Dear Parents,
To those of you with children who were sick at home, we hope for a speedy
recovery for all.
In class we did three main things. First, the students had an opportunity to
practice their Hebrew reading skills. The class worked in pairs or a group of
three and took turns reading and listening to one another. While this was
going on, we had a chance to listen and help anyone in need. The class is
making nice progress and it is great to see their confidence grow.
The second area of focus was a review of all material we have learned this
year. We played a game where the class was divided into three teams. The teams
took turns choosing a topic to answer a question on. The topics were Hebrew,
Torah Stories and Holidays. Everyone was quite engaged by the game and with
only a few hints all questions were answered.
The last activity was a discussion of welcoming guests. We discussed Abraham
and Sarah welcoming three strangers into their home. Although we weren't
suggesting inviting strangers into our homes, we did discuss welcoming someone
in our community. After talking about ways to make someone feel comfortable,
we took time to make welcome cards that will be put into new member welcome
baskets for Temple Beth Abraham.
There were no new Hebrew worksheets sent home. As always, it is helpful if you
can spend a few minutes of time at home reviewing the letters and reading.
Camp Ramah applications were sent home. If you have any questions, you can
contact Susan Simon or Rabbi Bloom.
L'Shalom,
Yonit and Shira
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Dear Parents,
Here are some highlights from class today. We continued to work on chapter 2
in our Hebrew books. The students worked on exercises reinforcing the letters
they have learned and each had a chance to read to a teacher. Worksheets were
sent home, so you can see how your child is doing and what they are working
on. Overall, the group is doing well. It is exciting to see their progress in
blending letters and vowels to read.
We continued to learn about B'tzelem Elohim, in the image of God. Rabbi Bloom
was kind enough to sing a song, B'tzelem Elohim, which reinforces the value of
caring for others. In class, we discussed what it means to be in the image of
God. The students came up with many things they can do to be in the image of
God. Here are some of the ideas mentioned- using nice words, being respectful
of our environment, taking care of nature, visiting the sick and being kind
and helpful to people and other living things. It was very nice hearing such
thoughtful ideas.
L'Shalom,
Yonit and Shira
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Shalom Parents,
We had another action-packed class on Tuesday. Shira was away this week, and
we were extremely fortunate to have Monica Floyd, a former madricha, helping
us. After music with Rabbi Bloom, we introduced the letter mem and came up
with several ways to remember what it looks like. Then, we split up into
groups of two to practice reading. Your children now know four letters and
two vowels! We also learned the vocabulary word for lesson 2--shammash which
means helper.
After a brief discussion of Simchat Torah, we introduced the first portion of
the Torah--Breisheet. A lot happens in this parasha--creation, Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden, and Cain and Abel. We discussed the concept of
b'tzelem elohim--we are created in the image of God. Next week, we'll
continue exploring this concept and identify ways we can be like God.
B'Shalom,
Yonit
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Dear Parents,
Yesterday's Bet Sefer class was incredibly busy, fun, and productive. We
learned about Sukkot by taking a visit to the synagogue Sukkah where Rabbi
Bloom helped us say the blessings and showed us how to shake the lulav and
etrog. Every student had a chance to shake the lulav and etrog. Further, the
class made edible Sukkot out of graham crackers, pretzels, frosting, and
parsley. Both activities were a big hit.
For Hebrew, we divided our class into small groups which were asked to visit
five stations. The stations gave the students a chance to practice writing the
letters we have learned, to put together sounds using the Hebrew letters, to
match the names written in English with the Hebrew letter, to read short
words/sounds, and finally to match and write our two vocabulary words - Bat
(daughter) and Shabbat. Overall the groups were busy at work and the students
were helpful to each other. Next week we will work on lesson 2 and one more
letter will be added to the mix.
Remember Simchat Torah begins on Saturday evening, and the service at 6:15 is
usually a great family event.
Chag Sameach,
Yonit and Shira
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Dear Parents,
This week in Kitah Bet we continued to work on chapter one in our Hebrew
books. Each student was given a practice sheet to take home. As we only have
one day a week to do Hebrew, we hope you can find a few minutes several times
a week to help them review. Some students still need to simply identify the
three letters - bet, tav and shin. Others are ready to read the letters with
the ah vowel under them. And still others are now combining two letters
together with and without vowels. Next week we will review again and, with
repetition, the Hebrew should become easier.
In order to prepare for Sukkot we sang songs with the Rabbi and read a chapter
from one of the All of a Kind Family books. In the chapter the family was
preparting for Sukkot by building and decorating a Sukkah. They also invite
friends over to share the holiday. Next week we will visit Temple Beth
Abraham's Sukkah and shake the lulav and etrog.
This week the class also needed many reminders of the rules we had agreed on.
Several students forgot what it means to be respectful, to listen when someone
else is talking, to keep their hands to themselves, and to follow our
directions. We understand that some may be tired or hungry, so we appreciate
you feeding them a large snack and making sure they are well rested before
class. Further, please remind your child that you expect them to be behave
well. In addition, we are brainstorming a variety of activites and approaches
that we hope will be more engaging for the class. Thanks for your help.
Chag Sameach,
Yonit and Shira
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Shalom Parents,
We had a very active day in Kitah Bet this week. After music with Rabbi
Bloom where we sang High Holiday songs and even had a preview of Sukkot, we
introduced the first lesson in our Hebrew Book. As a group, we learned the
first vocabulary word (Shabbat) and started to learn to decode letter vowel
combinations, focusing on the bet ah vowel combination or ba sound. Most
students are catching on and we will be doing a lot of repetition in class to
cement this learning. In the coming weeks, we'll be experimenting with
breaking the class into different groups as we learn Hebrew with the goal of
allowing the students to work at a comfortable pace and style for them.
We'll send home a reading sheet next week once we learn the shin and tav more
completely with reminders to have your child practice at home.
In the meantime, please visit the website at www.behrmanhouse.com where you
can click on the families section and log on to use their Click-n-Read Hebrew
at Home pages. Click on Lesson 1 and you can see if your child can read the
first section on the letter bet. Don't worry if you don't know Hebrew
yourself. You should still be able to help your child.
After recess and snack, we discussed Yom Kippur traditions and themes. We
read the story of Jonah and a sweet picture book The Invisible Mistakecase
and talked about apologizing, forgiveness, and change.
We wish you all an easy fast!
Shira and Yonit
