching. Our homework program is coming along great! The students have been very diligent in doing their homework and turning it in, and now they have been able to reap the benefits of completing their reading homework by being given the chance to pick a prize from my prize box- much to their delight! I wish to extend a special thank you to all the parents who have helped make the homework program so successful its success literally speaks for itself! Sundays of course have been busy too. This last month we have enjoyed two special programs, one by Jewish singer Rick Recht and the other- a special program for the children for parshat Noach which introduced the children to many farm animals. Now that the holidays have come and gone, our focus is turning to the Jewish values component of the curriculum. We have begun learning about the value of Kavod which means honor. We have read a story called The Wooden Bowl, about three generations of a family; a grandfather, father, and a young son. The young son ends up teaching the father a lesson quite by accident, of how and why it's important to teach people to honor their elders. By the time you read this we will also have read another story about another very important Jewish value, Emunah, or belief in God. You will hear more about that in the next Jarson Journal. We have finished our lesson about the Torah, and our project too. The children had a lot of fun learning about the Sefer Torah, coloring, cutting, and assembling the pieces to make the project they have brought home with them. I am sure it will serve them well for many years to come. In closing, the class has been doing an excellent job. They love learning Hebrew and about the holidays. Shimon Omer (Simon says in Hebrew) is an especially fun game that we have been playing for a while now, and will continue to keep playing regularly. I am so pleased too that I have actually have a student, Jacob, who is helping to lead some of the games with me!

KITAH GIMEL: 3rd Grade {Gail for Zahava} Kitah Gimel is very busy working on interesting topics. In Hebrew, we learned seven new script letters. The students are excited to begin reading in script.

Our vocabulary is increasing and we are able to make short sentences in Hebrew. We studied the meaning of Modeh Ani in prayer, thanking G-d who has graciously returned my soul to me.

4 KITAH GIMEL: 3rd Grade {Gail for Zahava} Kitah Gimel is very busy working on interesting topics. In Hebrew, we learned seven new script letters. The students are excited to begin reading in script. We read several nice stories; Rain taught us the words coat, umbrella, hat, and cold. This vocabulary is used daily when we talk about the weather. Our vocabulary is increasing and we are able to make short sentences in Hebrew. We studied the meaning of Modeh Ani in prayer, thanking G-d who has graciously returned my soul to me. In ancient times people believed that our soul left our bodies during sleep. We also studied the blessings thanking G-d for what we have, for bread, wine, fruit, vegetables, cake and cookies. We are also practicing the Shema. In our Israel studies, we read about the life of Ilan Ramon, Israel s first astronaut, who in 2002, joined NASA astronauts in the space shuttle Colombia and went into space for two weeks. He lived in the city of Beersheva which is mentioned many times in the Torah. Today Beersheva is one of the largest cities in Israel. We have been studying Chanukah and making chanukiot. We are also learning songs for the holiday. Andrew said that his favorite thing to do in class was learning to write in Hebrew script. Lily said that her favorite thing was learning how to read Hebrew better. We hope that everyone has a meaningful Thanksgiving with family and friends. KITAH DALET: 4th Grade {Ariel} Kitah Daled is having a great month! We are busy learning bible stories and how we can apply the messages to our life, and engaging in fun and interactive activities to learn about Judaism. Students are expanding their Hebrew vocabulary and putting stories together with their Hebrew abilities. Jerusalem and Haifa continue to be a focal point of learning about Israel. We learned about Haifa s landmarks, and continued to learn the rich and important history of Jerusalem. We have learned about how King David purchased Jerusalem for six hundred gold pieces, having each of the tribes contribute fifty gold pieces, so that Jerusalem was truly a city of equality and peace. Gabby was excited to tell us that she was able to share her impressive new Hebrew abilities with friends on the bus to school! Isaac was also thrilled to share that he was able to teach his class at school some of the new words he has learned in Hebrew school, such how to introduce himself in Hebrew. Jared has shown his understanding of the stories we have discussed by being able to relate them to his daily life at home. Derech Eretz has been a theme this month, which means good deeds. Kitah Daled has decorated the classroom with examples of Derech Eretez and ways to remember that where there is no Torah, there is no Derech Eretez. Students have also learned about Zikaron, which is the Hebrew word for to remember. The class made skits on important events in Judaism we remember. We look forward to the coming weeks, which will highlight the story of the Maccabees. KITAH HEI: 5th Grade {Phyllis & Rob} Rob: This past month, our fifth grade class hit the road for Fairfield to visit the illustrious Jungle Jim s Supermarket for some off-site Jewish learning. The students were given an introduction to this very unique super market that some had never visited. Carrying thousands of foods from around the world, the students set out with a list of twenty questions that took them all throughout the mammoth store. The questions dealt with kashrut in the big picture, but also focused on subjects such as gluten free foods, organic foods, and the use of GMO s in many of the foods that we eat. This all tied in to our curriculum, Min Ha aretz, from the Earth. The students enjoyed the opportunity to explore and answer a wide variety of questions that gave them so many new insights into Kashrut and food in general. After the scavenger hunt and a quick break at Starbucks, the students went on a guided tour of the store to see more first-hand examples of just how many foods are kosher, some that they never would have guessed. This included a visit to the kosher section at the back of the store that was laden with products from Israel and other parts of the world. Students also found kosher products from such locales as Hong Kong, India, Argentina, and Morocco. It truly was an eye opening experience for all who were in attendance. Imagine how many students knew that giraffe meat was kosher! I would like to thank the following parents for giving of their time to not only assist with transportation of the students, but for joining us for the class as well. It is most appreciated. Sharon Silver, Beth Kotzin, and Dan Oliff. In

the coming weeks, we will further explore the relationship between Judaism and agriculture, as well as the significance of Hannukah in modern times.

We read another funny story about a student who was not a good listener in class and the third story was a takeoff on Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Their hard work made studying Hebrew a whole lot of fun!

5 the coming weeks, we will further explore the relationship between Judaism and agriculture, as well as the significance of Hannukah in modern times. Phyllis: The students of Kitah Hei studied three Hebrew stories last month. The first was a serious one about a grasshopper and an ant that taught the value of hard work. We read another funny story about a student who was not a good listener in class and the third story was a takeoff on Give a Mouse a Cookie. Once we knew our vocabulary and all of the stories well, we created puppets for each character and performed three puppet shows for each other. What a talented and creative class! Their hard work made studying Hebrew a whole lot of fun! KITAH VAV: 6th Grade {Rachel} The 6th graders are beginning to explore how Judaism relates to the decisions and issues they face in daily life - what food to eat, how to treat animals and what the prayers have to do with real issues. Specifically, we have been learning about Kashrut and how it relates to discipline and the idea of Na'ase v'nishma/"doing and understanding." We've explored a whole variety of lesser known Jewish dietary laws. In addition, students explored Jewish perspectives on democracy & voting, created their own versions of the Amidah's 13 requests and started learning the most common words in all of prayer so that they can increase their understanding during tefillah. KITAH ZAYIN: 7th Grade {Brett} Over the past month we started off with focusing on the different forms of tzedakah, started to delve into the weekly Torah portions, learned the importance of Mussar (Jewish ethical and moral behavior), began to study our unit of Pidyon Shvuyim; the obligation of Redeeming Captives, and started the first part of a tzedakah project to help with the homeless. Did you know there are different ways to give tzedakah then just to bring money into class? We discovered over 30 different ways anyone can make a difference in someone s life. In conjunction with Tzedakah we discussed the concept of random acts of love and kindness. With this particular concept each student has been challenged to perform at least one form of random act of love and kindness each day. With each Torah portion we explored specific Aliyahs and connected them with how to approach everyday life. We learned about the idea of not blaming others and taking ownership of our own actions, being kind to the messenger, and the importance of setting goals. Each Wednesday we have Rabbi s class where the students have conversations with the Rabbi about the different middot (character traits) of Mussar. We have discussed respect, the importance of helping others and righteousness. These classes are extremely important in the Bar Mitzvah program at Adath Israel it encourages students to start thinking about their everyday actions and behaviors. As a seventh grade class we start looking at our obligations, and one of those obligations is Pidyon Shvuyim, the obligation of Redeeming Captives.To understand this obligation better we discussed the Jews who were held captive in the Soviet Union and the SSSJ s (Student Struggle For Soviet Jewry) Advocacy efforts to help out their fellow brothers and sisters in need. We then looked back at the Diaspora, studied how Jews were treated in the Middle Ages, and began to look at the texts of our great books to see what they have to say about this particular obligation. For November s Tzedakah Sunday project we started to put together fleece blankets for the homeless. These blankets will go directly to those in need in one of our future monthly Tzedakah Sundays.

MUSIC AND TROPE WITH MITCH COHEN Trope: Grades 5 and 6 5th and 6th graders worked hard this month in Trope. We focused more on davening skills as well as some of the harder blessings.

The 5th graders really enjoyed putting Harry Potter stories to the tune of Haftorah Tropes this month.

Using the more familiar English in the stories, the students are able to see how the Tropes are accented, and how the Tropes help tell the story.

6 MUSIC AND TROPE WITH MITCH COHEN Trope: Grades 5 and 6 5th and 6th graders worked hard this month in Trope. We focused more on davening skills as well as some of the harder blessings. Both classes reviewed Ashrei and the Torah service davening. The 6th graders worked on davening the Musaf service as well as working on Torah tropes. The 5th graders really enjoyed putting Harry Potter stories to the tune of Haftorah Tropes this month. As we read about Harry's adventures, it is fun for the class to choose which tropes fit the words of the story the best. Some of the fancier tropes are used when exciting things happen. Using the more familiar English in the stories, the students are able to see how the Tropes are accented, and how the Tropes help tell the story. 5th graders will begin applying the tropes to example Haftorah Hebrew later in the year. I am beginning evaluations soon to use for report cards. The evaluations will be used to show parents how their child has progressed on skills such as recognizing the major Haftorah tropes symbols and tunes, reciting the blessings, and more. Music: grades K-2 and 3-5 Jewish Rock Star Rick Recht came to Adath Israel this month! He held an interactive music program with the entire religious school on the morning of October 26 and he performed for a concert for the community later that day. The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders performed with Rick on stage! They played their flute recorders to Rick's song V'ahavata, and also sang his uplifting song "Halleluyah". In the weeks that followed, we continued to sing a number of Rick Recht songs, including his song "The Hope." The lyrics of "The Hope" talk about loving the land of Israel and how Israel is our hope "Hatikva" that holds the Jewish people together. His song about Hatikva helped us transition into reviewing the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikva" in our classrooms. We do this each year to make sure the students are able to sing the anthem of the State of Israel. In November, we sang the funny Debbie Friedman song "Happy Thanksgiving, Hooray Hooray Hooray, aren't you glad you're not a Turkey on this Thanksgiving Day". This past week we began singing our first Chanunkah songs! The kids enjoyed spinning like dreidels to the song Sivivon. Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders began learning a new song called "We are the Mighty Maccabees". There was tremendous enthusiasm when over half the class volunteered to sing one of the solos! We all learned it. We will keep on working on the song as Chanukah approaches along with many others. RESOURCE CENTER {Chana & Toby} Resource Center: Students enter eagerly, anticipating an activity designed to enhance their skills. We are demonstrating to them their capacity to master reading, combining letters and vowels with numerous "Toby Tricks" to enable their memory efficiency. A few have already "graduated" and no longer require the extra help. THE STARS ARE BEGINNING TO SHINE!!!! Fourteen students have created their own design and they are already making the statement that "WE ARE ALL STARS AT THE JARSON EDUCATION CENTER!" We are still seeking to add to our supply of colorful Kipot, suede or cloth so more students can fabricate their star. Please bring them to the school office or to the Resource Room. Thank You!! Soon you will see stars shining!! Hannah Lempert, our Madricha adds special enthusiasm to our sessions and I am so glad she is part of the Resource Room! Chana: We finished the Jewish identity posters! Enrichment students from each grade completed illustrated Hebrew posters explaining themselves and what they like about Judaism. Come upstairs to view them on the hall bulletin board across from the Hebrew enrichment classroom. Kindergarten and 1st grade learned to sign the shema and a song and dance to "hallelu." Older grades are learning simple Hebrew sentences and how to pair adjectives and nouns. 5th graders reviewed colors and learned numbers up to 100 by pairing Jewish MLB baseball cards with information about them written in Hebrew. 6th and 7th grades are expanding their vocabulary and key word recognition by translating a recipe that they will prepare. All students will bring home a Hebrew Thanksgiving project to share with their families. K-2 will have center pieces with "Yom ha-hodayah" the Hebrew name for Thanksgiving. Ask your 3rd-6th graders to share their Hebrew letters of Thanksgiving.

7 Special Activities

December 2014 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mazal Tots 9AM Sisterhood Hanukkah Fair 9-12:30 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 21 NO SCHOOL First Hanukkah Candle 17 LAST DAY OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOL 22 23

8 December 2014 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Mazal Tots 9AM Sisterhood Hanukkah Fair 9-12: NO SCHOOL First Hanukkah Candle 17 LAST DAY OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOL NO SCHOOL Friday Night Live & Free Hanukkah Dinner 5:00PM Family Service 10:15AM NO SCHOOL NO SCHOOL Lily Bernstein 12/10/05 9 Lily Levine 12/4/05 9 Ella Blatt 12/27/07 7 Jacob Ruby 12/31/06 8 Zara Cohen 12/9/03 11 Katie Spector 12/2/07 7 Eli Joffe 12/16/03 11 Hope Vernon 12/31/08 6 Jacob Joffe 12/16/03 11

There are many opportunities for families to participate together in everything from childrens services, programs and dinners. See page 7 for details.

So much happens in each session of religious school, our teachers keep things active and moving. See pages 2-6 to read all about it! There are many opportunities for families to participate together in